America achieves both fame and fortune

Chapter 821 Respect for Success

The Boston Opera House was originally a movie theater, and the film screenings there were of excellent quality.

Gunshots echoed throughout the theater. Martin's character, the male protagonist, single-handedly killed the florist and all the employees, then called the female protagonist, outsmarted the entire FBI through her, and left Boston with a large sum of money.

The protagonist has shed the constraints of Charleston and is finally running towards freedom.

It wasn't particularly artistic, but the gunfights were intense, and the results were pleasing.

The film ended with enthusiastic applause from the audience.

Director Denis Villeneuve, like a student awaiting exam results, stood up and turned to look at the audience.

Then, lacking confidence, he asked Martin, "Did we succeed?"

Martin smiled and said, "The film is very well made."

Amid applause, producer Graham came over and hugged Villeneuve: "Man, you've made a masterpiece!"

Villeneuve finally laughed.

Afterwards, Martin and Graham led the cast and crew onto the stage for a curtain call.

The premiere of "The Town" has now concluded.

As the movie ended and the audience gradually left, the film crew, who had been busy all day, also prepared to leave the opera house.

In the corridor, Villeneuve caught up with Martin in a few steps and said, "Let's talk alone for a bit."

"Okay." Martin glanced at the Daddario sisters on his left and right.

Catherine and Alexandra automatically slowed their pace.

Villeneuve looked somewhat anxious as he said, "The film is finished, the premiere went smoothly, and my script, 'Sicario'..."

Martin understood what he meant: "What I promised will certainly stand. Submit a detailed shooting plan to the studio, Dennis... well, the production budget is a maximum of $3500 million."

This figure is already much higher than Villeneuve had expected. He said, "No problem, I will give you a plan by the end of this month at the latest."

Martin remembered the script he had read, glanced back at Alexandra, and said, "If it's suitable, cast Alexandra as the female character with the most screen time."

Villeneuve also turned his head to take a look. His acting skills were not particularly outstanding, and his appearance was too outstanding. Would he be unsteady during a tactical assault?

This is somewhat different from the female lead's character design.

But the director, who has experienced many setbacks, knows that as long as the casting is passable, it's fine. Especially for the male and female leads, his own opinion is not important; the opinions of the production company and investors are the key.

The script rights for "Sicario" have already been sold to Davis Studios, but the production company is holding back from giving it the green light, leaving the director with no recourse.

Villeneuve thought for only a few seconds before making his heartfelt choice: "Alexandra is suitable."

Martin nodded: "Give me a plan as soon as possible."

Upon exiting the Boston Opera House through its east gate, Villeneuve got into his car and left first. Bruce arrived in a Cadillac Escalade, and Martin and the Daddario sisters got in together before returning to the hotel.

The three of them went into Martin's suite together.

Martin pulled a copy of the script from his suitcase and handed it to Alexandra: "Take a look. The female character named Kate in it, I mentioned her to you last time. I just spoke with director Villeneuve, he'll contact you once the production team is set up."

Alexandra glanced at the script cover; it was indeed the "Sicario" Martin had mentioned to her before. She said, "I won't stand on ceremony; I'll take this role."

Catherine then leaned in and said, "Don't talk about work here. We have more important things to do."

Alexandra put the script away and whispered in Martin's ear, "Catherine and I have come up with a whole new set of rules for the game..."

Martin said, "I'm very interested."

Catherine and Alexandra each grabbed one of Martin's hands and pulled him into the room.

…………

In a suite downstairs, Denis Villeneuve kept pacing back and forth in the outer room.

Sitting on the sofa, "Sicario" screenwriter Taylor Sheridan said helplessly, "The premiere is over, the audience count is final, and even if you trample this building down, the result won't change."

Villeneuve walked to the back of the opposite sofa, clenched his fist, and slammed it against the sofa back: "The success or failure of this film directly affects our collaboration on 'Sicario'!"

Taylor Sheridan poured himself a glass of wine: "Didn't Martin Davis agree to invest?"

"The initiative is in Martin's hands." Villeneuve saw it clearly: "Although we all think the film is well made, if the audience doesn't like it, Martin Davis will definitely call a halt to the next Sisi Hitman."

Taylor-Sheridan downed the glass of wine he had poured: "The fate of us little people depends on a few words from big shots, or even without them saying a word, it can seriously affect us."

He raised his chin: "Homosexuality and shapeshifters are all the rage right now, should we adjust the script and add a homosexual character?"

Villeneuve immediately rejected the idea: "No need! Taylor, we should focus our energy on improving the content and quality of the film, not this nonsense."

Taylor Sheridan nodded: "Okay, you're the director, I'll do what you say."

