Not too long ago, the release of a Marvel movie was just about a sure bet to be a big hit. But in recent years, the tides are changing. More and more films based on these comic book universes are missing with audiences, including one of this year’s new Spider-Man movies, Madame Web. As the Sony movie remains one of the biggest flops of the year, Emma Roberts has weighed in on its failure.
Emma Roberts is among the female-focused Madame Web’s cast as Mary Parker, the pregnant mommy-to-be of Peter Parker. When the actress was asked about the movie’s reception, which included brutal reviews by critics and a disappointing box office run, she said this:
Things work; things don’t work. Everyone likes to act like they can predict if they’re going to work or they’re not. And the truth is, you can’t. Things do badly, and then they blow up later on TikTok. Things do well, but then you watch them, and you’re like, ‘This did well?’ There is no secret. It’s about doing something goodish and it hitting at the right time. Everything else is like a wish and a prayer. I’m not intimidated by failure, and I’m not intimidated by people having negative thoughts about something.
As Roberts told Variety, one doesn’t go into a movie knowing full well whether it’s going to be the next big hit or infamous internet meme. The actress, who has been acting in movies since she made her acting debut at nine in 2001’s Blow, said she doesn’t mind “failure” or the comment section.
In fact, elsewhere in the interview Emma Roberts said that she has built a “thick skin” around public perception since the age of 12. The actress got candid about being bummed out by the “hate culture” she observes around celebrities, movies and television on the internet. As the American Horror Story actress continued to share about Madame Web:
I personally really loved Madame Web. I really enjoyed the movie. I thought everyone in it was great. The director, S.J. Clarkson, I think, did an amazing job. She’s the reason I wanted to do that movie. If it wasn’t for internet culture and everything being made into a joke, I think that the reception would’ve been different. And that’s what bums me out about a lot of stuff, even stuff that I’ve done, is people just make such a joke out of everything now.
Madame Web made $100 million worldwide against a production budget of around the same amount (if not more). When one factors in the movie’s marketing costs and such, the Sony movie certainly didn’t make the studio any sort of profit. Though, the movie certainly made a huge debut on Netflix when it arrived in May.
Emma Roberts’ comments on Madame Web follow Dakota Johnson speaking to the flop by saying she was “not surprised” by the movie’s reception, citing “decisions being made by committees” as the downfall of films. Sydney Sweeney on the other hand said she “was just hired as an actress” for the project and was “along for the ride.” Roberts does bring up an interesting point. If Madame Web was made in the era it was set in (pre-internet), how would its success have been different?