America Tycoon: The Wolf of Showbiz

As the movie was broadly released, the spinning top in the ending inevitably became the focal point of discussion among movie-goers, with various theories about whether Cobb had returned to reality proliferating online.

Martin and Nolan, during filming, had particularly highlighted this segment.

The latter was well prepared, allowing the publicity department to guide the conversation subtly, which sparked widespread discussion.

"The main character definitely returned to reality, because his father-in-law only appears in reality."

"He didn't return to reality; his children never turn around to show their faces."

"You're wrong, upstairs. The main character did return to reality. If you observe closely, you'll notice that Martin's character wears a wedding ring in the dream sequences, but not in the scenes set in reality."

"Third floor has keen observation; I'm going to watch it again!"

"Rewatch +1!"

"I'm going to see it one more time, too!"

As a result, many movie-goers chose to buy tickets again to verify the new theories.

Gradually, even more theories emerged, some of which exceeded the expectations of Martin and Nolan.

"The so-called dream heists and inception are all baseless. I reckon the film's true content is about the main character having a dream in first class, with the characters in the dream being him and the fellow passengers. That's why they look at each other when they get off the plane."

Believe it or not, this viewpoint even gained some support.

No matter the opinion, Martin and the publicity team for the film were fanning the flames behind the scenes, encouraging the debate to become even hotter.

For commercial benefits, they created an open-ended conclusion. Audiences kept publishing various theories regarding the ending, and to support their views or disprove opposing ones, they bought tickets to the cinema again, watching from beginning to end with wide-open eyes.

Movies, as a medium, are like reading comprehension exercises for students. When placed before the public, they often exceed the creator's original intent.

Even the creators themselves may not be able to clarify, and could be given zero marks.

Often, the more the audience watches, the more interpretations they have for every part of the movie. As the discussion deepens, the fervor just can't be stopped.

North American media was also swept up in the debate, and more controversial topics are always welcomed by the media. The ending of "Inception" became a hot topic of public interest.

In the press releases from the film crew, a bunch of reporters blocked Nolan, inquiring about the details of the ending.

Nolan, with an innocent face, said, "I don't know either."

The reporters were not satisfied, and one shouted, "You are the director, how can you possibly not know?"

"Because the ending was not my design!" Nolan, having attended the Face Gang gatherings several times, had thoroughly learned to be shameless. To avoid being besieged, he brushed responsibility off completely.

He continued, "The ending was Martin's idea, I liked it and used it, so for specifics, you should ask Martin."

Meanwhile, Martin was leisurely chatting with Ellen Page about the art of seduction from different perspectives. Reporters suddenly rushed towards him, leaving Nolan behind.

Ellen Page curiously asked, "Who did you sleep with last night? The entertainment reporters are going berserk."

Martin was also surprised, "I slept alone at home last night."

Ellen Page backed away, saying, "You take the front; I'm going to get reinforcements."

Having said that, she ran away without any loyalty.

Martin stood fearless, straightening his clothes as reporters surrounded him.

Several security personnel, including Bruce, stood firm against the pressure.

The one leading the charge turned out to be a female reporter with disheveled hair and messy clothes, which didn't prevent her from asking, "Martin, did Cobb return to reality?"

Martin wanted to avoid this kind of trouble and said, "You'll have to ask the director about that."

Another reporter said, "Director Nolan says the idea for the movie's ending came from you, and he just followed your suggestion to shoot it."

Martin couldn't hide his astonishment and then realized that he was one step behind, having been sold out by Nolan.

This British director was even less loyal than Ellen Page!

Now the trouble had landed on Martin, but for the sake of the box office, he couldn't possibly answer honestly. Besides, who knows what Nolan truly thought about the ending?

Martin paused briefly before saying, "There are a thousand Hamlets in a thousand people's eyes. My intention was for movie-goers to witness an open-ended conclusion so they could imagine the ending they wanted..."

He threw the ball back, "I just provided an idea. How the film turned out is up to the director and the producer to consider. I'm just the lead actor; I don't have that kind of authority."

The female reporter refused to let Martin off the hook and said loudly, "But you're not just any actor—you're a member of the Twenty Million Club and you also served as a producer on set; you must know the ending!"
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Martin dodged the question, "When I was filming this movie, I wasn't a member of the Twenty Million Club yet."

In short, he wouldn't spill the beans no matter what.

The wave of interpretations sparked by "Inception" kept the box office soaring, with the movie theaters maintaining a high occupancy rate.

After its first weekend, the film grossed $75.68 million in nearly 4,000 theaters across North America and sat unquestionably atop the box office throne.

