After several delays to Sony’s release calendar, the Marvel spinoff “Kraven the Hunter” was met with indifference when it arrived in theaters. The antihero actor took in a measly $4.7 million on Friday and previewed showings from 3,211 locations.
this Behind the studio’s $6 million opening day gross is “Madame Web,” which opened on Valentine’s Day Wednesday at the start of 2024 and finished with a paltry $43 million in North America. It looks like Sony is bookending the calendar with another comic book dud, as the R-rated “Kraven the Hunter” will have to work hard if it’s going to live up to its already low expectations for an opening north of $13 million. Even if it meets those expectations, it’s a bad start for the $110 million production.
“Kraven the Hunter,” directed by J.C. Chandor and starring Aaron Taylor-Johnson as the deadly villain in Spider-Man lore, has been battling suspicion for some time. The film was filmed nearly three years ago and has faced several setbacks around the release calendar since the original date was set in January 2023. Although Sony has had strong commercial success with its “Venom” trilogy, the other two live-action films have “ Spider-Man,” “Madame Web” and the live-action vampire thriller “Morbius,” have proven that they are not a franchise. Beginners, not to mention super-turkeys among critics.
“Kraven” didn’t break that pattern, with its atrocious reviews and harsh audience sentiment. The Moviegoer Cinema Score earned a C, which is even lower than the C+ grades earned by “Madame Web” and “Morbius.” Even underappreciated films can achieve above-average multiples during the holiday season, but the bad buzz and poor launch will be a struggle to overcome. Quoth “Craven”, never.
This weekend also sees another vortex of IP unable to penetrate audiences, as Warner Bros. “The Lord of the Rings: War of the Rohirrim” It opens in fifth place. The Tolkien prequel, directed by Kenji Kamiyama, grossed an estimated $2 million on Friday and played in 2,602 locations. Reviews were average, while the film received a B in the Cinema Score.
Compared to “Kraven,” expectations are much more modest for “Rohirrim,” which was made on a rather meager budget of $30 million. In some ways, the film is already such a success, that it was greenlighted and fast-tracked as a way to ensure New Line Cinema wouldn’t lose the rights to Tolkien’s novels. The banner is currently developing “The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum,” which will be directed and star Andy Serkis.
However, recent years have shown that anime can attract a large audience in North America. Titles like “Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero” and “Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – The Movie: Mugen Train” opened at the top of the domestic charts, with debuts north of $20 million. While those represent the anime’s best dedicated fanbase, “Lord of the Rings” has to hold its own internal appeal as well, especially considering how desirable Tolkien’s rights remain. “Rohirrim” is out, the IP is still in the books: mission accomplished. But the franchise will likely be higher than this soft opening.
“Moana 2” appears to be easily topping the charts once again, holding the top spot for the third weekend in a row. Disney’s release added nearly $6 million on Friday, down 48% From $11 million per day the previous week. It’s been smooth sailing for the musical sequel since it set box office records over Thanksgiving weekend in its opening. Within just 15 days of release, the domestic total has now surpassed $320 million, making it one of the top five North American releases of the year.
“Wicked” remains ahead of its total box office, which repeats in second place after adding $5.8 million on Friday. Universal’s split adaptation of the beloved Broadway musical will surpass $350 million domestically this weekend. It should soon overtake “Despicable Me 4,” which currently ranks as the third-biggest North American release of the year with $361 million.
Gladiator II came in fifth place after making another $2.1 million on Friday. The film is projecting a modest 40% drop in its fourth weekend, even in the face of an R-rated newcomer for “Kraven.” Paramount’s swords-and-sandals sequel is expected to surpass $145 million domestically through Sunday, which would put it above “The Wild Robot” ($142 million), “Venom: The Last Dance” ($139 million) and “A Quiet Place: Day One”. ($138 million) among this year’s crop of releases.