Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Entertainment
  3. News

Goodbye, Spider-Man Universe? Kraven will likely be the last movie in Sony’s SSU

By
Kraven the Hunter goes for a punch.
Sony Pictures Releasing

After six years of flops and diminishing returns, Sony is saying farewell to its Spider-Man Universe (SSU).

According to a new report from The Wrap, Kraven the Hunter will likely be the final film in the polarizing SSU. Instead of building movies around characters associated with Spider-Man, Sony will now focus on projects directly connected to the friendly neighborhood superhero.

Recommended Videos

“They’ve developed what they want to develop for now,” a top talent agent told TheWrap. “It’s really about the next Spider-Man film.”

Please enable Javascript to view this content

Sony pivoted its Spider-Man strategy after The Sinister Six movie never materialized due to the disappointing returns from 2014’s The Amazing Spider-Man 2. Sony reached an agreement with Marvel Studios to collaborate and bring Spider-Man into the MCU. Additionally, Sony would develop its own MCU called the SSU, which was to be built around characters and villains related to Spider-Man.

The first film was 2018’s Venom, an origin story starring Tom Hardy as Eddie Brock. Despite poor reviews, Venom became a smash hit financially, grossing over $856 million worldwide. The sequel, 2021’s Let There Be Carnage, did fairly well, grossing $506 million at a time when movie theaters struggled during the pandemic.

Other than the Venom movies, the SSU has failed to win over critics and audiences. Morbius and Madame Web flopped, while Kraven the Hunter‘s initial box office estimates are low. Why did the SSU fail? Besides not having Spider-Man, one insider cited the poor quality of the films as a reason for the universe’s downfall.

KRAVEN THE HUNTER - Opening 8 Minutes

“The biggest issue with the Sony Spider-Man spinoffs seems to be the lack of quality control. The movies just aren’t good,” said a source in the Wrap’s report. “Sometimes that lack of quality meets a movie no one asked for, which was the case with Madame Web, and that is a no-win scenario. It may be time for Sony to start cultivating different IP to launch new franchises.”

With the eventual end of the SSU, Sony will now turn its efforts toward its upcoming Spider-Man projects, including Spider-Man 4 starring Tom Holland, the animated Beyond the Spider-Verse, and the Spider-Noir television series with Nicolas Cage.

Kraven the Hunter opens in theaters on December 13.

Editors’ Recommendations

Topics
Dan Girolamo
Dan Girolamo
Entertainment Writer
Dan is a passionate and multitalented content creator with experience in pop culture, entertainment, and sports. Throughout…
Watch the first 8 minutes of Kraven the Hunter for free now (if you dare)
Aaronn Taylor-Johnson holds a weapon and goes to stab someone.

Sony has released an exclusive look at the opening eight-minute scene in Kraven the Hunter, the studio's upcoming superhero movie based on the Marvel Comics character.

The footage introduces Aaron Taylor-Johnson's Sergei Kravinoff, known as Kraven, a big game hunter with superhuman strength, agility, and speed. Kraven poses as a Russian felon and boards a bus heading to prison. Kraven purposely enters the jail to eliminate Seymon Chorney, the leader of the Kirov gang who supplies guns to murderers around the world. Chorney and his men learn firsthand that the hunter is no myth, as Kraven makes quick work of the gang before attempting his escape.

Read more
Kraven the Hunter’s early box office estimates aren’t looking good
Aaron Taylor-Johnson stands near fire in Kraven the Hunter.

It's been a long road for Kraven the Hunter. The forthcoming sixth film in Sony's Spider-Man Universe has been delayed three times over the past two years. It was originally set to hit theaters on January 13, 2023, before its release date was pushed first to October 6, 2023, and then to August 30, 2024. It was delayed again from that date and is now on the verge of hitting theaters this coming December. Unfortunately, it doesn't look like Kraven the Hunter will receive the enthusiastic welcome at the box office that Sony Pictures may have hoped it would.

According to Box Office Pro, Kraven the Hunter is currently expected to earn between $20 million and $25 million in its domestic opening weekend. If that estimate proves to be true, that will be a quiet opening for a film that reportedly cost north of $100 million to make. For further context, a $25 million opening would put Kraven the Hunter ahead of Madame Web, which grossed just $15.3 million at the domestic box office in its first weekend earlier this year, but below Morbius, which raked in a larger $39 million opening in its debut weekend back in April 2022.

Read more
‘Give our film a chance:’ Kraven the Hunter director addresses Sony’s Spider-Man Universe failures
Aarron Taylor-Johnson in the official poster for "Kraven the Hunter."

Sony's Spider-Man Universe (SSU) has not gone according to plan. Several SSU entries, including Morbius and Madame Web, have been either critically reviled or box office failures. The three Venom films have all been profitable but garnered a negative reception. J.C. Chandor is hoping his film, Kraven the Hunter, will turn the SSU in a positive direction.

While speaking with Comicbook.com, Chandor acknowledged the criticisms of Sony's previous Spider-Man films. Chandor is hoping that fans will watch Kraven with an open mind and not let the SSU's negative reception cloud their judgment.

Read more