American fame and fortune

The preview screening of "Joker" has just concluded at the Burbank Theatre.

Christopher Nolan rubbed his eyebrows and turned to look at Martin, as if he was meeting him for the first time.

This film marketing master who is particularly good at grasping the market said: "In the current social environment, this is a movie that is very in line with market demand, and it will become a classic."

Facing Nolan, Martin said humbly: "I am also trying to take advantage of the situation."

"Commercial movies are inherently speculation." Nolan made no secret of this: "And your choice is just right. Looking at the current social situation, how many people will your movie resonate with?"

He pondered for a moment and then said: "This film is darker and more realistic than "The Dark Knight" and closer to people's lives. I am personally very optimistic about the film's market prospects."

Martin said: "Chris, thank you for your good words."

Nolan and Emma Thomas immediately left and went to find someone from Warner Pictures.

Compared to Nolan, a real film marketing master, Emma Thomas has a poor sense of market and has some doubts: "The content of the film is so crazy and realistic, the audience..."

Nolan whispered as he walked: "Ordinary movies, shot like this, may get high ratings, but the market prospects are hard to say. But you have ignored the most important point, this is a clown movie! "The Dark Knight" The Joker who completely surpassed Batman in the film has already become a god on the Internet and among movie fans!”

After being reminded like this, Emma Thomas reacted and said: "No wonder Martin dared to shoot like this, the clown gave him the confidence."

"More than that, filming like this is also in line with the character of the clown." Nolan has never been far away from the first-line film market, and he has a certain understanding of the psychology of most viewers: "Think about ordinary people whose lives have become increasingly difficult in recent years. , look at this movie again, I think it will hit the heart.”

Emma Thomas didn't quite understand and looked at her husband in confusion.

Nolan explained softly: "Why is the clown's life so stuck and so difficult to get out of the quagmire? Why did he lose his job? Why is he completely crazy? It's all the fault of the people around him, the fault of his colleagues, the fault of the boss, the fault of passers-by, and the fault of the media. "The politician's fault is that the cruel social environment has pushed people to this point, not what he has done wrong."

Emma Thomas recalled the movie she had just watched and found that this was indeed what happened, and asked: "Will this cater to their psychology and win their approval?"

Nolan said: "The general psychology of people is that when they encounter difficulties, the problems must be on others. Especially now that the social environment is not good, it must be society's problems."

Emma Thomas turned to ask: "Do you think Martin did this unconsciously, or did he set it up this way on purpose?"

Nolan asked, "What do you think? Martin has cooperated with us many times and has a strong grasp of the film market. Don't you know?"

After the test screening, the crew also held a reception party at a nearby Burbank hotel.

This was a special preview screening for the industry, media and film critics. The film's serious theme and realistic plot have received unanimous praise from both inside and outside the industry.

Charles Rowan came over and shook Martin's hand: "A true masterpiece."

He said seriously: "With my thirty years of experience as a producer, this will be a big hit."

"Thank you." Martin said politely.

Many people came to see Martin, including many front-line film workers. These people seemed to be optimistic about the film's market prospects, and each of them spoke very nicely.

It was true. Martin stood in the banquet hall and looked around. There were good people everywhere.

People who please him.

It didn't take long before Kenneth Turan and Todd McCarthy, old acquaintances in the film critic world, found Martin.

The former was immediately stunned when he opened his mouth: "The film is extremely well-made. Its artistry and thematic depth are unmatched by any film in recent years."

He breathed a sigh of relief: "Originally, I was a little worried, fearing that you would be pressured by DC to continue the good themes of "The Dark Knight" into a flashy comic book movie."

Martin listened to these words and just kept smiling.

Todd McCarthy automatically answered: "It turns out that Kenneth's worries are unnecessary. This film made by Martin is extremely realistic and truly reflects our current social problems. The artistic and social aspects of the film have reached a certain level." the height of."

