The Amazing Spider-Man 3: What Really Happened?

5. The Not-So Amazing Spider-Man 2

Though The Amazing Spider-Man 2 wasn't a total disaster - it comfortably turned a profit at the box-office, and scored an okay 52 percent on Rotten Tomatoes - it underperformed when compared to the first film.

And not only that, but it massively underperformed when measured against Sony's lofty expectations. Again, this was a time when the MCU was starting to churn out billion-dollar hit after billion-dollar hit, so when The Amazing Spider-Man 2 made just $708 million, it was almost viewed as a failure.

And that's not to mention the fact that this was supposed to be a cinematic universe-starter, which was a bit of a problem considering that one of the film's biggest flaws was its clunky world-building and forced sequel-teasing.

Overall, The Amazing Spider-Man 2 was widely regarded as a step down for the franchise, and its lukewarm reception prompted Sony to change course. Although, as it would turn out, one bad movie was the least of the studio's problems...