Why does Kraven The Hunter get delayed in India? (OTT update)

Last updated on 16 December 2024.

The hunter got hunted as Sony Pictures India postponed the release of their upcoming Marvel superhero film Kraven The Hunter. But Why?

Kraven The Hunter Release Date in India DELAYED

If you are one of the few excited to see the Kraven movie, this is not the best news you want to hear. But at least, you will have something to enjoy on New Year.

Kraven The Hunter sets a new release date in India: 1 January 2025. It was scheduled for premiere on 13 December, along with the US and other major countries, but the studio changed it. This is a 3 weeks delay in India!

The decision was announced by the studio just a couple of days before:

Kraven is an origin story of the popular Marvel supervillain, starring Aaron Taylor-Johnson, who has also played Quicksilver in Marvel’s Avengers Age of Ultron (but both are different studios and universes).

It is quite unusual to see a major hollywood film move the release date this far, as they can still bring a good chunk of people to the theatres.

Sony Pictures had no choice as Kraven The Hunter would not have gotten any screens in India due to major competition from other films coming in December, including Pushpa 2, Baby John and Mufasa.

Pushpa 2 is already ‘ruling’ the box office in Telugu and Hindi belts, taking most of the screens in the country. 

Mufasa (Lion King spin-off) is coming on 20 December and is expected to make big money in India because of its strong local dubbing cast, with Shah Rukh Khan in Hindi and Mahesh Babu in Telugu. Then on Christmas, we are getting the action thriller ‘Baby John’.

With Indian movie theatres having better choices to fill the seats, Kraven was only expected to get little to no screen in the country and would have gotten lost between all such big names. 

That’s why it moved straight to New Year when movie theatres might decide to give it some shows. This is the same reason Sonic 3 got delayed in India to avoid a clash with Mufasa and is also releasing on New Year.

So, Kraven is now releasing on 1 January 2025 and will be available in English, Hindi, Tamil, and Telugu languages. It has an ‘A’ certificate given by the CBFC, so you need to be at least 18 years old to see it.

However, looking into the reviews, I don’t think you would be very interested in purchasing the tickets for it. The movie had a disastrous box-office opening weekend in the US also, even lower than Madame Web.

A delay happened with Venom 2 also, but the good reviews saved it. I don’t think the same will happen with Kraven.

Most of the audience and critics have disliked the film saying it is another bad entry in Sony’s Spider-Man Universe with a poor story. However, there were some praise for Aaron Taylor-Johnson’s performance as the titular character and the R-rated action scenes.

Most probably, you will be watching it in the comfort of your home, if you still want to. So, when is that happening?

When will it come to Streaming?

Kraven The Hunter will be streaming on Netflix in India. The digital premiere date is yet to be announced but most likely it would be sometime around March-April. There is usually a 3 to 4-month gap from the theatrical release.

More About The Movie

Kraven The Hunter is the 6th film in Sony’s Spider-Man Universe (without Spider-Man of course), directed by J. C. Chandor.

Here is the official synopsis of the film (via sonypictures.com): “Kraven the Hunter is the action-packed, R-rated, standalone story of how one of Marvel’s most iconic villains came to be. Kraven, a man whose complex relationship with his ruthless gangster father, Nikolai Kravinoff, starts him down a path of vengeance with brutal consequences, motivating him to become not only the greatest hunter in the world but also one of its most feared.”

Takeaways

Now you know when and how you can watch Kraven The Hunter. I will be waiting for the streaming premiere after looking at those reviews.

And if you more news about Marvel, DC, Sci-Fi and Hollywood, especially for Indian audiences, this is the best place for you. You can also check out my YouTube channel for all updates.