“He did a good job given the circumstances”: Jared Leto’s ‘Morbius’ Director Receives an Outpouring of Support From Fans After Blaming Himself for the Doomed Film

If the harsh criticisms of Jared Leto’s Morbius film were physically tangible, it would have helplessly impaired the movie for good. No solid explanation will redeem the picture’s failure to perform at the box office.

As one of Marvel’s biggest flops of all time, the misfortune was a blow to director Daniel Espinosa’s career and reputation. He admitted feeling devastated by the outcome, and at one point, he also blamed himself for its catastrophic fate.

Morbius Director Daniel Espinosa Opens Up About The Disastrous Film

In an interview with Deadline, director Daniel Espinosa admitted he suffered from the wreckage of Sony’s Morbius. It also did not help that the audience’s interest in it has significantly waned as the film’s release was delayed due to the pandemic.

To make a movie through committee, I think, is very hard, and I felt in the end that maybe a different director would have been a better fit. I’m known amongst the studios to be a person with a lot of opinions, and maybe they were not looking for that kind of director.

The Swedish-Chilean filmmaker could not help but doubt his abilities because of the tragic fate of the movie. Speaking with Business Insider, Espinosa got candid and unpacked all of his honest sentiments about Morbius.

He recalled his first movie getting criticized by someone, and this is the same thing that happened with his Marvel film, which he reckoned happens when someone makes a public project.

Look, I have a lot of self-hatred so I have a lot of criticism of my own work. I’m always trying to focus on being better. But I am also proud of what I do. There are parts in all of my movies that I’m really proud of.

Morbius received a disappointing 15% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes. It grossed over $167 million against a budget of $75-80 million, as per Box Office Mojo. For Espinosa, “It doesn’t matter. At the end of the day, the movie is the movie.”

Marvel Fans Showed Sympathy For Morbius Director

It’s really difficult to make a movie in which the lead character isn’t as well-known as other Marvel properties. While Espinosa still takes the blame for the Morbius fiasco, netizens believe he’s being too harsh on himself. Read their tweets below:

I actually thought he did a good job given the circumstances

— proximus apologist (@WonderfulDay98) July 20, 2024

I thought that movie was dope

— R.Larson21 (@ReginaldLarson) July 20, 2024

The movie was fine, he's too hard on himself

— 𝐋𝐎𝐆𝐀𝐍 (@wolverineofxmen) July 20, 2024

Directing is hard, so I don't blame him for saying that.

— Nathan // Awesomegamerdude (@AGDFNAF) July 20, 2024

What sucks is I think that director has genuine talent and an eye for the camera but Sony just royally fucked his movie.

— Eli Raegen (@whocareslol22) July 20, 2024

It’s quite nice to think that there are fans who are sympathetic enough to cheer up directors whose works did not turn a profit at the box office. After all, this means that they genuinely care about audience reception.

At this point, Morbius 2 is still a vague idea. It remains to be seen whether Sony and Marvel will give Jared Leto’s film another shot.

Morbius is now streaming on Disney+.