*Courtesy of Columbia Pictures/Marvel Entertainment.*

Sony’s ‘Kraven the Hunter’ is off to a rocky start, struggling to find traction at the domestic box office. Despite leading Friday’s charts with a modest $4.7 million, the film trails behind previous Sony release, ‘Madame Web’ in overall performance.

Projections for ‘Kraven’s’ opening weekend now estimate a debut of $10 million to $12 million, putting it in third place. This would rank among the weakest launches for a film based on a Marvel character, comparable to the poorly received ‘Elektra,’ which opened with $12.4 million nearly two decades ago (unadjusted for inflation). Friday’s total includes $2.2 million earned during preview screenings.

Starring Aaron Taylor-Johnson as the fierce antihero, ‘Kraven’ tells the story of a vigilante with extraordinary abilities who rebels against his Russian gangster roots. The action-thriller, directed by J.C. Chandor, features an ensemble cast including Russell Crowe, Ariana DeBose, Fred Hechinger, and Alessandro Nivola. However, production costs ballooned to $110 million—far above the original $90 million budget—due to delays caused by the pandemic and industry strikes. The film’s release was postponed several times as well, further complicating its path to theaters.

Sony have released the opening 8 minutes of their new feature:

Sony’s hopes of expanding its Spider-Man-related universe with ‘Kraven’ now face significant challenges. Positioned as an R-rated action spectacle, the marketing push hasn’t been enough to draw a sizable audience. This comes on the heels of ‘Madame Web’s’ own underwhelming reception, raising questions about Sony’s strategy for its Spider-Verse properties.

‘Kraven’ received poor reviews from Rotten Tomatoes critics with 15%, and more favorable audience reviews at 72%.

Meanwhile, Warner Bros. and New Line’s ‘The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim,’ an animated prequel set long before the events of ‘The Lord of the Rings,’ is also struggling to make an impact. The film is expected to land in fifth or sixth place with roughly $5 million in earnings. Despite its connection to the beloved fantasy series, the movie only managed a lukewarm B CinemaScore from audiences.

Amid these disappointments, a few other films continue to drive strong box office results. Disney’s ‘Moana 2’ and Universal’s ‘Wicked’ are dominating the domestic charts, with ‘Moana 2’ projected to bring in another $27 million, followed by ‘Wicked’ at $22.2 million.

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