Chapter 278: Chapter 278: The Magical Battle of Yang against the Film Critic

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The North American box office rankings for the weekend of December 12-14 made many people happy. Despite all the media chatter, in the end, it was our dear, incredible Wang Yang!

It also left many people sorely disappointed. FUCK! Damn it, it’s that son-of-a-bitch Wang Yang again! It also took many film critics by surprise. A dark horse? Can we use the term ‘dark horse’?

The newly released “The Devil Wears Prada” in 3,056 theaters firmly took the top spot at the box office, pulling in a crazy $51.3574 million in ticket sales, claiming 45% of the market share from the weekend’s total North American gross of $112 million (across 128 films). For every 100 people who walked into a cinema, 45 of them saw “TDWP.” 90% of the audience expressed their liking on Rotten Tomatoes, with countless female viewers declaring their wild love for it on various websites.

The best film on this planet about fashion! Not just one of the best—but the best.

The sweeping opening victory of “TDWP” left no room for negotiation on the rankings, with the second place “Love is Compromise” in 2,677 theaters earning just $16.06 million its opening weekend, and “Close Brothers” in 3,003 theaters bringing in only $9.4 million. 20th Century Fox Company became one of the losers of this Christmas season; Warner Bros.’ “Love is Priceless” also only made $6.31 million. Among the four wide releases, “TDWP” swept everything.

What kind of Waterloo did Wang Yang face when the first-weekend box office of “MIT-21-TEAM” in August was $49.67 million, and “The Hangover” in the same period of 2002 was $55.73 million?

These results had Jessica and others hopping with excitement, even more so than when “High School Musical” caused a nationwide frenzy; but Wang Yang wasn’t surprised by any of this—it was all within his expectations. Take a look at the opening of the 2006 version of “TDWP” during the July summer season. 2,847 theaters took in $27.53 million in ticket sales. The issue was that, despite being a well-resourced giant, Fox Company’s widest release of “TDWP” was only in 2,847 theaters, branded as an unexpected hit and a box office dark horse, without a simultaneous or nearly simultaneous global release date.

It’s clear that Fox didn’t value “TDWP” highly, which is also reflected in its production budget of $35 million, to the point where they even had to rush their shooting in Paris.

Though now, with an additional $20 million in the budget of the 2003 version, a large part of which goes back into Wang Yang’s own pocket as remuneration, besides the film itself possessing a higher and more refined quality, what’s more important is that Firefly Films didn’t label “TDWP” as a “potential dark horse” but instead treated it like a god, firmly believing it would be a box office mega bomb.

It’s a stark difference, as from the beginning of the year when the adaptation rights were purchased to the end-of-year release, Firefly tirelessly promoted it, including multi-faceted viral marketing like on the iVillage website and blogs, along with the fame of magical Yang. Moreover, “TDWP” was scheduled for a global release during the Christmas and New Year holidays, which capitalized on the momentum of striking while the iron is hot, and also because there were no TS or TC versions available online; of course, if it weren’t for the “directed by Wang Yang” golden signboard to attract money, international distributors wouldn’t easily give up their Christmas and New Year slots for “TDWP.”

The 2006 version of “TDWP” was a box office dark horse and also a model for being hotter overseas than in North America. Despite premiering almost 3 to 4 months later in the main markets, it still madly grossed $201 million in overseas ticket sales.

Wang Yang believed that under the current conditions, the overseas box office potential for “TDWP” was far more than $200 million. He had felt this way for a long time. Perhaps “21” was like a unique-flavored red wine that lingers on the palate; perhaps “TDWP” was like a glass of chilled mint water, not as lingering but potentially more popular because it quenched the thirst of an even larger audience group refreshingly.

He considered that needs don’t have high and low distinctions, not every drink has to be turned into red wine. If anyone thinks that red wine is better than chilled mint water, that it’s the best, then what more could he say? Growing up in a kitchen taught him that when a person truly loves something, different foods can give the same satisfaction. Now, he just wanted to make a cup of chilled mint water for the scorching summer.

