By
Alex Welch
Sony Pictures Releasing
If Kraven the Hunter really is the final film in Sony’s Spider-Man Universe, then the franchise is going out fittingly not with a bang but a whimper. Between its early Thursday previews and opening Friday screenings, Variety reports that the J.C. Chandor-directed superhero film has so far grossed only $4.7 million at the domestic box office. If that seems low to you, that’s because it is.
Earlier this year, Sony’s Madame Web, which became the subject of even more mocking memes and poor reviews than Kraven the Hunter, fared better. That Dakota Johnson-starring disappointment topped Kraven the Hunter by raking in $6 million in its Wednesday Valentine’s Day debut. Madame Web went on to gross just $43 million domestically and only a little over $100 million worldwide — an unfortunate fate for a film that reportedly cost around $100 million to produce. Things, however, are looking even worse right now for Kraven the Hunter.
In addition to its lackluster opening day gross, the film is now expected to make just somewhere between $13 and $15 million this weekend. That is a notably lower sum than the $20 million to $25 million it was projected to earn just a few weeks ago. Like Madame Web, its opening numbers are particularly concerning considering Kraven the Hunter is said to have similarly cost around $110 million to make.
None of this comes as much of a surprise. The future never looked very bright for Kraven the Hunter, a film that was originally supposed to hit theaters in January 2023 and was ultimately delayed three times. This is, however, par for the course for Sony’s non-Venom Spider-Man Universe movies. Madame Web and Morbius, after all, both underperformed as well.
Please enable Javascript to view this content
Morbius did the best out of the three when it hit theaters in April 2022 — grossing $17.3 million on its opening day and $39 million on its first weekend. It went on to earn only $73 million domestically and $167 million worldwide, though. The good news, therefore, is that Kraven the Hunter isn’t the only Sony superhero film that has bombed in recent years. The bad news is that it is currently on track to do even worse than its fellow Spider-Man Universe misfires.
Kraven the Hunter is now playing in theaters.
Alex is a writer and critic who has been writing about and reviewing movies and TV at Digital Trends since 2022. He was…
The hunt begins in Sony’s first Kraven the Hunter trailer
Way back in 1998, Sony acquired the rights to make movies about Spider-Man and all of his related characters. But with Spidey currently tied in with Marvel Studio’s MCU, Sony Pictures is trying to turn Spider-Man’s villains into movie stars. It worked for Venom, but not for Morbius. This fall, we’ll see if Kraven the Hunter has a better shot at success. Ex-MCU actor Aaron Taylor-Johnson is stepping into the title role as Sergei Kravinoff. And as you can see in the newly released trailer, Sony is taking several “creative liberties” with Kraven’s origin and powers.
KRAVEN THE HUNTER – Official Red Band Trailer (HD)
Kraven the Hunter adds Alessandro Nivola as the main villain
Following Morbius, Sony’s next Spider-Man-adjacent film will follow perennial bad guy Kraven the Hunter. Presumably the film will present Kraven as a more heroic figure. But who will be Kraven’s main villain? Deadline has provided at least a partial answer. While the character’s identity remains a secret, we do know he will be portrayed by Alessandro Nivola.
Nivola made his big-screen debut as Pollux Troy in Face/Off. Over the next 25 years, he appeared in numerous films including Inventing the Abbotts, Mansfield Park, Love’s Labour’s Lost, Jurassic Park III, Laurel Canyon, American Hustle, and The Art of Self-Defense. More recently, Nivola headlined The Sopranos’ prequel movie The Many Saints of Newark.
Ariana DeBose will play Calypso in Kraven the Hunter movie
Sony Pictures’ Kraven the Hunter has found its first leading lady. Deadline is reporting that Ariana DeBose has been cast in the film, potentially as Kraven’s occasional lover, Calypso.
Writer Denny O’Neil and artist Alan Weiss created Calypso in 1980 as a Spider-Man villain in Marvel’s comic book universe. She is a voodoo priestess and an expert in potions who claims to have magical powers. Calypso has occasionally partnered with Kraven, but she has also proven to be a viable threat on her own.
