Martin Scorsese, the director, criticizes Hollywood for primarily gauging a film’s worth depending on its box office performance. One of the most well-known filmmakers in history, Scorsese has produced a number of films that are recognized as masterpieces. Two of his early films, Taxi Driver and Raging Bull are now frequently taught in film schools as prime examples of outstanding character work and filmmaking. Goodfellas, Casino, The Departed, and The Irishman are just a few of the gangster movies that Scorsese is renowned for and that fans continue to like and discuss.
Nine of Scorsese’s movies have received Best Picture Academy Award nominations, while he has received nine nods for Best Director. He has only won Best Director once, much to the disappointment of many, for The Departed, which also took home Best Picture. However, many believed that his victory was long overdue by the time he won. Nevertheless, Scorsese’s love of movies is well known. He has worked hard to protect the aspects of it that he cherishes while occasionally criticizing aspects that he believes are detrimental to the art, such as Marvel movies. The director is now expressing worries about Hollywood and the film’s fate.
In the video footage posted by Ellen Houlihan, Scorsese discussed how Hollywood’s emphasis on box office success is harming film while introducing his documentary New York Dolls at the New York Film Festival. He criticizes Hollywood for seeing a film’s success solely from a financial perspective, which he claims devalues the artwork on exhibit. Even further, Scorsese describes it as “repulsive.”
Why The Box Office Is Correct According To Martin Scorsese
Although Scorsese is renowned for being devoted to cinema as art, his remarks do have some validity. Even though they are frequently not recognized as outstanding films, the movies that typically earn the most money at the box office are nonetheless considered successes. For instance, despite having a 26% Rotten score on Rotten Tomatoes, the 2016 film Suicide Squad made over $746 million worldwide, most likely due to marketing and character recognition rather than superior quality. In addition, movies like Adam Sandler’s 2010 comedy Grown Ups, which received negative reviews but made over $271 million worldwide on an $80 million budget, prompted the production of a sequel.
Therefore, even if certain people, like movie companies, could disagree with Scorsese’s statements, the filmmaker has a tonne of supporting data. Even within his own filmography, there are works like Silence and Bringing Out the Dead that received excellent reviews from critics yet underperformed at the box office. Studios may have considered such movies to be duds and suffered financial losses, but they endure as outstanding examples of creative filmmaking, supporting Scorsese’s assertions. Filmmakers like Scorsese, therefore, continue to strive for art in the medium even if cinema presently depends on box office profits.