Martin Scorsese Doubles Down on Marvel Comments

"Don't crowd out Greta Gerwig and don't crowd out Paul Thomas Anderson and Noah Baumbach"

BY Allie GregoryPublished Oct 28, 2019

Earlier this month, legendary filmmaker Martin Scorsese offered up some controversial opinions about the Marvel Cinematic Universe movie franchise. Now, he's doubling down.

In an interview with Entertainment Tonight at the Los Angeles premiere of The Irishman, the director clarified his stance on the Marvel movies, saying that cinematic monopolies can crowd out other, smaller filmmakers and their work:

Well, look, the point is, in terms of this film, Netflix, theaters, what I'm talking about really are films that are made. Let's say a family wants to go to an amusement park, that's a good thing, you know. And at themes and parks there's these cinematic expressions. They're a new art form. It's something different from films that are shown normally in theaters, that's all.

For them, my concern is losing the screens to massive theme park films, which I say again, they're [their] own new art form. Cinema now is changing. We have so many venues, there are so many ways to make films. So enjoyable. Fine, go and it's an event and it's great to go to an event like an amusement park, but don't crowd out Greta Gerwig and don't crowd out Paul Thomas Anderson and Noah Baumbach and those people, just don't, in terms of theaters.


Scorsese had previously told Empire that Marvel films are "not cinema," calling them "theme parks" instead. This statement sparked weeks worth of of rebuttals from the likes of filmmaker James Gunn and Marvel actor Robert Downey Jr. Later, Benedict Cumberbatch, Jon Favreau and Francis Ford Coppola offered their own statements in support of Scorsese's comments.

Scorsese is best known for his directorial and production credits on world-renowned films like Taxi Driver, Goodfellas, Casino, Gangs of New York, The Wolf of Wall Street, The Departed, The Last Waltz and his latest film The Irishman.

Read Exclaim!'s 30 Best Films of the 2010s for our take on Gerwig, Anderson and Baumbach's work.

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