On Saturday, June 4, 1998, Los Angeles time, today, "The Flash" officially landed on the overseas cinema market.
Due to sufficient preparation time and the distribution experience of Warner Bros. in the past few years, the appearance of "The Flash" this time not only simultaneously landed in the traditional dumping ground of Hollywood movies, the five English-speaking countries and the birthplace of traditional movies in Europe Countries also landed simultaneously in more than 60 countries and regions led by Brazil for the first time.
The first to bear the brunt of this is the British Isles. The creators of the film and crew held their premiere in this country with the most special relationship with the United States. Due to time difference and other reasons, the premiere of "The Flash" was scheduled to 7:00 p.m. local time.
The DC series of movies seems to have become a brand in the past two years, and the main creators of the crew have attracted a large number of fans and local media since they stepped off the plane. From the airport to the hotel, and then from the hotel to the Electric Theater, where the premiere is held, the bus that the crew takes has always been chased and intercepted by the media, even though there are not many familiar faces in the crew.
At seven o'clock in the evening, organized by the local staff of Warner Bros., the "Flash" cast members walked on the red carpet in front of the Electric Theater in turn. Tonight, each of them is a big star chased by the media, especially Barry Allen Starring James Franco.
Since the "Flash" crew left Los Angeles and arrived in New York, the first stop of the promotional roadshow, he has experienced what it means to be popular. Especially with the screening of the film, he will become the focus of the local fans and the media wherever he goes.
The enthusiasm of the North American audience, as well as the flashlights of various media in North America, almost all focused on James Franco in just two weeks.
Walking on the red carpet at London's oldest theatre this time, he felt even more enthusiastic than North America. Now he has fully understood the meaning of success. The explosion of "The Flash" has directly made him, the male lead, the most popular fried chicken in the past two weeks.
However, James Franco walked across the red carpet and stepped into the media interview area with one foot. He immediately felt the difference between the local media and North America. The reporters asked several questions in a row, which instantly made him embarrassed.
"Mr. Franco, it is said that you once broke into the neighbor's house and also in the neighbor's bedroom, threatening the poor couple?"
"James, there are rumors that you are still being restrained by the LAPD..."
"Hey, James, did you really hit the bar resident singer? Did you..."
"..."
Various questions were thrown at him, but none of them allowed him to answer, and he had to be stunned for a while.
Fortunately, his agent waited first and then waited in the media interview area. When the agent saw this situation, he exchanged glances with the staff of Warner Bros., shook their heads slightly, moved to his client's side, and whispered. Said: "Sensitive questions, don't open your mouth, James."
James Franco nodded without a trace, squinted his eyes lightly at the passionate reporter, pursed his mouth tightly, and put on a pose that if you don't ask normal questions, I will never speak. gesture.
The atmosphere at the interview site was very strange. Under the prompt of the agent, no matter what the reporters said, the interviewee would not say a word. The reporters didn't realize what it was until the red carpet was about to walk on the guest again.
A reporter rolled his eyes and shouted: "Mr. Franco, I'm John Wood from The Sun, can you talk about Mr. Wayne Greenberg, the director of The Flash, and why? Didn't you personally lead the team to participate in the promotion this time?"
"Uh......"
James Franco glanced at the agent secretly, saw the other party nodded slightly, and then thought about it, and replied: "Mr. Greenberg must stay in Los Angeles for some personal reasons, so, as you can see It's not that he doesn't value the passionate British fandom, he just didn't set off with the crew two weeks ago."
"James, several North American media reported a few days ago that Mr. Wayne Greenberg is facing charges of violence..." Just as James Franco's voice fell, a reporter from The Sun immediately "You also faced serious allegations of violence during the start of filming on The Flash.
Does this mean that you both have the same violent habit? Is it because of the same violent habit that director Wayne Greenberg chose you, a rookie actor, to play such an important role? "
The name of Fleet Street, James Franco had heard of it long before he came to the British Isles, but it was the first time he had seen such a media.
"The Sun" can be considered a famous name, no one would have thought, but it behaves like a North American entertainment gossip tabloid. No, the North American gossip tabloids can't compare to shameless and offline. The reporters from Fleet Street have a lower bottom line, as if they are not interested in all normal news, wishing that all the interviewees were scandal-ridden!
"No, Director Greenberg didn't..." James Franco said subconsciously, but his reaction was fairly quick, and he immediately closed his mouth tightly.
