Three consecutive test screenings were held, with over a thousand movie fans, hundreds of media reporters, and screening experts from theater chains getting an early look at Batman:Begins. Perhaps due to the fact that this kind of superhero movie style had never appeared before, although the overall reception of the film was quite positive, it still sparked some controversy.
First came the media. This kind of film style clearly appealed more to those media individuals who considered themselves high-end cinema viewers. Coupled with Warner Bros.' public relations efforts, by late April, praise for Batman:Begins could be seen all over mainstream media throughout America and even the Western world.
"A great script, great performances, great direction this is a powerful production that's surprisingly strong and absolutely worth the ticket price."
— The Hollywood Reporter
"Having Duke Rosenberg direct Batman: Begins was definitely a wise choice. The characters are tough, the scenes intense, and the substance rich enough to make people scream."
— Premiere
"Duke Rosenberg's Batman maintains the consistent quality of his works. The secret to the film's success lies in staying real."
— Rolling Stone
Beyond professional magazines, preview journalists from major North American newspapers and online media also gave Batman:Begins high praise.
"A bold and outstanding superhero film the best of all Batman movies. Duke Rosenberg uses a rough, daring, darkly realistic style to outline the operatic grandeur he envisioned. The film elevates the superhero genre to an unprecedented height. The dense, dark, and realistic tone is both chilling and stunning!"
— Los Angeles Times
"Director Duke Rosenberg imaginatively filled in and interpreted how billionaire heir Bruce Wayne took the path of becoming the dark savior, Batman. Batman: Begins also completely departs from the overly exaggerated, dumbed-down comic style of Batman & Robin, opting instead for a more rigorous realism. Details such as Batman's inexperience when first hitting the streets, and the primitive, wild, and outdated nature of his early vehicles and suits, all make the film feel real and believable. In addition, Duke successfully infused his usual style—explosions where explosions are due, and car chases where car chases are due—making the film highly watchable!"
— Yahoo Entertainment
The controversy mainly arose among ordinary moviegoers. While the overall audience reaction to Batman:Begins was good, there were certainly dissenting voices.
Many people wrote the following in feedback surveys:
"When I saw Batman:Begins, I was really shocked. Duke's stylistic shift was pretty drastic. This is absolutely not a typical Rosenberg-style film. The film's oppressive and dark atmosphere was somewhat uncomfortable."
"The first half of the film, which depicted Bruce Wayne's internal transformation, was way too long and boring. The alternating between reality and flashbacks, with its reverse and intercut structure, was dizzying. Compared to Duke's previous films, I think Batman: Begins is overly detailed and serious, lacking in entertainment value."
Obviously, this film—whose style differs significantly from Duke's past works—triggered divided opinions among his fans.
The fans' opinions were directly relayed to theater chains, as this was an important basis for them to decide the screening schedule.
"This isn't a typical Duke-style film."
In the president's office at AMG Theaters' headquarters, their chief screening expert, Grotzman, said to Lynch, who was in charge of theater operations, "And compared to the test screenings of his previous films, the amount of controversy this time is slightly higher."
Lynch frowned slightly and asked, "What about the statistical data?"
Grotzman pushed a file over and said directly, "979 viewers participated in the feedback survey. 327 people gave it an A+ rating, 449 people rated it A, and the overall test screening score was an A. Our nine screening experts also gave it a composite market index rating of A."
"Compared to the Lord of the Rings trilogy…" Lynch kept frowning, "the numbers are a bit lower."
"Frankly, my personal opinion," Grotzman continued, "compared to Duke's previous films, Batman:Begins does fall a bit short in terms of entertainment."
Fingers tapping lightly on the desk, Lynch made his decision, "Let's adopt a more conservative release strategy..."
After all, this was a reboot of a failed series. No one could guarantee it would be a massive success at the box office, and a conservative release strategy was undoubtedly in the best interests of theater chains.
So, when Duke saw that Batman:Begins would open in only 3,925 theaters in its first week, he wasn't surprised. In fact, the relatively high number of theaters in North America was thanks in no small part to his past success and strong reputation in the commercial film sector.
