Kraven the Hunter Hits Record Low in Opening Weekend
The latest installment in Sony’s Spider-Man Universe, Kraven the Hunter, has failed to impress in its opening weekend, grossing a disappointing $11-$12 million domestically. This is the worst opening weekend for the franchise, beating the previous record held by Madame Web with a $15.3 million debut.
The movie, directed by J.C. Chandor and starring Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Ariana DeBose, and Russell Crowe, follows the origin story of Sergei Kravinoff, a hunter seeking revenge on his criminal father. However, the film’s poor performance suggests that it will struggle to make its estimated budget of $110-$130 million back.
With a Rotten Tomatoes score of 15%, Kraven the Hunter is unlikely to receive a word-of-mouth boost, which will further hinder its chances of success. The movie’s opening weekend is significantly behind the opening weekends of other Spider-Man Universe films, including Venom (2018) and Venom: Let There Be Carnage (2021), which debuted with $80.2 million and $90 million, respectively.
The disappointing performance of Kraven the Hunter and Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim may be a speed bump in the box office, but the Christmas period is expected to bring a boost with the release of Sonic the Hedgehog 3 and Mufasa: The Lion King.