Dakota Johnson says that she’s “probably” never going to make another movie like Madame Web ever again.
Speaking with Bustle, Johnson commented on the negative reviews for Madame Web, which was released in United States theaters on February 14, 2024.
“Unfortunately, I’m not surprised that this has gone down the way it has,” she said.
She continued, “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.
“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? 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.”
Who else stars in Madame Web?
Directed by S. J. Clarkson, Madame Web is the fourth entry in Sony’s Spider-Man Universe following 2018’s Venom, 2021’s Venom: Let There Be Carnage, and 2022’s Morbius. Along with Johnson, the movie stars Sydney Sweeney, Isabela Merced, Celeste O’Connor, Tahar Rahim, Mike Epps, Emma Roberts, and Adam Scott.
Madame Web is currently playing in United States theaters.