Back in 2008, when the first Iron Man movie came out, Hollywood didn’t realize what they had done.
Marvel would continue to put out movies like Captain America and Thor, which were huge box office draws at the time, but the numbers were nothing compared to where they are now. For example, the opening weekend of Thor in 2011 brought in $65 million in the US, while the latest installment that has been out for a week has already passed the $144 million mark domestically. Conclusion? These movies are… pretty popular!
Of course, as the saying goes, you don’t get to $144 million in opening sales without making a few enemies… or something like that. It’s common to roast the MCU at this point, as studios pour money into elaborate CGI and cameo after cameo. Many well-liked and respected directors have blasted the franchise for this, and now the Russo Brothers have chimed in on the debacle.
The duo has worked on four MCU titles, including the mega-hit Avengers: Endgame, and they don’t quite understand why people have so many issues with them, as the franchise clearly has many fans. Or maybe it’s all just that one guy who just keeps buying tickets.
As Anthony Russo points out in a new interview with The Hollywood Reporter, “The overwhelming success of [Marvel] movies has caused them to represent something that has become ‘other,’ or maybe not attainable to some others for whatever reason. Not every movie has to be liked globally.”
Meanwhile, Joe had a longer, strongly-worded explanation for why Marvel has been getting hate: because so many people like them.
When I was 19, I used to love U2. And then they started getting some commercial success, beyond their MTV early days, where they were the biggest band in the world. And I was like, “I hate U2. I’m sick of U2. They’re so ubiquitous!” That was just my ego trying to define myself against the masses. Then, 10 years later, I was like, “I fucking love U2. Why did I do that?” I outgrew it. It feels like a very juvenile conversation. The whole thing feels sad and cynical and pessimistic. You’re talking about movies that 10-year-olds are weeping over and begging to go see. They’ll remember for decades that they were there with their grandfather. Like, give me a f*cking break
Joe also adds that fans need to get used to it. After Disney+’s successful first quarter, The Russo’s don’t see the streamer stopping anytime soon. “I also think, too, that Disney’s gone very conservative. Post-[Bob] Iger, they seem to be in IP management mode. You’re going to get all the Star Wars and all the Marvel you can handle for the next decade. They’re all changing.”
Whether or not the hate is justified, it’s obvious that the movie industry has had a disastrous few years, so many it’s not so bad to get people back in their reclining AMC seats, even if it’s just a bunch of hyped-up kids. That’s all Tom Hanks wants, anyway!