Summary
-
Madame Web
‘s disastrous debut, marked by poor reviews and low box office earnings, sets a concerning trend for superhero movies. -
Madame Web
fell short of expectations, earning the title of worst opening in the Sony Spider-Man Universe. - The decline in box office performance of
Madame Web
and other big studio releases in 2023 signals challenges for the film industry, with streaming platforms impacting theater attendance.
The recent release of Madame Web, starring Dakota Johnson as the enigmatic clairvoyant paramedic Cassie Webb, did not foresee the troubles it would face on its release. Just like Morbius’ release just short of two years ago, the arrival of Madame Web became a story of a lackluster press tour, a torrent of criticism, and a terrible opening weekend box office that the film was never going to recover from. As the latest addition to Sony’s Spider-Man Universe—a franchise that has seen its share of highs with the Venom series and lows with Morbius—Madame Web’s disastrous debut has been followed up by a huge 64% drop in earnings.
1/5
Release Date February 14, 2024
Runtime 1hr 57min
Studio Columbia Pictures, Marvel Entertainment, Sony Pictures Entertainment (SPE)
Franchise Marvel
Madame Web initially hoped to tap into an extended opening by debuting on Valentine’s Day, but even that could not help the film in the wake of its reviews. This resulted in Madame Web landing a lower opening than Morbius, to take the unwanted title of the worst opening in the Sony Spider-Man Universe. Things did not improve for the movie as it headed into its second weekend.
The film’s performance has continued a downward spiral, with the movie slipping behind the newly released Alan Ritchson movie Ordinary Angels to fourth position in this weekend’s chart, taking just $5.56 million domestically. This equated to a 64% drop, which might not be the worst for a superhero movie, but continues to signal a trend that has been prominent in many big movie releases of the last few years. Superhero movies, and other blockbusters, have become known for packing in huge audiences on opening weekend, leading to an equally large drop in footfall the following week. When it comes to Madame Web, though, the problem is that the opening weekend of the movie was not an impressive haul to start with.
Can 2024’s Box Office Perform Better Than 2023?
Sony Pictures Releasing
It is hard to deny that the 2023 was a massive disappointment for many big studio releases. Movies including The Flash and Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny failed to draw in the kind of numbers that are expected of summer blockbusters. Instead, it was down to the combined might of strange bedfellows Barbie and Oppenheimer to save the day and deliver the kind of grosses that several years ago would have been the norm for any summer release.
However, streaming platforms, swift home video releases, and audiences seemingly needing a really good reason to experience movies on the big screen, have combined to create a constant barrier for new movies. 2024 is looking to franchise sequels to try and entice fans back into cinemas again, with Dune: Part Two, Kung Fu Panda 4, and Deadpool 3 just some of the movies that are hoping to put the ghosts of 2023 to bed.
Related Madame Web Finally Breaks a Good Record For Dakota Johnson The unimpressive opening weekend haul of Madame Web has still managed to break one good record for Dakota Johnson.
For Sony Pictures, Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire could provide them with their first hit of the year in March, but when it comes to their upcoming summer release of Kraven the Hunter, and the subsequent arrival of Venom 3, the future of the studio’s Spider-Man Universe movies is on very unsteady ground.
Madame Web
is currently available in theaters.
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