Sydney Sweeney Brushes Off ‘Madame Web’ Criticism with Humor and Grace

Sydney Sweeney returned to SXSW this year with the film “Immaculate,” only her third major studio release in four months. Her 2023 release, “Anyone But You,” surged to more than $200 million at the global box office, but the 2024 debate-starter on “Madame Web” slides as the first career flop for Sweeney.

Yet, for Sweeney, none of that is riling. In an interview with the Los Angeles Times, she joked about the whole experience: “I was just in it as an actress; I was just going along for the ride as whatever was going to come of it.”

And besides, “Madame Web” came in at $42 million at the box office, despite some truly withering reviews. There are those who literally laughed all the way to the bank.

She even cracked more recently during her hosting of “Saturday Night Live,” saying, “And you definitely never saw me in ‘Madame Web.'” At the 2024 Oscars, Jimmy Kimmel, the host, made many jokes about the failures of this movie, quipping: “This night is full of enormous talent and untold potential, but so was Madame Web.”

Dakota Johnson, co-starring with Sweeney, expressed her own conciliatory sentiments at the reception regarding the challenges of creating movies influenced by commercial design imperatives that can sometimes overshadow artistic expression. I

n a way, Johnson was sanguine about the experience being good in the first place, regardless of whatever divide there might be between her artistic sensitivities or popular cinema. With “Madame Web” continuing to buzz in theaters, “Immaculate” will premiere on March 22, signaling Sweeney’s next career move.