sightupdate

Movies

"‘Kraven The Hunter’ Opens to $11M, Lowest for Sony Marvel - What Led to This?"

2024-12-15

Comedy movies have a short shelf life, and the same seems to hold true for superhero films. Sony's Kraven the Hunter recently suffered a low opening, becoming the lowest in the studio's Marvel canon. This comes after a string of underperforming Sony/Marvel movies such as Morbius and Madame Web. The film faced various challenges, from last-minute cuts during production to a saturated superhero marketplace and changing audience attitudes.

Challenges Faced by Kraven the Hunter

Sony's Kraven the Hunter was developed in 2018 when superhero movies were booming. However, as the market became oversaturated, the film struggled to find its footing. Last-minute cuts before production started sent the filmmakers into a quandary, and the lackluster dailies were not corrected in time. The actors and writers' strikes also compounded the issues, delaying reshoots and rewrites.

Golden Globe winner Aaron Taylor-Johnson stars as the lead, but even his talent couldn't save the film. The movie was initially set for MLK weekend 2023 but was moved to October 6, 2023. The first trailer dropped in June 2023, but as the strike got underway in July, the release was pushed to Labor Day weekend 2024. Social media analytics showed zero heat around the film before its opening, with a relatively small following compared to other Sony/Marvel titles.

Cost Increases and Financial Decisions

The re-starting of production drove up costs for Kraven the Hunter, from $90M to $110M. Sony had to make financial decisions during the strikes, such as opting not to air some pre-booked TV spots. The studio is also being cautious with its spending, scaling back its skin on the film from 75% to 50% with TSG upping its share.

Despite being an R-rated Spidey universe movie, Kraven the Hunter has limited word of mouth. Many viewers were apprehensive about taking a C-list comic book character and giving him his own movie. Others were turned off by the CGI. Sony isn't stupid when it comes to finances and won't throw good money after bad.

Future of Sony/Marvel

Sony isn't giving up on Kraven the Hunter or its Marvel projects. The studio had a great experience working with director J.C. Chandor and is already working on an untitled contemporary drama thriller with him. However, the development team is in full reset mode on Marvel fare, taking a "ruthless attitude" going forward on whether Spidey's friends and foes have a future on the big screen.

There are a couple of projects in the works, but it remains to be seen how they will fare in the current superhero market. Sony will need to learn from the mistakes of Kraven the Hunter and other underperforming movies to ensure the success of its future Marvel projects.