America achieves both fame and fortune

Chapter 595 I'd Rather Die Than Tell

With the film's widespread release, the spinning top at the end inevitably became the focus of discussion among movie fans, with much online debate about whether Cobb would return to reality.

Martin and Nolan emphasized this part during filming.

The latter was well-prepared, and with a little guidance from the production team's publicity department, the topic was easily sparked.

"The protagonist must have returned to reality, because his father-in-law only ever appeared in reality."

"He never returned to reality; his child never showed his face again."

"The comment above is incorrect. The protagonist has returned to reality. If you look closely, you can see that the protagonist, played by Martin, is wearing a wedding ring in the dream, but not in the actual scene."

"The third floor observer is really thorough; I'll go take another look!"

"Watch again +1!"

"I want to go see it again!"

As a result, many movie fans chose to buy tickets a second time to verify the new viewpoints.

Gradually, more opinions emerged, some of which were unexpected by Martin and Nolan.

"The so-called dream theft and implantation are all unfounded. I estimate that the real content of the film is that the protagonist in first class had a dream in which he and his fellow passengers were the main characters. So when they got off the plane, they looked at each other in bewilderment."

Surprisingly, this viewpoint has gained support from some people.

Regardless of viewpoints, Martin and the film's publicity team fanned the flames, inciting the discussion to become even more intense.

For commercial gain, an open ending was created, prompting viewers to express various opinions on the ending. To support their views and refute opposing ones, they bought tickets again to enter the theater and watch the entire movie with wide eyes.

Film, as a medium, is like a reading comprehension exercise for students; when it is presented to the public, it far exceeds the creator's original intention.

Even the creator himself might not be able to explain it clearly, and it would be judged as zero points.

The more viewers watch, the more interpretations they have of the various plot points in the film, and as the discussion deepens, the craze simply doesn't stop.

The heated discussion also spread to North American media, with the more controversial the topic, the more popular it became with the media. The ending of "Inception" became a hot topic of public attention.

On the film's promotional poster, a bunch of reporters surrounded Nolan, asking him about the details of the ending.

Nolan looked completely innocent and said, "I don't know either."

The reporters became dissatisfied, and one of them shouted, "You're the director, how could you not know?"

"Because I didn't design the ending!" Having attended numerous Face Gang gatherings, Nolan had thoroughly learned to be shameless, and in order to avoid being attacked, he completely denied any involvement.

He said, "The ending was provided by Martin, and I thought it was good, so I used it. You'll have to ask Martin for details."

Martin, who was leisurely exchanging tips on picking up girls with Ellen Page from different perspectives, was suddenly approached by reporters surrounding Nolan.

Ellen Page asked curiously, "Who did you sleep with last night? The entertainment reporters are going crazy."

Martin was also puzzled: "I slept alone at home last night."

Ellen Page stepped back: "You hold the line, I'll go get reinforcements."

After saying that, he ran away without any sense of loyalty.

Martin remained fearless, straightened his clothes, and let the reporters surround him.

Several security personnel, including Bruce, withstood the pressure.

Leading the charge was a female reporter, disheveled and with disheveled clothes, but that didn't stop her from asking: "Martin, has Cobb returned to reality?"

Martin didn't want to get into that kind of trouble and said, "You'll have to ask the director."

Another reporter said, "Director Nolan said the idea for the film's ending came from you, and he was just filming according to your suggestions."

Martin was taken aback, then realized he was a step too slow and had been sold out by Nolan.

This British director is even less loyal than Ellen Page!

Now the trouble has fallen on Martin, but considering the film's box office performance, he can't really answer. Besides, who knows what Nolan was thinking about the ending?

Martin paused slightly, then said, "There are a thousand Hamlets in a thousand people's eyes. My original intention was for film fans to see an open ending, allowing them to imagine the ending as they wish..."

He then shifted the blame back: "I only provided an idea. The specifics of the film are a matter for the director and producer to consider. I'm just the male lead, so I don't have that authority."

The female reporter wouldn't let Martin off the hook, and said loudly, "But you're not an ordinary actor, you're a member of the 20 million club, and you're also the producer on set, so you must know the ending!"

Martin downplayed the issue: "When I was making this film, I wasn't yet a member of the 20 million club."

In short, I'd rather die than tell.

The interpretation craze sparked by "Inception" has also led to a continuous rise in box office revenue, and cinemas have maintained a high occupancy rate.

After its opening weekend, the film grossed $7568 million in nearly 4000 theaters across North America, unsurprisingly taking the top spot at the box office.

