Brian Cox Says Cinema is in ‘A Very Bad Way,’ Blames Marvel and DC

While speaking at the Edinburgh International Film Festival on Saturday, Brian Cox, prolific film actor and star of HBO’s “Succession,” said the state of cinema is “in a very bad way,” pointing the finger at blockbuster powerhouses like Marvel and DC.

“What’s happened is that television is doing what cinema used to do,” Cox said when asked about the state of popular film and TV. “I think cinema is in a very bad way. I think it’s lost its place because of, partly, the grandiose element between Marvel, DC and all of that. And I think it’s beginning to implode, actually. You’re kind of losing the plot.”

Cox went on to cite the MCU’s latest box office sensation “Deadpool and Wolverine” as an example, saying that, although superhero movies are “making a lot of money,” from an actor’s perspective, the work becomes “diluted” after so many comic book releases.

“So it’s just become a party time for certain actors to do this stuff,” Cox said. “When you know that Hugh Jackman can do a bit more, Ryan Reynolds… they go down that road and it’s box office. They make a lot of money. You can’t knock it.”

In 2003, Cox starred in the highly successful “X-Men” sequel “X2,” back when 20th Century Fox still controlled the band of super mutant outcasts. He played William Stryker, a megalomaniac military scientist who ironically gave Logan his adamantium skeleton and created Wolverine.

Cox joked that he “often” forgets that his character “created” Wolverine in the MCU lore. “Deadpool meets…Wolverine, who I created, but I’ve forgotten. Actually,” Cox added, “When those films are on, there’s always a bit of me [as Stryker] and they never pay me any money.”

The Hollywood Reporter was the first to report Cox’s conversation.