Sony Pictures CEO On Why ‘Madame Web’ Flopped At The Box Office; Suggests Shift In ‘Spider-Man’ Spinoffs To Avoid Getting “Destroyed” By Critics

Tony Vinciquerra, the Sony Pictures CEO, acknowledged that Madame Web underperformed at the box office and shared why he thinks it didn’t do well.

In a new interview, Vinciquerra touched on Madame Web‘s dismal results in theaters despite being part of the Spider-Man universe.

“Madame Web underperformed in the theaters because the press just crucified it. It was not a bad film, and it did great on Netflix,” Vinciquerra told the Los Angeles Times.

Vinciquerra also acknowledged that Kraven the Hunter underperformed like Madame Web and suggested, “for some reason, the press decided that they didn’t want us making these films … and the critics just destroyed them.”

“They also did it with Venom, but the audience loved Venom and made Venom a massive hit,” he added. “These are not terrible films. They were just destroyed by the critics in the press, for some reason.”

When asked if the strategy around the Spider-Man spinoffs should be refocused, he said, “I do think we need to rethink it, just because it’s snake-bitten. If we put another one out, it’s going to get destroyed, no matter how good or bad it is.”

Madame Web starred Dakota Johnson as a paramedic who develops psychic abilities following an accident, making her see future events in the “Spider-Man world.” The film opened to $51.5M worldwide, way below the reported $80M budget, and also starred Sydney Sweeney, Isabela Merced, Celeste O’Connor, Tahar Rahim, Mike Epps, Emma Roberts, and Adam Scott.

Sweeney joked about the disappointing box office results for Madame Web during her turn as guest host on Saturday Night Live. Johnson was so put off by the experience that she had no desire to star in another superhero movie.

“I had never done anything like it before. I probably will never do anything like it again because I don’t make sense in that world. And I know that now,” Johnson said in an interview with Bustle.

She continued, “Sometimes in this industry, you sign on to something, and it’s one thing and then as you’re making it, it becomes a completely different thing, and you’re like, ‘Wait, what?’ But it was a real learning experience, and of course it’s not nice to be a part of something that’s ripped to shreds, but I can’t say that I don’t understand.”