Madame Web Producer Opens Up on Backlash & ‘Brutalness of Failure’

Madame Web Producer Opens Up on Backlash & ‘Brutalness of Failure’

As a passionate fan of the superhero genre, I was deeply disappointed when I heard about the poor performance of Madame Web at the box office and the harsh criticism it received from audiences and critics alike. The film, produced by Lorenzo di Bonaventura, was expected to bring in significant revenue for Sony’s Spider-Man Universe after a series of flops in 2023, including Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania and The Marvels.


When Madame Web made its debut in February, it was met with both financial and critical disappointments. The film’s producer, Lorenzo di Bonaventura, reflects on the harsh reception of Madame Web, sharing his experiences with the painful sting of failure.

In 2023, the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) faced some box office disappointments with films such as “Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania” and “The Marvels.” However, upcoming releases like “Deadpool” and “Wolverine” might revive MCU’s success. Meanwhile, Sony’s Spider-Man Universe could benefit from a stroke of good fortune.

During San Diego Comic-Con 2024, Madame Web producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura shared with ComicBook his sense of disappointment over the film’s underperformance.

“I’ll admit, it was a painful and unfortunate event at the theater for me. I’ll go ahead and share that with you,” said Bonaventura. “It felt like getting hit by an ax.”

Madame Web aimed to earn between $20 and $25 million in its first six days at the box office. Surpassing this expectation, it generated $25.8 million during that period. However, its earnings plummeted by 61% in the second weekend, bringing in just $6 million. With a production budget estimated between $80 and $100 million, Madame Web’s box office revenue totaled $100.3 million. In contrast, it became Netflix’s most-watched title upon its release on the platform. Michael Bay, the producer of Transformers, spoke about the stark difference between disappointing box office figures and the success in streaming:

The G.I. Joe series producer expressed his concern about the unclear measurement of success or failure in streaming, sharing an unpleasant experience of a movie’s poor opening weekend. He mentioned that this harsh experience made him more focused on future projects. Consequently, he is now more cautious when selecting movies to work on.

What do the stars of Madame Web have to say about the movie?

Dakota Johnson, the actress behind the title character, responded to the unfavorable reception of her film by expressing doubt about her future involvement in superhero projects. She acknowledged reasons for Madame Web’s box office disappointment.

At times in this line of work, you may agree to a project with certain expectations. However, during the creation process, it transforms into something entirely different, leaving you surprised and questioning the outcome. Despite the disappointment of being involved in a critically panned production, I can’t deny that I gained valuable insights from the experience.

Sydney Sweeney, who portrayed Julia Cornwall, offered a simpler reaction without harboring any negative emotions regarding the film’s unfavorable criticism.

Recently, I joined the cast of a production as an actress. Consequently, I went along with the flow of things, unfazed by whatever events transpired during the process.

As a devoted fan of Emma Roberts’ acting skills, I can tell you that she, who brought Mary, Peter Parker’s mom, to life in the Spider-Man films, has spoken up regarding the failure of “Madame Web.” In her own words, she defended the movie and laid blame on internet culture. She believes that the excessive criticism and quick judgments shared online may have contributed to its underperformance at the box office.

Roberts expressed his strong affection for “Madame Web,” praising the movie and its cast. He was particularly impressed with director S.J. Clarkson’s work and credited her for his interest in the project. However, he lamented that the film’s reception might have been more positive if it weren’t for the prevalence of internet culture and the tendency to trivialize things. This is something that he has observed even in his own past works.

Madame Web is available to stream now on Netflix.

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2024-07-29 16:40