The next Spider-Man spin-off movie seems primed to write its name in the box office record books, but not for any reason worth celebrating.
Since 2018, Sony's Spider-Man Universe has offered fans stories set around Marvel Comics' iconic web-slinger without actually featuring the teenage hero himself.
While the movies within this series of super-powered spin-offs have not fared well critically, some of them have managed to find major box office success. Namely, the Venom trilogy of movies starring Tom Hardy has grossed over $1.9 billion and counting, with Venom: The Last Dance still in theaters.
Next Spider-Man Spin-off Movie Set To Break Disappointing Record
According to the most recent box office projections, the next Spider-Man movie could set a new mark for the most disappointing box office opening for a Sony/Marvel production.
The upcoming Kraven The Hunter film is being projected to open to a dismal $13 to $15 million in its first weekend in theaters (per Variety).
This would be the lowest box office haul for a Sony/Marvel opening weekend ever, beating out the incredibly lean opening of the critically maligned Madame Web in February 2024 ($15.3 million).
For comparison, Venom: The Last Dance, which debuted in theaters in late October, managed to rake in $51 million during its first weekend in theaters and did so with the sort of middling reviews Sony's recent Marvel fare has become known for.
This new tracking for the Aaron Taylor-Johnson superhero blockbuster is significantly slimmer than that of previous Kraven projections, which is concerning, seeing as it is reportedly operating on a $110 million budget.
Most of Sony's biggest Marvel openings have come with their mainline Spider-Man films (excluding the studio's MCU work). Four of the top five come from Tobey Maguire’s three Spider-Man movies and Andrew Garfield’s The Amazing Spider-Man 2.
Below is a full list of opening weekend box office totals for Sony-produced Marvel movies:
- Spider-Man - $114.8 million
- Spider-Man 2 - $88.2 million
- Ghost Rider - $45.4 million
- Spider-Man 3 - $151.1 million
- Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance - $22.1 million
- The Amazing Spider-Man - $62 million
- The Amazing Spider-Man 2 - $91.6 million
- Venom - $80 million
- Venom: Let There Be Carnage - $90.1 million
- Morbius - $39 million
- Madame Web - $15.3 million
- Venom: The Last Dance - $51 million
Is This The End For Sony's Marvel Movies?
Things are not looking good for Kraven the Hunter and, in turn, the Sony Spider-Man Universe as a whole.
Outside of the Venom films, the studio has failed to capture any sort of positive momentum with its in-house Marvel work, and those movies have seemingly ended with the release of The Last Dance.
Anything outside of those symbiote-focused blockbusters has not caught on, with Morbius, Madame Web, and now (likely) Kraven The Hunter missing the mark from a box office standpoint.
Luckily for the studio, it is still in business with Marvel Studios for its more Spider-Man-focused fare. The creative partnership is already hard at work on Tom Holland's Spider-Man 4, with shooting seemingly set to start sometime next year.
Also, the studio has one more movie set in the beloved Spider-Verse franchise, Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse, on the horizon, and odds are that will be a win — something Sony Pictures' super-powered efforts could sorely need.
Beyond that, however, the Sony Spider-Man Universe remains in flux. There are hanging story threads from the end of Venom 3 that many have assumed were meant to set up the next era of this on-screen franchise, but they may never end up seeing the light of day.
Reports have indicated that the Spidey-centric series of spin-offs may come to an end with Kraven the Hunter, leaving the future of the studio's Marvel work (outside of the previously mentioned titles) in question.
Kraven the Hunter stalks its way into theaters on Friday, December 13.
