It’s become par for the course that any notable actor or filmmaker who does press rounds for their latest project will invariably be drawn into the great superhero debate that’s been dominating the discourse ever since Martin Scorsese opened up a huge can of worms by claiming Marvel isn’t cinema, with Christopher Walken the latest to weigh in.
The veteran screen legend obviously isn’t averse to joining mega budget studio blockbusters given that we’ll be seeing him next year in Denis Villenueve’s sequel Dune: Part Two, although that doesn’t mean he’s completely excepting of $200 million behemoths trampling all over the little guys.
In an interview with The Sydney Morning Herald, Walken was asked for his thoughts on the current state of cinema, and he offered a thoughtful response, but not without noting that he hasn’t been offered a gig in the MCU as of yet.
“Nobody’s asked me to do a Marvel! But I think it’s too bad that with a movie that costs $200 million to make, you know, dozens of smaller movies could be made for that money. And then it’s too bad that if you make a movie now, it’s unlikely to be seen in a [cinema] unless it’s one of those big ones. The smaller movies more likely go straight to the small screen.”
Having been around the block more than a few times already, Walken knows that big-name franchises drive the majority of ticket sales, but he’s also fully aware that the myriad of streaming services available have at least offered a brand new avenue for smaller films to find an audience.