America: Starting with the acquisition of MGM...

Chapter 247, Section 246: The Greatest Cultural Conflict in History – The Prelude to War Begins

Religion, or faith, is called the most solid and unbreakable thing in the world.

It is something that is more deeply rooted in people's hearts and penetrates their souls than any other emotion, such as kinship, love, or friendship.

Even after enduring the most painful torment, devout believers remain steadfast in their faith, a phenomenon that has been repeated countless times throughout history.

However, at the same time, conflicts between faiths are often the most brutal, and many wars in history have been caused by religious beliefs.

Even in the new century, there are still many theocratic countries in the Middle East.

Saudi Arabia still uses Islamic law to govern its laws, and conflicts between Sunnis and Shiites continue.

More than a decade ago, Martin Scorsese's "The Last Temptation of Christ" caused a huge uproar in countries that believe in Jesus.

He portrayed Jesus as a somewhat fleshy human being who underwent numerous trials and ultimately achieved enlightenment and transcendence. Judas, the traitor, was also reconstructed into a tragic hero who endured humiliation and hardship.

Martin Scorsese may simply want to make a film that expresses his own ideas, but the reshaping of religious history is unacceptable.

As a result, public opinion pushed him into the eye of the storm, and Martin Scorsese was overwhelmed by all kinds of criticism and abuse, and could only keep coming forward to apologize.

The distributor, Universal Pictures, also succumbed to pressure and, after a small-scale screening, dared not expand further.

The film ultimately grossed only a little over $800 million, which, even by the standards of a decade or so ago, would have been a disastrous failure.

For over a decade, Hollywood has only skirted the issue of religious themes in films, avoiding in-depth exploration, but Mel Gibson has clearly gone too far this time.

Eric watched the finished film a while ago and thought it was very good. This "very good" is not religious in nature, but purely from an artistic point of view. It left a deep impression on viewers.

Although Eric claims to be a Catholic, it's all a smokescreen. He's using his mother as a cover and fooling people.

In the United States, theists have a much easier time gaining a following than atheists because religious belief is equated with faith.

If you don't believe in religion or God, in many people's eyes you are a person without faith, a person who is unambitious and without moral restraint.

Although atheists make up only 0.2% of prisoners, having a belief does not prevent them from committing murder, rape, robbery, theft, and human trafficking.

Although George W. Bush was also a Christian, he was ruthless when it came to waging war, using his religious beliefs as a vote-getting tool.

Although most celebrities claim to be religious, they still engage in promiscuous behavior and have affairs with fans without batting an eye, and they don't even blink when they're on drugs. In this respect, Hollywood and politics are exactly the same.

It is the dirtiest circle in the world, and also the circle that "believes" in gods the most.

Now, the Passion of the Christ has emerged, facing a very different environment.

With the internet becoming more developed and information spreading more quickly and easily, it is destined to become the most sensational religious film since "The Last Temptation of Christ".

Chile, on the set of "Inception," the crew gradually arrived to prepare for today's filming.

Neil handed Eric a laptop and said worriedly, "Boss, things don't look good. A lot of people are firing."

"Only one day has passed, and the word-of-mouth is already out?"

"Very fast, almost as if it was premeditated. I think they must have had the manuscript for a long time, just waiting to release it as soon as the movie was released."

"That's true. No matter how well the movie is made, it's useless. In many people's eyes, its existence is the original sin."

"But there's some good news too. The opening day box office figures are in. 'The Passion of the Christ' took in $3300 million. I was stunned when I heard that number."

Eric smiled and said, "That's because of the advance ticket sales. The movie has such a big hype that many people booked their tickets in advance."

"Boss, do you think there might be a sharp drop in sales later on?"

"No, it won't. It's certain to decline, but the drop should be minimal, because it is indeed an excellent work, if we don't view it with prejudice."

As they were talking, Nicole and Theron walked over, and Eric saw them with smiles on their faces.

The two women are quite strange. Sometimes they seem to be competing with each other, and other times they seem to be chatting and laughing like best friends. I don't understand them.

"My great director, I bet you're reading reviews of The Passion of the Christ."

"Yes, the domestic entertainment section has been dominated by this movie, and no one is even discussing the Super Bowl anymore."

Neil obediently gave up his spot. Having been with Eric for over a year, he was very perceptive and understood that the two women and the boss definitely had some kind of ambiguous relationship.

