For a musical film, achieving over $30 million in the first three days of its premiere was undoubtedly an incredible box office performance. Even for some more popular commercial films, this figure was quite impressive. Consider "Moulin Rouge," for instance; globally, it had just surpassed $100 million, and it was already considered a highly successful musical.
In response to this box office success, reporters interviewed various people, including the director of "Moulin Rouge." It's worth noting that he had made some ambiguous statements in front of the media before the film's release. Such a big mouth, but reporters loved him for it.
"When did box office become the sole criterion for judging the quality of a film?" After hearing the reporters announce that "Chicago" had taken the weekly box office crown, Baz Luhrmann responded with a mocking expression.
A clever reporter immediately followed up, "So, do you think 'Chicago' is inferior to 'Moulin Rouge'?"
Luhrmann sneered, looking disdainful of the question, "It doesn't matter what I say. Let the Oscars reveal the answer."
Earlier this year, "Moulin Rouge" had secured eight Oscar nominations, including heavyweight categories like Best Picture. Although it only won the Best Art Direction award, it was still a commendable achievement.
Now, let's look at Laila. What awards had she won for her films before? Only this year did she receive some recognition for a commercial film, "Pirates of the Caribbean," and those awards had nothing to do with her personally. It showed that her directing skills were only so-so.
"Do you think 'Chicago' will return empty-handed at the Oscars next year?"
"I haven't thought about anything. It's pointless to discuss it here. Let the professionals judge." Luhrmann wasn't a fool and wasn't falling for the reporters' tricks. After answering, he hastily left amid the reporters' encirclement.
Some reporters relayed his words to Laila, wanting to know her thoughts.
Laila, about to enter the company, was intercepted by a group of reporters. Realizing it was a good opportunity for movie promotion, she happily accepted the interview.
"I think Mr. Luhrmann is right. Professional judgment should be left to the professionals. Moreover, I think it's a bit unfair to compare 'Chicago' and 'Moulin Rouge.'"
The reporters immediately sensed something unusual, "What's unfair? Aren't they both musicals?"
Laila smiled at him, pointing to his recording pen, "The purpose of a recording pen is to record. The person using it can record the voice of a beggar or ask the king's opinion. Do you think a recording pen that captures the king's voice and one that captures a beggar's voice can have the same value?"
The reporter was taken aback by her analogy and eagerly asked, "Are you saying that Director Luhrmann's skills are not as good as yours, so his films cannot be compared to yours?"
"Guess." Laila mischievously left this answer, enjoying the reporter's perplexed expression. She then walked into the company under the protection of her bodyguards.
She knew that even if the reporters didn't get the final answer from her, they would definitely bring the readers' thoughts in that direction. Manipulating readers' thoughts with their writing, wasn't that what they were best at?
So, early the next morning, major newspapers published her words. The more formal newspapers directly quoted her words in their reports, allowing readers to interpret her meaning. Some tabloids, on the other hand, were unscrupulous, directly publishing the most eye-catching speculations they had come up with.
"Comparison of 'Chicago' to 'Moulin Rouge,' Director Moran: He is not qualified to compete with me."
"Bold Assertion of Victory over 'Moulin Rouge,' 'Chicago' Director Laila Moran Utters Arrogant Words."
Seeing such reports, some people probably thought Laila was too proud. However, interestingly, more people agreed with what she said. Comparing Laila to Luhrmann did seem a bit unfair.
Who was Laila? She already had eight released films! And every one of them was a classic, with a minimum box office of over $300 million. She had countless fans worldwide who loved her films. Such influence wouldn't diminish just because she was young; on the contrary, it added a touch of legend to her youth.
In comparison, who was Baz Luhrmann? What films had he made before? How much box office had he earned?
These two were obviously not in the same league. Putting them together for comparison was indeed a bit unfair.
Laila found the evaluations she saw online quite amusing. In fact, she knew that Luhrmann was a talented individual. Before "Moulin Rouge," he had directed two films, both with scripts he had written himself, and they had earned decent box office returns. Of course, they couldn't be compared to Laila's achievements.
In the future, he would also have some decent accomplishments. For example, in 2013, "The Great Gatsby" earned over $300 million worldwide and received recognition at the Oscars.
However, that was in the future. In the current situation, Laila had the absolute confidence to "bully" him. After all, who made the reporters like to compare them? Who made him always get caught by reporters for interviews? Who made him unable to control his mouth, always spouting ambiguous words?
Since he was such an easy person to create topics with, Laila naturally had to take advantage of his big mouth and let him help stir up some discussions for herself. Don't forget, "Chicago" was still showing in theaters!
As expected, when Luhrmann saw Laila's words, he immediately got furious. His angry outburst was captured by cameras, and it even made its way onto the news.
Everyone knew that when a person was angry, their mind was more likely to heat up, and in the heat of the moment, anything could be blurted out. Being told by a girl so much younger than him that his skills weren't enough, was intolerable!
So, Director Luhrmann was furious, and he roared in front of the reporters interviewing him, "I'll see how that director is better than me! I hope the Oscars teach her a lesson about the cruelty of society! Making movies is not a game; it's not something you can do just because you're rich and have free time to create popular and profound films! Maybe she can buy good actors, a good crew, and good special effects with money, but she can't buy depth for her film! I look forward to the day she cries bitterly at the Oscars with nothing to show for it!"
As a director who secured eight Oscar nominations for a single film, he had the qualifications to say such things. In his eyes, Laila might be good at making commercial films, but that was fundamentally different from making musicals. It was like comparing granulated sugar to cane sugar—both tasted sweet, but they were made from different materials.
Since you're so capable, let the Oscars verify it!