Martin Scorsese, Champion Of Movie Theaters, Shares Your Movie Theater Complaints
We've all encountered it before. Movie theaters can be the ultimate houses of worship for us movie-obsessives, elevating the joys of watching a new movie to whole new heights. It's everything that Nicole Kidman's AMC commercial promises it should be ... except, of course, there's also the other half of the equation. Those forced to endure major theater chain multiplexes with lousy seating, overworked employees, rude audience members, and shockingly poor projection (so, basically, the vast majority of us) have to put up with dire conditions that, at times, threaten to ruin the entire point of theaters altogether.
I have to assume that, for /Film readers with a keen interest in keeping the theatrical experience alive, this is preaching to the choir. But who knew that choir would also include the patron saint of movie theaters himself, Martin Scorsese?
In a new Variety cover story in the wake of "The Killers of the Flower Moon" earning multiple well-deserved Oscar nominations, the famous filmmaker took direct aim at the most relatable of all things: crappy moviegoing experiences. When asked whether he pulls a Christopher Nolan and sneaks into public screenings on occasion, Scorsese answered:
"I don't do that. People talk and move around a lot. I'm short and there's always a big person in front of me. It's the same with Broadway — I can't go to theater. There's someone in front of me, and I can't see the stage or hear the show. I really enjoy IMAX as I get older. You go in, you can sit up in the back and you're sort of looking up. Regular screenings, I have found the audiences becoming a bit more raucous than they used to be. But maybe it's always like in the '50s when we used to yell back at the screen."
Stop blocking Martin Scorsese's view, you animals!
The biggest and best directors in the world, of course, are privileged enough to wax poetic about the sanctity of watching movies on the big screen ... all while they enjoy the unparalleled comforts of fancy private screening rooms. Others, however, actually put their money where their mouth is and that's where Scorsese comes in. He just does so a little later than most. In addition to confirming that he's the industry's greatest Short King, the esteemed director still made sure to emphasize the importance of watching movies in theaters:
"But it's very important to me to support films while they're on the big screen. I just wait a while."
Scorsese's got the right idea. As much fun as opening weekend premieres can be — and the film gods know that sometimes that can feel like a requirement if one doesn't want to get spoiled these days — there's definitely a unique pleasure in filing into a near-empty theater, weeks after release, and taking advantage of the peace and quiet. Now, granted, some might think this is all a little rich coming from the guy who sold his latest movie, "Killers of the Flower Moon," to a major streaming service that likely had to be forced to include a theatrical rollout at all. But it says a lot about the state of the industry that no other studio would even fund such a brilliant movie in the first place. That's why it's so important to see filmmakers like Christopher Nolan and Denis Villeneuve championing movie theaters the way they have, especially with the recent news of re-releases for both "Dune" and "Tenet."
And who knows? Maybe someday you'll catch yourself in an empty theater with Mr. Scorsese, quietly enjoying the latest release.