Christopher Nolan defends Hollywood franchises, says they ‘pay for a lot of other types of films to be made’

Christopher Nolan has weighed in on the debate over how superhero franchises are affecting Hollywood, months after Martin Scorsese slammed them.

In a recent interview with the Associated Press (AP), the filmmaker, whose Oppenheimer released earlier this year, spoke about the importance of originality in filmmaking, but also the need for Hollywood franchises.

Christopher Nolan on a ‘healthy’ Hollywood

“There’s always a balance in Hollywood between established titles that can assure a return in audience and give people more of what they want. That’s always been a big part of the economics of Hollywood, and it pays for a lot of other types of films to be made and distributed, But there also always has to be respect for the audience’s desire for something new. That’s one of the big thrills of going to the movies is, frankly, seeing a trailer for a movie you’ve never heard of or type of movie you haven’t seen. A healthy ecosystem in Hollywood is about a balance between the two things and always has been,” Christopher Nolan told AP.

‘The more interesting films being made, the better’

He also said there was not need for overanalysing the audiences’ reactions to any particular type of film. Christopher Nolan said, “They’re not realistic in terms of how we will watch movies. We all watch movies with different expectations for what kind of movie it is. We all go to the movies, wanting to see something different than we saw the week before. You have horror movies and comedies and documentaries – the movie screen can be anything. And so the more variety we have, the more interesting films being made, the better it is, for all of us as moviegoers and as industry professionals.”

What Martin Scorsese had said about franchises

Christopher Nolan’s comments were made after he was asked his reaction to Martin Scorsese’s remarks about ‘fighting back’ the comic book movie culture. In a September interview, Martin Scorsese had told GQ that there is a ‘danger’ to what these blockbusters are ‘doing to our culture’.

Martin had said, “Because there are going to be generations now that think movies are only those – that’s what movies are… It’s got to come from the grassroots level. It’s gotta come from the filmmakers themselves… And you’ll have, you know, the Safdie brothers, and you’ll have Christopher Nolan, you know what I mean? And hit them from all sides. Hit them from all sides, and don’t give up. Let’s see what you got. Go out there and do it. Go reinvent.”