The same weekend, "The Last Airbender" opened with just $36.67 million.

For Knight Shyamalan's new film to break even, it could only rely on the extended lifespan of offline channels.

The theatrical goal of Warner Bros. was to recoup costs through box office as much as possible and rely on offline channels for profit.

"Looking at it now, our forecasts were somewhat conservative,"

On Monday, during a small meeting of Warner Bros. executives, Daniel said, "As long as we maintain a healthy box office trend, we can achieve profitability through box office alone."

Kevin Tsujihara was reviewing the specific data report for "Inception" and said, "Director Nolan is good, he's got substance."

Jon Berg said, "Given the success of this film, he's asking for more power in 'The Dark Knight Rises'."

After some consideration, Kevin Tsujihara said, "We can give it to him, but the final editing rights still belong to Warner Bros."

Hamada had not said anything the whole time because the film being discussed had nothing to do with him.

At this moment, Daniel spoke up, "The theater companies did some sample surveys, and over one-third of the audience on opening weekend were members of the Cola Cult."

Seated in the position of a Warner executive, drawing a salary, bonus, and dividends provided by Warner Bros., naturally, he was responsible for Warner's performance and reminded everyone, "Martin Davis has a strong market appeal."

Jon Berg chimed in, "Nolan is the lead in this film."

Kevin Tsujihara did not speak for the time being.

Daniel added, "Continuing to work with Martin is of no harm to us."

"You're right, I too would like to continue working with Martin Davis," asserted Kevin Tsujihara once more, "But any collaboration must be led by Warner Bros. Either he accepts the terms of Warner Bros., or he gets bought out by us!"

Daniel sighed inwardly and said no more.

They continued the discussion about film projects.

Jon Berg covered the latest situation; Warner Bros. was planning to adapt a fairytale fantasy movie from "Jack and the Beanstalk" and "Jack the Giant Slayer" with the same title as the latter, having been greenlit by the Warner Bros. review committee with a production budget of $160 million.

The director was confirmed as Bryan Singer, who had directed the "X-Men" series, "Superman Returns," and "The Wolverine."

Additionally, having spent a substantial sum on acquiring the rights for the novel "Dark Places," Gillian Flynn was nearing the end of writing, and the project also received the green light. Due to plans to invite A-list actors and directors to join, the production budget could go up to $80 million.

For the novel's publishing and release, Warner Bros. had also communicated with Random House, waiting for Martin's "Gone Girl" to be released.

Daniel made a last effort to retain Martin's film, but it still ended in failure.

......

At the Warner Bros. Studios, the "Gods of Egypt" studio was officially established.

In the director's office, Ridley Scott was reading the newspaper, the latest issue of "Hollywood Reporter."

On the front-page headline, Martin and Nolan stood side by side, both looking into the distance.

"The cooperation of titans forged a sci-fi classic— 'Inception,' with the best director, the best actor, the best story, comes this best dream," it read.

Ridley looked up, gazing at his agent on the other side, and asked, "Ali, if Martin had been chosen for 'Robin Hood,' could the outcome have been different?"

"Why would you think that?" Ari Emanuel naturally had to defend his company's top star client and reiterated, "Martin wasn't available at that time."

Ridley nodded slightly, "I know, I know."

Ali said, "Everyone makes mistakes from time to time. 'Robin Hood' is in the past now." Speaking in front of his director client, he would always say something that leaned towards the director's perspective, "The success or failure of a film is influenced by many factors, and the director's control over the film is much more important than the actors' performances.

The success of 'Inception' largely depends on Director Nolan."

In another setting, his narrative would have been completely different.

However, Ridley responded, "But selection and vision are key. Martin chose Nolan's project and not 'Robin Hood,' and then he succeeded, whereas 'Robin Hood' failed at the box office."

Ali couldn't deny this point, saying, "Indeed, sometimes choices and opportunities are more important than abilities. Martin always chooses the right projects at the right time."

Ridley asked, "What are Martin's criteria for choosing scripts and projects?"

"I'm not sure," Ali recalled carefully, not remembering anything particularly special, and said, "He probably has his own standards, but no one else is quite clear on them."

Ridley followed up with another question, "The night of the premiere, you told me that Martin wanted to work with me?"

Ali responded, "You don't have the availability right now; Martin's stance is to wait until you finish this project."

"The preparations here are basically ready; I now have some time," Ridley thought for a moment and then said, "I want to meet him as soon as possible, to have a chat, especially about his new project."

Unable to refuse, Ali took out his phone, called Martin, and discussed the specifics; Martin agreed to meet.

They scheduled to meet tomorrow at WMA.