Sometimes you just have to stop beating on a dead horse, but, clearly, Dakota Johnson has not heard this expression before.
Johnson has been doing the press rounds for her disastrous “Madame Web.” The $100 million film has an atrocious 13% on Rotten Tomatoes, 27 on Metacritic, earned a mediocre C+ on CinemaScore and sits at 3.8/10 on IMDb. It also bombed with only $40 million grossed, so far, at the box-office.
Johnson clearly knows that her film stinks, and that’s the first thing you notice in many of the interviews she’s giving: her total reluctance in saying anything positive about “Madame Web”. In her latest chat, this one with Bustle, and published today, Johnson says she understands why ‘Madame Web was “ripped to shreds:”
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.
Johnson goes on to add that she will never take part in a film like “Madame Web” again:
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.
Johnson has also stated, a few times, that despite appearing at multiple premieres for the film, she hasn’t actually sat down to watch ”Madame Web”.
I haven’t actually seen the movie. I probably won’t. I don’t know when I’ll see it. Someday […] Did you see the movie? I haven’t. You know more about it than me.
This has all lent well to last year’s rumors that, from the moment she started shooting the movie, Johnson was unhappy with the creative direction of “Madame Web” and wanted out of the project. Obviously, she was contractually obligated to continue, but lesson learnt on her part.
Many have speculated that Johnson’s agent misled her into thinking “Madame Web” was part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Right before production on the film began, Johnson and her ‘Madame Web’ co-star Sydney Sweeney actually tagged Marvel Studios in Instagram posts that confirmed their casting. The problem is that their movie was a Sony property and had nothing to do with the MCU.
After production was completed on “Madame Web,” Johnson fired her CAA representation. Could be a total coincidence.
I actually find that number optimistic. Tickets for “Digger” go on sale next Tuesday, and presales will give us a better picture of how bad it’s looking.