"The Last Airbender," which was released that same weekend, only grossed $3667 million in its opening weekend.

Night Shyamalan's new film can only recoup its costs through a long and arduous offline distribution process.

Warner Bros.' goal for its theaters is to recoup costs through box office revenue as much as possible and profit from offline sales.

"Currently, our estimates seem to be somewhat conservative."

During a small meeting of Warner Bros. executives on Monday, Daniel said, "As long as we maintain a healthy box office trend, we can achieve profitability through box office revenue."

Kevin Tsujihara, while reviewing the detailed data report for "Inception," remarked, "Nolan is a good director; he's got real talent."

Jon Berg said, "The success of this film led him to demand even greater power in The Dark Knight Rises."

Kevin Tsujihara considered for a moment and said, "We can give it to him, but the final editing rights still belong to Warner Bros.

Hamada remained silent, because the movie being discussed had nothing to do with him.

Daniel then said, "The theater company conducted a sample survey, and more than a third of the audience during the opening weekend were members of the Cola Cult."

Sitting in his position as a Warner executive, receiving a salary, bonuses, and profit sharing from Warner Bros., he was naturally responsible for Warner's performance, and reminded them, "Martin Davis has a very strong market appeal."

Jon Berg added, "Nolan was the mastermind behind this film."

Kevin Tsujihara has not yet spoken.

Daniel added, "Continuing to work with Martin won't do us any harm."

"You're absolutely right, I also want to continue working with Martin Davis," Kevin Tsujihara emphasized again. "But the collaboration must be led by Warner Bros. He either accepts Warner Bros.' terms, or we acquire him!"

Daniel sighed inwardly and said no more.

Next, let's continue discussing the film project.

Jon Berger recently stated that Warner Bros. will be adapting "Jack and the Beanstalk" and "Jack the Giant Slayer" into a fantasy film of the same name. The film has already received the green light from the Warner Bros. review committee and has a production budget of $1.6 million.

The director has been confirmed as Bryan Singer, who has directed the X-Men series, Superman Returns, and Wolverine.

In addition, Gillian Flynn has completed writing the novel "Darklands," for which she purchased the rights at great expense. The project has also received the green light, as she plans to invite heavyweight actors and directors to join the project, with a production budget of up to $8000 million.

Warner Bros. has also communicated with Random House about the novel's publication and release date, and is now waiting for the release of Martin's film "Gone Girl".

Daniel made a final effort to preserve Martin's film, but it ended in failure.

…………

Warner Bros. Studios has officially established the "Owls and Gods" studio.

In the director's office, Ridley Scott was reading the latest issue of The Hollywood Reporter.

On the front page, Martin and Nolan stood side by side, gazing into the distance.

"The collaboration between the strongest has created a science fiction classic - Inception. The best director, the best actors, and the best story have made this the best dream."

Ridley looked up at his agent across from him and asked, "Ali, if 'Robin Hood' had chosen Martin, would the outcome have been different?"

"How could you have such an idea?" Ali-Emanuel, naturally wanting to protect the company's top star client, reiterated, "Martin wasn't available at the time."

Ridley nodded slightly. "I know, I know."

Ali said, "Everyone makes mistakes. Robin Hood is in the past." In front of the director's clients, he would also say things that favored the director: "The success or failure of a film is affected by many factors. The director's control over the film is much more important than the actors' performances. The success of Inception is mainly due to director Nolan."

In a different context, he would definitely say the same thing.

Ridley, however, said, "But choice and vision are key. Martin chose Nolan's project instead of Robin Hood, and he succeeded, while Robin Hood was a box office flop."

Ali couldn't deny this, saying, "Indeed, choices and opportunities are often more important than abilities, and Martin always chooses the right projects at the right time."

Ridley asked, "What are Martin's criteria for selecting films?"

"I'm not quite sure." Ali thought carefully, but there didn't seem to be anything special about it. He said, "He probably has his own standards, but other people don't really know."

Ridley then asked, "That night at the premiere, you told me Martin wanted to work with me?"

Ali said, "You're not available right now. Martin said it would be after you finish this project."

"The preparations here are basically complete, and I have time now." Ridley thought for a moment and said, "I want to see him as soon as possible and talk to him, especially about his new project."

Ali couldn't refuse, so he took out his phone and called Martin, explained the situation, and Martin agreed.

Both sides agreed to meet at WMA tomorrow.

(End of this chapter)