On the Refreshingly Low Expectations For Sony's 'Kraven'

After a decade of Marvel and DC movies absolutely dominating media discourse and popular culture, that one of these can be treated as just another movie almost feels like a "nature is healing" moment.

Barring a surprise in either direction, Kraven the Hunter is predicted to open between what Sony’s Madame Web opened to amid its Fri-Sun debut frame ($15.3 million) and what it earned in its Wed-Mon holiday opening ($26 million) back in February. The utter lack of expectations regarding quality, commercial success and potential collateral damage is downright refreshing. In late 2024, a major studio is about to release an action movie based on a Marvel comic book character. And yet, nobody is concerned about company-wide fallout, pop cultural implications or how cinematic universe dreams could become undone. Instead, the feeling is akin to indifference, even as everyone expects a critically panned flop, and the stakes couldn’t be lower.