Mel Gibson. Andreas Rentz/Getty Mel Gibson has joined the onslaught of negative opinions toward "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice," the DC Comics/Warner Bros. movie that critics universally panned earlier this year.

"It's a piece of sh-t," Gibson told Deadline at the Venice Film Festival. "I'm not interested in the stuff. Do you know what the difference between real superheroes and comic-book superheroes is? Real superheroes didn't wear spandex. So I don't know. Spandex must cost a lot."

The 60-year-old director brought up the film when asked whether summer blockbusters need budgets upward of $200 million.

Whereas the budget for "Batman v Superman" was reportedly around $250 million, Gibson revealed that his new World War II film, "Hacksaw Ridge," had a relatively meager $40 million budget.

"I look at them and scratch my head. I'm really baffled by it," Gibson said of the superhero-movie trend. "I think there's a lot of waste, but maybe if I did one of those things with the green screens I'd find out different.

"It seems to me that you could do it for less," Gibson continued. "You're spending outrageous amounts of money, $180 million or more. I don't know how you make it back after the tax man gets you, and after you give half to the exhibitors."

Gibson's film "Hacksaw Ridge" reportedly premiered at the Venice Film Festival to a 10-minute standing ovation this weekend. It will open in theaters nationwide on November 4.

Watch the trailer for "Hacksaw Ridge" below: