Highlights
- Kraven the Hunter will be Sony’s first R-rated Spider-Man film, and promises a darker, more gritty take on the character.
- Fans of old action movies might be drawn to Kraven's brutal action sequences, which offer a unique crossover appeal.
- After the success of R-rated superhero films like Deadpool and Wolverine, Kraven has the potential to make a splash at the box office.
Sony's next movie Kraven the Hunter is one of the next films to fit into the studio's rather amorphous Spider-Man universe. Starting in 2018 with the release of the first Poison movie, Kraven the Hunter It will be the first R-rated film in the Sony Spider-Man Universe. It seems like an odd decision, given the hero he usually faces, and it's actually the opposite of a recent box office disaster.
The 2024 Borderlands the film is a monumental flop, with the film being panned by critics and not doing very well at the box office. Many fans questioned several elements of the film, particularly the lack of an R rating. Going with an R rating for Kraven the Hunter It's certainly unexpected, but it could actually help the film in the long run.
Kraven the Hunter is the most violent film in Sony's Spider-Man universe
Debut: The Amazing Spider-Man #15 by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko

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Like most Spider-Man villains, Kraven the Hunter tends to have a slightly more lighthearted scope. After all, Spidey is a fairly jovial hero who generally avoids dark and gritty stories, especially since Peter Parker's alter ego is always making jokes at his enemies' expense. However, he can get dark, and so can his rogues' gallery. Kraven was the antagonist in the classic storyline “Kraven's Last Hunt,” in which the character was killed in one of the darkest Spiderman stories of all time. Taking this tone to heart, the trailer for the villain's next film shows just how creepy the film will be.
Given that Kraven the Hunter It was made with the R classification in mind, It is not surprising that the film they will revel in how it can be gory and raw. The latest trailer shows Sergei Kravinoff violently killing his enemies, making it clear that this is not a PG-13 film with a few “extras.” This contrasts the two starkly. Poison films, both of which fans had hoped would be rated R. Even comic book fans were shocked by the decision, but it could spark interest in the film in an unexpected way. This could actually put the film in a better position at the box office than another 2024 film.
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The new Borderlands Eli Roth's film is the latest film adaptation of a video game. Movies & TV Shows based on video games like Sonic the Hedgehog and HBO The Last of Us have helped these properties experience a renaissance in recent years. More than ever, these projects have actually been increasingly good, and many felt that the days of half-hearted adaptations were over. Sadly, this great record has just been broken by Borderlandswhich brought the popular first-person role-playing game to the big screen.
While it seems like something that logically should be good, the film sadly failed in virtually every aspect of what makes a film. Many fans of Borderlands noted how the film's characters were poorly cast, with Cate Blanchett's presence being particularly jarring given the film's quality. Likewise, most saw it as a poor imitation of Marvel Studios' Guardians of the Galaxy film thanks to its motley crew of troublemakers set in a science fiction setting.
Borderlands The dystopian setting of the wastelands has also recalled other films, particularly the DC Extended Universe Suicide Squad film (especially the second one) and the Crazy Max series. The fact that Furious itself was also a box office flop which didn't help matters. However, Borderlands It really failed because its disparate and disconnected elements failed to coalesce into a meaningful narrative. Equally jarring was the film's rating, which went completely against the nature of the franchise in games.
THE Borderlands The games were rated R17 and were known for their violence and irreverent, particularly offensive, humor. While this might have been an acquired taste, and the success of the vulgar Deadpool and Wolverine made it clear that audiences would eat up this kind of stuff. Unfortunately, the PG-13 nature of Borderlands meant that the film was severely neutered from its source material, which only added insult to injury. While an R rating wouldn't automatically fix the film's problems, the fact that it was PG-13 was emblematic of the fact that the film didn't truly capture the heart of the source material.
How the R-Rating Could Help Kraven

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Intense action, that is, action that doesn't hold back, is an attraction in itself for movies. Many viewers are nostalgic for old-school action movies like those from the 80s and 90s, which were usually R-rated and were full of gruesome action. This desire could be seen in the success of the previous film from 2024 The beekeeperwhich was a success more or less as much as the John Wick series. Those films are very much based on a sense of revenge that drives the main characters, who work outside the general sphere of the law.
This is the same configuration as the new one Kraven the Hunter film, which is why the film's brutal action might have the potential to give it some “crossover” appeal. In other words, those who usually avoid typical superhero movies will perhaps be interested in Cravene simply from the point of view of an action movie. Thankfully, the latest trailer underscores the point and doesn't try to play up any supernatural or “comic book” aspects, except for the evil Rhino.
It is clear that those who have never seen the previous Sony Spider-Man Universe films will hopefully be able to dive right in without any problems. This is the opposite of the sprawling continuity of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, making it more friendly to newcomers. The R rating also gives the film something that fans have been wanting for the Poison movies and also 2022 Soft film. The latter in particular could have benefited from being a more straightforward horror film.
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The most important film of 2024 so far is definitely the one from Marvel Studios Deadpool and Wolverinewhich is both the latest entry in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and a swan song of sorts for Fox The X-Men movie. It brought back Hugh Jackman as Wolverine, and also dabbled in the same kind of violent aplomb as the first two. Dead Pool film. The film was definitely a “hard R” in its rating, and has since broken box office records for R-rated films and especially superhero films. Previously, those records were set by the 2019 standalone DC film Jokerwhich is now ready to receive its sequel.
The pendulum has certainly swung further, with audiences seemingly tired of the kid-friendly, neutered, jokey tone of the MCU films. Part of that comes from the constant humor in those films, but also from the formulaic, PG-13 tone and scope. Going against the grain is part of the reason why Joker AND Deadpool and Wolverine were such successes. While it is doubtful that Kraven the Hunter will achieve the same box office takings, it certainly has a chance of being successful.
This is more than can be said for Borderlandswhich could have been successful if it had remained faithful to the source material. Cravene has the chance to at least do better by daring to be different. While its gory nature may not be enough to convince fans that the film should exist, the novelty of an R rating could at least allow it to score a bigger box office hit than Borderlands.
Borderlands is now in theaters.

Kraven the Hunter
Russian immigrant Sergei Kravinoff is on a mission to prove he is the world's greatest hunter.
- Director
- Mr. Chandor
- Release date
- August 30, 2024
- Launch
- Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Russell Crowe, Christopher Abbott, Ariana DeBose
- Writers
- Richard Wenk, Art Marcum, Matt Holloway
- Main genre
- Adventure