Dakota Johnson Says She'll Never Do A Movie Like Madame Web Again

Starring as the iconic, almost omniscient mutant character from the comic books and the '90s Spider-Man animated series, Johnson's venture into portraying a younger, reimagined Madame Web has not resonated well with audiences or critics.

Madame Web, a character deeply intertwined with Spider-Man's multiverse adventures in the comics, presented a golden opportunity for Sony to delve deeper into the Spider-Man lore.

However, the film's departure from the source material to explore a unique storyline with a youthful Madame Web has fallen flat, disappointing both longtime fans and newcomers.

The movie's reception has been underwhelming, to say the least, with a disappointing 12 percent Tomatometer score on Rotten Tomatoes and a lowly IMDb rating of 3.7/10 after more than 200 reviews.

Madame Web hasn't gone down well with fans and critics. Credit: Sony

Critics and audience scores aren't the be-all and end-all, especially if a film manages to rake in significant box office earnings.

This was the case with Venom, which, despite lukewarm reviews, succeeded financially.

Yet, the reaction to Madame Web has prompted Dakota Johnson to reflect on the broader challenges of modern filmmaking.

In an interview with Bustle, Johnson shared her grievances about the current state of the film industry, stressing the importance of prioritizing artistic integrity over data-driven decision-making.

"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," Johnson expressed her concern.

"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."

Johnson didn’t indicate the poor reception as a reason for her not wanting to do a movie like Madame Web again. Credit: Hector Vivas/Getty Images

"Audiences will always be able to sniff out [BS]. Even if films start to be made with AI, humans aren't going to f***ing want to see those."

Reflecting on her own experiences with Madame Web, Johnson was candid about the mismatch between her and the film's universe.

"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. 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?" Johnson shared her thoughts on the mismatch.

She acknowledged the disappointment of being involved in a project that's widely criticized but also recognized the reasons behind the film's poor reception.

While Johnson's participation in Madame Web might have been a learning curve, her insights provide a glimpse into the complexities of film production in an era increasingly dominated by external influences rather than creative vision.