Madame Web | Hit or flop? | Read this before Watch

The anticipation surrounding the trailer for Madame Web was uneasy, and early ticket sales were lackluster. Then, to add insult to injury, last week, the critic reviews came pouring in, and they were brutal. Sony's latest Spider-Man spinoff received a dismal average Rotten Tomatoes score of 13 percent, marking it as the lowest-rated major superhero film in nearly a decade.

A high-ranking executive from a major theatrical chain was astounded by the turn of events, noting how ticket sales were visibly dropping as buyers rushed to get refunds. The comparison was dire, with the executive expressing a preference for the numbers of Shazam! 2, highlighting the severity of Madame Web's underperformance.

The film's debut marked one of the weakest starts in Hollywood history for a Marvel character-based movie. After opening on Valentine's Day, domestic box office earnings for the first six days in North America barely scraped $26.2 million, while international sales totaled $25.7 million across 61 markets. Even the typically forgiving CinemaScore handed out a poor C+ grade, an unusual occurrence for a superhero flick.

Following in the footsteps of DC and Marvel, Sony now faces mounting pressure to reassess its approach to crafting comic book adaptations. While Sony's previous Spider-Man universe entry, Morbius, was widely panned by critics and fans alike, it at least managed to rake in $170 million worldwide. However, there's little hope for Madame Web to achieve even that level of success. The failure of this film not only impacts its own prospects but also dashes the hopes of a potential franchise led by Dakota Johnson, whose character's connection to Peter Parker was a central plot point.

The movie introduced a trio of supporting characters with the potential to form a team of Spider-Women under Johnson's guidance, but these plans are now shelved indefinitely. This setback is part of a troubling trend for the superhero genre, with every live-action comic book film from the past year underperforming, save for Marvel Studios' Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. The phenomenon of "superhero fatigue" is no longer just a term bandied about by fans; it's become an accepted reality within the industry.

Madame Web attempted to distinguish itself by offering a more grounded, suspenseful take on the superhero genre, with a female-centric focus. However, this deviation from the norm failed to resonate with audiences.

Despite some reviewers suggesting that the film could eventually attain cult status as a camp classic, such consolation offers little comfort to Sony. However, there's a silver lining in the idea that it's better to fail spectacularly than to be forgettable.