Kraven the Hunter (movie)

Release Year: 2024

Director: J.C. Chandor

Cast: Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Ariana DeBose, Fred Hechinger, Alessandro Nivola, Christopher Abbott, Russell Crowe, Levi Miller

Genre: Action, Thriller, Superhero

Runtime: 127 minutes (2 hours 7 minutes)

 Synopsis

Following the death of his mother, young Sergei Kravinoff and his half-brother Dmitri are taken by their ruthless father Nikolai Kravinoff, a powerful Russian crime lord, to Ghana for a hunting trip meant to prepare them for inheriting his drug trafficking empire. During the expedition, Sergei protects Dmitri from a lion attack but is severely mauled by the beast. As Sergei lies dying, the lion drags him to a young girl named Calypso Ezili, who is visiting her grandmother in the area.

Calypso's grandmother has just given her a mystical voodoo serum derived from lion's blood. Calypso administers the serum to Sergei, saving his life and granting him supernatural abilities including enhanced strength, speed, agility, heightened senses, and an animalistic connection to nature. When Sergei recovers and discovers that his father killed the lion to teach him a lesson about dominance, he is disgusted by Nikolai's cruelty. Unable to reconcile his newfound spiritual connection to animals with his father's brutal worldview, Sergei abandons his family and flees to an animal sanctuary in Russia that his mother owned, vowing to protect creatures everywhere.

Sixteen years pass. The adult Sergei has become Kraven the Hunter, a vigilante who hunts criminals and poachers with brutal efficiency using crossbows, bear traps, and his enhanced abilities. The film opens with Kraven infiltrating a heavily fortified Siberian prison to execute an arms trafficker, demonstrating his lethal skills as he escapes through impossible feats of agility and strength. Meanwhile, Dmitri has grown into a softer young man who resists following in their father's footsteps, while Nikolai has expanded his criminal empire.

Kraven's isolated existence is disrupted when he learns that Dmitri has been kidnapped and is being held for ransom. Despite their estrangement, Kraven feels protective of his half-brother. He discovers that the kidnapper is Aleksei Sytsevich, a brutal Russian mercenary who has transformed himself into the Rhino through illegal scientific experimentation that gave him impenetrable skin and superhuman strength. Rhino works for a mysterious client and has enlisted the Foreigner, a deadly assassin with enhanced reflexes, as his enforcer.

Kraven reunites with Calypso, now a high-powered lawyer in London, to seek her help rescuing Dmitri. Their reunion is complicated by unresolved feelings and the danger that follows Kraven. When five suited men who clearly don't belong at Calypso's law firm arrive, Kraven and Calypso realize they're being hunted. What follows is a spectacular chase sequence through London's Central Business District as Kraven pursues Dmitri's kidnappers barefoot across rooftops and through streets, using his animalistic abilities to climb buildings like Spider-Man and run with the speed and grace of a predator.

Kraven tracks the kidnappers to various international locations including Turkey's ancient Sümela Monastery, where he uncovers an artifact tied to his family's dark legacy. Throughout his quest, Kraven experiences hallucinations and visions in forests that blur the line between his human consciousness and animal instincts. These sequences reveal his internal struggle with his dual nature—the civilized man versus the primal hunter.

The investigation reveals that Rhino and the Foreigner are working for Nikolai. The kidnapping was orchestrated by Kraven's own father as a trap to draw both his sons back under his control. Nikolai refuses to pay Dmitri's ransom because he views it as a test of strength—if Dmitri cannot escape on his own or if Kraven cannot rescue him, neither is worthy of inheriting the Kravinoff empire. This cold calculation demonstrates Nikolai's complete lack of paternal love, viewing his children only as potential successors to his criminal organization.

Kraven confronts the Rhino in an extended battle sequence showcasing both combatants' superhuman abilities. Rhino's impenetrable hide makes him nearly invulnerable, but Kraven's speed, intelligence, and connection to nature allow him to outmaneuver the brute. The fight culminates in Kraven using the environment and improvised weapons to finally defeat Rhino. He similarly eliminates the Foreigner after an intense battle that tests Kraven's reflexes against an assassin who specializes in appearing behind opponents without warning.

With his brother's captors eliminated, Kraven rescues Dmitri and must confront Nikolai. The final confrontation between father and son occurs at the Kravinoff family estate. Kraven defeats Nikolai in combat, but rather than kill his father, he leaves him alive but broken, his empire crumbling around him. Kraven retrieves a vest made from the skin of the lion that changed his life—the same lion Nikolai killed. He puts on the iconic fur vest, fully embracing his identity as Kraven the Hunter.

