In a candid interview with the Los Angeles Times, outgoing Sony Pictures CEO Tony Vinciquerra blamed film critics for the poor box office performance of recent Spider-Man universe entries Madame Web and Kraven the Hunter.
"Madame Web underperformed in the theaters because the press just crucified it," Vinciquerra stated. "It was not a bad film, and it did great on Netflix. For some reason, the press decided that they didn't want us making these films out of Kraven and Madame Web, and the critics just destroyed them."
Released in February, Madame Web starring Dakota Johnson barely broke even on its $100 million budget, earning just $50 million worldwide in its opening weekend. The film's reception was so challenging that Johnson later admitted she "probably will never do anything like it again."
The situation worsened with Kraven the Hunter, which marked Sony's lowest opening in its Spider-Man universe, earning only $26 million globally. The Aaron Taylor-Johnson led film currently holds a 16 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
Vinciquerra, who steps down in January, pointed out that critics attempted similar treatment with Tom Hardy's Venom series, but audiences embraced those films, making them successful. However, he acknowledged that Sony needs to reassess its approach to the Spider-Man universe.
"I do think we need to rethink it, just because it's snake-bitten," he explained. "If we put another one out, it's going to get destroyed, no matter how good or bad it is."
The executive's views echo those of Madame Web actress Emma Roberts, who previously told Variety that "internet culture" and the tendency to turn everything into jokes affected the film's reception.
Despite these setbacks, Sony's Spider-Man related projects featuring the web-slinger himself, such as No Way Home and Across the Spider-verse, have received positive critical reception, with both films earning above 90 percent on Rotten Tomatoes.