Sony Pictures CEO blames the press for Madame Web disaster

Most fans seem to have accepted that Sony's Spider-Man universe spinoff, Madame Web, was close to a good superhero film. However, Sony Pictures CEO Tony Vinciquerra has come out to defend the film saying it isn't a "bad film." This seems to differ sharply from the opinion of critics as Madame Web currently holds an approval rating of 11% on Rotten Tomatoes.

In his latest interview with the LA Times, Tony Vinciquerra took a surprising stance on Madame Web. He claimed that the primary reason the movie is considered so bad is because of the negative press surrounding it. He went on to claim that the movie did not perform badly on Netflix, which hints at the quality of the movie.

He also claimed in the interview that they could not possibly do more Spider-Man villain spinoffs as the movies would be a flop even before they were out. Kraven the Hunter could not live up to the expectations either, making it the latest of Sony's failed projects based on Spider-Man villains. It also sits at a very low Rotten Tomatoes score of 15%.

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What did Sony Pictures CEO say about Madame Web?

Sony Pictures CEO Tony Vinciquerra discussed the various projects from the company, and in the process, defended Madame Web, which he claimed was ruined by negative press before it was launched. He blamed the press for the Dakota Johnson-starrer's performance and brought forth its Netflix performance as an example of why the movie is good.

Vinciquerra said:

"Madame Web underperformed in the theaters because the press just crucified it. It was not a bad film, and it did great on Netflix. For some reason, the press decided that they didn’t want us making these films out of “Kraven” and “Madame Web,” and the critics just destroyed them."

He continued:

They also did it with “Venom,” but the audience loved “Venom” and made “Venom” a massive hit. These are not terrible films. They were just destroyed by the critics in the press, for some reason."

He added about possible future projects:

"I do think we need to rethink it, just because it’s snake-bitten. If we put another one out, it’s going to get destroyed, no matter how good or bad it is."

With the news about this out, many fans begged to differ from this opinion, giving a glimpse at exactly what is wrong with the CEO's comments.

Anyhow, Sony's extended Spider-Man universe, often dubbed as SUMC, can be considered officially over with Kraven the Hunter.

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What did critics say about Madame Web?

The Spider-Man spinoff was criticized for a variety of reasons by critics right after it came out. Many critics even called it the worst superhero movie of all time and compared it to Sony's other disaster movie, Morbius.

The film was criticized for its writing, backstory, exposition, and predictability. It was singled out for its poor method of showcasing backstories and linking character origins. Its screenplay was also called "mechanical" and "boring."

However, certain aspects of the movie, like Dakota Johnson's performance, were praised by some. Even some fans came around when the movie had its streaming debut.

But it remains one of the worst-rated movies of all time.