He took the initiative to apologize to Martin: "I must apologize to you for my remarks before the release of "Shark Beach". At that time, I said that you were not suitable to be a director. It was completely a prejudice. What you did on "Shark Beach" was great, but this one is even better! Martin, you directed a masterpiece.”

Martin shook his hand and said, "Those things have long since passed. Let's move forward."

Kenneth Turan and Todd McCarthy both laughed.

After the reception party was over, Leonardo and Nicholson, who had been hiding, got into Martin's car.

On the way back to Beverly Hills, Leonardo said: "I really wonder if you have found someone else to take your place as director."

Martin made no secret of it: "In fact, I distributed the director's work to various departments, and hundreds of experienced personnel completed the preparation, shooting and production of this film. What I did was only the specific coordination and production. Keep writing checks.”

Leonardo disagreed: "On these two points alone, there would not be such a movie."

Nicholson said: "Martin brought the character of the Joker into social reality."

He looked at his best friend: "Your Joker has surpassed me in all aspects."

Martin was not polite to him at all: "My Joker has become a god, and this is why I dare to shoot and produce like this."

Nicholson reminded: "This film is going to compete for the Oscars, right? You directed and acted in it yourself. Here's a suggestion for you. It's best to only apply for one of the leading actor and director. Two nominations will seriously split the votes, resulting in you getting nothing."

Martin is not an idiot who knows nothing about the Oscars. He is also very clear about the consequences of splitting the votes. He said: "I will only apply for one of the leading actor and director."

Leonardo reached out and pinched Martin's shoulder and shook it: "You must apply for Best Director, apply for Best Director!"

Martin laughed: "I almost forgot that your "The Revenant" will be released in December and you want to compete for Best Actor."

Leonardo took the initiative Said: "You give up the Best Actor, and I will give up the Best Director for The Revenant, which I invested in."

Martin stretched out his hand and shook hands with Leonardo: "It's a deal!"

Leonardo is the producer and investor of The Revenant first, and the leading actor second. He has the final say on the specifics of the project: "Okay, we've settled it!"

Nicholson looked contemptuous: "The Oscars are just made by bastards like you guys."

Martin told the truth: "With the current ecological environment in Hollywood, can you win the award without making trouble?"

Leonardo fully agreed: "Old bastard, don't pretend to be innocent. You told me many years ago that winning the award just by virtue of the good film and role is a daydream."

Nicholson said: "I wish you a fair and honest award at the Oscars next year."

Martin and Leonardo were both laughing.

The two bastards have reached an agreement in private. With their status and position, they will naturally affect the results of the Oscars next year.

The next day, "Joker" held two more previews, with the audience mainly being theater managers from North America and around the world, as well as ordinary moviegoers from the middle and lower classes of society.

After several previews, the film received very good word-of-mouth.

The media gave it a lot of praise.

"Martin Davis has explored the theme of Joker very deeply, and has given a complex, cold and very realistic ultimate answer!"

"Through this movie, Martin reveals the cruel social reality: the world is always sinking, and the people at the bottom are always the most hurt!"

"The movie Joker is a cinematic and political commentary on the brutal side of our society. It is a realistic work that can scare us to death. It is absolutely."

Kenneth Turan, the top film critic from the Los Angeles Times and president of the Los Angeles Film Critics Association, wrote in his column: "After watching Martin's new film, you will find that no one is born a clown!"

"The tyrannical madness derived from the dark depression of Joker is Martin Davis's deafening voice. This is a masterpiece that is far beyond people's expectations. It is not only a movie that focuses on the bottom and belongs to the little people, but also a social fable!"

This type of film, coupled with the seriousness of the content and the depth of the theme, is extremely in line with the appetite of film critics.

And these have also been recognized by ordinary movie fans and resonated in their hearts.

When people, especially ordinary people, encounter problems, they first attribute them to environmental problems.

The Joker is a god they created, and his development in the film is in line with their cognition.

