Six Hundred and Seventy-Seven - Cannon Fodder Must Respect the Gunner.

At 12:30 on Saturday morning, in the lobby of a cinema in a minority community in downtown Los Angeles, manager Tang De, as the person in charge of this cinema, has been so busy since it opened at 9 o'clock in the morning that he doesn't even have time to go to lunch. eat.

"Here are your three twelve-fifty "Flash" cards. Please count your change in person..."

"ok, thank you."

When the last customer in front of the ticket window put away his movie tickets and change and left, he breathed a long sigh of relief, closed the temporarily added ticket window and walked out.

As far as the eye can see, the entire waiting hall of the cinema is bustling with people, with customers constantly coming in and out, and most of them are people of color. Many people are wearing Batman movie peripherals, such as masks and other small things.

The situation is obvious. Most of the viewers who wear DC-related movie peripherals come for "The Flash".

Because yesterday, that is, Friday, the first day of the release of "The Flash" was a working day, but the number of movie fans who poured into the theater early in the morning still made him busy. Even though this is the city center, those young people The enthusiasm for the film is not small at all.

"The Flash" exceeded the expected number of fans on the first day of its release, so he decided to temporarily replace the two theaters showing "Collision" with "The Flash", which alleviated the sudden increase in traffic.

So early this morning, the theater was fully prepared to welcome a larger crowd of moviegoers. However, things developed unexpectedly. Starting early in the morning, the media criticized "The Flash", coupled with the highly rated TV show, which put the theater company in a dilemma.

After an impromptu conference call at the company headquarters, after considering the opinions of most theater managers across North America, they decided not to change the prepared screening plan. Even though many ordinary people outside who did not know the truth were scolding Wayne, they did not change this decision. .

After half a day of screening, Tang De is now extremely grateful for this decision.

Many movie fans who came to the theater to buy tickets to watch the movie did have doubts about Wayne and the film. However, the impact on the ticket sales data of "The Flash" was obviously not as big as imagined.

According to the news he just received, from morning to now, "The Flash" still has an attendance rate of nearly 60% in all theaters under the Imperial Cinema Line. Tang De was sure that not only the Imperial Cinemas where he worked was like this, but also the attendance rates of other cinema companies should be similar.

Although this attendance rate did not meet their expectations yesterday, it was a good enough performance in the face of widespread scandals and controversies early in the morning. Fans who bought tickets for "The Flash" in the theater did not line up as long as they imagined, but the bustling crowd never stopped either.

Faced with this situation, the one that benefits the most is "Godzilla". A large number of movie fans choose to try this monster movie when buying tickets.

Speaking of which, at least in a theater in the center of a minority community, "Godzilla" really borrowed a lot of inspiration from "The Flash." Tang De's more than ten years of work experience told him that the only films that can make these young people of color spend money and enter theaters are the works of Wayne Greenberg. It is against this background that "Godzilla" has entered the mainstream In the eyes of some movie fans.

No matter what, at least the theater's traffic is guaranteed. Whether it's "The Flash" or "Godzilla," as long as someone pays and walks in, it's his performance.

Tang De, who had been busy all morning, didn't bother to have lunch when he walked out of the ticket window because there was still trouble waiting for him.

Even though the popularity of "The Flash" has not reached its maximum, many products in the surrounding stores were sold out in one morning. He must contact the relevant departments of Warner Bros. as soon as possible, preferably during the peak movie viewing period in the evening. Restock before the deadline.

Fortunately, this theater is located in the center of Los Angeles, taking advantage of its distance from Warner Bros. headquarters. At four o'clock in the afternoon, a truck containing "The Flash" peripheral items drove to the back entrance of the theater.

Busy signing for goods, replenishing goods, arranging for staff to take turns to rest, waiting for Tang De to finally get some breathing time. Exhausted, he opened the door to his office and sat down. After eating a sandwich and turning on the TV, he almost jumped out of his chair.

"Tonight we welcome a special guest. Some say he is the instigator of another golden age in Hollywood. Others describe him as the leader of Hollywood directors in the 1990s, Wayne Green. Berg…”

The person on the TV who was speaking a formula for introduction was a well-known person in this land, talk show star Jon Stewart. "The Daily Show" is second only to "The Oprah Show" in terms of ratings in the talk show interview genre.

