(Image Source: Sony Pictures)
Tony Vinciquerra (pictured below), who took over as Chairman and CEO of Sony Pictures Entertainment in 2017, is set to step down on January 2 next year, handing over the reins to current Sony Pictures President and COO Ravi Ahuja. Before his official departure, Vinciquerra spoke with The Los Angeles Times, reflecting on his more than seven years in the role. Among the most anticipated topics for fans was his take on the "Spider-Man" spin-off universe, which has long faced criticism and, aside from the "Venom" series, has largely become a box office poison.
(Image Source: Variety)
Vinciquerra began by defending the production quality of the recently released "Kraven the Hunter": "Unfortunately, 'Kraven the Hunter,' which we released two weeks ago — and which will be the last film released during my tenure — is probably the worst-performing film of my seven and a half years here. It didn't do well, and I don't understand why. It's not a bad movie."
Vinciquerra then championed "Madame Web," stating that its poor theatrical box office performance was due to "extremely harsh media criticism." He insisted the film "isn't bad" and noted its "strong viewership on Netflix." He continued, "For some reason, the media just doesn't want us to make these movies, and then critics just trash them mercilessly. They had the same attitude towards the 'Venom' series, but audiences loved the 'Venom' series, and they made it a huge hit. These really aren't bad movies; they just inexplicably get lambasted by critics and the media."
(Image Source: Storyboard18)
Vinciquerra conceded that the audience's negative impression of the universe is deeply ingrained, suggesting that continuing to produce films would only lead to more failures. "I do feel that we need to rethink this entire strategy, and the reason we need to think about it is simply that we've had such bad luck," he explained. "Even if we continue to release the next one, it's just going to flop again, whether the movie is good or bad, it's guaranteed to fail."
However, beyond the "Spider-Man" spin-off universe, Vinciquerra believes Sony's overall performance during his seven-year tenure has been strong. He highlighted that when he first took office, Sony was still recovering from the aftermath of a major cyberattack, and he now sees significant growth for the company.
via： Los Angels Times