Two of the biggest box office bombs in Marvel history are gaining new life on Netflix by topping the streaming charts. Marvel movies have not fared well in theaters in recent years, whether they came from Marvel Studios' MCU or Sony Pictures' Spider-Man-based stories. However, even with those struggles from a box office perspective, not all the news surrounding these films is bad.
Sony Pictures' Madame Web and Kraven the Hunter ranked in the top five most-watched movies on Netflix after hitting the streaming service. According to Nielsen rankings (as reported by Bloomberg), Madame Web was Netflix's most-watched movie in 2025. Following closely behind it, Sony's other major 2024 flop, Kraven the Hunter, ranked fifth on this list.
This comes as a major shock, considering how both movies performed poorly critically and financially when they were released in theaters in 2024. Madame Web only grossed just over $100 million, despite being made on a budget between $80 million and $100 million. Meanwhile, Kraven the Hunter, which was made on a budget of $110 million to $130 million, only grossed $62 million at the box office.
Kraven the Hunter features Aaron Taylor-Johnson as the titular antihero, who goes down a path of vengeance after his father trained him to be the best hunter on the planet. Meanwhile, Madame Web stars Dakota Johnson as Cassandra Webb, a paramedic in New York City who gains clairvoyant powers after an accident and has to protect three young women. Both films are streaming on Netflix.
The Future of Sony's Spider-Man Universe
Following Kraven the Hunter becoming the studio's worst-performing movie, Sony is moving on from its live-action Spider-Man Universe. Sony is focusing its efforts on its work with Marvel Studios, which continues with the highly anticipated release of Spider-Man: Brand New Day behind Tom Holland in July 2026.
Sony will have plenty to look forward to elsewhere, however, as the studio has set Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse's release for June 18, 2027. This will continue Miles Morales' story immediately after the last time fans saw him in Across the Spider-Verse, pitting him against an alternate-universe Miles (who became the Prowler) as he tries to get home and save everything he loves.
Sony's live-action Spider-Man movies will continue to stream on services like Netflix, as the studio hopes they will continue to perform well amidst stiff competition. This could influence the team's decisions for future Spider-Man films, as the reception to most of the live-action Spider-Man-adjacent films from the last few years has been underwhelming at best.
Richard Nebens joined The Direct in March 2020, now serving as the site's Senior Writer and also working as an assistant editor and content creator. He started his journalism career as a hobby in 2019 and is passionate about sharing news and stories from the entertainment industry, especially comic book movies, comedy, and sci-fi. Richard looks to expand his knowledge about movies and TV every day, and he is eager to stay locked into the latest releases and breaking news at every opportunity.
