Madame Web Star blames “internet culture” for movie bombing

Emma Roberts thinks the internet’s collective insults were the nail in the coffin.

Spider-Man spinoff Mrs. Webb landed in theaters earlier this year and became a disappointment to audiences and critics alike, and while there are many reasons the film didn’t live up to expectations, star Emma Roberts thinks social media and the “internet culture” of mocking things played an important part of the film’s poor performance. With the film starring Dakota Johnson, Sydney Sweeney and Adam Scott, there was a considerable amount of excitement about the project in its early stages, although public perception of the project began to change once the first trailer was revealed. From there, things only got worse and its ultimate performance with critics and audiences made it one of the biggest films of 2024.

“Things work; things don’t. Everybody likes to act like they can predict whether they’re going to work or not. And the truth is, you can’t,” Roberts said. Diversity. “Things go wrong, and then they blow up later on TikTok. Things go well, but then you look at them and say, ‘That did well?’ There’s no secret to doing something well and hitting the timing right. Everything else is like a wish and a prayer.”

She continued: “I personally loved him very much Mrs. Webb. I really enjoyed the movie. I thought everyone in it was great. The director, SJ Clarkson, I think did a wonderful job. She is the reason I wanted to make that film. If it wasn’t for internet culture and everything being a joke, I think the reception would have been different. And that’s what bothers me about a lot of things, even things that I’ve done, is that people just make such a joke of everything now.”

The internet was not alone in criticizing the project, with Sweeney calling its failings into question when she organized Saturday Night Live and Johnson mostly expressing her frustration with the changes the project went through after the signing. However, despite the overwhelming performance of Mrs. WebbRoberts confirmed that she would be interested in returning to the superhero realm.

“I loved coming in and playing Peter Parker’s mom, and I loved directing that movie. I had so much fun,” Roberts revealed to ComicBook previously. “I think playing comic book characters is so much fun that I would love to have the opportunity to play a character that maybe gets a little more action.”

Stay tuned for updates on the future of Sony’s Spider-Man Universe.

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