Dakota Johnson Slams 'Madame Web' Decision Makers

Madame Web has become one of Hollywood's most notorious superhero misfires, collapsing at the box office while drowning in critical disdain. The film set an embarrassing record as Sony's worst-performing Spider-Man universe opener, becoming the first Marvel-affiliated film since Fox's ill-fated Fantastic Four reboot to miss the #1 spot.

Even legendary game designer Hideo Kojima (Metal Gear Solid, Death Stranding) could only muster a six-word review, while IGN's slightly more detailed critique identified "an overcrowded narrative weighed down by extraneous characters, cardboard archetypes, and painfully generic dialogue."

With Kraven the Hunter performing even worse commercially, reports indicate Sony has abandoned its Spider-verse ambitions to focus on next year's surefire hit, Spider-Man: Brand New Day.

What Went Wrong With Madame Web?

The post-mortem analysis has been relentless. Actress Emma Roberts (Mary Parker) blamed internet culture for turning "everything into a joke," referencing how one trailer line went viral for all the wrong reasons, despite never appearing in the final film.

Co-star Sydney Sweeney (Julia Cornwall/Spider-Woman) admitted she was just "along for the ride," using her SNL hosting gig to jokingly distance herself from the superhero flop: "You definitely didn't see me in Madame Web."

Now lead actress Dakota Johnson has opened up about the production's deeper issues, revealing shocking details about the film's troubled development process.

Inside Madame Web's Creative Collapse

While promoting her new rom-com Materialists, Johnson told the LA Times: "It wasn't my fault," describing how excessive studio interference sabotaged the project.

"There's this toxic trend where creative decisions get made by committee - by people without any creative instincts. You simply can't make compelling art that way," she explained. "Madame Web completely transformed from its original vision, and by then I was just a passenger on this doomed flight. But let's be honest - big-budget failures happen constantly in this business."

These comments echo Johnson's earlier remarks to Bustle: "Audiences aren't stupid - they can smell inauthenticity from miles away. But studio executives keep treating them like algorithms instead of human beings."

The actress remains philosophical about the experience: "I don't have any regrets. Even small passion projects fail sometimes - that's just show business."

The Troubled Spider-Verse

Sony's Spider-Man universe currently comprises six films - from Venom (2018) to the upcoming Kraven the Hunter and Venom: The Last Dance. Recently, Tom Hardy admitted their abandoned plans for a Venom/Spider-Man crossover.

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