Quentin Tarantino told Deadline that he believes "a war for movies got played out this last year."

Tarantino referenced "commercial products" like Marvel films, "Stars Wars," and James Bond movies.

The director said it was "a really, really strong year" for "original movies."

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Quentin Tarantino spoke to Deadline about the fight for audiences and cinemas that he and other auteur directors faced against the might of studio franchises such as the MCU, "Star Wars" and James Bond.

"I actually think a war for movies got played out this last year," Tarantino told Deadline.

"As far as I can see, the commercial product that is owned by the conglomerates, the projects everybody knows about and has in their DNA, whether it be the Marvel Comics, the 'Star Wars,' 'Godzilla'a Time in Hollywood," which grossed $372.2 million worldwide and earned 10 Oscar nominations, including one for Best Picture and a Best Director nomination for Tarantino. He's also favorite to take home a third Best Original Screenplay Oscar this year.

As Tarantino points out, there has been a slew of auteur-directed cinema in the past year, including Martin Scorsese's "The Irishman," Sam Mendes' "1917," Taika Waititi's "Jojo Rabbit," Greta Gerwig's "Little Women," Noah Baumbach's "Marriage Story," and Bong Joon Ho's "Parasite" — all of them fellow Best Picture nominees.

Is "Joker" the sort of film that bridges the gap between auteur cinema and mainstream movies? CJ Entertainment/Warner Bros. Pictures/Sony Pictures

It remains to be seen what Tarantino thinks of the ninth and final nominee, "Joker," which seems to blur the line