Dakota Johnson says Madame Web failed due to studio: 'Creative decisions are made by committee with no creative bone'

Actor Dakota Johnson has spoken out about the box office failure of ‘Madame Web’, saying she had little control over the final product and placing the blame on behind-the-scenes decision-makers.

Speaking to the Los Angeles Times during the press tour for her upcoming film ‘Materialists’, Dakota Johnson said, “It wasn’t my fault. There’s this thing that happens now where a lot of creative decisions are made by committee. Or made by people who don’t have a creative bone in their body. And it’s really hard to make art that way. Or to make something entertaining that way.”

She explained that the project changed direction during production: “With ‘Madame Web’, it started out as something and turned into something else. And I was just sort of along for the ride at that point. But that happens. Bigger-budget movies fail all the time.”

Despite the film’s poor reception, Johnson insists she has no regrets. She added, “I don’t have a Band-Aid over it. There’s no part of me that’s like, ‘Oh, I’ll never do that again’ to anything. I’ve done even tiny movies that didn’t do well. Who cares?”

Johnson had previously told Bustle that she believes in the power of creative vision, not data. “You cannot make art based on numbers and algorithms… Audiences are extremely smart, and executives have started to believe that they’re not. Audiences will always be able to sniff out bullshit.”

About ‘Madame Web’

'Madame Web' is the fourth instalment in Sony’s Spider-Man Universe (SSU), with Dakota Johnson in the lead role. The cast also includes Sydney Sweeney, Isabela Merced, Celeste O’Connor, Tahar Rahim, Mike Epps, Emma Roberts, and Adam Scott. 

The film was directed by SJ Clarkson, who co-wrote the screenplay with Claire Parker, along with writers Matt Sazama and Burk Sharpless. Despite its star-studded lineup, the film was poorly received by critics and struggled at the box office, earning $100.5 million worldwide against a production budget of $80 million.