Echoes of Hollywood

Due to continuous screenings in major North American cities like New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Chicago for Academy members and media critics, the second weekend's limited release of "Diego Ross" didn't perform well. Although these screenings were not closed to fans who could buy tickets, the name Murphy Stanton had as much draw for Oscar voters, media journalists, and professional critics as Steven Spielberg and James Cameron.

This resulted in a significant number of free viewers, which affected the box office revenue to some extent.

Over the weekend, "Diego Ross" grossed just over $280,000 from ten limited-release theaters. The average per-theater earnings were still not outstanding. The only consolation was that the per-theater earnings didn't plummet despite doubling the number of theaters.

With the Christmas holiday coming up, "Diego Ross" would not blindly expand its release scale.

"Before the New Year, the film will maintain its limited release in ten theaters," Bill Rossis said to Murphy in the moving car. "This limited release is enough to get the entry ticket, let the judges and media see the film, and prevent the spread of poor audience reviews."

While audience word-of-mouth isn't critical for awards season, it can influence some people's voting decisions.

"I've discussed with Kara Faith," Murphy, who had been in daily contact with Kara Faith online, said. "Before most Oscar voters mail in their ballots, 'Diego Ross' will be shown in no more than twenty theaters."

Most voters usually mail their ballots back to the Academy by mid-January, though some wait until the last possible moment.

"Diego Ross" being released so late would inevitably miss most precursor awards, including the Golden Globes, which was a disadvantage.

Fortunately, the film had excellent media and professional reviews, making it a strong contender for Oscar nominations.

However, the film also had an advantage: its storyline was set in Los Angeles during the 1980s and 1990s, a period many Oscar voters, who lived in the area for years, would remember fondly. The film might evoke nostalgia.

As people age, they tend to become nostalgic, and the Oscars are practically a club of old-timers.

The car headed towards Santa Monica Commercial Plaza, where there was a limited edition Blu-ray DVD signing event for "City of Chaos." To promote the upcoming film, Murphy needed to attend in person.

Despite "City of Chaos" not having an exceptionally high box office, its subsequent online streaming, rentals, and DVD sales were excellent. The film now had an 8.7 rating on IMDb, ranking among the top 50 in the IMDb Top 250, in stark contrast to the average audience reception of "Diego Ross."

Murphy analyzed the different receptions of these two films. The most criticized aspects of "Diego Ross" were its slow narrative pace and the climactic plot twists.

This was the biggest difference between it and "City of Chaos."

While "City of Chaos" was praised by many fans as a film with deep meaning and thought, Murphy was sure that audiences didn't actually think much while watching it because the film's pace was so fast. It didn't use long takes as frequently as "Diego Ross."

With short shots, sharp editing, and constantly advancing plots that pushed the narrative and audience emotions to a climax, "City of Chaos," apart from its noir elements, was characterized by this.

In these aspects, "City of Chaos" was a typical Hollywood film. Even though Murphy was touted as a distinctive director, he knew he was still a typical Hollywood director.

Murphy realized why his films had such appeal in North America and the broader Western world. His films' strong attraction stemmed from their focus on basic human emotions like joy, anger, sorrow, and love, as well as fundamental human activities like violence and sex.

These movies followed established genres, striving for technical proficiency and smooth continuity. Audiences were familiar with these films' patterns and gained satisfaction from the fulfillment of their expectations. Murphy then added themes that seemed serious and dark, adjusting them to align with audiences' desire for new and exciting experiences rather than completely overturning conventions.

Compared to traditional Hollywood commercial films, he pursued tighter pacing, using constantly changing and advancing plots and visuals to attract viewers, without requiring them to think too much about the content, at least during the viewing.

This way, viewers could follow the film's rhythm, with dark and serious content provoking thought after the viewing. This matched the psychological need of most viewers who watched movies for relaxation and immediate excitement.

Not just Hollywood popcorn flicks, even his dark and serious commercial films simplified real-life issues into a formulaic pattern.

Half of Hollywood's box office revenue came from outside the USA. Even a director like him, directing a multi-million-dollar production, had to consider the global audience, focusing on universal human psychology and needs.

One thing Murphy couldn't deny was that his films entirely overlooked a nation's unique history and culture.

In some artistic directors' eyes, this actually diminished the value of the films.

From a purely artistic perspective, Murphy couldn't deny this point.

Even a film like "American Beauty," which was considered thoughtful by Hollywood standards, had many clichéd elements, overly dramatized, and involved murder, making it different from the artistic films it aspired to be.

But then, how many purely artistic films exist in today's world?

"To seriously explore the chaotic complexities of life, people need to analyze and think. Films that analyze problems demand more than just basic audiovisual understanding; they require artistic interpretation. Viewers must infer the meaning beyond what is shown and heard, discovering hidden depths…"

Murphy shook his head at this thought. Ordinary audiences couldn't do that, and many directors probably couldn't either.

A few days ago, he watched an interview with a European film director online. Though he didn't entirely agree, it left a deep impression.

The European director believed that as values, politics, history, culture, and environment evolve, some experimental and avant-garde films might be better understood in the future. Serious artists constantly explore new ways to express new ideas, pushing beyond current limitations. This exploration involves failure, but art and science share a commonality: progress often comes from many failures. Without innovation, there is regression.

Moreover, different types of artists exist: some create works loved by mainstream audiences, while others explore and innovate, driving art's progress.

Murphy agreed with the latter point. Strictly speaking, most Hollywood directors create works that appeal to mainstream audiences.

The commercial vehicle arrived at Santa Monica Commercial Plaza, and Murphy stopped daydreaming, turning to look outside. Flashbulbs kept popping; there were quite a few journalists.

Several bodyguards and Bill Rossis got out first, blocking the journalists. They opened the door for Murphy, who, under their protection, ignored the chaotic questions and headed straight to the central exhibition area of the plaza.

Santa Monica Commercial Plaza was a frequent venue for Hollywood events. Adjacent to Santa Monica Beach, it was California's trendiest shopping destination and the shopping hub of West Los Angeles.

"Murphy, it's Murphy…"

Approaching the exhibition area, Murphy heard enthusiastic shouts, "Murphy! Murphy!"

The sound was chaotic, but his name was clearly discernible.

To avoid fan chaos, the organizers arranged for Murphy to enter through the east side door. Looking up, he saw a long line in the hall and near the main entrance, extending beyond sight through the transparent glass doors.

The times had indeed changed; a top director's appeal was almost comparable to that of a superstar.

Entering the temporary exhibition area, several bodyguards stayed close to Murphy, wary of overenthusiastic fans...

"Director Stanton..."

The event's organizer, one of Kara Faith's subordinates, came over to greet Murphy. Murphy nodded and headed straight to the signing table, saying, "Bette, let's get started."

Bette hurriedly followed, reminding him, "There's still half an hour before the signing starts. Do you want to rest first?"

Murphy shook his head. "No need, it looks like a lot of people showed up today."

He walked to the signing table, pulled out a chair, and sat down. Fans holding DVDs became excited at the early start.

Bette, prepared for this, pressed the button on the microphone clipped to his collar and said loudly, "There are many supporters here today. Murphy arrived early to start the signing ahead of schedule to accommodate more fans. Please line up and maintain order!"

The fans quieted down, and with the help of security, the excited crowd quickly restored order. Staff then opened the barricades, allowing fans to enter.

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