America: Starting with the acquisition of MGM...

Chapter 204, Section 203: A Violent Incident

The premiere of "Blue Is the Warmest Color" didn't go very well; I did a rough count.

Audiences had high expectations for Eric's new film, so the 400-seat theater was packed, with 74 seats left empty in the end, resulting in an 18.5% vacancy rate, nearly one-fifth.

The exit rate will be reflected in the subsequent attendance rate, and those audience members who leave will naturally not have anything good to say about the movie.

A nice person might say, "That movie? I left after watching half of it, it was really boring."

Those with a bad attitude might criticize homosexuals, God forbidding it, call it trash, or say it's a distorted love story, and they might even maliciously leave negative reviews on various websites.

This is in Los Angeles, where the social atmosphere is relatively open, and yet so many viewers are not optimistic or accepting of it; the situation is even more pronounced in conservative areas.

"Eric, I'm a little worried," Ashley said anxiously.

"What are you worried about? Didn't you see? We got applause, and the critics didn't find any fault. It's not easy to satisfy these guys," Eric reassured him.

"Those film critics are only doing it because of you. If it were any other director or if you weren't there, they would definitely be criticizing them."

"Hehe. You're overthinking it. Your performance was fantastic, a breakthrough in acting. I have a keen eye; I can tell who's being sincere and who's being fake."

Mary vigorously massaged Eric's shoulders: "It's not just about word of mouth, there's also box office revenue. If there are fewer than 500 theaters, you might lose money."

"Yeah, I didn't even ask. How much was the budget for 'Blue Is the Warmest Color'?" Ashley looked over curiously.

"$4000."

"So many!" The two sisters exclaimed simultaneously, their eyes widening.

"How could it cost $4000 million! It was filmed in just two months, with very few extras, and only a small portion of the scenes were filmed at MGM's studios."

"There are no scenes that require special effects yet, and Ashley and I are paid negligible salaries."

"Eric, you've got it wrong. No matter how you calculate it, it's impossible for it to cost $4000 million!"

"Yeah, I think it's at most $2000 million. Did you hire a really expensive behind-the-scenes team? Music? Voice acting? It doesn't seem like it."

Seeing their surprised expressions, Eric chuckled.

"The figure of $4000 million is the publicly released figure. If you want to know the real figure, it is actually around $1500 million."

Upon hearing this, Mary rolled her eyes: "I know that big companies like to exaggerate some costs, but none of them are as exaggerated as you, almost double the amount."

"It's not as outrageous as two times, maybe 0.5 times."

"4000 million versus 1500 million—are the math skills of America's elite really that bad?"

Eric pointed to his nose: "And then there's my fees for writing and directing. The youngest Best Screenwriter in history—is that title worth $300 million?"

"Plus, I was the writer and director of Transformers, which grossed $8 million worldwide. Isn't that title worth $1000 million?"

"Once Transformers surpasses Finding Nemo and takes the top spot at the box office this year, it wouldn't be unreasonable to add another $200 million to the youngest director to win the box office champion title."

"The $1500 million figure is just because I didn't pay myself a salary; otherwise, it would have been $3000 million."

"So this is how you calculate things." The two sisters were both angry and amused.

"Yes, that is, during filming, MGM was practically my sole proprietorship. It didn't matter if I didn't get paid. But after the IPO, things will be settled one by one, and I won't lose a single penny that's rightfully mine."

Ashley breathed a sigh of relief: "With $1500 million, the pressure to break even will be much less. If we expand the scale of screenings, for example, to a thousand theaters, it should be fine."

"Tsk tsk. Who told you it was only $1500 million? That's for production; marketing and distribution aren't included."

"Didn't you avoid any publicity to maintain an air of mystery?"

Mary lightly punched him in the chest, making him gasp for breath.

Eric seized the opportunity to grab her fist, pulled her into his arms, and without any restraint, reached inside her shirt and squeezed her hard in front of Ashley.

"That was before the movie's release. Now the marketing and promotion should start, especially for the Golden Globes and Oscars. Those two award ceremonies are where the money is really going to go. Have you forgotten what I promised you?"

