It is hard to predict how different things would have been in the movie industry if the Covid pandemic had never happened, but it is possible that next week’s release ofMorbiuscould have seen a better projection than the$40-60 million opening weekend expected.With constant release date shifts, some early signs that the film is not the most well put together Sony Marvel movie, and a rumored slap-dash attempt to link the film to the MCU, things are not looking amazing for the Spider-Man universe movie with predictions making it the lowest live-action opening of any Spider-Man based film.
Although in pandemic terms an up to $60 million on an opening weekend is certainly not to be sniffed at, following the massive success of previous Sony Spider-Man Universe moviesVenomandVenom: Let There Be Carnage, and of course the universe-crossingSpider-Man: No Way Home,there was a lot of expectation onMorbiusto gain a boost from the recent MCU movie to continue the success of Sony’s Marvel output. However, if the predicted volumes prove to be accurate, then the luck of the Spider-Man doesn’t seem to have rubbed off on the living vampire.
Sony is currently plowing ahead with their Spider-Man Universe, withKraven the Hunteralready filming with Aaron Taylor Johnsonin the title role, and Dakota Johnson appearing in an upcomingMadame Webmovie, and there is a lot riding onMorbiusto prove that it is all going to plan. However, despite the movie’s director dishing out a number of spoilers about howMorbuislinks to the MCU, there has been a lot of negativity about the movie in recent days thanks to some suggesting that a lot of changes have been made to the film compared to what the trailer seemed to suggest.
Related:Another Morbius Early Reaction Calls the Sony Movie Messy and Confused
Morbius Will Stand On Its Own Merit, But Many Expected A Spider-Man Clause.
Spider-Man: No Way Homebrought together the MCU and Sony Spider-Man Universe in December last year, and with it has come a massive weight of expectation about future Sony movies and whether they will connect to the MCU again. The originalMorbiustrailers suggesteda big role for Michael Keaton as Vulture, a character seen in the MCU who is now making his way to the Sony Universe, but along with all references to Spider-man, it has been suggested that this role has been cut down to a smaller, almost cameo appearance that hasn’t made sense for the many early viewers.
What Sony is trying to achieve is something that is still a bit of a mystery. With their twoVenommovies, they seemed to have a firm grip on where their universe was heading, and were doing it successfully. The introduction ofMorbiusseems to have a lot less of an impact with potential audiences, who seem to be willing to take it or leave it and don’t see it as a must-see cinematic event. If this thinking turns out to be the way Sony’s adaptation of lesser-known characters is seen by the cinema-going public, then it could cause problems for their upcoming movies.
