Chapter 275: Responsible

"What game did Deadpool and Vanessa play on International Women's Day?"

The director of the film, Murphy, only had to think briefly to know what kind of game it was, breaking into a sweat, he quickly changed the subject, "Dear, you mentioned Bill called me, did he say anything was wrong?"

Gal Gadot wasn't ready to let it go just yet, but instead, she took Murphy's question and said, "I almost forgot."

She stood up, ran into the living room, and after a while, ran back holding a fax.

"This is the fax from Bill." Gal Gadot handed it to Murphy, pulled up a chair, and sat beside him, "Congratulations, dear."

The numbers on the fax were definitely good news for Murphy, and what's good for Murphy is good for Gal Gadot.

Murphy took the fax, and the first thing he saw was a bold and enlarged figure—$7.52 million!

That was the box office revenue of "Deadpool" from all the advance screenings across the United States, a staggering figure.

Seeing this number, Murphy's first feeling was relief. The pressure instantly disappeared, replaced by a real sense of relaxation and inevitable joy. Although the number couldn't compare with the original "Deadpool," it was very rare for an R-rated film without the high ticket prices of 3D and IMAX.

Moreover, the fax also indicated that this $7.52 million from the advance screenings was the second-highest North American R-rated film advance screening box office record, only behind "The Matrix Reloaded."

"Oh, right." Gal Gadot added, "Before I went out for a run, I checked the internet, and the Rotten Tomatoes freshness was up to eighty-six percent, and then that other thing…"

She scratched her head, seemingly unable to remember.

"The Popcorn Index, which represents the audience's interest?" Murphy suggested.

"Right, the Popcorn Index." Gal Gadot recalled, "It reached ninety-nine percent. Also, on IMDb, it has a score of 8.7."

She looked at Murphy, "It seems this film's reputation and box office are going to be better than 'Sin City.'"

Murphy had already set the fax aside and nodded, "Of course, it's only going to get better."

He picked up the newspaper Gal Gadot had brought in earlier and started to flip through it.

Like Murphy, at this moment, countless people in North America got their newspapers and from the front-page headline of the entertainment section, saw the $7.52 million North American advance screening box office revenue of "Deadpool," attracting them to flip through their newspapers for related reviews.

"The Los Angeles Times" commented: Murphy Stanton excellently blended his personal style with the character of Deadpool, resulting in a very entertaining superhero movie. It's hard to imagine a film being this fun, a pleasure that's hard to replicate, making it seem unlikely for the "X-Men" series to surpass this work.

With a hundred points possible, "The Los Angeles Times" gave "Deadpool" eighty-eight points.

"The New York Times" also gave it eighty-eight points, praising the film: "Deadpool" is the kind of movie that could easily fail, filled with self-aware humor, but its love story and revenge plot are serious enough to keep the audience engaged.

The famous film magazine "Premiere" gave the film a high score of eighty points: Loud and crass, ingenious and preposterous, "Deadpool" is a delightful experience, mainly thanks to Murphy Stanton and the entire team's courage to film it this way.

Even "The New Yorker," known for its sharp criticism, gave it a high score of seventy-five points, commenting: "Deadpool" is a unique superhero movie filled with blood, violence, profanity, and dark humor. Murphy Stanton made some changes to the comic's plot, making it easier for average moviegoers to understand the storyline. The film is full of comedic elements, bloodshed, and violent scenes, with fast-paced action scenes. As a comic book adaptation, "Deadpool" captures the essence of the character and adds to it.

"Shall we go see this film tonight?"

In the headquarters of Redmond Microsoft, a software designer secretly finished reading the newspaper and asked a movie fan colleague browsing websites, "The paper is almost unanimously positive, it looks like it's a lot better than last weekend's 'Hellboy.'"

"Go! Why not?" His companion wearing a baseball cap nodded repeatedly, adding, "IMDb and other websites are also full of praise, and the review group I'm part of went to see the premiere last night and thought the film was super cool."

