Last week, I covered some photos from the premiere of Kraven the Hunter. I was surprised as everyone else that the film was being premiered this month, because this film was supposed to come out nearly two years ago. The release date kept getting pushed back with various excuses, but it was clear that the studio really didn’t believe in it (and yet they spent more than $100 million on the production). Well, long story short, Kraven’s opening weekend did not go well. It’s an even bigger bomb than Madame Web.
Sony’s first R-rated comic book movie Kraven the Hunter bombed in its domestic box office debut this weekend, hunting down only $11 million to come in third behind Thanksgiving blockbusters Moana 2 and Wicked.
Kraven supplanted Madame Web to rank as the worst start ever for a Sony-produced Marvel comic book movie (the studio has rights to the Spider-Man universe), and one of the worst for any pic based on a Marvel character, not adjusted for inflation.
Reviewers ravaged the film, while audiences slapped it with a C CinemaScore. The pic also missed its target overseas, grossing a mere $15 million from 60 markets for a global debut of $26 million.
Kraven, starring Aaron Taylor-Johnson as the titular antihero, wasn’t cheap, costing $110 million to make instead of an intended $90 million because of pandemic and strike-related delays. Its release date was also pushed several times. Russell Crowe, Ariana DeBose, Fred Hechinger and Alessandro Nivola co-star in J.C. Chandor’s action-thriller about the vigilante son of a Russian gangster who has incredible strength.
Kraven is more bad news for Sony following Madame Web as it tries to mine the hundreds of Spider-Man-related characters it has the rights to. Sony insiders have marketed the film as an R-rated action pic akin to such titles as John Wick, versus a comic book movie.
The comparison to Madame Web is so interesting – both Madame Web and Kraven were part of the interconnected Spider-Man universe, both films made by Sony, both films had screwy marketing campaigns, and both films bombed massively at the box office. And yet, Madame Web was seen as the end of woman-led comic-book adaptations. After Kraven bombed, I doubt we’ll see thinkpieces on why white guys shouldn’t be allowed to be the lead in comic book movies. When it’s Kraven the Hunter, it’s all “oh bad luck, we’ll get ‘em next time!” Madame Web was treated like it fundamentally changed how women are viewed by studios. Incidentally, I looked it up – Madame Web ended up breaking $100 million at the global box office. I doubt Kraven will do the same.
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images.