In the aftermath, Kraven believes he has saved Dmitri and set him on a better path. However, a post-credit epilogue set one year later reveals a shocking twist. Kraven visits Dmitri and discovers his half-brother has willingly inherited their father's criminal empire. The doctor who experimented on Rhino has also given Dmitri shapeshifting abilities, transforming him into the Chameleon. Dmitri confronts Kraven with a harsh truth—despite Kraven's claims of moral superiority, both brothers are hunters searching for their next great trophy. The revelation shatters Kraven's belief that he saved his brother, setting up Dmitri as a future antagonist.

At home, Kraven finds a note from Nikolai along with the lion-skin vest, symbolically passing the mantle of the family's dark legacy to his elder son. The film ends with Kraven fully transformed into the iconic villain, suggesting his journey toward becoming one of the world's most feared hunters has only begun.

 Production

Sony Pictures began developing a Kraven the Hunter film in mid-2017 as part of its expanding Spider-Man Universe following the success of Venom. Richard Wenk was hired to write the screenplay in August 2018. By August 2020, Art Marcum and Matt Holloway had rewritten the script after completing uncredited work on Morbius. J.C. Chandor entered talks to direct in August 2020 and was confirmed in May 2021 when Aaron Taylor-Johnson was cast as Kraven, signing on for multiple films.

Sony had previously approached Brad Pitt, Keanu Reeves, John David Washington, and Adam Driver for the role, with Lewis Pullman also auditioning, but executives moved quickly to cast Taylor-Johnson. The actor added 35 pounds of muscle for the role, transforming his physique to embody the character's physical prowess. At CinemaCon in April 2023, Taylor-Johnson confirmed the film would receive an R rating from the Motion Picture Association, making it the first R-rated film in the Spider-Man Universe and the first Spider-Man-related project overall to receive that rating.

Alessandro Nivola was cast as Aleksei Sytsevich/Rhino in April 2023. In August 2022, Nivola stated the film would include a time jump and that his character would only physically transform in the final act, minimizing his green screen work. He described it as a classic villain role with complex psychology. Fred Hechinger was cast as Dmitri Smerdyakov/Chameleon in September 2022. Russell Crowe joined as Nikolai Kravinoff, Kraven's father, in April 2023. Ariana DeBose was cast as Calypso Ezili, and Christopher Abbott joined as the Foreigner.

Principal photography began in late March 2022 under the working title "Spiral" and concluded in mid-June 2022. The production filmed entirely on location across multiple countries to achieve authenticity. Filming began in February 2022 at Lake Mývatn in northern Iceland, a volcanic region with dramatic lava formations that provided the perfect backdrop for Kraven's connection to nature. The production then moved to London for principal photography starting March 20, 2022, filming major chase sequences featuring landmarks including Lloyds Bank, St. Paul's Cathedral, All Saints Chapel, and the London Wall in the Barbican.

Additional filming locations included Glasgow, Scotland, notably at Necropolis Cemetery; Cardiff, Wales, featuring Cardiff Castle; the Sümela Monastery perched on a cliff in Trabzon, Turkey; the Reykjanes Peninsula in Iceland; Dover's Citadel in Kent for the opening prison sequence; and various locations across the United Kingdom. The production utilized practical effects and real locations rather than relying heavily on CGI, as emphasized by Taylor-Johnson at the CineEurope conference. The $110-130 million budget represented a significant investment, with costs ballooning from an initial $90 million greenlight due to pandemic delays and the 2023 writers' and actors' strikes.

 Themes

Kraven the Hunter explores the duality of human nature through Sergei's internal conflict between his civilized self and primal instincts. The mystical serum grants him animalistic abilities while also spiritually connecting him to the natural world, creating a character torn between two identities. The film examines whether embracing one's darker impulses constitutes liberation or corruption, particularly when those impulses serve a protective purpose against genuine evil.

The corrupting influence of patriarchal legacy drives the narrative through Nikolai's toxic relationship with his sons. Nikolai represents generational trauma passed from father to sons, viewing family solely through the lens of power and dominance rather than love. His cold calculation in orchestrating Dmitri's kidnapping as a test demonstrates how viewing children as successors rather than individuals damages them psychologically. The film argues that breaking free from toxic family patterns requires courage but doesn't guarantee saving others trapped in the same cycle.

