Martin Scorsese weighs in on 'repulsive' box-office obsession

Veteran filmmaker Martin Scorsese does not have some nice things to say about the box-office obsession.

As per Indiewire, Scorsese lamented that "cinema is devalued, demeaned, belittled from all sides, not necessarily the business side but certainly the art."

The filmmaker added, "Since the '80s, there's been a focus on numbers. It's kind of repulsive. The cost of a movie is one thing. Understand that a film costs a certain amount, they expect to at least get the amount back, plus, again. The emphasis is now on numbers, cost, the opening weekend, how much it made in the U.S.A., how much it made in England, how much it made in Asia, how much it made in the entire world, how many viewers it got."

The Irishman director further adds, "As a filmmaker, and as a person who can't imagine life without cinema, I always find it really insulting. I've always known that such considerations have no place at the New York Film Festival, and here's the key also with this: There are no awards here. You don't have to compete. You just have to love cinema here."

Martin Scorsese has long been vocal against the depressed state of cinema, including labeling Marvel movies, as "theme parks."