Madame Web has taken an absolute mauling from critics since the review embargo lifted on Tuesday, and it appears moviegoers themselves have been left similarly unimpressed.
With a Rotten 59% Audience Score on Rotten Tomatoes and a dismal 15% from critics (putting it neck and neck with Morbius), it's clear Sony's latest Marvel movie isn't going to have a good week at the box office. Word of mouth won't help either, as Madame Web has been awarded a terrible C+ CinemaScore!
That's the same as Morbius, meaning the Dakota Johnson-led comic book movie now ties with that as having the second-worst score of any Marvel Comics adaptation.
The one movie to score worse is 2015's Fantastic Four reboot (it received a C-). Venom and Venom: Let There Be Carnage both received a B+, so we're guessing Sony remains convinced that it's capable of making these Marvel movies without Marvel Studios' assistance. Both Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse and Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse are critical darlings, so the problem does appear to be solely on the live-action front.
Unfortunately, we don't expect Venom 3 (helmed by Venom scribe and first-time director Kelly Marcel) to perform any better. As for Kraven the Hunter, the mutant Rhino spotted in the trailer has essentially confirmed it too will be a disaster in the eyes of fans.
A Madame Web sequel seems highly unlikely, though director SJ Clarkson was at least somewhat open to the idea when we spoke to her earlier this month.
"Oh, I don’t know. I finished the movie yesterday morning so I’m still…we really worked to the wire so I’m very much looking forward to a rest before I think about what’s next or anything else, but they’re all such amazing, brilliant actors and characters," she said. "I think because of that wealth and great plethora of comics, they can go anywhere. "
Will you be watching Madame Web this week?
Meanwhile, in another universe...In a switch from the typical genre, Madame Web tells the standalone origin story of one of Marvel publishing's most enigmatic heroines.
The suspense-driven thriller stars Dakota Johnson as Cassandra Webb, a paramedic in Manhattan who may have clairvoyant abilities. Forced to confront revelations about her past, she forges a relationship with three young women destined for powerful futures...if they can all survive a deadly present.
The movie stars Dakota Johnson, Sydney Sweeney, Celeste O’Connor, Isabela Merced, Tahar Rahim, Mike Epps, Emma Roberts, and Adam Scott.
Madame Web is now playing in theaters worldwide.