"Did you do it on purpose?"
After the press conference ended and Murphy had just returned to the CAA offices upstairs, Kara Faith, who had come up with him, asked, "You had this planned for a while, didn't you?"
Murphy didn't answer and walked towards Bill Rossis's office.
Kara Faith glanced at him from the side, then confidently said, "You did it on purpose. You planned this long ago!"
It was obvious. Stanton Studios had obtained the film rights from The Boston Globe years ago, and during the Oscars campaign for "Diego Ross," they had cleverly used the conflict between the Catholic Church and Hollywood. If Murphy claimed he had no plan, no one would believe it.
"My plan was to use this new film to provoke the Catholic Church's sensitive nerves," Murphy said candidly, "to make them keep attacking me, which would benefit 'Dark City's' award campaign. But things changed unexpectedly with the shooting incident in front of the Chinese Theatre in Hollywood, so now it serves as a counterattack against the Catholic Church."
"Isn't it more than that?"
As an old friend, Kara Faith could guess some of Murphy's thoughts. "I heard that the current acting president of the Academy, Howard Koch, is very unhappy with the Catholic Church's attempt to interfere with Hollywood. He has already united a bunch of influential old Academy members to support Hollywood's major companies in launching a media counterattack against the Catholic Church. Now that you're making this film, those old folks and most Hollywood companies will likely fully support and welcome it."
"Who knows?" Murphy shrugged. "I'm just taking advantage of the current situation."
He pushed open the door to Bill Rossis's office and walked in.
Kara Faith followed him inside, seeing Murphy greet Bill Rossis and then sit on the sofa. She couldn't help but sigh. Murphy might not be Hollywood's best director, but he was undoubtedly the best at creating and leveraging situations.
In this regard, if he ranked second among Hollywood directors, no one could claim the top spot.
Sitting on the sofa next to Murphy, the three began discussing some aspects of the new film.
"The film's budget won't be very high," Murphy said, mostly doing the talking. "Around $40 million should be enough."
Kara Faith asked, "What's the investment ratio?"
"Let 20th Century Fox handle it all," Murphy replied, not planning to have Stanton Studios invest. "You know I'm focused on acquiring Sony Columbia Pictures."
"Yes," Kara Faith nodded. "A $40 million investment isn't much. It should pass the company's routine review within a month."
"And the target?" Bill Rossis asked. "The next awards season?"
"Exactly!" Murphy affirmed. "The main goal of this film is to compete for awards. All plans should revolve around this goal."
Kara Faith thought for a moment. "That's not a problem. If the film wins major Oscars, the revenue won't be an issue. The company will definitely have no objections."
Although the Oscars' influence was waning, the Oscar effect still significantly boosted a film's market revenue.
"By the way, Murphy," Kara Faith asked, "how soon can you finish this film?"
Murphy had already planned this and said, "No later than May next year."
"Can you speed it up a bit?" Kara Faith suggested. "We could aim for the Cannes Film Festival in April."
For Hollywood films aimed at awards, the campaign often starts early in the year. Some films even begin building their reputation from the Sundance Film Festival at the start of the year.
"No, we won't go to Cannes," Murphy proposed a more strategic suggestion. "We'll go to Italy! To Venice!"
A film with this theme and content needed to visit Italy to justify the Catholic Church's criticisms.
"Venice Film Festival?" Kara Faith immediately smiled. "Great idea! Let's go to Venice! To the Catholic Church's backyard! Since the Church is inciting media and organizations against us, we'll premiere this film right in front of the Vatican! Let them see who really lacks social responsibility!"
Bill Rossis looked at Murphy and then at Kara Faith. These two were truly an audacious duo.
However, it was indeed a good strategy that could also earn goodwill within Hollywood.
Currently, most in Hollywood scoffed at the Catholic Church's criticisms and interference. Some prominent liberals had even started publicly criticizing the Church in the media.
Murphy checked the time. "I need to attend a theater discussion meeting. Kara, remind Fox to register for the Venice Film Festival. Bill, keep an eye on the public relations for 'Dark City' for now."
After saying goodbye to Kara Faith and Bill Rossis, Murphy headed to the Four Seasons Hotel in Beverly Hills to attend a reception hosted by the National Association of Theatre Owners. They were planning to raise movie ticket prices again and were seeking input from Hollywood directors and other industry professionals.
With the dollar depreciating, rising ticket prices were inevitable. Murphy knew this so-called consultation was just a formality. He attended mainly out of courtesy for the past support his films had received from major North American theaters.
In fact, the trend of rising movie ticket prices in North America was already evident.
Although the film industry faced increasing competition from other forms of entertainment, the North American box office still saw an increase over the previous summer. However, industry insiders like Murphy knew that this increase wasn't due to more moviegoers but rather higher ticket prices.
For consumers who loved entertainment, the current era was a golden age. Blockbusters were everywhere, with one spectacular screen production after another, offering unparalleled visual and auditory enjoyment. As the commercial value of the entertainment industry became more prominent, high-quality TV shows also proliferated, making the television industry more prosperous than ever.
There were also many live entertainment options, such as sports events, concerts, and various multimedia performances.
In this fiercely competitive environment, logic would suggest that film distributors would be more cautious, striving to maintain a balance of income and expenses, and might even reduce profits slightly to offer more to consumers and secure their market position.
However, the opposite was true. Murphy observed that movie ticket prices were quietly rising.
At the meeting, Murphy received a self-initiated survey from the National Association of Theatre Owners. This year, the average price of a single movie ticket in North America exceeded $8, reaching an all-time high.
This was a significant increase of 26 cents, nearly 4% higher than the previous year's average ticket price, which was already a record high.
However, North American audiences didn't show much resistance to this small increase.
Audiences always sought better audiovisual experiences. Despite the rapid development of home theater systems, the cinematic experience remained superior, especially with the growing popularity of IMAX theaters and 3D technology. These technologies enhanced the immersive entertainment experience and continued to evolve.
IMAX tickets cost $3 to $4 more than regular movie tickets. The audience's pursuit of better visual and auditory stimulation could easily raise ticket prices. For instance, during the release of "Dark City," IMAX tickets were quickly sold out by fans, instantly raising the average ticket price for the summer to a record $8.83.
Both film companies and theater chains were profit-driven and would continue to be so. However, they also knew they needed to reduce risks in a competitive market, so they had to be smarter and choose 3D more strategically.
Today's film companies increasingly focused on family-friendly films and action blockbusters—particularly PG-13 movies that combined both elements—rather than simply turning everything into 3D. They understood that audiences wanted better cinema experiences for their preferred genres and were willing to pay extra for them.
In this digital age, audiences were becoming more sensitive and demanding about high-quality visuals and sound, which came at a cost. Major theater chains had invested heavily in upgrading sound systems and adding digital projectors, passing these costs onto each viewer.
This represented a typical small increase, which consumers generally didn't mind. They saw or heard the direct benefits of the theater upgrades. If audiences could experience clear, immersive surround sound instead of poor-quality audio, they wouldn't mind paying an extra 50 cents ten times a year for the difference.
Customer service experiences significantly influenced overall impressions. Good service made audiences feel their movie experience was upscale, providing an escape from the mundane aspects of daily life.
While movie ticket price increases might seem noticeable compared to general inflation, watching movies remained one of the most cost-effective forms of family entertainment, both in the USA and most countries worldwide.
After attending this routine meeting, taking a group photo with key members of the North American Theater Owners Association, and expressing his gratitude for their continued support, Murphy left the Four Seasons Hotel. He then returned to his estate, temporarily set aside other work, and began preparing the script outline and project plan for his new film.
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