AceShowbiz - Sony Pictures' latest venture into their "Spider-Man" universe has been anything but successful, with two of its most recent releases, "Kraven the Hunter" and "Madame Web," bombing spectacularly at the box office.

In an interview with the Los Angeles Times, Sony Pictures CEO Tony Vinciquerra expressed his frustration and confusion at these failures, asserting that neither film was inherently bad. He stated, "Kraven the Hunter is probably the worst launch we had in the seven-and-a-half years," of his tenure, despite his belief in the film's quality. "I still don't understand, because the film is not a bad film," he added.

The numbers, however, paint a grim picture. "Kraven the Hunter" grossed only $11 million domestically in its opening weekend from 3,211 theaters, making it the lowest box office debut for a Sony-released Marvel movie to date. Even worse, it has garnered just $43 million globally against a production budget of $110 million, excluding marketing costs.

"Madame Web" did not fare much better, raking in a mere $15.3 million during its premiere weekend and achieving a worldwide gross of $100 million. This follows another disappointing release of "Venom: The Last Dance," and a year prior, there was the underwhelming performance of 2022's "Morbius."

Vinciquerra attributes much of this downfall to the critics. "The films were just destroyed by the critics in the press, for some reason." He further defended "Madame Web, stating that "It was not a bad film, and it did great on Netflix," implying that critical reviews had unduly influenced its box office performance.

Nevertheless, both movies earned dismal Rotten Tomatoes scores, with "Kraven the Hunter" at 16% and "Madame Web" at 11%.

Despite the setbacks, Sony remains committed to the future of its "Spider-Man" properties. The studio is collaborating with Marvel Studios on a new "Spider-Man" movie starring Tom Holland, slated for a 2026 release. This film aims to replicate the massive success of previous "Spider-Man" installments, such as "Spider-Man: No Way Home," which amassed $587.2 million in its debut weekend.

Reflecting on his tenure, Vinciquerra insists that the overall film effort has been successful, having met or exceeded budgets each year since he became CEO in 2017. However, he conceded that the studio needs to "rethink" its Spider-Man universe strategy, albeit blaming the critical reception rather than internal failures. "If we put another one out, it's going to get destroyed, no matter how good or bad it is," he lamented.

As the dust settles, questions loom about whether Sony can salvage its Spider-Man universe or if its focus will shift entirely to the more profitable mainline Spider-Man films under Marvel Studios. For now, all eyes are on the next Spider-Man film, which might just introduce the fan-favorite Miles Morales to the Marvel Cinematic Universe.