With the overwhelming promotion of "Pirates of the Caribbean," people's interest in Laila's pirate film grew stronger. What the masses were interested in was the direction that journalists flocked to, and they kept stirring the pot about the pirate movie and Laila. The media competed relentlessly, and this film was getting hot even before it was released. In contrast, "Pearl Harbor," which would be released two weeks later, seemed much quieter.
Faaris, of course, invested heavily in advertising for "Pearl Harbor," but no matter how much they advertised, people's attention was primarily focused on Laila and her pirate film. As for "Pearl Harbor," which was promoted as capable of surpassing "Titanic," it was unfortunately being unconsciously ignored.
Since the miraculous success of "Titanic" at the box office, several films claimed they would surpass it, but what was the result? Discerning individuals could see that miracles were called such for a reason—they weren't easily surpassed. If anyone could surpass it casually, could it still be considered a miracle?
Laila first noticed the strange winds blowing when "The New York Post" started praising her.
People who followed Laila knew that "The New York Post" was Cooper's stronghold, and Cooper was the leader of the anti-Laila camp, always ready to counter any news about Laila like a determined bullfighter.
However, to everyone's surprise, "The New York Post" suddenly started praising her. Yes, you read that correctly! They began praising Laila!
—"She shows the world with her abilities that she was born for movies."
—"She will use her films to tell people that no film is destined to be abandoned by the gods. The decline of pirate films is just temporary. When her pirate movie is released, everyone will realize that a new era of pirates has arrived."
After seeing "The New York Post's" consecutive days of reports, all readers had the same expression: (⊙_⊙)?
Did they open the newspaper incorrectly, or did they accidentally get "The New York Post" instead of "The Entertainer"?
"The Entertainer" was owned by the Moran family, so it wasn't surprising that they praised Laila and elevated her to the status of a goddess. However, "The New York Post," which had been straying further from supporting Laila, how could it suddenly praise her?
Although "The New York Post" changed its tone, switching from criticism to praise, it was not senseless praise. They made it sound quite reasonable.
They cited examples of Laila's previous films, all of which had achieved excellent box office results. It wasn't just horror films; even action films were outstanding. Take "Kill Bill" as an example. Before its release, many people thought it would be a failure, with no audience interest. In the end, it maintained Laila's box office record and exceeded $300 million.
So, "The New York Post's" theory was that no matter how badly the pirate film had been portrayed by many people in the film industry as a hopeless genre or one that had already died, as long as Laila directed it, she could effortlessly make the film great and win the love of countless audiences.
The people who had previously criticized Laila were now unhappy. Finally, there was a newspaper willing to tell "the truth," a place where the heiress bravely fought, and now it had fallen so easily? The only possible explanation they could come up with was that it had been bought!
The Moran family had plenty of money and influence; getting a newspaper to speak positively about Laila was a straightforward task.
So, those who disliked Laila began to dislike her even more. Even if they lost some readers, the newspaper found a new source of profit from the other side.
Readers were generally kind-hearted and readily accepted the newspaper's change of tune. However, Laila knew better; a leopard couldn't change its spots. Whether Cooper and "The New York Post" had suddenly developed a conscience, determined to speak the truth, no matter how much they praised her, she wouldn't believe it.
Unusual situations must have their reasons, and she believed they were exaggerating her for some purpose. But what could it be?
Before she could come up with a plausible explanation, many media outlets, as if they had conspired, joined in praising her. The cloying and righteous words they used gave Laila goosebumps.
Ultimately, the fundamental point they all agreed on was this: the upcoming pirate movie would break the curse people had cast upon pirate films, claiming they were dead.
The genius director Laila would undoubtedly surpass $300 million. Of course, that was impossible not to happen. She was a genius, the savior of pirate films, and the creator of human cinematic civilization…blah, blah, blah.
Amid the chorus of praise, Laila finally understood the underlying agenda.
They were setting her up!
They were all praising her and her film. If the film were to fail in the future, or if it were the only film she ever directed that didn't reach $300 million at the global box office, she would immediately be labeled with names like "a fallen genius" and "Waterloo."
This was a little trick from Eastern cultures, a game played to death in ancient times. It was unbelievable that someone would use it against her now.
Yes, if "Pirates of the Caribbean" did indeed flop, it would be a very bad situation for her. But she was well aware of one thing: there was no such thing as "if"! She valued this film even more than Disney in the future. She possessed filming techniques that didn't exist in this era, knew what people liked and disliked, and understood the impact this film would have on the world.
$300 million worldwide? No! This time, she would indeed break the $300 million curse, not just reaching $300 million, but entering the $400 million box office group!
As for the media outside that unanimously praised Laila, Anthony had also called her and asked if she wanted to do something about it. After all, it was best to be cautious in all things. In case the film really turned out badly, the financial losses would be a small matter, but the damage to her reputation would be immeasurable.
Anthony was someone Laila highly admired. He was specially appointed by the elder to deal with her, indicating that he was someone even Oswald regarded highly. Even he saw the crisis within, indicating how serious this danger was.
However, Laila just smiled dismissively, "Don't worry; let the eerie wind blow as it pleases." She hadn't come this far for some unscrupulous media to easily twist her story.
In fact, she was more inclined to believe that someone else was behind this, the hidden hand that had always been orchestrating things against her. Otherwise, given the media's "intelligence," how could they have come up with the sophisticated scheme of "flattery and sabotage"?