Sony Columbia, Samsung Pictures, "Seven Deadly Sins" project distribution team.

A group of people are in a meeting.

"On September 22, the movie was officially released, only three days away from today, and now? What's going on now?!! ”

The leader of the project team in charge of the distribution in the American region slammed a pile of newspapers on the table, propped the table with both hands, and said condescendingly: "Did you stuff the money? Did you stuff money into those media?? Are we running out of PR dollars??? ”

"We held the premiere and invited those media and film critics to watch the film in the hope that they would speak for us!"

"Did I tell you when I was working on the plan, I don't expect all the media and critics to be on our side, but we're going to win over the vast majority of people! Roger Ebert may stand his ground and not waver in the face of the half a million we sent, but others, must be fought for! But now! Take a look at what these media have written for yourselves!! ”

Crash!

The project team leader grabbed the corner of the newspaper and shook it vigorously.

In the next second, there was a rain of paper in the conference hall.

Although the members of the project team were on both sides, motionless, the newspapers and magazines scattered on the table revealed their ideas - Newsweek rated them as Nike advertisements; The Chicago Tribune informs the public that it is a good movie when certain details are overlooked; The Seattle Times, on the other hand, said it was hard to accept; The Philadelphia Daily mentioned Brad Pitt, who has nothing to do with the movie, saying that he is very handsome in the movie.

"Does this have anything to do with propaganda?"

"Nope!"

"Is that how they get paid to advertise?"

"Or is that what you're giving to the media?"

The roar like the Führer swept the scene, and if DuangDuangDuang's stunt was added, the guys sitting on both sides of the company might have been blown away by the sudden whirlwind!

Although the movie "Seven Deadly Sins" was not invested by them, Sony also spent a lot of effort to publicize it, and the publicity and distribution costs after the loss were borne by them, so no one hopes that the movie they promote will hit the street!

However, just when he was panting and wanted an answer, the guys in charge of contact and public relations media glanced at each other, and everyone saw helplessness in each other's eyes-

"Boss, none of these guys took any money."

“What？”

"Uh...... Or rather, they gave the money back. ”

“Shit？ Do you dare to say the word again? ”

Facing the roll call of the top boss, the publicist who said that the money would be refunded nodded with a wry smile, took a deep breath, and said, "Boss, when we sent the premiere invitations to these media film critics, we did provide the checks as customary, and they accepted them. ”

"But the problem is that after the premiere, they returned the checks one after another."

"At first, it was just the guys who wrote the bad reviews who returned the money, but after that, even the guys who wrote the good reviews got the money back."

"I asked them why, but none of the media or critics were willing to tell us."

That's right, when the news of the premiere of "The Seven Deadly Sins" was released, those media outlets that had collected money all returned their money.

According to industry rules, it is extremely normal for a publishing company to buy media praise, but it is rare to return it in reverse.

Most of the time, there is only one possibility for the media to return the money, and that is -

"Who is messing with us?" The leader of the project team who reacted frowned.

He didn't get angry again, but squinted his eyes and said, "No, all the media have returned the money? ”

"Then it's not a family affair."

"Warner, Universal, Paramount, Fox, Disney, MGM, they all have their own regular media partners, do they ...... Stopping us together? ”

Wanting to get here, the leader of the project team, who was still angry, slowly sat back.

If it's because of the joint sniping of the other six, then the movie's reputation is mixed, which is natural.

After all, the one-sided black of the movie with Morgan Freeman is too fake, and only by forming an opposition can the public feel that the movie has a slight bright spot, but at the same time, there are many problems.

However, if six of them snipe at the same time......

Then they don't have a way to break through!

But......

"Why are they banding together to snipe us?"

"Is it because we're called Sony?"

"It doesn't make sense! If they sniped on Sony alone, then why didn't they do it before, they had to wait until Roland ......"

At this point, the project team leader shut up.

Because he has already guessed a possibility, that is, the formation of DreamWorks and the binding of Sony.