The two sat down on either side of Eric and opened the website to browse various comments. Overall, the comments were mixed, but not as bad as Neil had described.

ABC interviewed Donald Hugh, president of the Catholic League, who said the film was very well made and that it was a truly good film that reflects religious history.

"The Passion of the Christ is the most sincere and moving film I have seen in many years. It follows the guidance of the New Testament and presents that period of history to people in a true way, allowing everyone to understand the greatness of Jesus."

"Mel Gibson is not only an excellent actor, but also a great director. Many people cried in the movie theater."

"We weep for the suffering of Jesus, and for Jesus' compassion in redeeming us all."

"This is a great movie, and I will encourage my followers to watch it together."

Meanwhile, Kerry Simpson, a spokesperson for the Protestant Union, also gave an interview and praised the film.

"Without a doubt, The Passion of the Christ is a wonderful and sincere film. We rented out a theater to watch it, and it proved to be worthwhile."

"The actors' performances were superb. James Caviezel's portrayal of Jesus was incredibly lifelike. It is said that he was struck by lightning twice during filming, but he was unharmed."

"You know what? It must be God protecting him. Monica Bellucci's portrayal of Maria is also fantastic. This movie deserves to be seen by more people."

In addition, the Orthodox Church in the United States, where there are relatively few believers, also gave it high praise, and many film critics also gave it positive reviews.

"This is Mel Gibson's masterpiece. When everyone thought that Braveheart was hard to surpass, he brought out Passion of the Christ. Hollywood needs this kind of profound director, and audiences also need profound and good movies."

"An incredible film, entirely in Latin and Aramaic. If it weren't for the English subtitles, few people would know what the actors were saying."

"You know, Americans don't watch subtitles, but The Passion of the Christ can keep everyone quietly watching the big screen for two hours. It's a miracle."

"Following 'Malèna,' Monica Bellucci has once again delivered a deeply moving performance. It seems that all she needs is a good director and a good script."

However, for every great praise there is a great condemnation. A spokesperson for the Jewish Association strongly criticized the film, deeming it excessively cruel and a deliberate distortion of history.

In particular, the film attributes the cause of Jesus' death to the Jewish community, which is a strong form of anti-Semitism and is inciting social sentiment. I urge everyone not to watch the film.

Many film critics have also criticized the film for excessively promoting violence, deliberately torturing Jesus on the big screen for an hour in order to attract attention.

A minority also called for a boycott of Mel Gibson and all the actors, to banish them from Hollywood forever.

"It doesn't look too bad; there are still quite a few supporters."

"Not necessarily. Hollywood is, after all, a Jewish community, and Mel Gibson has angered many people this time."

"Catholicism, Protestantism, Eastern Orthodoxy, Judaism, it seems so complicated. Why are they enemies? Because of Judas?" Theron asked curiously.

Eric looked at Nicole: "You should ask Nicole. As a Catholic, she should know the answer."

Nicole waved her hand somewhat awkwardly: "I was just kidding. How many people in Hollywood actually believe in religion?"

"Hehe. Let me give you a simple explanation."

"Actually, although these four sects are quite distinct here, in countries where religious influence is weak, they are collectively referred to as Christianity, and people don't care at all."

"The earliest of the four religions was Judaism. The Jews in the Middle East, surrounded by powerful enemies, began to pray to God."

"Jews believe that there is a God in heaven, and that God will send a savior to earth to save them. The savior is called the Messiah, which is Christ."

"But no one knows when Christ will come, and the Jews can only wait in vain."

"Later, a man named Jesus began to claim that he was the Christ, the messenger of God, and to get people to believe in him."

"As a result, Judaism began to split, with those who did not believe in Jesus continuing to wait for the coming of Christ and adhering to Jewish doctrines."

"Those who believed in Jesus founded Christianity, so Christianity was originally a branch of Judaism."

"The two Bibles also began to differ. Judaism talks about the various covenants that the Jews made with God, which is the Old Testament, or the Hebrew Bible."

"The Christian Bible includes more stories about the Jews and Jesus, which is the New Testament."

"Because Christianity's doctrine is to redeem all people, its number of believers grew rapidly, and it was then established as the state religion of the Roman Empire."

"Later, the Roman Empire split into the Western Roman Empire and the Eastern Roman Empire, and Christianity also split into two."