“‘TDWP’ effortlessly claimed the championship this weekend, and despite lackluster critical acclaim, Wang Yang showed everyone the immense power of fashion themes, and that he is still the same incredible Yang,” reported Yahoo Entertainment. “According to the post-show data released by theaters, 55% of the audience for ‘The Devil’ was under 25 years old, with a male-female viewer ratio of 40% to 60%. Fashion and brands drove women crazy.”

“Notably, the $51.3574 million opening weekend is Meryl Streep’s best record to date, previously set by the $12.1103 million made by ‘Death Becomes Her’ directed by Wang Yang’s idol Robert Zemeckis in 1992. Her highest-grossing North American film was ‘Kramer vs. Kramer’ from 1979, which made $106.2 million; now ‘TDWP’ is almost certain to break that number.”

This must dishearten those who wanted to see Wang Yang at a loss, but it seems like incredible Yang has come back to life again! But did he ever die? Actually, this achievement is not so surprising. Just as the ordinary netizen Jason E said, “I don’t care about those critics, Wang Yang is special.”

In the hearts of fans who have favorable views of incredible Yang, who “grew up with him” and “matured together” with him, his credibility and status are incomparable to those critics; they have their own judgment.

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The truth is, film critics evaluate films every week, holding opinions they agree or disagree with; while the amazing Wang Yang has driven people crazy with seven consecutive hit movies. So, they’re more inclined to believe that this time it’s the film criticism industry “taking a high stance” or that Wang Yang is “ahead of his time,” and of course, the excellent audience response gives them confidence.

The influence of film critics has never been the one to dominate. Films with even worse word of mouth like “Saw” also raked in nearly 80 million in North American box office, with hardcore fans growing in numbers, creating the latest commercial miracle; not to mention in certain special cases (like “Transformers”), where audiences didn’t care about the critics’ reviews—the audience viewing “The Devil Wears Prada” have 90% positive ratings, not overly impressive but worth a watch; and there are many women who’ve become hardcore fans.

“A truly fun, rare masterpiece that far surpasses the quality of its original material. ‘The Devil’ reveals the story of the New York fashion stage with a humorous and relaxed approach, featuring a Meryl Streep in top form, and Jessica Alba surpassing herself.”—Rotten Tomatoes official website.

Not all film critics have written off “The Devil Wears Prada.” The attitude of the film criticism community has turned into two opposing camps, and the mild voices from the middle ground were ignored right from the start. The proponents believe that “The Devil Wears Prada” is above par, giving it two big thumbs up; the detractors continue to dismiss it, convinced that its box office will fade later, and that these current numbers are just the “aftereffects” of Wang Yang’s previous successes!

For safety, some media also “sensibly” exclaimed: “Even if its box office is high, it cannot change the fact that ‘The Devil Wears Prada’ is a mediocre work. Wang Yang’s attitude toward film has changed, he let Andrea choose the sweater, but he himself chose the evening gown.”

“Yang, last year’s ‘The Hangover’ received a lot of criticism; but now it seems ‘The Devil’ will be your first film to really get bad reviews. Everyone is criticizing you, what do you think?”

Wang Yang and Jessica had already returned to Los Angeles, as part of the subsequent promotional tour, and as box office champions, naturally, they were not short of media interviews. When Wang Yang was interviewed by the “Los Angeles Times,” the reporter asked about the hottest topic concerning “The Devil Wears Prada” and the amazing Wang Yang.

“I don’t agree with your ‘everyone’! As far as I know, the vast majority of audiences, and many film critics, agree that ‘The Devil’ is a good film, and I agree with them,” Wang Yang laughed, recalling those far-fetched reviews, he couldn’t help but shrug and laugh: “Haha! I just hope that certain people will be a bit more serious when criticizing others! Stop using those ridiculous reasons.”