If this is the case, it is only natural that the other six companies should boycott Silicon Valley and overseas capital.

"Has Roland called to ask why?"

Putting the sniping thing aside, what the project team leader wanted to know most was Roland's reaction.

In the face of his inquiry, all the guys present shook their heads like rattles.

"Since there isn't, then let's treat it as if nothing happened." Sighing, the team leader, who felt that the movie was a loss, waved his hand and made a final remedy, "Contact the media again and ask them to post a news related to Brad Pitt." ”

"You can say he's handsome, you can say he's good at acting, or discuss his relationship with Gwyneth, in short, pull his fans into the theater as much as possible, as for the rest...... Leave it to God. ”

The team leader pursed his lips, "The meeting is dismissed." ”

…………

If the other six families knew Sony's thoughts, they would definitely cry down the Great Wall like Meng Jiangnu.

Not to mention targeting Sony and Roland, they didn't even send anyone to check what the movie "Seven Deadly Sins" was about!

From the beginning to the end, they didn't think about using dimensionality reduction to hit Roland, because they felt that in the face of the ninety-five years of crotch pulling, the rotten schedule at the end of September, and the upcoming verdict of Simpson's wife murder case, there was no need to use small means at all.

This is already Hardmode, so there's no need to spend resources buying out media and making it hell!

As for why the media would refund the money all at once?

They haven't even seen the movie! How do they know?

Maybe it's because ......

David Fincher made the movie really bad?

In short, no matter how Sony makes up for it, the six have no intention of joining forces to become a big boss, so when Sony re-buys Brad Pitt's public relations news release, the situation of buying and leaving even gives them an illusion -

Are we wrong?' ’

But even if they have any doubts, they don't have time to think about these things, so from September 20, the public has appeared in the public eye.

[After "Interview with the Vampire at Night" and "The Burning Years", Brad Pitt once again contributed soul acting skills in "The Seven Deadly Sins"]

[Love for drama - Gwyneth Paltrow fell in love with Brad Pitt during the filming of "The Seven Deadly Sins"]

[Golden Boy and Jade Girl - David Fincher tells the love story of Gwyneth and Brad behind "The Seven Deadly Sins"]

When this series of marketing advertorials spilled out, the project that should have been promoted in the name of religious movies directly became a Mary Sue love dog blood drama in the entertainment industry - what is "Seven Deadly Sins" about?

Nobody knows.

Who is "The Seven Deadly Sins" suitable for?

For now, that's of course a fan of Brad Pitt and Gwyneth Paltrow!

Will there be a problem with a thriller and suspense film being promoted as a youth romance film?

"Blair the Witch" also tricked people into the theater! As long as they can make money, capitalists will not care about the problems behind it, after all, only directors, actors and screenwriters standing in front of the stage are the objects of people's anger!

In this way, when the hype advertorials all over the world appeared, the already boring September had a touch of entertainment.

…………

University Campus, New York.

When the students passed by the newsstand on the corner after class, the conspicuous newspaper headline attracted a lot of attention.

Two blonde girls traveling together discharged a few big coins, took the newspaper from the boss's hand, and when they opened the entertainment section, their eyes immediately locked on that face - the guy in a suit, tie, and shaved head smiled, although the appearance was not exaggerated, but still sunny and handsome.

"The Seven Deadly Sins? Is this a religious film? ”

"I don't know! This is talking about the police, it should be a crime movie, right? ”

"Crime films? I don't like that. ”

"I don't like it either, just go see Brad...... he and Tom are so handsome in "Interview with the Vampire"!"

…………

California, Silicon Valley.

The engineer who was about to leave work was humming happily, and just as he was thinking about where he should go to play at night, a magazine suddenly photographed him in front of him, "Do you have a date at night?" If not, let's go to the movies together? ”

“What？ Why did you suddenly remember to go to the movies? ”

"I'm idle and bored, the best movie I've watched in the past year is "Forrest Gump", so ......"

"Okay, who's?"

