Is Sony Finally Willing to Sell Its Spider-Man Rights to Disney and Marvel?
Talk about a big move in the movie world—Sony might be thinking about letting go of its Spider-Man rights and passing them over to Disney and Marvel. This isn’t just a wild rumor either. It’s been bubbling up lately, especially after some rough patches for Sony’s own Spider-Man projects. I’ve been digging into what’s going on, and it’s pretty clear this could change the game for everyone’s favorite web-slinger.
Sony’s had a tight grip on Spider-Man since 1999, back when Marvel was in a tough spot and sold off the film rights for a measly $7 million. Fast forward to now, and that decision has turned into a goldmine. The Tom Holland-led ‘Spider-Man: Homecoming’ kicked things off in 2017, pulling in over $880 million worldwide. Then came ‘Spider-Man: Far From Home’ in 2019, raking in over $1.1 billion, and ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ in 2021, which smashed it with nearly $1.9 billion. Those numbers show why Sony’s held on so tight—it’s a cash machine.
But it’s not all smooth swinging. Sony tried building its own universe with Spider-Man’s villains, kicking off with ‘Venom’ in 2018, starring Tom Hardy. That one did okay, pulling in $856 million. The follow-ups, though? Not so hot. ‘Morbius’ with Jared Leto flopped hard in 2022, barely hitting $167 million, and ‘Madame Web’ in 2024, with Dakota Johnson, only scraped by with $100 million. The latest, ‘Kraven the Hunter,’ dropped in December 2024 with Aaron Taylor-Johnson in the lead, and it’s been a box office dud too, sitting at a measly 17% on Rotten Tomatoes. We’re talking a string of misses that’s got people wondering if Sony’s losing its touch.
Here’s where it gets juicy—word on the street is Sony’s seriously considering selling those rights back to Marvel Studios and Disney. The deal they’ve got now lets Tom Holland’s Spidey pop up in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, or MCU, while Sony keeps cranking out its own stuff. It’s worked out great for the big Spider-Man films, but those solo villain projects? They’re not cutting it. After ‘Kraven’ tanked, chatter started picking up that Sony might be ready to cash out and let Disney take full control.
Sony and Marvel are reportedly working on a new deal that allows Spider-Man to appear in other MCU projects
— ScreenTime (@screentime) September 18, 2024
(via: @DanielRPK) pic.twitter.com/TYJr6azjmY
Marvel’s already got a big stake in Spider-Man’s world. Kevin Feige, the MCU mastermind, co-produces the Spidey films with Sony’s Amy Pascal. The partnership’s been a hit, letting Peter Parker team up with Iron Man in ‘Captain America: Civil War’ in 2016 and fight alongside the Avengers in ‘Avengers: Infinity War’ and ‘Avengers: Endgame.’ But Sony’s got its own plans too, like the animated ‘Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse,’ which won an Oscar in 2019, and its sequel ‘Across the Spider-Verse’ in 2023. ‘Beyond the Spider-Verse’ is still in the works, but it’s been delayed past 2025. Then there’s ‘Spider-Noir,’ a live-action show with Nicolas Cage set to swing onto screens soon.
So why sell now? Sony’s flops might be part of it. They’ve got this rule where they have to make a Spider-Man movie every five years or so, or the rights snap back to Marvel. With the MCU films doing the heavy lifting, Sony’s villain universe feels like extra baggage. Handing it all over could mean a cleaner setup—Disney gets full reign, and Sony cashes a big check. Plus, we’d probably see Spider-Man pop up more in MCU projects, maybe even on Disney Plus shows, which Sony’s blocked so far.
What’s next? ‘Spider-Man 4’ is already locked in for July 31, 2026, with Tom Holland back and Sadie Sink joining the cast. Destin Daniel Cretton’s directing, taking over from Jon Watts. It’s still a Sony-Marvel team-up, but if this sale happens, it could be the last one under that deal. Imagine Spider-Man swinging into more Avengers films or facing off against Venom in a proper MCU showdown. That’s the kind of thing fans—I mean, we—dream about.
Nothing’s set in stone yet. Sony’s still got a lot to think about, especially with its video games like the ‘Spider-Man’ titles on PlayStation doing gangbusters. But the movie side? It’s looking shaky. If they do sell, it’d be a massive win for Disney, wrapping up Spider-Man’s messy rights saga and bringing him fully home to Marvel. For now, we’re just waiting to see which way Sony swings.