Summary
- The movie
Madame Web
received harsh criticism from both audiences and critics, leading to upset executives at Sony Pictures. - Dakota Johnson openly expressed her disappointment with the film, admitting it wasn’t what she expected, garnering public support but not from Sony.
- Despite the negative publicity,
Madame Web
continues to play in theaters, struggling to recoup its budget with poor reviews and box office numbers.
Critics and the moviegoing public weren’t too kind to Madame Web when it was released, given its dismal reviews and subpar box office, and while Sony Pictures can’t control their reaction to the film, they were reportedly upset with how the film’s star, Dakota Johnson, spoke of the movie before and after it was released.
Madame Web
1/5
- Release Date
- February 14, 2024
- Runtime
- 1hr 57min
- Studio
- Columbia Pictures, Marvel Entertainment, Sony Pictures Entertainment (SPE)
- Franchise
- Marvel
Per a report from the Daily Mail Online, executives at Sony believe that Johnson has been “dragging” the film in recent interviews, and it also stated that “lots of people at Sony are questioning her star power” following the performance of the film to date. The report goes on to suggest that the people at Sony believe “how she reacted to this failure will likely come back to haunt her”, while noting that, “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.”
Dakota Johnson Has Been Candidly Open About Her Thoughts
The report seems to be pointing to how Johnson was acting during the press tour but, most notably, during an interview weeks after the film’s release, when she broke her silence on the negative reaction to the film. The actress admitted that the finished product wasn’t the movie she signed up for, although she did state that she viewed all of it as a learning experience.
“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. And I know that now.”
3:33
Was Madame Web’s Cast Tricked Into Doing the Film?
Were the stars of Madame Web tricked into making the film thinking it would connect to the MCU?
Her words got more pointed during the interview when she acknowledged that, “it’s not nice to be part of something that’s ripped to shreds” but she understood the reaction to the film and reiterated that what she signed up for wasn’t what ended up on the screen.
“But sometimes in this industry, you sign on to something, and it’s one thing and then as you’re making it, it becomes a completely different thing, and you’re like, ‘Wait, what?’ But it was a real learning experience, and of course it’s not nice to be a part of something that’s ripped to shreds, but I can’t say I don’t understand.”
Johnson may have earned points for honesty from the public for her stance on the film but, according to reports, Sony didn’t feel the same way about her comments and even suggested that she wouldn’t feel this way if the film was a box office smash, despite horrible reviews.
“Dakota is being looked down on over her talk of the film because everyone in the production is thinking, what if the movie was still the same but also a box office gem? She would be talking about sequels and probably praising herself over its good fortune.”
Madame Web was directed by S.J. Clarkson and stars Johnson as Cassie Webb, a young woman who is confronting her past amid gaining new abilities while also trying to save three young girls and their futures from Ezekiel Sims (Tahar Rahim), a villain who has had visions of his demise at the hands of these women. The film currently holds 12 percent on Rotten Tomatoes and a poor 57 percent audience score on the site. To date, the film has grossed $96.7 million worldwide on a reported $80 million budget, with other reports indicating the budget may have been even higher.
Madame Web
is still playing in theaters.