As the reporter eagerly penned down his words, Wang Yang stopped grinning and spoke his mind very seriously: “You can’t call it ‘bad’ just because it’s a light comedy rather than a serious drama. Anyway, if you can’t accept that it’s a light comedy, then you have no right to judge. It’s a giraffe, and you say ‘it would be good if it were a horse’, it’s not good because it’s a giraffe, what’s that all about?”

“Some people like to be extreme because that easily makes an impression, like being extremely scary or extremely funny. But I have to say, a director can have their own style preference, maxing out a genre, a kind of sensory experience; so can an audience, I might just like horror films for a lifetime; but not judges or film critics! Their thinking has to be broad and objective, with a strong capacity for acceptance, to enter the world of various sub-genres of cinema without prejudice, and their appreciation should exceed that of directors and the general public.”

“The film criticism community is neither big nor small, some can achieve it, some cannot. Why isn’t ‘The Devil Wears Prada’ good? You need to look for reasons within its genre, you cannot start by saying ‘It’s too bland compared to ‘XX’ movie’ and thus reject it. There’s one guy who’s ridiculous, because Andrea has a change of humanity, so this light comedy isn’t good. Oh! Why’s that?” Wang Yang opened his hands in astonishment, answering his own question: “Because it’s not to his taste! This I cannot control, nor can anyone else; no film can cater to everyone’s tastes.”

Wang Yang shook his head and continued: “At the same time, there are many people who like to see an Andrea with human change in a light comedy. Why? What I mean is, as a film critic, you cannot solely base your evaluation of a film on whether you like it or not!”

“Your casual words will appear in newspapers and magazines! They have the power to guide the public! When you hold the power of media discourse, you have to analyze objectively, because your little carelessness can erase the hard work of a whole team, which is laughable! If you say, ‘I’m just an audience member after all, I’ll say whatever I like.’ Fine! Then you don’t represent any authority, so why should I care so much?”

After articulating thoughts that could easily spark a spitball war, to avoid being misinterpreted by the media as “attacking the entire film criticism industry,” a move he didn’t intend nor need since many film critics stood in his camp, Wang Yang added: “But I do want to sincerely thank those objective film critics, as well as my fans and the general public. I care about their voices.”

Tap tap tap tap, the latest issue of the “Los Angeles Times” hit the shelves, with Wang Yang’s interview prominently featured in the entertainment section: “Amazing Wang Yang mocks certain film critics as ludicrous!”

Amazing Wang Yang VS Film Critics!

Directors, producers, actors, and media film critics lock horns; such excitement happens from time to time and usually springs from interviews, comments on internet forums, and explodes into a spitball war. The most common sentiments are: “I have so many audiences supporting me, why should I care what a few hundred film critics say? Why should I please them?”, “Film critics are just full of hot air, they don’t understand anything! Can they make a film?”, “They’re just a bunch of mean, nasty people!”…

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Now, Best Director Wang Yang’s spearhead is aimed directly at all the critics who smashed “The Devil Wears Prada” with rotten tomatoes, believing they lack objectivity, fairness, and could be said to be picking at a flaw in the film criticism community; specifically, he targeted Jeffrey Westhoff of “The Northwest Herald,” ridiculing him as ludicrous.

“Ha ha! This guy has gone mad, the film criticism community should blast him to death!!” Maoni, Simpson, and others who wished for Wang Yang’s demise were very pleased. Admittedly, this was the first time Wang Yang had made critical comments about the film criticism community, though there had been no opportunity before. However, Simpson and the others were pleased too soon. This was just a personal vendetta, not a bombardment of the entire film criticism community, so the 40% of critics who praised “TDWP” would not speak out.

But the counterattack from the 60% of critics who were bombarded came immediately. There wasn’t as much space in the newspapers to respond so quickly, but now with the internet and blogs, several critics immediately ridiculed and harshly criticized Wang Yang on their personal websites and Blogger blogs; online media also followed up with reports.

“I saw a clumsy commercial hype.”

