Summary

• Madame Web had the lowest-grossing debut for a Spider-Man-related movie ever.
• Stars Dakota Johnson and Sydney Sweeney responded with jokes and criticisms to the movie.
• Despite its failures, Madame Web's presence at the Oscars hints at a possible future cult classic status.

Marvel movie movie, with Madame Web bombing historically, having the lowest-grossing debut of a Spider-Man-related movie ever, taking into all films since Tobey Maguire's 2002 Spider-Man.

Check out the domestic box office opening weekend for every Spider-Man-related movie below:

Ever since the movie's debut, stars Dakota Johnson and Sydney Sweeney, who play two of the most important characters of Madame Web, have jumped in on the criticism the movie has received. The actresses' response to the movie has come in two forms, either through poignant comments about Madame Web's development process and what the final product was or as jokes directed at the conversation surrounding the film on social media. At the 2024 Academy Awards, the latter once again made itself present.

Madame Web's Marketing Campaign All Led To The Oscars Moment

Sydney Sweeney's Madame Web Joke Connects To The Oscars

Despite its negative reception, Madame Web was present at the Oscars, just not as Sony would have wanted. The movie was at the receiving end of two jokes. First, 2024 Academy Awards host Jimmy Kimmel ed how Madame Web failed its talented cast, saying, "This night is full of enormous talent, and untold potential, but so was ‘Madame Web.'" Among the movie's many flaws was the fact that Madame Web boasted a nice mix of Hollywood veterans and rising stars in its cast but burdened them with unbelievable dialogue and one-dimensional characters.

Then comedian John Mulaney joked about the SSU's latest movie while presenting an award, saying, "Without sound, we wouldn't have been able to hear such classic lines as 'You're gonna need a bigger boat,' 'I'll have what she's having' and 'He was in the Amazon with my mother when she was researching spiders just before she died.'" The final line comes from Madame Web's trailers and is one of the movie's most talked about moments due Johnson's emotionless delivery.

After the movie's debut, talk about Madame Web instantly shifted toward the movie's many problems, which ranged from dialogue to story to some performances and more. During her first time as a host on Saturday Night Live, Sweeney showed how the movie's marketing had shifted from trying to sell Madame Web as a must-see project based on its qualities but rather tried to capitalize on the many memes generated about the movie, saying, "You definitely did not see me in Madame Web." Previously, the SSU's Morbius had also similarly tried to follow that route.

While Sony would have liked to see Madame Web succeed, with the movie performing well at the box office and being well-received by fans, it is undeniable that the SSU film has had a cultural impact despite its shortcomings. The two Madame Web mentions at the 2024 Oscars are notable, helping the movie continue on its way to possibly becoming a cult classic, with viewers continuing to watch Madame Web after years to have fun with its flaws, not taking the movie seriously.