It’s Morbin’ Time! ‘Morbius’ Finally Comes to Streaming After 159 Days, Two Theatrical Releases
The strange and twisted journey toward streaming is finally coming to an end for “Morbius.” The Spider-Man spin-off is now officially on Netflix 159 days after originally arriving in theaters, appropriately on April Fool’s Day. After a tumultuous journey through production, and two theatrical releases, you’ll finally be able to enjoy (?) “Morbius” from the comfort of your own couch.
It’s been a long road for “Morbius,” and that road was seemingly filled with garlic, crosses, and everything else that a vampire hates. The film was originally conceived in the early 2000s after the success of the “Blade” film franchise, but it lingered in development hell. However, in May 2017, Sony announced that it would be developing a shared Spider-Man cinematic universe, a project that began with the release of “Venom” in 2018.
That attempt to develop a connected Spider-Man universe led Sony back to “Morbius.” But trouble signs began to appear around the production when star Jared Leto was reportedly bringing the same kind of method acting intensity that caused his fellow actors some discomfort during the production of the 2016 “Suicide Squad.”
The film was eventually forced to shut down production due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which delayed its release from July 2020 to March 2021. Several more delays ensued, but finally the movie was released on April 1, 2022. Fans and critics alike thought the film must have been an April Fool’s joke, and the reviews were not kind. “Morbius” sits at 15% on the review aggregator site Rotten Tomatoes.
Check out the trailer for ‘Morbius’
Morbius
Dangerously ill with a rare blood disorder, and determined to save others suffering his same fate, Dr. Michael Morbius (Jared Leto) attempts a desperate gamble. What at first appears to be a radical success soon reveals itself to be a remedy potentially worse than the disease.
The introduction of Marvel’s vampire character opens the door for a potential crossover with the upcoming “Blade” series starring Mahershala Ali.
The film also stars Matt Smith, Adria Arjona, Jared Harris, Al Madrigal, and Tyrese Gibson.
Despite — or indeed, perhaps because of — its terribleness, “Morbius” became instant fodder for meme artists across the internet. The countless online jokes turned into something of a cult following for the film, which built to such absurd proportions that Sony actually re-released the film into 1,000 theaters in June 2022. The ill-advised experiment grossed the studio an embarrassing $310,665 on 1,037 screens across the country; meaning that it made just $299 — or the equivalent of roughly 20 tickets sold — for each screening.
At that time The Streamable theorized that “Morbius” would hit Netflix around August 26. That would have matched the 147 days that Sony’s “Uncharted” got before coming to streaming. Sony’s deal with Netflix ensured that it would get “Morbius” at some point, but when was anyone’s guess.
Now, at last, the speculation has ended. The value of “Morbius” may lie in how simply awful it is, but Sony has had a good eye for value when it comes to streaming releases and theatrical windows. “Morbius” may be a smashing streaming success for the company, as audiences everywhere open their Netflix apps and belt out a triumphant, “It’s Morbin’ Time!”
Netflix
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