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lady web
Photos of Colombia
Rumors about the trailer were worrying and advance ticket sales were anemic. Then last week, critics review lady web were released, and they were the most painful of all: Sony’s Spider-Man spinoff received the lowest average Rotten Tomatoes score (13 percent) of any major superhero movie in nearly a decade.
“On Wednesday night you could see in real time how advance purchase sales were declining as buyers refunded their tickets,” marvels a member of a major movie theater chain. “It really says something when you’d rather have Shazam! 2 numbers.”
It marked one of the lowest starts in Hollywood history for a film based on a Marvel character. The domestic box office for the first six days in North America was just $26.2 million after its midweek release on Valentine’s Day. International grossed $25.7 million in 61 markets. Even the fan-friendly CinemaScore rating was poor (C+, extremely low for a superhero title).
Like DC and the once-unstoppable Marvel, Sony is now under pressure to reevaluate how it makes comic book movies.
The previous film in Sony’s Spider-Man universe: 2022 morbium – was a critical flop and much maligned by fans online, but at least managed to make $170 million worldwide. There is no such hope for Mrs. Web. Further, The film’s collapse affects not only this film, but also a potential new franchise led by star Dakota Johnson that Sony had hoped to develop (spoiler alert: her character is connected to Peter Parker, whose birth is documented in the film).
The film featured a trio of supporting characters (played by Isabela Merced, Celeste O’Connor, and Sydney Sweeney, now one of the top stars of her age). It set up a future where the three could have become a Spider-Women team under the direction of Johnson’s Cassie Webb. Now that’s not going to happen.
“We are not going to see another lady web movie for over a decade,” joked one industry veteran. “It failed. Sony tried to make a movie that was a different kind of superhero movie.”
lady web It adds to a worrying trend for the superhero genre. All of last year’s live-action comic book movies underperformed (aside from Marvel Studios Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3), regardless of the study. “Superhero fatigue” has gone from a term used by some corners of the fandom to something grudgingly accepted as a fact of the industry. And it comes at a time when Marvel, DC and Sony are attempting the difficult job of spawning new franchises.
So lady web —directed and co-written by SJ Clarkson and starring Johnson as a New York paramedic who develops psychic powers—seemingly took a clever approach: When there are capes and hoods on every corner of the metropolis, doesn’t it make sense to avoid the usual tropes? And try a more grounded suspense thriller with discreet charm? And also make a superhero movie for women and girls?
Except it didn’t work.
“I don’t know if women are enough to carry the box office here,” says a veteran source at the non-Sony studio. In fact, men make up 65 to 70 percent of the superhero audience in North America. In the case of lady webthe percentage of female spectators was still only 46 percent.
“We’re in a transition when it comes to superhero movies,” the source notes. “I don’t know how big that transition is or what the other side looks like. They may be fewer movies, but bigger brands. Sony is willing to take some risks but also wants success, so that’s good. What if (the next title in Sony’s Spider-Man Universe) Kraven is a gigantic success, the narrative could be completely different. That’s why it’s too early to know the result.”
The current mood at Sony is gloomy, says one source. The studio has certainly scored notable victories under film director Tom Rothman’s tenure, including the Oscar-nominated film. Spider-Verse series and live-action Poison (one third Poison, starring Tom Hardy, is out November 8). Rothman is known for keeping a close eye on budgets and it has been widely reported that lady web It cost $80 million, but the actual figure is in the low $100 million range, according to several sources. Still, that’s far less than the $200 to $300 million Marvel or DC typically spend.
Curiously, some lady web Critics seriously argue that the film could eventually find a second life as a camp classic (the Los Angeles Times hailed it as “the purest form of camp” and Slate raved: “It’s a farce, a disaster…and I thoroughly enjoyed it.”) While such backhanded praise is no consolation to Sony, there’s an argument to be made if you’re going to fail, you might as well fail big. Because there is actually something worse than a movie that doesn’t succeed: Being forgettable.