Eternals Director Chloé Zhao Felt The Marvel Flop Had One Major Problem

Chloé Zhao's "Eternals" is an ambitious blockbuster, but the Marvel flick isn't without its flaws. The movie attempts to be both meditative and grandiose, and the experiment doesn't always work. As of this writing, it's one of the least well-received movies in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and Zhao is the first to admit that the film has its problems.

While speaking to Vanity Fair, the director of "The Rider" and "Nomadland" explained that the freedom afforded to her while making "Eternals" was more of a curse than a blessing, and it proved to be the biggest hurdle the film encountered. However, the experience also taught her some valuable lessons about the filmmaking process, which she carried into her latest feature, "Hamnet." As she put it:

"'Eternals' had, like, an unlimited amount of money and resources. And here [with 'Hamnet'], we have one street corner that we can afford, to [stand in for] Stratford [...] 'Eternals' didn't have a lot of limitations, and that is actually quite dangerous."

While Zhao originally approached Marvel about making "Eternals," it sounds like she wasn't 100% enamored with the overall experience by the end of it. That said, the filmmaker has also accepted the fact that "Eternals" is one of the MCU's most polarizing releases — and she understands why.

"Eternals" boasts all of the hallmarks we've come to expect from superhero movies, but other elements might have been too weird for general audiences. The movie contains some of the artier themes associated with Chloé Zhao's pre-Marvel dramas, which is partly why the feature wasn't universally praised. Zhao opened up about the film's divisive nature in an interview with Empire, revealing that releasing a movie about existentialism in the wake of COVID-19 might have troubled some folks. However, she also conceded that "Eternals" being unlike other Marvel films probably rubbed some people the wrong way. In her own words:

"In this case, we truly stepped out of the box that I think the world put us in and met in the middle because of our shared interests. And by truly doing that, it made a lot of people uncomfortable on both sides. But there are also people who are more comfortable with the order of their world [being] disturbed. And then they look at our love-child and go, 'Oh! This touches different sides of me!' I like that."

It remains to be seen if Zhao will return to the world of superhero blockbusters knowing what she knows now. Regardless of what happens, she deserves praise for making a movie that takes some big swings... even if it isn't the home run Marvel probably wanted.

"Eternals" is currently streaming on Disney+. Meanwhile, "Hamnet" opens in theaters on November 27, 2025.