Samuel L. Jackson Hits Back at Directors Who Slammed Superhero Films: ‘People Aren’t Going to See Their Movies’

Samuel L. Jackson defended superhero movies while on The View, hitting back at directors who have slammed the genre. 

“Movies are movies,” Jackson said. “Those are the movies that I went to see when I was a kid. And the artistry of making a movie is something that was a mystery for so long.”

Jackson noted that “making movies is no longer a mystery,” as the public has more access to technology and can even make films on smartphones.

“So it’s easy for them to dismiss it, only because people aren’t going to see their movies,” he continued. “It’s like we’ve been dumbed down, but that’s always been the case.”

The actor pointed out that people have always sought out light-hearted films such as superhero movies, noting that the genre’s popularity is nothing new for Hollywood.

“When we were younger, people went to see cowboy movies, and they went to see superhero movies of another ilk, they had superheroes on television,” he said. “When you told a serious story, yeah, you find a niche audience — same thing still happens. People go to the movies to make themselves feel better and to get out of their daily existence.”

He reasoned that “people go into the big, darkroom to have a good time,” highlighting a trip to the movies as a way for people to share laughs and sometimes screams.

“I still do movies that I would have gone to see when I was a kid,” he concluded.

Jackson made similar comments in a recent interview with U.K. paper The Times, arguing that “all movies are valid,” and previously hit at Martin Scorsese’s claim that Marvel films aren’t real cinema.

“I mean that’s like saying Bugs Bunny ain’t funny. Films are films. Everybody doesn’t like his stuff either,” Jackson told Variety in 2019. “Everybody’s got an opinion, so I mean it’s okay. Ain’t going to stop nobody from making movies.”

Watch above, via ABC.