Sony is reportedly giving up on its Spider-Man universe, which includes universally panned films such as Venom and Morbius, as Kraven the Hunter is projected for a worse opening weekend than the disastrous Madame Web.
A leading talent agent told The Wrap that Sony has "developed what they want to develop for now" and is instead focusing on the next actual Spider-Man film under Marvel Studios, which was confirmed by star Tom Holland to begin filming in 2025.
Kraven the Hunter, the latest and potentially final entry in Sony's Spider-Man universe, arrives December 13 and is already expected to be as meek a release as previous offerings. As reported by Deadline, it's targeting a mere $13 to $15 million at the box office in its opening weekend. Spider-Man: No Way Home pulled in $587.2 million in its.
Though final numbers won't emerge until next week, this would put Kraven the Hunter lower than Madame Web's $17.6 million opening weekend performance, which broke records as the worst opening for a Sony Spider-Man film ever and was the first Marvel film since Fox's Fantastic Four reboot to not open at number one.
Kraven the Hunter stars Kick Ass and Bullet Train 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 asked fans to please give Kraven the Hunter a chance.
Sony's Spider-Man universe officially includes six films: Venom, Venom: Let There Be Carnage, Morbius, Madame Web, Venom: The Last Dance, and soon Kraven the Hunter. Only one of these has so far earned above a 5/10 in IGN's review, with Venom: Let There Be Carnage earning a 7/10. The rest have managed between 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.
Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelance reporter. He'll talk about The Witcher all day.
