Ridley Scott blames millennials for The Last Duel's poor box office performance

(Image credit: 20th Century Studios)

Director Ridley Scott has spoken out about The Last Duel's disappointing box office performance – and he blames it on "millennials" and their "fucking cell phones." The historical epic made $27 million at the global box office against a budget of $100 million when it was released in October, despite being well-received by critics.

"Disney did a fantastic promotion job," Scott told the WTF podcast (via The Hollywood Reporter). "The bosses loved the movie because I was concerned it was not for them. I think what it boils down to – what we've got today [are] the audiences who were brought up on these fucking cell phones. The millennian [who] do not ever want to be taught anything unless you told it on the cell phone. This is a broad stroke, but I think we're dealing with it right now with Facebook. This is a misdirection that has happened where it's given the wrong kind of confidence to this latest generation."

Set in 14th Century France, the movie follows a knight (Matt Damon) who challenges his squire (Adam Driver) to a duel, after his wife (Jodie Comer) accuses the squire of raping her. Ben Affleck also stars as the count under which Damon's knight serves. Damon and Affleck co-wrote the movie's script with Nicole Holofcener.

Scott's next movie to arrive on the big screen is House of Gucci, which releases on November 26. In the meantime, check out our list of the other upcoming movies to get excited about in 2021 and beyond.

I’m an Entertainment Writer here at GamesRadar+, covering everything film and TV-related across the Total Film and SFX sections. I help bring you all the latest news and also the occasional feature too. I’ve previously written for publications like HuffPost and i-D after getting my NCTJ Diploma in Multimedia Journalism.