Chapter 172 172. Dead People Are More Useful Than Living People
The time came to August 1st.
"The Purge" has been released overseas, with Japan contributing $35 million in box office revenue and the global box office ultimately settling at $183 million.
This result is more impressive than "Sharknado" because "Sharknado" was basically not released overseas. So far, AK Films has opened up two cash cows.
At midnight, "Get Out" officially landed in major theaters.
This is not a bad movie. Jordan Peele was nominated for the Oscars for Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Adapted Screenplay for it, and won the Best Adapted Screenplay Award.
Even with the addition of political correctness factors more than a decade later, it is still a good movie.
So Eric approved a $10 million budget for publicity, which was twice the production cost, and news about it began to come out more than two months ago.
The scope of propaganda is mainly black communities, black radio stations, black rights websites and forums, etc. In short, it is carried out in places where black people gather.
In addition to the focus of the publicity on racial issues, the focus is on James Wan and Chloë Sevigny. In fact, the former has more hype and fame than the latter.
Although Chloë Sevigny is an Oscar nominee, her art films are still too niche and her fan base is not very large, so her box office performance is worrying.
On the other hand, James Wan became popular in the film industry with "Saw" in January this year. Coupled with his iconic non-mainstream hairstyle, too many people can remember him at a glance.
He is also defined by many as a new director with great potential. And because of his Asian identity, just like the Indian director Nate Shyamalan who became popular with "The Sixth Sense", it is impossible not to attract attention.
Many movie fans and critics are waiting for his second movie. If it is successful, they will praise it, and if it fails, they will naturally ridicule it.
By then, words like "first-time director", "inspiration exhausted", and "lucky director" will be used to describe him. After all, you are Asian. You are less inclusive than people with white skin.
In the cinema, Eric was sitting in the back corner with the three Olsen sisters.
Although it was a midnight show, there were still quite a few people who came to watch the movie. The attendance rate reached about 40%, and most of them were black.
The movie was still a few minutes away from starting, and Eric was eavesdropping on the conversation of the people below.
"Brother, I dare say Sony must be behind Jackson's move. The copyright in his hands can bring billions of dollars in wealth. Who wouldn't want it!"
"That's right. Look at the news and interviews, especially the video. My dad is a big fan of Jackson. He said that if Martin Basher stood in front of him, he would definitely shoot him with his shotgun!"
"No, no, no, killing people is not okay. That's too violent. But look at Sony's attitude. They don't even dare to say a word. They are handling the situation coldly."
"Anyway, I'm going to boycott Sony's products, music, movies, games, damn Japanese!"
"I support you brother, but what if I really like Spider-Man? I want to watch Spider-Man 2 next year."
"You can rest assured about this. Everyone around me is cursing Sony right now. They won't be able to hold out for long. Sony's stock price will definitely plummet tomorrow."
"As long as the stock price drops, the Japanese will immediately kneel down and apologize. This is their tradition. The incident will have been settled by next year, and it won't delay your watching Spider-Man."
"Oh, by the way, I found someone on the Internet calling for a demonstration at Sony to teach the Japanese a lesson. Do you want to go?"
"Isn't Sony in New York? This is Los Angeles, it's too far. I'd better protest online. The plane tickets are too expensive."
"Isn't Sony headquarters? Isn't Sony Columbia's film and television branch in Los Angeles County? We plan to protest there."
"That's no problem, count me in!"
As expected, the audience talked most about the dispute between Mack and Sony.
Eric nodded secretly and said, go ahead and make some noise, make as much noise as you can, it would be best if you could rush into the Sony building and start smashing, looting and burning.
Snap!
The lights went down, the big screen lit up, and the auditorium fell into darkness.
The hairy lion head roared a few times, and the movie officially began.
Olsen said with some envy: "I don't know when my movie will be available on the big screen. I really want to see myself in the cinema."
Mary rubbed her sister's head and said, "Don't worry, it will be fine soon."
At this point Eric was sitting in the middle, with Ashley on his left, Mary on his right, and Elizabeth on the far right.
