America achieves both fame and fortune

Chapter 786 Finch's Blessing or Curse

Time heals all wounds. More than a month after the premiere shooting, things gradually calmed down, and there was almost no related commentary in the media. In Hollywood, it became a thing of the past.

Thanks to Vin Diesel, The Dark Knight Rises has grossed over $4.5 million at the North American box office.

But now the most talked-about movie is no longer Batman, but Argo, which had a GG (Ghost) overlay at the beginning of its film.

With a month to go before its North American release, Argo has begun an intensive promotional campaign.

Although its promotional scale is not as large as that of Batman, Disney still invested heavily in it.

From the five major North American television networks to the four major newspapers and the three major social media platforms, you can see Martin Scorsese's portrayal of the male lead, Tony Mendes.

In addition to television broadcasts, the trailer was also heavily promoted online through YouTube, Twitter, and Instagram.

This is a film about individual heroism, and the main poster for the film, which is a solo poster of Martin Scorsese, can be seen everywhere in the city's business districts and in both new and old media.

The promotional slogan for Argo also caught the eye.

"Based on a real CIA case!"

"The most bizarre rescue operation in CIA history!"

"Six hostages were trapped in Tehran, and a CIA agent orchestrated a stunning hoax to deceive the world and rescue them."

On the side of the main movie poster featuring Martin Scorsese's character, Tony Mendes, there is a corresponding slogan: "Rescue is imperative!"

Since filming began last year, the rescue operation has been fully exposed in the media. This operation, which involved a Hollywood crew planning a so-called hoax to rescue trapped people, has aroused the curiosity of countless people.

Tony Mendes naturally became a focus of media attention.

This retired legendary agent enjoys being a celebrity, and the CIA is in dire need of an excellent spokesperson.

Martin, David Fincher, and Tony Mendes also appeared together on Helen's "The Helen Show" to share the incredible rescue and the film adaptation.

The three of them engaged in a round of mutual flattery on the show, praising each other as leaders in their respective industries.

Because this was his last chance to win the Oscar for Best Director, David Fincher was no longer silent as before, and instead actively cooperated with the film crew's publicity.

Over the years, David Fincher has also gained a group of fans who appreciate his dark style.

After the show ended, Helen approached Martin alone for a brief chat.

"After the shooting, I wanted to invite you to my show, but you declined." Helen asked gossipily, "Did something happen?"

Martin shook his head: "There's nothing special about it. So many people have died, and it's not a good time to say anything. In the media's interpretation, whatever you say will be wrong, so it's better to remain silent."

"That's true." Helen smiled slightly. "Not every media outlet is as reliable as my talk show."

Of all the journalists Martin knew, Jody and Helen were the most reliable.

They almost never report fake news.

They only occasionally create some real news.

After leaving the WarnerMedia studio, the three first took Tony Mendes back to his hotel, and then went to Disney Studios.

Besides Bruce, there were only Martin and David Fincher in the car.

David Fincher asked, "Has Disney contacted you?"

Martin said, "We've communicated it; the main awards for this film are Best Director and Best Picture."

He added, "I've contacted the White House and confirmed that Obama will watch the film. This politically charged movie is very much to his liking."

David Fincher was deeply impressed: "You are now the number one prize-winning expert in the industry."

"No, I'm not, I'm just taking a quick look." The Oscar-winning experts Martin knew generally didn't fare well, Harvey Weinstein being an exception.

In her previous life, Megan Ellison rushed into winning an award, causing her company to go bankrupt.

David Fincher, however, knew that watching movies online was very influential. The Oscars were never just about how good the movie was; there were too many factors that influenced the award winners, and politics was undoubtedly one of the most representative.

The vast majority of people in Hollywood support Obama's party.

That afternoon, Martin and David Fincher attended a preview screening of Argo.

Hundreds of people, including media representatives, critics, and cinema managers, praised the film after the test screening.

Theater managers gave the film an average score of "A".

In the past two years, Disney Studios has integrated its resources and produced a number of films that have been very well received in the market, and its distribution business has made rapid progress.

After the test screening, Disney's distribution department immediately sprang into action, and soon good news arrived: Argo, scheduled for release in October, would open in 3850 theaters across North America.

Subsequently, Martin embraced a completely new form of publicity, participating in an online video interview on Twitter.

Similar promotional campaigns followed one after another, from Los Angeles to New York on the East Coast, with Martin and David Fincher working a routine of going between airports, hotels, and promotional events.

In addition, Disney Studios, David Fincher, and Martin also sent out many invitations.

