บท 788: Chapter 789: The Cliff of Reputation
[Chapter 789: The Cliff of Reputation]
Peter Roger was an English teacher at Santa Monica High School, but he also had another identity: a freelance film critic. Peter had been fascinated by movies since he was a child and, while studying at UC Berkeley, he attempted to submit some reviews to various newspapers. Luckily, his work was accepted and published.
After graduating, he realized that this side gig could support a nice home in the upscale community of Santa Monica, so he stuck with it. Over the years, he became somewhat well-known in the industry and even published a collection of his film critiques.
Easter Sunday had arrived, and Peter had initially planned to spend the day at home with his wife and kids. However, he received a last-minute invitation from The Hollywood Reporter to review Primal Fear, an R-rated crime thriller not quite suitable for a family outing. After dinner, he drove alone to downtown Santa Monica.
After parking, he walked into his usual multi-screen theater, where it was almost nine o'clock -- the perfect time for the next screening. As he joined the ticket-buying queue, Peter recalled the recent media buzz surrounding Se7en and Primal Fear.
He had been invited to a private screening of Se7en two weeks prior and, although he didn't entirely love its bleak theme, he had to admit that David Fincher's intricate storytelling style was impressive. He gave Se7en an 8 out of 10 in his review for The Hollywood Reporter.
Primal Fear, on the other hand, seemed to have ramped up its promotional efforts in recent weeks, aggressively positioning itself to compete with Se7en.
Having been around the industry long enough, Peter understood the game. While several lesser-known newspapers were claiming that Primal Fear surpassed Se7en, most mainstream outlets were more cautious. Nonetheless, since Paramount was willing to assert that Primal Fear was better than Se7en, Peter had some modest expectations.
As he slowly moved forward in the ticket line, a slight commotion broke out at the window. He looked over to see two pairs of young couples disagreeing over which movie to see. With the cashier's urging, they ultimately split into two groups, choosing Se7en and Primal Fear, respectively.
Peter barely paid attention to the minor episode, instead feeling a twinge of envy over the youthful energy of the couples. The chilly April night in Los Angeles had them dressed lightly, showing slight tans on their exposed skin. He figured they must have spent the day surfing at Santa Monica Beach because, back in college, he, too, loved that sport. However, glancing at his beer belly, he thought, perhaps he could no longer even paddle onto a surfboard.
Not dwelling on lost youth, Peter finally got his movie ticket and snagged some popcorn as he made his way to the auditorium.
...
Finding his seat, he surveyed the surrounding area out of habit. The audience was only about 40 percent full when he unexpectedly spotted the couple involved in the earlier dispute seated just one space away. The girl noticed Peter looking their way and politely nodded.
He returned the nod but overheard the girl say to her boyfriend, "Zach, it's just a movie. We don't have to separate from Vincent and the others."
A young man named Zach replied, "Michelle, I told you earlier, I'm not into religious films, and the papers say this one is way better than that one that's just hype -- Se7en."
Michelle seemed to pout slightly and said, "How do you know this movie isn't just riding on the coattails of marketing?"
"But it must have a stronger reputation than Se7en. I think there's a really noteworthy actor in it," Zach replied, wrapping his arm around his girlfriend and lowering his voice to tease, "Not being with them isn't so bad; at least nobody will interrupt us... Uh-huh..."
Michelle pushed Zach away, playfully scolding, "Get off, you're annoying."
Listening to their conversation, Peter felt a bit uncomfortable. Just as he considered moving to another seat, the lights dimmed in the theater, and the couple quieted down, dispelling his impulse.
...
After a few advertisement clips, the logo for Paramount Pictures appeared on screen.
The film opened with a discussion about whether lawyers should adhere to the letter of the law or pursue justice. Richard Gere played lawyer Martin Vail, who argued that a lawyer's job is to fight for their client's victory in court, regardless of their actual guilt.
If this had been a PG-13 film, the dialogue might have hinted at a story about Martin Vail transforming from a cold, profit-driven attorney into a defender of justice.
But because this was an R-rated crime thriller, the themes were unpredictable.
Set in Chicago, the plot revolved around the brutal murder of a bishop, with a man named Aaron Stampler quickly apprehended as a suspect.
Due to his emotional entanglements with the prosecuting attorney, Janet Venable, Martin Vail decided to represent Aaron. As he communicated with Aaron, Martin gradually realized that his client might be a mentally ill man with multiple personality disorder, and he sought a psychological evaluation for Aaron in court.
