Brian Cox says cinema is in a ‘very bad way’ and places blame on Marvel

‘You’re getting the same old’ the actor said

Brian Cox has expressed concern for the state of the film industry.

The Succession actor, 78, who played the Marvel character Colonel William Stryker in X2: X-Men United, partly blamed the industry’s perceived downfall on the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), claiming films were losing their sense of originality in favour of box office success.

Cox referenced the MCU’s latest release Deadpool & Wolverine, which took in $1.086bn (£839m) at the global box office after 23 days of release, as a clear example of cinematic “party time”, which he claimed is causing Hollywood to lose “the plot”.

Speaking at the Edinburgh International Film Festival on Saturday (17 August), Cox said: “What’s happened is that television is doing what cinema used to do. 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.”

He referenced how films like Deadpool & Wolverine are “making a lot of money” and “that’ll make everybody happy, but in terms of the work, it becomes diluted afterwards”.

Cox added: “You’re getting the same old… I mean, I’ve done those kind of [projects].”

Brian Cox in ‘Succession’ (Craig Blankenhorn/HBO)

The Succession star admitted that he often “forgets” about the fact that it was his X2: X-Men United scientist character William Stryker who persuades Logan to become Wolverine.

“Deadpool meets the guy,” he said. “Wolverine, who I created, but I’ve forgotten. Actually. When those films are on, there’s always a bit of me [as Stryker] and they never pay me any money.”

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

Hugh Jackman and Ryan Reynolds in ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ (Marvel)

The Independent’s Louis Chilton said Deadpool & Wolverine “isn’t just a bad movie” but is “changing the definition of what a movie is”.

“It is a film that is about absolutely nothing,” he wrote. “A film with no discernable purpose or artistic ambitions, beyond the perpetuation of its own corporate myth.”

Of all the films released in 2024, Deadpool & Wolverine is now the second-highest-grossing film of the year, second only to Pixar’s family animation Inside Out 2.

Most recently, Deadpool & Wolverine overtook 2019’s Joker to become the highest grossing R-rated movie in history.