Madame Web actor Dakota Johnson has broken her silence on the reaction to the poorly-received Spider-Man spin-off, saying that she will "probably never do anything like it again."
"Unfortunately, I’m not surprised that this has gone down the way it has," Johnson told Bustle when asked about whether she’s been affected by ‘nasty’ reviews.
Johnson elaborated: "It’s so hard to get movies made, and in these big movies that get made – and it’s even starting to happen with the little ones, which is what’s really freaking me out – decisions are being made by committees, and art does not do well when it’s made by committee."
On her own career path, Johnson hinted that superhero movies wouldn’t be in her future.
"But it was definitely an experience for me to make that movie. I had never done anything like it before. I probably will never do anything like it again because I don’t make sense in that world. And I know that now," Johnson said.
"But sometimes in this industry, you sign on to something, and it’s one thing and then as you’re making it, it becomes a completely different thing, and you’re like, ‘Wait, what?’ But it was a real learning experience, and of course it’s not nice to be a part of something that’s ripped to shreds, but I can’t say that I don’t understand."
Madame Web, starring Johnson as the titular clairvoyant alongside Sydney Sweeney, Isabela Merced, Celeste O’Connor, and Tahar Rahim, was a critical and commercial failure upon release. As of writing, it’s grossed $91 million off a $80 million budget and has sunk to 12% on reviews aggregator Rotten Tomatoes.
Even game developer Hideo Kojima – famous for his effusive responses to movies – has seemingly shown his displeasure with the film, tweeting a blunt one-sentence appraisal of Madame Web.
Now, we can’t see the future, but we don’t expect Dakota Johnson to return for a Madame Web sequel or, frankly, any superhero movie in future.
For more, check out the new superhero movies heading into cinemas in future, our Madame Web ending explainer, and our ranking of the best Spider-Man movies.