Well-known blog film critic Alan Dale spoke sarcastically. He was one of the critics specifically named by Wang Yang, insisting “TDWP” would have been better with a serious tone, and naturally, he would not be polite: “Seeing the once humble and sunny Best Director become a madman, I’m truly saddened. Vulgar and mercenary Hollywood has successfully transformed yet another talented individual. Why did Wang Yang make these statements? It’s his hype! He’s afraid for “TDWP”‘s continued box office revenue because ‘The Lord of the Rings 3’ will be released soon, and ‘TDWP”s box office prospects are not looking good.”

His retaliatory blog post argued that Hollywood’s promotional strategy is that a movie shouldn’t fear scandals or bad publicity; the fear is having no news, no attention! Now, Wang Yang, who fans believed had always treated promotion as a game and never engaged in hype, suddenly made bold statements, particularly those that influenced viewers with the mindset “go see the movie and judge for yourself”? Wang Yang is hyping because he knows “The Lord of the Rings 3” is about to be released, and “TDWP”‘s box office is in trouble.

“I bet Best Director is laughing his head off.”

Similarly, staunch Best Director supporter and well-known blog critic Clair joined the fray on Blogger, engaging in a fierce battle with the complimentariat: “This is called hype? Then you certainly haven’t experienced the ‘Paranormal Activity Incident’ of ’98, the high school musical craze of ’99, or heard ‘Juno said,’ or ‘No aliens allowed,’ let alone ‘TDWP”s ‘Prada’s global one-off limited edition handbag,’ ‘make-up tips’…”

Her writing was heavy with irony: “You must not have a girlfriend, which is why you’re unaware of its already famous status among female groups. Nearly every young woman has been eagerly anticipating its release; Wang Yang’s hype is truly overboard! Now he just says a few words, like he always does, and you all turn into madmen, how pitiful!”

Whether it’s hype or not, in an exclusive interview with “The Los Angeles Times,” Wang Yang did not show even a hint of fear. When asked, “You’ve won the weekend box office again, what do you think about ‘The Devil’s’ ticket sales?” he gave a very clear answer, “I’m confident about its box office! Those hoping to see my Waterloo will be disappointed. But more people will enjoy a joyous Christmas and New Year with it.”

“Wang Yang is just being stubborn out of disappointment,” said Jeffrey Westhoff of “The Northwest Herald,” also a Blogger user. He couldn’t care less about the chairman of Blogger, and would have loved for someone to violate the user agreement and “ban” his blog—that would be fun!

However, the facts proved otherwise; his retaliatory blog post that set a new high for single-post hits on his blog was still hanging high.

“Just as Andrea doesn’t realize her gradual mental transformation, Wang Yang doesn’t realize his own changes. He’s become an arrogant, ignorant, spoiled buffoon! In Best Director’s heart, all critics who don’t praise him lack objectivity. He refuses to accept the fact that he has produced a mediocre work. Is ‘TDWP’ a horse? Is it a giraffe? It’s a monster with the legs of a horse, the body of a zebra, and the head of a giraffe—that’s the most objective review,” said Jeffrey Westhoff, his tone impassioned.

“This kind of monster won’t be remembered or liked; it will only be thrown in the trash! It’s a pity for Meryl Streep’s magnificent performance. The self-important Wang Yang is still unaware of this, so he concocts news. But it’s too late! ‘TDWP’ will not become some miracle, and no amount of box office can fill its shallowness. Wang Yang, the bewildered child, needs to grow up, or even if ‘TDWP’ doesn’t win the youngest Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Director, ‘Firefly’ will accomplish this feat.”

“Without a doubt, ‘TDWP’ is a masterpiece.”

Christy Lemire, a woman film critic from “The New York Times” who highly admired “The Devil,” entered the dispute, posting a discussion article on her blog: “Sometimes harshness can blind many. People have been harsh to the 23-year-old Wang Yang, with no surprises… What counts as a surprise? People enjoy seeing novel and unique things, and in the past seven movies, Best Director has always brought these novelties. The relatively mild ‘The Pursuit of Happyness,’ thanks to his age of 20, became great.”

