This basically burned Film Social Media to the ground, as filmmakers and fans alike shared their thoughts on Scorsese’s opinion. Some, like Francis Ford Coppola (The Godfather) agreed with Scorsese. Coppola even went on to call these films “despicable.” Others, like James Gunn were heartbroken by Scorsese’s comments. One big-timer in the industry who very much disagreed with Scorsese (and Coppola’s) criticisms is Bob Iger, CEO of the Walt Disney Company (the company that owns Marvel Studios). While at the Wall Street Journal‘s Tech Live Conference, Iger had this to say: While I don’t think Coppola meant that these films were as terrible as mass murder, I do see where Iger is coming from here. Iger then continued:
I will push back on what Bob Iger said here. I don’t think anybody criticised Disney’s ability to make profitable movies. Scorsese and Coppola were talking about Marvel films’ artistic merit. But the CEO wasn’t done yet. Iger finally said that a lot of the filmmakers at Marvel Studios “are putting their creative souls on the line,” and even went on to compare Black Panther to Scorsese and Coppola’s classics. This is a bold statement from Bob Iger, one that I do not necessarily disagree. While I do think that a lot of the superhero films today can be soulless spectacles, some of them like Black Panther and Captain America: Civil War are emotionally resonant character-oriented political action-dramas that should be taken as seriously as many Scorsese and Coppola’s films. Look, I’m not saying Black Panther is as good as Raging Bull or The Godfather. What I am saying is that the film is undoubtedly a piece of pure cinema.
