Sony Pictures CEO blames critics for 'Madame Web' flop: 'The press just crucified it'

"Madame Web" was, undeniably, a flop.

While the Marvel-verse has become a common foe for critics, who've panned the action-packed films as high-budget junk for the masses, the Spider-Man spin-off starring Dakota Johnson was singular in its public disdain.

USA TODAY's critic Brian Truitt described the film as "burdened by bad dialogue, negligible character development, a lackluster bad guy and assorted B-movie silliness."

Beyond the reviews, the film bombed at the box office, raking in a measly $15.3 million in its opening weekend. By contrast, the budget for the film was $80 million.

Tony Vinciquerra, chairman and CEO of Sony Pictures Entertainment (which backed the movie), sees the story differently.

In an interview with the Los Angeles Times published Thursday, Vinciquerra — who will step down in January — blamed the media for allegedly peddling a false narrative around the film's release.

"'Madame Web' underperformed in the theaters because the press just crucified it," he told the outlet. "For some reason, the press decided that they didn't want us making these films out of 'Kraven (the Hunter)' and 'Madame Web,' and the critics just destroyed them."

"Kraven the Hunter," another spider-verse project released earlier this month, also suffered at the box office.

Criticism of "Madame Web" stretched beyond just the critic's corner, however. Even Johnson seemed lukewarm about the project. During the film's press tour, the actress told Bustle, "Unfortunately, I'm not surprised that this has gone down the way it has."

Lamenting the "committees" assembled by film studios, Johnson told the outlet: "My feeling has been for a long time that audiences are extremely smart, and executives have started to believe that they're not."

When asked about a change in strategy for future films, Vinciquerra heaped more blame onto critics.

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

Vinciquerra's comments come as major studios continue struggling to attract viewers to the theater. Blockbusters such as "Wicked" and "Barbie" are the exception, not the rule. Box-office revenue in North American theaters between January and October decreased by 11.5% compared to the same period in 2023, according to a November report from cinema researcher Laura Carollo.

'Madame Web' spoilers! What that ending and Dakota Johnson's supersuit foretell

Vinciquerra, for his part, is seemingly exiting his top post without tremendous concern for the changing tides. "The one thing we do know for sure is that the demand for entertainment is not going down," he told the outlet, "It's becoming slightly different."

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Sony Pictures CEO blames critics for 'Madame Web' flop