Emmy Award winner Jimmy Kimmel returns for the fourth time to host the biggest night in cinema. And he kicks off the event by poking fun at many things about Hollywood. Congratulating the audience for “making it on time,” the host in his monologue poked fun at Madame Web, the recent box office failure. And that was just one of many.
The late-night host took his seat alongside fellow four-time emcees Whoopi Goldberg and Jack Lemmon, who have also hosted the Oscars four times. Johnny Carson, Billy Crystal, and Bob Hope are the only names who have hosted more than Kimmel, Goldberg, and Lemmon.
From joking about Christopher Nolan’s p*rn addiction to Robert Downey Jr.’s manhood, it’s a usual day for Jimmy Kimmel.
Jimmy Kimmel Poked Fun about Madame Web
The Jimmy Kimmel Live host previously led the 2017, 2018, and 2023 telecasts. And just like every time, Kimmel started his 2024 Oscars monologue with a bang. He brought up several topics at which he poked fun.
One of them was the recent box office bomb Madame Web starring Dakota Johnson and Sydney Sweeney. Taking a subtle shot at the movie, Kimmel said at the Oscars 2024:
“It was also a great year for movies, despite the fact that everything stopped. The people in this room somehow managed to come up with so many excellent films and memorable performances. This night is full of enormous talent, and untold potential, but so was ‘Madame Web.’ So, who knows?”
Kimmel also dug deep into the biggest hit at the box office this year, Barbie, giving credit to director Greta Gerwig for making the doll a “feminist icon”
“I know you’re clapping, but you’re the ones who didn’t vote for her, by the way,” he joked, speaking to the audience.
This year’s Oscars event is being executively produced by Raj Kapoor, Katy Mullan, and Hamish Hamilton. Kapoor will also serve as the showrunner.
Madame Web Flopped at the Box Office
Dakota Johnson starrer Madame Web was supposed to be the film from the comic book genre that was supposed to set the tone for 2024’s superhero films when superhero fatigue has been the talk of the town.
But it did not meet the expectations. Both audiences and critics panned the film, resulting in a flop. The film was labeled to be a boring movie through and through by most fans and critics alike and called a super confusing and vague one. Nevertheless, debutante director S.J. Clarkson’s film has managed to go past the $80 million mark, which is reportedly the production budget of the film.
The film opened with $17.6 million at the domestic box office. It is the lowest opening for an SSU movie from Sony. The total domestic collection of the film to date stands at $42 million, and its international collection amounted to $54 million (via The Numbers).
Anyway, as the Oscars night goes on, we will see many such subtle digs by the one and only Jimmy Kimmel, who has already cemented himself as one of the all-time great Oscars hosts with his perfect mix of humanity and humor.
