Summary
When Sony released the firstSpider-Manmovie back in 2002, it quickly became a hit both at the box office and among fans. Even now, the film is still considered to be one of the best comic book adaptations to date. However, with the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the upcoming DC Universe reboot, Sony now has plenty of competition, and the quality of itsSpider-Manprojects has dipped. Now, the studio is said to be looking backwards to try and build out its future, but will it help?
As it stands, with Sony having to share the live-action rights to Peter Parker/Spider-Man, Sony has turned its attention to characters within the Spider-Man world, namely Parker’s villains. Those films, which includeMorbiusandVenom, have received mixed results at the box office, but that hasn’t stopped the studio from attempting to try and make itsSpider-Manfranchise work. In 2018, Sony released the animatedSpider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, a film that proved the studio could deliver a successfulSpider-Manproject without Peter Parker. However, instead of focusing merely on continuing Miles' story, the studio is said to be looking to two of its past Peter Parkers in order tocraft its own Spider-Verse on the big screen.
Why Sony’s Spider-Man Universe Has Failed So Far
Outside ofInto the Spider-Verse, Sony hasn’t really found much success in its non-Spider-Manrelated titles. Venom seems to be the exception to the rule. The films have continually received poor ratings on Rotten Tomatoes, with the first film earning 30% and the sequel,Let There Be Carnage, earning 57% on the review site. Still, despite the critical response to both titles, theVenommovies have brought in $856 million worldwide and $506 million worldwide, respectively. Thesuccess ofVenomseemed to make the studio believe aSpider-Manuniverse without Spider-Man was still possible, and Sony would go on to produceMorbiusandMadame Web, both of whichfailed to launch their intended franchises. Now, the studio is hopingKraven the Hunter, releasing later this year, can hopefully find the success ofVenom. But Sony’s biggest problem seems to be that the studio istoo ambitious to truly focus on delivering a solid project.
TheSpider-Man-free films simply don’t work. Fans don’t want these stories, and there’s not enough quality control going into the films Sony has been putting out. Every release feels like an attempt to continue to withhold the license to the characters.Madame Webhas been hailed not only as one of the worst comic book films, but one of the worst movies all around. The movie could’ve been something special, with a cast of female superheroes at the core, but it didn’t seem to have a focused storyline. The same can be said forMorbius. If Sony truly wants to bring back the likes of Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield to build out a live-action Spider-Verse, the studio needs to focus on why its bringing them back, rather than trying to cash in on their cameos in the most recentSpider-Manfilm.
The Live-Action Spider-Verse Can Still be Successful
Despite all of its issues, Sony’s live-action Spider-Verse can still be successful. The first thing Sony needs to do, though, is find someone to lead its Spider-Verse, much like how Marvel Studios has Kevin Feige and DC Studios has James Gunn heading their respective cinematic universes. Thus far, the studio’s lack of vision and understanding of its characters appears to be its biggest problem. Sony has a plethora of fascinating characters to work with, even if the studio still has toshare Tom Holland’s Peter Parkerwith the Marvel Cinematic Universe. There’s the potential for a unique franchise if the studio puts some effort into crafting the universe from the ground-up. Producing films sporadically, with no rhyme or reason as to why these characters are being developed for the big screen is ultimately hurting the franchise’s potential.
Producing villain-origin movies without introducing a hero to battle them is absurd. Although Venom is an anti-hero, who does make a post credits scene appearance with Spider-Man, the same can’t be said for the other films. More specifically,Madame Webtries so desperately to build up various Spider-Women, all while teasing the birth of Peter Parker throughout the film. It’s relying on Peter Parker, without him actually being in the film. There’s simply no reason to focus on introducing these villains when there’s no Spider-Man for them to battle. If Sony can find a valid reason to bring back Maguire and Garfield, who are both fantastic as Parker, then thelive-action Spider-Versedefinitely stands a chance at succeeding. However, it’s going to take a lot of focus and understanding to right the wrongs it has done so far.
While Sony has the potential to deliver an exciting live-action Spider-Verse, in the end, the studio has a lot of work to focus on before that’s possible. For now, fans of Sony’sSpider-Manfranchise can enjoyKraven the Hunterwhen it hits theaters on December 13th.
