Chapter 325: A Flop

Since the early 1990s, a movie's success can no longer rely solely on organic word-of-mouth; promotional marketing has become increasingly crucial. In the new millennium, the market performance of a film of good quality can be dramatically different depending on the level of promotion it receives.

Murphy is well aware of this, so he never hesitates to personally engage in publicity to garner attention.

"Superhero movies tend to achieve good market performance easily, but a director shouldn't limit themselves to just one genre of film—that would be too unambitious."

Then, Murphy discussed the upcoming "Gone Girl," "Today's audience seems to dislike such films; they want to see the entire movie in a 90-second trailer. That's why superhero films are popular—they are uniformly packaged products with consistent ingredients and sustainability, making them very accessible to audiences."

He shrugged, "Once movies enter a fixed pattern, they become boring. Interesting superheroes like Deadpool are hard to find in the comic world. Superhero movies are becoming more formulaic and patterned, and some films recycle the superhero formulas of the 70s and 80s..."

Murphy shook his head without naming any specific film, but it was clear which one he was referring to. "I find those cliché movies boring. I want to make films that make the audience think, analyze, or guess. Some movie studios think audiences are naive, believing big productions will naturally attract viewers and have market success, but end up producing fast food."

Murphy's words were not without merit.

In late July, Warner Bros. and DC Comics' ambitious project, "Superman Returns," intended to reassert DC's dominance in comic book adaptations, was released on schedule.

This comic book adaptation not only carried the high hopes and ambitions of Warner Bros and DC Comics but also set several records, such as an unprecedented production budget of $270 million announced to the public and the first movie to debut in over 4,000 theaters across North America.

Murphy understood that Warner Bros had also invested approximately $150 million in marketing for this film.

This meant that even grossing $1 billion worldwide, "Superman Returns" would struggle to break even just from box office receipts.

Warner Bros was ambitious, especially CEO Bruce Berman, who in an interview claimed "Superman Returns" would set a new record for the highest-grossing opening weekend in North America, with a domestic gross of $400 million and a global total of $1 billion anticipated.

However, once the film was released, all these predictions became a joke.

In its opening three days, "Superman Returns" garnered only a third of its projected box office, earning just $50 million.

For other films, a $50 million opening weekend might be considered a huge success, but for "Superman Returns," it didn't even scratch the surface of its production costs.

Not only did the film falter in its opening weekend, but it also faced universally poor reviews from audiences and critics alike.

This directly led to a 60% box office drop in its second weekend. By the time "Gone Girl" was about to premiere, "Superman Returns" had barely crossed the $100 million mark in North America.

"Have you heard? There's trouble inside Warner Bros."

In a private club, Robert Downey Jr. swung his golf club, sending the white ball into the hole. "I heard it's somehow related to you."

Murphy sat under an umbrella on a hill, enjoying the cool sea breeze. "How's it related to me? The inevitable huge loss from 'Superman Returns' is just Warner's internal accountability mechanism in action."

From what he had gathered, Bruce Berman's position as CEO was definitely at risk.

The failure of the film not only resulted in massive losses but also dashed DC's hopes of a comic book movie renaissance.

Robert Downey Jr. put away his golf club and sat down across from him. "There are quite a few big-budget failures this summer."

"As Hollywood investments increase," Murphy poured a glass of water for Downey Jr., "there will only be more flops in the future."

20th Century Fox's "Kingdom of Heaven" had been forced out of theaters after just ten weeks, earning just over $40 million in North America, not much better than "Superman Returns."

After taking a sip of water, Downey Jr. said, "Marvel Comics has sent me an offer."

Murphy looked puzzled. "What kind of offer?"

"They're preparing a big comic book movie," Downey Jr. seemed hesitant. "They've invited me to audition for Tony Stark."

He was also puzzled. "Don't they know I've already played Deadpool?"

"Perhaps your performance as Deadpool impressed them," Murphy mused, not finding it too surprising. "The 'X-Men' series has been sold to 20th Century Fox by Marvel Comics, and their numerous attempts to buy it back have been ruthlessly rejected. Po

aching you might also be a way to retaliate against 20th Century Fox."

