Overview of Kraven the Hunter’s Box Office Struggles
- Significant Decline: The film experienced a staggering 71.8% drop in box office revenue during its second weekend.
- Contributing Factors: This poor performance can be attributed to negative reviews, a troubling legacy, and fierce competition from other releases.
- Financial Concerns: Kraven the Hunter is on track to recover less than two-thirds of its hefty $110 million production budget.
Kraven the Hunter continues to face mounting challenges at the box office, marking a new low for Sony as it navigates a disappointing second weekend in theaters.
Filming for Kraven the Hunter concluded in 2022, but the movie’s release was postponed due to the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike. Despite featuring notable stars such as Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Russell Crowe, and Ariana DeBose—who have significant fan following—the film’s launch has been plagued by a wave of critical and commercial setbacks. Its overall performance is drawing parallels to previous failures within Sony’s Spider-Man franchise, such as Morbius and Madame Web. With a disappointing global opening of just $26 million, speculation is rife about the potential sale of Spider-Man rights back to Marvel, and reports suggest Kraven the Hunter could mark the end of its franchise—though these claims remain unverified.
Severe Weekend Performance: A Record Drop
Recent statistics from Box Office Mojo, along with insights from box office analyst Luiz Fernando on X, reveal that Kraven the Hunter managed to generate only $3.1 million during its second three-day weekend in North America. This signifies a dramatic 71.8% decrease from its initial weekend earnings of $15 million. This decline not only marks the steepest drop in the Sony Spider-Man franchise but also places the film high on the list of comics adaptations with the most significant second-weekend downturns, ranking sixth overall—just behind the 72.5% drop experienced by DC’s The Flash.
|
Comic Book Movies with the Largest Second Weekend Declines |
|
|---|---|
|
Joker: Madness for Two |
-81.4% |
|
The Marvels |
-78.1% |
|
Steel |
-78% |
|
Morbius |
-73.8% |
|
The Flash |
-72.5% |
|
Kraven the Hunter |
-71.8% |
|
The Suicide Squad & Dark Phoenix |
-71.5% |
|
Hellboy 2 |
-70.7% |
|
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania |
-69.9% |
|
Hulk |
-67.7% |
While Kraven the Hunter is spared from the dishonor of reporting the largest second-weekend drop in comic book movie history—held by Joker: Folie à Deux at -81.4%—it still faces troubling figures, especially compared to the franchise-worst $11 million it raked in during its opening weekend. Consequently, the film currently holds a total gross of $42.8 million against a costly production investment of $110 million.
The decline in box office revenue can likely be attributed to a combination of factors: negative audience reception, unflattering reviews, attempts to rally support from fans by director J.C. Chandor, and tough competition from other films. Notably, the releases of Mufasa and Sonic the Hedgehog 3—the latter opening with a formidable $62 million in the U.S.—have further diminished Kraven the Hunter‘s prospects.
As the film enters its second week and prepares for its third weekend, it is increasingly evident that it will struggle to recoup even two-thirds of its original budget, threatening to overshadow the earlier successes of Sony’s Spider-Man universe which initially thrived on hits like Venom.
Kraven the Hunter debuted on December 13 and remains available in theaters globally.
Source: Box Office Mojo, Luiz Fernando/X
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