Six Hundred and Eighty-One - 0 Years, 0 Big.

On Saturday, June 4, 1998, Los Angeles time in North America, "The Flash" officially landed on the overseas theater market today.

Due to sufficient preparation time and Warner Bros.'s distribution experience in the past few years, the appearance of "The Flash" not only landed in the traditional dumping ground of Hollywood movies, but also in the five English-speaking countries and Europe, the birthplace of traditional movies. For the first time, it has also landed in more than 60 countries and regions, led by Brazil.

The first one to bear the brunt was the British Isles. The crew and creators held the premiere in this country with the most special relationship with the United States. Due to time differences and other reasons, the premiere of "The Flash" was scheduled to 7pm local time.

The DC movie series seems to have become a brand in the past two years. The crew and creators have attracted a large number of fans and local media since they stepped off the plane. From the airport to the hotel, and then from the hotel to the Electric Cinema where the premiere was held, the bus the crew took was constantly being chased and intercepted by the media, even though there were not many familiar faces in the crew.

At seven o'clock in the evening, organized by the local staff of Warner Bros., the cast members of "The Flash" walked on the red carpet in front of the Electric Theater. Tonight, each of them is a big star pursued by the media, especially Barry Allen. Starring James Franco.

Since the crew of "The Flash" left Los Angeles and arrived in New York, the first stop of the promotional roadshow, he has experienced what it means to become famous. Especially with the screening of the movie, wherever he goes, he will become the focus of local movie fans and media.

The enthusiasm of the North American audience, as well as the flashlights of various North American media, almost all focused on James Franco in just two weeks.

This time walking on the red carpet of London's oldest theater, he felt the enthusiasm, even more so than in North America. Now he has fully understood the meaning of success. The popularity of "The Flash" has directly made him, the leading actor, the most popular star in the past two weeks.

However, James Franco walked across the red carpet and stepped into the media interview area with one foot. He immediately felt the difference between local media and North American media. The reporters asked him several questions in a row, instantly embarrassing him.

"Mr. Franco, it is said that you broke into the neighbor's house and threatened the poor couple in the neighbor's bedroom, right?"

"James, there are rumors that you are still restricted by the Los Angeles Police Department..."

"Hey, James, did you really hit the bar singer? Did you..."

"..."

Various questions were thrown at him, but none of them allowed him to answer, so he had to freeze in place for a while.

Fortunately, his agent was one step ahead and waited in the media interview area. Seeing this situation, the agent looked at each other and the Warner Bros. staff, shook their heads slightly, took the initiative to get closer to his client, and whispered instructions. Said: "Don't speak about sensitive issues, James."

James Franco nodded without any trace, squinted his eyes slightly and looked at the passionate reporter, pursed his mouth tightly, and put on a show that if you don't ask normal questions, I will never speak. posture.

The atmosphere at the interview site was very strange. Under the prompts of the agent, no matter what the reporters said, the interviewees remained silent. It wasn't until the guests were about to walk on the red carpet again that the reporters realized something.

A reporter rolled his eyes and shouted: "Mr. Franco, this is John Wood, a reporter from "The Sun", can you talk about the director of "The Flash", Mr. Wayne Greenberg, and why? Didn’t you personally lead the team to participate in the promotion this time?”

"Well......"

James Franco glanced at the agent covertly, and when he saw the other person nodded slightly, he thought for a moment and replied: "Mr. Greenberg has to stay in Los Angeles for some personal reasons, so, as you can see It’s not that he doesn’t value the passionate British fans, but he didn’t leave with the crew two weeks ago.”

"James, several North American media reported in the past few days that Mr. Wayne Greenberg is facing violence charges..." As soon as James Franco finished his words, a reporter from "The Sun" immediately He asked: "You also faced serious accusations of violence during the filming of "The Flash".

Does this mean you have the same violent tendencies? Is it because of the same propensity for violence that director Wayne Greenberg chose you, a newcomer, to play such an important role? "

James Franco had heard of Fleet Street's name long before he came to the British Isles, but this was the first time he had seen such media.

"The Sun" may be considered famous, but no one expected that it would be the same as a North American entertainment gossip tabloid. No, North American gossip tabloids can’t compare to it in terms of shamelessness and no offline. The reporters from Fleet Street have a lower bottom line. They seem to be not interested in normal news and wish that all the interviewees were involved in scandals!

"No, Director Greenberg did not..." James Franco subconsciously spoke, but his reaction was quite quick and he immediately closed his mouth tightly.

