Would Sony Actually Sell Spider-Man to Disney?
A multi-billion-dollar payday for Sony, a superhero revival for Disney, and a win-win for Wall Street? This internet rumor might make too much sense
An internet rumor is positing that Sony might sell Spider-Man’s movie rights to Disney, and while it’s pure speculation, the idea has us spitballing. Sony sheds IP it can’t seem to fully monetize, Disney gets its billion-dollar superhero fully back in the MCU, and on we’re looking at a deal that makes too much sense to ignore.
WHAT HAPPENED
Sony’s Marvel Universe, a web-slinger-adjacent cinematic experiment, has turned into something of an issue. Sure, there have been hits like the three Tom Holland-helmed live action films and the animated “Spider-Verse” movies. 2023’s “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” hauled in $681 million worldwide on a $100 million budget, cementing itself as a box office darling. But for every Spider-Verse, there’s a “Morbius” ($163 million worldwide) or a “Madame Web” ($100 million—barely) and now a “Kraven the Hunter” which looks almost destined to bomb.
The “Venom” franchise has been Sony’s golden goose, but that trilogy has come to an end and was already showing signs of wear. After the first film collected a monstrous $856 billion, the sequel “Venom: Let There Be Carnage” delivered a solid $501 million globally, but the final istallement “Venom: The Last Dance” has hauled in onl $475 billion golobally. It seems that Sony has squeezed every dollar from Spider-Man’s live-action friends, enemies, and C-list neighbors without deploying the webslinger himself. More on that below.
Meanwhile, Disney has a Spider-Man-sized hole in its Marvel Cinematic Universe. Yes, Disney can “borrow” Spidey thanks to its licensing agreement, but full ownership would let Disney integrate Spider-Man into the MCU more deeply, creating fresher full-profit synergy with its multi-billion-dollar Avengers franchise. It might even use him to reinvigorate the MCU.
Disney is already a player in Sony’s biggest Spider-Man hit, “No Way Home,” which grossed almost $2 billion globally. Disney’s Marvel Studios covered 25% of the film’s production cost (about $50 million) and, in return, walked away with 25% of the combined pool profit, a very tidy chunk for essentially lending out some MCU faces and co-producing the movie. Add to that the fact that Disney already owns Spider-Man’s merchandising rights, and you start to see why a deal for the film rights makes so much sense. For Disney shareholders, this is a strategic play that could generate outsized returns but dressed up as fan service.
WHY IT MATTERS
Sony is in an interesting position. While Spider-Verse movies are proof that Sony can deliver hits, the reality is that the entire Spider-Man IP is far more valuable in Disney’s hands. Why? Scale.
Sony, also needs cash. Despite the handful of hits and PlayStation’s success, Sony Pictures isn’t exactly a juggernaut. A multi-billion-dollar sale of Spider-Man would give Sony the funds to reinvest in its other franchises, games, or (who knows) acquire fresh IP to build its next cinematic universe.
Wall Street would love this deal. For Disney, a Spider-Man acquisition could reverse the narrative of its post-Endgame struggles. Bob Iger and Co. would have another shiny and fully-owned hero to show shareholders that Disney still knows how to bet big on beloved IP. Meanwhile, Sony would likely see a stock bump simply from shedding the asset that seems to have gone publicly sour in its cupboard.
WHAT’S NEXT
Let’s talk about price. The Spider-Man movie rights alone could fetch Sony somewhere between $5-10 billion (depending on Disney’s appetite and Sony’s stubbornness). That’s pocket change for the House of Mouse when you consider the long-term gains. A single Spider-Man trilogy under Disney’s roof could easily bring in over $3 billion at the global box office, and then there are the Disney+ subscriptions.
For Sony, a deal like this could trigger a hard reset. Imagine the studio doubling down on proven winners like PlayStation properties (The Last of Us is HBO’s premiere hit) or taking risks on new franchises with all that extra cash. Sony doesn’t need Spider-Man to survive, it just needs him to bankroll their next chapter.
Bottom line: Disney gets one of its most profitable superhero back full-tome, Sony gets the payday of the century, and shareholders on both sides get to pretend this was always the plan. If the rumors are true, we might be looking at the cleanest win-win deal in Hollywood history. And Wall Street will happily applaud from the sidelines.
But, again, we're just spitballing here...