On Sunday night, a significant story emerged on the Marvel Studios subreddit. It boldly stated, "Sony Needs To Lose The Spiderman Rights." This sentiment was echoed despite some punctuation issues. It became clear that Sony Pictures' experimental approach with their Spidey-less Marvel side-character franchise wasn't yielding the desired results, much like the situation with "Garfield Without Garfield."

Box Office Disappointments and Successes

This weekend, Kraven the Hunter, a movie centered around Spider-Man's big-game-hunting baddie and starring Aaron Taylor-Johnson, faced a spectacular flop at the U.S. box office, making only $11 million. After a series of delays, including shifts from January 2023 to October 2023, then to August 2024, and finally to its December 13 release date, it opened in third place, behind Moana 2 and Wicked.Sony initially had a decent start with Tom Hardy as Venom, making $213.5 million in the U.S. and $856.1 million worldwide in 2018. However, the franchise has always been divided. The chaotic Venom comedy seemed to thrive on its star, while there was a need to make it more Marvel-y. This year's Venom: The Last Dance received lackluster reviews and dwindling box office receipts, with $139 million domestically and $475 million worldwide.Sony's attempt to introduce other Spider-Man-adjacent villains into their cinematic universe also faced challenges. Morbius, the Jared Leto vampire thriller from 2022, made only $167 million worldwide, just above Venom: The Last Dance's U.S. haul. Madame Web, while an incredible theatrical experience, did $100 million globally, and it's unclear how much of that was due to ironic viewing versus genuine interest. Kraven opened to less than Madame Web, setting a record as the lowest opening weekend for a Sony Marvel movie.

Spider-Man Rights and Sony's Strategy

Sony has owned the Spider-Man movie rights since 1999 and has used them effectively. They started with Sam Raimi's hit 2000s trilogy and then had the epic Amazing Spider-Man movies with Andrew Garfield. Later, they pivoted to animation with the Spider-Verse films, which were both box-office successes and Oscar winners.Despite rumors suggesting Sony might sell off the Marvel rights after the failures of Morbius, Madame Web, and Kraven, there are still projects in the pipeline. Beyond the Spider-Verse is in the works at their animation studio (though a 2025 release seems unlikely), and they are currently filming a live-action Spider-Man Noir series for Amazon based on Nicolas Cage's character from Into the Spider-Verse.Also, the deal Sony brokered with Marvel Studios allows Tom Holland's Peter Parker to play in the MCU. After two stand-alone movies and Avengers appearances, the deal almost fell apart, but thanks to Holland, his version of Spidey persists and is set for a fourth Spider-Man movie and an appearance in Avengers: Secret Wars.

The Question of Using Spider-Man

Why doesn't Sony just put Spider-Man in a Venom movie or cut straight to a Sinister Six film with Spider-Man as a "villain"? According to recent reports, it has nothing to do with the Marvel Studios deal. Sony could do whatever they want with Peter Parker. But there are internal questions about how to specifically use Holland's Spider-Man, how many Spider-Mans can exist in the universe(s), and a hope that the studio can build expanded-franchise success without overly relying on its flagship superhero. After Kraven the Hunter's performance, one might expect a "Venom vs. Spider-Man" pitch to emerge from Marvel Studios' grand plans. Fans may beg, but it's hard to imagine Sony giving up on Spider-Man and all that he represents.Kraven the Hunter is currently playing in theaters, adding to the ongoing saga.