"Indeed, we also believe it's a masterpiece, perfectly blending ideas, artistic elements, and commercial viability."
The remaining group of screening managers expressed their opinions.
Listening to their remarks, Robinov and several executives couldn't help but smile.
Large companies have extensive resources, and screening managers are undeniably crucial members of these major film studios. They oversee investments in Warner films, both in terms of production and distribution, drawing from their expertise in various fields.
Generally speaking, if a film receives a B-level rating, it means it can make money. The degree of profitability, however, is difficult even for industry professionals to judge. But if a film is deemed a masterpiece, the upper limit is significantly raised.
Based on Warner's internal standards, it would at least aim for a spot among the top five highest-grossing films of the year in North America. This would guarantee substantial profits for the film studio.
Therefore, upon hearing these remarks, their smiles were well deserved.
Robinov approached Kevin with a smile and said, "Congratulations, Kevin. It seems Dawnlight and Warner are going to make a fortune again."
"Let us take care of the upcoming publicity. We'll handle the scheduling, premiere arrangements, and everything else. You just take a few days to rest."
Kevin nodded, not refusing Warner's goodwill.
These were all well-practiced procedures for a large company like Warner.
"As for the marketing budget, shall we allocate $20 million?" Robinov asked.
Kevin directly asked, "Are we still allocating only $20 million for marketing? I don't believe in underestimating the importance of promotion, especially in an era where the internet hasn't fully taken over. The cost of marketing can be quite high."
He knew that only a significant investment of $20 million could ensure the widespread release of "The Dark Knight," allowing every American to see it. That's how his version of Batman could achieve the best results.
Overall, the style of "The Dark Knight" was dark, but the Batman IP saved that darkness. It allowed people to appreciate the deeper meaning behind it, using this IP as a vehicle. This was the reason why the original "The Dark Knight" was so successful.
If it were a purely crime film, it could be a great movie, but it would be difficult for it to become a masterpiece.
Robinov nodded. They had already invested so much money, and now that they were seeing the results, with the crops growing well, there was no need to cut corners.
"Let's stick to the $20 million marketing budget."
At this point, Kevin discussed the film's marketing plan with Robinov briefly.
Compared to the family-friendly "Pirates of the Caribbean," "The Dark Knight" had a smaller target audience. However, on the other hand, "The Dark Knight" had the support of Batman, which was America's top IP. This meant that "The Dark Knight" naturally attracted much more attention than "Pirates of the Caribbean."
Therefore, what "The Dark Knight" needed was strong positive reviews from critics and unanimous praise from fans. It had to establish an absolute positive reputation in public opinion. Otherwise, even polarizing reviews would make it difficult to predict the impact on the film's box office performance.
After hearing Kevin's thoughts, Robinov confidently nodded and responded, "Leave it to us. Warner Bros. has been around since the early days of Hollywood. We've done this countless time."
"Don't worry, there won't be any mistakes. You can focus on other matters. We'll invite you to the film's premiere."
Kevin nodded.
Batman and "Pirates of the Caribbean" targeted different audiences, so the roadshow-style promotion used for the latter couldn't be directly applied to Batman.
To be honest, the methods Kevin was familiar with in the non-digital era, like hiring online influencers, wouldn't create much of an impact for now.
When it came to marketing strategies, Kevin's experience was far from matching Warner's years of accumulated expertise.
Perhaps some people were capable of being all-around experts after being reborn, but Kevin was well aware that he was not.
He would leave the professional tasks to the professionals. His role was to do his best as a director.
The upcoming schedule was straightforward. Kevin would focus on his own tasks, while Warner started the promotion for Batman.
Word of mouth would begin with critics, so a large-scale screening was essential.
...
A few days later, at Warner Bros. headquarters, over twenty renowned film critics, as well as many lesser-known critics, totaling hundreds, arrived at a movie theater owned by Warner Bros.
A Warner executive stepped forward with an enthusiastic smile and said, "Welcome, film critics, to the preview screening of 'The Dark Knight.' We have prepared some gifts for you, which you can collect after the screening."
"Now, please enjoy 'The Dark Knight' duology and provide an appropriate review of the film."
Although money wasn't explicitly mentioned in the statement, the critics below couldn't help but smile knowingly.
In general, film studios organize preview screenings for two purposes. One is to create positive word-of-mouth for a bad film, deceiving audiences into entering the theaters. Though in these cases, the subsequent drop in box office performance is usually significant, it's still a more profitable trade-off compared to the money paid to the critics.
The other purpose is for genuinely good films that require critics to create a positive buzz in advance, making the opening box office numbers more impressive.
These two objectives are easy to distinguish.
One can tell by whether the most renowned film critics in the industry are invited to the preview screening.
Typically, these well-known critics earn more money and are more cautious about preserving their reputation. They wouldn't endorse a bad film.
Otherwise, damaging their reputation would result in even greater losses.
Of course, insiders in the industry know that in such cases, it's mostly due to monetary transactions. It's similar to a famous film from a previous life where a heated debate among critics arose when a simple steamed bun triggered a bloodbath. Many critics fervently praised it as a good film upon its initial release. One can only wonder how much effort and money the film's backers put in behind the scenes.
Unfortunately, the audience's eyes are sharp, and if a film is not good, it's just not good.
As the executive's words faded away, the critics took their seats one by one, ready to witness the high-quality film that Warner Bros. had invested so much in promoting.