Kraven The Hunter Almost Had The Worst Opening Day For Any Marvel-Related Movie

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As a lifelong comic book fan who’s seen the rise and fall of many a superhero movie franchise, I must say that the underwhelming box office performance of “Kraven the Hunter” feels like a punch to the gut. The film’s opening weekend haul of $4.7 million pales in comparison to its Spider-adjacent peers, and even some lesser-known Marvel characters.

It appears that the earnings for Kraven the Hunter at the box office are disappointing, surpassing even the lowest predictions. The combined revenue from Thursday’s previews and Friday’s initial day amounted to just $4.7 million.

That’s pretty dismal.

How dismal? Let’s compare Kraven to its Spider-adjacent peers.

  • Venom | $32 million | 4,250 theaters | $7,647 per theater
  • Venom: Let There Be Carnage | $37 million | 4,225 theaters | $8,856 per theater
  • Morbius | $17 million | 4,268 theaters | $4,054 per theater
  • Madame Web | $6 million | 4,013 theaters | $1,507 per theater
  • Venom: The Last Dance | $22 million | 4,131 theaters | $5,331 per theater
  • Kraven the Hunter | $4.7 million | 3,211 theaters | $1,463 per theater

How Does Kraven Compare To Other Marvel Movies?

I actually went and looked at how many movies have been based on Marvel characters. The answer is 72. At this point, I imagine you are curious if any had a worse opening day than Kraven.

Drum roll, please.

Yes. There have been three Marvel character movies with worse openings than Kraven.

  • Howard the Duck | $1.66 million (est.) | 1,554 theaters | $1,087 per theater
  • Elektra | $4.4 million | 3,204 theaters | $1,389 per theater
  • Punisher: War Zone | $1.66 million | 2,508 theaters | $663 per theater
  • Kraven the Hunter | $4.7 million | 3,211 theaters | $1,463 per theater

However, these figures do not include inflation. What happens when we adjust?

  • Howard the Duck | $4.8 million (est.) | 1,554 theaters | $3,088 per theater
  • Elektra | $7.1 million | 3,204 theaters | $2,215 per theater
  • Punisher: War Zone | $2.4 million | 2,508 theaters | $956 per theater
  • Kraven the Hunter | $4.7 million | 3,211 theaters | $1,463 per theater

In an apt comparison, Kraven’s debut is just short of setting a record for the poorest opening day performance among all Marvel-based films. The release of Punisher: War Zone stands as the sole barrier preventing Kraven from achieving notoriety.

Sony’s Superhero Problem

Reflecting on it, that incidentally highlights the significant missteps Sony took when given the chance to produce Marvel films. It’s unfortunate because the initial two Spider-Man movies from 2002 and 2004 were exceptional. However, we all remember how 2007’s Spider-Man 3 didn’t quite live up to expectations, don’t we?

Sony forced director Sam Raimi to include the character Venom. Raimi, on the Nerdist podcast, said:

The film, unfortunately, didn’t resonate well with audiences. Despite my attempts to bring it to life, I couldn’t fully invest in the characters, which may have been noticeable to fans of Spider-Man who were expecting more depth. If a director doesn’t genuinely feel passionate about a project, it can be detrimental, especially when there’s already so much love for it. It seems that they aimed to elevate the stakes following Spider-Man 2, but this ambition might have been our downfall.

Originally, Raimi declined participation in Spider-Man 4 as he had desired Vulture as the antagonist, but Sony opted for The Lizard instead. Fast forward to now, it appears that Sony is still grappling with deciding on the perfect villain for their project.

Modern viewers no longer find satisfaction in just having superhero movies around. They demand and anticipate high-quality productions. Sloppy creative choices, inconsistency, and cringe-worthy dialogue are no longer acceptable. This holds true for Sony’s superhero films as well as those from Disney and Warner Bros. Here’s hoping they grasp this reality swiftly.

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2024-12-15 03:08