"David Fincher." Another engineer gestured to the magazine in his hand.

"David Fincher?" glanced at the pictorial and confirmed that it was not someone he knew, "What movies did he make?" ”

"Alien 3."

“No！ "Alien 3"? Do you want to watch the kind of movie by the director of a big bad movie? I remember you didn't rent a disc to watch this movie? After watching it, he still diss the whole movie in front of me, saying that compared to James's previous work, it's just rubbish! ”

"But this time it's different, the cast of this movie is pretty good, with Brad Pitt, Morgan Freeman, ......"

"Wait? Brad Pitt? I also heard him and ...... this morning With whom is the romance coming? ”

"Gwyneth Paltrow, Steven Spielberg's Goddaughter...... She is also in this movie, and they play a couple. ”

“Oh？ Then you can check it out...... Don't look at me like that, I just think Gwyneth is good. ”

…………

Although the media and film critics have mixed reviews of the movie, those people's film reviews actually only affect the core fans, and for many actors, although these reviews will make them lower their expectations, they will not prevent them from entering the theater.

Without one-sided praise, the market on the first day will definitely be affected, but what really supports the box office on the first day is actually the fans, and when these guys are attracted by the relationship, attracted by the lineup, and ready to go into the theater to contribute their own strength-

The status quo is still very scary.

After all, after the release of "Crazy Flowers at the End", Brad Pitt's face and figure have attracted a lot of attention, and after "Night Interview with the Vampire" won the global box office of 200 million, the fan girl who eats his face has multiplied several times!

So, in the case of Roland holding 'what the hell is going on with this special mother', Sony holding 'we were actually sanctioned by the six families joining forces', and the other six holding 'The Seven Deadly Sins will die, and David Fincher who angrily sprays them is a stupid beep'-

The movie was released.

On the day of the premiere, 4.6 million, the next Saturday, 5.2 million, and on the weekend of the third day, 6.7 million......

In the first three days of the weekend, America reported 16.5 million across the board!

Although compared with Roland's results of 30 million in three days and 100 million in a week, 16.5 million is simply pulling his crotch to grandma's house, but-at the end of September, it is an extraordinary schedule that does not go to the village or the store, and there are no holidays! You know, when Tom Hanks' "Apollo 13" was released in the summer, it was only 25 million in the first weekend!

When the six families who thought that "Seven Deadly Sins" would die got this data, everyone's heads were full of question marks!

“Fuck！ Can this kind of garbage schedule, this kind of garbage evaluation, sell so much box office? ”

"Sixteen and a half million in three days? The North American box office is definitely over 100 million! Relying on the North American market alone, Roland will be able to recoup its investment! Not to mention, there is also the overseas release that Sony has been staring at! ”

"Hurry, hurry! Organize people to see this movie! I want to know what this movie is about! ”

"Is it Brad Pitt's fans who are good enough, or is this movie really good!"

And Sony, who thinks that the movie will definitely die violently, can't believe this kind of achievement.

After getting the box office data, the project team leader in charge of publicity and distribution was not a surprise, but-

"Did Roland buy the box office?"

"This data is not scientific!"

Don't think that ticket compensation is only available in the East, in fact, Hollywood is more ruthless in raising the box office!

They don't implement ticket compensation at all, but directly spend money to buy the box office! Then stimulate the audience to go to the movie!

However, the answer to the project team leader was a group of people shaking their heads.

As a result, he wondered even more, "What? Didn't buy it? ”

"Is the movie "The Seven Deadly Sins" really so good? Aren't the attitudes of those media critics very ambiguous? ”

"If it's really a Brad Pitt fan, then he'...... Soon to be on the A-list! ”

That's right, even Sony's publishers feel that the results are not mixed with water, and they are really fake!