The reporters at the front looked at each other and shook their heads with undisguised disappointment. Seeing that he seemed deaf again, a reporter behind shouted:

"Mr. Franco, the latest news from North America is that Wayne Greenberg received more than 262 million US dollars in salary from Warner Bros. just from "The Dark Knight". I heard that you The salary of these main actors is only a few hundred thousand US dollars. Please tell me, what do you think when you hear this figure?"

The moment he heard the director's salary of US$260 million, not only James Franco, but also many reporters at the scene were stunned.

260 million US dollars! If the reporter who asked the question was not from The Times, everyone would definitely think that this news was hype. But just because the media that the reporter worked for instantly convinced everyone that there really was a director who could get such a sky-high salary for a movie.

At this time, James Franco had grown up a lot. Although he was shocked by this number and felt unknown in his heart, he immediately said:

"Compared with Mr. Greenberg's achievements, I think this number is completely reasonable! Hey, guys, if Director Greenberg is willing, there will be countless film companies in Hollywood to invite him with the same number in both hands. Franchise project!”

Just after the news was broken by a reporter from The Times, at the premiere held in London, every crew member and creator was asked their opinion on the matter.

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There is no other reason, simply because the amount of this salary is too huge! So big that no one has ever thought of it.

At this time, this news is also being hyped in North America.

"$260 million! Wayne Greenberg became the envy of everyone with just one "Batman: The Dark Knight" movie!"

"Hollywood's sky-high salaries were born, and Wayne Greenberg earned $260 million for one movie..."

"This reporter learned that Wayne Greenberg's accountant team successfully took away 162 million US dollars from Warner Bros. According to relevant sources, this money was only for Wayne Greenberg's "Batman: Dark" As part of the remuneration for the "Knight" project, Warner Bros. had already deposited more than $100 million into his studio account a few months ago..."

A special piece of celebrity gossip from Vanity Fair hit newsstands early Saturday morning and immediately sparked a national discussion. Other entertainment media in North America also had a very keen sense of smell. Then dozens of media reprinted the relevant news. In less than half a day, Wayne was once again pushed to the top of public opinion.

But unlike scandals, in this land, making money, making a lot of money, and creating myths of wealth are always the topics of most interest to people from all walks of life. In this commercialized society, there is no saying that "wealth should not be exposed".

People admire successful people and discuss successful people. The best measure of a person's success is the amount of wealth and the speed of accumulation.

"Vanity Fair", which was the first to report this news, undoubtedly formed a tacit understanding with Warner Bros. As soon as the news broke on Saturday morning, it immediately triggered media forwarding, followed by a national discussion, and many TV channels took the opportunity to launch good news. It can be said that a series of operations in Laiwu Historical Salary Inventory took only half a day.

To say that there was no push from Warner Brothers behind this, Wayne would never believe it to his death. Although Bruce Rosenblum did not greet him in advance, he was not an ungrateful person. He was fully aware that Warner Bros. was promoting itself. On the one hand, I am trying to think of ways to maintain the popularity of "The Flash".

After all, the timing was so coincidental. "The Flash" entered its third weekend of screenings, and at the same time, on this day, it started overseas distribution in more than 70 countries and regions.

Others don't understand it, but Wayne understands it very well. The PricewaterhouseCoopers accountant team led by Colin Howard checked its box office share account on Monday, and Warner Bros. also put the money into Greenberg early on Tuesday. Ge Studio's account.

However, the news broke four days later. It was obvious that this was an organized and planned hype, with the purpose of boosting the overseas box office of "The Flash" and completely draining the North American box office potential in a short period of time. , to prepare for the early release of "The Flash".

If the news of the sky-high salary of US$260 million is a conscious hype by Warner Bros. in order to maintain the popularity of Wayne and "The Flash", then the next piece of unexpected news has completely plunged the media and the public across North America into a big discussion. among.

On Saturday night, when the outside world was still discussing the figure of US$260 million, the North American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which has always been extremely low-key except during the awards season, quietly released a list! But as soon as this list was released, it immediately attracted the attention of countless people!

This is destined to be a sleepless night for countless film practitioners. Early on Sunday morning, almost all media platforms in North America tacitly reported on the list released by the Academy. Even the hot topic of sky-high salaries the day before was covered by this list. It squeezed out the front page headlines.

