There’s a lot riding on Kraven the Hunter‘s shoulders beyond just claiming his next target. This feature also has the fate of Sony’s Spider-Man Universe in its hands. This interconnected realm began with Venom in 2018 and was meant to spawn a slew of projects that would, ideally, bring Sony/Columbia Pictures untold riches for years to come. In practice, that’s become a much trickier proposition to pull off. Only the Venom movies have been unqualified global successes at the box office … and even the third installment underperformed in the U.S.
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Attempts to create the next Venom with Morbius and Madame Web have spawned many amusing internet memes, but there is no fondness for the actual films nor box office success. Sony’s Spider-Man Universe is in a very precarious place. It could be saved if Kraven hits it out of the ballpark at the box office. But what happens if Kraven flops? Does that mean this cinematic universe is officially deceased?
The Future Doesn’t Look Bright For Sony’s Spider-Man Universe
Currently, the prospects for further Sony’s Spider-Man Universe installments don’t look especially bright. Technically, no new non-Venom projects have started shooting in this series since Madame Web in July 2022. Once much-hyped productions like El Muertro and Olivia Wilde’s untitled Sony/Marvel film have stalled out in development. It’s also been two years since the last whisper about Donald Glover’s Hypno-Hustler movie. No films are ready on Sony’s Spider-Man Universe slate, even if Kraven the Hunter turns out to be a John Wick 4-level hit.
That alone doesn’t suggest much confidence in the continuing existence of this saga, especially since Tom Hardy’s Eddie Brock/Venom, for all intents and purposes, is done for the time being. Even before Kraven the Hunter hits theaters, it already feels like Sony is beginning to dip out of its commitment to this franchise. Meanwhile, taking on a much greater pop culture life of its own is another Sony/Marvel adaptation: the animated Spider-Verse features. Those two movies have garnered the kind of fan reception and box office hauls that Sony’s Spider-Man Universe was supposed to generate. Sony has another ongoing non-MCU franchise to focus on to print money.
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On top of all that, superhero movies in the 2020s have become much more erratic in their box office prowess. The days of a Venom movie automatically waltzing to $800+ million worldwide are a bygone memory. Now, even Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania can’t hit $500+ million globally, while MCU titles like The Marvels fail to clear $100 million domestically. These superhero titles drawn from Spider-Man’s rogues gallery were supposed to provide easy box office hits for Sony/Columbia. With movies like Morbius and Madame Web losing money instead, there’s less incentive to keep Sony’s Spider-Man Universe going. What sounded like a great idea to executives in 2018 sounds far riskier six years later.
The Shifting Profile of Sony/Columbia Pictures
Maybe the greatest argument against Sony/Columbia Pictures continuing Sony’s Spider-Man Universe is simply the studio’s evolving position in the cinematic landscape over the last seven years. Venom was officially announced in early 2017, roughly two years into Tom Rothman taking over Columbia Pictures and trying to turn things around. The idea of giving this studio its own cinematic universe (one that it didn’t need help from Kevin Feige to realize) must’ve sounded divine for a studio that, in 2015, only grossed $965 million domestically.
Cut to 2024, and things have turned around considerably for Sony/Columbia Pictures. Though not a Disney/Universal-level juggernaut, the MCU Spider-Man movies and two 2010s Jumanji installments have been some of Sony’s biggest hits ever. Even better, the studio is now able to drum up big hits that aren’t superhero movies/nostalgia franchise revivals. It Ends With Us will be Columbia’s second-biggest movie of 2024 domestically, beating out Venom: The Last Dance and Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire. 2023 titles like A Man Called Otto and No Hard Feelings both exceeded Madame Web in North America. Even the studio’s relationship with Marvel Studios is set to last long-term, thus ensuring that Sony’s Spider-Man Universe is no longer Columbia’s only guaranteed live-action superhero saga.
In 2017, a desperate Columbia Pictures (pinning its hopes on things like The Dark Tower to turn the studio around) needed Sony’s Spider-Man Universe. In 2024, that’s no longer true, as seen by the studio’s 2025 slate featuring titles like A Big Bold Beautiful Journey, Caught Stealing, and Animal Friends, rather than Morbius 2. Not even the erratic box office track record of modern superhero movies is as much of a potential death knell for Sony’s Spider-Man Universe as the studio’s recent recovery. Rothman openly saying that Sony’s future movie exploits won’t be quite so IP-driven only cements that reality.
Of course, all that could go up in smoke if Kraven the Hunter absolutely tears up the box office. If this Aaron Taylor-Johnson star vehicle becomes a financial juggernaut, then you can bet Sony will scramble to get Sinister Six, Silver & Black, and a solo movie for The Wall ready to go for Sony’s Spider-Man Universe. For now, though, it looks like it’ll take an exceptional box office haul to stop the Sony’s Spider-Man Universe’s current trajectory. Barring a miracle, Kraven the Hunter is likely the end of the road (for now at least) for the franchise.
