The rise of the internet has profoundly changed the movie review industry. No matter how small or insignificant an individual or viewer may be, they can express their opinions online. In today's era of fully established social networks, many people are no longer content with merely reviewing a film. If a film is interesting or extremely bad, they might actually participate in the entertainment frenzy sparked by the movie.
This is an era of entertainment overload, an era where anyone can participate if they wish.
For public figures, this is the best of times and the worst of times.
The former means that with the help of ubiquitous social networks, you can appear before anyone, even in the most obscure corners. The latter means that you will be watched by countless people, and any aspect of your life that they find entertaining can become the object of mockery and ridicule.
At this point, the mentality of a public figure is very important. Some things are best laughed off and not taken too seriously.
For example, Murphy saw some people on Twitter photo-shopping a poster of him with wide eyes next to Emma Watson swinging a large hammer, borrowing the plot for a spoof.
In the photoshopped image, Emma Watson is swinging a hammer while glaring at Murphy, with the following caption added by the netizen:
Hermione: "Tell me! Who wants to strengthen me?"
The netizen added some psychological activity below, praising Hermione's acting for heavily suppressing her desire to be strengthened by Murphy.
It didn't stop there. There was another caption: "Why didn't Murphy strengthen Hermione?"
The person used another image to answer this question—a close-up of Murphy falling from the sky at the end of the movie.
"God doesn't love you; you're punished to keep playing in the human realm!" This was another caption added by the netizen.
After seeing this, Murphy merely shook his head and laughed without any special reaction. This kind of spoof will continue to appear, and there will be more and more of them.
From these spoofs, one can see that the film he invested in and starred in, "The End of the World," has considerable entertainment value and has sparked some discussion on social media.
Murphy invested tens of millions of dollars in real money, not just to support his good brother, but also to ensure that this film brings enough returns. The more online discussion, the better.
After browsing for a few more minutes, although there were some critical voices, this was a typical gross-out comedy. The audience at last night's premiere and early screenings were undoubtedly fans of this genre, and "The End of the World" clearly hit the mark with them.
"'The End of the World' is a collective explosion of Stanton's followers, determined to turn 'vulgarity' into a magical force to destroy the earth. Although this film is essentially an absurd dumb comedy, just a bunch of grown men resisting growing up and maturity with their actions, it blends many elements, including the gore and brain-bursting of 'horror comedy' and the gossip of 'buddy comedy.' Therefore, 'The End of the World' has more space to be wanton and unrestrained, with strong watchability and entertainment value. Plus, it places the theme of 'friendship' at the forefront, balancing spoof and sentimentality, easily surpassing the line of being both enjoyable and resonant."
This review on Facebook was widely shared, and similar information abounded on Twitter.
"'The End of the World' brings a fleeting sense of joy. Who knows when the next collective high of Stanton's followers will be, so 'The End of the World' is actually a Noah's Ark, carrying friendship, surviving those once foolish years."
On IMDb, various fancy short reviews emerged endlessly.
"Too hilarious, Murphy actually wanted to strengthen Hermione but ended up being countered by her with a big hammer!"
"The immature Stanton followers, the chaotic friendship forever, the image of Murphy Stanton is simply unbearable, it turns out big directors have no bottom line in spoofs. And remembering how the little fatty got possessed by the devil left an indelible psychological shadow. I can never take exorcism movies seriously again!"
"Story-wise, it's really weak, but the interactions between the stars are so shameless and even bottomless that I have to praise the Stanton followers for their high level of shamelessness, which I'll always remember."
"The plot is indeed weak. If I were the screenwriter, the later plot should go like this: the five shameless guys from the Stanton followers and Emma Watson are in the same room, and then the thing Emma most desires in the movie happens. After that, the men throw her out to fend for herself, and they continue their gross-out antics. Emma survives and learns skills from Hogwarts to come back and take revenge, killing the Stanton followers one by one."
Murphy had to admire the growing entertainment spirit and expanding creativity of these fans.
Actually, one short review from a fan was the most representative.
"Hot stars and directors, drugs, sex jokes, evil spirits, dummies, and R-rated content—these things together make the best comedy this year!"
