America achieves both fame and fortune

Chapter 893 Full Power Launch

Following the premiere of "Split," Disney Studios and Davis Studios intensified their promotional and marketing efforts for the film, particularly word-of-mouth marketing.

The main focus is on the male lead played by Martin.

Reports and promotional articles about "Split" can be found everywhere on major film and television websites and entertainment newspapers.

"Martin's new film, *Split*, will show you what truly explosive acting looks like!"

"With his unparalleled acting skills, Martin Davis portrays 24 distinct personalities, showing the world what truly phenomenal performance is."

"Split is not just a movie about split personality, but also a suspenseful thriller that explores human nature and challenges the psychological limits of the audience."

The overwhelmingly positive reviews have piqued the interest of many movie fans.

Subsequently, David Fincher gave an interview to The Hollywood Reporter, focusing on his production of House of Cards 2 for Netflix and the upcoming Split.

"Since I started directing, Split is the easiest film I've ever made."

Having won the Best Director Oscar, David Fincher knew the crucial role Martin Scorsese played in the film. In an interview, he emphasized Scorsese's contribution: "The real challenge in making this film was the lead actor's performance. As you can see, Scorsese did an exceptionally good job, giving Split a true soul."

Not only David Fincher, but the rest of the cast and crew also raved about Martin Scorsese.

If it were just the crew members praising it, the promotional effect might be mediocre. However, the overwhelmingly positive reviews from the media attracted a large number of moviegoers to the theaters when the film was officially released.

Split offers them more than just a fleeting glimpse into character development; it also presents a dark, almost religiously ritualistic storyline directed by David Fincher.

The protagonist's seven personalities are in conflict with each other, ultimately leading to the emergence of the sadistic personality.

The incredibly terrifying soul cooking, the last supper of the male and female protagonists, sends chills down your spine.

Viewers who have seen "Split" at least feel that the film was worth the ticket price and that they didn't waste their money.

Those who enjoy this style of film were already in a frenzy while watching the movie.

Despite both films featuring a dark theme, "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice" received terrible reviews from audiences, while "Split" won almost unanimous praise.

On its opening day alone, the film was flooded with positive reviews on the North American internet and social media.

"After watching this film, my perception of Martin Scorsese was almost completely overturned. I used to think his acting was only slightly better than Leonardo DiCaprio's, but now I feel that even the word 'superb acting' doesn't do him justice!"

"Guys, seeing eight different Martin roles in one movie is totally worth it!"

"This film, with David Fincher and Martin Scorsese delivering a double whammy in terms of both plot and acting, can only be described with Quentin Tarantino's famous quote—it's awesome!"

"I'm not a Martin Davis fan, but I would say that if you like psychological thrillers, then Split is definitely worth watching. This film will take you into a world full of unknowns and horrors, challenging your psychological limits."

Excellent audience reviews resulted in extremely high attendance.

On Friday, Split had no rivals in North American theaters, and by the early hours of the morning, the exact box office figures were in.

Anya Taylor-Joy stood on her bedroom balcony, looking at the stars in the sky, waiting for something.

Her manager, Julia, rushed in from outside, phone in hand, shouting, "Anya, my darling, congratulations! You're amazing!"

Anya turned around, looked at Julia, and asked, "Have the statistics been compiled?"

Julia leaned against the balcony railing, showing her tablet, which displayed statistics from a website, with a long string of numbers following the title "Split".

Anya clutched her chest to prevent her heart from pounding out of her chest. She counted carefully; the string of numbers had eight digits!

"$2525 million!" Anya's voice trembled noticeably as she spoke, utterly excited. "It's fantastic! My first film as the lead actress has been a huge success!"

Julia, not wanting her to get carried away, deliberately reminded her, "She's actually a supporting actress!"

This is a one-man show for Martin, but Anya doesn't see it that way: "Throughout the entire pre-release promotional period, I was the leading lady."

Julia stopped there, smiling as she said, "Alright, leading lady, congratulations! You've become the lead actress in a blockbuster film. Your future is secure."

