Sony’s Kraven the Hunter is struggling mightily at the box office during its opening weekend, as the film is projected to earn just $11-12 million domestically. The Marvel Comics adaptation is no match for the November holdovers, which continue to dominate the multiplex this holiday season. Juggernaut Moana 2 is set to win its third straight weekend, posting $26 million in the U.S. Fellow family-friendly musical Wicked isn’t far behind in second with $23.3 million.
Per The Wrap, the rest of the box office top five this weekend should be rounded out by Gladiator II ($7.7 million) and another new release, Lord of the Rings: War of the Rohirrim. Similar to Kraven the Hunter, the latter did not leave much of an impact in its debut; the anime feature is estimated to gross only $5.4 million domestically.
With this, Kraven the Hunter has the unfortunate distinction of posting the lowest opening in Sony’s Spider-Man Universe franchise. Earlier this year, Madame Web grossed $15.3 million domestically in its first weekend. Kraven the Hunter is well behind the much-maligned Morbius, which earned $39 million back in 2022, and it isn’t even close to the same ballpark as the Venom movies. The Venom trilogy was the SMU’s most consistent moneymaker, although The Last Dance ended the series on a whimper, as it was the lowest-grossing installment.
[Related: Every Sony Spider-Verse Character We Want Back Despite Shared Universe Cancellation]
Between the underwhelming box office and largely negative reviews, it isn’t surprising that Sony is pausing the development of more Spider-Man spinoffs. In the aftermath of Kraven the Hunter‘s performance, Sony is choosing to focus on Spider-Man 4 starring Tom Holland and animated sequel Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse for now. Both of those projects are the latest entries in series that have been very well-received, so Sony has the potential to rebound from their recent misfires nicely.
The odds of Kraven the Hunter turning a profit are slim. Budgeted in the $110-130 million range, the film is going to need a substantial boost from overseas markets in order to make up for its showing in the U.S. While the international box office has been the saving grace for movies before, the Spider-Man Universe titles haven’t been much of a draw around the world. Madame Web grossed $56.6 million overseas, while Morbius posted $93.5 million. And with theaters set to get more crowded over the pre-Christmas window with Sonic the Hedgehog 3 and Mufasa: The Lion King, Kraven the Hunter is going to get lost in the crowd.
It’ll be interesting to see where Sony goes from here. Shortly after Venom: The Last Dance came out, there were rumors that an Agent Venom movie could be in development, allowing Sony to continue that series without the further involvement of star Tom Hardy. But it’s been quiet on that front since, and it looks like the studio is ready to close the book on this chapter of their Marvel adaptations. For now, Spider-Man 4 and Beyond the Spider-Verse gives them plenty to look forward to. As for what comes after, perhaps it’ll be time to bring Miles Morales to live-action and make Spider-Man Universe movies that actually have Spider-Man in them.
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