Ridley Scott has blamed the commercial failure of The Last Duel on millennials and their "f**king cellphones".
Speaking to Marc Maron on his WTF podcast, the film director was asked why his most recent movie, which starred Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, and Jodie Comer, grossed just $27 million on a budget of $100 million.
Scott replied: "I think what it boils down to - what we've got today [are] the audiences who were brought up on these f**king cell phones. The millennial, [who] do not ever want to be taught anything unless you tell it on the cell phone."
The filmmaker, whose back catalog of films includes Alien, Blade Runner, Gladiator, and Thelma & Louise, added: "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, I think."
Scott also came to the defense of Disney's marketing team: "Disney did a fantastic promotion job. The bosses loved the movie because I was concerned it was not for them."
He also said he had no regrets about making the movie, which is one of the biggest commercial flops of his long career.
"I've never had one regret on any movie I've ever made. Nothing. I learned very early on to be your own critic. The only thing you should really have an opinion on is what you just did. Walk away. Make sure you’re happy. And don't look back. That's me."
It comes as Scott slammed superhero movies as "no f**king good" and "boring as s**t".
The revered filmmaker made the comment when speaking to Deadline earlier this month.
"The best films are driven by the characters, and we’ll come to superheroes after this if you want because I’ll crush it. I’ll f***ing crush it. They’re f***ing boring as s***," he told the outlet.
Asked for his main "gripe" about superhero movies, the director responded: "Their scripts are not any f**king good. I think I’ve done three great scripted superhero movies. One would be Alien with Sigourney Weaver. One would be f**ing Gladiator, and one would be [Blade Runner].
"They're superhero movies. So, why don't the superhero movies have better stories? Sorry. I got off the rail, but I mean, c’mon. They're mostly saved by special effects, and that’s becoming boring for everyone who works with special effects, if you've got the money."
Scott's next film, House of Gucci, is out in cinemas on November 26.