Christopher Nolan Justifies Established Film Industry Franchises: “A Healthy Hollywood Ecosystem Is About Balance”

There is a heated debate in Hollywood about the extent to which the industry depends on established franchises such as superhero films and how many original films are made to order. Director Christopher Nolan addresses the subject and explains that there must be a balance between all types of films.

“I think in Hollywood there’s always a balance between established titles that can create a repeat audience and give people more of what they want,” he told the BBC. Associated Press during a recent interview. “It’s always been a big part of Hollywood’s economy, and it’s worth producing and distributing many other kinds of films.”

Nolan noted that audiences must also be respected because they have a “desire for something new”.

“It’s one of the biggest thrills when you go to the cinema and see the trailer for a movie you’ve never heard of, or a type of movie you haven’t seen in a long time, something new, something new. A healthy ecosystem in Hollywood is about a balance between two things, and it always has been that way.”

The filmmaker also made it a point not to overanalyze audience reactions to a specific type of film.

“They’re not realistic about how we’re going to watch movies,” he said. “We all watch films with different expectations about what kind of film it is. We all go to the cinema and want to see something different from the previous week. There are horror films, comedies and documentaries – the big screen can be anything. And the more variety we have, the more interesting the films, the better it is for all of us as moviegoers and as industry professionals.

Nolan’s comments were made after the reporter asked him about Martin Scorsese’s comments about comic book film culture “backfiring”.

“It has to come from the filmmakers themselves. And you have, you know, the Safdie brothers, and you have Chris Nolan, you know what I mean? And hit them from all sides,” Scorsese said GQ in an interview earlier this year. “Hit them from all sides and don’t give up.” Let’s see what you have. Go out and do it. Reinvent yourself. Don’t complain about it. But it’s true, because we have to save the cinema.”

Check out Nolan’s full interview with the AP in the video below.