Chloe Zhao went to Venice and refused to apologise for Eternals
Chloé Zhao’s sticking up for superhero cinema in a Variety interview — and if you think box office disappointment dulled that, think again.
Let’s talk about Eternals – you know, the Marvel film that managed to create more heated debate than actual box office momentum. Now, the director behind it, Chloé Zhao (yes, the Oscar-winner for Nomadland), is stepping forward to stick up for comic-book movies, which have taken a bit of a kicking lately. She’s not having any of this “comic films aren’t proper art” chat, and frankly, I’m with her.
In a recent chat with Variety over at the Venice Film Festival, Zhao was asked about her time at the helm of Marvel’s 2021 cosmic epic. She didn’t just say she liked it – she absolutely owned it as a career highlight. Here’s what she told the room, setting the record straight on why making a superhero film was more than just a studio gig for her:
“For any of you who love anime, I know you know this was a girl’s dream come true. Comic books are the western equivalent of [manga]. They are very different, but I live in the West, and that’s what I had access to.”
Eternals by the Numbers
If you’re wondering how all that geek passion translated to the box office, it’s a bit of a mixed bag. Eternals officially landed in cinemas on 5 November 2021 and took in a reasonable $402.1 million worldwide on a whopping $236.2 million budget.
Eternals was the first Marvel Studios film to scrape by with just 48% on Rotten Tomatoes' Tomatometer.
Those numbers aren’t exactly pocket change, but for Marvel, they’re not shouting success from the rooftops either. Critics weren’t exactly bowled over: the Rotten Tomatoes score sits at a rather underwhelming 48%, though audiences seemed a bit more forgiving at 77% on their scoring system. You could call it a divisive outing, to put it kindly.
She’s Not Apologising for Genre Films
Zhao’s not giving up the defence of superheroes just because Eternals didn’t shake up the Marvel order. She reckons the industry should stop writing off these films just because they don’t come wrapped in awards bait. “I do feel it’s important to not write off stories because we don’t consider them high art,” she told Variety. Her argument is simple: all genres deserve a fair shot, and just because you’re telling a story with immortals in shiny capes doesn’t automatically relegate you to the bargain bin.
She explained why these stories matter in her own terms too – it’s about archetypes, myths, and giving people a way to process the big stuff in life. And superhero movies, for all their laser blasts and CGI dazzle, are just today’s version of classic myths, according to Zhao. She says it’s about creating “containers for people to try to process what they need to process” and that the big, recognisable archetypes are part of what we all share – whether it’s in ancient legends or current blockbuster fare.
A Cast Worthy of a Cosmic Soap Opera
Eternals wasn’t exactly low on star power. The film brought together Gemma Chan, Richard Madden, Kumail Nanjiani, Lia McHugh, Brian Tyree Henry, Lauren Ridloff, Barry Keoghan, Don Lee, Kit Harington, Salma Hayek, and Angelina Jolie. This bunch had to play immortals hiding on Earth for thousands of years, only to pop up when some beasties called Deviants needed a good telling-off. Could it have been a classic? Maybe. Did it become one? Mixed reviews say otherwise.