For Martin's side, Leonardo DiCaprio and Nicholson are confirmed to attend.

Elon Musk called ahead and asked for three invitations.

Furthermore, many older white men, including Academy President Tom Sherak, also received invitations jointly issued by Martin, David Fincher, and Disney Studios President Alan Horn.

The environment and norms in Hollywood have been changing in recent years, but it's not time for older white men to retire from the stage of history.

Those monster and ghost movies won't be popular at the Oscars for another few years.

In October, Disney held a grand premiere for Argo at Chandler Hall in the Music Center in Los Angeles.

Premieres usually follow the same routine: red carpet, interviews, etc. However, the production team made careful arrangements. For the sake of publicity, in addition to inviting Tony Mendes himself to the event, they also went to great lengths to find the hostages that Tony Mendes rescued back then or their descendants.

When these people and Tony Mendes were the first to walk the red carpet at the premiere, all the media reporters' eyes were drawn to them.

Using a Hollywood film crew to carry out a fraudulent rescue already has a certain legendary quality to it.

Thanks to the extensive promotion by the film crew and Disney Studios, this incident has become a model of transnational rescue, a true legend.

Tony Mendes was molded into a hero by Disney and the CIA.

The group gathered in front of Chandler Hall and took a group photo.

A large number of security personnel were on high alert around the area.

Because on both sides of the red carpet, hundreds of clowns with pale paint and blood-red mouths had gathered.

The Los Angeles Police Department also increased patrols at the scene, rather than conducting a routine event like the premiere of "The Dark Knight Rises".

As each guest walked the red carpet, the atmosphere became increasingly lively.

When Elon Musk, whose fame has skyrocketed in recent years, walked the red carpet with his girlfriend Amber Heard and ex-wife Tanlulla Riley, he stunned countless movie fans and media reporters.

A reporter from *People* magazine muttered, "The rich are really playing the damn game."

A TMZ reporter standing nearby remarked, "I heard this guy is good friends with Martin. Why are all of Martin's male friends playboys like this?"

A Vanity Fair reporter on the other side said, "You probably can't get into Martin's circle without five or six beautiful lovers."

Everyone around thought this made sense and echoed it.

These damn rich people have gone too far; they've taken away so many good resources.

Ordinary people can only feel envy, jealousy, and hatred.

A black Cadillac Escalade stopped in front of the red carpet. Bruce got out first, his eyes scanning the red carpet warily before opening the rear door.

Martin put his phone, which he had just hung up, into his pocket. Robert had just texted him that the ceremony was complete.

After getting out of the car, he smiled at the camera and strode forward amidst the flashing lights.

Many clowns gathered on both sides of the red carpet, shouting and yelling, as if they had seen Martin's god.

Martin simply waved to them, then went into the area where the Coca-Cola cult members were gathered, signed his name as usual, and raised a glass of Coca-Cola.

Amid cheers, Martin entered the media area in front of Chandler Hall, gave a brief interview to the host, and then went to the sponsor's GG sign to take a group photo with the rest of the crew.

After taking photos, David Fincher glanced at both sides of the red carpet as he walked towards the lobby entrance, and said, "Thankfully, nothing bad happened."

Martin said, "It's impossible to always run into lunatics and psychopaths."

David Fincher glanced at him deliberately, but said nothing.

Martin sighed, "Don't associate me with those people."

"But they are indeed learning from you." David Fincher rarely joked, "I've worked with Jodie Foster and heard her talk about Hinckley. You'd better watch out, one day you might run into a female version of Hinckley."

Martin laughed. "David, is this a blessing or a curse?"

David Fincher asked, "This can be considered a blessing?"

Martin shrugged. "What if that female version of Hinkley is prettier than Nicole Kidman?"

Upon entering Chandler Hall, Alan Horn greeted them and accompanied Martin and David Fincher toward the VIP room.

The guests who arrived early gathered in the lounge, waiting for the premiere to begin.

After Martin went inside, he first went to Tony Mendes' side, shook hands with those people from back then and their descendants, and exchanged some polite words.

Martin is always very particular about such matters, especially in public.

After searching around, Martin found Leonardo and Nicholson.

These two bastards are chatting with Elon Musk, the bastard from Silicon Valley.

Musk's two female companions, on the other hand, went elsewhere for social engagements.

Musk said, "They all want to make it in Hollywood, so they're all trying to build connections, unlike me who's so pure."

Martin said, "You're so damn pure, taking two women to the carpet at once."

"What, are you envious?" Musk laughed and said, "Consider my suggestion."

(End of this chapter)