In a recent article by Michael Weyer of Bam Smack Pow, there are two new animated Spider-Verse spinoff projects in the works as well as a long awaited sequel. Not just that, but an article by Aaron Couch of The Hollywood Reporter (which Weyer cites in his own article,) says that there’s always a converstation about a movie’s theatrical viability vs steaming. I originally found the Bam Smack Pow article and then followed it to the Hollywood Repoter and it occured to me that this should be my first article for Reel Rank News because I have some thoughts on this.
Starting with the Spider-Verse, presidents Kristine Belson and Damien de Froberville of Sony Pictures Animation who said in their interview with Aaron Couch (Or A A Ron if you’re nasty), that not only are we getting a Beyond the Spider-Verse movie, but they also have plans for two spin-offs. Belson said “I’m not allowed to say. But we are active on both” when asked if they have writers yet for the Spider-Punk and Spider-Gwen spin-offs.
More Spider-Verse content is good news because this is where Sony Pictures Animation thrives. They got a bit of a rocky start with films like Open Season, Surfs Up, and The Smurfs, but since then have put out some of my favorite animated movies like The Mitchells vs. the Machines, Kpop Demon Hunters, and, of course, The Spider-Verse series. That being said, the third and maybe final installment in the main Spider-Verse series is delayed due to writers Phil Lord and Christopher Miller not only being busy directing Procjet Hail Mary, coming out March 20th 2026, but also they are notorious for doing rewrites up until the very last minute. To help deal with this the two Sony Pictures Animation (SPA) presidents said that they hired cinematographer Alice Brooks, but the next movie is still a ways away.
Beyond the Spider-Verse has a release date of June 18th, 2027 which is a drastic difference from its original slated release date of June 4th, 2024. So are Lord and Miller the only reason why I don’t own the third installment on my blu-ray shelf yet? I don’t know if they are soley to blame, but I do know that I trust them. The first two films are some of the best animated movies I’ve ever seen.
My trust, however, doesn’t always extend to those higher up in power. After I read the full article of Aaron Couch’s interview with SPA presidents Belson and de Froberville, one part of their interview just rubbed me the wrong way. When they were asked about the success of Kpop Demon Hunters and how it went straight to Netflix, they said:
“We go talk to not just Tom but also the heads of marketing about the theatrical viability. And if it’s determined that it’s not theatrically viable, then we’ll pivot to streaming.” – Kristine Belson said talking about Tom Rothman who is the chairperson of Sony Pictures Entertainment Motion Picture Group.
So you’re telling me that this Tom guy and some other suits, sat back and decided that an original story like Kpop Demon Hunters wasn’t theatrically viable? There’s this discourse that’s been going around for a long time now, both on and off line, of the future of the movie theater. Not only are movies expensive, but most places don’t enforce any sort of code of conduct. People of all ages talk and text or record the screen or sneak in and eat the world’s loudest snack. So we couple that with people like Belson, de Froberville, Rothman, and the aforementioned nameless faceless suits, who sit back and decide that amazing original content isn’t suitable for the silver screen because they may not make instant money and you can see part of the problem.
People like them are part of the reason that theatrical viability is even a topic of concern. Look at this year’s Iron Lung directed and co-written by Markiplier himself Mark Fischbach. Acording to IMDB, that film had an estimated budget of 3 million dollars and, according to Box Office Mojo, as of February 22nd, 2026 has had a worldwide gross of 43.7 million. It’s only been in theaters for a little under a month at this point and it’s widely successful seeing as it’s made about fourteen times the budget back.
So, and stick with me here, this indie film based on an obscure horror game that got moderate popularity through video game streamers, could do really well based mostly on word of mouth and online discourse. But the sharp minds behind Sony Pictures Animation believed that Kpop Demon Hunters had to viability online?
If theaters are going to survive it my take more than just better theater etiquette and lower prices (18 to 20 a ticket to an AMC in my area), but it will also need the corporate suits to realize that theaters are still worth our time.