Sony's Biggest Streaming Disaster Was Actually a Streaming Success - Here's How
Despite tanking at the box office, Sony's Spider-Man spin-off films have become cult classics on Netflix. According to Bloomberg, the 2024 film Madame Web was the studio's most-streamed movie on the platform last year, beating out bigger hits like Venom: The Last Dance and It Ends With Us.
The fact that Madame Web grossed only $44 million domestically compared to its box office counterparts' $145 million each is staggering. Yet, it gained instant recognition after release, with podcast appearances like How Did This Get Made? and subsequent streaming numbers that prove it was a hit on the platform.
This phenomenon carries over to Sony's fifth best streaming title last year, Kraven the Hunter, another underperforming Spider-Man spinoff. The fact that these films are generating significant revenue through streaming suggests that Sony's current deal with Netflix may be leaving money on the table - as the studio tries to figure out a new way to monetize its streaming bombs.
One thing is clear: Madame Web has proven that sometimes, a film can become a hit despite its poor box office performance. It's a testament to the power of word-of-mouth and the internet's ability to give cult classics a second life.
Despite tanking at the box office, Sony's Spider-Man spin-off films have become cult classics on Netflix. According to Bloomberg, the 2024 film Madame Web was the studio's most-streamed movie on the platform last year, beating out bigger hits like Venom: The Last Dance and It Ends With Us.
The fact that Madame Web grossed only $44 million domestically compared to its box office counterparts' $145 million each is staggering. Yet, it gained instant recognition after release, with podcast appearances like How Did This Get Made? and subsequent streaming numbers that prove it was a hit on the platform.
This phenomenon carries over to Sony's fifth best streaming title last year, Kraven the Hunter, another underperforming Spider-Man spinoff. The fact that these films are generating significant revenue through streaming suggests that Sony's current deal with Netflix may be leaving money on the table - as the studio tries to figure out a new way to monetize its streaming bombs.
One thing is clear: Madame Web has proven that sometimes, a film can become a hit despite its poor box office performance. It's a testament to the power of word-of-mouth and the internet's ability to give cult classics a second life.
. I mean, who would've thought that Madame Web, which did pretty bad at the box office, would become the studio's most-streamed movie last year? 
It just goes to show that sometimes you gotta think outside the box (or in this case, the theater). Word-of-mouth and online chatter can be super powerful when it comes to making a film a cult classic. And let's be real, streaming numbers are like a whole new ball game - they're not affected by reviews or ratings like traditional box office numbers are. So yeah, I think Sony's got some food for thought in terms of how they approach their streaming deals 
especially madame web which is like my new fave show. the fact that its a cult classic now is just so cool, i love how word of mouth can make some movies go viral online. and kraven the hunter too? yeah idk how they do it but its def making me wanna check those out ASAP 
Streaming services are basically just a way for movies to bomb in theaters but still make bank online 
. And now Kraven the Hunter is doing the same thing, which just goes to show that sometimes you gotta think outside the box (or in this case, the theater) and let the internet do its thing 
. I'm not gonna lie, as a loyal user of Netflix, it's pretty cool to see these underdogs finding success on the platform 
. Maybe Sony should rethink their strategy and just go all in on streaming? 
. I guess we should give credit to Netflix for giving these movies a chance – it's definitely doing something right! 
. The fact that these films are finding new life online is actually kind of refreshing - it shows that sometimes, what's considered a failure can still find an audience and become something special 
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. I mean, they're not even doing that great at the box office, but somehow they become super popular online? It just goes to show how much streaming affects what people watch these days. Madame Web's numbers are wild - 44 million domestic gross is basically nothing compared to Venom's $145 million, and yet it still managed to get a lot of streams on Netflix 
. That just goes to show how powerful word-of-mouth is and how social media can give films a second chance at life 
. It's also kinda crazy that these movies are making bank through streaming instead of theaters 
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. And with Netflix being the go-to platform for these kinds of movies, it's no wonder they're raking in the dough 