'Avengers' Directors Joe & Anthony Russo Respond to Marin Scorsese's Criticism of Marvel Movies

Joe and Anthony Russo are weighing in on an ongoing debate about Marvel movies.

The Avengers: Endgame directors spoke out after Martin Scorsese openly criticized Marvel films as “not cinema,” and later expanded on the thought in an op-ed.

“Ultimately, we define cinema as a film that can bring people together to have a shared, emotional experience,” Joe told The Hollywood Reporter.

“When we look at the box office [of] Avengers: Endgame, we don’t see that as a signifier of financial success, we see it as a signifier of emotional success. It’s a movie that had an unprecedented impact on audiences around the world in the way that they shared that narrative and the way that they experienced it. And the emotions they felt watching it,” he went on to say.

“But, at the end of the day, what do we know? We’re just two guys from Cleveland, Ohio, and ‘cinema’ is a New York word. In Cleveland, we call them movies.”

“The other way to think about it, too, is nobody owns cinema. We don’t own cinema. You don’t own cinema. Scorsese doesn’t own cinema,” added Anthony.

For their full thoughts, head to THR.com.

READ MORE: Martin Scorsese Explains Why He Believes Marvel Movies Are ‘Not Cinema’