Sony CEO Admits ‘Kraven the Hunter’ Delivered the Final Blow to Current Sony’s Spider-Man Universe

In a recent interview on “The Town” podcast, Sony Pictures CEO Tom Rothman addressed rumors that the studio’s Spider-Man spin-off universe was finished after a string of box office failures.

When asked directly if the larger Spider-Verse was dead, Rothman responded, “No.” He was then asked if the studio would revisit those characters in the future. His answer was clear: “yes.” When pressed on whether that meant a full reboot with new people involved, he doubled down, saying, “yes, yes.”

That confirms what many suspected. The current version of Sony’s Spider-Man Universe, which focused on villain-led films without Spider-Man himself, did not work. Now the studio plans to start fresh.

Sony’s most valuable Marvel property remains Spider-Man. Tom Holland will continue leading that side of the franchise, with “Spider-Man: Brand New Day” set to hit theaters in July. But the villain spin-offs have struggled badly in recent years.

While 2018’s “Venom” was a huge success, earning $856 million worldwide, it turned out to be the exception. Critics were harsh, but audiences showed up. Sony moved forward with more spin-offs, hoping to repeat that success. It did not happen.

“Morbius,” starring Jared Leto, earned just $167 million globally. “Madame Web” barely crossed $100 million. “Kraven the Hunter” performed even worse, ending its run at only $62 million worldwide. All three films were heavily criticized and failed to build strong audience support.

Even the later “Venom” films showed signs of decline. “Venom: Let There Be Carnage” made $506 million, and “Venom: The Last Dance” dropped further to $479 million. Each sequel earned less than the previous film. With Tom Hardy stepping away from the role, that branch of the franchise also reached a turning point.

Former Sony CEO Tony Vinciquerra previously blamed the media for hurting “Madame Web.” He told the Los Angeles Times, “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.”

But blaming critics only explains part of the problem. Audience interest in superhero films has slowed overall, and poorly received entries have struggled even more.

Sony is already trying new ideas. An animated “Venom” project is now in development from filmmakers Zach Lipovsky and Adam B. Stein. As for the live-action universe, Rothman and his team now face the challenge of rebuilding the brand in a way that connects better with fans.

A reboot makes sense. The numbers show the old strategy was not working. Sony still has strong characters, but they need better stories and clearer direction. What do you think? Should Sony fully reset its Spider-Man universe, or try to fix what they already built? Share your thoughts in the comments.