'Spider-Man: Turn Off The Dark' producer Michael Cohl has defended the Broadway musical following a number of bad reviews.
The show, which has a score composed by U2's Bono and The Edge and has suffered a number of set-backs in the run-up to its opening including injuries to four cast members, has been panned by critics.
The producer told Entertainment Weekly that the reviewers were out of touch, saying: "Any of the people who review the show and say it has no redeeming value are just not legitimate reviewers, period.
"It's hard to have people that don't get pop culture reviewing a pop culture event, isn't it?"
Negative reviews included The Washington Post ("a shrill, insipid mess"), The New York Times ("sheer ineptitude"), and the Los Angeles Times ("an artistic form of megalomania").
Many reviews of the €43 million ($65 million) musical, thought to be the most expensive in Broadway history, have been published even though it doesn't officially open until 15 March, a move that violates the time-honoured agreement between producers and journalists.
A spokesman for the show said: "This pile-on by the critics is a huge disappointment.
"Changes are still being made and any review that runs before the show is frozen is totally invalid."
Most of the critics have cited as reasons for their impatience the show's record-breaking preview period and the high cost of tickets, which for a single seat can cost €219 ($300).