As we all know, the main audience for "The Oprah Show" is mainly middle-aged and elderly housewives in North America. "The Daily Show" is completely different, with viewer groups covering all age groups.

Although this program was only officially launched in 1996, it quickly became popular with its humorous and satirical style and focus on current affairs, politics, and social hot topics. In "The Daily Show," talk show star Jon Stewart can often be seen making all-round complaints about current political news, political celebrities, Hollywood superstars, and authoritative media organizations!

Under the premise of pursuing factual fairness, it also allows the audience to laugh and understand social trends. In just two years, Jon Stewart has won the Emmy Award for Best Talk Show twice in a row with this program. It can be said that he has achieved the ultimate in the field of show.

Other talk show stars, when facing well-known politicians, celebrities, and Hollywood celebrities, will still be more or less affectionate.

Jon Stewart of the "Today Show" has never been able to ask the questions that people are most concerned about, regardless of the identity of the guest. The reason why he has always been loved by all walks of life is that he does not care about his guests. When asking questions, he will always do so from an objective, neutral, and impartial perspective. This is also the secret to his popularity in North America in a short period of time.

As a talk show that mainly focuses on current affairs news, Warner Bros. was able to find the most suitable program in a short period of time.

Although various talk shows account for more than 40% of the total TV programs in North America, there are only a few signature ones. Especially the "Today Show", the theme is inseparable from politics, brokerage, culture and social development. After ignoring the special "Oprah Talk Show", only this program best meets the requirements.

However, the advantages come with disadvantages. Even if a celebrity like Wayne participates in the "Today Show" as a guest, he does not receive the treatment of speaking to the host in advance. It's more about drawing out a topic range. As for whether he will talk about something that makes him embarrassed or embarrassed, it depends on Jon Stewart's on-the-spot thoughts.

"There have been many Hollywood stars, directors, producers and studio executives who have come to the Today Show."

On the TV, after a brief introduction, Jon Stewart sat down with Wayne in his usual style and went straight to the topic.

"No matter which guest talks about Hollywood entering the 1990s, your name is an unavoidable focus. Wayne, many Hollywood insiders, refer to the period from 1990 to 1997 as the Your “seven years of terror.”

But this morning there were a lot of dissatisfaction with "The Flash", and almost all of them were professionals representing professional ratings. Do you think this "The Flash" will become your own Waterloo? Can you talk about your feelings about the collapse of "The Flash"'s professional reputation? "

Sitting on the sofa, Wayne was still wearing a decent black handmade suit. In order to show his respect for the show, he also rarely wore a narrow tie.

Facing Jon Stewart's sharp question from the beginning, he did not show any nervousness. He leaned his entire upper body on the sofa, spread his hands in the direction of the camera, and said in a teasing tone:

"Honestly Jon, I've been looking through the newspaper all morning and I didn't see a single movie review about The Flash. Insults, name-calling, vitriolic sarcasm, that's all I saw, and even... Some of the personal attacks on me are proving that as long as you can curse people and be able to criticize them, you can call yourself a "great" film critic?!"

After speaking, his expression looked very disappointed, and he shook his head to all the audience and the audience in front of the TV.

Any normal person can see that all his expressions and body movements are fake. In this regard, it is obvious that Wayne's acting skills are not good. In his own words about the actors on the set, it is just too exaggerated.

But it was the mocking reply and the exaggerated and contrived performance of disappointment that instantly filled the entire studio with laughter. Of course, it inevitably made Tang De in front of the TV laugh too.

His performance almost perfectly fit the style of the "Today Show". Jon Stewart shrugged, instantly changed the topic he wanted to continue talking about, and said to the screen behind him: "Hey, Wayne, I believe you have also watched Today Early "Good Morning America"."

On the screen behind them, two photos were displayed at the right time. One was Vitaly Sejduc's handsome face before he was injured, and the other was a screenshot from the morning TV show. Three lines ran through the entire face, like a centipede. The same ugly wounds. Even if it is just a photo, the first feeling when people see it is horrifying, and they can even imagine the pain.

"Including myself, I also really want to know, did you really step on this with your feet? Uh... Or to put it another way, everything Vitaly Seduc said is true. Of?"

