The new superhero adventure, Kraven The Hunter, is the sixth addition to Sony's Spider-Man Universe, or SSU, and has naturally garnered hype. However, the Aaron Taylor Johnson starter suffered disappointing box office predictions ahead of its release. According to ComicBookMovie.com, the film is set to take an opening of around $25 million or less, which is lower than other SSU releases.
The website adds that a Variety report has hinted at even lesser opening collections in North America — in the range of $13-15 million.
As a result, while spinoff shows may continue, Sony might re-focus on mainline Spider-Man narratives and the future of standalone films such as Kraven The Hunter seems uncertain.
Will Kraven The Hunter recover its $110M reported budget?
Kraven The Hunter follows the Marvel supervillain Sergie Kravinoff, or Kraven, who is also the world's greatest hunter, and the complex relationship he shares with his father, Nikolai. It's an action-packed film narrating Kraven's brutal pursuit of revenge.
Initial projections suggested an opening of $28 million to $30 million in North America, but as per Comicbookmovie.com, the revised forecast is $20 million to $25 million. This is significntly lower than most other films of SSU. For instance, even Morbius managed to make $39 million in its opening weekend. Most early reviews of Kraven The Hunter have panned the film, too.
Besides the mammoth production budget (more than $110 million), the film's restricting R-rating has made trade analysts sceptical about its box office prospects. The current underwhelming response could also be a result of strong competition from other films releasing at the same time.
The fact that Kraven The Hunter isn't earning commercial or critical acclaim could mark an end to Sony's Spider-Man Universe Strategy. The studio has already decided to agree with fans and stick to mainline stories, with Spider-Man 4 starring Tom Holland already in development .
Producer Amy Pascal updated that the upcoming Spider-Man film will be about the emotional fallout of No Way Home, exploring Peter Parker's decision to abandon his personal identity and focus solely on being the masked superhero.
This marks the end of Sony's standalone sagas, Kraven The Hunter
An underwhelming response to Kraven The Hunter might end Sony's standalone sagas, but the studio will continue producing shows such as Spider Noir within SSU. Sony is also not holding back co-productions with Marvel, as Spider-Man 4 might revive fan excitement. The studio will pin hopes on the upcoming animated adventure, Beyond the Spider-Verse, too.
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Sony had recently released the action-packed first eight minutes of Kraven The Hunter in a bid to woo the fans. The trick is obviously not working,
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