The reporters in the front looked at each other and shook their heads in undisguised disappointment. Seeing that he seemed to be deaf again, a reporter behind shouted:
"Mr. Franco, the latest news from North America, Wayne Greenberg took more than $262 million from Warner Bros. for just one work in "Batman: The Dark Knight". I heard that you The remuneration of these main actors is only a few hundred thousand dollars, may I ask, how do you feel when you hear this figure?"
At the moment of hearing about the director's salary of 260 million US dollars, not only James Franco, but also many reporters on the scene were stunned.
$260 million! If the reporter who asked the question was not from The Times, everyone would have thought the news was hype. But it was because of the media that asked the reporters that they instantly convinced everyone that there really was a director who could earn such a sky-high salary for a movie.
At this time, James Franco has grown a lot. Although he was also jumped by this number, and he also had an unknown taste in his heart, he immediately said:
"Compared to what Mr. Greenberg has done, I think that number is completely reasonable! Hey, guys, if Director Greenberg wanted to, there would be countless studios all over Hollywood that would invite him with the same number in both hands. Join the project!"
Just after the news was leaked by a reporter from The Times, at the premiere in London, every film and crew creator was asked their opinion on the matter.
There is no other reason, simply because the amount of this salary is too large! So big that no one ever thought of it.
At this time, this news is also being hyped up in North America.
"$260 million! Wayne Greenberg has become the envy of billionaire with just one "Batman: The Dark Knight"!"
"Hollywood's sky-high salary was born, and Wayne Greenberg earned $260 million for a movie..."
"This reporter learned that Wayne Greenberg's accountant team successfully took away $162 million from Warner Bros.! A few months ago, Warner Bros. had made more than $100 million into his studio account as part of the compensation for the project "The Knight"..."
A particular celebrity gossip from Vanity Fair, which appeared on newsstands early Saturday morning, immediately sparked a national discussion. Other entertainment media in North America also have a keen sense of smell. Afterwards, dozens of media reprinted the relevant news. In less than half a day, Wayne was once again pushed to the peak of public opinion.
But unlike scandals, in this land, making money, making big money, and making rich myths will always be the topics of most interest to people from all walks of life. In this commercialized society, there is no saying that "wealth is not exposed".
People worship successful people and discuss successful people. Precisely the best measure of a person's success is the amount of wealth and the speed of accumulation.
Vanity Fair, which was the first to report this news, undoubtedly formed a tacit understanding with Warner Bros. As soon as the news broke on Saturday morning, it immediately triggered media forwarding, followed by a national discussion, and many TV channels took the opportunity to launch good news. It can be said that the historical salary inventory program of Laiwu only took half a day to complete a series of operations.
To say that there was no Warner Bros. behind this, Wayne wouldn't believe it if he was killed. Although Bruce Rosenblum didn't greet him in advance, he was not someone who didn't know what to do. He knew that Warner Bros. was promoting himself. While trying to find a way to maintain the popularity of "The Flash".
After all, it was a coincidence that this time point was chosen. "The Flash" began to enter the third weekend of screening, and on this day, it started its release in more than 70 countries and regions overseas.
Others don't know it, but Wayne understands it very well. The PricewaterhouseCoopers accountants team led by Colin Howard checked their box office accounts on Monday, and Warner Bros. also put the money into Greenberg early on Tuesday. Grid Studio's account.
However, when the news broke, it was already four days later. Obviously, this was an organized and planned hype, the purpose was to make "The Flash"'s overseas box office and completely squeeze out the North American box office potential in a short period of time. , to prepare for the early release of "The Flash".
If the news of the astronomical salary of 260 million US dollars is a conscious hype by Warner Bros. to keep Wayne and "The Flash" hot, then the next unexpected news completely caused the media and the public in North America to fall into a big discussion. among.
On Saturday night, when the outside world was still discussing the number of 260 million US dollars, the North American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which has always been very low-key except during the awards season, quietly released a list! But when this list was released, it immediately detonated the attention of countless people!
This is destined to be a sleepless night for countless film practitioners. On Sunday morning, almost all media platforms in North America tacitly reported on the list released by the academy. Even the hot topic of sky-high salary the day before was covered by this list. Squeeze out the headlines.
