Sony Pictures Boss Blames Critics for Spider-Man Spin-Off Failures

In an interrogation with the Los Angeles Times looking backmost astatine his 7 years starring Sony Pictures, departing CEO Tony Vinciquerra spoke astir the studio’s successes during his tenure—as good arsenic its disappointments. That includes the last movie to motorboat portion he’s inactive the boss: Kraven the Hunter.

The Spider-Man villain spin-off starring Aaron Taylor-Johnson was “probably the worst motorboat we had successful the 7 1/2 years [I’ve been astatine Sony], truthful that didn’t enactment retired precise well, which I inactive don’t understand, due to the fact that the movie is not a atrocious film,” helium said.

In a follow-up question, Vinciquerra was asked much astir Kraven—as good arsenic different notorious, Spidey-adjacent 2024 release: Madame Web.

“Let’s conscionable interaction connected Madame Web for a moment,” helium said. “Madame Web underperformed successful the theaters due to the fact that the property conscionable crucified it. It was not a atrocious film, and it did large connected Netflix.”

He continued, leaning into blaming the property for Madame Web‘s nonaccomplishment and others. “For immoderate reason, the property decided that they didn’t privation america making these films retired of Kraven and Madame Web, and the critics conscionable destroyed them. They besides did it with Venom, but the assemblage loved Venom and made Venom a monolithic hit. These are not unspeakable films. They were conscionable destroyed by the critics successful the press, for immoderate reason.”

(Morbius, released successful 2022, did not get a mention.)

On Rotten Tomatoes, Kraven the Hunter has a 15% “Tomatometer” standing from critics; movie fans gave it a 73% connected the “Popcornmeter” scale. Madame Web‘s rankings are worse (11% from critics; 55% from fans); portion the astir caller Venom film, Venom: The Last Dance, had the astir statement betwixt critics and audiences (41% vs 81%).

Still, conscionable due to the fact that fans who ballot connected Rotten Tomatoes mightiness person affirmative feelings, that doesn’t needfully construe to container bureau gold. Most recently, Kraven the Hunter, arsenic Vinciquerra himself admitted, did not permission overmuch of a mark astatine the container office.

The outgoing CEO whitethorn not person to interest astir it overmuch longer, but he’s decidedly alert that the full “Spider-Man spin-off” strategy, which Sony embraced truthful enthusiastically astatine the beginning, needs to beryllium re-examined going forward. “I bash deliberation we request to rethink it, conscionable due to the fact that it’s snake-bitten,” helium told the Los Angeles Times. “If we enactment different 1 out, it’s going to get destroyed, nary substance however bully oregon atrocious it is.”

Spider-Man 4, astatine least, is connected the horizon: Tom Holland returns arsenic the web-slinger successful a Dustin Daniel Cretton-directed movie arriving July 24, 2026.

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