In the second week, "The Lord of the Rings" began to experience a certain degree of decline in box office, but even so, it still raked in $150 million from Monday to Thursday alone. This hefty figure weighed heavily on the heads of film production companies like DC and Warner Bros. Even director Nolan couldn't help but show a wry smile upon seeing such a number.
Any director with aspirations is not afraid to challenge well-known "predecessors." They are not afraid of classic movies standing in their way; they only care about creating works that surpass them.
Nolan is an exceptionally talented director, and his "Memento" has left a deep impression on many people. When people think of classic movies, it's easy to remember such a film.
So, when he took on the role of directing Batman, it wasn't too surprising. Judging from the film company's decision, whether it was DC, Warner Bros., or the Legendary Pictures they collaborated with, they all had high hopes for the Batman series. They hoped that a talented director like Nolan could bring new heights to the new series.
In the eyes of other film companies with movies in the summer lineup, "Batman" is undoubtedly a bona fide superhero. However, he faces not the forces of evil, but the direct challenge of the "money-grabbing monster" Laila.
Just look at the major films in the two weeks before and after "The Lord of the Rings." Except for Batman, there wasn't a single film willing to come out at this time slot. They would rather collide with another big-budget film than challenge Laila. Because that would mean being crushed and becoming a laughingstock.
But Batman dares to do so. Although there's still a week and a half gap, and it was Batman who first set this release date, no matter how you look at it, they were indeed going to collide head-on with the behemoth created by Laila. What will happen next is simply too exciting!
So, when "Batman Begins" premiered on Friday of the second week, it received even more attention than expected.
Many media outlets came to the premiere, not only invited but also many came on their own initiative to interview. They were eager to know why Batman had such confidence, knowing full well that he would collide with Laila's "The Lord of the Rings," yet firmly refusing to change the release date.
Is it because they have great trust in director Nolan, or do they have more confidence in Batman's vast fan base?
As the saying goes, one may lose the game but not one's courage. At this point, they've planted the bitter fruit themselves and must eat it kneeling. So, the premiere of "Batman Begins" was grandly held, inviting many heavyweight figures in Hollywood and renowned film critics.
They were confident in this film, perhaps not matching Laila at the box office, but they might still have a chance to compete in word-of-mouth.
Well, that's just self-consolation. Everyone knows that the word-of-mouth for "The Lord of the Rings" is already skyrocketing. Praised and popular, Laila is simply a BUG in Hollywood!
Laila actually received an invitation as well. But everyone knows that this is just a courtesy invitation. If she went, it would be awkward.
The media would probably love such a scene. But she would rather not. She didn't want to go over and help her competitors with publicity, boosting their attention!
So, she was just in a vacation hotel in Hawaii, holding her notebook, drinking beverages with Roy, and watching the live broadcast on the other side.
"Christian Bale isn't as handsome as me." Roy couldn't help feeling jealous when he saw her staring at the screen for so long. Has she been looking at him for so long today? She's wasting her time looking at other men!
Laila chuckled and glanced at him, "Yes, yes, you're the most handsome." She spoke as if she only cared about looks. Well, she was indeed a fan of handsome faces, but that didn't mean she wanted to collect them all, did it?
Her casual tone made Roy even more unhappy, "Actually, they did approach me at first, but the company said it didn't fit my career path, so I refused." If he had known she was so interested in Batman, he might have taken on that role.
Laila knew about this incident, and she knew that the so-called unsuitable career path was just one of the reasons. The real reason was later told to her by Louise, and that was because his girlfriend was the boss of Marvel. What was he doing running over to play a DC superhero?
These two companies have always been competitors, eager to drag each other's hind legs, how could they possibly give good resources to each other?
Louise felt that the Batman character had been exhausted for so many years, and Roy was a budding star who shouldn't waste his fame on such movies. If he was interested in superheroes, she could easily have Laila make one specifically for him. As long as it's a Marvel superhero, it's just a matter of him choosing which one to play.
Laila didn't care about this. Her vision was more far-sighted. What she saw was not the somewhat outdated Batman, but the Dark Knight sublimated by the trilogy. So, if she had known that Roy had received an invitation for this role, she would have seriously considered it.
Seeing the director's figure appear on the live broadcast, she sighed, "Christian is a good actor, and Nolan is a good director."
"Good actor, good director, but there are too many cases where the movie isn't well-made." Roy just couldn't stand anyone at this premiere.
Why did he go to such lengths to bring her out for a vacation, and they were in such a great place for vacation, yet they didn't engage in some romantic and beneficial exercise for body and mind? They wasted their time watching this stuff in the room. How bored were they!
Whenever her mind was focused on the movie, she would unconsciously filter out all other "unimportant" information. So, she completely didn't sense the man's annoyance beside her.
"Don't you think it would be interesting if Nolan directed the new Batman series? 'Memento' is a very interesting film. I've seen it many times and studied many of his filming techniques. I think he has given me a lot of inspiration."
Roy's mouth twitched, "Do you think 'Memento' can be described as 'interesting'? I followed you to watch it several times and still didn't understand it."
He knew she had watched it many times, and he had accompanied her a few times. The problem was, every time he watched it, he felt like he couldn't bear to continue. It felt like the whole movie was a jigsaw puzzle that had been scattered and randomly put together. Each piece was placed in the wrong position, leaving viewers completely unaware of the picture above.
"The movie is very mind-bending, but don't you think it would be fun to interpret the secrets inside?"
Roy shook his head firmly, "Absolutely not!"
Laila playfully poked him with a finger, refocusing her gaze on the live broadcast.