Kraven the Hunter has become the latest release to perform below expectations from Sony Marvel division confirming what most already expected concerning the viability of its properties that excludes a Spider-Man title in live action. The complete absence of an end-credit scene in Kraven the Hunter provides further indication that the Sony Spider-Man Universe SSU has effectively come to a standstill. Venom: The Last Dance released October 2024 contained multiple credit scenes which stands in stark contrast with Sony's new title Kraven The Hunter showing that its plans for symbiote creator Knull acted by Andy Serkis and a multi film arc did not move forward according to Wrap magazine.
'Kraven the Hunter' Lacks Connections to Previous SSU Titles While Featuring Many Comic Book Characters
Kraven the Hunter includes several Spider-Man characters and easter eggs but unlike previous Sony films it fails to integrate these elements into existing stories in SSU. Previous Sony films tried unsuccessfully to create flimsy connection between SSU and MCU such as the one where Michael Morbius played by Jared Leto met Adrian Toomes acted by Michael Keaton . These connections went nowhere and created massive confusion to those who follow stories between Morbius and the Spider Man movies . The movie Venom: Let There Be Carnage teases Venom with a possible meeting with Peter Parker acted by Tom Holland but Spider-Man No Way Home ends the conflict through a bait and switch and even Venom: The Last Dance fails to provide any further meaningful interactions. Kraven the Hunter completely abandons making any kind of cross promotional integration or even a crossover and provides a huge indicator that Sony may very well consider its current iteration of SSU finished after so many failures.
Sony's Attempt to Create Spin-Offs Misses the Mark Focusing on Antagonists That Do Not Work Outside Spider-Man Universe
For the last decade Sony attempted to make a spin off Spider-Man film universe with villains as main leads that have shown to be poor decisions throughout its movie rollouts. Sony originally looked for potential expansion via super villain groups but Morbius and Kraven did not resonate well as lead villains without presence of Spider Man to play as their foils. Venom stands as exception but Morbius and Kraven did not generate fan excitement needed for such projects that is further complicated with character inconsistencies and poor writing. Madame Web was likewise a misguided concept due to her lacking support in source materials as a background character who has very little connection to the Spider Man characters.
Return to Spider-Man: Sony's Future Focus Must Center Around its Main Hero
Sony needs to now look into proper live action adaptation of Spider Man and not use his main villains without having their main hero in the projects because it has shown to have diminished results with almost all attempts failing within market space. The Spider-Man series needs an immediate return to its Spider Man title for MCU as its immediate priority by creating the untitled fourth movie that would feature the hero more centrally than villains. Sony could expand by creating spin offs based on other versions of Spider-Man characters such as Miles Morales Spider-Woman and even Spider-Man 2099 from popular animated spider verse titles. Sony can reuse characters like Morbius or Venom as antagonists to face Spider-Man instead of having them be the main protagonists.
Upcoming Spider-Man Projects: Fourth MCU Title and Beyond the Spider-Verse Animation Series
Sony’s confirmed upcoming Spider-Man projects are fourth Spider-Man movie with MCU and Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse plus the live action show Spider-Man Noir with Nicolas Cage demonstrating that Spider Man continues being a major property with immense influence even when other side projects are failing. Kraven the Hunter which features an R rating currently plays in US theaters providing fans an alternative to what they might otherwise expect with Spider Man franchises with this action oriented title.
Kraven's Origin Story and a Hunter's Brutality In Sony Spider Man Prequel
Kraven the Hunter provides an origin story of Sergei Kravinoff also called Kraven focusing on his relationship with his father Nikolai. Kraven takes a revenge driven journey and becomes a very formidable hunter by embracing fearsome brutality through all obstacles. The movie's overall story follows a path of revenge for Kraven's early years as an important detail to understand the source of his violence and capabilities shown.
Low Box Office Earnings: Kraven Underperforms as 'Madame Web' Outpaces in Domestic Opening Week
Kraken the Hunter debuted at low numbers during first weekend with earnings around $11 million making it the lowest Marvel property opening so far. Madame Web had more earnings during its initial release earning 15.4 million further highlighting lack of audience interest with Kraven. Other titles such as Moana 2 and Wicked are performing considerably better at more than double profits over their competition even after three and four weeks since original theatrical showings. These earnings make this title one of lowest earning Spiderman related titles of this decade so far while further reinforcing general trends of diminishing value for films outside Spiderman focus.
Kraven's Substantial Box Office Decline: 72 Percent Drop in Week Two Threatens Financial Viability
Kraven the Hunter during its second week has failed to generate audience interest with a drop of 72 percent in earnings thus damaging any hopes that the movie might reach its break even point. With a production budget around $120 million Kraven is now sitting around $17.4 million domestically and $42.8 million globally creating concern about recovering cost in coming weeks. With strong releases such as Sonic the Hedgehog 3 showing more robust activity it is unlikely Kraven will gain any box office momentum and recover from initial low performance as it continues down its trajectory.
Financial Deficit: 'Kraven' Trails Other Sony Marvel Films Despite Box Office Expectations
Kraven is performing exceptionally poorly on its 10th day when compared to other Sony projects like Madame Web who took $28 million and even Morbius earning $57 million during the same time period. The Venom trilogy during similar time frames were incredibly successful by netting $142 million $141 million and $89 million during their initial runs demonstrating the poor financial performance of Kraven in the market. With such a massive lack of fan following and lack luster general interest of broader film audience this title will likely fail to be financially viable during its theatrical time .
Box Office Ranking and Factors: 'Kraven' Overwhelmed by Other Film Releases During The Holiday Period
Kraven has been surpassed by Sonic the Hedgehog 3 and Mufasa also by returning favorites like Wicked Moana and Gladiator II placing it in 7th ranking. Movie experts have noted Sony's attempts to push out spin off Spider Man titles that do not feature a core Spider Man are failing by most matrix as is shown in Kraven. A combination of being rated R along with a release during heavy Holiday Season releases have greatly impacted ability of film to gain and traction.
Low Rating, R Rating and Overcrowded Marketplace Contribute to Kraven's Theatrical Woes
Kraven’s R rating has reduced audience demographic during the release which correlates to a major point for lower ticket sales. Family films tend to attract larger audiences during holiday periods with competing titles like Gladiator II and the poor general public reviews all add into perfect storm that is Kraven's box office failure. It's possible R rating combined with less appeal to younger viewers as well as less broad appeal will cause poor performance and ultimately end any hope of extending this universe.