Morbius (2022): When Cinematic Dreams Turn into Nightmares

Morbius is an American superhero film based on the Marvel Comics character of the same name. It was produced by Columbia Pictures in collaboration with Marvel Entertainment, Arad Productions, and Matt Tolmach Productions, and distributed by Sony Pictures Releasing. It is the third film in Sony’s Spider-Man Universe (SSU).

Morbius (2022)

The film is directed by Daniel Espinosa, written by Matt Sazama and Burk Sharpless. Jared Leto stars as Dr. Michael Morbius, alongside Matt Smith, Adria Arjona, Jared Harris, Al Madrigal, and Tyrese Gibson. The story follows Michael Morbius and his adoptive brother Milo, who both become vampires after seeking a cure for a rare blood disease.

After several failed attempts to bring Morbius to the screen since 1998, Sony began developing a new project in 2018, following the success of Venom (2018). Filming began in London in February 2019 and wrapped in June of that year, with additional filming in February 2020.

Morbius premiered in Mexico City on March 10, 2022, and in the United States on April 1, 2022, after several delays due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The film received poor reviews for its script, visual effects, and post-credits scenes, but Matt Smith’s performance received some praise. With a global gross of just $167.5 million, the film was considered a commercial and critical failure.

The failure became the subject of many online memes. The viral memes prompted Sony to re-release the film in June 2022, but it failed again. Morbius was nominated for five Golden Raspberry Awards, winning two: Worst Actor (Jared Leto) and Worst Supporting Actress (Adria Arjona).