Martin Scorsese Sparks Heated Debate After Explaining Why He Won't See Movies In The Theater Anymore

Martin Scorsese won’t be watching the latest summer blockbuster in a movie theater anymore.

Film critic Peter Travers interviewed the 82-year-old famed director of Goodfellas and The Irishman for his blog, The Travers Take. The website is the latest project from Travers, a film critic for Rolling Stone and Good Morning America, as well as a longtime friend of Scorsese.

In the interview, Travers questioned him on why he no longer watches movies at a theater:

“I asked the maestro why he doesn’t see movies in theaters anymore, and he went all raging bull about audiences who babble on phones during the movie, leave to order snacks and vats of soda, and keep up a noise level loud enough to drown out the actors.”

Scorsese does have a point about rude moviegoers. During the showings of “A Minecraft Movie,” starring Jack Black and Jason Momoa, a TikTok trend emerged where the audience would throw their buckets of popcorn into the air when Minecraft Steve said “chicken jockey.”

A TikTok video of that challenge can be seen below:

Travers continued the interview, reminding Scorsese of the joy of going to the movies as kids.

"'Come on, Marty,' I said, 'we couldn’t keep our mouths shut when we were kids.' His eyes darkened. 'Yeah, maybe,' he conceded, 'but when we talked, it was always about the movie and the fun we had chewing over the details.'”

At the same time, Scorsese has the privilege of watching his films in his New York City townhouse, which is decorated with movie posters, memorabilia, cameras, a movie library, and his own screening room. His cinema-decorated home can be previewed in a 2024 TikTok video with his youngest daughter, Francesca.

Take a look at this movie lovers’ setup below:

Needless to say, Scorsese won’t be seen in a multiplex anytime soon.

This isn’t the first time Scorsese has had a controversial take on movies. He gave an interview to Empire magazine in 2019, stating that the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is “not cinema” and more like “theme parks.”

Scorsese explained:

“I said that I’ve tried to watch a few of them and that they’re not for me, that they seem to me to be closer to theme parks than they are to movies as I’ve known and loved them throughout my life, and that in the end, I don’t think they’re cinema.”

But some fans agree with Scorsese’s take when it comes to audience antics at movie theaters:

While others disagreed:

According to Deadline, Scorsese’s next movie will be set in Hawaii, starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Emily Blunt, and Dwayne Johnson. The screenplay has been described as a Goodfellas meets The Departed crime drama set in the 1960s about a mob boss’ rise to build a criminal empire, waging war against mainland corporations.

A movie that I’m sure Scorsese will watch in the comfort of his own screening room.