Sony’s ongoing attempt to build a Spider-Man cinematic universe without, well, Spider-Man has produced some bumpy results. While Morbius, Kraven, and Madame Web bombed at the box office, Venom defied the odds in 2018, earning over $850 million at the box office and spawning two sequels. So what made it click? Well, Venom’s director weighs in on why the films succeeded while the other Sony Spidey efforts fizzled.
According to director Ruben Fleischer, who helmed the original film, the key wasn’t just Tom Hardy or symbiote spectacle, but was humor and heart. During a recent appearance on The Playlist’s Discourse Podcast, the Uncharted helmer opened up about the unique challenges of launching Sony’s Spider-Man-adjacent franchise and how they leaned into the weirdness. He shared:
