Chapter 287: The Director of the Future

Since its release in April until it left theaters in late July, "Deadpool" remained a highly anticipated subject in the North American film market. Its strong and steady box office performance surprised many. Even amidst the release of several blockbuster films during the summer season, it maintained a remarkably stable and impressive box office trend.

Due to the limited number of 3D screens during this era, "Deadpool" was not shown in any 3D theaters, resulting in a significantly lower opening box office compared to a certain previous film. However, because of Kara Faith's involvement and Murphy's history of achieving great returns on small investments, "Deadpool" received even more attention from Twentieth Century Fox than before.

This attention resulted in greater promotional and marketing efforts, especially in traditional media.

Another area that received more investment was Twentieth Century Fox's word-of-mouth marketing.

As is well known, many factors can influence a film's reputation, with the audience and media being the most important. Public relations and promotion can also play a role.

By this era, Hollywood had already embraced the concept that the reputation of commercial films is driven by marketing. Marketing is not derogatory; it's a necessary phase for widely released movies. Moreover, the key element of word-of-mouth marketing is the quality of the film itself, which must be solid enough to gain acceptance and even welcome from the majority of audiences.

"Deadpool" had no issues in this regard.

From its release until Twentieth Century Fox strategically pulled it from theaters, "Deadpool's" CinemaScore remained solidly at an A+, never slipping. By the end of July, its Rotten Tomatoes freshness rating was still at an impressive 85%, with an IMDb score of 8.4.

Twentieth Century Fox executed a successful marketing campaign that directly resulted in "Deadpool's" incredibly stable box office trend.

Starting from the first weekend, "Deadpool's" weekend box office never experienced a drop of more than 50%, a testament to the film's strong appeal. This ensured that the film's North American box office earnings comfortably exceeded the $300 million mark.

$307.25 million!

This was the final North American box office figure for "Deadpool," spreading like wildfire throughout Hollywood.

$307.25 million! Warner Bros. CEO Bruce Berman sat in silence in his office for a full ten minutes. He knew he would now have another reason to be criticized, and deep down, he regretted not embracing Murphy Stanton. Could this success have been his?

But he wouldn't admit to anyone, not even to himself, that he had harbored such a thought for a moment. He would continue on his path, aiming for "Superman Returns" to clear all doubts and criticisms.

$307.25 million! Bruce Rosenblum laughed upon seeing this number. His judgment was correct; this was a talented young director!

$307.25 million! Diego Harris in New York suddenly felt an urgent desire to fly to Los Angeles to talk business with this young director.

$307.25 million! Twentieth Century Fox's CEO Harry Aarons couldn't stop smiling. He had brought another blockbuster series to Fox, hadn't he?

$307.25 million! The sound of something hard hitting the floor echoed in Dave Scollard's office. Through the partially opened door, his secretary saw an ashtray rolling on the floor.

$307.25 million! CAA was renovating Bill Rossis' office and assigning him an additional assistant.

$307.25 million! Returning from the Caribbean, Robert Downey Jr. received an offer of $13 million for his next film!

$307.25 million! This final North American box office number for "Deadpool" would impact many people and directly change some individuals' destinies, most notably Murphy himself.

Representatives from Sony Columbia and MGM directly approached him and Bill Rossis, formally inviting him to direct the new "007" series and offering a substantial remuneration of $10 million plus 15% of the North American box office revenue.

This offer represented not only financial gain but also Murphy's status in Hollywood.

However, Murphy politely declined Sony Columbia's invitation.

His interest wasn't limited to film companies; countless entertainment and media outlets were also keen on him.

No media would miss any opportunity to attract attention. A director as young as 24 achieving such outstanding results was bound to draw interest.

North America's major mainstream media went into a frenzy, reporting on everything about Murphy, almost elevating him to the status of a national darling.

"It's hard to imagine someone of Murphy Stanton's age becoming the director of North America's highest-grossing R-rated film. He is not just a director of the present but of the future as well!"

— Los Angeles Times

"An ultimate personal style, unique tastes, dark imagery, exceptional pacing, and masterful handling of violent scenes... No one at his age has accomplished what Murphy Stanton has, not even Quentin Tarantino or Robert Rodriguez with their similarly unique styles!"

— New York Times

"Murphy Stanton was a severely underestimated director, born for the big screen. Only the big screen can showcase his charisma. Within ten years, he will be the next Spielberg!"

— Washington Post

For a moment, Murphy felt like America's darling, but having lived through an era of information overload, he knew the media were fickle, dropping their integrity faster than he could drop to the floor. Whether across the Pacific or on this side, it was the same story.

If his next film flopped, those who had praised him would immediately turn their backs, accusing him of losing his talent.

He took the adulation lightly, entertaining himself without taking it too seriously. Believing in media hype would only lead one astray.

The blockbuster success of "Deadpool" also had another effect; paparazzi swarmed around Murphy's residence. The young director's actions piqued intense media and public curiosity: What had he done before? Did he have a girlfriend? Was he married? What did his parents do? What was his family's financial situation? What was his educational background? Did he have a relationship with Robert Downey Jr.?

The media focused on these topics, with tabloids almost turning his story into a serialized novel.

Warner's gossip site TMZ described his first meeting with Gal Gadot in this way: "Once upon a time, Murphy Stanton was walking carelessly on the street, carrying something unknown, looking like a punk. Suddenly, he saw a beautiful woman ahead and rushed forward to act like a fan, even asking for an autograph. This beautiful woman was Gal Gadot... Thus, Gal Gadot joined him, and they started walking carelessly together."

The harassment from paparazzi and gossip wasn't limited to the United States; it even extended beyond North America, reaching Gal Gadot in Israel.

Just as Murphy had been eager for success, sometimes he had to admire these people's persistence.

Gal Gadot even called Murphy about this matter.

"My mom saw our story on the news and was furious, asking if it was true..." Gal Gadot sounded anxious, "I told her the truth, and she wasn't happy."

Murphy frowned, speaking into the phone, "I'll book a flight to Israel right now."

"No, please don't!" Gal Gadot quickly stopped him, "Coming here would only make things worse. Don't worry, I can handle it. Please don't come."

Her voice

 softened, "My mom doesn't like me dating non-Jewish people."

"It's the 21st century," Murphy felt the urge to facepalm.

Gal Gadot added, "I'll return on time, don't worry."

After a few more words, Gal Gadot hung up. Murphy sat in Bill Rossis' office, shaking his head and sighing.

"Gal is a good girl," Bill Rossis caught some of the conversation and handed Murphy a glass of water, "But sometimes, we really can't understand the thoughts of Jewish people."

Murphy took a sip of water, "It's okay, this is America, not Israel. As long as Gal can stay in Los Angeles, these won't be issues."

The thoughts of Jewish Americans and Israelis differ, as Bill Rossis knew. As long as Gal Gadot stayed in Los Angeles, she wouldn't cause trouble for Murphy.

Murphy didn't take these matters to heart, focusing instead on other tasks, like promoting the upcoming DVD release of "Deadpool."

Twentieth Century Fox strategically pulled "Deadpool" from North American theaters while it was still popular to leverage this momentum for the DVD release, aiming to generate additional revenue during the post-theatrical window.

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