Matt Damon Reveals His Biggest Frustration With Modern Hollywood
Matt Damon opens up about his disappointment with Hollywood’s obsession with massive superhero blockbusters and the decline of the mid-budget, character-driven films that defined his early career.
For most actors, earning millions per film and picking up producer credits would seem like a dream come true. But for Matt Damon, there’s a persistent issue in the film industry that’s been bothering him for years—and he’s not shy about saying so. While some might call it ironic, given his own participation in blockbuster franchises, Damon’s frustration is rooted in the changing landscape of the movies that first made him a star.
Damon’s rise to fame is closely tied to the success of Good Will Hunting, but he’s quick to credit The Bourne Identity for keeping his career alive. He’s said that Doug Liman’s spy thriller pulled him back from the brink of fading into obscurity, setting him up for decades of steady work. Since then, Damon’s career has followed a familiar rhythm: collaborating with acclaimed directors for creative satisfaction, making surprise cameos, leading mid-to-large budget films, and joining star-studded ensemble casts. This formula has kept him in the spotlight, but he’s been warning for a decade that the era of these films is fading fast.
Hollywood ’s Shift to Blockbusters
As early as 2016, Damon was already voicing his concerns about the direction the industry was heading.
“I think nowadays I’m so depressed about things because movies have changed since I was where you are,”
he told The Tech. He pointed to the rise of massive, high-budget productions, saying,
“Because of these bigger influences on the business, now they’re making these giant, giant movies that are these $300 million behemoths.”
Damon specifically called out the dominance of superhero films, describing them as
“all about people in capes running around.”
Ironically, he later appeared in Deadpool 2 and two of Taika Waititi ’s Thor movies—roles that ended up being among the highest-grossing of his career until Oppenheimer came along.
The Disappearance of Character-Driven Films
What really gets under Damon’s skin is the vanishing act of the kinds of movies that built his reputation.
“I’d say what irks me the most right now is that the movies that were my bread and butter, the Good Will Hunting-type movies, or The Informant, or movies like that, have just evaporated,”
he explained.
“They’re just gone. They’re not being made anymore. They’re either being made for television, or they have to be made for extremely low budgets.”
Damon, who’s always had a knack for predicting industry trends, also lamented the decline in storytelling quality.
“The one thing that bothers me about modern cinema is that the scripts have become so simple, and the stories have become so simple and predictable, and we’re not getting tired of them yet.”
Adapting to a New Reality
By 2026, Damon found himself both starring in and co-producing The Rip with Ben Affleck under their Artists Equity banner. The film was made with the understanding that its plot would need to be repeated several times in dialogue, since streaming platforms like Netflix expect viewers to be distracted by their phones. In the end, Damon seems to have accepted that if he can’t change the system, he might as well work within it.