Summary
As more and more ofSony’slive-action Spider-Verse hits the big screens, fans just continue to collectively scratch their heads. While Spider-Man has become a massive hit for his involvement in Disney’s MCU, the same cannot be said for the other characters fromSpider-Man’s cast of flashy characters. Even years ago without the aid of Disney,Sonyhad success with the character, but it seems that there is an ongoing struggle to truly make something great.
When it comes to recent major releases likeMorbiusandMadame Web, fans have been left in absolute disappointment despite there being potential for greatness. All of this has led many fans to call outSony for their handling of their Spider-Verse, but there is an extra kink added to the mix. When Sony’s Spider-Verse, a film universe intimately tied to Spider-Man, fails, Marvel Studios is ultimately left to feel the burn.
Sony’s Live-Action Spider-Verse Is A Mess
It’s really no secret that Sony’s live-action Spider-Verse is struggling. While there have been some bright spots like the performance of the twoVenomfilms, those bright spots don’t shine nearly as brightly as Sony might hope. Fans enjoyed the movies, leading to solid box office returns (even if those returns are nowhere near the MCU’s highs), but critics weren’t particularly impressed by either of theVenomoutings. This issue is only made worse byMorbiusandMadame Webwhich have both beennearly universally panned by fans and critics.
Even when the movies are enjoyable, Sony’s live-action Spider-Verse is filled with meandering plots that require the audience to turn off their brains for enjoyment. With weak motivations and bizarre character decisions, it then makes sense that fans have only really connected with theVenommovies consideringthe symbiote Venom is a rather erratic character, to say the least. WhileKraven The HunterandVenom 3are both set to be released this year, Sony is going to need both to be big hits to clean up the mess they’ve made and all the goodwill that they’ve lost with Spider-Man fans.
Matt Sazama, Burk, Sharpless, Claire Parker, S. J. Clarkson
Cast:
Jared Leto, Matt Smith, Adria Arjona, Jared Harris, Al Madrigal, Tyrese Gibson
Dakota Johnson, Sydney Sweeney, Isabela Merced, Celeste O’Connor, Tahar Rahim, Mike Epps, Emma Roberts, Adam Scott
15%
12%
While bothMorbiusandMadame Webwere anticipated by certain groups of fans, both failed to make any kind of significant splash. When it comes to the box office,both films can be considered to be utter failures, withMadame Webnot even managing to close in on its reported production budget of roughly eighty million dollars.Morbiuswas slightly more successful, though that’s not saying much considering it was still considered to be a complete flop. In the case of Morbius, the film became so notorious that it even ended up receiving another period of in-theatre release, but the memes were just jokes, leading to yet another weak take in for the global box office.In a report from Forbes, it’s made clear just how poorlyMorbiusperformed for a second time:
“Sony reissuedMorbiusinto 1,037 theaters in weekend ten. The poorly reviewed and poorly received (a C+ from Cinemascore and a 1.89x multiplier means audiences didn’t like it either) Jared Leto superhero movie earned another $85,000 (+922%) on Friday for a $280,000 (+840%) weekend and still-lousy $73.6 million domestic cume.”
Critically, both films were ripped to shreds, with both films being torched for their performances, writing, overall plot, effects, and just about every other aspect one can think of. For a lot of reviewers,Morbiusjust seemed like an attempt to capitalize onthe popularity ofSpider-Manmediawithout any genuine effort put in to verify that the attempt was good. At the same time,Madame Webis currently being called one of, if not the absolute worst, superhero movie ever released, a moniker that Sony certainly doesn’t want for its superhero movies.
Sony’s Movies Get Lumped In With All Marvel Movies
The problem that Disney faces when Sony’s films fail is that the live-action Spider-Verse movies end up being considered as a part of the overall Marvel movie mythos, especially in the aftermath ofthe massive hitSpider-Man: No Way Home. On one level, if fans mistakenly believe that the Sony films are MCU movies, many could end up believing that these unbelievably weak films are bringing down the MCU while it already deals with its own period of shortcomings. On another level, films likeMorbiusandMadame Webonly serve to potentially damage the legacy that Marvel movies have managed to create in the modern day. While there were some classic hit Marvel films long before the MCU, bothMorbiusandMadame Webcall back to the high-profile stinkers ofthe early superhero genre likeElektraandDaredevil.
Sony Contributes To Superhero Fatigue
Even worse, when Sony continues to pump out weak superhero films, that only contributes to the growing feeling of superhero fatigue. The MCU has been releasing movies and shows in rapid succession to the point that many fans are overwhelmed and struggling to keep up. With that feeling has come a pullback from the superhero genre as a whole, and should fans choose todive back in with flops likeMorbiusorMadame Web, the genre may lose fans for good. The MCU has seemingly learned that too much content can be a bad thing, something that may explain a rather sparse upcoming release slate, but as theSonylive-action Spider-Verse continues, it is Marvel overall that will feel the true pain.
