Party time is not so excellent for Brian Cox. As Deadpool & Wolverine easily crosses the $1 billion threshold at the worldwide box office, one Brian Cox – who has his own link to Marvel via playing William Stryker in X2 – is taking issue with comic book movies as a whole via one of the biggest hits of 2024.
Speaking to an audience at the Edinburgh International Film Festival (via THR), Brian Cox said that the artform of film has been heading in the wrong direction, especially compared to TV. “What’s happened is that television is doing what cinema used to do…I think cinema is in a very bad way. I think it’s lost its place because of, partly, the grandiose element between Marvel, DC and all of that. And I think it’s beginning to implode, actually. You’re kind of losing the plot.”
Ever since the Marvel Cinematic Universe launched with Iron Man in 2008 (the year that The Dark Knight Rises actually dominated the box office) only three years haven’t seen a comic book movie in the top 10 worldwide – and two of those either didn’t have a major release or are directly pinned to the Covid-19 pandemic. But Brian Cox has been around long enough to know just why people keep hitting the multiplex. “[They are] making a lot of money that’ll make everybody happy, but in terms of the work, it becomes diluted afterwards. You’re getting the same old… I mean, I’ve done those kind of [projects],” referring to the aforementioned X2. He added, “So it’s just become a party time for certain actors to do this stuff. When you know that Hugh Jackman can do a bit more, Ryan Reynolds…but it’s because they go down that road and it’s box office. They make a lot of money. You can’t knock it.”
Brian Cox has never been one to shy away from his takes on pretty much everything related to the industry. Whether it’s blasting the modernization of James Bond or calling out Joaquin Phoenix for a “terrible” go as Napoleon or, yes, even how his own character was treated on Succession, Cox has as many takes as you might expect. So, no, it’s absolutely no surprise that he has taken issue with the titans of the box office.
Obviously Brian Cox isn’t alone on the take…But where do you stand on the issue? Are comic book movies just an excuse for actors to get huge paydays?