Kraven the Hunteris far from an apex predator at the box office, as the film suffered a massive drop in its second weekend following an already disappointing opening. The sixth and seemingly final film in Sony’s Spider-Man Universe (SSU),Kraven the Hunterstars Aaron Taylor-Johnsonas the titularSpider-Manvillain, here reimagined as an antihero. After multiple delays, the movie finally opened in theaters with not a fierce roar but a whimper, being defeated at the box office by holdoversWickedandMoana 2. While some movies can find their bearings over the holiday weekend,Kraven the Hunterhas been lost in the pack of new releases as a hedgehog and a lion defeated the hunter.
Deadlinereported thatKraven the Hunterdropped 72% in its second weekend, coming in number 7th at the box office, with just $3.1 million over the three-day weekend. That 72% drop might not be as bad as the 81% drop ofJoker: Folie à Deuxearlier this year, but it is worse thanMadame Web, which had a 61% drop from weekend one to weekend two, and evenMorbius, which dropped by 62%. In its 10 days of release,Kraven the Hunterhas pulled in a meager $17.4 million domestically, below the $28 millionMadame Webwas at in the same timeframe at the beginning of 2024.
At just $17.4 million domestic and $42.8 million worldwide,Kraven the Hunterhas no chance of making back its reported $130 million budget, at least anytime soon.Kraven the Hunteris set to be the lowest-grossing film based on aSpider-Mancharacter, taking the record fromMadame Webearlier this year. WhileMadame Webseemed to be able toride a “so bad it’s good” vibeto get some audience interest, nobody seems to want to check outKraven the Hunter.
Is ‘Kraven the Hunter’ Really a Box Office Disaster?
The dismal box office performance of ‘Kraven the Hunter’ marks an embarrassing end to Sony’s Spider-Man Universe.
Kraven Brings the Terrible 2024 Superhero Box Office to a Close
Kraven the Hunterbrings to a closewhat has been a terrible year for movies based on comic books. With the sole exception ofDeadpool & Wolverine(which is a big exception, grossing $1.3 billion worldwide), all the major movies based on comic book properties have disappointed (Venom: The Last Dance) or downright bombed (Joker: Folie à Deux,Madame Web) at the box office. At the rate it is performing,Kraven the Huntermight be the lowest-grossing comic book film of the year, as it likely won’t even matchJoker: Folie à Deux’s $58 million domestic total.
I’m Fully Convinced ‘Kraven the Hunter’ Was Delayed Because of ‘Beyond the Spider-Verse’
The delays to ‘Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse’ left Sony in a position to make ‘Kraven the Hunter’ their underperforming 2024 holiday release
While 2024 was a rough year for the superhero genre, fans hope2025 releases likeSupermanandThe Fantastic Four: First Stepswill be a major rebound and remind audiences why they love this genre and these characters. The genre will likely be fine, but the reputation of one of Spider-Man’s most iconic villains won’t be. Kraven the Hunter was a villain so popular that directors like Sam Raimi, Marc Webb, Jon Watts, and Ryan Coogler all wanted to adapt the character when they got to play in the Marvel sandbox. Had he gotten to fight Spider-Man or Black Panther, he likely would have gotten a much bigger fanbase.
Now, Kraven the Hunter will be linked to one of the biggest flops. Maybe that is the one silver lining, because for anyone to have any negative association with the character, they would likely have to have seen or remembered the movie, and based on the box office, nobody has or will.
Kraven the Hunter
Kraven the Hunter is the fourth movie in Sony’s Spider-Man Universe, set in the same Marvel continuity as Tom Hardy’s Venom and Jared Leto’s Morbius. Played by Aaron Taylor-Johnson, the titular Kraven goes on a solo adventure as an anti-hero, this time independent of his comic book counterpart’s crusade to hunt down Peter Parker.