Darkness is the best concealing color. Eric's eyes were focused on the big screen and were suddenly caught by Ashley.
He glanced at her, and Ashley looked ahead without changing her expression, then she took his hand.
Then he felt a soft little hand reaching out.
God can prove that Eric really had no bad intentions today. He just wanted to get closer to the three sisters. After all, the two older ones were already his women, and the younger one would definitely be his woman in the future too. He couldn't keep distancing himself from them.
Who would have thought that just wanting to watch a movie, Ashley would actually take the initiative to attack. If Mary hadn't been next to little Elizabeth, she would have also done a few tricks.
Eric's original intent of watching the movie was disrupted, and he had no choice but to enjoy it silently.
After playing like this for a while, as the movie was more than halfway through, the tense and thrilling atmosphere made the black guys exclaim from time to time.
Ring. Suddenly, the crisp ring of the telephone rang, interrupting the interest of many people.
"Oh man!"
"Brother, put your phone on silent mode."
"Don't you know the rules? You're not allowed to use your cell phone in the cinema!"
Eric could only say sorry and saw that the call was from Chen Xing.
Calling your boss so late at night means something big has happened.
Eric took his hand out, and Ashley tactfully took back the green onion. He stood up and walked out.
However, the Nibelungen had not yet shrunk, and when it passed by little Elizabeth, it accidentally rubbed her arm.
Eric didn't pay attention and hurried outside to answer the phone.
"Chen Xing, what's wrong?"
Chen Xing's nervous and excited voice said, "Boss, I just received news that a murder occurred in New York. The victim is Evan Chandler, who blackmailed Michael in 1993."
"It is said that gunshots were heard in his apartment, and then the neighbors called the police. When the police arrived, they found that he had committed suicide by swallowing a gun. The bullet went straight through the back of the head."
Upon hearing the news, Eric was a little surprised at first, and then delighted.
He snorted coldly: "He is sensible. This scumbag finally made the right decision."
"Yes, I heard that Evan Chandler has always had a bad relationship with his family. Although he got the money, no one likes to be with him."
"He has been harassed and abused by Mike's fans for years, and now his son Jody Chandler has appeared in court to correct him. He has been completely abandoned."
"It is foreseeable that what awaits this guy will be a double judgment from the law and the public. His life is over and there is no hope at all."
"So rather than lingering on, it's better to just shoot and end it all."
Eric suddenly laughed out loud: "It's a good thing he died. He died at the right time. He is more useful dead than alive. We can use him to write an article."
"Chen Xing, remember what I'm going to say next and send someone to do it immediately."
"Okay, boss!"
"Go find Janet Arvizo, Larry Feldman, and Mathis. Remember to hide your identity and threaten them with Evan Chandler's death."
"I need them to say with their own mouths that Sony was behind all this and put the blame squarely on Sony."
"The three of them are in great panic right now. Evan Chandler's death will definitely scare them crazy."
"In short, use coercion and inducement to break their fragile psychological defenses. Do you understand?"
The latest novel is published first on Liu9shuba!
"Understood, Boss!"
After arranging things, Eric returned to the cinema and found that little Elizabeth was sitting between her two sisters.
This is bad, there are no secrets anymore. No matter how thick-skinned the three men are, they cannot do anything shameful in front of Elizabeth.
Ashley and Mary could only smile awkwardly, and Eric could only shrug helplessly.
Wait another two or three years, until Olsen's baby girl has grown up and matured, then it will be time for the three sisters to sleep together.
After watching the movie, Eric sent the three sisters home. It was too late for him to stay overnight, so he had to return to Beverly Hills.
The next day, the whirlpool of public opinion continued to engulf Sony.
Evan Chandler's death indeed made the front pages of major media outlets. The major newspapers reported that the source of the information was the New York police, and they all said that he committed suicide by shooting himself.
Gossip tabloids and online media are not so particular, and many conspiracy theories naturally emerged, among which murder and silencing accounted for the largest proportion.
So who is the most likely murderer?
Of course it is Sony. Now it is the most evil bad guy. Anyway, all the bad things are done by Sony, so all the blame should be put on the Japanese.