Man's relationship with nature forms the philosophical core of the story. Kraven's voodoo-enhanced connection to animals positions him as a protector of the natural world against those who exploit it. However, the film complicates this by showing Kraven is still fundamentally a hunter—he redirects his predatory instincts toward human prey rather than transcending them. The lion-skin vest symbolizes this contradiction: wearing the pelt of the creature that changed him suggests Kraven has become exactly what he opposes, a hunter claiming trophies.

 Reception

Kraven the Hunter received overwhelmingly negative reviews from critics, earning just 15% on Rotten Tomatoes based on 158 reviews with an average rating of 4/10. The consensus stated that while claiming no trophies with its rote story and shoddy special effects, Kraven the Hunter turned out to be a paper tiger. On Metacritic, it scored 36 out of 100 based on 36 critics, indicating generally unfavorable reviews. However, audiences were somewhat more forgiving, giving it a C CinemaScore and PostTrak reporting 86% positive scores with 69% saying they would definitely recommend it.

Critics universally praised Aaron Taylor-Johnson's committed physical performance, with many noting he deserved better material. Reviewers acknowledged his transformation added 35 pounds of muscle and his impressive physicality during action sequences, calling him a compelling action star let down by the screenplay. Russell Crowe received positive notices for commanding scenes despite his thick Russian accent, while Alessandro Nivola was praised as a scene-stealer playing Rhino with self-adoring menace. However, Ariana DeBose's wooden delivery as Calypso drew criticism, with some reviewers reporting her performance caused open laughter in theaters.

Common criticisms focused on the terrible CGI animals, particularly during action sequences where digital lions, bears, and other creatures looked unconvincing. The screenplay was lambasted for clunky dialogue, rushed plot points, underdeveloped characters, and a predictable story where critics could identify the villain within 20 minutes. Many reviewers compared it unfavorably to 2004 action films, noting painful ADR work, choppy editing, and lifeless special effects. The film was criticized for not understanding the characters it adapted, with some calling it soulless and potentially created by AI.

Despite the brutal reviews, some critics and audiences found Kraven the Hunter watchable if viewers approached it with lowered expectations. The R-rated violence was praised for refreshing the superhero genre with brutal, visceral action. Several reviewers recommended it as decent Saturday night entertainment if viewers put their brain in park and didn't take it seriously. However, the overwhelming critical consensus positioned Kraven as another failure in Sony's Spider-Man Universe alongside Morbius and Madame Web, representing the studio's inability to successfully adapt Spider-Man villains without Spider-Man.

 Box Office

Kraven the Hunter opened December 13, 2024 across 3,211 theaters in the United States and Canada alongside The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim. Industry projections estimated $13-15 million for the opening weekend. The film made $4.8 million on its first day including $3.1 million from Thursday night previews, more than double the original Madame Web's previews. However, it debuted to just $11 million over the opening weekend, finishing in third place behind holdovers Moana 2 and Wicked.

The $11 million opening marked the worst debut for any Sony-produced Marvel film, falling below Madame Web's $15.3 million opening. The film received tragic marks from critics and audiences with 15% on Rotten Tomatoes and a C CinemaScore, signaling that barring a holiday miracle, Kraven wouldn't rebound during the remainder of December. At the international box office, Kraven fared even worse, finishing in fourth place among Hollywood offerings with $15 million from 21,500 screens in 60 markets for a global debut of just $26 million.

The disastrous opening came despite Kraven being marketed as an R-rated action film akin to John Wick rather than a typical superhero movie. The film made $3.1 million in its second weekend for a per-screen average of just $950, representing a catastrophic 72% drop. It dropped out of the box office top ten in its third weekend. Competition from Mufasa: The Lion King and Sonic the Hedgehog 3, particularly the latter's $62 million opening, sealed Kraven's box office fate.

Kraven the Hunter concluded its theatrical run with $25 million domestically and $37 million internationally for a worldwide total of just $62.1 million against its $110-130 million production budget. Deadline Hollywood calculated the film lost Sony Pictures $71 million when factoring together all expenses and revenues. The catastrophic financial failure made Kraven one of the biggest box office bombs of 2024 and led Sony to immediately halt development on further Spider-Man Universe films, effectively ending the SSU.

 Awards and Nominations

Kraven the Hunter received **0 wins and 5 nominations**, all from unfavorable or satirical awards ceremonies. At the 2025 Golden Raspberry Awards (Razzies), the film earned three nominations including Worst Remake, Rip-Off or Sequel, Worst Screenplay for Richard Wenk, Art Marcum, and Matt Holloway, and Worst Supporting Actress for Ariana DeBose, which she shared with her performance in Argylle. The Razzie nominations acknowledged the film as one of 2024's worst releases.