Her comment showcased the delicacy and rationality of a major newspaper’s female film critic: “However, once people became accustomed to these surprises, and after he won an Oscar, everything changed, becoming even stricter, demanding more surprises! The 23-year-old Best Director suddenly presents a gentle work, and thus perishes. Meryl Streep brings surprises, Jessica Alba brings surprises, Emily Blunt brings surprises… Does this really have nothing to do with Best Director? Is ‘TDWP’ really a mediocre work?”

“Not at all,” wrote Christy Lemire. “When I watched the movie, I didn’t think about who the director was or how it could have been shot better. I just allowed myself to become thoroughly engrossed, and then I saw superb acting; solid and profound, often sparkling camera language; a light-hearted and entertaining story; masterfully controlled pacing; sexy and beautiful imagery; witty, meaningful dialogue, and a delightful process with a thoroughly satisfying ending.”

“My eyes couldn’t leave the screen for a second. Is this mediocrity, is this lacking surprises?”

In conclusion, she wrote, “They just expected too much from Wang Yang to bring some exciting new gimmick, forgetting that light comedy is supposed to be this way, fashion has always been like this, and now a 23-year-old has executed them well, producing one of the best date movies, yet he faces many unreasonable criticisms. If you ask me ‘Are they being subjective?’ I think they are. But time will give ‘The Devil Wears Prada’ and Wang Yang the justice they deserve.”

“A toppling skyscraper?” Yahoo Entertainment released a feature story, questioning whether Wang Yang was truly as “bereft of talent, having become a vulgar and arrogant misguided youth” as film critics like Roger Ebert and Jeffrey Westhoff said, or if he still maintained a high standard as Christy Lemire and others claimed.

Yahoo presented an interesting counterpoint, suggesting that Wang Yang was facing the “Office Building Rule.” This principle was proposed by the British historian Cyril Northcote Parkinson, a law of management. The more perfect and luxurious the design and decoration of an organization’s office building, whether commercial or governmental, the closer that organization is to disbanding. Many examples of commercial entities transitioning from prosperity to decline have proven this law.

Parkinson’s scientific hypothesis is that during an organization’s growth phase, it tends to be tense and busy, with each member investing time, energy, and passion into their work. However, once some achievement is reached and the organization starts to build a building commensurate with its success, everyone’s time, energy, and enthusiasm shift towards superficial efforts: how the building should be designed, how the offices should be decorated… And a perfect building signifies a predetermined end, which means termination.

If the counterpoint holds, what caused ‘The Devil Wears Prada’ to show signs of weariness and Wang Yang to lose his talent?

He is the youngest billionaire, took home the youngest Best Director at the Oscars this year, is unbeatable in terms of total box office versus age, is about to marry his childhood sweetheart Jessica, one of the sexiest and most beautiful women in the world; and besides the big screen, he continues to create miracles on the small screen… With such success, he was satisfied.

“‘Firefly’ is likely the building that Wang Yang is constructing, his second sci-fi film, the largest investment, and an admiration from supporting actor Ellen Page like never before… It is the nightmare that Wang Yang is most likely to face,” she said.

Yahoo had no doubts about the box office power of ‘The Devil Wears Prada’ and noted, “Wang Yang’s Waterloo is not here.”

If the positive view holds and Wang Yang remains the prodigy, then there’s nothing much to discuss! The feature continued, “The film critics who are currently slamming Wang Yang should just wait for ‘Firefly’s’ revenge.”

Amidst the clamouring voices of debate, December 18th arrived quietly, the day when the 61st Golden Globe Awards nominations were announced.

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PS: Tomorrow is another new week; Woah, I seek recommendation tickets!! Thank you, everyone! (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to vote for recommendation tickets and monthly tickets at qidian.com, your support is my greatest motivation.)