Why ‘Spider-Verse’ Success May Be a Headache for Sony — and Cinemas

Note: This article is based on content from Variety Intelligence Platforms special report Across the Movie-Verse, a comprehensive data dive into the state of the cinema biz, available exclusively to subscribers.

As June 2023 comes to a close this week, one thing is clear: Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse dominated the first full month of the summer box office at the expense of everything else.

Paramounts latest Transformers flick, Pixars Elemental and Warner Bros. big DCEU bet The Flash have all struggled for visibility in the wake of Sony and Marvels sequel to the popular animated take on the web-slinger, whose Beyond the Spider-Verse" follow-up is due in theaters March 2024.

While Transformers: Rise of the Beasts had some modest turnout, it hasnt been able to keep people coming back to the degree of Across the Spider-Verse," which returned to No. 1 over the June 23 weekend.

Given the critical and commercial success of Across the Spider-Verse" surpassing the first films box office within two weekends and now with more than $550 million in global returns the next Spider-Verse being less than a year away seems like a sure bet to capitalize on the momentum for an even stronger theatrical run.

But with great power comes great responsibility, and reports indicate the latter was lacking during production on Across the Spider-Verse, as several animators alleged unsustainable working conditions that resulted in the exits of around 100 people on the team prior to the films completion. Per those sources, the erratic management style of producer Phil Lord was largely to blame.

Most damning of all was one animators assertion that the March 2024 release date set for the storys continuation will have to be pushed back, a claim not denied by Sony Pictures in the reports, though a release date shift hasnt been announced.

Long working hours and constant changes to the visual style and animation of certain sequences were a big reason for the grueling conditions cited, a problem that isnt unlike the constant crunch video game developers face in a sector where delays are nearly the norm for releases at the equivalent scale of the Spider-Verse movies.

But after COVID, studios have worked to scale back the constant calendar shifting that resulted from cinemas being shut down, only for the ongoing WGA strike to trigger big delays again further down the calendar. If the strike ultimately causes Sony to have to delay films from its own slate, it will need Beyond the Spider-Verse to stay on track for early 2024 and account for what should once again be a significant portion of its annual box office.

If Spider-Verse misses its March 2024 window, it will encapsulate the exasperated state of cinemas in need of films that have reallegs past their openings, especially during the quieter parts of the year.