Hollywood Immortal

[Chapter 392: Fastest to Hit $100 Million]

When waves of attacks from film critics kept pouring in -- expanding blatantly to target director Michael Bay and star Linton Anderson -- neither man stayed silent for long.

On the Monday night of July 7th, Michael Bay finally broke his silence.

Originally, under Linton's plan, Michael Bay had stayed back in Los Angeles instead of joining the promotional tour, intending to let the media and critics clash with each other and boost Independence Day's buzz.

But despite his reputation as "Explosive Bay," Michael was actually a director with artistic ambitions who dreamed of one day winning an Oscar statuette. He had been cautious not to offend critics too much and had kept quiet.

However, as the critics' attacks became increasingly absurd, Michael -- known for his fiery temper -- and buoyed by the movie's record-shattering box office, finally snapped. He agreed to a joint interview broadcast simultaneously on UPN and MCA networks.

"Why are critics so fiercely attacking Independence Day and me personally?" Michael asked. "I think there's a fact that audiences have been overlooking. Up to now, the combined score from professional critics stands at a meager 2.5 out of 10, but a third-party polling company surveyed 100,000 moviegoers right in theaters -- and their approval rating hits a whopping 91%.

Massive numbers of viewers have ignored the unethical attacks and character assassinations from critics and flocked to theaters to see Independence Day. And they've given it high scores. The critics are losing it because the audience isn't buying their negativity.

When I was working as an assistant director on my first film during the production of Speed, my mentor and director, Linton Anderson, taught me one vital lesson: the core of a commercial movie is the audience.

That's a lesson I've taken to heart as my number one principle of filmmaking. Independence Day was made with the audience's viewing experience as its central focus. So, seeing 100,000 surveyed moviegoers consistently giving the film top grades convinced me my movie succeeded.

What makes a good movie? The standards for judging film quality and success ought to be diverse. But ultimately, a movie that the audience loves -- that's what I call a good film. It shouldn't just be up to critics to decide."

The live broadcast drew cheers from viewers.

"Remember how critics trashed Star Wars back in the day? It was the same barrage of insults and vicious attacks on director George Lucas. And look what happened -- Star Wars became a cultural icon in America.

Independence Day will follow in the footsteps of Star Wars and its predecessors. It won't fall to critics' attacks. The groundbreaking first weekend box office and overwhelmingly positive word-of-mouth from audiences already prove this. To all the fans out there, what I want to say is this: nowadays, the opinions of that tiny band of critics don't matter to the film industry or moviegoers.

Today's critics have gotten worse and worse. Beyond attacks, insults, and slanders, they can't write any truly insightful reviews. Their venomous, sensational prose is meant solely to grab readers' attention. Most of them just jump on bandwagons, and here's their flawed logic: any commercial film gets a bad review, and if a film is popular with audiences, they mark it low to stand out.

Do they really have any professional insight? Even when a film clearly has flaws, their explanations and analyses make you shake your head.

I think they deliberately distance themselves from the public to seem superior. They refuse to use professional skill and objectivity to analyze why a film is successful or what attracts viewers. They've set themselves against the audience.

I think it's time to break free from the blind faith in critics. When deciding whether to see a movie, audiences should rely more on fellow viewers' opinions.

Finally, what kind of movie is Independence Day? Critics hate it, slam it mercilessly, and give it terrible scores. But audiences love it, cherish it, praise it as the best movie of the summer, and even get into heated arguments with critics over it.

I encourage everyone to just go to the theaters, experience it yourself, and make your own judgment. I'm sure you'll find your own answer."

---

Michael Bay's televised rebuttal resonated with many, especially his statement that "the core of commercial film is the audience," which struck a chord with viewers and fueled Independence Day's momentum even more.

The North American market had never seen a phenomenon quite like Independence Day -- abysmally low critics' scores, sky-high audience praise, and record-breaking box office combined into a fascinating cultural moment and the hottest topic around.

This sharp contrast and heated debates, stirred up by the media, actually attracted more viewers to theaters to see what on earth this controversial film was all about.

According to polling data, over 20% of the surveyed audience had no plans to see Independence Day until the public feud aroused their curiosity and lured them into theaters.

The publicity campaign perfectly achieved Linton's intended effect.

In fact, the critics' vicious attacks and smear campaign, managed correctly by Universal and Linton's teams, became an unwitting ally in driving Independence Day's blockbuster success.

As for the proof, the box office numbers spoke volumes.

On Monday, July 7th, with the Independence Day holiday over, every film's box office saw a decline, including Independence Day's, which dropped to $13.11 million in daily gross -- a very healthy less than 40% drop.

Tuesday continued with another $13.29 million.

In just five days, Independence Day raked in a total of $104.46 million in North America, breaking the $100 million mark faster than any film in history.

Besides Universal and Linton's companies, theater chains were among the biggest winners. For them, a good movie is one that attracts audiences and sells tickets.

Currently, Independence Day's screening count expanded to 3,800 screens nationwide -- accounting for 43%.

Furthermore, despite five new movies opening that weekend -- including Paramount's big-budget Congo -- major theater chains promised not to cut Independence Day's screen count.

Other films struggled. Disney's Pocahontas barely held on to 800 screens, while Congo managed only 2,400 screens on opening.

That's how the movie market works: the winner takes all -- especially when there's a phenomenon-level hit. What follows is a trail of casualties for the competition.

*****

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