Madame Web star Dakota Johnson never seemed particularly enthusiastic when it came to promoting the movie in the build-up to its release, and once it was playing in theaters, she said certain things during interviews that could be taken as somewhat disparaging.
Following one interview in which the Fifty Shades of Grey actress admitted that she hadn't actually seen the movie yet (despite showing up to the premiere), Johnson said she "wasn't surprised" by the poor box office performance or negative reviews.
"It’s so hard to get movies made, and in these big movies that get made — and it’s even starting to happen with the little ones, which is what’s really freaking me out — decisions are being made by committees, and art does not do well when it’s made by committee," she told Bustle. "Films are made by a filmmaker and a team of artists around them. You cannot make art based on numbers and algorithms. My feeling has been for a long time that audiences are extremely smart, and executives have started to believe that they’re not. Audiences will always be able to sniff out bullsh*t. Even if films start to be made with AI, humans aren’t going to f*cking want to see those.
But it was definitely an experience for me to make that movie. I had never done anything like it before. I probably will never do anything like it again because I don’t make sense in that world."
Nothing too negative, but rumor has it that Sony Pictures execs were not best pleased about Johnson's comments.
"Lots of people at Sony are questioning her star power, and how she reacted to this failure will likely come back to haunt her," an insider tells DailyMail.com. "It is OK to joke about your movie not doing well and even lean into the bad reviews like Sydney Sweeney did on SNL with her monologue - but producers and Sony aren't laughing over Dakota's continued dragging of how she sees the fallout of Madame Web and how she isn't taking any responsibility for its lackluster results."
"Not every movie is going to work, but a lot of hard work is put towards even bad movies and for your star to s**t on it is a bad look."
While we have no problem believing that Sony would be a little miffed at Johnson, this source hasn't always been the most reliable, so the details of this report should be considered rumor for the time being.
Even if it is accurate, it doesn't sound like Joshnon is in any rush to suit back up as Madame Web in the SSU - not that a sequel is very likely, anyway.
"'Meanwhile, in another universe...'" reads the official synopsis, "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."
Dakota Johnson stars as the clairvoyant Cassandra Webb, who uses her abilities to save a group of young woman, played by Sydney Sweeney, Isabela Merced, and Celeste O’Connor, from a villainous Spider-Man lookalike known as Ezekiel Simms.
The girls Webb is doing her best to keep safe, Julia Carpenter, Mattie Franklin and Anya Corazón, are all destined to become heroes with Spider-like powers of their own, and Simms is targetting them because of what they do to him in the future.
S.J. Clarkson, who also helmed Marvel’s Jessica Jones and The Defenders, directs from a script by Matt Sazama, Kerem Sazama and Burk Sharpless. Adam Merims executive produced.
In addition to Kraven the Hunter, a third Venom movie slated for Nov. 8, 2024. These movies could well prove to be box office successes and turn things around, but if not, one has to assume that the SSU will be on its last legs.
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