Just like the Internet in later generations, all bad things were done by the United States, and even things that have nothing to do with it were definitely done by the United States, so just put the blame on it.
At the same time, sieges of Sony broke out in some cities, including branches and offices in New York, Los Angeles, Seattle, Tokyo, Paris and other places.
Many people held signs and shouted slogans to block Sony's gate, advocating a boycott of Sony products.
Some people even carried high-powered speakers and placed them in front of the Sony office building, playing the songs played by Michael Jordan. The volume was so loud that people inside the building could not concentrate on their work.
Some people even went the extra mile by throwing disgusting things like rotten tomatoes, rotten eggs, and their own feces. The area in front of the Sony headquarters in New York was so stinking that it was impossible to walk.
Unable to bear the pressure any longer, Sony had no choice but to call the police.
When the police arrived, these people naturally scattered like birds and beasts. Even if a few were caught, they would only be detained for twelve hours at most. Because there were too many people, it was impossible to determine who threw the feces.
After they are released, they can accept interviews and post their experiences online, which will attract a lot of attention. Why not? When the police leave, the crowd will return and continue to harass them.
Under the influence of a series of negative news, Sony's stock price finally suffered a heavy blow after falling 5.4% yesterday. It plummeted 11% within a few minutes of opening, triggering the first circuit breaker mechanism.
After trading was resumed 15 minutes later, the stock price plummeted again by 12%, triggering the second circuit breaker mechanism.
After trading was resumed for another 15 minutes, the stock price fell by 6.7% for the third time and continued to fluctuate at this price. It must be that the main force came out to protect the market. Fortunately, the third circuit breaker mechanism was not triggered.
If it is triggered for the third time, according to the rules, Sony's stock will be closed directly.
But even so, when the afternoon closing bell rang, Sony's stock price finally plummeted by 27.4%, a drop of more than a quarter, and its market value evaporated by more than US$5 billion.
Faced with such a serious situation, Sony finally stopped remaining silent and held a press conference at its New York headquarters at 4:30 p.m.
Tom Mottola, president of Sony Music, showed up for an interview.
Faced with various questions raised by reporters, he of course denied everything.
"Mr. Mottola, how do you explain the content of Martin Basher's video?"
Tom Mottola asked in return: "Did he say it himself in the video? Did Martin Basher say in person that he was instructed by Sony?"
"Although not, the language of his ambiguous performance has proved everything."
Tom Mottola said in a serious tone: "Mr. Reporter, you have to speak with evidence. Don't say that Martin Basher didn't say anything. Even if he did, he might have said it while drunk. It's a deliberate slander, isn't it?"
"I also have to respond to Michael Jackson's comments. Since Sony started working with him, the company has paid him more than a billion dollars. He has made more money than any other star in the world."
"If you knew the privileges and treatment he has, you would definitely feel unfair for other singers. The average singer spends $200,000 to record an album."
"The better ones are $500,000. Top stars like Celine Dion and Mariah Carey only make $1 million, while Michael Jackson makes more than $20 million."
"He has gotten too much from Sony, but he is still not satisfied. He wants more money. He is a greedy devil, so he did these things."
"All the accusations are false. We have decided to file a lawsuit against Michael Jackson and related personnel. We must use the law to defend Sony's dignity!"
Tom Mottola was about to leave after he finished speaking. There were many things that he couldn't explain in detail, and he couldn't answer them, so he just finished speaking and left.
At this time, the Fox reporter and the police officer were whispering to each other, and then they rushed forward and the security guards couldn't stop them.
The reporter grabbed Tom Mottola's arm and said, "Mr. Mottola, please wait a moment. One last question."
Tom Mottola shook him off: "No, the press conference ends here, I won't answer any more questions!"
Seeing that the other party was about to return to the office building, the reporter shouted loudly: "We just received news that Larry Feldman and Mathis have publicly pointed out that they framed Jackson at the behest of Sony."
"What!"
Tom Mottola turned his head suddenly, and was hit on the nose by the revolving door and fell to the ground.
Thanks to Luciferhx for the 100-coin reward.
(End of this chapter)