"At 6:30 last night, the North American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences released a special list of winners! It is reported that this list is to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the birth of North American film (1896~1996). North American Film Arts and Sciences The Academy of Science has selected from more than four hundred recommended films.

Combining the votes of academia, the production industry and ordinary movie fans, we have successfully selected one hundred representative works of North American movies in the past hundred years! According to the list released by the Academy, the strictly selected works include the works of more than 100 film companies that either exist or have disappeared in North America!

In terms of age, a total of five films were selected in 1939, namely "Gone with the Wind", "The Wizard of Oz", "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington", "Wuthering Heights", and "Flight". The year 1939 became a super platinum movie in the history of North American films. Era.

Among the top ten classic films on the list, films produced in the 1940s occupy two positions, namely "Citizen Kane" and "The Spy Who Spy", while films produced in the 1930s include "Gone with the Wind" and "The Wizard of Oz". Two films from 1939 are on the list, as well as two films from the 1950s, namely "On the Waterfront" and "Singin' in the Rain."

"Lawrence of Arabia" and "The Graduate" from the 1960s occupied two spots, and the masterpiece from the 1970s was Francis Ford Coppola's "The Godfather." When the time came to the 1980s, it became the absolute loser in this selection of the top 100 movies. The only one ranked highest was "Taxi Driver" by Martin Scorsese.

The most special one is undoubtedly the 1990s, which is also the era most familiar to movie fans. In this list, there are many classic movies from the 1990s. It is worth mentioning here that the great director Steven Spielberg is one of the biggest winners on this list. Of course, when it comes to Hollywood in the 1990s, there must be a young film master who cannot be bypassed, Wayne Greenberg.

The following is a specific list of the top 100 films released by the North American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences:

1. "Citizen Kane" (1941)

2. "The Godfather" (1972)

3. "The Dark Knight" (1997)

4. "Casablanca" (1942)

5. "Gone with the Wind" (1939)

6. "Lawrence of Arabia" (1962)

7. "The Wizard of Oz" (1939)

8. "On the Waterfront" (1954)

9. "Schindler's List" (1993)

10. "Joker" (1993)

...

59. "Get Out" (1992)

...

99. "The Departed" (1996)

100. "Unforgiven" (1992)

..."---"Hollywood Reporter"

An entire page is almost entirely devoted to AFI's coverage of the 100 Greatest Movies of the Century. As Hollywood's most authoritative media, the "Hollywood Reporter" spared no expense this time. It was the first newspaper to publish in detail the complete list of the top 100 movies of the century.

This point alone sets the gap apart from other newspapers of the same level. When other newspapers select key points to report and discuss due to space constraints, the "Hollywood Reporter" has undoubtedly become the most conspicuous one.

Of course, magazine publications such as Premiere, Movies, and Vanity Fair also tacitly publish complete movie lists. "Time" even put a reduced version of the 100-year-old movie poster directly on its cover. If you look carefully, it lists all the selected movies in order.

But whether it was a detailed report or an excerpt of a key discussion, once the list of AFI's 100-year-old movies was released, it immediately aroused an earthquake-like nationwide discussion. Whether it is ordinary people or Hollywood-related practitioners, the topic has not left this list since Sunday morning.

Naturally, the moment the list came out, related controversies also emerged. This list not only represents a rare and supreme honor, but also brought endless controversy in an instant!

"With the release of the AFI's 100-year list of the top 100 movies, Steven Spielberg has undoubtedly become one of the biggest winners. In a record-breaking way, he used "Schindler's List", "Jaws", " Five movies including "Raiders of the Lost Ark", "Alien: ET" and "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" were shortlisted for this list.

It is worth mentioning that Steven Spielberg was shortlisted with five works, beating Hitchcock’s four works: "Psycho", "Vertigo", "North by Northwest" and "Rear Window". Wayne Greenberg's four films, "The Dark Knight", "Joker", "Get Out" and "The Departed", have become the director with the most works selected on this list!

In this list, another big winner is undoubtedly Wayne Greenberg. I believe this must be beyond everyone's expectation because he is so young. But the talent of a film director has never been measured by age. Similar to him, there are also countless master directors who shot their masterpieces at a young age.

It can be seen that Wayne Greenberg's two great films, "The Dark Knight" and "Joker", are both shortlisted for the top ten of the 100 Great Movies. From this point of view, it remains to be discussed who is the biggest winner between him and Steven Spielberg..."