Everyone knew that this was probably the theme of tonight, but what made countless viewers find it incredible was that Wayne nodded his head so eloquently. "Yes, if this guy doesn't get beaten by others after the Oscar day, the wounds on his face will be from me..."

I'm afraid even Jon Stewart didn't expect such an answer, and the audience and staff were all stunned. At this moment, the host's ear came with a prompt from the TV station director, asking him to continue this topic.

The reason is simple. After this answer appeared, the ratings of "Today Show" skyrocketed like crazy.

"It's incredible."

Jon Stewart nodded imperceptibly and looked at the tough face in front of him with a look of shock. "In other words, everything Vitaly Seduc said is true?"

"That's right."

Even when he saw the three cameras on the scene, all approaching him from different angles, Wayne nodded without any hesitation. "Everyone seems to have overlooked one thing, and that is what that reporter did to arouse my anger! Many reporters have interviewed me, and you know, I have never waved my fist at other reporters."

"Ha, what did he do?"

"He molested the mother of my child!" Speaking of this, Wayne had a determined expression on his face and a very stiff tone. The message he conveyed to others was very obvious, that is, he had never regretted beating the reporter.

"Wayne, is there another possibility..." Jon Stewart squinted his eyes slightly and asked tentatively: "Because of your identity as the child's mother, you attacked Vitaly Seydoux that day. Ke’s behavior is too sensitive?”

"No!" The moment the other party's question ended, Wayne immediately shook his head. "His behavior has completely gone beyond the scope of pranks. Maybe other celebrities don't want to argue with him, but I made an oath when Nami gave birth to little Fendi, to protect their mother and daughter, and I will not let anyone do it in the future. By hurting them, that damn reporter seriously touched my bottom line!"

"Hey, hey, as a man, your choice has earned my respect."

Seeing that the atmosphere at the scene was a little stiff for a moment, Jon Stewart stretched out a hand and gently patted the arm of the man in front of him. "But I still want to know, what did he do to Nami after the red carpet?"

Unexpectedly, Wayne curled his lips and said: "Aha, I don't want to talk about the specific things that happened that day, because every time I mention it, it is a serious insult to Nami. But I want to tell everyone that if things can be repeated If I come, I will only regret one thing, and that is that I beat him too lightly."

Today's "Today Show" is destined to attract the attention of countless ordinary people. Earlier, film critics continued to have controversy over "The Flash", and at the same time, the victim Vitali Sejduc appeared.

Unexpectedly, before a day had passed, Wayne, the centerpiece of Two Things, appeared on TV, and his performance on the talk show was always controversial.

On the TV, seeing that he was unwilling to mention the specifics of what happened that day, Jon Stewart knew that it would be useless to ask again, so he simply used his ability to control the field and began to change the topic, changing the subject of the discussion between the two back to On top of the movie.

"Wayne, look at the entire history of Hollywood over the decades."

The distance between the two was less than two meters. Jon Stewart said to Wayne with a sigh in his tone: "It is almost difficult to find a director like you who maintains a strong personal style and is recognized by a large number of fans. I have seen your All films, especially the early ones, basically see significant improvement every year that comes out, until you gain Oscar recognition.

I think everyone should agree that Hollywood needs a director with a distinctive style like you. Your rapid rise has injected unusual vitality into the increasingly homogenized Hollywood film industry. But this "The Flash"... To be honest, I also watched this movie last night. Can you talk about why you made such a big change? "

Hearing this question, Wayne leaned on the sofa and crossed his legs. Without any trace of thinking on his face, he said happily: "Actually, you are all wrong. My style has never changed."

When he said this, he paused deliberately, as if he was deliberately attracting everyone's attention. After about a few seconds, he continued: "I first insisted on my own shooting style because I wanted to prove that different types of movies They can all bring different scenery, as long as they can be photographed to satisfy movie fans.

The same goes for this year's "The Flash". The original intention of making this film is still to surprise movie fans. No matter the praise from those film critics, or the disparagement like today, it can't change this thing, because the main audience of my works has never been them, but ordinary movie fans all over North America and the entire world. "

Looking at Wayne chatting on the TV, Tang De, who was sitting in the office, threw the half-eaten sandwich back into the carton. Regardless of the food residue on his hands, he directly picked up the phone on his desk.

The "Today Show" program was still going on, but his attention had shifted from the TV to the phone.

