‘Kraven the Hunter’ Poised for One of the SSU’s Worst Box Office Openings Yet
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With just three weeks to go until its December 13, 2024 premiere, Kraven the Hunter is set to be the next villain-centric addition to Sony’s Spider-Man Universe (SSU).
While the Venom trilogy, for better or worse, served as the backbone of the SSU and concluded earlier this year, the franchise is pressing forward with fresh projects, and Kraven is the next to hit theaters.
Early reviews suggest that while the film outshines the final Venom installment, it’s far from a masterpiece.
However, based on the trailer, there’s reason to believe the film, starring Aaron Taylor-Johnson—who’s even being floated as a candidate for the next James Bond—has some real potential.
Despite this, Kraven the Hunter may struggle to make a splash. Its release during the competitive holiday season, coupled with apparent fan disinterest, has led to grim early box office projections, as you’ll soon discover.
As you may know, box office projections are often based on pre-sale data and other key metrics. While these forecasts aren’t always 100% accurate, they’re usually a reliable indicator. If a film is projected to earn $30 million, it’s unlikely to pull in $250 million on opening weekend; the final numbers generally stay close to the initial estimates.
Sony had high hopes for Kraven the Hunter to follow in the footsteps of Venom as the SSU’s next big hit. However, if the early projections hold true, Kraven is more likely to follow the disappointing path of Morbius—or worse, Madame Web.
The film is currently projected to earn around $20–25 million during its opening weekend—a dismal figure for a large-scale action movie, particularly one with a hefty $130 million budget. To put this into perspective, let’s compare these projections to the performance of previous releases in the SSU:
| ilm | Release Date | Domestic | International | Total | Domestic Opening | Budget |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Venom | October 5, 2018 | $213,515,506 | $642,569,655 | $856,085,161 | $80,255,756 | $100–116 million |
| Venom: Let There Be Carnage | October 1, 2021 | $213,550,366 | $293,313,226 | $506,863,592 | $90,033,210 | $110 million |
| Morbius | April 1, 2022 | $73,865,530 | $93,595,431 | $167,460,961 | $39,005,895 | $75–83 million |
| Madame Web | February 14, 2024 | $43,817,106 | $56,681,658 | $100,498,764 | $15,335,860 | $80 million |
| Venom: The Last Dance | October 25, 2024 | $129,825,400 | $308,500,000 | $438,325,400 | $51,012,404 | $120 million |
We’ve highlighted the key column for you to focus on. As it stands, Kraven the Hunter is projected to have the second-worst domestic opening in the SSU, outperforming only Madame Web, a film widely anticipated to flop.
However, even surpassing Madame Web might not be much of a victory—especially when Kraven’s projected opening is only half of what Morbius managed to pull in. That’s definitely falling short of expectations.
What makes this even more striking is that Kraven the Hunter boasts the largest budget of any SSU movie to date. It’s an interesting—and concerning—contrast. Here’s hoping the film performs better than these early projections suggest.
What’s your take? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
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