"The Western Roman Empire was Catholic, and most Western Europeans believed in Catholicism. The Eastern Roman Empire was Orthodox, and Eastern European countries, Russia, Ukraine, Serbia, and other countries believed in Orthodox Christianity."

"Several hundred years later, Catholicism became increasingly corrupt, so Martin Luther broke away from Catholicism again and founded Protestantism."

"Therefore, each of the four denominations has its own contradictions, but since Catholicism, Eastern Orthodoxy, and Protestantism all split off from Christianity, they can unite against Judaism when facing it."

"Because Judaism, due to doctrinal conflicts, joined forces with the Roman Empire to execute Jesus, a story clearly recorded in the New Testament."

"Mel Gibson bringing this history to the big screen is like putting Jews, who believe in Judaism, on the hot seat. Of course, Judaism hates him."

Theron's eyes revealed admiration: "Eric, you know so much, it seems like nothing can stump you."

Eric chuckled and readily accepted the admiration, making no mention of the fact that he had specifically inquired about it out of curiosity after the internal screening.

Having your partner admire you can actually help strengthen your relationship.

"Director, I still don't quite understand. Even if Mel Gibson didn't make movies, this matter would still exist. It's been thousands of years, so what's there to hate about?" Neil frowned.

Eric wagged his finger: "No, these are two different things. In the eyes of Christianity, Judaism is the sinner who caused the death of Jesus Christ, the Savior."

"But in the eyes of Judaism, they were right. Jesus was a criminal who spread heresy and deserved to be killed. They did nothing wrong."

"The viewing frenzy sparked by 'The Passion of the Christ' is seen by Judaism as equivalent to splashing dirty water on oneself, a defilement."

"You say you're right, but I'll say I'm right too. Religion is subjective, and there's no evidence, so we can only listen to whoever's voice is the loudest."

Nicole smiled. "Neil, did you steal my money yesterday?"

Neill Blomkamp's expression changed, and he hurriedly shook his head: "What! What are you saying! How could I possibly steal money!"

"You're the one who stole it!"

"No, I understand."

"Hehe. Although I have no proof that you stole it, just if I say it out loud, guess what the crew will think of you."

Neil sighed. "I've become a Jew."

For five consecutive days, the box office of "The Passion of the Christ" soared.

It raked in $8380 million at the box office in its opening weekend, ranking 7th in film history, behind Transformers in its opening weekend.

The film grossed an astonishing 1.45 million yuan in its first five days, making it the third highest-grossing film in Chinese film history, second only to Transformers and The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King.

The phenomenal success stunned everyone, including Mel Gibson's company, BOX, which repeatedly adjusted its box office forecast, from $9500 million in North America to $3.3 million in North America.

Films like "Havana," "The Death Club," and "50 First Dates" are no match for "The Passion of the Christ," which is poised to dominate the box office for the next few weeks.

Fortunately, "A Quiet Place" was released a week earlier, otherwise it wouldn't have even been able to take the top spot at the box office for a week. Now, the two movies are occupying the top two positions.

However, in contrast to the soaring box office success, criticism intensified, with not only Judaism and some media outlets, but also social organizations such as the Anti-Defamation League and the Anti-Discrimination Association jumping out to fiercely oppose it.

There are already signs of marches and rallies in New York, Seattle, New Orleans and other places, and the impact of the event has already surpassed that of the Super Bowl not long ago.

Some Conservative MPs have again voiced their opinions, calling for restrictions on film and television production and increased censorship.

Even MGM, which had remained silent, was dragged into the mess. With a thorough investigation, everyone would know that AK Films was MGM's front man. This time, it was exposed, and the previously rising stock price suddenly stopped rising and even began to fall.

However, Eric is not worried about this, since the money has actually gone into his own pocket, and the stock price will naturally rise back once the public opinion storm has passed.

While some people were selling off their shares, he instructed Mike and a few women to eat as much as they could, and to wait for the value to appreciate so they could make a sure profit.

Eric yawned early in the morning. He had dealt with Theron first last night, and then went on a date with Nico, so he hadn't gotten enough sleep.

However, the scenes in Chile are almost finished, and I'll be returning to the United States after filming in the next few days.

Eric picked up his phone and saw a text message from Carole. He called back.

"What's wrong, Carol?"

"Boss, Disney, Universal, Sony, Paramount, Fox, and Warner Bros. have all sent us a request to boycott Mel Gibson!"

(End of this chapter)