Sony CEO Blames Critics and Media for Spider-Man Spinoff Failures

Sony Pictures’ Spider-Man spinoff universe is in crisis, and outgoing CEO Tony Vinciquerra isn’t holding back on who he thinks is to blame. As his seven-year tenure winds down, Vinciquerra reflected on the dismal box office performances of recent films like Madame Web and Kraven the Hunter, pointing fingers at the critics and the media for sabotaging the franchise.

“Let’s just touch on Madame Web for a moment,” Vinciquerra said in an interview with The Los Angeles Times. “Madame Web underperformed in the theaters because the press just crucified it.” He went on to defend the film, starring Dakota Johnson, Sydney Sweeney, Celeste O’Connor, and Isabela Merced, saying, “It was not a bad film, and it did great on Netflix.”

Released over Valentine’s Day, Madame Web flopped spectacularly, earning only $100 million worldwide, while critics tore it apart, branding it a lackluster Marvel knockoff. Things weren’t much better for Kraven the Hunter, which Vinciquerra called Sony’s “worst launch” in his 7 ½-year run. “I still don’t understand, because the film is not a bad film,” he said.

Sony’s Spider-Man Universe hasn’t been able to replicate the success of the wall-crawler’s Marvel Cinematic Universe appearances. Starting with 2018’s Venom, which grossed $856 million globally, Sony attempted to build its own universe with follow-ups like Venom: Let There Be Carnage, Morbius, and Madame Web. Critics, however, weren’t impressed. The six films in Sony’s Spider-Man Universe averaged a paltry 28% on Rotten Tomatoes, with Venom 2 the “best” at 58% and Madame Web tanking with just 11%.

“For some reason, the press decided they didn’t want us making these films out of Kraven and Madame Web, and the critics just destroyed them,” Vinciquerra said. He noted that even Venom faced harsh criticism but was saved by audiences who turned it into a massive hit. “These are not terrible films,” Vinciquerra insisted, “but they were just destroyed by the critics and the press, for some reason.”

As for the future of Sony’s Spider-Man Universe, Vinciquerra admitted that the company needs to rethink its strategy under new CEO Ravi Ahuja. “I do think we need to rethink it, just because it’s snake-bitten,” he said. “If we put another one out, it’s going to get destroyed, no matter how good or bad it is.”

With audiences and critics increasingly divided, can Sony course-correct its Spider-Man spinoffs? Or is the franchise too far gone to save? Share your thoughts in the comments below!