"Archbishop, can you comment on the recent newspaper reports about the Catholic Church scandals? Are they true?"
"What do you think of the investigation report released by the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child?"
"Archbishop, have you ever shielded Catholic priests who abused children?"
The morning sun had just risen, and countless reporters had already blocked Archbishop Marcus Costello's car in front of his office building, bombarding him with questions as he got out of the car.
Several young priests and church staff tightly surrounded Archbishop Marcus Costello, keeping all the reporters at bay, but they couldn't stop the reporters' questions or the sharpness of their voices.
"Archbishop, your silence—is it an admission?"
The reporters didn't care about Archbishop Marcus Costello's status. They wanted news, and if there was none, they would create it!
"Are you guilty of your actions from back then?"
These words were harsh to Marcus Costello, making his face darken even more.
"Archbishop!"
A particularly piercing voice rang out, "You have always criticized Murphy Stanton and his films for lacking basic social responsibility. Can you honestly say that your past actions were socially responsible?"
Hearing this, Archbishop Marcus Costello couldn't help but pause, suppressing his anger as he glanced over.
It was a blonde female reporter who didn't seem intimidated by his gaze and asked again, "Is using double standards your moral guideline?"
Archbishop Marcus Costello stopped completely and looked around. Perhaps due to the inherent authority of his position, the noisy reporters around him fell silent.
Once it was completely quiet, Archbishop Marcus Costello slowly said, "The reports in the newspapers about the Catholic Church are false, absurd, and lack evidence."
"What about the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child's investigation?" a male reporter shouted.
"They may have been misled. I regret the UN report," Archbishop Marcus Costello gradually regained control of his emotions. "The actions of the UN suggest an unauthorized interference in church affairs. The Catholic Church and the Vatican have always been committed to protecting children's rights!"
After saying this, Archbishop Marcus Costello, surrounded by his entourage, walked into the office building.
Like every day, he first looked at the newspapers to keep up with the latest developments.
Opening the newspaper, Marcus Costello saw almost all the headlines were related to the Catholic Church scandal.
"Why the Catholic Church Repeatedly Explodes with Scandals!"
"Catholic Scandal: The Vatican Can't Avoid It Anymore!"
"Over 5,000 Clergy Members in the USA Accused of Child Abuse." Reading these headlines gave Marcus Costello a headache. Just three days ago, the media was overwhelmingly criticizing Murphy Stanton and Hollywood movies, but now they had all turned to expose the Catholic Church scandals.
These opportunistic bastards! He cursed in his heart.
Sitting in his chair, Marcus Costello showed signs of worry on his face. Although he had strongly denied it earlier, he knew that while the media reports might be exaggerated, they were fundamentally true.
Why did this suddenly explode? Marcus Costello couldn't figure it out. Such news had always been scattered, like when "Diego Ross" was released. But once the film won the Oscar for Best Picture, the related news quickly subsided. In the past two years, there had been no widespread reports of similar news.
This time, however, it broke out on a large scale without warning...
Thinking for a few minutes, Marcus Costello gradually thought of one person—Murphy Stanton!
Besides Murphy Stanton, he couldn't think of anyone else who would do this, as it was a direct conflict with the Catholic Church!
Realizing this, Marcus Costello understood that Murphy Stanton, facing immense pressure, did not counterattack in the film realm but instead targeted the Catholic Church's weakest point...
This was completely unexpected and caught the entire Southern California diocese off guard.
In the following days, various unfavorable news about the Catholic Church, especially about Marcus Costello himself, kept emerging. The Southern California diocese was overwhelmed, busy extinguishing fires and dealing with the media, completely reversing the situation with Murphy, leaving them no energy to plan any actions against Murphy and Hollywood movies.
Even the Vatican took notice. Pope Benedict XVI personally called Archbishop Marcus Costello, no longer the joyful voice that pressured Hollywood films but a cold reprimand that made Marcus Costello break out in a cold sweat.
In fact, the extensive coverage of the Catholic Church scandal by the American media made the Vatican extremely angry.
The media reports were not just about exposing and condemning the sexual abuse of children by clergy but also criticized the Vatican's handling of these scandals, accusing the Church of shielding its clergy. Additionally, the negative news further targeted the Church's stance on sexual orientation, reproductive health, and gender equality, criticizing its policies on homosexuality, contraception, and abortion, and pressuring the Vatican by highlighting outdated concepts in church school curricula.
Previously, such reports were scattered across the USA, but this time, Hollywood's united action connected these scattered reports, as if blowing the roof off the Catholic Church.
With the Catholic Church's power waning, the North American entertainment film market, which had been in turmoil since late June, gradually returned to peace. Entertainment media, in particular, refocused on celebrity gossip and their works.
Especially Murphy's fans, who ignored the criticism and continued to support their favorite director.
On the internet, they voiced their support for Murphy in various ways. A fan group in Los Angeles even launched a campaign on social media: "Murphy Stanton's Twelve Years in Film: To the Times We've Shared."
The campaign received an enthusiastic response from Murphy's supporters, with countless fans leaving messages on social media.
"What do Murphy's films mean to your life? If someone asked me that, my answer would be: I don't know why I love Murphy's films, but I just do!" wrote a fan from Texas, embodying the typical fan who loves Murphy's films without knowing why.
A fan from Los Angeles wrote, "Murphy's films are my lifelong companions. They record past lives and foretell future times, and I live in the present with them. I love Murphy Stanton! I love his noir films! I love these movies!"
Fans on the East Coast were equally passionate. A fan from New York commented, "Every time a Murphy film is released, as soon as I step into the theater and sit down, I feel like I've entered a new world. When the lights on the screen come on, I know it's a journey belonging to me and Murphy Stanton. There, I can forget the frustrations and troubles of reality, explore freely, laugh heartily, and feel only excitement and joy!"
Murphy's fans lived their lives in various ways, often revealing their true selves only when encountering his films. "I have etched history, faith, attitudes, desires, and dreams into one thing: Murphy Stanton's noir films. I am grateful for his films appearing in my life, bringing more value to my otherwise shallow existence."
"Life is short, full of regrets. The charm of Murphy's films lies in allowing you to experience different lives in this short time, making up for the beauty lost in your heart."
With the fans' efforts, "Dark City" continued to play in North American theaters. Although it had dropped to less than 1,000 theaters, it still stubbornly appeared across the country.
For a mainstream director like Murphy, fan support was the greatest comfort.
By mid-August, "Dark City" had been in North American theaters for almost four months. Its domestic box office, still rising slowly thanks to fan support, had reached $728.51 million, inching closer to "Avatar's" North American box office record!
Overseas, the film had been shown in theaters in more than 140 countries and regions, with its overseas box office more than doubling its domestic earnings.
"Dark City" had a global box office of $2.316 billion!
"The box office won't change much more."
In his office at Death Star Tower, Murphy told Bill Rossis, "We can shift our focus."
By now, the film's domestic box office might increase by another $10 million to $20 million, and its overseas box office by another $120 million to $150 million at most.
Bill Rossis understood Murphy's intention, "The awards season?"
"Yes," Murphy nodded, "The competition this awards season is fierce, and the situation is somewhat unfavorable for us."
"Those disadvantages can also be seen as advantages in some ways."
Bill Rossis and Murphy exchanged knowing smiles, and he asked, "Which award nominations are you planning to apply for?"
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