By Daily Mail (U.S.) | Created at 2024-12-27 05:51:29 | Updated at 2024-12-27 22:44:51
17 hours ago
The outgoing Sony boss has blamed critics and the media for 'crucifying' big budget projects and ultimately causing them to flop at the box office.
CEO Tony Vinciquerra, who will end his seven-year tenure with Sony Pictures in January, lamented the failure of Madame Web and Kraven the Hunter this year.
Kraven the Hunter pulled in just $11 million during opening weekend in December, behind Moana 2 and Wicked: The Musical.
Vinciquerra told the Los Angeles Times it was 'probably the worst launch we had in 7 1/2 years.'
He said he is still struggling to understand how the Spider-Man spinoff starring Aaron Taylor-Johnson performed so poorly 'because the film is not a bad film.'
Similarly, he said the underwhelming debut of Madame Web was not the fault of the network, cast or crew, and instead laid blame squarely at the feet of the media.
'Let's just touch on Madame Web for a moment,' he 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.
He said the underwhelming debut of Madame Web was not the fault of the network or cast and crew, and instead laid the blame squarely at the feet of the media
CEO Tony Vinciquerra, who will end his seven-year tenure with Sony Pictures in January, lamented the failure of Madame Web and Kraven the Hunter this year
'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.'
Vinciquerra accused the media of similar tactics with Venom, but said audiences pushed back against the criticism and made it a 'massive hit' because they 'loved' the film.
'These are not terrible films. They were just destroyed by the critics in the press, for some reason,' he said.
'Madame Web' holds a score of 11 per cent on Rotten Tomatoes, while 'Kraven' is slightly higher with a score of 15 per cent.
Venom, meanwhile, has a score of 41 per cent.
Kraven the Hunter pulled in just $11 million during opening weekend in December, behind Moana 2 and Wicked: The Musical
He said he is still struggling to understand how the Spider-Man spinoff starring Aaron Taylor-Johnson performed so terribly 'because the film is not a bad film'
The disappointing results have left Sony rethinking strategy, particularly relating to the Spiderman universe.
'I think we need to rethink it,' Vinciquerra said.
'It's snake-bitten. If we put another one out, it's going to get destroyed, no matter how good or bad it is.'
