Morbius Delayed To Avoid Spider-Man: No Way Home Box Office Conflict

Sony’s Morbiusdelay is in part an effort to reduce box office competition with fellow Marvel title Spider-Man: No Way Home. Directed by Daniel Espinosa, Morbius tells the story of its titular anti-hero, Dr. Michael Morbius, played by Jared Leto. Morbius is a brilliant biochemist suffering from a rare blood disease. When his attempt to cure himself goes wrong, Morbius inadvertently infects himself with a form of vampirism, thus becoming the “Living Vampire.”

Plans for an on-screen Morbius appearance began swirling around in the ‘90s when the character was set to appear in Blade. After the cameo fell through, Morbius’ development halted until roughly 2017 when Sony announced its plan for a series of Spider-Verse releases beginning with Venom in 2018. Development on Morbius began in earnest in 2017 after Burk Sharpless and Matt Sazama submitted their Morbius script to Sony. However, the vampiric doctor continues to struggle to make his way to the big screen – the film’s release date has been postponed a whopping seven times, with the most recent Morbius delay pushing the film back from January 28 to April 1.

Though the Morbius delay is primarily due to surging COVID-19 cases, Deadlinereports that Spider-Man: No Way Home’s box office success is a motivating factor for Sony. And “success” is really an understatement. No Way Home currently accounts for 12% of 2021’s U.S. box office returns. By shelving Morbius for a few more months, Sony is banking on its surefire blockbuster and not driving a stake through the heart of its lesser-known property. 

This isn’t the first time that Morbius has taken the backseat to a larger Marvel property. Last January, Sony chose to accommodate Venom: Let There Be Carnageas its late summer/early fall tentpole, bumping Morbius to 2022. Now it’s applying the same strategy to No Way Home, letting the blockbuster soar financially while Morbius waits in the wings. If Sony is going to wrangle an understandably cautious fanbase into theaters, the studio is at least going to ensure it meets its bottom line (and then some). 

For all of its incessant delays, fans seem to be more amused than bothered by the latest Morbius news. If nothing else, it gives the fanbase more time to bone up on Spider-Verse theories, especially as Sony continues to unveil more Spider-Man villain projects, such as the upcoming Kraven the Hunter. With Morbiusset to include familiar faces like Michael Keaton’s Vulture, it still remains to be seen just how much the spring release will be connected to the rest of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. 

Source: Deadline