In the latest reviews, some also mentioned Murphy's new film. During today's official release, 20th Century Fox attached a trailer for "Diego Ross" to "The End of the World."
"Murphy's new film seems very depressing."
"Is it a movie about drug dealers? Is it related to the rumors about Murphy and Robert Downey Jr.?"
"From the short trailer, it seems to be a very serious film."
The short trailer didn't reveal much, but Murphy and 20th Century Fox knew well that the subject matter of "Diego Ross" destined its audience to be less optimistic. Therefore, some promotional leveraging was necessary.
Compared to TV ads, movie trailer ads have their own advantages.
Movie screens are larger than TV screens, making the ad visuals feel more real and clear. Coupled with powerful sound effects, it gives the audience a more direct visual and auditory impact.
Such trailer ads are usually played before the main film starts. At this time, the surrounding environment is relatively dark and enclosed, with the audience's attention focused mainly on the screen, with fewer distractions. Moreover, movie media offers a single "channel" to the audience, unlike at home where they can switch channels, change stations, or skip ads.
Additionally, trailer ads are relatively cheaper, fitting the low-budget nature of "Diego Ross." The cost per unit time of these ads is much lower than other media, especially when trailer ads start being placed in city communities and suburban towns, expanding their reach and lowering the cost per thousand viewers.
However, trailer ads also have drawbacks, the biggest being forced viewing.
Trailer ads are watched by audiences who have paid to watch the movie, leading to resistance. Few people watch the same movie in theaters twice, so although trailer ads can be shown repeatedly per screening, the chance of delivering the same message to the same viewer is nearly zero. This poses high demands on trailer ads, needing to seize the only chance to achieve their communication goals.
For "Diego Ross," a favorable factor is that "The End of the World" is a film starring Murphy in a significant role and centered around Stanton's followers, reducing the likelihood of viewer resistance to the trailer ad.
"Time for breakfast."
Murphy didn't know when, but Gal Gadot walked up behind him and reminded him, "Go wash up."
Murphy went back upstairs, did a quick wash, and entered the dining room where breakfast was already laid out on the table. On top of the food tray was a document.
Murphy pulled out a chair, sat down across from Gal Gadot, glanced at the document, and laughed, "Looks like we should make a lot of money this time."
"Even you personally got involved in the comedy," Gal Gadot said, putting down her skim milk, "the fans will definitely buy it."
It was a document faxed over by 20th Century Fox, showing that last night's premiere and over 3,000 early screenings of "The End of the World" grossed over $6.3 million in North America.
This figure couldn't compare to summer blockbusters, but "The End of the World" was a gross-out comedy with an R rating, so grossing over $6.3 million was quite good.
Besides, the film received mostly positive reviews online and good feedback from both audiences and critics.
After breakfast, Murphy read several newspapers, finding an approval rate of nearly 80%.
"Entertainment Weekly" considered it the most unrestrained and energetic comedy film to hit screens in a long time. "The Hollywood Reporter" praised the film for incorporating many elements from other genres into comedy, making it innovative. "Variety" noted the film's story as smart, with clear comedic intelligence from the writers, directors, and actors, marking another excellent commercial director among Stanton's followers beyond Murphy Stanton.
"Rolling Stone" had a column stating that audiences would definitely be amused by the film. Seth Rogen, in his second directorial effort, boldly showcased his ace, blending fun and horror seamlessly, with its impact remaining strong throughout.
"The New York Post" gave unreserved praise: "'The End of the World' made me laugh so hard, my pancreas kept bouncing, my bile duct was about to burst, and my body was falling apart."
The "Los Angeles Times" got straight to the point: "Murphy Stanton has made another good deal. The profits from 'The End of the World' will have him counting money until his hands cramp!"
"If this film really generates huge profits..."
After breakfast, Murphy walked in the garden with Gal Gadot, saying as they strolled, "We can buy a private jet."
Just as Gal Gadot was about to speak, her phone rang. She answered it and quickly frowned, then hung up and told Murphy, "The butler just informed me that Father Marcus Costello is here to see you."
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