The two women certainly hadn't forgotten how Eric had completely fooled them by calling her a "Golden Globe Best Actress" and an "Oscar Best Actress."

"Eric, are you really going to fight for us for Best Actress?"

Eric nodded seriously: "I always keep my word when it comes to my women."

Kiss me, darling!

Ashley stuck out her tongue with watery eyes, while Mary pressed Eric's hand tightly against her chest.

There are far too many cases where art films fail to recoup their costs; even after factoring in box office revenue, DVD sales, and various copyright income, many still end up losing money.

Because the target audience is small and it's not a genre the market likes, theaters refuse to screen it because it doesn't make money in cinemas.

The theaters' refusal to screen the film reduced its impact and made it less known, which in turn led to poor DVD and copyright sales, creating a vicious cycle.

The only way to break the deadlock is to participate in various influential film festivals, win awards or at least get a few nominations, which will make you more or less famous, and with fame, it will be easier to sell.

Of all film festivals, the most prestigious is undoubtedly the Oscars. Films that win an Oscar can instantly see their value skyrocket by hundreds of millions of dollars.

That's how exaggerated it is; even the three major European film festivals pale in comparison.

Therefore, striving for the award according to the established goals is a must, even though he disdains using the underhanded methods of Harvey Weinstein, such as smearing opponents and currying favor with judges.

However, conventional methods such as buying Google Ads, hiring online trolls, and manipulating public opinion must be used, and this process will cost millions of dollars.

If he doesn't win the award in the end, the money will be wasted, and there's a reason why Harvey Weinstein hates the Coopers so much.

MGM's award contenders for this year's marketing campaign have been decided: "Monster" and "Blue Is the Warmest Color," plus "Get Out."

I'll do my best to win Best Actress for Charlize Theron or the Olsen twins, and I'll fight for an original screenplay for myself. These two awards don't conflict with The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King.

Forget about Best Actor; it seems that no outstanding male lead has emerged from MGM's films over the past year, making the competition too weak.

Transformers can only compete for technical awards, and since it clashes with The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, it's highly unlikely to win any awards.

The jury has been ignoring the Lord of the Rings film for two years. It would be unreasonable and unacceptable not to award this phenomenal work, which is hailed as a masterpiece that saved the fantasy epic genre, to this day.

As The Lord of the Rings triumphed and Transformers cleaned up the mess, the critical reception of Blue Is the Warmest Color began to lift.

Major newspapers, forums, and websites have all given their impressions and evaluations.

The Los Angeles Times: "Blue Is the Warmest Color" is an experiential film, a film made for ordinary people, a film about life itself.

"The simple shots clearly show the freckles on the actors' faces, the minimal background music seems to declare that life itself has no main theme, and the unadorned dialogue comes straight at you."

"Putting aside the homosexual elements in the film, this is a very relatable movie, suitable for everyone. When we watch a movie like this, we are truly looking at ourselves."

The New York Times: "Blue Is the Warmest Color" is a high-quality love story. If you delve deeper, you'll find that homosexuality is just the surface; at a deeper level, it's about love, regardless of gender, just love and life.

Salt Lake City Entertainment News: "I was invited to the premiere of 'Blue Is the Warmest Color,' and I have high expectations for this mysterious film."

"The facts have also proven that Eric Cooper is not only an excellent commercial film director, but he is also very adept at handling art films, like a veteran who has been immersed in the industry for many years."

"It is rare to find a movie where the first hour is almost entirely filled with close-up shots of the main characters going to class, eating, sleeping, masturbating, having sex, taking a shower, and flirting, yet the audience does not feel annoyed or invaded by it."

"An excellent film, directed by a director who combines commercial appeal with artistic merit, this film is worth watching carefully."

NBC Entertainment Online: "A good movie simply needs to present life as realistically as possible, and 'Blue Is the Warmest Color' is such a movie."

"Adele's story is just an entry point. What really moves the audience is our own world. Everyone can see themselves in Adele."

"The ability to bring the two female leads to life so well is thanks to both Eric Cooper's directing skills and the Olsen twins' own hard work."

