Night had fallen, and the Beverly Hills Hilton Hotel was brightly lit. A long red carpet stretched directly onto the driveway, flanked by a throng of media reporters, all eagerly raising their cameras and incessantly snapping photos of everyone who walked the carpet.
This was the celebration party organized by 20th Century Fox for "Dark City." Murphy's film had achieved tremendous success by any standard, especially in terms of commercial performance. Not only were the North American and overseas box office numbers still climbing, but the film had also generated enormous revenue from merchandise and licensing rights alone.
"Mr. Murdoch, could you say a few words?"
In the temporary interview area at the hotel entrance, several reporters intercepted James Murdoch, the CEO of 20th Century Fox. "With 'Dark City' being such a huge success, will Fox continue to work with him?"
Standing before the reporters, James Murdoch spoke confidently, "Murphy is a great director. I believe that in today's Hollywood, his talent in directing is absolutely top-tier. 20th Century Fox is Murphy's most solid partner. We have a strategic partnership and will create more brilliant successes together!"
With that, he nodded to the reporters and walked into the hotel.
Shortly after James Murdoch entered the hotel, Murphy, with Gal Gadot on his arm, walked down the red carpet and soon arrived at the interview area in front of the hotel. Since "Dark City" was still playing in theaters, he didn't refuse the reporters' interviews and even spoke a few words.
"Director Stanton, what do you think is the main reason for the success of 'Dark City'?"
Murphy thought for a moment and then answered, "Audiences are always seeking new thrills. I think they have, to some extent, grown tired of the highly homogenized Hollywood commercial films."
This trend was already quite evident. Nowadays, Hollywood commercial films could no longer easily achieve massive success by simply piling on special effects. That era was long gone.
A reporter immediately asked, "Will serious films like 'Dark City' become the mainstream in the future?"
"Serious?" Murphy was momentarily stunned and then shook his head, "There is nothing serious about 'Dark City'!"
The reporters hadn't expected Murphy to say that.
Murphy was obviously doing it on purpose, creating a topic for these guys to discuss. Before the reporters could ask more questions, he continued, "I did use dark styles and realistic techniques in 'Dark City,' but these must adhere to one principle: they must result in exciting, lively, and entertaining big-screen productions!"
He shrugged, "No matter how dark and realistic, 'Dark City' is a highly entertaining commercial blockbuster!"
Without giving the reporters a chance to say more, Murphy and Gal Gadot walked into the hotel. Guided by the staff, they entered the banquet hall where the celebration party was being held.
The cast and crew of "Dark City" were almost all present, along with most of the executives from 20th Century Fox. The party also had photographers from Fox's media outlets. The reason for holding the party now, rather than after the film's North American run ended, was largely for promotional purposes.
These film celebration parties, especially when media photographers were present, typically followed a set procedure. Murphy and James Murdoch cut the cake together, everyone raised their glasses in celebration, and then the photographers were asked to leave.
Murphy couldn't remember how many people came to congratulate him. He was the undisputed star of the night. With Gal Gadot's help, he finally managed to extricate himself from a crowd of people and had just exchanged a few words with James Franco and Margot Robbie when Jon Landau approached him.
Unlike the others, the golden producer of Hollywood, Jon Landau, specifically came to discuss with Murphy the possible changes in future big-budget commercial films.
Coincidentally, Jon Landau also believed that "Dark City" would open the market for serious-themed films.
"I think future Hollywood commercial films..."
The chubby golden producer said earnestly to Murphy, "The future style of commercial films could be more serious and realistic."
"Yes, I think it's feasible too."
This wasn't a media interview, so Murphy spoke candidly, "Audiences are always pursuing the freshest thrills, and this style is something that most ordinary commercial blockbusters lack."
Jon Landau nodded his plump chin, "Simply piling on special effects, unless done to James Cameron's level, will surely lead to a dead end."
"However, Jon," Murphy cautioned seriously, "there is one point that must be noted."