"At 6:30 last night, the North American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences released a special list of winners! It is reported that this list is to celebrate the centennial of the birth of North American cinema (1896~1996). The Faculty of Science selected from more than 400 recommended films.
Based on the votes of academia, production and ordinary fans, we have successfully selected the representative works of 100 North American films in the past 100 years! According to the list released by the academy, the strictly selected works are the works of more than 100 film companies that exist or have disappeared all over North America!
In terms of age, a total of five films were selected in 1939, namely "Gone with the Wind", "The Wizard of Oz", "Mr. Smith to Washington", "Wuthering Heights", "Guanshan Fit", which became super platinum in North American film history in 1939. Era.
Among the top 10 classic films on the list, films from the 1940s occupy two positions, Citizen Kane and The Beast, while the 1930s include Gone With the Wind and The Wizard of Oz. Two 1939 films made the list, and there were also two in the 1950s, "The Dock" and "Singing in the Rain".
In the 1960s, "Lawrence of Arabia" and "The Graduate" occupied two places, and the representative work in the 1970s was Francis Ford Coppola's "The Godfather". When the time came to the 1980s, it became the absolute loser of this 100-year-old top 100 film selection. The top ranking was only Martin Scorsese's "Taxi Driver".
And the most special is undoubtedly the 1990s, which is also the era that fans are most familiar with. In this list, there are many classic movies of the 1990s. It is worth mentioning here that the great director Steven Spielberg is one of the biggest winners of this list. Of course, when it comes to Hollywood in the 1990s, there must be a young film master who cannot be bypassed, Wayne Greenberg.
The following is the specific list of the top 100 films released by the North American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences:
1. Citizen Kane (1941)
2. The Godfather (1972)
3. "Batman: The Dark Knight" (1997)
4. "Casablanca" (1942)
5. "Gone with the Wind" (1939)
6. Lawrence of Arabia (1962)
7. The Wizard of Oz (1939)
8. "The Wharf" (1954)
9. "Schindler's List" (1993)
10. "Joker" (1993)
...
59. "Get Out" (1992)
...
99. The Departed (1996)
100. Unforgivable (1992)
..." - The Hollywood Reporter
Almost all of the entire large page has been reported to AFI's 100-year-old top 100 movies. As the leading authoritative media in Hollywood, "The Hollywood Reporter" can be said to have spared no expense this time. It was the first newspaper to publish the complete list of the top 100 films in a century.
This alone has opened the gap with other newspapers of the same level. When other newspapers chose to focus on reporting and discussion because of space constraints, "The Hollywood Reporter" undoubtedly became the most conspicuous one.
Of course, magazines such as "Premier", "Movie", "Vanity Fair", etc., all tacitly publish in addition to the complete movie list. Time Magazine even put a miniature version of the poster of the top 100 movies of the century on its cover. If you look closely, it will list all the selected movies in detailed order.
But no matter whether it is a detailed report or an interception of key discussions, once the list of AFI's 100-year-old top 100 movies was released, it immediately aroused an earthquake-like discussion among the whole people. Whether it's ordinary people or Hollywood-related practitioners, the topic has not left this list since Sunday morning.
Naturally, the moment the list came out, related debates also appeared. This list not only represents a rare honor, but also brought endless controversy in an instant!
“Steven Spielberg is undoubtedly one of the biggest winners of the AFI 100 Years Movie List. Five films including Indiana Jones, Alien: et, and Encounters of the Third Kind made the list.
It is worth mentioning that Steven Spielberg was shortlisted with five works, and at the same time beat Hitchcock's "Psycho", "Vertigo", "North by Northwest", "Rear Window" four, Wayne Greenberg's "Batman: The Dark Knight", "Joker", "Get Out" and "The Departed" have become the director with the most works on this list!
The other big winner on this list is undoubtedly Wayne Greenberg, which must have come as a surprise to everyone because he is so young. But the talent of a film director has never been measured by age. Similar to him, there are also countless master directors who also shot the representative works of his life at a young age.
It can be seen that Wayne Greenberg is not only shortlisted for four works. The two great films "Batman: The Dark Knight" and "Joker" are both shortlisted in the top ten of the top 100 films of the century. In this regard, it remains to be seen who is the biggest winner between him and Steven Spielberg's best friends..."
--- "Los Angeles Times"
"With the release of AFI's 100 Years Movie List, it's now clear that Wayne Greenberg was the Hollywood director of the '90s. With his distinctive dark style and prolific creative speed , has become a completely inescapable member of this list.