"No, get me a copy right away, everyone goes to the internal screening room to watch the movie! We've definitely missed something! ”

And just when Sony felt that something was wrong and wanted to remedy its 'wrong' distribution method, Roland, who also felt incredible, was not as troublesome as them at all-

Although Roland also feels that this kind of box office trend does not conform to the laws of the market at all, and there must be someone in it who is acting as a demon, but-

He couldn't understand it, so he could only seek help from the sidelines.

Since Spielberg couldn't find time, and Roland was too embarrassed to go to David Fincher, he made a copy and jumped to the trucker's house to hear what he had to say.

And when the truck driver and his fiancée Linda Hamilton, who wanted to sleep, said goodnight to each other, sat in front of the screen with a gloomy face, and felt that Roland was very annoying, but had to watch the whole movie -

When he saw Brad Pitt shoot Kevin Spacey to death, the old man suddenly slapped his thigh and said loudly, "Who filmed this?" David Fincher? The guy who took over the Alien series and ended up messing up? ”

"Yes! This guy is amazing! ”

Roland, who shouted in shock, was stunned, and he instantly felt that his accumulation was really not enough.

Before he could open his mouth to ask, the truck driver had already seen the dumb face, and he said directly: "Did you not understand the movie?" Do you dare to invest in a project that you don't understand? If you have this money, you might as well invest in me to build a ship!" ”

"What's wrong with you? Do you feel that what the killer Kevin Spacey is doing is inconsistent with Catholic teachings? ”

"Do you think he's making up the seven deadly sins?"

"That's right!"

"David Fincher is forcibly making up the seven deadly sins!"

"According to the doctrine of Catholicism, the believer confesses his sins and asks for forgiveness, which is missionary, not punishment!"

"The way a sinner is forgiven is by believing, and the believer is forgiven by confessing his sins, and there is no other way!"

"Every man is guilty before the Lord!"

"But what is it about in the movie? Is everyone guilty? ”

"Yes, that's the most obvious point! But at the end of the day, he's spraying the Seven Deadly Sins! ”

If Kevin Spacey was a devout believer, the way he could be pardoned was to confess his sins, but he didn't! What did he do, he preached in the name of the Lord! And as long as the act of preaching in the name of the Lord is not jealousy, but arrogance! Because he was disrespectful to the Lord! This is arrogance! ”

"And if he is arrogant, then it is the same arrogance that he killed before, which is inconsistent with the seven deadly sins, and since it does not match, then why would he kill Brad Pitt's wife and then force him into anger? Let him beat himself to death? ”

"Because David Fincher wants to say that Brad Pitt is the most normal person! Kevin Spacey is a religious lunatic! ”

“Fuck you！ My wife was killed by you, I can't kill you? ”

“Fuck you！ You've killed so many people in the name of mission, but the Lord has never given you the right to discipline! ”

“Fuck you！ You feel like you're jealous! But when you rely on murderous missions, you have betrayed the Lord! ”

"What David Fincher said is that not everyone is guilty at all! It's a religious dictatorship! ”

"This does not refer to the Catholic ****, but the dictatorship of people's spirits after including ****!"

"What he's trying to say is Fuck Catholicism!"

"This kind of movie doesn't sell well in America, that's hell!"

Okay......

When the trucker utters Fuck Catholicism, Roland understands how the film sells for a junk slot.

Is it because of the actors?

Of course, without Brad Pitt, the movie might have died violently.

Is it because of the director?

Indeed, if it weren't for David Fincher, it wouldn't have ended like this.

What else?

The time is not right, but the place is right!

If the film had been shown in the Vatican, David Fincher's head might have been blown out, but in America, this is the best irony, because most people in America are Protestant.

Of all the great presidents who came and went, only John F. Kennedy was a Catholic.

The contradiction between Protestantism and Catholicism cannot be said for three days and three nights, but there is one value that is the root of the data that supports the sales of summer and Christmas files in the garbage schedule of "The Seven Deadly Sins" - Protestants in America account for 60% of the total number, non-believers are about 10%, people of other beliefs are less than 10%, and Catholic believers are only more than 20%.

