Generating promotional topics wasn't exclusive to "Thor." "City of Chaos," with its excellent premiere reputation, was no exception. Early in the morning, Carla Faith sent a text to Murphy, arranging a lunch meeting. She then began browsing the internet and social media, checking the actual audience response and the emerging online public opinion for "City of Chaos." Of course, she also kept an eye on the word of mouth for the competing film, "Thor."
Carla Faith first opened IMDb. Both "Thor" and "City of Chaos," which had just been released, were prominently displayed on the homepage. She bypassed "Thor" and clicked on "City of Chaos," immediately seeing an impressive 8.8 average score from 25,698 users!
Scrolling down the page, she saw a review from a user named Daisy prominently featured, with nearly ten thousand likes thanks to IMDb's new "like" feature.
"In some ways, Murphy's portrayal of the protagonist Chris Dane in 'City of Chaos' has a bit in common with superheroes. They both undertake the mission of saving the city. However, superheroes are more grandiose and superhuman, inherently destined to save cities and the world. Chris Dane, on the other hand, resembles an ordinary person. He neither has superhuman abilities nor transcendent personality traits. His motivation to save New York is entirely personal, driven by revenge."
"It is through this entirely personal journey that Chris Dane gradually awakens to a heroic consciousness. But unlike superheroes, who bring hope, Chris Dane brings only fear."
"By becoming fear, one can overcome fear and gain power. Murphy's film uniquely explores the influence of fear and the power it can bring, something Hollywood films have never done before! In this regard alone, 'City of Chaos' is groundbreaking, deserving to be etched in film history!"
"Traditional Hollywood films often depict heroes with a large fan base and support. In reality, true heroes are always alone, not only because of their extraordinary abilities but also because these abilities often require them to forgo many things ordinary humans possess, such as emotions and the ability to navigate societal norms. Viewed realistically, Chris Dane exemplifies this."
"I always felt Murphy Stanton is a very realistic idealist. His idealism isn't the same as childlike innocence. Innocence stems from a lack of harsh reality, maintaining a pure nature, whereas idealists are aware of the complex world shaped by societal rules. They know that behind the brightness lies darkness. Despite the darkness and oppressive nature of society and the inherent tendency of human nature towards evil and selfishness, Murphy never believes society is solely dark. He gives Chris Dane hope and the courage to overcome fear, suggesting that for the courageous, society isn't just dark."
"If you think society is solely dark and only see darkness in Murphy Stanton's films, it means you've been broken and compromised by society like a steel rod."
"Complexity is a neutral term because realistic idealists recognize the darkness of society but also acknowledge its beauty. Beauty and darkness together constitute the complexity of society."
"Darkness always coexists with beauty. This is 'City of Chaos,' and it reflects the reality of our society."
After reading this review, Carla Faith couldn't help but think how great Murphy was, almost the most philosophical and thoughtful director in Hollywood.
However, unlike Carla Faith's perception, many fans seemed to share this user's sentiment. The second most liked comment also reflected similar thoughts.
"'City of Chaos' is a real story about the choice between light and darkness, and the fear behind heroes. In the real world, individuals are as complex and diverse as society itself, not like the heroes illuminated by spotlights, which only highlight their goodness."
"The real world is such that few people go through life without ties or compromises, and not everyone can ignore their bottom line. That is your weakest spot and also your source of strength. True heroes are not fearless; they move forward bravely because they have fears."
"Murphy Stanton, through cinematic art, brings us a splendidly real world!"
Carla Faith then clicked on the "Thor" section, noting its 7.3 score with a slight smile. This rating was still from comic book fans. As more general viewers increased, it would likely drop below 7.
The top two comments seemed to come from Marvel fans themselves, expressing some disappointment with the film.
"The movie fell short of expectations, feeling more like a rushed biography to introduce a character for the Avengers. The fight scenes lacked highlights, the plot was weak, and the most memorable aspect was the visual effects and settings, which aimed to provide an exciting viewing experience. However, it seems the focus was entirely on depicting Asgard. The acting was disastrous; Chris Hemsworth was just eye candy, and Natalie Portman successfully transformed into a middle-aged woman. Combined with a clichéd plot and boring fights, it adequately tells the story without leaving any lasting impression. Just hand it over to the Avengers next..."
This user gave the film a barely passing score of six, while the second review below rated it five.
"The plot is devoid of substance, not only unable to withstand scrutiny but also complicating simple matters. Character development, which could have been detailed, was crudely rushed in a single scene. Despite its grand backdrop, the movie felt small and uninspired. The pacing was sluggish, the climax chaotic, and the scenes between gods and humans felt discordant, with a mess of accents."
Carla Faith closed IMDb and opened Rotten Tomatoes for a quick look. The disparity was even more pronounced there: "City of Chaos" boasted an 84% fresh rating with an 8.2 average score, while "Thor" had a 63% fresh rating with a 5.7 average score.
Next, she logged onto Facebook. The movie sections were buzzing with activity.
While waiting for the webpage to refresh, Carla Faith briefly analyzed the current audience response to "City of Chaos" and "Thor." The former had impressive word of mouth, while the latter's reputation seemed shaky, likely leading to weak box office longevity.
Once the Facebook page loaded, Carla Faith browsed for a while. Without heavily deploying online shills, the social media platform was already filled with praise for "City of Chaos," similar to IMDb.
"Murphy Stanton perfectly illustrates how one should grow strong in 'City of Chaos': by overcoming inner fear, training oneself, adhering to a moral bottom line, and exhibiting unparalleled self-discipline. Chris Dane is a reflection of each of us, making him so captivating."
In comparison, there were many discussions about "Thor" on Facebook too, but few considered it a great film.
"'Thor's' story felt bland and mismatched with its grand scenes."
"The movie wasn't very interesting because the storytelling was somewhat out of control."
"As a comic fan, I was still somewhat disappointed after watching the movie."
"The plot was too simplistic, and the visuals and fights felt like small-scale skirmishes. Combined with overly stereotyped characters, it was a very average film."
Seeing this, Carla Faith knew she could capitalize on the word-of-mouth aspect to undermine "Thor."
With most Hollywood and North American theater companies rarely adopting exclusive screenings, both "Thor" and "City of Chaos" had releases in about 4,000 theaters, with many overlapping showings.
Thus, the two films would directly compete for screen time. Currently, both had around 30% of the total screenings. If one film had mediocre word-of-mouth and underperformed, it would undoubtedly lead to reduced screen time, allowing the other film to increase its share.
20th Century Fox had an advantage over Walt Disney in theater relationships and could potentially secure more screenings.
Although audience ticket purchases weren't a binary choice, at the start of the summer blockbuster season, if viewers were influenced by word-of-mouth, they would be more likely to choose "City of Chaos."
Having been part of 20th Century Fox's management for many years, Carla Faith was well-versed in this aspect.
After checking the time, Carla Faith shut down her computer and left her room, taking the elevator to the second-floor restaurant of the Waldorf Hotel. She sat at a reserved table, patiently waiting for Murphy and Gal Gadot.
Since it was still early, she ordered a glass of water, sipping it while continuing to think.
When Murphy arrived, she could ask for his opinion on this. Despite his sometimes lackluster execution skills, he often had constructive ideas.
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