"Which point?" Jon Landau was evidently seeking advice.
He knew Murphy was an expert in this field, and compared to Murphy, he was much less knowledgeable.
"Films of this type can have heavy themes, but they must not exclude the fun elements!"
Organizing his thoughts, Murphy continued, "The dark style can be used appropriately, but it should never completely exclude the 'fun' content. 'Dark City' has many interesting scenes and dialogues."
Jon Landau recalled and found that Murphy was right. "Dark City" had a heavy theme but was presented in an entertaining manner. Anyone who thought the film was very serious either hadn't seen it or hated James Franco and Margot Robbie's performances.
After a few more words, Jon Landau left. Watching him leave, Murphy knew that with the massive box office success of "Dark City," Hollywood would inevitably see many imitators. But if these imitators thought the film succeeded because it was dark and heavy, they would likely fail miserably in the future.
Murphy was well aware of how prevalent imitation was in Hollywood, even more so than in Hong Kong cinema.
For example, when Hollywood saw the success of "Avatar," it focused on the 3D aspect, leading to a surge in 3D films in theaters. When the major studios saw the success of "Inception," they didn't think, "Oh, audiences like high-quality original sci-fi films." Instead, they decided to remake films like "Total Recall" and "Starship Troopers"...
In fact, this imitation had already begun. Murphy had just heard from Kara Faith that Sony Columbia Pictures, which acquired the rights to "The Mask of Zorro" from DreamWorks, had officially announced the sequel after years of delays due to various issues. The announcement stated that the new "Zorro" would not be a traditional swashbuckler but would be closer in style to "Dark City," featuring a new background story, a realistic style, and an emotionally driven character.
But a simple dark and realistic approach might not guarantee a film's success.
Take "The Dark Knight," for instance. It became a box office hit not because it was serious, dark, and gloomy, but because most of its content was high-quality, well-thought-out, and creatively entertaining. It also had gripping suspense, genuine humor, and captivating characters.
This film did indeed touch on dark themes and had characters burdened by their own madness, but overall, it was vibrant and humorous.
Some believed "The Dark Knight" succeeded because it was "dark, serious, and realistic." Such a view was overly simplistic.
Just as "The Sixth Sense" earned nearly $300 million at the North American box office, not because of its shocking twist ending; and "Avatar" grossed $2.7 billion worldwide not just because it was a 3D film.
The success or failure of a film depends on many factors, and attributing it to a single element is dangerous. Moreover, one crucial point is that popular films, especially blockbuster hits, succeed because they are well-rounded, high-quality entertainment works.
Internet reviews also reflected that "Dark City" was primarily seen by fans as a fun and thrilling movie.
"Dark City" is a rare gem...
"The biggest surprise of the summer and this year so far..."
"Undoubtedly the best film of 2013..."
"When was the last time you saw a flawless, thought-provoking, bold, intense, and consistently entertaining blockbuster?"
Audience word-of-mouth is often the most direct market feedback.
At this moment, Margot Robbie and Gal Gadot walked over together. Margot saw Murphy deep in thought and waved her hand in front of his eyes, "Hey, what are you thinking about?"
Murphy snapped back to reality, "Film-related issues."
"Workaholic!" Margot teased, and just then, James Franco and Kara Faith also approached. "Hey, Murphy."
Murphy was very familiar with these two and immediately knew they had something to discuss. He asked, "What's up?"
"One good news and one bad news." James Franco wore a mischievous smile. "Which one do you want to hear first?"
"The good one." Murphy looked at him and Kara Faith. "I like good news."
James Franco didn't speak but looked at Kara Faith. Kara Faith said, "20th Century Fox has made progress with its PR efforts across the Pacific. 'Dark City' might be released there."
Murphy frowned slightly, "The bad news is they have other conditions?"
"Yes." Kara Faith replied, "Although not explicitly stated, they gave a subtle hint. China Film wants James to star in one of their major co-productions."
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