At this point in the film, Peter glanced at his watch, noting that 45 minutes had passed. Outside of the critical reveal about Aaron's potential psychosis, the film hadn't provided much useful information. In Peter's view, many details seemed unnecessary. The director appeared to be setting something up, but it was unclear what exactly it was. Undoubtedly, such prolonged set-ups would only lead the audience to lose interest.
Disappointed with the film so far, Peter found his mind wandering. To his surprise, the couple nearby remained quiet, so he looked over again and was amused to see Michelle had dozed off against Zach's shoulder.
Chuckling to himself, Peter noted that for most people, the film's slow pace could indeed induce drowsiness.
Meanwhile, the story continued, and while many signs suggested Aaron might be mentally ill, Dr. Molly failed to find concrete evidence. Instead, Martin stumbled upon a tape where the bishop had compelled Aaron to engage in sexual acts with his girlfriend while he watched. This tape quickly became critical evidence of Aaron's motive to kill the bishop, leading Martin to furiously confront Aaron about why he had hidden this information, accidentally triggering the emergence of another personality, Roy.
Just when Peter thought he had lost all interest in this movie, he watched as the timid Aaron transformed into a violent and aggressive figure onscreen. Finally awake, Peter noticed a ripple of excitement in the theater, with some audience members gasping in admiration.
Unfortunately, Aaron's transformation into "multiple personality disorder" was never shown. To prove his assumptions, Martin resorted to some tricks, provoking Aaron's other personality in the courtroom until the verdict ruled Aaron mentally ill, dropping the charges and sending him to a psychiatric hospital.
Just when it seemed everything was coming to a close, the film took another turn. During their last meeting, Martin noticed inconsistencies in Aaron's speech and concluded that Aaron did not actually have dissociative identity disorder. Everything had merely resulted from Aaron's brilliant deception.
Ultimately, Martin emerged from prison in a daze, staring at the desolate courtyard that seemed to mock his earlier claims.
...
As the credits rolled, audience members began to rise to exit. Peter could faintly hear murmurs from those around him.
"That was so boring! I can't believe I wasted over two hours on that movie."
"I should have seen Se7en instead; at least it has Diane Kruger to look at."
"Didn't the papers say this was better than Se7en? If both films are at this level, I'd rather stay home and watch TV this Easter."
"That guy, Edward Norton, did put on a good performance, but it wasn't as great as the media made it sound."
"I nearly fell asleep."
"..."
Peter waited a moment, then stood up. The couple to his left got to their feet and walked out, the girl still rubbing her eyes sleepily against her boyfriend's arm.
As he exited the auditorium, Peter unexpectedly spotted the same four people from before walking ahead of him, seemingly heading towards the nearby parking lot.
"This movie was so thrilling! Kevin Spacey really nailed the last two punishments of the original sins, and Diane Kruger was just gorgeous -- too bad she got killed off without any close-ups of her head," a tall, lanky young man excitedly exclaimed, his arm linked with the girl beside him.
"Hey, Vincent; your tone while saying that was too dramatic," the girl interrupted with a laugh.
"Okay, babe," Vincent switched topics, asking the group, "How was Primal Fear?"
Zach didn't answer, but his girlfriend, Michelle, openly joked, "Super dull. I mean, I fell asleep. What do you think, Zach?"
Zach hesitated before saying, "At least Edward Norton's performance was stunning."
"Ha," Michelle took Zach's words as defensive banter, turning to the others, "Maybe we should just watch Se7en again tomorrow."
Vincent waved his arms, saying, "Absolutely! You guys should see that. Forget about Primal Fear."
By now it was past eleven, and Peter eavesdropped on the young people's chatter as he slid into his car.
...
Driving down the slightly empty streets late at night, Peter began pondering his review for Primal Fear.
He thought the most he could give the film was a 6.5, with half a point coming solely from Edward Norton's performance. While his performance was impressive, it couldn't save the film from being overall mediocre.
The director had aimed for an O. Henry-style twist ending, but filled the early parts with unnecessary details.
While the media had been enamored with the film's twists, Peter felt these forced turns were its biggest flaw. Had the film eschewed this gimmick from the start, the director might have crafted a tighter, more thrilling psychological drama centered on Aaron's multiple personalities, instead of spending excessive time setting up the surprise ending.
Under all that unnecessary set-up, it took over seventy minutes before the film finally produced a captivating plot conflict. Yet, seventy minutes was long enough for ninety percent of the audience to lose interest, as evidenced by that girl, Michelle, who had fallen asleep in the theater.
As he constructed his critique in his mind, Peter sensed that the media manipulation surrounding Primal Fear had become exceedingly obvious. He even foreboded that Paramount might end up shooting themselves in the foot with this one.
...
During Easter weekend, the only films capturing Hollywood's attention were Se7en and Primal Fear. Given the recent media coverage, both films generated a lot of buzz.
