Chapter 123: I Want a Thousand Theaters

Entering the conference room of Fox Searchlight, Murphy noticed that there weren't many people present, aside from Tony Gusman, who he had been in direct contact with, and a few unfamiliar faces seated around the table. It was clear from their positions that they held lower ranks within Fox Searchlight than Tony. Murphy greeted each of them before taking his seat next to Tony.

"Mr. Clyde is dealing with other matters," Tony whispered to Murphy, "He'll join us shortly."

Murphy nodded gently.

"Saw" was just one project for Fox Searchlight, and they couldn't devote all their time and energy to it. Murphy understood this and settled in to wait patiently.

From Tony's explanation, Murphy sensed that Fox Searchlight seemed to have changed its attitude towards him, likely as a direct result of the film's screening.

As Murphy pondered, Gordon Clyde entered the room. He first noticed Murphy, nodded slightly in his direction, and then proceeded towards the head of the table.

Gordon's demeanor during past negotiations had been mild, but he had never shown such a genuine smile before.

Was it a polite, formulaic smile, or a genuine one? Murphy could discern the difference.

First Tony, then Gordon. Murphy could feel a certain goodwill emanating from them and from Fox Searchlight, and this change could only have come from one aspect—

"Saw" had achieved relatively good results in yesterday's preview screening!

At that moment, several members from Fox Searchlight's marketing department hurried into the conference room. Seeing Murphy, they also smiled and nodded in greeting.

The theme of the meeting was the recently started preview screenings of "Saw." After some small talk, Gordon Clyde delved into the specific data from the film's screening the previous day.

"After a day of preview screenings in 30 theaters with 30 screens, 'Saw' grossed around $136,000, with a per-theater average of $4,500!" His mood seemed particularly good, and his voice sounded especially clear. "More importantly, the audience feedback collected at the theaters yesterday showed a positive rating of eighty-nine percent, with a satisfaction rate of seventy-two percent. Apart from a few dissenters, there were very few negative reviews."

Everyone turned to look at Murphy. While success was still a distant prospect for the film, it had undoubtedly made a good start, and Murphy's abilities as a director were being preliminarily recognized.

With the first-day data as a foundation, Fox Searchlight's confidence in "Saw" was bolstered, and Gordon Clyde continued, "Last night, I submitted an application to the company, and they approved it this morning. An additional $400,000 will be allocated to the promotion of 'Saw'!"

With that, he turned to Mark, seated at the head of the table, "Mark, inform the printing house to start printing copies according to the plan. I want 1,000 copies ready by Monday morning!"

Mark nodded. Murphy understood the implication behind this request—Fox Searchlight had originally only prepared around thirty copies before the preview screenings. With a long-term partnership with the printing house, Fox Searchlight likely received discounted rates, but even then, printing 1,000 copies would be quite expensive.

How could Fox Searchlight commit such a significant amount of resources without proper market validation? Murphy knew the chances of "Saw" failing were slim, but Fox Searchlight still had to mitigate risks. If the film were to receive negative reviews from audiences, the early printing of copies would become wasteful.

This industry was pragmatic. Could a fledgling director from Stanton Studios really expect a distribution company to invest such massive resources without hesitation?

In such meetings, Murphy, as a non-member of Fox Searchlight, had no right to speak. He mostly listened, like the others, and most of the time, Gordon Clyde dominated the proceedings, with others mostly silent.

"Tony..." Gordon Clyde looked towards Murphy's side. "Have you contacted The New York Post?"

"We have." Tony kept it simple. "The PR department at headquarters contacted a deputy editor from The New York Post. They will send a reporter to Columbia University today."

He glanced at the report in front of him. "The professor who was frightened by 'Saw' didn't refuse the interview request. The interview is scheduled for this afternoon Eastern Time and will be published by tomorrow morning at the latest."

This was undoubtedly a great opportunity for publicity and a hook to attract potential viewers. Murphy hoped to generate as much interest as possible.

With no scheduled promotional activities involving the production team, Murphy spent most of his time at Stanton Studios closely monitoring the latest market trends for "Saw."

As the meeting came to a close, Gordon Clyde remembered the presence of the film's director and asked in routine fashion, "Director Stanton, do you have anything to add?"

"Just one thing!" Murphy wasn't hesitant. After a brief pause to ensure everyone's attention, he said, "I hope we can allocate more resources towards online promotion in the new budget."

Riley Fielding from the marketing department took over, "Director Stanton, we already have plans in place for that."

Glancing at a statistical report in front of him, he continued, "Your online promotion efforts have indeed been very effective. We've received relevant data, and future promotions will focus more on this aspect."

Gordon Clyde also nodded to Murphy, acknowledging his suggestion. When it came to online promotion, he actually admired this young director's initiative. Not only did Murphy self-finance the effort, but it also yielded surprisingly good results, as confirmed by the consulting company's data.

After this reminder, Murphy remained silent. Strictly speaking, he had merely benefited from a stroke of luck. When it came to practical operational capabilities, he fell far short of these industry professionals.

"That's all for today." Gordon Clyde stood up first. "Meeting adjourned."

Others began to leave the room, and Murphy prepared to depart as well, but Gordon Clyde approached him.

"Director Stanton."

He stood opposite Murphy, extending his hand. Murphy smiled and shook it. "Mr. Clyde."

"Call me Gordon." He shook Murphy's hand, seeming to convey his sincerity. Murphy reciprocated with a firm shake. "Call me Murphy."

They exchanged a glance and chuckled, though their thoughts were different.

Gordon's newfound appreciation for Murphy undoubtedly stemmed from the film's demonstrated market potential. Murphy understood this and wasn't swayed by the sudden display of goodwill.

Exiting the conference room, Gordon walked Murphy to a different direction before saying, "How old are you? Twenty-five?"

"Do I look that old?" Murphy joked lightly before answering seriously, "Not even twenty-two."

"Not many young directors like you." He patted Murphy's shoulder gently. "Especially not with your talent."

Murphy humbly replied, "I'm just lucky."

As they parted ways, Gordon said, "Once this busy period is over, I'll buy you a drink."

Murphy didn't take this polite gesture seriously and replied with a smile, "Let's hope it's a celebration of our successful collaboration!"

They laughed once more.

Leaving Fox Searchlight and returning to Stanton Studios, Murphy called Kara Fess. She informed him that a reporter from The New York Post had already contacted her, likely eager to share their experience of being scared by "Saw." The interview was scheduled for that afternoon, and the article would likely be published by the following morning.

This was an excellent opportunity for publicity, and Murphy hoped to pique the interest of as many people as possible.

With Fox Searchlight currently not scheduling any promotional events involving the production team, Murphy spent most of his time in his studio, closely monitoring the latest market trends for "Saw."