Sony Pictures has removed an upcoming Marvel movie from their release schedule. The project was previously set to be launched in theaters on June 27, 2025. The studio didn’t disclose which movie was supposed to be released this summer. The announcement came after Kraven the Hunter underperformed at the global box office during the recent holiday season. It remains to be seen what this means for the future of the franchise that started out with Venom. While the stories starring Tom Hardy as the reckless alien vigilante became hits at the box office, that can’t be said about the rest of the stories Sony released as a part of their shared universe.
Ever since the Marvel Cinematic Universe became unstoppable at the global box office, Sony Pictures wanted to compete with Disney thanks to an action franchise of their own. The success of the first Venom movie at the box office led to the production of stories such as Morbius and Madame Web. However, as proven by box office results, audiences never really cared about the universe Sony attempted to build with Spider-Man villains. Now that the only upcoming release date related to the franchise has been removed from the studio’s schedule, could this be the end of Sony’s Spider-Man Universe?
This doesn’t mean that Sony Pictures won’t continue to work with the Spider-Man brand. A fourth story starring Tom Holland as the iconic Marvel hero is currently in development. Currently set to be released in theaters on July 24, 2026, the sequel will follow Peter Parker after the events of Spider-Man: No Way Home. Marvel Studios hired Destin Daniel Cretton to handle the upcoming adventure. The director previously worked on Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings.
Sony Continues to Work With the ‘Spider-Man’ Brand
As if that wasn’t enough wall-crawling action, Sony is also working on the sequel to Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse. The studio hasn’t confirmed a new release date for the animated adventure, but audiences from all over the world are eagerly awaiting to find out what happens next with Miles Morales (Shameik Moore). Sony was previously expected to expand their Spider-Man Universe with a movie centered around El Muerto, with Bad Bunny set to portray the titular character. The recent Venom: The Last Dance also teased a sinister future for the characters of this franchise. But after today’s announcement, it doesn’t appear as if this shared universe will move forward.
The fourth Spider-Man movie starring Tom Holland premieres in theaters on July 24, 2026.
via Collider