These days, it has become common practice to ask filmmakers about their opinions on superhero movies which has led to acclaimed directors such as Martin Scorsese and Ridley Scott bashing the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Scorsese became a trending topic back in 2019 for comparing superhero films to theme parks and Scott recently made headlines for calling them “f*cking boring as sh*t.” These hot takes tend to divide the Internet, with some folks defending the directors while others fight for the MCU. Recently, Marvel star Stellan Skarsgård (Erik Selvig) had a chat with The Guardian, and they asked his opinion on Scorsese and Scott’s comments. The actor’s response has led to a lot of praise from fans on social media.
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“I’ve got nothing against superhero movies,” Skarsgård explained. “I’ve been in a couple and they definitely have a place. The problem is that the system that allows eight people to own half of the wealth in the world enhances the power of the market forces, so small and independent cinemas rarely exist any more outside a few big cities. There’s no distribution channels for all the mid-budget films that have the best actors, the best writing, because they can’t throw up $3m for a marketing campaign. When cinemas let them in, they do so for one week and if it doesn’t pay off in a week, they’re gone.”
He continued, “Remember that The Godfather first opened in 100 cinemas in the United States – big films now open in 4,000. They had small ads in the New York Times, but it grew and grew because it was such a good film. The people’s opinion has no chance any more. And that is sad. I think that we should have Marvel films and more rollercoaster films. We should have other films, too. And that’s the sad thing: when raw market forces come in, studios start being run by companies that don’t care if they’re dealing in films or toothpaste so long as they get their 10% [return]. When AT&T took over Time Warner, it immediately told HBO to become lighter and more commercial. They were always making money. But not enough for an investor.”
A screenshot of the quote has since gone viral. You can check out a few of the reactions to his comments below:
Do you agree with Skarsgård’s take on the Marvel debate? Tell us in the comments.
Currently, you can catch Stellan Skarsgård in Dune.
