Dakota Johnson gets frank about box-office bomb ‘Madame Web’: ‘Will never do anything like it again’

Michael Starr
·3 min read
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Dakota Johnson isn’t mincing words when it comes to talking about her cinematic bomb “Madame Web.”

Johnson, 34, laid bare her feelings on the big-screen catastrophe, which was produced by Sony in conjunction with Marvel and earned only $26.2 million from its premiere on Valentine’s Day through President’s Day, in an interview with Bustle.

“Unfortunately, I’m not surprised that this has gone down the way it has,” Johnson told the outlet in a cover story, which published on Tuesday. “But it was definitely an experience for me to make that movie. I had never done anything like that before.”

Dakota Johnson spoke to Bustle about a variety of topics, including her feelings on her movie “Madame Web,” which bombed at the box office. Agata Serge
Dakota Johnson spoke to Bustle about a variety of topics, including her feelings on her movie “Madame Web,” which bombed at the box office. Agata Serge

The “Madame Web” debut marked the lowest-ever opening for any film in the Sony “Spider-Man” universe — and also marked one of the worst openings for a move based on a Marvel Comics character.

Its reviews didn’t help matters; “Madame Web” was ripped to shreds by most critics and moviegoers.

In the movie, Johnson stars as clairvoyant paramedic Cassandra “Cassie” Webb/Madame Web, who’s linked to Spider-Man via Benjamin “Ben” Parker (Adam Scott), the uncle of Peter Parker a k a Spider-Man.

Cassie acquired her psychic powers via her mother who, in 1973, was pregnant and discovered a magical spider in the Peruvian rainforest that gives indigenous tribes superhuman qualities.

Those powers are transferred by the tribes to baby Cassie after her mother is killed by her greedy travel companion.

Dakota Johnson as photographed by Bustle. Agata Serge
Dakota Johnson as photographed by Bustle. Agata Serge

The flick co-stars Sydney Sweeney, Isabela Merced, Celeste O’Connor and Tahar Rahim.

The “50 Shades of Grey” star doubted that she would ever make a similar kind of movie.

“I probably will never do anything like it again because I don’t make sense in that world,” she told Bustle. “And I know that now. 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,” Johnson continued, “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.”

Dakota Johnson in a scene from “Madame Web,” which was savaged by critics. ©Columbia Pictures/Courtesy Everett Collection
Dakota Johnson in a scene from “Madame Web,” which was savaged by critics. ©Columbia Pictures/Courtesy Everett Collection
“I can’t say that I don’t understand” the criticism leveled at “Madame Web,” Dakota Johnson told Bustle. Agata Serge
“I can’t say that I don’t understand” the criticism leveled at “Madame Web,” Dakota Johnson told Bustle. Agata Serge

Johnson also blamed the studio system for the ways in which it produces movies as having a negative effect on “Madame Web.”

“It’s so hard to get movies made, and in these big movies that get made . . . decisions are being made by committees, and art does not do well when it’s made by committee,” she went on.

“Films are made by a filmmaker and a team of artists around them. You cannot make art based on numbers and algorithms. My feeling has been for a long time that audiences are extremely smart, and executives have started to believe that they’re not.

“Audiences will always be able to sniff out bulls – – t,” Johnson said. “Even if films start to be made with AI, humans aren’t going to f – – king want to see those.”