Kraven the Hunter Google TV Is A Surprise Streaming Hit

Two years after an embarrassing performance at the box office, Russell Crowe's underwhelming superhero film is still a surprise hit on streaming. As part of Sony's doomed Spider-Man-adjacent cinematic universe, Kraven the Hunter may not have been a hit in theaters, but its streaming success could rewrite its legacy.

According to new data from FlixPatrol, Kraven the Hunter is a much bigger success on streaming platforms than it ever could have been in theaters. The 2024 superhero film kicked off the new year at No. 10 on Google TV's list of most popular movies, which ranks the number of purchases and rentals of a specific film. Kraven the Hunter joins some of the most popular films from the last few years on this list, including A Minecraft Movie, Wicked, and Gladiator II.

Kraven the Hunter stars Aaron Taylor-Johnson as Sergei Kravinoff, who uses his enhanced senses and strength to hunt down animal poachers and organized criminals. The film is the last installment of Sony's Spider-Man Universe (SSU), a franchise that focuses on villains from the Spider-Man cast of characters. It also features Russell Crowe as Nikolai Kravinoff, Sergei's father, who pushes him toward a life of crime. Ariana DeBose, Alessandro Nivola, and Fred Hechinger round out the supporting cast.

The 2024 superhero film's streaming success comes after the film's nearly universal poor reviews upon its release. Kraven the Hunter currently holds an embarassing 15% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes. In contrast, the audience score is much higher, at 72%, one of the highest of the SSU. While critics and audiences may be divided on the film, Kraven the Hunter's box office performance favors the former. The film grossed a measly $60 million worldwide (via The Numbers) during its entire box office run, securing its place as a massive box office bomb.

Does Kraven the Hunter's Streaming Success Change Anything for the SSU?

Kraven the Hunter was the straw that broke the camel's back for Sony. The studio has been trying to set up its own superhero cinematic universe for years, with plans dating back all the way to Andrew Garfield's Amazing Spider-Man franchise. Once Spider-Man was rebooted in the MCU, Sony was left with only the hero's supporting cast to build a new franchise around, leading to the SSU. After only six years, the Sony Spider-Man Universe is officially dead, with Kraven the Hunter serving as the unsatisfying finale to the disastrous franchise.

Despite its overwhelmingly negative reception and poor box office numbers, Kraven the Hunter has been a consistent hit on streaming for the last two years. Fellow SSU films Morbius and Madame Web have also performed well on Netflix, indicating that there is still an audience for this franchise after all. However, it doesn't seem likely that the films' streaming success will convince Sony to reignite the franchise.

Sony has already canceled several of its planned upcoming superhero films. El Muerto, which originally had Bad Bunny attached to star, was dead in the water long before Kraven the Hunter bombed at the box office. Hypno-Hustler, starring Donald Glover, is also sitting in development limbo. All planned sequels to films like Madame Web and Morbius seem unlikely after their individual failures at the box office. Even Sony's rumored King in Black crossover featuring Knull as the main villain doesn't seem to be moving forward. The SSU truly seems to be dead two years after its last installment.

As great as streaming success is, it won't be enough to cover Sony's losses with the SSU. Moviemaking is an expensive business, and it doesn't take long before a studio decides to cut its losses on a franchise that isn't lucrative. Superhero movies are no longer the guaranteed hits they once were, but remain an incredibly expensive genre all the same. Of the six SSU films, three are considered massive box office bombs. The three Venom films are the only installments of the franchise that have proven lucrative, but even these saw diminishing returns with each installment.

It wouldn't make sense for Sony to continue throwing money at a shared superhero cinematic universe that has repeatedly proven unsuccessful. The repeated failure of the SSU may push Sony to be more open to making deals with Marvel Studios to license characters for use in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Otherwise, Sony may consider selling the film rights to Spider-Man and his cast of characters back to Marvel, cashing in on a franchise that isn't as financially lucrative as it once was.

While there is still a future for Spider-Man and his iconic rogues' gallery, it almost certainly won't be in the SSU. No matter how successful films like Kraven the Hunter may be on streaming, there is very little chance that Sony will resurrect its extinct superhero cinematic universe.

Kraven the Hunter is available to stream on Netflix.