Chapter 283: Becoming Cannon Fodder

"But Murphy Stanton is currently collaborating with Marvel Comics."

Diego Harris still harbors significant doubts, given that Marvel Comics has always been a competitor to DC Comics.

Bruce Rosenbloom, however, smiles. "I've looked into it. His relationship with Marvel Comics isn't good, and he even refused Stan Lee's request to make a cameo in 'Deadpool'."

"If 'Deadpool' explodes globally," Diego Harris knows what he must do, "I support collaborating with Murphy Stanton."

"I was thinking the same," Bruce Rosenbloom adds. "We can wait and see how 'Deadpool' performs in the market before making a decision."

The movie market over the weekend followed the precedent set by the previous Friday, with no suspense whatsoever. In every aspect—attendance, audience numbers, reputation, and screening rate—'Deadpool' utterly eclipsed 'Catwoman'.

In the Warner Bros. building in Burbank, Bruce Berman's face is grim, his hand gripping the phone so tightly veins bulge, as if about to burst.

"Inform our production department," his voice nearly icy, "to remove Halle Berry from the list of lead actresses for Warner Bros.' A-list productions. She is not to be used as the leading lady in any of Warner Bros.'s A-list productions."

He adds another instruction, "And the director Pitof. Warner Bros. shall not collaborate with him either."

The failure of 'Catwoman' is irreversible, and someone must be held responsible; actors and directors make convenient scapegoats.

Bruce Berman has never considered that the film's failure had anything to do with him, the promoter. Naturally, the failure is everyone else's fault.

Almost simultaneously, within Hollywood's six major studios, a consensus forms almost instinctively: Halle Berry can no longer be risked as the leading lady in A-list big-budget productions.

"Hollywood is just that pragmatic."

Murphy receives related news by Monday morning. Looking at Gal Gadot, who's packed and ready to return to school, he comments, "Even an Oscar-winning actress can hardly withstand such a severe blow."

"But not all Oscar-winning actresses are like this, right?" Gal Gadot queries with some confusion.

"Because they're not black," Murphy bluntly reveals the underlying issue, "They have more opportunities."

Gal Gadot walks over to the water dispenser, pouring herself a glass of water, "Is Halle Berry really unable to play the lead in super-productions anymore?"

Murphy shakes his head, "Very unlikely, except for her already established role as Storm. Forget leading roles; she'll find it hard to appear in any A-list big productions."

Halle Berry's salary is on record, unlikely to decrease. Now that 'Catwoman' has flopped, it's doubtful anyone will hire her as the lead in A-list productions, and few production teams would be willing to pay such a high salary for non-leading roles.

Glancing at the clock on the wall, Gal Gadot reminds, "It's about time you left."

Murphy nods, gives Gal Gadot a kiss, picks up his luggage placed at the entrance earlier, and steps out. Gal Gadot follows him to the garage.

After helping Murphy with his luggage, Gal Gadot holds him, reminding, "Remember to call me every day. Also, eat on time every day, don't use work as an excuse; be careful of those crazy fans; don't be too confrontational, be gentle when needed..."

"Don't worry." Murphy embraces her, kisses her deeply, then gets into the car, "Goodbye, my dear."

"Goodbye."

Watching Murphy drive off to Los Angeles Airport for his overseas promotional tour, Gal Gadot stands at the garage door for a while until the black Cadillac disappears completely before she heads back inside.

With no morning classes, she's not in a hurry to leave, sitting on the sofa and picking up the newspaper from the coffee table, flipping to the entertainment section to read again.

It's all good news about Murphy and 'Deadpool', which she never tires of.

"'Deadpool' Easily Dominates North American Box Office, 'Catwoman' Becomes Cannon Fodder!"

Though she advises Murphy not to be too confrontational, Gal Gadot feels an indescribable satisfaction seeing this headline. Those who stood in her boyfriend's way are swept aside like trash!

"Due to the weak performance of the newly released 'Catwoman', this week's chart remains dominated by older films, with Murphy Stanton's R-rated superhero action movie 'Deadpool' easily clinching the weekend crown again with $45 million, breezily maintaining its top position with a cumulative two-week income of $186.3 million, temporarily claiming the top spot on this year's box office chart!"