In any case, Batman:Begins wasn't a sequel like The Two Towers or The Return of the King. The cautious approach of theaters was entirely reasonable.
He did know what kind of response and impact the trilogy would eventually have, but the problem was, others only saw how poorly the Batman franchise had ended in the 1990s.
The opening film of any series is always the hardest, and telling a superhero's origin is often the least appealing part. Duke never expected Batman:Begins to explode at the box office right away that was clearly unrealistic.
The film market has its own rules.
Up to this point in Hollywood's development, not counting sequels, only Spider-Man 1 had managed to gross over $100 million on its opening weekend.
Not just theater chains even Warner Bros. had adopted a relatively conservative release strategy. Batman:Begins would premiere only in North America first, and Warner would adjust its overseas strategy based on the film's performance domestically. If it sold well in North America, overseas box office would basically not be a problem.
Aside from clichéd comedies, romantic comedies, and certain genre films, sci-fi, war, and action films that perform well in North America usually do big numbers overseas too.
By this day and age, even if many refuse to admit it, it doesn't change the fact that Hollywood has already become the center of global cinema.
Any film that conquers North America can basically dominate the world.
With only ten days left before Batman:Begins premiered in North America, after finalizing the opening and ending scenes and making some refinements to Hans Zimmer's updated score, Duke, along with Liam Neeson, Anne Hathaway, Gary Oldman, and Christian Bale, frequently appeared at public events across the country, tirelessly promoting the film to increase exposure for both themselves and the movie.
Thanks to Duke's presence as director, the crew remained relatively harmonious overall. Even if the actors had some grievances with each other, they never showed it in front of him or in public.
For a Hollywood production crew, that was good enough. At the very least, the public saw a friendly, unified team full of camaraderie.
Even though most people knew such a crew couldn't realistically exist anywhere in the world, everyone still wanted to believe in the beautiful illusion.
There had never been a major conflict on a set directed by Duke. His growing fame as a director had played a huge role in this.
Given his personality, as long as it didn't interfere with work, he basically turned a blind eye to the stars' behind-the-scenes drama. The actors he worked with weren't stupid no one would be dumb enough to provoke a director-producer like him.
Those who had seriously crossed him before basically never ended up well.
"Have you heard?"
Seeing Duke head to the restroom, Anne Hathaway whispered mysteriously to Christian Bale and the others, "I heard Roger Ebert can't walk or even speak anymore. That's supposedly what happens when you offend Duke."
This was the bar at the Hilton Hotel in Chicago, where the crew was staying. After wrapping up the day's work, many people came here for a drink. Since Chicago was serving as the location for Gotham City, it was also the premiere city for Batman:Begins, so the crew would be here for a while.
"Strictly speaking, it had nothing to do with Duke."
Liam Neeson, who had known Duke for a long time, clearly knew more. He also knew Duke never cared when people gossiped about him. "Roger Ebert had a relapse of his old illness during the live Oscars broadcast when he saw Duke win an award. That's how he ended up like that."
"Those critics are all the same!" Christian Bale had clearly suffered at the hands of critics before. "Besides taking money for reviews and nitpicking, what else can they do?"
"They're also petty…" Gary Oldman chimed in, "thinking they're the gods of the film industry."
Everyone at the table revealed expressions of disdain. As insiders in Hollywood, they naturally knew what kind of people professional critics were.
A bunch who wanted to suck the life out of others while pretending to be the gods of cinema truly disgusting.
Returning from the restroom, Duke walked back into the bar. He didn't sit down. Glancing at the time, he reminded everyone, "It's getting late. Better get some rest. You have a morning show to attend tomorrow."
The others stood up obediently, chatting about Hollywood gossip as they left the bar.
"Duke…"
Anne Hathaway deliberately walked next to Duke and whispered, "Laffey's foundation has an event next month. Can we invite you?"
Duke thought for a moment and said, "I can't confirm my schedule right now. Let's talk later."
He didn't want to get too involved with Anne Hathaway in that regard. After all, they only had a simple working relationship.
As the group entered the hotel lobby and was about to head to the stairwell, a few men in suits suddenly blocked Duke and Anne Hathaway's path. Their expressions and demeanor carried a faint air of officialdom.
...
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