“Madame Web” is one of the biggest comedic disappointments in the history of the genre. The superheroine adventure did not really score points with the public and the trade press and was sometimes mercilessly torn apart. A circumstance that is also reflected at the cash register:
So far, the film has only grossed just under $40 million in the US – the film has grossed $91 million worldwide and the chances of revenues increasing significantly in the coming weeks are slim. Although ‘Madame Web’ would have been relatively cheap for a comedy film adaptation with an estimated budget of $80 million, these are catastrophic figures as the costs of marketing etc. are not even taken into account.
Now, the film’s star, Dakota Johnson, has also commented on its poor performance at the box office. In a new interview with Lifestyle magazine The actress said she was not surprised by the negative votes and found surprisingly harsh words for those responsible for the production.
The public will always recognize quality
“Unfortunately, I am not surprised that the film was so poorly received” the actress left interview quote. “It’s so hard to make films, and these big films […] Decisions are made by committees. And there is no point in art if it is made by committee.”
At the same time, the actress also stated that she believes in the intelligence of the audience, which can distinguish good art from bad. She also found very critical words for those responsible for major productions who think they can satisfy the viewer with mediocre films:
“Films are made by a filmmaker and a team of artists […] made. You can’t create art based on numbers and algorithms. I have long believed that the public is extremely intelligent, and executives have come to believe that this is not the case. The public will always be able to recognize nonsense. Even if films are made with artificial intelligence, people don’t want to see them.”
Dakota Johnson doesn’t believe in a Marvel future
The American actress does not believe in a future for herself in the SSU (Sony’s Spider-Man Universe). ‘Madame Web’ was simply too poorly received for that. Yet she has no regrets about making this film:
“Making this film was definitely an experience for me. I had never done anything like that before. I’ll probably never do anything like that again because I have no use for this world whatsoever. And I know that now. […] But it was a real learning experience, and of course it’s not fun to be part of something that’s being torn to shreds, but I can’t say I don’t understand it.”
If you don’t want to be put off by the negative voices and want to see Dakota Johnson as Madame Web on the big screen, you can currently do so in theaters. To find out if Sebastian, Christoph and Stefan got anything out of the comedy actioner, you can listen to the screenlove podcast we recorded above.