"Here's a review from the group." He decided to read it for his colleague, "Murphy Stanton's superhero film is truly extraordinary. The level of snark is top-notch, like that super snarky friend you have. You know you can never come up with such wicked comments, but you still love to hear him criticize everything and then applaud. This relatable Deadpool doesn't aim to save the world in a high-and-mighty manner but simply wants to continue exploring different positions with his girlfriend, thus embarking on a path to fight against an evil unlicensed clinic. Compared to Spider-Man's grandeur, this feels refreshingly pleasant."

The software designer also opened a website to look for "Deadpool" audience reviews, similar to the professional reviews in the newspaper, the internet was full of praise.

"The action design is crisp and exciting. The dialogues are cheeky, endless, but indeed funny. The special effects are genuinely impressive, visually stunning. Deadpool is hilarious, a complete buffoon, but what about it? He can become a hero and also find true love."

"Deadpool is cheeky. The whole film is filled with profanities, and the narrative and editing techniques are refreshing, making it comfortable to watch. The bloody scenes are a bit too much, often causing discomfort."

"From the opening to the closing credits, it's constantly cheeky, constantly critiquing, always ready for a joke, flying with dark humor and risqué jokes. The film captures the essence of the comic and character, making it entertaining compared to other movies in the genre."

After reading these reviews, the designer felt an itch he couldn't scratch, wishing it were already the weekend so he could rush out and see the film immediately.

"Pal!" he told his baseball cap-wearing colleague, "We can't work overtime today, no matter what. We leave right after work."

"I need to stop by home first." The baseball cap pointed to his clothes, "Can't go in these, right? I bought a Deadpool costume a few days ago."

"Then, see you at the cinema!"

"See you at the cinema!"

Good reviews and sufficient media promotion directly resulted in an influx of audiences into cinemas showing "Deadpool" starting Friday afternoon, ending the lull since the Oscars. Many viewers entered cinemas, mainly targeting one film.

Although most cinemas didn't have queues, describing the atmosphere as bustling wasn't an exaggeration.

In a regal cinema in Chicago's affluent area, renowned film critic JR Jones sat in the waiting area, waiting for his movie to start.

As a professional critic, he could enjoy free movie screenings. When the time came, he entered the cinema, chose a seat towards the back to easily leave if needed.

In front of him sat two ordinary movie enthusiasts, one of whom seemed to have already seen "Deadpool" and was enthusiastically sharing his thoughts with the other.

"First off, I must admit, I wasn't initially keen on 'Deadpool.' So, the overwhelmingly positive reception upon its release was somewhat surprising to me."

Hearing this, JR Jones pulled out his notebook and pen, ready to jot down this fan's perspective, "It wasn't until I watched the movie this morning that I had to concede: this least superhero-like comic character is indeed amusing."

The fan seemed eager to share, "The fun of 'Deadpool' lies in one word: 'cheeky.' If you had to describe it in three words, it would be 'super cheeky.'"

Jones was happy to record the opinions of fans, as it saved him a lot of trouble, "Deadpool is an absolute chatterbox, and a venomously sharp-tongued one at that. His insults are both bitterly sarcastic and delightfully spot-on."

"What makes Deadpool's sharp tongue even more entertaining is Murphy's extensive references to pop culture, from movies to comics, from real politics to celebrities, with endless witty jokes. Interestingly, Deadpool isn't the only character with a sharp tongue in the movie; his buddy can outdo him in venomous comments..."

The big screen in front suddenly lit up, and the cinema quieted down immediately. The person in front stopped talking, and Jones shrugged, put away his pen and notebook, watched the beginning of the movie, and then left the cinema, planning to visit the manager's office to have a drink with the manager he knew well, and return towards the end of the movie to watch the conclusion and then write a professional review.

Like over eighty percent of his colleagues, this was essentially how he worked.

Most times, he and his colleagues from other newspapers and magazines would meet in the cinema. Usually, they would just browse blogs, drink together, leave the cinema for a nearby bar, then either stay in the bar waiting for audience members to come in or return to the cinema lobby to listen to the audience discussions.

They would note down these discussions, asking people what they thought were the best and worst parts of the movie, nodding and agreeing as if they shared the same sentiments.

However, Jones considered himself to be more professional than these others; famous for not just watching the beginning but also responsibly returning to watch the end.

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