Matt Smith isn't too bothered by Morbius underperforming in its theatrical run. Released in theaters back in April, Morbius was pummeled with negative reviews and currently sits with an abysmal 16% score at Rotten Tomatoes. Its box office performance was not much better as the feature film fell far below studio expectations. An internet campaign had led to Sony bringing Morbius back to theaters for another limited run, but most of those campaigning must have been doing so as a joke, as the re-release was not successful.

Addressing the situation in a Rolling Stone interview, Smith acknowledges how the film seemed to have been "thrown under the bus" after its unimpressive theatrical run. At the same time, the actor has not let it affect him very much. Having a movie bomb might be disappointing, but, ultimately, this is just entertainment. Making a movie that doesn't work as well as hoped is not that big a deal, because as Smith says, he's not out there trying to save lives.

“Yeah, it was thrown under the bus. But you just have to roll with it. What else are you gonna do? It’s a film, at the end of the day, we’re not saving lives. For whatever reason, it didn’t quite work out and… It is what it is.”

It probably helps that Smith already knows how to handle an expected blockbuster coming up short at the box office. He was previously featured in a key role in the attempted Terminator franchise reboot Terminator: Genisys in 2015, but that film similarly bombed at theaters. That put the Terminator series back on ice until another attempt to revive the franchise came along with Dark Fate in 2019, with that movie also turning out to be a box office bomb.

Related: Is Morbius a Hero or Villain? It's Complicated

Morbius Performed Much Better With Streaming Release

Jared Leto as Morbius
Sony Pictures Releasing

The good news for the Morbius team is that the film was not a complete failure, as it was quite successful with its digital release. In June, Morbius topped the home media market charts, overtaking other popular available titles at the time like The Batman, The Bad Guys, and Everything Everywhere All at Once. That might not be enough to convince Sony to order a second Morbius film, but it does provide some silver lining to putting out the film.

Daniel Espinosa directed Morbius using a screenplay by Matt Sazama and Burk Sharpless. The film stars Jared Leto, Matt Smith, Adria Arjona, Jared Harris, Al Madrigal, and Tyrese Gibson. The movie is based on the Marvel Comics character and follows a man and his surrogate brother becoming "living vampires" after curing themselves of a rare blood disease. You can check out the official trailer and synopsis below.

One of the most compelling and conflicted characters in Sony Pictures Universe of Marvel Characters comes to the big screen as Oscar® winner Jared Leto transforms into the enigmatic antihero Michael Morbius. Dangerously ill with a rare blood disorder and determined to save others suffering his same fate, Dr. Morbius attempts a desperate gamble. While at first it seems to be a radical success, a darkness inside him is unleashed. Will good override evil – or will Morbius succumb to his mysterious new urges?