Kraven the Hunter has, as expected, bombed at the box office with a paltry $11 million domestic haul from 3,211 theatres.
That figure is enough to set an unwanted record: the worst ever opening for a Sony Spider-Man Universe movie. The R-rated action flick comes in under the disastrous Madame Web, which brought in $15.3 million during its launch weekend earlier this year, as well as all the Venom movies and 2022’s Morbius ($39 million).
Kraven the Hunter kicked off its international debut, meanwhile, with just $15 million from 21,500+ screens in 60 markets. Combined with the domestic figure, Kraven has $26 million globally this weekend.
Kraven the Hunter stars Kick Ass and MCU actor Aaron Taylor-Johnson as the titular villain, a skilled hunter who sets his sights on Spider-Man after conquering all other prey in the animal kingdom. Its director J.C. Chandor had asked fans to please give Kraven the Hunter a chance ahead of its release.
Unfortunately, those pleas fell on deaf ears. Kraven now goes down as yet another damaging Sony superhero flop, especially since it cost an estimated $110 million to produce. When you add on marketing spend, Kraven is set for a big loss.
Kraven has also flopped with critics. IGN’s Kraven The Hunter review returned a 3/10. We said: “Kraven the Hunter takes aim at the audience and instead shoots itself in the foot with ill-conceived action and a poisonously rote script that totally botches its razor-thin examination of toxic masculinity.”
So, is Kraven the final nail in the coffin for Sony’s Spider-Man Universe, a universe that, remarkably, does not feature Spider-Man? Earlier this month a leading talent agent told The Wrap that Sony had "developed what they want to develop for now" and was instead focusing on the next actual Spider-Man film under Marvel Studios, which is confirmed by star Tom Holland to begin filming in 2025. As a point of comparison, Spider-Man: No Way Home pulled in $587.2 million in its weekend box office debut.
Sony's Spider-Man universe officially includes six films: Venom, Venom: Let There Be Carnage, Morbius, Madame Web, Venom: The Last Dance, and Kraven the Hunter. Only one of these has so far managed above a 5/10 in IGN's review, with Venom: Let There Be Carnage earning a 7/10. The rest received 4/10 and 5/10.
Sony has the aforementioned Spider-Man 4 to look forward to, at least. It arrives on July 24, 2026 as a continuation of the Marvel Cinematic Universe trilogy again starring Holland. It may even introduce Miles Morales into the MCU, something Holland is personally invested in.
Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.
