Martin Scorsese Reveals the Film That Audiences Hated and Found Deeply Upsetting

Even the most celebrated directors in Hollywood have faced rejection, and Martin Scorsese is no exception. While he is responsible for some of cinema’s most acclaimed masterpieces, he recently opened up about a project that was initially despised by the public. The legendary filmmaker shared that one of his movies was not just disliked but actively hated upon its release.

The revelation came during a lighthearted TikTok video filmed by his daughter, Francesca Scorsese. In the clip, she quizzed her father on modern slang, asking him to define the term “slept on” using his 1982 film The King of Comedy as an example. This prompted Scorsese to recall the harsh reality of the movie’s debut.

“People hated it when it came out,” Scorsese admitted frankly in the video. He remembered that it was dubbed the “flop of the year” by Entertainment Tonight on New Year’s Eve in 1983. Despite the film’s current status as a cult classic, the initial reception was brutally negative.

The King of Comedy stars Robert De Niro as Rupert Pupkin, a delusional aspiring comedian who becomes obsessed with a famous talk show host played by Jerry Lewis. Desperate for fame, Pupkin eventually kidnaps his idol to demand a spot on the evening broadcast. The dark satire explores the toxic side of celebrity culture and media obsession.

At the time, the film was a massive commercial failure, grossing only about $2.5 million against a $19 million budget. Audiences were reportedly unsettled by the movie’s tone and De Niro’s uncomfortably realistic performance. Robert De Niro later reflected that the film gave off an aura of something people simply didn’t want to look at or acknowledge.

Scorsese believes the movie upset viewers because it struck a nerve regarding the nature of fame and rejection. The character of Rupert Pupkin was seen as too pathetic and disturbing for a mainstream comedy audience in the early 80s. It was a sharp departure from the director’s previous gritty hits like Taxi Driver.

However, time has been kind to the film, and it is now widely regarded as a misunderstood masterpiece. Its influence is undeniable, serving as a primary inspiration for Todd Phillips’ 2019 blockbuster Joker. Today, critics and fans praise the very awkwardness and tension that originally drove audiences away.

Let us know in the comments if you think The King of Comedy is a masterpiece or if you understand why audiences found it so upsetting back then.