Anya said directly, "As long as I follow Martin, my future is guaranteed."

"There aren't many big names in Hollywood like Martin who keep their word," Julia said after carefully studying Martin's past. "If you follow him, at least your efforts will be rewarded."

Anya said, "I've made a deal with Martin. I'll be his mistress until I'm 25, trading seven years of my youth for career advancement."

Julia cautioned, "You should think this through."

Anya struck an S-shaped pose and said, "Besides youth and body, I have no other assets."

Julia said, "Do your best in the upcoming 'The Queen's Game' and try to get more exposure from the audience and media."

Anya said, "I'll make Martin even more satisfied; he even recommended a role to me."

…………

As the number of viewers watching the film increased dramatically, Split's reputation and ratings inevitably declined, but it did not suffer the same disastrous collapse as Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.

On Rotten Tomatoes, the freshness rating remains above 90%, while the IMDb rating has slightly slipped to 8.8.

The film's strong word-of-mouth allows Disney Studios and Davis Studios to continue their word-of-mouth marketing efforts.

This word-of-mouth marketing campaign primarily focused on social media.

On social media platforms such as Twitter and Instagram, news about "Split" has been widely shared by countless users thanks to the strong promotion from the film's producers.

"Martin's acting in this movie was so good. When the new personality appeared in Soul Cooking, it scared me so much that I felt like I had a split personality."

"David Fincher's directing skills are superb. He subtly brings out Martin's male lead, leaving viewers amazed and amazed."

"I feel sorry for Martin. He plays so many roles, but only gets paid for one film..."

"Split showed us just how high the level of acting skills can be among Hollywood actors!"

Split merchandise is now available, with Coca-Cola launching a split-themed version of Coke. The new Coke bottles and cans are printed with each of Martin's personality traits, and consumers who collect the first seven will receive the eighth Coke as a gift.

That is, the character played by Martin, who has a sadistic personality, Cola.

This attracted a large number of consumers to buy the film, and the wildly successful Coca-Cola also expanded the film's influence, drawing more people to the cinema.

The attendance at theaters showing "Split" on Saturday, a weekend, was noticeably higher. With no strong competitors at the same time, the film became the only hot topic in the North American film market.

On this day, "Split" saw another significant increase in its daily box office, grossing $2898 million.

Cnemascore, a professional market research and evaluation organization, released its audience ratings for theatrical releases, and "Split" received an overall score of A!

When the weekend ended and the latest box office statistics came out, the figure of $7684 million was enough to put "Split" on the top of the North American box office charts!

This achievement also meant that Split grossed over its $6000 million production cost in just three days in North America.

The high production costs were mainly due to the salaries of Martin Scorsese and David Fincher.

However, the two also brought in high returns for the project.

…………

Disney Studios, CEO's private meeting room.

"Martin's vision and market insight are self-evident and need no further explanation."

In the conference room, Alan Horn said to several subordinates, "A film like Split, which is clearly not commercially viable, has become a blockbuster under his management. I have to say he seems to have some kind of magic."

Kenneth Branagh, who directed Thor, added, "Martin's performance was truly outstanding. Without him, Split would have lost at least half its luster."

Producer David Barron said, "I've heard people talk about 'Split,' and David Fincher deliberately focused the plot and camera work on Martin's individual performance. It's very clear that he wanted to help Martin win another Oscar."

Renowned screenwriter Chris Weitz said, "The Oscars love mental illness and madness, but Martin's character is truly outstanding, one of the best I've seen in my twenty years in the industry."

Alan Horn steered the conversation back on track: "The project we're discussing today, 'Cinderella,' originated from Martin's suggestion. His Davis Studio is also one of the investors in the project. If the script doesn't pass his approval, it has to be rewritten."

Neither director Kenneth Branagh nor screenwriter Chris Weitz had any objections to this.

The other party is not only the project initiator, but also an investor, and has such an outstanding resume. What can they say?

If you really have any objections, you'll only end up being kicked out.

Not long after, the assistant brought Martin to the conference room.