Yet, after the big releases, many soon realized Primal Fear was far from the outstanding film critics had claimed -- at least nowhere near the tightly-woven narrative of Se7en.
The higher the expectations, the greater the disappointment.
With the internet still not widely accessible, the average person struggled to voice their opinions. However, once the film was out in theatres, media commentary became difficult to control.
...
"A lengthy, failed attempt at storytelling, while Edward Norton's performance is commendable, it fails to elevate the film's overall mediocrity. Compared to the intricately woven narrative of Se7en, I couldn't spot anything remarkable in this film."
"The director became so engrossed in creating an O. Henry-like twist that they forgot whether audiences would have enough patience to wait two hours for an ending that wouldn't surprise them."
"It's hard to believe some people are comparing this mediocre work to Se7en, which is undoubtedly the best thriller since The Silence of the Lambs. Aside from Edward Norton's notable performance, Primal Fear brought little joy to viewers."
"..."
...
As the media reviews exploded, Firefly Group promptly ceased all attempts at manipulating the public's perception of Primal Fear's reputation. Without solid backing of positive reviews, the film, which had once seemed a contender against Se7en, quickly plummeted. Even media outlets that had touted Edward Norton's performance suddenly turned critical, echoing harsher sentiments.
Both films premiered on April 5, and over their first weekend, Se7en grossed $13.9 million, easily claiming the box office crown. Although Primal Fear's reputation rapidly declined, it still pulled in over $11.2 million at the box office that weekend, buoyed by its buzz.
In the full week, Se7en's box office reached $18.4 million. Though Primal Fear's reviews began to crumble, its opening week still raked in about $15.5 million, despite screening in about 600 fewer cinemas. Its average audience turnout was not significantly lower than Se7en's.
Paramount had initially worried about how the faltering reviews might affect Primal Fear's box office, but after seeing its first weekend earning of $11.2 million and a total of $15.5 million by the end of the week, they felt reassured. At least the early hype had played a significant role, as Paramount had originally predicted only $12 million for its opening weekend.
Most in the industry understood a simple truth: the marketing scale of a movie determined its starting box office, but a film's reputation ultimately dictated the length of its revenue arc.
Though Primal Fear's first-week earnings were close to Se7en's, as the two films diverged in reputation, their subsequent box office trajectories began to diverge starkly.
Thanks to its robust reputation, Se7en only saw a slight drop of 9.7% in its second week, grossing $16.6 million. Primal Fear's reputation collapse, however, resulted in a dramatic 46% drop in ticket sales, earning only $8.37 million in its second week -- barely half of what Se7en pulled in.
Three weeks in, Se7en maintained an extraordinary drop of only 15%, grossing $14.1 million. At that point, however, Primal Fear's weekly gross fell far behind as audience anticipation flipped to disappointment, causing its attendance to drop sharply again, ending the third week with just $4.77 million -- almost a mere fraction of Se7en's returns. Edward Norton's stellar performance, meanwhile, faded under the weight of the film's negative reception.
By May, Se7en's fourth-week earnings remained strong, hitting $11.3 million. Although Primal Fear's declines lessened, its $3.19 million weekly gross signaled the film was nearing its exit from theaters.
After four weeks of showing, Se7en raked in $60.43 million, while Primal Fear barely crossed the break-even line with a total of only $31.83 million.
Given the current box office trajectories, Se7en was sure to last into the heated summer months, with a very high chance of crossing the $100 million mark. In contrast, Primal Fear was unlikely to stick around for more than two more weeks.
At this point, the relative quality and success of the two films was undeniable.
...
Notably, during the showdown between Se7en and Primal Fear, Rumble in the Bronx quietly held its ground in North American theaters for six weeks, ultimately grossing $43 million -- unfortunately not crossing $50 million. Nonetheless, this figure pleased the studio immensely, especially since New Line had only invested $10 million into the film. With this box office revenue alone, the company was poised to make over 100% profit.
Rumble in the Bronx also garnered positive reviews, with Jackie Chan earning the title of "Most Lovable Action Star."
Furthermore, New Line planned to nominate Jackie Chan for Best Fight Scene at the upcoming MTV Movie Awards in June. However, given the recent spat with the two films, Jackie Chan's chances of winning looked almost nonexistent.
After all, MTV was a Viacom property, and they had just had a falling-out -- how could they be expected to award a trophy to him?
What fairness? Don't be ridiculous!
*****
https://www.patreon.com/Sayonara816.
สถานะพลังงานรายสัปดาห์
-- การจัดอันดับด้วยพลัง 
-- หินพลัง