Chloé Zhao defends superhero genre and her work on Eternals

Director Chloé Zhao has defended the superhero and comic book film genre during a masterclass at the Venice Film Festival. Despite the recent decline in popularity and criticism from filmmakers regarding the genre's disposability, Zhao argued against writing off these stories simply because they are not categorized as ‘high art.’

Reflecting on her experience directing the 2021 Marvel Studios film ‘Eternals,’ Zhao stated that she ‘loved’ the project, describing the opportunity to work with comic book IP as a dream come true. She noted that storytelling serves to create ‘containers’ for people to process emotions through shared archetypes and myths.

While ‘Eternals’ was a commercial success, grossing over $400 million worldwide, it faced critical challenges and was noted as the first MCU film to receive a ‘Rotten’ rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Zhao suggested that the film may not have reached its full potential because it was not a high priority for Marvel Studios at the time.