Madame Web has finally been released! Unfortunately, the speculation about Sony’s latest Spider-Man spin-off is correct as critics have trashed the feature. There’s even been some reviews that call Madame Web the worst superhero film ever made. It’s not particularly surprising that Madame Web turned out to be a bad film. Sony themselves have been strongly hinted that they had no faith in this film.
Sony only released one trailer for the film. Most films in the mainstream have two or three trailers come out before release. The review embargo wasn’t lifted until the day before Madame Web came out. It’s a huge sign that the studio is trying to hide the bad reviews before audiences get wind of them. This was the last thing the superhero genre needed. Given the reported burnout by audiences, another bad superhero film could have dire consequences for future movies of the same genre.
Superhero Burnout
There’s been some question as to whether superhero burnout is real or not. On one hand, Bob Chapek and Marvel made a mistake by flooding the market with too much superhero content. The key component is quality though. Even if all of the Marvel shows and films were at the same level as most of the content in Phases One through Three, it would still be too much.
There wouldn’t be so much ire against the genre itself if the quality remained top-notch. People are mostly tired of the genre because the recent films have lacked the originality, spark, and quality that made it such a hot commodity in the first place. Granted, a great film or two still comes out, but the overabundance of superhero content has ranged from bad to average. Most people knew that Madame Web was not going to be a good film.
It simply didn’t make sense for Sony to take a side character that’s reliant on Spider-Man and give her a solo film. Madame Web is supposed to be a clairvoyant elderly woman who’s paralyzed from the waist down. The trailers were the opposite of anything from the comics. The purpose of these comic book films is to bring these exciting characters from page to screen, but that doesn’t work when you completely strip any of the personality and style that made them famous in the first place.
The Sony Universe Screams Nothing More Than A Cash Grab
The purpose of every movie is to make as much money as possible. However, that’s not the reason citizens care about these films. They NEED to be good or have something special about them that warrants a ticket purchase. Outside of the Spider-Man films, Sony does not have one spin-off with glowing reviews. Venom is well-liked by most, but even that franchise is no critical darling.
These films add to the notion that all the studio executives see are dollar signs. The same thing is being said about Marvel and DC’s recent outings. All the love and care have seemingly been stripped out of these films for corporate greed. It’s the consensus about the genre in modern times and this lack of care only hurts the product as a whole. Not everyone is a comic book reader.
The reason films like Avengers: Endgame made it into the billion-dollar club is due to the excitement from comic book fans. That in turn, translates over to the masses and creates an undeniable buzz. The hype around the genre is at an all-time low right now, and Madame Web is further killing the trust of public moviegoers.
This Could Be Nail In The Coffin For The Genre
There’s no denying the huge hype of Deadpool & Wolverine. However, one great film can drown in a sea of terrible ones. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 was a great film, but the abundance of terrible Marvel and DC content overshadows James Gunn‘s last film. Another important factor is that Guardians Vol. 3 notably had a low box office return. $845.6 million worldwide is a strong number for any film, but the disappointing quality of the MCU leading up to the film prevented it from reaching over a billion.
Thankfully, Marvel and DC are wisely taking a break as Deadpool & Wolverine is the only film to come out from either camp, but the poor reception of Madame Web could harm the Marvel film’s box office gross. There’s no danger of Deadpool & Wolverine flopping; however, Kraven the Hunter and Venom III are still scheduled for this year. If those films come back poorly as well, it could hinder the reboots scheduled for 2025, and be the final nail in the coffin for a genre that was once known for its high quality.
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