"Affected by 'Deadpool's impact, Warner Bros.' production and distribution of 'Catwoman' performed extremely poorly in its opening weekend, garnering a severely below-expectation $14.8 million over three days. Its North American box office is unlikely to break $50 million, far from the $100 million production cost, relying on overseas box office performance to attempt to recoup costs."

"Moreover, as a superhero movie, unlike 'Deadpool's' box office and critical acclaim, 'Catwoman' faces both box office failure and devastating reviews. The Cinema.Score audience rating is a D, and its popcorn index fell to 22 percent, indicating extremely poor viewer reception. The movie's media reviews have entirely collapsed, with only 10 percent of 78 media outlets on Rotten Tomatoes giving it a positive review, averaging a dismal 3.1 points..."

Even as a layperson, Gal Gadot can see that 'Catwoman' poses no threat to 'Deadpool'; they're not even in the same league.

Although Murphy and Robert Downey Jr. have gone to London for 'Deadpool's European premiere, Twentieth Century Fox's promotion in North America continues, keeping the film's topic hot to attract more viewers.

"'Deadpool' Nears $200 Million in North American Box Office, Dominating April's Film Market!"

"'Deadpool' Becomes This Year's Biggest Box Office Winner in North America!"

Twentieth Century Fox continues to release similar news and topics through its extensive media platform.

Kara Faith, staying in North America, also gives interviews, continuing to reveal that 'Deadpool' becoming a box office hit was entirely unexpected by Twentieth Century Fox, originally estimating the movie's box office at $60-65 million. Murphy Stanton's efforts transformed the film qualitatively!

However, the film's R rating and dense innuendos and parodies bring some trouble. Upon arriving in the UK, Murphy receives the latest news from Twentieth Century Fox that the movie will miss China's vigorously developing market.

This isn't surprising; 'Deadpool' passing China's stringent censorship would be a miracle. Even with Twentieth Century Fox's PR efforts, the film stands no chance of screening in China, where its pervasive mature content leaves censors no room to maneuver without cutting the 90-minute movie down to mere minutes.

Of course, these are just Murphy's idle thoughts. He never harbored illusions of 'Deadpool' entering the market across the Pacific through theatrical channels. To date, none of his films could be screened there.

Every country has its circumstances. Entities like the "big scissors" don't surprise Murphy; film and cultural censorship exist worldwide, not just

 across the Pacific.

These aren't Murphy's immediate concerns. Since he's in Europe for the movie's promotion, he inevitably faces interviews.

On his second day in London, Murphy sits down with 'The Times' for an exclusive interview.

Fleet Street's journalists aren't easy to deal with, and their first question is exceptionally sharp.

"Director Stanton, it's been said," the young British journalist doesn't mince words, "'Deadpool's success isn't due to the film itself but relies on lowbrow elements like obscenity, swear words, and crude jokes."

"Claiming 'Deadpool' relies on vulgarity for success is an insult to the movie." Murphy knows what British journalists are like and doesn't hold back as he might in the US, "'Deadpool' is a completely different type of hero story, unique to Deadpool, unlike Superman, Spider-Man, or Wolverine."

He organizes his thoughts, "These characters tend towards the light, while Deadpool, towards death. Not every superhero suits having their dignity dragged through the mud."

The journalist asks for specifics.

"Take Wolverine from the X-Men world, for instance. He's volatile, turned into a killing machine, but Wolverine embodies rebellion. In the films and comics, most of the time, his expression is just..."

Murphy crosses his arms, mimicking Wolverine's classic enraged pose, "Exploding, all about showing off his physique. Even when destroying the world, Wolverine walks away coolly, stylish. Deadpool, however, would take himself out too, giving the world the middle finger on his way out."

"This self-deprecating humor, ripping oneself apart and salting the wounds, is key to Deadpool's popularity." Murphy shrugs, "Nowadays, for movie protagonists, self-mockery is the most cost-effective way to gain fans."

The journalist seems taken aback by Murphy's comprehensive theory.

Murphy continues, aiming to spice up Fleet Street's media with more about 'Deadpool', "Most of Hollywood's mainstream commercial films now fall under the hero movie category, featuring characters who can save the world or something similar. But Hollywood has made too many of these, and audiences are tired of the hero formula. 'Deadpool' opens a new world for viewers. As a director, I can responsibly say that from the first minute to the last, 'Deadpool' parodies throughout, never being serious, which is exactly what audiences love now."

Whether this affection can expand from North America to Europe depends on 'Deadpool's' performance overseas.

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