"No! 'Catwoman' is a good movie, and I still believe that! The reason the box office results aren't optimistic is just due to some minor issues."
"What kind of minor issues?" The journalists didn't care about his stubbornness; they attacked whenever they found a loophole.
Joseph, feeling pressured, began to speak recklessly, "If we had the same promotional channels as Moran Media, and if we could promote our movie in the same way. And those posts on the internet, don't tell me those attacking us were all from the audience?"
Hearing his words, the eyes of the journalists lit up. This was definitely a statement preparing for a battle!
"Are you suggesting that Moran's movie succeeded because of promotion and the praise on the internet, as well as the suppression of 'Catwoman'?"
"Yes or no, everyone has eyes, and they can all see it clearly!"
Joseph realized that he might have said too much under the heat of the moment. He no longer paid attention to the journalists' continued questioning and quickly entered the elevator.
The journalists didn't pursue him further because they had already obtained what they wanted. Compared to Laila's words, Joseph's statement was heavyweight today!
So the next morning, Joseph appeared in the entertainment section of many newspapers, with his words published verbatim.
"Hahaha! His movie is art? I'm about to die laughing!"
"The first time I heard that a superhero movie is considered art. It's good that Joseph didn't direct 'Harry Potter'; I can't imagine what terrible thing it would have become in his hands!"
A bunch of mocking posts and related discussions suddenly appeared on the internet, all triggered by Joseph's ridiculous statements.
It was not surprising that people found it amusing. Some people criticized Laila's work for having high box office numbers but lacking substance and artistic value. However, that was a common problem with commercial films. Except for a few people purposefully nitpicking, no one would focus on this point.
Joseph, driven to desperation by the journalists, ended up calling his own movie an art film, believing that it didn't need to be compared to the box office numbers of commercial films. What was even more absurd was that he knew how ridiculous his joke was, yet he still tried to justify it with a bunch of excuses about art.
That's not all. He also brought up Moran Media and the Water Army. He claimed that their movie was attacked by the Water Army, but who was really being attacked online? One side made valid points, while the other side launched relentless attacks. It was clear that it wasn't Laila who hired the water army.
Joseph never expected that his words would attract so much mockery. After glancing at a few, he angrily turned off his computer. He regretted answering those journalists' questions casually. Every little thing was being reported. Why couldn't they direct their criticism towards Laila? Clearly, she was the root of all the problems!
As "Catwoman" continued on its path to financial loss, while "Harry Potter" continued to break various box office records, the journalists who were hyping up the situation realized that they couldn't find Laila anymore. They finally learned from an "informed source" that she and her crew had left the United States together to shoot a movie in another country, and it was the long-awaited "Iron Man" for comic book fans.
Upon hearing this news, many comic book fans felt concerned. Because of "Catwoman," they weren't sure if superhero movies could really achieve good box office numbers.
Speaking of "Catwoman," everyone had high expectations for it from the beginning. First, it was a relatively popular superhero, receiving a lot of attention. Second, the lead actress was Halle Berry, who had just won an Oscar. She was sexy and beautiful. And Sharon Stone, another heavyweight female actress, played the antagonist. Finally, there was sufficient investment.
With all these factors, the result was still quite unsatisfactory. Compared to the over $100 million investment, the movie couldn't even secure the top spot at the box office for a week. It was unlikely that there would be any significant breakthrough at the box office.
In contrast, "Iron Man" was even more precarious. Not only was he a second-tier superhero, but the actor playing him was a former jailbird and a faded star. Apart from Laila, a renowned director, the general public couldn't see any reason to anticipate this movie.
Regarding the comments online, Laila didn't care about them at all. By now, she had already arrived in Saudi Arabia and found suitable locations with the support of the Saudi royal family.
In the comic book, Iron Man appeared during the Vietnam War. However, they needed to modify it for the movie, changing it to the Afghanistan War in 2001. Since it hadn't been a year since the 9/11 attacks, it was impossible for her to go to Afghanistan to shoot the movie. Therefore, she chose Saudi Arabia. After all, the Crown Prince had recently visited the United States, and the two countries had a good relationship.
After the unexpected incident last time, the Saudi royal family was determined to ensure the safety of Laila's crew. They arranged all the logistical matters and even sent a team of royal guards to protect them. This time, they didn't care whether Laila could speak well of them; as long as she could come and leave safely, that was a blessing from God!
In Laila's crew, besides the actors, Roy also came along. Since he didn't have a role in this movie, he took on miscellaneous tasks, helping wherever he was needed.
Laila initially didn't want him to come, but he was worried. Who knew if the crazy Faiza would appear again? And who could guarantee that Faiza's father wouldn't harm her again? Most importantly, there was a smitten prince, and that was what worried Roy the most.
Laila didn't inform Prince Al Nadeem about her visit this time, but how could such a thing escape his ears? So, when Laila and the film crew set foot on Saudi Arabian soil, the smiling Prince appeared before her like a blooming flower. From that day onwards, the film crew had an extra white figure chasing after Laila.
On someone else's turf, Laila couldn't refuse too blatantly. She had to turn a blind eye and pretend not to see Al Nadeem hovering around her. In moments like these, she missed the way the foolish prince used to be. With his gynophobia, he was so adorable. Even if he wasn't afraid of her, as long as she had one more female assistant by her side, she could make the prince disappear to Siberia.
But now... although he still didn't show interest in women, he didn't distance himself like before either.