Few directors have spent more time advocating for movies and movie theaters over the course of their careers than Martin Scorsese . In a recent interview with film critic Peter Travers, Scorsese said that he can no longer stand watching movies in theaters, and that includes his own films.
“I asked the maestro why he doesn’t see movies in theatres any more and he went all raging bull about audiences who babble on phones during the movie, leave to order snacks and vats of soda, and keep up a noise level loud enough to drown out the actors,” Travers said, per The Guardian.
“‘Come on, Marty,’ I said, ‘we couldn’t keep our mouths shut when we were kids,'” Travers said, explaining that he had tried to remind the director that bad behavior in movie theaters isn’t new.
“His [Scorsese’s] eyes darkened. ‘Yeah, maybe,’ he conceded, ‘but when we talked it was always about the movie and the fun we had chewing over the details.’”
Scorsese’s stance comes several years after he made related, controversial comments suggesting that the Marvel Cinematic Universe movies were akin to theme park rides. Even as he has continued to make great films, Scorsese has also become one of the leading voices on the state of the American film industry.
The director has been working in Hollywood for 50 years now, and has made classics like Taxi Driver , Raging Bull , and Goodfellas over the course of his careers. His two most recent films, The Irishman and Killers of the Flower Moon , were both partnerships with streaming services.
