The box office flop of the new Sony's Spider-Man Universe (SSU) film Madame Web has derailed the studio's future plans for the franchise.
Aside from having disappointing box office numbers in its six-day opening, the film has also received overwhelmingly negative reviews from critics. Madame Web currently has the lowest Rotten Tomatoes score ever for any Sony Spider-Man movie.
It has also become the subject of ridicule online, which began when the trailer was released in November last year and a line spoken by Dakota Johnson became a meme sensation.
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The Box Office Flop of Madame Web Derails Sony's Plans for the Franchise
A new report from The Hollywood Reporter detailed the bleak aftermath of Madame Web's disappointing box office results following its six-day opening throughout the long weekend.
The current mood on the Sony lot is described as "gloomy" as a result of the box office flop. They also revealed that the film is budgeted at around $100 million instead of the initially reported $80 million number.
"We’re not going to see another Madame Web movie for another decade-plus. It failed. Sony tried to make a movie that was a different type of superhero movie," said an industry veteran cited in the article.
A theatrical chain insider also claimed that buyers were refunding the tickets that were brought in advance during opening day.
"On Wednesday night, you could actually watch advance purchase sales declining in real time as buyers were refunding their tickets. It really says something when you’d rather have Shazam! 2 numbers," they revealed.
The film ended with a set-up on a potential sequel as they teased the heroic turns of Julia Cornwall, Anya Corazon, and Mattie Franklin as the future Spider-Women under the guidance of Cassandra Webb.
That sequel is reportedly no longer happening due to the box office results and the reception that it received.
The studio still has two more chances to redeem the franchise with the upcoming releases this year of Kraven the Hunter and Venom 3. If they end up becoming disappointments as well, Sony may have to cut the cord on their attempt at a Spider-Man franchise without the hero himself.
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