Summary
Morbiuswill be getting a third chance to prove its Vampire worth again — or lack thereof — to first-timers and its few lovers come February onMax. Following the release ofKraven: The Hunter,Morbiushas nowarguably secured its place as the least disastrous entry in Sony’s short-lived six-film Spider-Man Universe.
It is now common knowledge — if it wasn’t before — that the villain-centric franchise is a failure, with only theVenomentries seeing modest critical and commercial success.Morbius’status as a box office flopis paired with the significant clout it maintains among comic book fans, albeit for the wrong reasons. Its unintended meme status justified a theatrical re-release just two months after its initial run.
What Happens in Morbius?
It’s a Modern Vampire Story
Jared Leto plays Dr. Michael Morbius, a Nobel-honoree scientist (though he declined the award) who becomes a vampire after a genuine experiment to cure the rare blood disease he suffers from goes awry. The experiment? Capturing vampire bats from a Costa Rican forest and splicing their DNA with human DNA, an endeavor he undertakes with the financial and moral backing of his childhood friend, Milo, played by Matt Smith — the Briton’s biggest role beforeDaemon Targaryen inHouse of the Dragon— who has the same disease. Morbius develops a serum which is supposed to cure his ailment. It does, and with some bonuses too: a muscular build, and heightened senses, including echolocation abilities. But it also comes with a hefty price: an insatiable thirst for blood.
July 14, 2025
Cast
Jared Leto, Matt Smith, Adria Arjona, Jared Harris, Al Madrigal, and Tyrese Gibson
$75 million
Box Office
$167 million
Determined to resist his monstrous urges, Morbius relies on the artificial blood he created beforehand, but its effectiveness wanes. Meanwhile, Milo, eager for the same power, takes the serum against Morbius' warnings and fully embraces his vampiric nature and subsequently goes on a killing spree. This forces Morbius into a confrontation with his old friend, culminating in a final battle where he ultimately defeats Milo using an anti-vampirism serum. There are no mentions of Spider-Man inMorbiussave for the post-credits scenes where Michael Keaton’s Adrian Toomes (Vulture) blames Spider-Man for his mysterious entry into another universe and hints at a Sinister Six team-up with Morbius.
What Is Happening With Morbius on February 28?
The last day of February will be another chance for comic book fans to appreciate or once more deride one of the most panned comic book movies of the decade. And they can do this from the comfort of their homes whenMorbiusbecomesavailable for streaming on Max. With its addition,Morbiusexpands Max’s growing film lineup, which already includes popular titles likeA Different Manstarring Sebastian Stan, the 2016 action-comedyKeeping Up With the Jonesesfeaturing Jon Hamm and Gal Gadot, and the fan-favorite crime thrillerDen of Thieves.
How Was Morbius Received?
Where it mattered most to Sony — on the box office front — Morbius was a financial disaster and the first of such in its Spider-Man franchise. Data fromBox Office Mojoreveals thatMorbiusonly managed to gross $167.4 million globally, $73 million of which came from North America. This was against a production budget of $75 million. Despite debuting at the top of the North American box office, its second weekend saw a catastrophic -73.8% drop — the steepest among superhero flicks at the time. That was until it was pushed down the ladder byThe Marvelsand subsequently,Joker Folieà Deux. Thankfully forMorbius, it doesn’t sport the least box office numbers in its franchise. Thatunwanted record belongs toKraven the Hunter’s $60.9 million haul.
Morbiusdidn’t please critics and the comic book community either. While a small subset of fans cherishes it, the majority don’t. The film’s rating makes its poor box office performance not seem so bad. Poor-to-modest CGI and skin-deep character development amounted to a 15% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Again, while this is the lowest among comic book movies, it is not the lowest in Sony’s franchise —Madame Webholds an abysmal 11%. For Jared Leto, it is his second unsuccessful attempt in the comic book sphere after his version of Joker in 2016’sSuicide Squadreceived backlash, although to be fair, the things wrong withMorbiusdo not include Leto in it.
Morbius Lives on as a Meme
“It’s Morbin’ Time”
Morbiusand its sister movies are dead, but the former lives on in the internet’s chaotic world of memes. Most bad movies become recognized years later (for example,The Room).InMorbius’ case, it took mere weeks. Social media was abuzz with phrases mocking the film’s “indestructible” nature at the box office, such as"It’s Morbin' Time"and “Morbiussweep.” But this clout failed to translate into box office success or a second chance via a sequel.
