"I really enjoyed the movie" — Emma Roberts blames internet culture for Madame Web's poor reception

Emma Roberts, who starred as Mary Parker in Madame Web, defended the superhero movie, saying that "internet culture" is to blame for it flopping at the box office.

She sat down with Variety on a promotional run of her new Prime Video film Space Cadet. But besides talking about her new movies in the interview, published on Friday, July 5, the actress also reflected on the poor reception of her recent Dakota Johnson-led Marvel movie. She said—

"I personally really loved Madame Web. I really enjoyed the movie."

The 33-year-old actress also shared her appreciation for the rest of the cast as well as the film's director, which she said was the reason she wanted to be part of it.

"I thought everyone in it was great. The director, S.J. Clarkson, I think, did an amazing job. She's the reason I wanted to do that movie."

Madame Web was released in movie theaters in February 2024, but it wasn't well-received by the audience, leading to a poor performance at the box office. Talking about the dismal reception and box office misfortune the superhero movie received, Emma Roberts noted—

"If it wasn't for internet culture and everything being made into a joke, I think that the reception would've been different."

Before Madame Web, Morbius was the lowest scorer out of all Sony's Spider-Man Universe movies. At the time of writing Madame Web holds a measly 11% approval rating from Rotten Tomatoes critics.

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Emma Roberts weighs in on "internet" and "hate" cultures and how it affects movies

Further weighing in on the "internet culture" and how it led to the eventual failure of Madame Web, the American Horror Story actress noted that people making everything a joke is what irks her the most. Emma Roberts said—

"[And] that's what bums be about a lot of stuff, even stuff that I've done, is people just make such a joke out of everything now."

Despite the movie being a flop, Emma Roberts had said that she would do it again. The Space Cadet star explained that no one in the industry could predict which movie would be a success and which one would flop. She said—

"Things work; things don't work. Everyone likes to act like they can predict if they're going to work or they're not. And the truth is, you can't."

There is a lot that goes into a movie earning success, like having a "goodish" baseline and the film "hitting at the right time. However, Emma Roberts admitted that most of it comes down to "a wish and a prayer" that a project would be well-received by the audience. She further added that she's "not intimidated with failure."

She also talked about the "hate culture towards celebrities, movies, and television online." Being in the industry for many years, she admitted that she's "developed a thick skin," but the unnecessary hate from internet people still "bums me out," the actress said.

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Emma Roberts' Space Cadet is now streaming on Prime Video.