October 2010, third week. "Paranormal Activity 2" made a strong entrance, targeting the upcoming Thanksgiving and Halloween season, aiming to continue the success of its predecessor. Simultaneously, four independent artistic works, including "Buried", premiered in art theaters. After a period of silence following the summer season, the market began showing signs of revival due to the arrival of the year-end holidays.
However, against all expectations, "Buried" unexpectedly seized the initiative in the midnight screening competition!
The uniqueness of the midnight screening ensured that only a specific group of movie enthusiasts would rush to the theaters at the first possible moment. "Paranormal Activity 2" was a horror film that had accumulated excellent word-of-mouth from its previous installment. Many viewers had high expectations for the sequel. However, going to the theater to watch this movie at midnight and then returning home in the middle of the night was undoubtedly a challenge of courage. Only a very small percentage of the audience would do such a thing.
Therefore, the performance of "Paranormal Activity 2" at the midnight screening could only be described as mediocre. It was nothing to write home about.
On the other hand, "Buried", which held preview screenings in eleven theaters, successfully ignited the audience's enthusiasm. According to incomplete statistics, tickets for three theaters were completely sold out, and the average occupancy rate for all eleven theaters reached sixty percent.
Incredible! Absolutely incredible! This was true for any film! Moreover, "Buried" had achieved such results without the director's charisma, without the allure of top-tier celebrities, and without any promotion. This success was even more astonishing!
From the midnight box office revenue to the real-time online discussion heat, the preview work "Buried" comprehensively outperformed the wide release "Paranormal Activity 2". The miracle had happened, thoroughly sparking discussions! This further pushed "Buried" onto the crest of popularity!
"The Cast of "Fast 5" Watches "Buried" Together, Raving About It!"
"Renly Hall Surprises the Audience, Interacts with Fans After the Screening."
"Tickets Sold Out for the Midnight Screening, "Buried" Creates a Dark Horse Miracle."
"Vin Diesel: This is an outstanding movie, waiting for more viewers to witness its charm."
"Paul Walker: This is my favorite movie of the year, no doubt."
"Instagram, Facebook, Yahoo Community – "Buried" Conquers Social Networks, Red-Hot!"
"The Biggest Surprise of 2010! "Buried" Stages a Dark Horse Comeback, Dominating the Award Season!"
...
For two whole days, Friday and Saturday, news about "Buried" spread like wildfire and could be heard everywhere. It seemed that news about this work was endlessly ongoing, with no end in sight. Even in the latest official report from the "Fast 5" cast about their move to Rio de Janeiro, some information about "Buried" was mentioned. Though it was just a casual mention, the spread effect was not to be underestimated.
As time went on, "Paranormal Activity 2" gradually regained the upper hand. After all, it was a wide release in over three thousand theaters, and the audience flow was naturally not the same. With only one new movie released this week, there was no competition to be found.
However, the news about "Buried" was not completely submerged; it persisted and even, due to its suspenseful and mysterious genre, was used by many media outlets fond of sensationalism to draw comparisons with "Paranormal Activity 2". They speculated that these two works of the same genre might engage in a fierce competition during the upcoming Halloween season.
Unbeknownst to anyone, even "Paranormal Activity 2" became a promotional medium for "Buried", which was truly both amusing and exasperating.
Amidst the vigorous propaganda war, film critics emerged one after another, adding fuel to the fire.
Though "Buried" received praise at the Toronto Film Festival and even though some criticisms arose, they failed to hinder the film's winning streak in both critic and audience circles. However, Toronto was just Toronto. Compared to the land known for its friendly politeness, people were more concerned about the North American media conglomerates' assessments.
Catherine Langworth of USA Today gave it a high score of ninety-one, stating, "Unexpected twists, rollercoaster drama, flawless pacing, a deeply chilling atmosphere... "Buried" encompasses every expectation an audience could have for a suspenseful mystery film. And of course, there's an added surprise: Renly Hall."
Rene Rodriguez of the Chicago Tribune didn't hold back his praise, commenting, "The chills, thrills, suspense, and terror that this work delivers make all other thriller movies this year look like cheap plastic. And the exceptional performance by Renly Hall makes his peers seem like children playing in the sand." An eighty-eight was indeed rare for a thriller film.
