If Kraven the Hunter really is the final film in Sony’s Spider-Man Universe, then the franchise is going out fittingly not with a bang but a whimper. Between its early Thursday previews and opening Friday screenings, Variety reports that the J.C. Chandor-directed superhero film has so far grossed only $4.7 million at the domestic box office. If that seems low to you, that’s because it is.
Earlier this year, Sony’s Madame Web, which became the subject of even more mocking memes and poor reviews than Kraven the Hunter, fared better. That Dakota Johnson-starring disappointment topped Kraven the Hunter by raking in $6 million in its Wednesday Valentine’s Day debut. Madame Web went on to gross just $43 million domestically and only a little over $100 million worldwide — an unfortunate fate for a film that reportedly cost around $100 million to produce. Things, however, are looking even worse right now for Kraven the Hunter.
In addition to its lackluster opening day gross, the film is now expected to make just somewhere between $13 and $15 million this weekend. That is a notably lower sum than the $20 million to $25 million it was projected to earn just a few weeks ago. Like Madame Web, its opening numbers are particularly concerning considering Kraven the Hunter is said to have similarly cost around $110 million to make.
None of this comes as much of a surprise. The future never looked very bright for Kraven the Hunter, a film that was originally supposed to hit theaters in January 2023 and was ultimately delayed three times. This is, however, par for the course for Sony’s non-Venom Spider-Man Universe movies. Madame Web and Morbius, after all, both underperformed as well.
Morbius did the best out of the three when it hit theaters in April 2022 — grossing $17.3 million on its opening day and $39 million on its first weekend. It went on to earn only $73 million domestically and $167 million worldwide, though. The good news, therefore, is that Kraven the Hunter isn’t the only Sony superhero film that has bombed in recent years. The bad news is that it is currently on track to do even worse than its fellow Spider-Man Universe misfires.
Kraven the Hunter is now playing in theaters.
