Credit: Sony PicturesDakota Johnson, who’s set to make her Sony Spider-Man Universe (SSU) debut in next month’s Madame Web (2024), recently poked fun at the upcoming project and had some strong words for its target audience.
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Madame Web is already shaping up to be one of the more unpredictable releases of 2024, with fans not exactly sure what to expect of the upcoming team-up flick. Starring Dakota Johnson as Manhattan paramedic Cassandra Webb, a clairvoyant, the movie also sees Sydney Sweeney in the lead as Julia Carpenter (AKA Spider-Woman), Isabela Merced as Anya Corazon (AKA Araña), and Celeste O’Connor as Mattie Franklin (AKA Spider-Woman).
The group of women will have to join forces when a new threat emerges in the form of Ezekiel Sims (Tahar Rahim), an evil Spider-Man who hunts down various Spider-Women in a bid to change the future. Madame Web is the feature directorial debut of S. J. Clarkson and promises to adapt many of the same storylines introduced in the Marvel comics.
Check out the official trailer for Sony Pictures’ Madame Web below:
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As mentioned, Madame Web has already been the victim of plenty of online discourse, with Johnson’s delivery of a particular line from the trailer — “He was in the Amazon with my mom when she was researching spiders right before she died” — becoming an instant meme upon its release in November. But it seems that no one is as harsh a critic as Johnson herself, who recently made a pretty shocking joke about the film on live television.
During her hosting stint on the most recent episode of Saturday Night Live, the actress (via @HeroesUnbound on X) mentioned her upcoming Marvel/Sony project in her monologue, raising eyebrows with her pretty brutal — and somewhat accurate — description of Madame Web. Johnson joked, “I have a new movie coming out. It’s called ‘Madame Web.’ It is in the Marvel Universe, and it also stars Sydney Sweeney. So, it’s kind of like if AI generated your boyfriend’s perfect movie.”
Dakota Johnson jokes on SNL that Madame Web is “like if AI created your boyfriend’s favourite movie”
Dakota Johnson jokes on SNL that Madame Web is "like if AI created your boyfriend's favourite movie" pic.twitter.com/ltevGMNedF
— Heroes Unbound ⚡️ (@HeroesUnbound) January 28, 2024
Although Johnson isn’t exactly wrong in her assessment of the SSU film, it’s somewhat surprising to hear her speaking so candidly about it, especially given the recent backlash against Hollywood studios’ use of AI technology. However, Sydney Sweeney in spandex is, generally speaking, the stuff of boyfriends’ dreams, especially if they’re fans of Marvel. Plus, she did make these remarks while appearing on Saturday Night Live, meaning it was, for the most part, just a joke — not a serious jab at the upcoming blockbuster accusing it of using AI.
With SSU entries like Morbius (2022) and even Venom (2018) falling flat with audiences, Sony needs a big win in its live-action superhero department. Still, even Johnson doesn’t seem too hopeful about Madame Web‘s prospects. During a recent interview with Entertainment Weekly, the actress said, “I’ve never really done a movie where you are on a blue screen, and there’s fake explosions going off, and someone’s going, ‘Explosion!’ and you act like there’s an explosion,” adding, “that to me was absolutely psychotic. I was like, ‘I don’t know if this is going to be good at all! I hope that I did an OK job!’”
While “I don’t know if this is going to be good at all” doesn’t exactly sound like a resounding vote of confidence on Johnson’s behalf, she continued, saying, “But I trusted [Clarkson],” and noted, “She works so hard, and she has not taken her eyes off this movie since we started.”
Madame Web is expected to suffer something of a tough start at the Valentine’s Day box office, with analysts estimating that the film will bring in $25 million in the first six days of its release, per Deadline. This projection puts the superhero flick on track to debut just below Bob Marley: One Love(2024), though it could manage to exceed expectations as Venom and its sequel, Venom: Let There Be Carnage (2021) did, without necessarily being a hit with critics.
For now, only time will tell if Dakota Johnson’s first outing as the titular web-slinger in Madame Web will live up to audiences’ expectations or if it will continue a frustrating trend for Sony Pictures’ corner of the Marvel universe.
Madame Web arrives in theaters on February 14, 2024.
Do you think Madame Web has a shot at being one of the top-grossing blockbusters of the year? Let us know in the comments below!