Hollywood contracts are strange, complicated things and usually we could care less what they amount to. The only difference is when it comes to superhero films, because we obsess over how many contractual appearances are left before an actor can leave, or in the case of Marvel's deal with Sony Pictures how many Spider-Man movies they can make. With Spider-Man: Far from Home in theaters now, and the possibility his time with Marvel Studios may be winding down, a new wrinkle has been revealed that could see Spidey return to Sony quicker than expected.
According to industry insider Richard Rushfield in his The Ankler newsletter, Sony Pictures could regain full control of the Spider-Man film rights if Far from Home fails to surpass $1B...
“The original Sony/Marvel/Spidey deal to co-produce these movies stipulated that if this Spidey cleared a billion, Marvel would get to oversee a third. If it hadn’t, full control would have reverted back to Sony."
The chances of Far from Home falling short, however, are thinner than Spidey's webbing. The film has a staggering $577M in just one week of global release, making it a certainty it will cross $1B and probably in short order.
That said, there's still just one more solo film for star Tom Holland as part of the deal Marvel and Sony struck in 2015. Marvel Studios tends to cap their individual franchises at three movies, meaning Holland has one more to go. He also signed for three appearances in other MCU movies, and that obligation has been filled with Captain America: Civil War, Infinity War, and Endgame.
After that, who knows what happens? Maybe a new deal is struck, maybe not. I've said it before that Sony would be wise to get Spidey back so they can fully build a cinematic universe around him and Venom, but it's hard to argue that the character has never been better than right now. Sony may want to see that through a little longer, and maybe introduce a different Spider-Man, such as Miles Morales, while Marvel furthers the adventures of Peter Parker.