"Do you think I should accept the invitation?" Downey Jr. was uncertain.

"If it were any other role, I would definitely advise you to refuse," Murphy said seriously. "But Tony Stark, the talkative one, you could give it a try."

He pointed at Downey Jr.'s mouth. "It would be a waste not to."

With the "Deadpool" sequel temporarily shelved by 20th Century Fox, it wouldn't hurt for Downey Jr. to try something new. Having the same actor play different comic book superheroes wasn't unusual in Hollywood.

And if "Deadpool" were to restart later, they could simply recast the role. If necessary, they could make Deadpool's disfigurement more severe so that the specific actor would be unrecognizable.

After all, for characters like Deadpool and Iron Man, the mask is more important than the face behind it.

Whether Downey Jr. could pass Marvel Comics' audition was beyond his control.

In any case, having played Deadpool might bring some negative impact to Downey Jr.'s audition for Iron Man.

After discussing movies for a while, Murphy shifted the conversation to another matter.

"That thing," he knew Downey Jr. would understand, "any progress on your side?"

"I've hired three private detectives and even bribed the famous Hollywood Eye," Downey Jr. furrowed his brow. "But there's no evidence linking them."

"Such matters are hard to find evidence for," Murphy crossed his arms and said coldly. "In fact, we don't need evidence."

Downey Jr. paused, then nodded. "You're right. We don't need evidence."

He suddenly clenched his teeth. "That hypocritical father and son! I will not let them go!"

"Downey, don't rush things. We're still not strong enough," Murphy cautioned. "Don't forget they're not just rare Oscar-winning father and son actors who've been in this circle for decades. If we act too hastily, it will only backfire."

"I know," Downey Jr. forced a smile. "It's just... thinking about what I've gone through makes me impatient to see them suffer too."

"There will be a chance," Murphy narrowed his eyes slightly. "We'll have our opportunity later."

Downey Jr. nodded lightly, acknowledging that Murphy was more mature in his considerations. Now was not the right time.

After chatting a bit more and playing a few holes of golf, they prepared to leave the club.

"Don't forget," Murphy reminded Downey Jr. as they reached the parking lot. "Bring Susan to the premiere."

"I won't forget," Downey Jr. nodded and then asked, "Gal? Did she go back to Israel again?"

"Yeah," Murphy opened his car door. "She probably won't be back until the end of the month."

Downey Jr. seemed sympathetic. "She really loves Israel. You're not working hard enough."

He opened his car door. "You need to put in more effort, Murphy."

Murphy waved at him and got into his car. On the way back to the Santa Monica Valley, he stopped at a tailor's to pick up a custom-made suit prepared for the upcoming premiere.

"Gone Girl" would hit North American cinemas starting this Thursday. Rated R by the MPAA, it couldn't hope to reach the terrifying number of theaters as "Superman Returns," but 20th Century Fox still invested considerably, launching the film in 3,500 theaters across North America, with as many as 3,000 screenings including premieres and early shows on Thursday.

In a rented house in Brooklyn, New York, a young black man stepped out of his room and called to another, "Hey, Kyle, wanna hit the bar tomorrow night? Some friends from New Jersey are coming over, let's hang out."

"I don't have time," Kyle Dunst opened his door and came out. "I'm going to the movies tomorrow night."

"To the movies?" The black man was puzzled, as Kyle wasn't known to be a movie buff.

"Yeah, a new movie is premiering," Kyle explained. "The one about that missing Amy Dunn we were following before..."

The black man suddenly realized, slapping his forehead. "I remember now, Amazing Amy!"

He had also followed the case and quickly said, "Okay then, book five tickets for me. I'll have dinner with my friends first, then we'll go to the movies. Some of them are fans of 'Amazing Amy,' and they almost went to Missouri to join the search team."

Kyle made an OK gesture. "No problem."

From the East Coast to the West Coast, from Miami to Alaska, many who had followed the Amazing Amy case became potential viewers for the film.

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