Why Sony needs to rethink their 'Amazing Spider-Man' strategy

“The Amazing Spider-Man 2" has already made a mint at the box office. The superhero sequel opened in North America with a strong $92 million weekend, and has raked in nearly $300 million worldwide. It’s certainly an improvement over the $62 million opening of its predecessor, but the sequel's debut still pales in comparison to Sam Raimi’s first and third “Spider-Man” movies ($114 million and $151 million opening weekends, respectively).

Despite Sony's best efforts, it seems that Spider-Man is not the breadwinner he once was. Reviews are mediocre at best and box office revenues are down, and it's clear that something isn't working. Have audience expectations have changed? Has the superhero genre evolved since Spidey first hit cinemas a decade or so ago?

With a third and fourth “Amazing Spider-Man” are already on the way (and two spin-offs, “The Sinister Six” and “Venom,” in development), Sony desperately needs to figure out a way to improve the character's critical and financial fortunes... and fast! Here are three reasons Sony needs to rethink its approach to the venerable Marvel superhero.

Spider-Man is running out of decent villains

As far as villains go, the Spider-Man universe is pretty rife: Green Goblin, Doctor Octopus, Venom, Sandman, The Lizard, Electro, Rhino, and the list goes on. It’s much more extensive than some other Marvel superhero franchises, but by this point, moviegoers have already seen about every decent Spidey villain on the big screen. In a series that's already been widely criticized as an unnecessary rehash, are audiences really going to sit through another Spider-Man vs. Doc Ock or Green Goblin movie?

Without tapping into the second-tier villains like the Vulture or Kraven (which Sony appears to be planning with “The Sinister Six”), there just aren’t very many compelling choices for the filmmakers. And as “Spider-Man 3” and “The Amazing Spider-Man 2” have shown, crowding your movie with villains isn’t a great option, either.

They've lost the emotional core of the franchise
(Warning: Spoilers ahead!)

Both critics and audiences seem to agree on this point: the chemistry between “Amazing Spider-Man 2” stars Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone are what saves the film from being a complete dud.  That all changes going forward.

As many predicted, Stone’s character Gwen Stacy dies at the end of the film. With Stacy’s death, director Marc Webb’s reboot franchise loses the Garfield/Stone dynamic, the one thing that audiences and critics really liked about the new series of Spider-Man films.

Whoever takes on the role of Mary Jane Watson -- Spidey’s future main squeeze -- is going to have big shoes to fill. It's highly unlikely that whoever is hired will be able to match the chemistry Stone and Garfield had.

Solo superhero movies are so 2001

In a post-"Avengers" world, how long can a solo superhero like Spider-Man really hold the spotlight? Even Marvel's standalone hero films (like the “Iron Man,” “Captain America,” and “Thor” movies) are buffed up by the presence of supporting heroes and villains (War Machine, Black Widow, Loki, etc.). Spider-Man's comic book counterpart lives in a rich, hero-filled world (he frequently teams up with members of The Avengers and X-Men), but his film equivalent is looking like an increasingly lonely superhero. As the success of Marvel’s Cinematic Universe has demonstrated, modern audiences want to see superheroes team up together.

What can Sony do?

Unfortunately for Sony, save for Black Cat, the studio doesn't have the film rights to any of Spidey's potential big screen allies. The “X-Men: Days of Future Past” mid-credits scene at the end of “The Amazing Spider-Man 2” may have given some the impression that Spider-Man and the X-Men inhabit the same cinematic world.

That’s why first and foremost, Sony should swallow its pride and put in with either Fox or Disney, the owners of the “X-Men”/“Fantastic Four” and “Avengers” franchises, respectively. Get Spider-Man involved with his longtime comic book allies. Fans of superhero movies would go wild for it and there are billions of dollars to be made in the process.