At the 2025 Golden Schmoes Awards, a fan-voted ceremony, Kraven the Hunter received two nominations for Biggest Disappointment of the Year and Worst Movie of the Year. These nominations reflected audience frustration with another failed entry in Sony's Spider-Man Universe. The **0 wins from 5 nominations** demonstrated complete rejection from both critics and audiences, with no positive recognition from any legitimate awards organizations.

The lack of nominations from technical categories, genre awards like the Saturn Awards, or recognition for Aaron Taylor-Johnson's physical performance underscored the film's complete failure. Even categories where Sony's previous Spider-Man Universe entries like Venom earned recognition—visual effects, makeup, action choreography—ignored Kraven entirely. The awards performance cemented the film's status as an unmitigated disaster that ended Sony's ambitions for a Spider-Man Universe without Spider-Man.

 Soundtrack

Benjamin Wallfisch was hired in June 2023 to compose Kraven the Hunter's score, having previously scored superhero films including Shazam!, Hellboy, and The Flash. On December 10, 2024, just three days before the film's release, Evgueni Galperine and Sacha Galperine were confirmed as co-composers, suggesting the score underwent significant changes during production. Industry speculation suggested Wallfisch scored the entire film before reshoots following Madame Web's poor reception, but his commitments to Twisters and Alien: Romulus prevented him from scoring the new footage, necessitating the Galperines' involvement.

The 21-track album reflected the divided composition, with Wallfisch handling action-heavy sequences like "Prison Break," "Kidnapped," "Monastery," and "Final Showdown," while the Galperines composed character-focused cues including "Motherland (Kraven's Theme)," "Calypso," and "Embrace Who You Really Are." Wallfisch's material employed a style reminiscent of his mentor Hans Zimmer with heavy percussion and electronic elements, while the Galperines created a theme similar to the Black Widow score with Eastern European instrumentation including balalaikas and Russian folk influences.

Sony Classical Records released the soundtrack on December 13, 2024, the same day as the film's theatrical release. The 69-minute album featured tracks ranging from brief 90-second cues to extended 9-minute action pieces. Notable tracks included the 9-minute "Kidnapped" showcasing the London chase sequence, the 8-minute "Final Showdown" for the climactic battle, and the 7-minute "Monastery" accompanying Kraven's infiltration of the Turkish landmark. The score also incorporated Basil Poledouris's "Hymn to Red October" from The Hunt for Red October (1990) to emphasize the Russian setting.

 Legacy

Kraven the Hunter's legacy rests primarily in killing Sony's Spider-Man Universe. Following the film's catastrophic $62 million worldwide gross against a $110-130 million budget, Sony halted development on all further SSU films in December 2024, effectively ending the franchise that began with Venom in 2018. The decision came after three consecutive failures—Morbius ($167.4 million worldwide), Madame Web ($100.4 million), and Kraven—demonstrated that audiences rejected Spider-Man villain movies without Spider-Man despite the Venom trilogy's $1.87 billion combined success.

The film's failure validated critics' longtime argument that Sony's approach was fundamentally flawed. Attempting to build a universe around tertiary Spider-Man villains like Morbius, Madame Web, and Kraven without the hero who gives them narrative purpose proved commercially unsustainable. The R-rating, marketed as differentiating Kraven from typical superhero fare, couldn't overcome poor word-of-mouth. Director J.C. Chandor expressed willingness to make a second film adapting Kraven's Last Hunt and pitting Kraven against Spider-Man, while Aaron Taylor-Johnson showed interest in a Sinister Six crossover, but the box office failure ended any sequel possibilities.

Despite the theatrical disaster, Kraven found redemption on streaming. Released on Netflix in the United States on March 13, 2025, the film ranked No. 1 on Fandango's VOD chart and No. 2 on iTunes during January 13-19, 2025. According to Nielsen Media Research, Kraven was streamed for 911 million minutes during March 10-16, ranking as the third most-streamed film. Between January and June 2025, it accumulated 2.968 billion minutes streamed, ranking as the eleventh most-streamed film in that period. Sony Pictures CEO Tony Vinciquerra blamed critics for the box office failure, comparing it to Madame Web's strong Netflix viewership, though his comments were widely mocked given the film's quality issues.

 Home Media

Sony Pictures Home Entertainment released Kraven the Hunter on digital download January 14, 2025, less than a month after its theatrical debut, reflecting the studio's desire to recoup losses quickly. The film was released on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray, and DVD on March 4, 2025. The 4K release featured 2160p presentation with enhanced picture quality showcasing the international filming locations, though reviewers noted even improved picture quality couldn't salvage the poor CGI animals. The releases included behind-the-scenes featurettes, deleted scenes, and commentary tracks.