Fans who watched the preview vented their emotions crazily on the Internet.

"Dark, realistic, twisted and shocking, Martin is worthy of being a star and director who came out of the slums. He understands the current social situation and uses a movie to express the grief of the entire American people!"

"The plot rhythm is full marks, the connotation and thinking tension is full marks, the artistic drama is full marks, and the character creation is full marks. It turns out that only Martin can bring a real Joker."

"To what extent is the class solidification in this world serious? It has reached the point where anything can become a good movie material! Martin sees it clearly. Facing these people at the bottom, there are only a few choices: struggle, accusation, madness..."

Warner Pictures and the crew lifted the ban on the film's reputation.

Rotten Tomatoes freshness is as high as 98%!

MTC comprehensive score is 86 points!

The high professional reputation and the crazy spread of topics on the Internet have made "Joker" attract a lot of attention since September.

In order to create momentum, Martin was so crazy that he pulled out the retired Nicholson to make a fuss.

As the previous movie clown, Nicholson said a classic sentence in an interview: "Twenty-five years ago, to make a clown, you need to push people into the chemical raw material pool. Twenty-five years later, you just need to push people into society..."

Nicholson's remarks were forwarded crazily on social media and even topped the INS hot list in early October!

The overwhelming preview reputation, Martin's own appeal, and the comprehensive A+ rating from theater managers also made North American theater companies willing to mobilize a large amount of resources for the release of "Joker".

After obtaining the total number of 4,250 theaters in operation, Warner Pictures made every effort to produce and transmit copies.

Digital copies are simple and convenient, and confidentiality is also good.

In addition, the film also worked hard on publicity and marketing.

Martin's clown-style poster appeared on the cover of "Empire" magazine.

As the top figure of the crew who is both the director and the leading actor, Martin accepted an exclusive interview with The Hollywood Reporter.

A large number of promotional soft articles have emerged crazily with the Internet as a platform.

"The Joker is darker than The Dark Knight!"

"This movie is definitely worthy of another Oscar for Martin Davis!"

"Martin Scorsese said: The Joker should be classified as a social reality type, not a comic book movie."

Not only the media, but also the FBI came out to join in the fun, saying that it would fully cooperate with the Joker crew to ensure the safety of the film's premiere.

The shooting at the premiere of The Dark Knight Rises is still vivid, and Martin is also worried about the emergence of extremists.

Today's social environment is worse than in previous years.

In order to ensure the safety of the premiere, the crew funded a professional security company to be responsible for the security of the premiere.

The FBI also sent several teams to assist throughout the process.

On the day of the premiere of The Joker, hundreds of security personnel were distributed in key locations near the Chief Rock Theater.

Even so, security is still a problem.

Because there were too many clowns, thousands of them blocked the road in front of the Chief Rock Theater.

A purple suit, a pale face, and a bloody mouth have become the most popular fashion in Los Angeles today.

At the premiere, all the main creative staff of the crew were present.

Like Leonardo, Nicholson, Chuck, Mene, David Fincher and Nolan, many of Martin's friends and partners came to cheer.

Elizabeth Olsen, who has not appeared in public for a long time, also accompanied Martin on the premiere red carpet.

Most unexpectedly, Zack Snyder accepted Daniel's invitation and came to the theater with Deborah.

In addition, several actors from the "Justice League" crew also came.

On the contrary, none of the DC executives came.

"I proposed to make a director's cut of Zack Snyder's film after it was released and put it on HBO, but DC refused." Zack Snyder was helpless and said, "In the eyes of DC, I am now a superfluous person."

Nolan, who recommended and promoted Zack Snyder, comforted him, "Predecessors are always enemies."

Martin didn't say anything.

According to what he knew, it wouldn't take too long for Warner and DC to release the Zack Snyder version.

Thousands of fans, hundreds of media reporters, and dozens of guests poured into the screening hall to watch the premiere of "Joker".