Summary
Madame Webwas one of Sony’s efforts to expand itsSpider-ManUniverse. It was initially promising, but when the film was released, it underperformed at the box office.
SonyannouncedMadame Webin 2022 and it generated significant buzz. The film was directed by S.J. Clarkson and released in 2024. The British director is known for helming TV genres with complex female leads, andMadame Webis her first feature film. It stars Dakota Johnson (Cassandra Webb/Madame Web),Sydney Sweeney(Julia Carpenter),Isabela Merced(Anya Corazon) and Celeste O’Connor (Mattie Franklin). The film received overwhelmingly negative reviews and an 11% critic score on Rotten Tomatoes. It only grossed $100 million worldwide against a production budget between $80 million and $100 million, not accounting for marketing expenses. Hence, it was considered a box office flop. One of the stars was asked about the film’s performance and they shared their thoughts about it.
Johnson and theMaterialistsdirector Celine Song recently spoke with the Los Angeles Times and the former was asked about her flopped superhero movie. “It wasn’t my fault,” Johnson said with a laugh. TheFifty Shades of Greystarwas convinced that the problem was due to the number of people involved in making the creative decisions because some “don’t have a creative bone in their body.” She added:
And it’s really hard to make art that way. Or to make something entertaining that way. And I think unfortunately with Madame Web, it started out as something and turned into something else. And I was just sort of along for the ride at that point. But that happens. Bigger-budget movies fail all the time.
Despite the film’s performance and the criticisms it received, Johnson remained unaffected. According to her, it didn’t change her perception of choosing her next project. She didn’t tell herself she wouldn’t do anything like it again. TheAm I OKactress was unbothered because, in the past, she had “tiny movies” that also didn’t perform well. It’s not the first time aMadame Webstar was asked about the film’s box office performance a year after its release.Sweeney was asked the same questionduring her interview with Empire Magazine in May. Just like Johnson, she wasn’t bothered by the film’s performance. Instead, what mattered to theAnyone But Youstar was that she had fun when they filmed the project. According to Sweeney, the box-office performance didn’t matter when they enjoyed what they did.
Sony is visibly having difficulty releasing projects that will dominate the box office despite its efforts to expand theSpider-ManUniverse. Most films related to the universe, includingMorbius(2022) andKraven the Hunter(2024), underperformed at the box office, too. The only franchise that performed better was Tom Hardy’sVenom. However, while it was a commercial success, critics had mixed opinions about the film.Madame Webunderperformed at the box office for several reasons and Johnson had a point. According to previous reports, creative, critical, and strategic missteps were among the possible reasons. Many found the storytelling weak, the characters underdeveloped, and the pacing awkward and inconsistent. Some also blamed the marketing misfire for failing to stir excitement; others felt that the trailers gave away too much. Also, many probably viewed it as insignificant because it didn’t involveTom Holland’s Spider-Man, or they just had superhero fatigue. Regardless of the reason,Madame Web’s performance wasn’t surprising considering how the audience responded to the previous films from Sony related to theSpider-Manuniverse.
