Sony Pictures has officially pulled the plug on its live-action Spider-Man spin-off universe. Studio chairman Tom Rothman confirmed that there are currently no projects in active development after a series of box office failures.
The decision comes after films like Morbius, Madame Web, and Kraven the Hunter failed to win over audiences or critics. Meanwhile, the main Spider-Man franchise continues to soar with the record-breaking success of Spider-Man: Brand New Day.
What Sony’s Chairman Said
In an interview with Variety, Rothman was asked about the future of Sony’s Marvel spin-offs. His response was blunt. When asked why most of these movies failed, he said:
“Ultimately, the audience wasn’t satisfied enough with them. Whether that’s a fair assessment of those movies, who knows. That’s howling into the wind. The audience is the boss, and they didn’t respond. It’s as simple as that.”
When asked if Sony had plans to develop more films in this universe, Rothman replied:
“Right now, we don’t know. We never looked at it as the ‘Sony-Marvel Universe.’ We looked at if there were worthwhile movies to make with other characters. At the moment, there are none in active development.”
The Films That Killed the Universe
Sony’s Spider-Man Universe (SSU) began in 2018 with Venom, starring Tom Hardy. That film was a commercial hit, earning $856 million worldwide. Two sequels followed and also performed well at the box office.
But everything changed with the spin-offs that didn’t feature Spider-Man.
- Morbius (2022) – Starring Jared Leto, it earned only $167 million globally against a budget of over $75 million. Critics gave it just 15% on Rotten Tomatoes. The film became an internet joke and even got a re-release that flopped a second time.
- Madame Web (2024) – Led by Dakota Johnson, it managed just $100 million worldwide. With a dismal 10% critic score on Rotten Tomatoes, it was one of the worst-reviewed superhero movies ever.
- Kraven the Hunter (2024) – Starring Aaron Taylor-Johnson, this was the final nail in the coffin. It opened as the worst-performing entry in the series, grossing only about $60 million against a budget exceeding $100 million. Critics gave it just 15%.
Venom Was the Exception
The Venom trilogy was the only successful part of this universe. All three films made money. But even those movies never got great reviews. The first Venom scored just 31% from critics.
Still, the trilogy’s success wasn’t enough to save the wider universe. The other three films lost money and damaged the brand.
Spider-Man Keeps Winning
While the spin-off universe collapses, the main Spider-Man franchise is stronger than ever.
Spider-Man: Brand New Day, starring Tom Holland, was released recently and has already become the highest-grossing film of 2026. It earned over $1.155 billion worldwide in just its first week. The film broke records and proved that audiences still love Spider-Man himself.
This success stands in stark contrast to the spin-offs. It likely made Sony’s decision to shut down the other universe much easier.
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What This Means Going Forward
Sony still owns the film rights to Spider-Man and his associated characters. The studio will continue making Spider-Man movies and animated projects like the Spider-Verse films.
But for now, there will be no more live-action movies focused on villains like Morbius, Kraven, or Madame Web. Rothman made it clear that the audience has spoken, and Sony is listening.
Filming on future Spider-Man projects will continue, but the spin-off experiment is officially over.
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