"The film's success lies not only in its ability to create ample drama within the confined space but also in the director's precise manipulation of atmosphere and lighting to craft a truly horrifying nightmare. Furthermore, Hall's outstanding performance contributes to making it one of the top ten performances of the year." This comment comes from Bill Goodykoontz's review in the New York Post, which also gave a score of eighty-eight.
Rick Moore of the San Francisco Chronicle awarded it eighty points, his review succinctly stating, "Just when you think he's run out of escape routes, he launches another powerful attack that steals your breath away!"
"It's interesting how we usually go to the movies to seek enjoyment. But director Rodrigo Cortés has concocted a dreadful, thrilling, terrifying, deeply unsettling movie that torments every viewer who enters the theater, leaving them on the brink of life and death. Perhaps this isn't a journey of enjoyment, but without a doubt, it's a magical and wonderful cinematic experience. What's more important, Renly Hall delivers an outstanding performance that's even better than the movie itself, truly making it a delightful viewing."
This comes from Sean Levy's review in Empire magazine, where he gave it a high score of ninety, providing ample praise from a distinctive perspective.
Praise, praise, and more praise. The unanimous acclaim from authoritative mainstream media echoed the response from Toronto, making it even clearer that this thriller movie was unstoppable. However, this round of critical reviews also faced some discordant opinions, including criticism and neutrality.
Though Ann Houndy of The Washington Post gave her affirmative recognition, her score was only seventy. In her review, she stated, "A well-crafted, perfectly executed thriller film. For Renly Hall, it's undoubtedly a dazzling debut. Is it an enjoyable ninety minutes? Not really, but for this genre of film, it certainly succeeds in sending shivers down your spine. But now, I'm ready to leave."
The playful humor in her words was evident; it was clear she wasn't too fond of horror movies, even in her praises, the scores remained low, and that was probably the reason.
Amy Nicolson gave it a score of sixty-five. "You have to remind yourself to breathe."
This was a comment from Time magazine, unquestionably authoritative, offering a glimpse into the overall attitude of mainstream media.
They were always more critical of thriller and horror films. Throughout the long history of the Oscars, only four horror films had received nominations for Best Picture. The last horror film to compete for the Oscars was "The Sixth Sense" eleven years ago. Even Stanley Kubrick's "The Shining" only garnered a media average score of sixty-one.
Now, "Buried" was facing the same situation. Critics from The Washington Post and Time magazine both provided positive feedback, but the scores were not high. Clearly, they were expecting more, at least not just the kind of "jump-scare" fear and dread.
Naturally, negative criticisms were inevitable for any thriller or horror movie, and "Buried" was no exception.
Variety and the Hollywood Reporter were considered two of Hollywood's most important industry magazines, so their opinions held significant weight. During the Toronto Film Festival, the Hollywood Reporter didn't hesitate to offer praise for "Buried", but Variety held a starkly different perspective.
Stephen Holden commented, "In this cheap and rudimentary film, just when the male protagonist, Paul, is already in a dire situation, a poisonous snake slithers into the wooden box trapping him, undoubtedly pushing the film's terrible plot and melodramatic drama to the extreme. Relying solely on this moment, the film could make the list of the most boring horror scripts in history."
A mere thirty points – this was the second thirty-point score following The Village Voice in Toronto, and it was the lowest score for "Buried" so far.
Clearly, Stephen was not alone. Wesley Morris of The Boston Globe expressed a similar viewpoint. A fifty-point rating wasn't much better. "Well, "Buried" is a movie... slightly better than "Twilight", but it still can't hide its stupidity and melodrama."
Furthermore, Mary Grovana of The New Yorker was also a strong supporter of the opposition. "This is a movie about ordinary people, about society, and even more so about the nation. The work combines the advantages of suspense and excitement. However, unfortunately, the director's arrogance and hubris in the last few minutes ruined all the efforts of the entire film. Such an ending is not only contrived but also extremely foolish."
Mary also gave it only fifty points, her words carrying a sense of frustration.
Support, neutrality, opposition; praise, fairness, criticism. "Buried" ignited the enthusiasm of film critics, and the fervent discussions shone brightly across major media outlets. For a film that had only held preview screenings, this was undoubtedly a rare treatment. A total of twenty-nine professional media outlets wrote reviews.
As a point of comparison, the other three artistic works that had preview screenings this week combined didn't even yield twenty reviews, while "Paranormal Activity 2" received twenty-three critical reviews.
Complete dominance, once again completing an overthrow, the fervor surrounding "Buried" was truly unstoppable!