"They really surprised me. They completely broke free from the constraints of their past teen comedies, and their acting reached a level of simplicity and authenticity."

"Especially their performances in the two emotional scenes were at a master level. They will definitely have a place in next year's Golden Globes and Oscars."

ABC Entertainment: "This is a film that deeply analyzes relationships, showing how life affects love."

"Love is beautiful, but life is often a mess. There isn't much passion; the mundane things in life are what truly matter."

"The difference in values ​​and class is the main reason why the two had to break up. They couldn't fit in with each other, had nothing in common, and a rift was bound to appear sooner or later."

"If they can only gaze at each other from afar, their love for each other is deep, but living together is unnecessary and would only destroy the beautiful relationship they have built."

"Like that line from the movie, they are like birds and fish; they can love each other, but they are definitely not suited to be together."

Of course, not all media outlets were kind. The Independent, for example, was quick to criticize, which angered Mary so much that she tore the newspaper up.

Film critics mainly focus on the artistic aspects, and most of them praise the films, but this doesn't necessarily translate to the audience's reaction.

There are many negative comments online, and the most direct reaction is the IMDb rating.

The film's rating dropped steadily from 8.7 yesterday to 8.4 today, with a sudden surge in one-star reviews, reaching 1.8%, a remarkably high percentage for a good movie.

And it is foreseeable that the proportion will continue to rise, while the rating will continue to fall.

The Olsen twins' Facebook account also suffered a large-scale attack, with many people leaving comments.

Eric instructed them to disable comments and then banned a number of accounts, which improved the situation.

"Utterly disappointing. Why not let Adele and Emma reconcile? Why did they have to separate them? Boycott homophobic films that use same-sex themes. Please don't blindly trust film critics; this is a disappointing movie."

"Why make this kind of movie? Homosexuality is not recognized; God does not allow this kind of behavior in humans!"

"Disgusting story, disgusting actors, disgusting director, I swear I will never watch another movie starring Eric Cooper and the Olsen twins."

"Sisters ganging up on each other, don't the Olsen sisters feel disgusted? Don't you know what shame is? Go to hell!"

"This kind of movie is blasphemous! If I find out a movie theater in Louisiana dares to show it, I'll burn it down!"

The film received mixed reviews overall, and grossed $863 million in its opening weekend, which is considered average.

It's not good, but it's not bad either; currently, the occupancy rate is around 40%.

If this trend continues, another one or two hundred theaters should be able to screen the film in the second week.

But reality often doesn't unfold as expected.

Eric was shaken awake in his sleep, and Theron handed him her phone.

"Eric, it's your phone, the Olsen sisters."

Eric checked the time; it wasn't even 8 o'clock yet. He had been locked in a fierce battle with Theron all night and had only slept for a little over 3 hours. His eyelids were drooping.

"Look, what if your little lover has an emergency?"

Snapped!

He slapped Theron's shapely buttocks, scolding her for talking nonsense.

Ashley and Mary were relatively well-behaved and had been trained by him to be obedient, unlike Nico who liked to launch surprise attacks.

He answered the phone calmly: "Mary, it's me. What's up?"

"Eric, where are you? Are you still sleeping?"

An urgent voice came from the other end.

"Of course I'm sleeping. Please check the time before you call; it's not time for work yet."

"Eric, you'd better get up right away and turn on your computer to check. A movie theater in Massachusetts is on fire."

"Huh? What does a fire in the movie theater have to do with me?"

"Would I bother you with something unrelated? Anyway, take a look and stop talking nonsense."

After hanging up the phone, the two looked at each other in bewilderment.

"Honey, go check on her quickly. It seems like something really urgent has happened; she doesn't sound like she's joking."

At Theron's urging, Eric yawned, rolled out of bed, turned on his computer, and saw this article prominently displayed on Yahoo News.

"Social news?" Eric suddenly had a bad feeling.

Several pictures showed buildings engulfed in flames, while others showed movie theaters reduced to ruins.

Another picture shows a man being pinned down by a police officer.

Beside the man, a sign lay on the ground, with the words "Oppose Homosexuality" written in blood-red lettering.

(End of this chapter)