10 Glaringly Obvious Reasons Why Madame Web Bombed
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The Sony Spider-Verse and Marvel-Associated film Madame Web has failed disastrously with critics and fans. It reportedly had an $80 million production budget and barely made more than half that globally during its first week in theaters. Madame Web bombed right out the gate and no one was surprised.
The film has suffered negative reviews, fan word-of-mouth, and even demands for ticket refunds. Additionally, the woeful performance of the film has dashed all hopes of new Sony-based franchises spinning off from the film. The film’s stars have publicly distanced themselves from and disavowed Madame Web.
Here are 10 glaringly obvious reasons why Madame Web bombed.
Superhero Fatigue is Real
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Madame Web bombed because it was a bad film released at a very bad time for the comic book film genre. The MCU saturated its own market with mediocre to bad films and streaming shows since the Infinity Saga ended in 2019. The DCEU was always unreliable in quality and will reboot as the DCU in 2025. Madame Web would bomb in any year, but fans are so sick of the comic book film genre, that it didn’t have much of a chance.
Deceptive Marketing and Spider-Women Bait and Switch
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Madame Web bombed because its deceptive initial trailers and marketing implied that three Spider-Women from the comic books would appear in full costume and in action. Unfortunately, the costumed Spider-Women as seen in the trailer were only seen in clairvoyant mental images for a minute or two in the whole film. The betrayal of implied longer scenes with costumed action did not sit well with viewers which soured early word-of-mouth.
Confusing IP Ownership and Connection to MCU
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In the 1990s, Marvel Comics almost went out of business. The company sold the exclusive film rights to many of its characters to stay solvent. Sony bought the exclusive film rights for Spider-Man and all related characters for $10 million back in 1999. Sony and the MCU share Spider-Man in the MCU, but all other Spider-Man-related characters are in the Sony Spider-Verse of films.
Any comic book film released by Sony is not connected to the MCU, unless by a complex and confusing contractual agreement that 90% of filmgoers don’t care about. It’s a fact that frustrates viewers of these Spider-Man-related films without Spider-Man or a broader connection to the MCU.
No One Was Asking for a Madame Web Solo Film
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Sony has the film rights to hundreds of characters that appear in Spider-Man comics. Sony is trying to make films based on supporting characters or Spider-Man villains instead of Spider-Man. Madame Web is a very minor character who is blind, paralyzed, and has the power of clairvoyance. This is not an action-based character who should be headlining a potential franchise starter. She doesn’t have the creative gravitas as a character to lead a film, a main reason why Madame Web bombed.
Sony’s Spider-Man-Less Films Have No Direction
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Another glaringly obvious reason why Madame Web bombed is because Sony’s Spider-Verse films have no coherent direction. The MCU’s Infinity Saga, a benchmark studios are still trying to recreate, told an epic story uniting characters from other films and building up Thanos as the big bad for a decade. Films like Madame Web seem to exist as a cash grab with no theme, creative direction, or cinematic universe-unifying plot to engage filmgoers. These Sony Spider-Verse films have no direction and no reason to excite fans.
Tries Setting Up Future Franchises Without First Justifying Its Own Existence as a Film
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Madame Web bombed because it frivolously and ineptly tried to set up future franchises for its title character and the three Spider-Women characters without telling its own satisfying story. Madame Web is not an interesting character and the film’s lackluster ending does not inspire anticipation for a sequel. The three Spider-Women are teased momentarily for future films without being showcased fully in Madame Web; it’s a frustratingly baffling creative decision.
Weak Villain
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Madame Web bombed because it did not have a compelling, charismatic, or narratively engaging villain. In the comic books, Ezekiel Sims is an elderly man with spider powers similar to Peter Parker, except he must be shoeless to stick to surfaces. In Madame Web, Ezekiel is younger and portrayed as a stock villain to provide Madame Web with conflict and flesh out her origin. Ezekiel has no compelling motive, agency, or narrative urgency that makes him interesting or makes viewers root for Madame Web.
Cringe-Inducing Dialogue
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Another reason why Madame Web bombed is the cringe-inducing dialogue in service to a middling story. The characters act as exposition machines telling the audience the story instead of acting it out. Actor Tahar Rahim, who portrayed Ezekiel, had almost all of his voice and dialogue removed and replaced with that of another voice actor for reasons unknown. The new voiceover dialogue never synchs with the lips of the actor, creating jarring visual dissonance.
Minimal Action Scenes
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A prime reason why Madame Web bombed is because it is a comic book film that does not have a lot of action. Madame is a blind and paralyzed superhero with the power of clairvoyance, and the character does not attain these attributes until the end of the film. The costumed Spider-women trio in the marketing appears for tens of seconds in dreams and psychic visions. Most of the action in the film is generic car chases, fighting, and explosions.
Sony Spider-Verse Track Record
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Besides the success of two Venom films, Sony has not had a lot of success with its Spider-Man and related character films after the Raimi/Maguire era of the 2000s. Andrew Garfield was beloved by fans as Spider-Man, but his two solo films were not smash hits; Tom Holland was hired after and shared with the MCU. Sony tried and failed to make a Silver Sable and Black Cat and Sinister Six film. The Morbius debacle is legendary. Sony was even once rumored to consider making a prequel film about young Aunt May. Madame Web bombed because Sony has not made itself into a superhero film brand fans can trust.
Madame Web Bombed Because Sony Has No Viable Long-Term Spider-Verse Plans
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One must give Sony credit for its highly successful Miles Morales Spider-Man animated films and its Venom sequels. However, Kraven the Hunter and Venom 3 are slated to be released this year with minimal fan anticipation.
Such fan apathy existed for Sony Spider-Verse live-action films long before even Morbius bombed and can partially explain why Madame Web bombed. Sony’s burgeoning Spider-Verse films will continue to bomb and underwhelm until they figure out a long-term narrative game plan that excites fans.
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Allen Francis is a full-time writer, prolific comic book investor and author of The Casual’s Guide: Why You Should Get Into Comic Book Investing. Allen holds a BA degree from Marymount Manhattan College. Before becoming a writer Allen was an academic advisor, librarian, and college adjunct for many years. Allen is an advocate of best personal financial practices including saving and investing in your own small business.
