Before the movie began, the hundreds of film critics engaged in conversations with each other and those they were familiar with.
Among them, there was a white-haired critic who had the appearance of a stubborn old white man. Even before watching the film, he confidently expressed his strong opinions about "The Dark Knight":
"You know, at best, this is just a commercial blockbuster. Deep artistic qualities? It's impossible to expect that."
"Look at Steve Kevin's films, like 'Saw,' a bloody horror film with absolutely no artistic value."
"Or 'Mission: Impossible,' an action spy film that lacks any trace of artistry."
"And last year's 'Pirates of the Caribbean,' it had no artistic value whatsoever."
"Sure, 'Get Out' touched upon the discrimination faced by African Americans in the United States, but fundamentally, it's still just a commercial film."
"I admit that he clearly has talent in making commercial films, but honestly, in my eyes, these movies are just a pile of garbage."
The words of the white-haired critic clearly resonated with the other renowned critics present.
While a director focused on commercial blockbusters may be considered a treasure in the eyes of Hollywood film studios, in their view, he was simply trash.
Only directors who focus on art films and independent films are considered good directors in their eyes.
The reason is simple: their opinions are influenced by their preferences.
Art films generally don't perform well at the box office, and the impact that film critics can have on their success or failure is significant.
In simple terms, art film enthusiasts are easily swayed by the words of film critics.
On the other hand, commercial blockbusters are a different story.
With massive budgets and potential box office revenues in the hundreds of millions, the opinions of film critics, even if unanimously negative, can only cause a loss of a few tens of millions of dollars at most.
It's not a matter of life or death.
Of course, very few film critics would do such a thing. Criticizing a major production from a big studio without careful consideration would have severe consequences.
It would invite strong retaliation from the studio, and with the media power behind these Hollywood giants, it would be easy to blacklist an ordinary film critic.
Film critics mostly rely on certain newspapers or media outlets for their livelihood.
If a big studio decides not to accept their reviews, it would be meaningless even if they had excellent reviews.
In the end, the core income of film critics nowadays comes from the kickbacks they receive for promoting films for the studios.
For those top-tier critics, a single review can be worth hundreds of thousands of dollars, and they earn even more money from these deals, all paid by the film studios.
When you take someone else's money, you should know your place.
...
While these film critics were launching their attacks against Steve Kevin, a famous film critic named Roger Ebert looked at the chaotic crowd with a hint of disdain on his face.
"A bunch of fools who can't see the bigger picture."
That's how he assessed this group of film critics.
In essence, film critics are parasites who feed off the blood of film studios. They rely on the existence of film studios.
They use their influence over audiences, whether through threats or bribes, to earn the PR funds provided by film studios.
This means that film critics are absolutely powerless when faced with film studios.
And Steve Kevin is not just an ordinary director. He is a major shareholder of MGM and a billionaire.
Do they really think he's an easy target?
Provoking Steve Kevin would have consequences that are not so simple.
Roger Ebert had long made up his mind to praise Steve Kevin in the media and establish a good relationship in advance.
He had a premonition that Steve Kevin would undoubtedly become a remarkable figure in Hollywood in the future, so building a good relationship in advance was definitely the right move.
Amidst the hustle and bustle, the movie started playing soon.
To maximize the impact of The Dark Knight, Warner Bros. chose to screen both films in the Batman trilogy at this event.
Furthermore, to prevent plot leaks, Warner Bros. had the film critics sign extremely strict contracts to prevent them from revealing any spoilers.
Of course, this was necessary.
The film critics were aware of these rules, and no one dared to offend them. Otherwise, aside from questioning whether they could continue their career as film critics, they would also face the wrath of the film studios, who could sue them for breach of contract.
Just one lawsuit from a film studio claiming damages based on the contract would be enough to ruin their lives.
MGM had done this before, successfully suing a film critic who leaked spoilers and claiming all of their assets. That renowned film critic ended up bankrupt and reduced to a homeless person on the streets.
Since then, every film critic, from the day they became one, ingrained this lesson firmly in their minds.
...
The projectionist dimmed the lights in the theater, and the film critics quickly quieted down. They still had some basic professional etiquette.
The movie screen illuminated, and after the iconic WB logo, the film began.
"Bruce, we love you."
Through a series of rapid flashbacks, the opening sequence portrayed Batman's childhood nightmares before the eyes of the audience.
Everyone remained expressionless, continuing to watch the film.
The birth of Batman was a well-known story. In previous Batman adaptations, this scene was not given much emphasis.
What was Steve Kevin's intention in portraying this scene?
In the next moment, Christian Bale, playing the noble-like Batman, woke up in his mansion.
Alfred, the butler, approached with a worried expression and said, "Bruce, another nightmare?"
A flicker of recollection flashed in Bruce's eyes.
...
"Is this Bruce? I can't accept it!"
The movie had just begun, and someone immediately expressed their dissatisfaction.
Steve Kevin made a significant adjustment to the image of Batman, portraying him more as a nobleman when he wasn't in his Batman suit. This completely separated Batman's daily life from his crime-fighting image.
This was a noticeable departure from the Bruce Wayne depicted in the comics, and some film critics naturally had their preferences aligned with DC Comics.
Upon seeing this scene, they immediately raised questions and doubts.
However, most of the film critics remained silent, quietly watching the movie.
......
Meanwhile, on the Warner Bros. side, as they prepared for the film's promotion, Steve Kevin was busy figuring out how to revitalize the Marvel Universe.
Although there was no rush, it was definitely necessary to plan ahead.
After all, in the previous timeline, Marvel spent a total of twelve years building the Marvel Universe, through numerous films, TV shows, and comics, culminating in the creation of the Marvel Earth-616 universe.
Such an IP had generated billions of dollars in revenue for Marvel.