Emma Roberts defends Madame Web, blaming “internet culture”

Emma Roberts is voicing support for Madame Web.

She portrayed Mary Parker in the superhero film, alongside Dakota Johnson, Sydney Sweeney, Isabela Merced, Adam Scott, and Zosia Mamet.

Directed by S.J. Clarkson, Madame Web performed poorly at the box office in February and faced criticism from both reviewers and audiences.

"I personally really loved Madame Web. I really enjoyed the movie," Roberts, 33, told Variety in an interview promoting her latest film, Space Cadet. "I thought everyone in it was great. The director, S.J. Clarkson, I think, did an amazing job. She’s the reason I wanted to do that movie."

"If it wasn’t for internet culture and everything being made into a joke, I think that the reception would’ve been different," the American Horror Story star continued. "And that’s what bums me out about a lot of stuff, even stuff that I’ve done, is people just make such a joke out of everything now."

Roberts clarified that those in the industry cannot predict which projects will succeed or fail with audiences.

"Things work; things don’t work. Everyone likes to act like they can predict if they’re going to work or they’re not. And the truth is, you can’t," she said. "Things do badly, and then they blow up later on TikTok. Things do well, but then you watch them, and you’re like, 'This did well?' "

"There is no secret," Roberts continued. "It’s about doing something goodish and it hitting at the right time. Everything else is like a wish and a prayer. I’m not intimidated by failure, and I’m not intimidated by people having negative thoughts about something."