Roland felt that the murderer was a little neurotic? Or does he think Kevin Spacey is playing a crazy guy?

That's right! In the eyes of Catholicism, this is true!

This criminal has violated the Ten Commandments! He is guilty! And despise the Lord!

He thought about it according to the Catholic way, and that could only be the result!

But what about in the eyes of Protestants?

Catholicism came out, and it was really stupid!

Kevin Spacey played the silly beep so well!

Brad Pitt is the most normal guy!

David Fincher is simply a genius director!

Perfect!

And while Roland humbly asked James Cameron for advice, all seven, including Sony, were silenced.

The six families who watched the excitement had already analyzed the problem, and after finding out that the whole movie was a slap in the face of Catholicism, the idea of giving a knife behind their backs all disappeared, because most people are Protestants, and Catholics dare not jump around.

Of course, most importantly, their bosses are all Jewish!

Judaism, Protestantism, and Catholicism can't be finished in 30 days and 30 nights!

At this moment, they can only silently envy Roland in their hearts.

The first movie that this kid invested in waved the most commonly used stick of public opinion by giants!

The first shot of the film company with the grievances of Protestantism and Catholicism is really a chicken thief!

And at the same time that they were envious, one after another instructions also came down.

"Hey ......"

"Ahh......h

The top boss who heard the rumors liked this kind of face-slapping movie very much, and the media controlled by them reported on the box office situation of "Seven Deadly Sins" almost at the same time.

As for Sony –

Since the script did not pass through the hands of their green light committee at all, and the subsequent submission for review was done by Catherine Kennedy, they did not know much about the core of the whole movie except for watching the trailer and synopsis.

But when they reacted, everyone had the same idea-

"This movie is in September, it's a real loss!"

"If you change the schedule, it will definitely sell better!"

"Hey! I thought that Roland's investment in movies was just a casual play, and it would be best to get back to his roots, but I didn't expect it...... Didn't expect ......"

"If I had watched the whole film earlier, this would not have happened!"

"But...... Hey, this schedule is okay, after all, this movie can't be hyped up. ”

"Because we can't take the initiative to provoke contradictions between Protestantism and Catholicism."

Movies are the business of filmmakers, but they are never the business of filmmakers alone.

No matter how well your story is told, no matter how cool the special effects are, in the end, it will also serve the audience.

Every step of the way you create, you have to follow the market, and as long as you please the majority of people, then you can be successful.

Criticism and compliance are never two opposing individuals, they are complementary to each other.

And when various film companies expressed their feelings about Roland's behavior of picking up the stick of public opinion to loot the market, and had to follow the idea of the top Jewish boss to help competitors buy blowing drafts, the market was also giving the most real feedback.

After hitting the box office of 16.5 million in the first weekend and winning the first place of the week, the box office of the second week was still high, and in the case of weekdays, in seven days, it won 32.9 million, becoming the weekly champion again!

Four nine-four million in ten days, such a giant was silent.

Hold the grass!

This special code is the schedule in September!

Don't be so exaggerated!

Although they are very envious, although a large part of this is brought up by their blowing drafts, they are not jealous, or rather, these guys who do not dare to be jealous.

Because—

Who made their top boss like Roland, the guy who followed their mind and messed things around?

Rival?

Right!

Those who are not with them are opponents!

But—

They don't contradict Roland!

To put it mildly, Spielberg disagreed that they just felt that they were too ruthless in lowering the price, but as long as the interests are unified, they are a family, and in this case, Roland slapped Catholicism with the opening film of the film company with the hand of Protestantism, isn't that the unity of interests? Isn't this just a family?

Or, at least, until the next movie comes out, they're family.

And this is also the highest level of filmmaking.

Wrong announcement?

Never mind!

The opponent who is in line with Roland's interests will help Roland publicize!

Don't have a cable media network?

Don't be afraid!

The opponent who is in line with Roland's interests automatically broadcasts Roland's news!

And what does Roland need to do?

Squatting at home! Wait for the money!