Avengers Endgame director’s ‘box office’ dig at Martin Scorsese sparks angry reactions

A recent social media post by Joe Russo, one of the directors of the last two Marvel’s Avengers movies, has garnered attention within the film community due to a dig on legendary filmmaker Martin Scorsese. Russo’s video is a response to a playful TikTok video posted by Scorsese’s daughter, Francesca, featuring Scorsese and his dog, Oscar.

Francesca Scorsese’s TikTok featured her father, Martin Scorsese, engaging in a light-hearted interaction with his dog, Oscar. Joe Russo responded with a video in which he humorously introduced his own dog, named Box Office. It was meant to indicate that while Scorsese might possess an Oscar, Russo has the box office credentials due to the humongous success of his Avengers movies.

The Scorsese-Marvel controversy

The background of this interaction can be traced back to the 2019 comments made by Martin Scorsese regarding Marvel movies. Scorsese’s remarks, in which he expressed his belief that Marvel movies lacked the depth and emotional complexity he associated with traditional cinema, ignited a contentious debate in the film community.

While speaking to Empire magazine in 2019, he had said, “I tried, you know? But that’s not cinema. Honestly, the closest I can think of them, as well-made as they are, with actors doing the best they can under the circumstances, is theme parks. It isn’t the cinema of human beings trying to convey emotional, psychological experiences to another human being.”

The film community responded to Russo’s video in various ways. Jason DeMarco, an industry professional, pointed out the substantial investments made by both Russo and Scorsese from streaming giants like Netflix, hinting that Scorsese’s The Irishman and Killers of The Flower Moon will have a far more enduring impact than Russo’s projects.

Film writer Jake Cole wrote, “I could only watch a few seconds of that Joe Russo video bc it was so cringe so I just now found out he ends up bragging about BO which is pretty bold considering everything he makes that isn’t an IP delivery service is a money pit that’s materially harming actors’ careers.”

Louis Peitzman, a film writer, predicted that Joe Russo’s name will not stand the test of time as opposed to that Scorsese, whose legacy would continue to endure.

The official X handle of BeyondFest, a genre film festival, did not mince words in its criticism, referring to Joe Russo as a “rich a**hole hack.”

Inspired by David Grann’s 2017 non-fiction book, Killers of the Flower Moon chronicles the FBI’s investigation into a series of chilling murders within the Osage Nation during the tumultuous 1920s. The film boasts of an impressive cast, including frequent collaborators of Scorsese such as Leonardo DiCaprio and Robert De Niro. Joining them are Jesse Plemons, Lily Gladstone, Brendan Fraser, and John Lithgow, among other notable actors. 

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