In recent years, professionals in the film industry and ordinary film fans have been discussing whether the 1990s is another "diamond age" in film history. Judging from this movie list, the answer is certain, and there is no need to continue arguing.
At the same time, this list also invisibly confirms one thing, that is, director Wayne Greenberg is one of the main leaders in opening the "Diamond Age" in Hollywood. Of course, other directors on this list are also contributors to this glorious era, such as Steven Spielberg, who has five films shortlisted. And the brilliant Quentin Tarantino, whose Pulp Fiction also managed to squeeze in..."
---"Washington post"
"AFI's top 100 movies list was released very suddenly, but the films and directors who were mainly shortlisted for this list were not too surprising to the public. If the only surprising thing is that they are not yet three years old. Ten-year-old Wayne Greenberg has four works on the list, and even two works in the top ten, "Batman: The Dark Knight" is ranked third!
It is not known what the academy's criteria for selecting great films are. It is just to let a young director get too great an honor too early. Is it necessary to consider more? You must know that in the more than 100 years since the film appeared in North America, there are still countless great works that have not been shortlisted. Will such a result make the public feel unfair? "
--- "Chicago Sun"
"The Academy Awards ceremony is held every year. Compared with the former, the Academy's top 100 films are undoubtedly more weighty in terms of honor. To commemorate the centenary of the birth of North American cinema, the North American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences yesterday, Officially released the list of the top 100 movies of the century.
Among them, Steven Spielberg was shortlisted for five works, overwhelming all the directors of this authoritative list with absolute numbers. In addition to his five films, Hitchcock was shortlisted for four films, as well as Wayne Greenberg, the current director of Hollywood..."
---"New York Times"
Early in the morning on Sunday, most of the authoritative media in North America vacated their front pages and published relevant information on the list of the top 100 movies of the century.
It should be noted that these media are not only entertainment media, but also a large number of serious print media and social media, no matter what their attributes, have given their front-page positions. From this aspect, AFI's 100-year-old top 100 movies are not just entertainment news, but have become a hot spot in the whole society.
Although these media have participated in the reporting, they have not mixed any tendencies. Even if there are occasional doubts about the list, the performance is not obvious. More reports are based on the list released by the college from a neutral and objective perspective.
However, compared to these authoritative big media, the entertainment media in the Hollywood film industry are not so polite and euphemistic. The Hollywood Daily Entertainment News was the first to question the list on its entertainment front page.
"Perhaps Wayne Greenberg should be included, but with Batman: The Dark Knight in third place and Joker in tenth place, I really doubt the Academy has 'something else' in mind! No one will deny the greatness of these two movies, but are the other movies in the back, really inferior to the two DC superheroes?!
From this, it can be seen that the Academy has bowed its head to the business record created by Wayne Greenberg, which is obviously unfounded. You must know that the academy's consistent award-winning method is based on realistic films. Could it be that the academy really has to follow a trend this time? Or, there are other unknown "factors" behind this list? "
"Hollywood Daily Entertainment News" seems to have started, and then major film critics and film critics have spoken out on their own media channels, and even most of them are film critics who are well-known in North America, publicly questioning and accusing the fairness of the academy.
The Pulitzer Prize winner and the leader of all North American film critics, Roger Albert, expressed his views in his newspaper column and the program "Watching Movies" that he hosted for the first time:
"A young director less than 30 years old has been shortlisted for four works on the list of the top 100 films of the century. The academy chose to do this, and it is simply throwing the credibility accumulated over the decades into the toilet!"
New York gold film critic A.O Scott commented: "The rankings are simply incomprehensible, and the abrupt name of Wayne Greenberg makes the entire list lose its credibility!"
Phoenix film critic Sandy Morris, more ironic. "Want to know how much Wayne Greenberg paid to get himself on this list..."
But no matter how questioned and belittled the film critics, and how the entertainment media discussed it, the list would remain unchanged, and the academy did not give any response.
There is no doubt that the release of this list is far more useful than Warner Bros. hyping Wayne's salary of 260 million. That morning, without any PR, hundreds of journalists spontaneously surrounded Greenberg Manor.
It was just that the result was destined to disappoint them. At this time, Wayne had already boarded the luxury charter flight to the East, leaving all the disturbances in North America.