- The $80m budget film took a worldwide tally of $51.5m for its opening weekend
- Actress, 34, claimed she ‘understands’ disastrous failure of Sony movie
- Source explained that star’s comment have not gone unnoticed by filmmakers
Dakota Johnson is said to be in hot water with Sony and the team behind Madame Web after infuriating bosses by making multiple public digs at the Marvel movie amid its poor box office performance.
The Fifty Shades Of Grey star, 34, plays the titular superhero in the $80million production which was ripped to shreds by critics and viewers alike following it’s release on Valentine’s Day.
The film has grossed a meager $40 million so far at the domestic box office, after scoring one of the lowest superhero debuts in recent memory, taking in a measly $15.1 million on its opening weekend.
Now, Dakota is reportedly being accused of ‘dragging’ the film and failing to ‘take any responsibility’ after admitting she hadn’t seen the film herself – before going on to make several damning statements about the production.
‘Lots of people at Sony are questioning her star power, and how she reacted to this failure will likely come back to haunt her,’ one insider told DailyMail.com exclusively.
Dakota Johnson is in hot water with Madame Webb bosses, sources claim, after the actress made multiple public digs at the Marvel movie
They claimed that bosses had been fine with Dakota’s costar Sydney Sweeney making a playful joke on Saturday Night Live, but drew the line at Dakota’s constant barbs.
‘It is OK to joke about your movie not doing well and even lean into the bad reviews like Sydney Sweeney did on SNL with her monologue – but producers and Sony aren’t laughing over Dakota’s continued dragging of how she sees the fallout of Madame Web and how she isn’t taking any responsibility for its lackluster results,’ they said.
‘Not every movie is going to work, but a lot of hard work is put towards even bad movies and for your star to s**t on it is a bad look.’
They continued: ‘Dakota is being looked down on over her talk of the film because everyone in the production is thinking, what if the movie was still the same but also a box office gem?
‘She would be talking about sequels and probably praising herself over its good fortune.’
During a recent interview with Bustle, Dakota – who is reportedly engaged to boyfriend Chris Martin – hinted that she predicted the public backlash.
‘Unfortunately, I’m not surprised that this has gone down the way it has,’ she said.
‘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.’
She continued: ‘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?”
![During a recent interview with Bustle , Dakota - who is reportedly engaged to boyfriend Chris Martin - hinted that she predicted the public backlash against the box office flop](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/03/07/17/82167411-13169435-image-m-27_1709832038655.jpg)
During a recent interview with Bustle , Dakota – who is reportedly engaged to boyfriend Chris Martin – hinted that she predicted the public backlash against the box office flop
![](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/03/07/17/81207351-13169435-image-a-15_1709831184759.jpg)
![Disgruntled moviegoers voiced their distaste online, with one person calling the film 'a series of misses and wasted opportunities' on X](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/03/07/17/81207353-13169435-X_formerly_known_as_Twitter_was_flooded_with_negative_comments_a-a-16_1709831188293.jpg)
Disgruntled moviegoers voiced their distaste online, with one person calling the film ‘a series of misses and wasted opportunities’ on X
‘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.’
![Dakota plays the titular character, Cassandra Webb, a New York City paramedic](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/03/07/17/81403509-13169435-The_daughter_of_Melanie_Griffith_and_Don_Johnson_34_who_plays_th-a-17_1709831191117.jpg)
Dakota plays the titular character, Cassandra Webb, a New York City paramedic
She then seemed to take a shot at movie bosses as she explained: ‘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.
‘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. Even if films start to be made with AI, humans aren’t going to f***ing want to see those.’
The insider warned that Dakota’s comments could come back to haunt her but conceded that she was just one new film success away from getting back in the good graces of executives.
‘In typical Hollywood fashion, if Dakota’s next film is a major hit, then everyone will be kissing her a** again,’ they said. ‘Right now, not so much.’
Dakota, the daughter of Melanie Griffith and Don Johnson, plays Cassandra Webb, a New York City paramedic endowed with psychic abilities owing to a mutant gene, akin to the concept of X-Men.
![A source told DailyMail.com: 'Lots of people at Sony are questioning her star power, and how she reacted to this failure will likely come back to haunt her'](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/03/07/17/81466233-13169435-image-m-28_1709832334408.jpg)
A source told DailyMail.com: ‘Lots of people at Sony are questioning her star power, and how she reacted to this failure will likely come back to haunt her’
![The Sony Pictures production scored one of the lowest superhero box office debuts in recent memory, which has essentially thwarted a possible franchise at the studio](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/03/07/17/81433747-13169435-The_Sony_Pictures_production_scored_one_of_the_lowest_superhero_-m-29_1709832378870.jpg)
The Sony Pictures production scored one of the lowest superhero box office debuts in recent memory, which has essentially thwarted a possible franchise at the studio
Her character faces the task of safeguarding three women from an enigmatic adversary.
The film belongs to Sony’s Spider-Man universe, distinctly separate from the Disney-owned Marvel Cinematic Universe.
This movie could now potentially be one of the last collaborations between Sony and the Marvel Cinematic Universe, following Disney’s acquisition of Marvel.
Indeed, critics called the film ‘as dumb and schlocky as the worst of the genre’ and ‘a laughable affair’ – with the movie debuting with a 12 per cent rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
Disgruntled moviegoers also voiced their distaste online, with one person calling the film ‘a series of misses and wasted opportunities’ on X.
Another described it as ‘a clunky, poorly-written, messy, and sloppy movie packed with some mediocre editing and performances.’
![With the film budgeted at $80 million, it was all but sure to have a very tough time turning a profit](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/03/07/17/81433745-13169435-Columbia_Pictures_new_superhero_adventure_Madame_Web_has_already-a-23_1709831229829.jpg)
With the film budgeted at $80 million, it was all but sure to have a very tough time turning a profit
![The movie was being eyed to kick start a new franchise, with Madame Web using her clairvoyant abilities to assist three new Spider Women: Sydney Sweeney's Julia Cornwall, Isabela Merced's Anya Corazon and Celeste O'Connor's Mattie Franklin](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/03/07/17/81466245-13169435-The_movie_was_being_eyed_to_kick_start_a_new_franchise_with_Mada-m-30_1709832387465.jpg)
The movie was being eyed to kick start a new franchise, with Madame Web using her clairvoyant abilities to assist three new Spider Women: Sydney Sweeney’s Julia Cornwall, Isabela Merced’s Anya Corazon and Celeste O’Connor’s Mattie Franklin
The Rotten Tomatoes audience score currently sits at 57 per cent, a definite improvement but also not too noteworthy.
The film also has middling marks from fans on CinemaScore (C+) and just 1.5 stars on PostTrak, via Deadline.
Speaking on February 17 after the film’s release, Dakota confirmed to Magic FM that she hadn’t viewed the film and stated: ‘I don’t know when I’ll see it. Someday.’
After humorously recalling skipping the Madame Web premiere to ‘go have dinner’ instead, Dakota insisted her decision had nothing to do with the film itself.
‘For me, it’s a way to not have, like, an existential crisis,’ she admitted. ‘Not watching my movies is like self-care.’