Villeneuve's phone beeped with a text message notification. He quickly opened the message, then let out a sigh of relief.

Taylor Sheridan asked, "How is it?"

Villeneuve stated directly, "Disney received 132 ratings from moviegoers at the theaters, with an average rating of 83."

"Wow, man, that's a high score!" In Taylor Sheridan's mind, commercially oriented films that received this score usually had a good market response. "Dennis, you bastard, you're about to take off!"

Villeneuve also understood what this score represented. It wasn't a media score, nor was it a score from film critics detached from the market; rather, it was a rating from ordinary film fans, and thus had considerable market representativeness.

Coupled with the series of positive reviews during the test screenings, the result was obvious.

He picked up the bottle of wine on the coffee table, poured half a glass, and said, "I'm 45 years old. I've been a director for over 20 years, starting with my first short film in 1988, and I've finally made it."

Taylor Sheridan stood up and clinked glasses with him: "To success, buddy!"

"To success!" Villeneuve downed the rest of his drink in one gulp.

After more than 20 years as a director, it's finally time for him to take off.

Taylor-Sheridan added, "Next, you take me off."

Villeneuve laughed heartily: "We will all succeed!"

…………

Despite Vin Diesel's death, "Fast & Furious 6" continues to dominate the North American film market these days.

When Friday arrived, "The Town" opened in 3772 theaters across North America.

While it doesn't reach the 4000 theaters of "Fast & Furious 6," it's still among the top-tier openings for an R-rated film.

This also shows that everyone from Disney Studios to theater managers has a lot of confidence in Martin Scorsese's new film.

Among films released in major North American cities, The Town, which opened in its first week, sold just as many tickets as Fast & Furious 6, which entered its second week.

On the one hand, Martin's appeal and the attractiveness of his new film are significant.

On the other hand, the mourning enthusiasm created by Universal Pictures and the production team was largely exhausted during the opening weekend.

Like in The Dark Knight Rises, it's difficult to maintain such emotions for a long time.

Continuing to build on this could even backfire.

On the internet, there are already voices calling for Universal Pictures to "profit from the dead," urging people to stop excessive marketing and let the deceased rest in peace.

On its opening day, "The Town" broke the monopoly of "Fast & Furious 6" in the North American film market, grossing $2025 million, surpassing the latter's $1845 million.

At the same time, Disney began to focus on word-of-mouth marketing for its films, receiving continuous praise from print media to television and the internet.

The Boston Globe, a local Boston newspaper, praised the film, saying, "The quality of the film is as good as 'The Departed,' and this is yet another letter from Martin Davis to Boston written with a poisonous pen."

Variety stated, "Several main characters shine in the film, and Martin Davis once again demonstrates his outstanding acting skills and ability to create characters."

Box Office Magazine, which focuses primarily on market response, succinctly stated: "A compelling and sensational crime thriller is sure to be one of the most successful films of the year."

Various reviews and ratings for the film are gradually being released.

It has an 89% freshness rating on Rotten Tomatoes, an 8.3 rating on IMDb, and a 75 rating on Metacritic.

The box office review was spot on; The Town had enough appeal for North American audiences.

The problems depicted in the film are not unique to Boston; they exist in many American cities, and many people from ordinary backgrounds may have faced similar choices growing up.

Needless to say, people like Martin who came from the bottom often had no other choice.

This film may not be well received outside of North America, but it is very popular in North America.

"A standout in its genre, even with Martin Scorsese wearing a hood and playing a gangster, his performance is so convincing!"

"I bought the ticket hoping to support Martin Scorsese, but the film was surprisingly good!"

"Martin excels at tense robbery and gunfight scenes, but his nuanced dramatic scenes reminded me of the Oscar-winning actor from 'The Martian'."

This is a commercial film; its success or failure ultimately depends on the market.

Positive word-of-mouth from audiences contributed to the steady growth of box office revenue.

After Saturday, The Town's box office increased by $2211 million, still ahead of Fast & Furious 6, which opened the following weekend.

After the audience's enthusiasm for the latter was greatly exhausted, the daily box office showed a continuous downward trend.

Martin and his team also left Boston for Chicago, continuing their promotional tour of the film at a pace of one city every two days.

A new week has begun, and the latest box office statistics are in.

During its three-day opening weekend in North America, The Town grossed $5877 million in 3772 theaters!

This figure surpassed Fast & Furious 6's $4985 million in its second weekend, making it the top-grossing film in North America that weekend.

No one was surprised by the success of the film starring Martin Scorsese.

However, Denis Villeneuve, this no-longer-young new director, has finally truly attracted Hollywood's attention.

After the opening weekend box office results were released, Davis Studios officially announced its collaboration with Denis Villeneuve on the project "Sicario".

(End of this chapter)