| Madame Web | |
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 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | S. J. Clarkson |
| Screenplay by |
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| Story by |
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| Based on | Marvel Comics |
| Produced by | Lorenzo di Bonaventura |
| Starring |
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| Cinematography | Mauro Fiore |
| Edited by | Leigh Folsom Boyd |
| Music by | Johan Söderqvist |
Production companies |
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| Distributed by | Sony Pictures Releasing |
Release dates |
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Running time | 116 minutes[3] |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $80 million[4] |
| Box office | $8.2 million[5] |
Madame Web is a 2024 American superhero film based on Marvel Comics featuring the character of the same name. Produced by Columbia Pictures and Di Bonaventura Pictures in association with Marvel Entertainment and TSG Entertainment, and distributed by Sony Pictures Releasing, it is the fourth film in Sony's Spider-Man Universe (SSU). The film was directed by S. J. Clarkson from a screenplay she co-wrote with Claire Parker and the writing team of Matt Sazama and Burk Sharpless. It stars Dakota Johnson in the title role, alongside Sydney Sweeney, Celeste O'Connor, Isabela Merced, Tahar Rahim, Mike Epps, Emma Roberts, and Adam Scott. In the film, Cassie Webb (Johnson) confronts her past while trying to save three young women and their futures from Ezekiel Sims (Rahim).
Sony began development on a Madame Web film for its shared universe by September 2019, with Sazama and Sharpless hired to write the script. Clarkson joined as director in May 2020, making the film her feature film directorial debut, while Johnson was cast in early 2022. This was followed by additional castings in the following months, particularly for the three Spider-Women characters. Madame Web is a suspense thriller that depicts the titular character's origin story in a standalone universe with an approach that was more grounded and gritty compared to many previously released superhero films. Filming began in mid-July 2022 and wrapped before the end of the year, occurring throughout Massachusetts, including Boston, and in New York City. Clarkson and Parker's involvement as writers was revealed in November 2023.
Madame Web premiered at the Regency Village Theatre in Westwood, Los Angeles on February 12, 2024, and was released in the United States on February 14. The film received negative reviews from critics.
Plot
In 1973, a research team, led by Constance Webb and Ezekiel Sims, discovers an unidentified species of spider in the jungles of Peru with rare healing properties; Ezekiel betrays the team and claims the spider for himself before leaving Constance for dead. An indigenous tribe attempts to save Constance using the bite of the spider, but she dies shortly after giving birth to a girl, whom she names Cassandra.
Thirty years later, Cassandra, going by "Cassie," lives alone in Queens, New York, working as a paramedic with her co-workers Benjamin "Ben" Parker and O'Neil. While working to save a driver from a car hanging off a bridge, Cassie falls into the water and has a near-death experience; Ben revives her. Cassie soon begins to suffer from what she initially dismisses as déjà vu, seeing events that have not yet happened, but slowly realizes that she can, in fact, see into the future after failing to prevent O'Neil from dying on the job.
Ezekiel, who has gained the same power as Cassie along with enhanced physical abilities, collects information on three young women: Julia Cornwall, Anya Corazon, and Mattie Franklin, as his visions lead Ezekiel to believe that they are destined to kill him. Cassie is also drawn to the same women and intervenes to stop Ezekiel from ambushing them at Grand Central Station. She steals a taxi and takes Julia, Anya, and Mattie out of the city to hide them in a nearby forest.
Cassie returns to her apartment and finds her late mother's notes, which reveal Ezekiel's identity and the true nature of his powers. The girls disobey Cassie's instructions and go to a diner, where Ezekiel finds them after they draw attention to themselves. Cassie determines that she can't beat him physically through her visions and instead uses the taxi to ram him before taking the girls back to Queens and persuading Ben to let them use his residence as a safehouse.
With the group safe, Cassie flies to Peru and tracks down the tribal chief who saved her mother. The chief, having anticipated her arrival, puts Cassie through a ritual that seperates her soul from her body. This enables her to understand the "Web of Life", a plane of higher consciousness where all living things are connected and where every possible future can be seen. Cassie also learns that her mother, far from being the selfish woman she had always perceived her as, sought the spider to save her from a fatal hereditary disease.
Ben's pregnant sister-in-law Mary goes into labor, and he is forced to take the girls with him to a hospital. Ezekiel intercepts them again, but Cassie is able to rescue the girls in an ambulance and distract Ezekiel so Ben and Mary can escape. The group lures their pursuer to a condemned firework factory, setting up traps to disorient him while Cassie calls for a medical evacuation chopper to fly to their location. Ezekiel destroys the chopper with his abilities and separates the girls, before isolating Cassie and taunting the latter with her mother's death. By tapping into the Web of Life, Cassie is able to locate Mattie, Anya, and Julia, guiding them to safety before setting off one final trap to cause Ezekiel to fall and get fatally crushed by a sign, revealing that she, not the girls, was destined to kill him. In the process, however, a loose firework strikes her in the face.
Cassie is rescued and taken to the same hospital as Ben and Mary, just as the latter gives birth to her son.[a] Cassie wakes up to discover that she is now both blind and paralyzed from the waist down due to her injuries. However, her connection to the Web of Life means she can now see fully into the future, and she assures the girls that she will mentor them in their future roles when the time comes.
