Madame Web Doing Worse Than Infamous Marvel Flop
Though it’s still a few weeks away, things are already not looking so great money-wise for Sony and Marvel’s upcoming feature, Madame Web. While “Spider-Man” anything has been a huge earner for the dueling companies, the same certainly can’t be said for other characters to come from the seemingly infinite Spider-Verse. As its projected box office numbers over a six-day period are $25-35 million, it would appear that – as of now – Madame Web will come behind the largely panned Morbius.
Morbius Was A Historic Failure
Starring Jared Leto in the titular role, Morbius was already a miss with audiences before it landed in theaters in 2022. Still, it managed to scrounge up $39 million during its first week at the box office, which seems impossible for Madame Web. When all was said and done, the Sony and Marvel venture grabbed $167.5 million at the global box office, but maybe in Madame Web’s case, it will be a matter of slow and steady wins the race – quite like what we saw from Pixar and Disney’s 2023 summer feature, Elemental.
2024 Looks Like A Bad Year For Movies
Of course, this is all just projected and speculatory as of right now, with Madame Web’s release still a few weeks away. We’ve long understood that 2024 is expected to be a bleak year at the box office as many studios pushed their releases back due to the now-settled writers’ and actors’ strike. As for the superhero flick’s competition, Madame Web will be duking it out for ticket sales alongside the Bryce Dallas Howard and Henry Cavill-led Argylle (which drops one week earlier) and the musical biopic, Bob Marley: One Love in which Kingsley Ben-Adir stars as the titular reggae singer and revolutionary.
Superhero Fatigue Has Become Worse
Whatever way the financial pendulum swings for Madame Web will paint a clearer picture of what lies ahead for similar features arriving during the rest of the year. Last year, both DC and Marvel were hit with poor theatrical turnouts and bad reviews from their dedicated followings and critics alike. Movies like DC’s The Flash and the MCU’s The Marvels just didn’t hit quite the way they were projected to, with James Gunn’s Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 being the exception.
Marvel Box Office Depends On Deadpool 3
As for 2024, after Madame Web has spun her story, it will be a few months until Deadpool 3 arrives in July. Unlike other movies from the genre that may be suffering, there’s a good chance that fans will turn out for the third installment in the Ryan Reynolds-starrer, which is also set to feature Hugh Jackman reprising his role as Wolverine.
Kraven The Hunter Is In The Same Universe As Madame Web
After that, August brings the release of Kraven the Hunter, which, like Madame Web, is another shared vehicle between Marvel and Sony. Its release will be another key to better understanding how the Spider-Verse will be able to move forward in the feature, giving some insight on whether audiences are completely over these types of side stories from Sony.
Madame Web Is Competing With One DC Movie
Unlike Marvel, DC is only contributing one title to the upcoming year of films as James Gunn and Peter Safran’s late 2022 takeover sent the studio into a major overhaul. The film in question will be Joker: Folie à Deux with Joaquin Phoenix reprising his role as the titular villain and Lady Gaga joining as Harley Quinn. Finally, also stemming from Madame Web’s home of Sony and Marvel, the long-awaited Venom 3 slithers onto screens in November.
Madame Web Is A Spider-Man Spin-Off
As for Madame Web, the feature stars Dakota Johnson as the eponymous character who, after a deadly encounter, gains the power of clairvoyance and, along with a group of three other women, uses her newfound abilities to stop a dark entity from committing heinous acts. Also starring in the feature are Sydney Sweeney, Isabela Merced, Celeste O’Connor, Adam Scott, and Emma Roberts.