Subsequently, several other project leaders also arrived.

Alan Horn asked Martin directly, "Are you satisfied with the script?"

Martin took the script from Bruce, placed it on the conference table, and said, "Very good. It respects the original work; this is how Cinderella should be."

Screenwriter Chris Weitz breathed a sigh of relief: "I think so too. The most widely circulated version of the fairy tale is the one that is most accepted by the public."

Martin had already read the script carefully, and it contained neither Cinderella's scheming to throw her shoe, nor the black fairy godmother's yeast, nor the scene of the stepmother cutting off the feet of her two sisters.

In short, it's a fairy tale movie that's truly suitable for the whole family.

With the script completed, the project's preparation can now proceed at a faster pace.

The Cinderella project has a production budget of $100 million, with Kenneth Branagh as director and David Barron as lead producer. The musical numbers will be designed by the choreography team from Beauty and the Beast.

There are no plans yet regarding the cast.

Martin, recalling Anya Taylor-Joy's extreme fawning and flattery towards him the previous night, said directly, "I recommend someone for the female lead: Anya Taylor-Joy, the lead in 'Split.' She's good-looking, has excellent acting skills, and is the right age."

Without plastic surgery or excessive weight loss, Anya Taylor-Joy's appearance falls within the normal aesthetic range for the general public.

Alan Horn didn't waste any words and said, "Go to the audition. Those who are suitable will be given priority."

The director and producer had no objection to this.

They had all seen "Split," and the one who impressed them most was Martin Scorsese's portrayal of the male lead, but Anya's performance as the female lead was also excellent throughout.

Martin only recommended Anya as a candidate. The composition of a production team of this size is complex, and the other key positions may also be filled by people with connections.

After the meeting, Alan Horn called Martin to the adjacent meeting room, where the two mainly discussed "Beauty and the Beast," which was to be released next month.

This live-action fairy tale film, after two years of preparation, filming and production, will be released during this year's Thanksgiving season.

Disney Studios held several test screenings, and the response was excellent, with many believing that the film captured the essence of a fairy tale movie.

Beauty and the Beast had a huge budget, and Martin Scorsese and Alan Horn certainly wanted the film to be a huge success.

Alan Horn stated directly, "If this film doesn't gross more than $2.5 million at the North American box office, we might face losses."

Martin, who had seen the test screening, said: "Judging from the current buzz, it will definitely gross over $100 million in its opening weekend in North America."

Alan Horn said, "If the film grosses over $100 million in its opening weekend in North America, Disney will immediately throw a celebration party."

Beauty and the Beast used a short GG clip as a promotional element in the opening credits of Split.

The latter's screenings in North America have entered their second week and continue to generate considerable buzz.

Although the rating on IMDb inevitably dropped to 8.6 as the number of ratings exceeded 5, its overall reputation remains strong.

This also made the film's box office performance unusually stable, with the second weekend's box office decline being less than 40%, and it grossed another $46.8 million in more than 3800 theaters in North America.

With four working days added, it took only one week for "Split" to gross over $1.5 million at the North American box office.

Meanwhile, the film was shown in theaters in 11 European countries, grossing over $3500 million at the international box office.

When the production team launched its overseas promotional campaign, Davis Studios, Disney Studios, WMA, and Martin's PR team jointly launched an awards season PR campaign.

The traditional North American awards season begins in early December, but in a broader sense, the awards season begins with the Toronto International Film Festival in September.

Public relations began lobbying the judges, and Disney Studios sent out large quantities of free movie tickets to media reporters and film critics.

As the brokerage firm's number one client, WMA has poured all available resources into Martin's bid for the awards this year.

Sponsors, including Coca-Cola, Cadillac, and Brioni, are also helping to generate buzz for Martin.

In the media, a large number of articles praising it have appeared.

For example, Kenneth Turan, the top film critic for the Los Angeles Times, rallied behind Martin Scorsese, saying, "So far this year, Scorsese's lead role in Split is the best one he's ever played."

(End of this chapter)