Special features explored Aaron Taylor-Johnson's physical transformation adding 35 pounds of muscle, the international filming locations across Iceland, London, Turkey, and Scotland, and the practical effects emphasis. However, the home media marketing downplayed the film's critical and commercial failure, instead positioning it as a misunderstood action film. In the United States, Kraven ranked No. 1 on Fandango's VOD chart and held the top spot on iTunes for three days before dropping to second place.

The film later ranked third in overall disc sales and fourth on the Blu-ray sales chart for the week ending March 8, 2025. High-definition formats made up 47% of total sales, with 45% from standard Blu-ray and 2% from 4K Ultra HD. Kraven ranked No. 36 on the Top Selling Titles on Disc (DVD and Blu-ray combined) of 2025 with a sales index of 16.55 relative to the year's top-selling title. The moderate physical media performance demonstrated that despite streaming success, Kraven couldn't overcome its reputation as one of 2024's worst films. Netflix became the film's primary venue, where it ranked third on the platform during March 10-16, 2025, allowing audiences who avoided theaters to discover why critics called it a disaster.

 Conclusion

Kraven the Hunter stands as a catastrophic box office bomb that earned just $62.1 million worldwide against its $110-130 million production budget to lose Sony Pictures an estimated $71 million and effectively end the studio's Spider-Man Universe after Sony halted development on all further SSU films following the December 2024 release, making Kraven the final entry in a franchise that began with Venom in 2018 and struggled to justify Spider-Man villain movies without Spider-Man. The film received 0 wins and 5 nominations, all from negative awards including three 2025 Razzie nominations for Worst Remake/Rip-Off/Sequel, Worst Screenplay, and Worst Supporting Actress for Ariana DeBose alongside her Argylle performance, plus two Golden Schmoes nominations for Biggest Disappointment and Worst Movie of the Year, while earning 15% on Rotten Tomatoes and 36 on Metacritic for overwhelmingly negative reviews that praised Aaron Taylor-Johnson's committed physical performance after gaining 35 pounds of muscle but lambasted the terrible CGI animals, clunky dialogue, rushed plot, and soulless execution. Benjamin Wallfisch composed the score with late additions Evgueni Galperine and Sacha Galperine creating a divided 69-minute, 21-track album released December 13, 2024 by Sony Classical that featured Wallfisch's action-heavy Hans Zimmer-esque sequences alongside the Galperines' character themes incorporating Russian folk influences, though industry speculation suggested production chaos when the Galperines were confirmed just three days before release to score reshoots after Wallfisch's commitments to Twisters and Alien: Romulus prevented his involvement. J.C. Chandor directed from a screenplay by Richard Wenk, Art Marcum, and Matt Holloway, filming entirely on location from March to June 2022 across Iceland's Lake Mývatn and Reykjanes Peninsula, London's Central Business District featuring landmarks like St. Paul's Cathedral, Glasgow's Necropolis Cemetery, Cardiff Castle in Wales, and Turkey's Sümela Monastery to create visual authenticity that couldn't overcome fundamental story problems. The disastrous $11 million domestic opening marked the worst debut for any Sony-produced Marvel film below Madame Web's $15.3 million, finishing third behind Moana 2 and Wicked before collapsing 72% in its second weekend to $3.1 million and dropping from the top ten in week three, with international audiences equally rejecting the film's $15 million opening from 60 markets for a catastrophic $26 million global debut. Despite theatrical failure, Kraven found streaming redemption on Netflix where it ranked No. 1 on Fandango's VOD chart, third on Netflix during March 10-16, 2025, and accumulated 2.968 billion minutes streamed between January and June 2025 to rank as the eleventh most-streamed film in that period, with Sony Pictures CEO Tony Vinciquerra blaming critics while comparing it to Madame Web's Netflix success though his comments were widely mocked given the quality issues. The film's legacy rests in validating longtime criticism that Sony's approach of adapting tertiary Spider-Man villains without Spider-Man was fundamentally flawed, ending director J.C. Chandor's hopes for a sequel adapting Kraven's Last Hunt pitting Kraven against Spider-Man and Aaron Taylor-Johnson's interest in a Sinister Six crossover, though Chandor expressed the production delays allowed him to sharpen characters and tighten the plot despite the film being criticized for exactly those failures, demonstrating that even talented filmmakers cannot salvage misguided franchise concepts that audiences categorically reject.