Sony Pictures' Kraven the Hunter arrives in theatres on Friday, and updated box office tracking points to an even more disappointing opening weekend than previous estimates suggested.
Kraven was initially expected to take in between $28M and $30M, but now looks set to make between $20M and $25M in North America on a reported budget of $110M. For comparison's sake, Morbius managed to reach $39 million.
We're not writing Kraven off just yet (the movie could perform a lot better overseas), but this is not a great sign for the film or for Sony Pictures' SSU ("Sony's Spider-Man Universe"). Though the Venom trilogy was successful overall, both Madame Web and Morbius tanked, so if Kraven follows suit, it's difficult to imagine the franchise clinging on much longer - at least without making some major changes.
Bringing a Spider-Man into this Spider-Man-based universe might be an idea?
The first 8 minutes of Kraven were officially released online last week. Check out the clip below along with a recent red band TV spot.
Director J.C. Chandor recently revealed that he wants to helm a Kraven's Last Hunt adaptation if the first movie is a hit.
"As crazy as it seemed, and there were a lot of challenges, there was the opportunity to structure it as a classic origin story, but not a hero’s story, or a classic superhero story," the filmmaker tells Collider. "It’s essentially this building of a villain. The final piece in that, for Aaron and for me, was in Kraven’s Last Hunt, which, if this thing works and is a success, that’s where we’d have this story end. It’s obviously very tragic and sad. The journey getting there is a wild crazy ride with a lot of fun, but the character we’re trying to create is one who could realistically, if this film is a success, end with Last Hunt. That, as a storyteller, can sit right on the shelves with the rest of my movies."
Kraven's Last Hunt without Spider-Man? If the movie does happen, let's hope Chandor has the wall-crawler at his disposal!
“Kraven the Hunter is the visceral story about how and why one of Marvel’s most iconic villains came to be. Set before his notorious vendetta with Spider-Man, Aaron Taylor-Johnson stars as the titular character in the R-rated film.”
Kraven the Hunter is an upcoming American superhero film based on the Marvel Comics character of the same name, produced by Columbia Pictures in association with Marvel Entertainment. Distributed by Sony Pictures Releasing, it is intended to be the sixth film in Sony's Spider-Man Universe (SSU). The film was directed by J. C. Chandor and written by Art Marcum, Matt Holloway, and Richard Wenk.
In addition to Aaron Taylor-Johnson in the title role, Ariana DeBose will play Calypso, a voodoo priestess and Kraven's on-off love interest (in the comics, at least); Fred Hechinger is Dmitri Smerdyakov, aka the Chameleon, who is Kraven's half-brother; Alessandro Nivola will play Aleksei Sytsevich, aka the Rhino, and Christopher Abbott will portray another villain known as the Foreigner.
Sony's next "SMU" movie has been rated R for "Strong bloody violence, and language."