Madame Web star Dakota Johnson has responded to the negative reaction to her recent big superhero movie. Speaking to Bustle, she said she was not surprised critics didn’t like the movie. She said she saw the writing on the wall based on how the movie was produced.
“It’s so hard to get movies made, and in these big movies that get made–and it’s even starting to happen with the little ones, which is what’s really freaking me out–decisions are being made by committees, and art does not do well when it’s made by committee,” she said. “Films are made by a filmmaker and a team of artists around them. You cannot make art based on numbers and algorithms.”
Johnson went on to say that she believes audiences are “extremely smart,” despite what some movie executives might say. “Audiences will always be able to sniff out bullshit. Even if films start to be made with AI, humans aren’t going to f*cking want to see those,” she said.
For Madame Web, Johnson said it was “definitely an experience” making that movie. The finished product was “completely different” than what she originally signed on for, she said.
“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. But 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.”
Madame Web was not Johnson’s first very high-profile film, as she starred in the Fifty Shades of Grey series, but Madame Web reached a more mainstream audience.
The movie has earned $91 million worldwide at the box office, making it a flop. Co-star Sydney Sweeney, who plays Spider-Woman in the film, joked on SNL that no one saw Madame Web.
