Love it or hate it, Rotten Tomatoes is now more important than ever when it comes to whether moviegoers decide to check out the latest releases on the big screen, and it's not uncommon for studios to tout scores as proudly as star ratings.
Poor old Sony Pictures has never had the opportunity to do that with its so-called "Spider-Man Universe." Conceived in 2018 with Venom, the cash grab has been a dismal failure with five more critical failures - along with a few box office flops - following.
Rumour has it that the SSU's time is up following Kraven the Hunter. Sony has decided to focus on Spidey, putting its spin-off plans on hold for the foreseeable future (though there's some chatter about them eventually going back to the drawing board).
In this feature, we take a closer look at how each of these titles compares according to their respective Rotten Tomatoes scores. So, find out which of them is the best of a bad bunch by clicking on the "Next"/"View List" buttons below...
6. Madame Web
Score: 11%
Rotten or Fresh? Rotten
Critics Consensus: Madame Web's earnest approach to the title character's origin story has a certain appeal, but its predictable plot and uneven execution make for a forgettable superhero adventure.
Is Madame Web the worst movie on this list? According to Rotten Tomatoes, yes, and it has few redeeming qualities if we're being honest.
Dakota Johnson is terrible, the story is laughably bad and, for some reason, there's a lot of crummy ADR. The three younger leads shine (particularly Isabela Merced and Sydney Sweeney), only to be overshadowed by mediocrity.
There's got to be a version of this story which works but, unfortunately, this ain't it. Filmmaker S.J. Clarkson deserves some credit for Madame Web's occasionally inventive action scenes, though.
5. Morbius
Score: 15%
Rotten or Fresh? Rotten
Critics Consensus: Cursed with uninspired effects, rote performances, and a borderline nonsensical story, this dreary mess is a vein attempt to make Morbius happen.
The second-lowest-scored movie here, Morbius deserves its "Rotten" rating and was a complete mess butchered by Sony Pictures through extensive reshoots and what must have been a hack job in the editing room.
Jared Leto did his best to inject some life into the Living Vampire, but a borderline nonsensical plot and a weak screenplay resulted in an origin story that was a total mess.
Throw in arguably the worst post-credits scene we've seen, and this movie well and truly sucked. We can't imagine those scrapped Spider-Man references would have done anything to change that either.
4. Kraven the Hunter
Score: 16%
Rotten or Fresh? Rotten
Critics Consensus: Claiming no trophies with its rote story and shoddy special effects, Kraven the Hunter turns out to be a paper tiger.
Kraven the Hunter stood a chance of being the movie that saved the SSU. Instead, it doomed it. Filmmaker J.C. Chandor's involvement wasn't enough to rescue a dire screenplay and Sony repeated all the same old mistakes.
The studio failed to respect the comic books, made sweeping changes to the characters included, and told a story that didn't need telling. Fans want to see Kraven battle Spider-Man, not his criminal father and a goofy, mutant Rhino.
This was a disaster and, to be honest, 16% seems too generous a score.
3. Venom
Score: 30%
Rotten or Fresh? Rotten
Critics Consensus: Venom's first standalone movie turns out to be like the comics character in all the wrong ways - chaotic, noisy, and in desperate need of a stronger attachment to Spider-Man.
Eddie Brock is one of the wall-crawler's greatest villains but Sony Pictures decided his origin story didn't need Spider-Man. What followed was a relatively generic sci-fi tale which filmmaker Ruben Fleischer struggled to make sense of.
Tom Hardy's zany performance was a sight to behold and the Symbiote looked great, but this felt like it should have been released in 2005.
Despite that, there's occasionally fun to be had and the dynamic between Eddie and Venom - while not exactly comic-accurate - is somewhat endearing and good for a few laughs.
2. Venom: The Last Dance
Score: 41%
Rotten or Fresh? Rotten
Critics Consensus: The always watchable Tom Hardy injects ample charisma into Venom: The Last Dance, but the offering buckles under its convoluted tonal ambitions.
Look, we might be in the minority here but Venom: The Last Dance deserves a better score than that. Is it a masterpiece? Oh, hell no. However, it's objectively the best of the trilogy in terms of story and visuals.
Eddie Brock and Venom's dynamic is more heartfelt and enjoyable than in previous instalments and, for the first time, left us wanting more of these characters.
We can live with saying goodbye to them at this point, though, and Venom: The Last Dance still featured many of the problems which plagued its predecessors. Sony never quite managed to crack this one.
1. Venom: Let There Be Carnage
Score: 58%
Rotten or Fresh? Rotten
Critics Consensus: A sequel aimed squarely at fans of the original's odd couple chemistry, Venom: Let There Be Carnage eagerly embraces the franchise's sillier side.
Initially, Venom: Let There Be Carnage looked destined for "Fresh" territory, but it's just a couple of percentage points short.
Honestly, the sequel did have a few issues (it should have been longer, for starters), but Andy Serkis delivered a vastly better movie than Venom. The clash between Eddie and Cletus didn't disappoint, and the post-credits scene was exciting...until it ultimately led nowhere.
Did the sequel do right by Carnage? Without an R-Rating, the villain was somewhat neutered and we didn't get to see anywhere near enough of him in action. Overall, though, this might just be the best of a bad bunch...