章 126: Chapter 126: Confrontation
"Fortunately, I was just a little scared at the time," Kerry recounted the shooting situation to Elizabeth. "The needles were fake, but the pig intestines were real..."
"Murphy is too heartless!" Elizabeth sympathized with her. Kerry shrugged, "But that's what makes the effect so good."
She walked to her wardrobe, intending to retrieve her backpack from the chaise longue. Elizabeth followed suit, noticing the "Premiere" title on the backpack and asked, "Is this the latest issue?"
Kerry nodded, generously offering, "Feel free to take a look if you're interested."
Without hesitation, Elizabeth reached for the "Premiere" magazine, flipping through it as she said, "You haven't seen it yet, have you? Let me check last week's box office rankings for you to see how well Murphy's film is performing!"
"What movie is doing so well?"
Just like before, Kerry, a eighteen-year-old girl, couldn't control her emotions when provoked. Hearing Elizabeth Banks once again associating Murphy's name with success, Keira Knightley finally couldn't help but approach, giving Kerry a sidelong glance. "you two have been praising the Murphy guy for so long?"
Both Kerry and Elizabeth turned to look at her.
Jessica also turned her head, full of curiosity. This Kerry seemed to bring trouble wherever she went...
Keira Knightley's words didn't stop there. She walked up to Kerry and said, "Oh, I almost forgot to congratulate you. Your new movie is finally released!"
Her tone intensified, "I heard it's only screening in thirty theaters!"
Turning back, Keira Knightley gestured with three fingers to her companions behind her. "Did you know? Kerry's new movie is only being screened in thirty theaters!"
With that, she burst into laughter, as if she had heard the funniest joke in the world, clutching her waist with one hand.
The other girls behind her also laughed exaggeratedly.
They had heard the conversation just now, and the fact that a movie screened in only thirty theaters could be boasted and praised by those two was simply shameless.
Even the others in the dressing room laughed. Thirty theaters were nothing to boast about.
Laughing exaggeratedly, Keira Knightley pointed three fingers at Kerry. "Thirty theaters!"
Kerry was very angry, a hint of anger showing on her doll-like face, but she held it in. She remembered what Murphy had said after the last incident: if provoked by a fool, the other party would only become more smug.
Elizabeth furrowed her brows tightly. Keira Knightley was getting more and more out of line.
She lowered her head to glance at the open "Premiere" magazine. Just as she was about to say something, Keira Knightley's sharp voice rang out again, "Can you tell us how outstanding your box office numbers are? Did you make it into the top ten weekend box office rankings?"
The girl's voice was urgent and fast-paced. Kerry wanted to say something, but Keira interrupted her, "Don't tell me you did. I've seen the latest North American box office rankings, and 'Saw' is nowhere to be found in the top ten!"
Even though Kerry Murray seemed not very savvy at the moment, she understood that the other party had been paying attention to Murphy and "Saw", waiting for an opportunity to mock and counterattack.
"Miss Knightley!" Unconsciously, Kerry imitated Murphy's tone, but before her words could come out, Elizabeth pulled her back.
She gently nodded to Kerry, grabbed the open magazine, and said, "Keira, don't go too far."
This earned her a raised chin from Keira Knightley.
Elizabeth indeed had a good temper, but she also had her limits. She glanced down at the statistics in the "Premiere" magazine and said, "Miss Knightley, don't be narrow-minded in your judgment!"
"Humph..." Keira Knightley was obviously not someone easily swayed. She had checked the top ten weekend box office rankings earlier, waiting for the right moment to retaliate when the little director arrived. Since she hadn't seen him yet, she thought she'd say a few words to Kerry instead. "I really want to know how impressive those numbers are, how... shocking they are!"
Her voice rose, almost wanting everyone in the dressing room to hear, "Shocking!"
Because of what had just happened, the dressing room fell silent. Even Keira Knightley's few cronies closed their mouths, and the others in the dressing room stared at her, especially the older ones, whose gazes were somewhat strange.
Indeed, a limited release couldn't prove a film's potential for success. Many films with limited releases in three or four theaters had high per-screen averages during previews but flopped when expanded. However, a limited release in thirty theaters was different. It could still indicate some real market feedback.
Those with strange looks were not like Keira Knightley, a young girl who had been in and out of Hollywood for a few years. They had more experience and knowledge in the industry.
Moreover, Elizabeth, the kind-hearted person, had completely sided with Kerry, confronting Keira Knightley. There was probably more to come...
Elizabeth directly held up the "Premiere" magazine in front of her. "Cinemascore released a market survey report for 'Saw', and the overall audience rating is A!"
Keira Knightley pursed her lips, muttering, "But it's not an A+."
Although she said so, her chin was gradually lowering, and her pride seemed to deflate.
"A may not be the highest, but how many horror movies have an A rating from Cinemascore?" Elizabeth actually didn't know, but intentionally said this to strike a blow. Then, she said in a loud voice, "Ed Mintz, the founder of Cinemascore, personally made a North American box office forecast for 'Saw', estimating that after expanding the release, the North American box office would be no less than $30 million!"
"What?" Keira Knightley seemed incredulous.
Elizabeth said coldly, "Don't tell me you don't even know who Cinemascore and Ed Mintz are!"
Keira Knightley's lips tightened, unable to say anything. She had been in the movie industry for several years and knew what these things represented.
This was the most professional market forecast!
But... how was this possible? Why would Cinemascore and Ed Mintz pay attention to such a small production?
It seemed like she had realized that she had missed a great opportunity to build her reputation and instead boosted that guy, Murphy. The more impressive the box office numbers after the expansion, the brighter the halo on the people involved in the project would be.
"Why does it always end up like this?" The thought suddenly popped into Keira Knightley's mind.
Only now did Keira Knightley realize that beneath her facade of arrogance, there lay deep-seated insecurity.
"It's about time," Kerry said without even looking at Keira Knightley, firmly adhering to Murphy's strategy of treating her as air and calling out to Elizabeth Banks, "Liz, let's go."
She turned to Jessica, "Jessie, are you coming?"
Jessica had been in a daze for a while but followed along now, "Coming, Kerry."
With a low sigh, Kerry realized that with those numbers, she might have missed a great opportunity to build her reputation. Instead, she had inadvertently helped that guy, Paul Wilson. The more dazzling the box office numbers after the expansion, the bigger the halo on the people involved in the project would be.
She only hoped that she hadn't been too useless. The thought suddenly crossed her mind.
Until this moment, Keira Knightley realized that beneath her facade of arrogance lay deep-seated insecurities.
"Am I really that useless?" This thought suddenly sprang into her mind.
Keira Knightley's face turned pale, her emotions fluctuating. She couldn't believe it. Could that annoying girl, the one who made her feel like a stand-in, really be succeeding?
Why did it always have to be like this? Her teeth clenched together as she felt a surge of frustration. But seeing the smug looks in Kerry's and Elizabeth's eyes, she took a few deep breaths in succession and suppressed her emotions. Even if she wanted to lose it, she couldn't do it in front of these people, couldn't let them see her as a laughingstock!
Though aware that Cinemascore's and Ed Mintz's predictions might not be one hundred percent accurate, Keira Knightley was left speechless, her face paling. She hadn't paid attention to other aspects beyond the weekend box office rankings. Looking at these professional statistics in the "Premiere" magazine, Keira Knightley's chin had completely dropped. The impulsive nature of a eighteen-year-old girl had been subdued by these cold numbers.
She was just rebellious, not completely brainless. Having entered Hollywood several years ago, she knew the significance of Cinemascore and Ed Mintz's predictions.
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