Ray Winstone Calls Out MCU: “It’s All About Selling Tickets”

British actor Ray Winstone, known for films like The Departed, spoke at the Sarajevo Film Festival where he received the Honorary Heart of Sarajevo award for his contributions to cinema.

In an interview at the festival, Winstone reflected on how the film industry has changed over the years, saying it has become more of a business than an art form.

He specifically criticized blockbuster films like those in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, calling them ticket-driven productions. “It’s all about selling tickets,” he said. “We see what’s happening in Hollywood with Marvel and all that kind of stuff… There is room for it, and it’s fun, but it takes away from getting cultural films made, which are best for the actors, [and] are really good acting parts. It’s getting more and more difficult to do that. If you’re not on social media now, they might not even consider you for a movie because they want a fanbase to come with that.”

Winstone also spoke about his role as Dreykov, the villain in 2021’s Black Widow, a Marvel film that many fans hoped would rejuvenate the MCU after a few underperforming releases.

Dreykov is a dark and complex character, a p******* who turns young girls into deadly agents known as Black Widows. Winstone recalled how working with director Cate Shortland on developing the character was one of the most rewarding experiences in recent years. “We used to get applauded on set. It was probably the best thing I’ve done for a really long time,” he said.

However, Winstone’s experience on Black Widow was complicated by reshoots. “Then I come home after finishing the job and get a call saying we need to do some reshoots,” he explained. “I say: how many scenes? [Cate] says ‘all of them.’ So I said she should recast [the role], but I was contracted, so I had to do it. I go back, they do my hair all nice, put me in the suit, and I couldn’t do it. I’d already done it. I thought, ‘I’m not doing it now. I’ve done it. That’s how it’s going to be.’ That’s rejection, you know? There’s nothing worse than doing something, leaving it on the floor, and then being told it’s not right.”

Winstone’s comments also hint at a larger shift in the MCU itself. After years of dominating the box office, the franchise has seen some of its recent entries underperform and lose the cultural dominance it once had.

For Winstone, this decline reflects how the industry’s focus on mass appeal blockbusters can sometimes overshadow deeper storytelling and roles that challenge actors.

According to Winstone, there is still space for blockbuster films, but the business side of Hollywood has made it harder for actors to find meaningful, culturally rich roles. As he put it, the pressure to maintain a fanbase through social media and massive franchises often limits the kinds of films being made today.

Have something to add? Let us know in the comments!