From Flower Vase to Film Emperor in Hollywood

“This, isn't this too crazy? What on earth is New Line Cinema thinking?”

“I have a bold idea, this might be Anson's plan.”

“... Surely not, right?”

“Think about how crazy last year's 'Catch Me If You Can' flash surprise event was. Back then, we were even wondering if Anson would run to Paris.”

“Ha, if it were Paris, I'd be curious which cinema Anson would choose.”

“So, this year Anson continues to shatter expectations. I think it's very possible. The New Line Cinema distribution team wouldn't have such genius ideas.”

“But even for Anson, isn't this kind of strategy too insane?”

Chatter, whispers.

Discussions, completely non-stop, excitement and elation overflowing on every face.

In the small space of "Light and Shadow," film enthusiasts expressed their opinions, each speaking their mind.

In the crowd, Carl remained silent, immersed in his own thoughts.

Then, Carl proposed a bold idea, hesitantly throwing it out.

“Is it possible that this is intentional on Anson's part?”

All eyes turned towards him, and the discussions quieted down slightly.

“From the brand new form of the premiere, Anson has been emphasizing the 'butterfly effect.' Every choice we make can lead to different outcomes.”

“So, Anson is also handing over the power of choice to the cinema managers.”

“On one hand, the cinema manager's choice of which ending to show and how to arrange the screenings can affect the cinema's own box office performance.”

“On the other hand, which ending we get to see, in which screening, and the audience's viewing experience will also create a chain reaction.”

Gasp.

The surroundings immediately became lively, the whispering discussions completely non-stop.

Someone next to him exclaimed, “But, isn't this bad for the movie's box office?”

Carl nodded, “That's the purpose.”

“Anson knows that the decisions of the cinema managers and the reactions of the audience will directly affect the box office, but he still handed over the decision-making power.”

“The movie's box office will become an unknown factor, completely disrupting this year's holiday season market.”

Shock!

A moment of stunned silence.

Then someone said, “Like a large-scale social experiment.”

Wow!

Admiration, exclamations, surprise, all sorts of reactions erupted like a volcano.

Even Carl himself found it hard to imagine how Anson could have conceived of such a promotional plan. The movie completely broke the fourth wall, extending the dramatic effect of the movie into the real world—

Without even needing to ask others, Carl himself was the best example.

Through watching the movie, he was unknowingly drawn into this dramatic vortex.

If judged purely on the plot, Carl agreed with the North American film critics' views. The two screenwriters seemed to lack social experience and life experience. The arrangement of the entire plot was too taken for granted, completely the mindset of a college fraternity male.

But the movie was obviously more than that. The actors, under Anson's leadership, added a lot of color to the movie, and broke the fourth wall, allowing the dramatic tension to pour onto the audience.

Carl believed that if it weren't for Anson, replacing him with any other actor to play the role of Evan, the effect of the movie might have been greatly reduced.

Furthermore, after the movie ended, the storm in his mind still hadn't stopped, involving every aspect of the butterfly effect, generating a series of subsequent reactions.

So, before he even realized it, Carl had already appeared at "Light and Shadow," exploring the second version of the movie's ending with a group of new companions.

Later, Carl recorded all his thoughts in his blog's film review.

“…We always can't help but think, if we had done this back then, if we had done that back then, would life be different? However, Anson Wood uses the time of a movie and the entire movie's release plan to tell us about the uncontrollability of life:

Instead of dreaming of perfection, it's better to accept those accidents and regrets, it's better to embrace those wounds and pains, and find the strength to continue moving forward.

Indeed, the plot of 'The Butterfly Effect'… is childish and foolish. In order to highlight the dramatic effect, the single-threaded narrative method completely fails to convey the impermanence and complexity of fate; but it is precisely behind this kind of narrative that the space for thinking is left to the audience—

Look, simple, right? Such a simple plot, such a simple story, how do you choose in front of the screen?

Perhaps, French people like tragedy; perhaps, Americans like happy endings; perhaps, the Chinese like the incomplete regrets.

And so on and so forth.

This is the most cunning part of the movie. You, sitting in front of the big screen, also become part of Anson's social experiment, including those high and mighty film critics.

When you laugh at Anson for being a pretty boy, Anson is laughing at your stupidity.

So, do you really understand it?”

In his own blog, Carl spoke freely, without concealing his views at all, not only praising the movie, but also pointing the finger at those self-proclaimed film critics, pulling the trigger without hesitation.

Rating?

Carl didn't give a rating. This was a blog, with only his own views.

But at the end of the blog, Carl did express his views with the words "highly recommended" and "must-see," without a doubt this was a work that should not be missed.

This blog post caused a huge reaction.

First in Europe, and then, after translation, crossing the Atlantic and the Pacific, it spread widely in major forums around the world, causing a series of heated discussions.

The heat was still rising, even leaving the small circle of movie fans, attracting attention among other groups, and once again standing in the eye of the storm of controversy.

In the center of the mighty storm, some netizens raised a soul-searching question:

So, what exactly is the ending?

After so much rambling nonsense, isn't it just a movie marketing strategy? There's no need to force it to a higher level. In the final analysis, it's just a publicity stunt; so, the movie has been officially released for twenty-four hours, have all five endings appeared? Has anyone found all the answers?

In the lively atmosphere, there are always people pouring cold water, always people playing the role of rational centrists.

Just wait a little while, and the netizens will obediently post all five versions of the ending, and then these rational centrists will condescendingly launch a critique:

Nothing more than that.

However!

This time the situation was slightly different.

Before the netizens responded to the call to announce the ending, a view quietly spread:

Reject spoilers.

In 2003, because social networks had not yet appeared, the possibility of information dissemination and exposure was relatively low. The matter of "spoilers" had not risen to a new height. Although people still disliked spoilers;

But spoilers limited to forums were not necessarily seen by everyone.

Therefore, netizens' vigilance was not yet that strong.

But this time, no one knew where this trend started. The slogan "Reject Spoilers" began to spread widely in major forums:

Netizens believed that they should decide for themselves whether they needed to see all the endings, and which ending they should see? They didn't need others to meddle in their affairs.