Director hits out over $80m film flop

This is exactly what Ridley Scott did in response to his latest film, The Last Duel, being somewhat of a failure at the box office.In case you missed it, the film is set in Medieval times and revolves around a respected knight (Matt Damon) duelling with a squire (Adam Driver) who is accused of raping his wife (Jodie Comer). Oh yeah, and that plot takes up two-and-a-half hours.The film had a budget of more than $100 million, and has so far only made $20 million. Ooft.Instead of having any kind of self-reflection, or considering that perhaps it’s just that no-one really wants to see a two hour movie about Medieval sex crimes, Scott told Marc Maron’s WTF podcast that in fact, Millennials and their phones are to blame.“I think what it boils down to — what we’ve got today [are] the audiences who were brought up on these f**king cellphones,” he told Maron. “The millennian [sic] do not ever want to be taught anything unless you’re told it on a cellphone.”“This is a broad stroke, but … This is a misdirection that has happened where it’s given the wrong kind of confidence to this latest generation, I think.”I mean, I’m as confused as you are.For starters, surely learning history from a thorough internet search is more appropriate than a fictional studio film?Also, did he happen to miss the huge buzz around Netflix’s The Crown (justice for Diana!)? Or the fact that 2021’s highest grossing film was Korean War story, The Battle at Lake Changjin. Which yes, means it beat the latest James Bond flick, No Time To Die.But SURE, let’s blame Millennials and their phones.