---"Los Angeles Times"

"With the release of AFI's 100-year list of the top 100 movies, it can now be clearly stated that Wayne Greenberg is the director's banner of Hollywood in the 1990s. With his unique dark style and high production speed, , has become a completely unavoidable member of this list.

In recent years, professionals in the film industry and ordinary movie fans have been discussing whether the 1990s was another "Diamond Age" in film history. Judging from this movie list, the answer is certain, and there is no need to continue the debate.

At the same time, this list also invisibly confirms one thing, that is, director Wayne Greenberg is one of the main leaders in launching the "Diamond Age" in Hollywood. Of course, other directors on this list are also contributors to this glorious era, such as Steven Spielberg, who has five films shortlisted. There is also the talented Quentin Tarantino, whose "Pulp" also managed to squeeze in..."

---"Washington post"

"The release of the AFI's Top 100 Movies list was very sudden, but the films and directors who were mainly shortlisted for this list were actually not too unexpected. The only surprising thing is that they are less than three years old. Ten-year-old Wayne Greenberg actually had four works shortlisted for the list, and even two works made it into the top ten, with "The Dark Knight" ranking third!

It’s unknown what the Academy’s criteria are for selecting great films. If a young director is to receive too great an honor too early, does it require more consideration? You know, in the more than 100 years since the emergence of movies in North America, there are still countless great works that have not been shortlisted. Will this result make the public feel unfair? "

---"Chicago Sun-Times"

"The Oscars are held every year, and the Academy's selection of the top 100 films of the century is undoubtedly more weighty in terms of honor than the former. In order to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the birth of North American film, the North American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences yesterday, The shortlist of the 100 Greatest Movies of the Century has been officially released.

Among them, Steven Spielberg has five works shortlisted, overwhelming all the directors on this authoritative list with sheer numbers. In addition to his five works, the directors shortlisted for four works include Hitchcock and Hollywood's current director banner Wayne Greenberg..."

---"New York Times"

Early on Sunday morning, almost all authoritative media in North America cleared their front pages to publish relevant information about the list of the 100 greatest movies.

It should be noted that these media are not only entertainment media, but also a large number of serious print media and social media. Regardless of their attributes, they have all given their own front page positions. From this aspect, AFI's 100-year-old movies are no longer just entertainment news, but have become a hot topic in the entire society.

Although these media all participated in the report, they did not include any tendency. Even if there were occasional doubts about the list, it was not obvious. Most of them report on the list released by the college from a neutral and objective perspective.

However, compared to these authoritative major media, the entertainment media in the Hollywood film industry are not so polite and tactful in their speech. "Hollywood Daily Entertainment" was the first to question the list on its own entertainment front page.

"Perhaps Wayne Greenberg's work should be selected, but by placing "The Dark Knight" in third place and "Joker" in tenth place, I really wonder if the Academy has "some other" considerations! No one will deny the greatness of these two movies, but are the other movies behind them really not as good as the two DC superheroes?!

At this point, it can be seen that the college has lowered its head to Wayne Greenberg's business achievements, which is obviously unwarranted. You know, the Academy's usual award-winning method is based on realistic films. Is it true that the Academy really needs to follow the trend this time? Or are there some other unknown "factors" behind this list? "

"Hollywood Daily Entertainment News" seemed to be the beginning. Later, major film critics and film reviewers began to speak out on their own media channels, and most of them were even famous film critics in North America, publicly questioning and accusing them. the impartiality of the college.

Roger Ebert, winner of the Pulitzer Prize and the leader of film critics in North America, immediately expressed his views in his newspaper column and on the program "Watching the Movies" he hosted:

"A young director who is less than 30 years old has actually been shortlisted for four works on the 100-year-old film list. By choosing to do this, the Academy is simply throwing the credibility it has accumulated over decades into the toilet!"

New York gold medal film critic Scott commented: "The rankings are simply incomprehensible, and the abrupt name of Wayne Greenberg makes the entire list lose its credibility!"

Phoenix film critic Sandy Morris was even more sarcastic. "I really wonder how much money Wayne Greenberg spent to put himself on this list..."

However, no matter how film critics question and belittle it, or how the entertainment media discusses it, this list will never change, and the Academy has not given any response.

There is no doubt that the release of this list is far more useful than Warner Bros.'s hype of Wayne's salary of 260 million. That morning, without any public relations, hundreds of reporters spontaneously surrounded the Greenberg estate.

But the result was destined to disappoint them. At this time, Wayne had already boarded a luxury charter flight to the East, leaving all the disturbances in North America.