"I'm Tang De, yes, boss, I'm watching TV. I propose to modify the film schedule for tonight and tomorrow, preferably to give "The Flash" two more screens. Also, I propose to contact Warner Brother distribution department, please apply for one or two more film copies of "The Flash"!"

After he finished his proposal in one breath, there was a long silence on the phone. It wasn't until nearly a minute passed that there was no sound from the microphone.

"Tang De, you should know that Wayne's appearance on this high-rating show will only make the controversy bigger, and will not help clarify the black material at all. Tell me your judgment. I need a reason to convince me. .”

"Now is the hottest period of the film, boss."

Glancing at the TV again, Tang De said into the microphone: "Every time Wayne appears in the media, he attracts more attention to "The Flash", even if it is controversial! I found that today and yesterday came The movie fans in the theater are almost all young people. They don't care whether the director has moral issues, and I'm afraid they won't be too affected by film critics, as long as "The Flash" receives more and more attention... ..”

He believed that his immediate superior would definitely understand what he said. Hollywood movies have never been afraid of controversy. As long as the quality of the film is there, no matter how much controversy there is, it will only bring attention to the film.

If similar scenes had happened in other movies, they would have been abandoned by ordinary movie fans. However, in the past two days, many young people have entered the theater to watch "The Flash". This situation is obvious. Wayne has not lost his base, or he has not lost much.

More people who gave up on "The Flash" because of critics' comments and accusations of violence have actually never been the mainstream audience for summer movies.

Although the main reason for this situation is still unclear, the fact is that whether it is the attendance rate of the movie or the sales of movie peripheral items, they are the source of confidence for Tang De to make suggestions.

Especially at this time, the talk show on TV has come to an end. At the end of the show, Wayne left an intriguing word to the camera. "As cannon fodder, one must respect the gunner, right?"

"I agree. Tonight, you can adjust the screening plan of "The Flash" according to the situation in the theater. The rest will be notified to you after the meeting tomorrow morning."

At this moment, a reply from his immediate boss also came on the phone. Tang De was sure that the other party was also watching the show. I am afraid that not only he felt that things might be repeated, but his immediate boss also felt it. It is very likely that things will turn around.

Tang De is not the only smart person. That night, almost all mainstream commercial theaters in North America slightly adjusted the screening frequency of "The Flash", although it was not as frantic as "The Dark Knight" with one showing every ten minutes. , but it also increased the average film scheduling rate of "The Flash" to 57%!

Facts have also proved that the choice of theater managers was not wrong. As the sky darkened, the peak movie viewing period also arrived in an instant. Young people, who are the main tourist flow during the summer season, have begun to gather friends and flock into theaters in large numbers, and for most of them, the first choice to watch is still "The Flash."

There is no doubt the importance of Saturday for a new movie. It is usually the day when a new movie is released and has the highest box office. No one can say clearly how much impact various events have on "The Flash" until the specific box office statistics are completed.

After a night of turmoil, when the sun emerged again on Sunday, the direction of the media changed dramatically compared to yesterday.

Gossip tabloids suddenly published shocking information about Jean Reno, one of the main creators of "Godzilla". Under a large number of photos and soft articles, the Spanish-French actor was suspected of being a pedophile. He was even filmed a few years ago. Some rumors from the time of "The Killer Lai Ang" were revealed.

Another main creator, Matthew Birdley, did not fare much better. A large number of revelations pointed to her being gay.

The main creator of "Godzilla" was exposed in a scandal. The monster who is definitely the protagonist is also suffering from invisible cyber violence. It seems that no matter what time, someone is always reminding the public that this is a monster from the book and has nothing to do with this land. One cent relationship.

With the same treatment, James Franco, the protagonist of "The Flash", did not escape. He was involved in more scandals, and all kinds of incredible scandals were exposed by many entertainment media. .

Perhaps this is the normal rhythm of competition in Hollywood movies. The media constantly exposes black material that excites movie fans, and all kinds of dirty water is poured on competitors, seemingly true and false.

However, most of these things occupy the space of the entertainment gossip media. What caused public opinion to reverse again on Sunday morning was a documentary report written by Bella Grant, the well-known editor-in-chief of the Los Angeles Times, which not only objectively and clearly described A clear and complete video evidence of what happened on the Oscar day was released on a local TV station in Los Angeles...