From Flower Vase to Film Emperor in Hollywood

As the summer movie season drew to a close, the fall and holiday seasons took center stage, and the film market remained bustling.

However, both "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets" and "The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers" failed to meet expectations—

Failure, absolutely not; rather, people were expecting these works to continue to ignite the market like "Spider-Man." When they didn't succeed, disappointment was inevitable.

Thus,

people raised a question: Could Anson continue the box office miracle of "Spider-Man"?

Or, to put it another way, was the success of "Spider-Man" entirely dependent on the appeal of the superhero, and unrelated to Anson as an actor? After leaving the role of Peter Parker, was there no obvious difference between Anson and other young actors, just like Leonardo's subsequent film box office performance remained consistently mediocre?

Now, the answer is beginning to be revealed—

Leaving aside whether the audience will buy it, whether they are willing to pay to enter the cinema, at least the film media and professional critics have already fallen for it.

"If I were to list three reasons to go to the cinema to watch 'Catch Me If You Can,' let me think carefully—

Anson Wood. Anson Wood. Anson Wood."

No one had expected, including "Los Angeles Weekly" itself, that this sentence would become a hot topic, the talk of the town.

Firstly, Anson was already the focus.

Secondly, with Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks, two top names, how could they say such outrageous things?

Instantly, the discussion exploded.

Moreover, there was a third reason—

Media aggregate score.

After the release of "Catch Me If You Can," forty professional media outlets gave their scores at the first opportunity. Compared to the summer season, the heat obviously decreased; but in the holiday season, it was almost the same as "Harry Potter" and "The Lord of the Rings," basically at the same level, with similar heat.

A horizontal comparison.

"Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets" was met with scathing criticism and complaints from the media, with a media aggregate score of only 63 points, which was obviously not good news.

"The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers," on the other hand, won applause from the media, with a media aggregate score of 87 points, undoubtedly one of the most outstanding works in theaters this year.

83 points.

Surprise!

A small surprise!

A chorus of praise.

Undoubtedly, this is good news for Anson.

Following "Spider-Man," this is the second consecutive work to receive praise from the media, proving with practical actions that the overnight sensation of the summer season will not become a bubble—

At least, not this year.

In fact, not only will it not, but it will also take advantage of the momentum of the two big shots, Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks, to rise a little higher.

To this, Edgar breathed a long sigh of relief.

Media word-of-mouth is even more important than box office performance, because it proves that Anson has not been treated differently by the media due to the influence of being an idol/pretty face.

Not only that, but he also scored twice with the harsh film critics!

If "Catch Me If You Can" can achieve good box office results, that would naturally be even better; but even if it doesn't, Edgar is not worried. At least Anson has gained a firm foothold in the media, and the bubble of overnight fame has finally dissipated slightly, ensuring that Anson stays at the top of the pyramid.

Worthy of cheers, worthy of celebration.

To be precise, Edgar had not anticipated that the film would receive such praise; moreover, Anson has become the focus of the entire film.

Immediately, Edgar contacted Anson's publicist, Eve, to begin work—

Now that the momentum is so good, wouldn't it be a waste of the media aggregate score double whammy if we didn't seize it?

But for Steven Spielberg, there was nothing to celebrate, because the media aggregate score performance of "Minority Report" was not bad either, 78 points, still within an acceptable range, at the same level as "Catch Me If You Can"; but obviously, the box office of "Minority Report" was far below expectations.

The media, however, had different ideas—

"Strong recovery!"

"Re-proving himself."

"Fought a beautiful turnaround battle."

In other words, they completely regarded "Minority Report" as a failure and strongly declared Steven's self-proving.

Of course, the media naturally had a set of arguments.

"Minority Report" has a good score, but this sci-fi film is obviously prepared to be heartfelt, trying to explore deeper, broader, and more philosophical things. Such a score in a sense also proves the film's disappointment.

"Catch Me If You Can," on the other hand, is just a simple and heartwarming little story, a typical Christmas movie, entertainment first, but it can win such a score, proving that the film has found a balance between entertainment and art.

Therefore, the scores are similar, but completely different, and the treatment is naturally different.

From the media's reaction, you can see what "absolutely not to be missed," what "the best choice for Christmas this year," what "a viewing experience that warms the whole winter," what "suitable for couples and families to watch," overwhelming recommendations strongly刷屏, comprehensive attack—

The effect is immediate.

Indeed, "83 points," for a work of art or an Oscar-winning film, seems good but not too outstanding; but for a popcorn-type movie, it is enough to put on a label that cannot be missed, and easily attract people's attention.

Thus,

the next day, on Christmas Day, "Catch Me If You Can" undoubtedly became a hot topic in Chang'an.

"It's a hit, it's a hit, Anson is a hit again."

"Can't wait, really curious about what kind of sparks Anson and Spielberg can擦出."

"Hey, have you heard? Tom Hanks raves about Anson."

One, then another, all kinds of rumors flying and passing in the streets and alleys, regardless of whether they like the movie or whether they are interested in "Catch Me If You Can," the topic after dinner cannot avoid the biggest focus of this Christmas.

Some people even compared "Catch Me If You Can" with the classic Christmas representative movie "Home Alone," believing that this is the best Christmas movie in ten years.

Now, the various families can't sit still.

Elaine Cole obediently and quietly sat in the chair of the cinema, although the movie had ended and the epilogue was being shown, she still didn't move, completely immersed in the emotion and unable to extricate herself.

The ending of "Catch Me If You Can" is not sensational, nor is it a typical Christmas movie with a perfect family reunion ending, it's just Little Frank and Carl sitting in the office busy working.

But this scene made Elaine's eyes slightly warm.

Because she knew that Little Frank, after all the twists and turns, finally found his family, a family without blood ties but deeply bonded together. Perhaps Old Frank died unexpectedly, and he was unable to see his father's last side, but Carl's trust and reliance made him stop running and stop avoiding, and finally stop to build a life.

In Elaine's opinion, this is the perfect ending.

Slowly, the lights in the screening hall came on, and a figure appeared in front of the big screen.

"Hey, Merry Christmas."

The whole place, at the same time, froze.