Chapter 331: Enthralling

Inside the University of Southern California's School of Cinematic Arts, students trickled into a classroom designed like a film set. X, carrying a messenger bag, settled into an empty seat, ready to review his notes from the previous class. However, the surrounding buzz about a particular film made concentration impossible.

Curious about the film being so fervently discussed in an environment like USC, where mediocrity hardly made the cut for public discourse, X closed his notebook and listened in.

"My friend knows Paul Wilson," a girl was saying. "She got some premiere tickets, and I went to see it. Oh my God, Murphy-Stanton's new film is incredible."

Another boy nodded in agreement. "I haven't seen such a thrilling drama in years. It's not just about being cryptic; your first reaction is to laugh, but after you laugh, you get chills."

A Hispanic boy beside them exclaimed, "In Hollywood's younger generation of directors, Murphy-Stanton is definitely a standout!"

"You're wrong there!" the first girl interjected, then raised a thumb, "He's not just a standout; he's the leading figure among the new generation of directors!"

Where there are supporters, there are often detractors. A Caucasian young man scoffed, "You're all exaggerating. He's just a director who knows a few clever tricks."

The others glared at him as he continued, "Take this 'Gone Girl' you're all praising. How many basic mistakes are there?"

"Basic mistakes?" the second boy challenged, "Why haven't we noticed them?"

"Because you don't have eyes like mine," the young man said, pointing to his eyes.

Seeing the disbelief around him, he sneered and began listing errors, starting with his right index finger raised, "Why didn't the male lead go to the police immediately after finding gifts in the cabin? He had every chance to destroy those gifts before the police got involved!"

Raising another finger, he continued, "And the female lead's money was stolen, forcing her to seek help from an ex-boyfriend, leading to the ex's murder to fabricate a false reality. If her money hadn't been stolen, she wouldn't have gone to the ex, so how was she planning to get back to her husband? It seems accidental but feels too calculated."

Finally, raising his ring finger, he concluded, "And how could the public so easily believe her act? Does the director think everyone's a fool?"

Before anyone else could respond, X stood up. Having seen the film, he didn't share the unlimited praise of some but agreed it was a masterpiece. The young man's nonsensical critique prompted him to retort.

"Your so-called errors are baseless!" X countered coldly, addressing each point. "First, about the gifts, Nick discovered them when the media was all over their property. Any attempt to dispose of them would have been immediately noticed."

"Second, the ex-boyfriend wasn't part of the plan. That was an accident because she was robbed. The plan was to frame Nick through her suicide. So going back to him after seeing Nick's TV appeal was an impromptu change."

"Third, as for the media trial aspect, the general public is a mob. They believe what they want to believe. Under the pressure of public opinion, plus a bit of bureaucratic inertia to quickly close the case to avoid further social fallout, minor plot holes are easily overlooked. Clearly, Murphy is satirizing the media."

Speaking as if stating the obvious, X continued, "Lastly, Amy initially wanted her husband dead, planning her suicide to frame him. Only after seeing Nick's performance on TV did she realize he was still the Nick she loved and decided to return. But by then, leaving wasn't so simple, yet to return she could even kill someone..."

He shook his head, "That's some real love, huh."

"Nicely said!" others chimed in supportively.

Facing the young man, X sneered, "Don't judge a unique director like Murphy with your shallowness and ignorance."

The others looked at the young man with evident mockery.

Murphy-Stanton, though not a product of film school, was a figure of admiration here.

"I wonder when the school will invite him to give a talk," someone murmured, sparking widespread agreement.

The impressive marketing, explosive media and audience acclaim, quickly trending topics, and status as the go-to movie for couples...

All these factors contributed to 'Gone Girl's high attendance rates.

As per usual, the film's opening day revenue included earnings from preview screenings. Excluding the $6 million from previews, 'Gone Girl' earned over $12 million on Friday alone.

Given its genre and rating, a blockbuster opening day was unlikely. Murphy was aware that the film's ultimate success would depend on its sustained performance.

Murphy and 20th Century Fox were slightly worried that 'Gone Girl'

 had drawn many casual viewers into theaters on the first day due to its pre-release hype, contributing to its stellar single-day revenue. However, as the promotional buzz was bound to wane, the real test would come on the following day.

Like the hyped topic of the miraculous Amy before its release, the post-release buzz around 'Gone Girl' seemed to grow, especially with tags like 'the ultimate date movie,' 'the film that destroys marriages,' and 'test your love by watching Gone Girl' thrown around by 20th Century Fox.

By Sunday, Murphy received the box office stats for Saturday.

'Gone Girl's screening and attendance rates had climbed from Friday, closing Saturday with a whopping $19.2 million, a 50% increase over Friday's actual takings.

This surge almost guaranteed the film's strong reception.

To ensure a solid box office trajectory, 20th Century Fox utilized all conventional promotional tactics, even coaxing Roger Ebert, who was still recovering from surgery, into the fray.

Ebert's influence, especially among older movie fans, was undeniable, and his review could significantly boost theater attendance.

However, Ebert didn't promise 20th Century Fox anything; at his level, he wasn't swayed by trivial gains. His agent's response to Fox was simple: everything depended on his review after seeing the movie.

Given Ebert's health, he couldn't visit a cinema. Instead, Fox arranged for a copy of the film to be delivered to his mansion in suburban Chicago.

Fox's willingness to do this stemmed from their confidence in Murphy's film and Ebert's known appreciation for Murphy's style.

Accompanied by his personal doctor and agent, Ebert watched 'Gone Girl' in his home theater.

Afterward, the famed critic locked himself in his study for hours. His agent later rushed a freshly written review to the offices of the Chicago Sun-Times.

The review would be published the next day but appeared online that afternoon on both the Chicago Sun-Times website and Ebert's blog.

"This is Murphy-Stanton's best and most representative film to date—stark, mysterious, precise, with a masterful integration of story and rhythm. This is Murphy-Stanton!"

"For a film to vividly portray the banal, happy, sick, and insane facets of married life and to deeply unveil the truth about marriage is no small feat. Murphy-Stanton achieves this marvelously in 'Gone Girl', making it a perfect piece of art. Of course, it's not just a marriage story; fundamentally, it's a mystery, a detective film."

"Murphy-Stanton not only uses the visual medium to unravel a series of intricate and fascinating plots but also cleverly taps into everyone's primal desires, reaching into the darkest corners of human nature to create a film that is enigmatic, captivating, and entertaining. It's often said, 'Murphy-Stanton is the kind of director who can turn a 50-point story into a 100-point, even 120-point film.' This is certainly not an exaggeration!"

"Few can deliver a truly cinematic experience with a complex, conflicting ending—neither completely happy nor utterly unhappy—like Murphy-Stanton. 'Gone Girl' is straightforward, simple, and powerful, holding back until the last moment to reveal something."

"Whether you leave the cinema disappointed or elated, agitated or repulsed, Murphy-Stanton's film is still profoundly deeper and more meaningful than others. Whether discussing dramatic conflicts, social metaphors, or cultural aspects, 'Gone Girl' is an outstanding, enthralling work!"

Finally, the review was capped with a trademark enthusiastic thumbs-up.

Just as previously mentioned, Roger Ebert's influence was undeniable, and his review was sure to draw many more to the theaters.

All of this had an overwhelmingly positive effect on the film, most visibly reflected in the box office numbers.

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