Bob Iger says Scorsese’s “bitching” undermines the hard work of filmmakers

Last Updated on July 30, 2021

Disney boss Bob Iger has some stern words for directors Martin Scorsese and Francis Ford Coppola, who recently threw shade at Marvel's overwhelmingly popular and lucrative franchises by referring to them as "theme park" movies and "despicable" forms of entertainment.

“I’m puzzled by it. If they want to bitch about movies, it’s certainly their right,” Iger told Wall Street Journal Editor-in-Chief Matt Murray on Tuesday. Iger then offered more of his thoughts on the matter, saying that “It seems so disrespectful to all the people that work on those [Marvel] films who are working just as hard as the people who work on their films. … Are you telling me Ryan Coogler making ‘Black Panther’ is somehow doing something that is less than what Marty Scorsese or Francis Ford Coppola has ever done on any one of their movies?”

Hey everybody, let me know when we've stopped having fun with this Marvel drama, would you? At this point in time, the conversation feels as if we're riding the Mad Tea Party cups at Disneyland, and the operator of the attraction has changed its setting to Ludicrous Speed. But I digress, obviously there is a lot of passion behind these arguments, and the back-and-forth certainly has led to some interesting conversation over the past few weeks.

In wanting to make his position perfectly clear, Iger had a few more things to point out about the ongoing Mavel debate.

“I reserve the word ‘despicable’ for someone who committed mass murder. These are movies … I don’t get what they’re trying to criticize us for when we are making films that people obviously are enjoying,” said Iger. He then added that the film business as a whole has "relatively thin margins," and that the success of superhero cinema has allowed the industry to deliver a product that people crave. It also stands to reason that superhero films have helped theater establishments as well, seeing as Marvel and DC movies alike sell tickets like hotcakes. If you stop to think about it, that business helps keep theaters – both large and small – afloat during times of a wavering economy. At the end of the day, movies are a business and in this wavering economy, you don't question guaranteed profits.

Do you feel as if superhero films are ruining cinema? Are Scorsese and Coppola out of line with regard to their complaints? Should we all just accept that Marvel films aren't for everyone and move on? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.