Matt Damon Opens Up About Hollywood’s Decline and Why It’s Depressing Him

Matt Damon may be one of the biggest stars in Hollywood, but that doesn’t mean he’s happy with where the industry is headed. Even after decades of success and millions earned per movie, the actor has been open about how frustrated and discouraged he feels about modern filmmaking.

Damon has spoken many times about his issues with today’s Hollywood system. He admits he benefits from it, but says that doesn’t stop him from seeing what’s going wrong. One of his biggest complaints is the industry’s obsession with giant blockbuster movies, especially superhero films with massive budgets.

He has often joked about these projects as movies where people are just running around in capes. Back in 2016, he warned that this trend would hurt the rest of cinema, and many fans believe his prediction has come true.

In comments reported by Far Out Magazine, Damon said, “I think I’m very depressed today about the state of the industry because these massive, massive $300 million movies are being made.” He explained that when studios spend that much money on one film, there’s no room left for smaller, character-focused stories.

According to Damon, the kinds of movies that built his career have almost disappeared from theaters. Films like Good Will Hunting and The Informant! used to be common studio projects. Now, he says, those stories either get pushed to television or are made on such small budgets that hardly anyone sees them.

Damon has credited The Informant! with keeping his career alive after his early success. Since then, he’s carefully chosen roles by working with respected directors, doing surprise cameos, and starring in serious ensemble dramas. That formula worked for years, but he believes the system that supported those films is slowly falling apart.

Beyond budgets, Damon also thinks writing has taken a hit. He has said that many modern scripts feel overly simple and predictable. In his view, studios assume audiences aren’t paying full attention anymore.

That idea came up again with his recent Netflix film The Rip, which he starred in and produced alongside Ben Affleck. Damon admitted the story was designed to repeat key points because studios expect viewers to be scrolling on their phones while watching. It’s not how he prefers to work, but he’s accepted that he can’t fight the system alone.

Outside of movies, Damon has been busy supporting his longtime friend Ben Affleck during his divorce from Jennifer Lopez. He has also stayed active in charity work. This year, he spoke at the Davos summit about Water.org, his clean water organization. According to the group, their programs have now helped more than 85 million people worldwide.

Professionally, Damon is currently enjoying strong success. The Rip debuted on Netflix on January 16, and the platform reports that it pulled in over 41 million views in its first weekend. The crime thriller follows Miami police officers who stumble upon a massive pile of cash and stars Steven Yeun and Teyana Taylor alongside Damon.

Looking ahead, Damon is preparing for one of the biggest roles of his career. He will star as Odysseus in Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey, set to hit theaters on July 17. The film has a huge budget and a stacked cast that includes Tom Holland, Anne Hathaway, and Robert Pattinson.

Damon reportedly lost weight for the role to portray a worn-down warrior. He has described the project as a rare chance to make a massive movie shot on real film. While he may be unhappy with much of Hollywood today, it’s clear that projects like this still remind him why he fell in love with movies in the first place.

Do you agree with Matt Damon that big-budget superhero films have hurt storytelling in Hollywood? Share your thoughts in the comments.