Kraven the Hunter Faces Critical, Commercial Failure

Kraven the Hunter, part of Sony's Spider-Man Shared Universe, faced critical and commercial failure, earning only $58 million globally against a $110 million budget and receiving a 17% critics' rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Despite a strong cast including Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Russell Crowe, the film's storytelling and special effects were criticized, though Alessandro Nivola's performance as Rhino was praised. The movie's underperformance has led Sony to release it digitally via premium video-on-demand starting January 14, 2025. Early concept art revealed plans for a canceled sequence involving symbiotes, suggesting a broader crossover with Venom films was originally intended. This scrapped sequence indicates that Kraven could have played a more integral role in tying the SSU with other Marvel properties, but these plans were ultimately discarded. Sony's SSU continues to struggle, with Kraven the Hunter possibly marking the end of their attempts to establish a successful Spider-Man-related franchise.