Perhaps it was due to the exhaustion from last night. After Murphy sat down across from Kara Faith, he ordered a large amount of meat. Plates of food were brought to the table, and he devoured them ravenously, leaving the two women staring in disbelief.
"Did you just escape from a famine in Africa?" Kara Faith asked teasingly.
"I barely ate dinner last night..." Murphy shrugged. "And I didn't have breakfast this morning. I'm starving."
Kara Faith turned to Gal Gadot. "What did you two do? Don't tell me you've been going wild since last night?"
Gal Gadot put down her glass of water and said openly, "We're not superheroes."
"How many times did you do it?" Kara Faith tilted her head, looking at Murphy first and then Gal Gadot, finally focusing on Gal Gadot's neck.
She had previously heard Gal Gadot mention that they often played some rather intense games.
Gal Gadot wore a high-necked short-sleeved shirt, not worried that Kara Faith would notice anything.
Although it was common for close friends to discuss private topics here, Murphy skillfully changed the subject.
"I checked a lot of online comments before coming."
Having almost finished eating, Murphy put down his knife and fork and said, "Overall, the feedback is very positive for us. We can increase our efforts in word-of-mouth marketing."
Kara Faith nodded lightly. "The reviews for 'Thor' are quite mediocre."
"Can we capitalize on that?"
Since it was Kara Faith, Murphy spoke very directly. "We can further emphasize the mediocre audience reviews of 'Thor' in the media and online. Its professional reviews are even worse. We can make more people aware of this, especially the general audience who aren't comic book fans."
Gal Gadot added, "This could influence the movie choices of the general audience."
"That's exactly what I mean." Kara Faith smiled. "For your film, word-of-mouth marketing is essential."
For word-of-mouth marketing to work, the quality of the film must be guaranteed; otherwise, it would have the opposite effect.
The verbal agreement between Kara Faith and Kevin Feige wasn't even mentioned by Murphy and Kara Faith. As long as it was profitable and wouldn't cross Disney's bottom line, who cared about a verbal agreement?
After lunch, Murphy, accompanied by Gal Gadot, attended some promotional events hosted by 20th Century Fox, while Kara Faith contacted a professional team to implement their planned strategy.
By mid-afternoon, negative comments about 'Thor' began to spread widely on the internet.
"'Thor' is undoubtedly the most disappointing blockbuster of the year!"
"Never before has a superhero movie started as poorly as 'Thor'!"
"From 'Thor,' you'll understand what a movie with no plot, no acting, and no thematic depth is!"
"Marvel's 'Thor' sets a new standard for terrible movies, even worse than 'Ghost Rider 2'!"
Such news and reviews spread like a virus across the internet.
If 'Thor' had solid quality with good audience and professional reviews, such rumors wouldn't have much negative impact on the film. In fact, it might spark discussions among the film's many supporters, increasing its visibility.
The problem was that the film's quality was indeed mediocre. Audience reviews were lukewarm, and even many comic book fans were dissatisfied. Very few fans were willing to stand up and defend it.
Due to Marvel's brand effect and the boost from the Avengers, 'Thor' would still have some market presence in the short term. However, if the general audience was influenced, its long-term performance would suffer.
The internet had already penetrated every corner of North America. Once negative news about 'Thor' spread online, many people were affected.
The bright moonlight shone down on the Santa Monica Commercial Plaza, seemingly outshining the streetlights. Alfred and Scully parked their car and entered the plaza without hesitation, heading straight to an Emperor chain cinema. As students with no classes the next day, they could fully enjoy their Friday night.
As young movie enthusiasts, Alfred and Scully had grown up in North America's strong movie-watching culture and had seen many films. However, just over twenty years old, they had grown tired of movies for children and wanted to see a true adult movie.
Their goal was clear for the summer release: the newly premiered blockbuster.
However, upon entering the cinema and seeing the two huge posters at the entrance, they hesitated.
On the left was the poster for 'Thor,' featuring Chris Hemsworth and Natalie Portman. The strong, handsome man and the smart, beautiful woman were very appealing.
On the right was the poster for 'Chaos City,' with Henry Cavill standing proudly in front of New York City, his strong muscles and battle scars stirring their hearts like a blonde beauty.
Standing in front of the posters, Alfred asked Scully, "Which one should we choose?"
Scully scratched his head. "Remember 'Iron Man' we watched a few years ago? Marvel's superhero movies are really charming, and the leading lady is Natalie Portman, one of my favorite actresses..."
"Yeah, Marvel's superhero movies are really fascinating." Alfred looked at Natalie Portman, the Oscar-winning actress seemed very attractive. "Let's go with 'Thor' then."
Just as he was about to head to the ticket window, Scully stopped him. "Wait!"
"What?" Alfred turned to look at Scully, puzzled. "What did we overlook?"
Scully walked over to the 'Chaos City' poster and pointed to a line they had missed. "This movie's director is Murphy Stanton! A director who has never made a bad movie!"
Alfred looked at where Scully was pointing. "Murphy Stanton, the director of 'Man of Steel'? The best young director in Hollywood since the new century?"
"Yes, exactly!"
Although Alfred and Scully were only fledgling movie fans, the famous name of Murphy Stanton had reached their ears through various channels, especially 'Man of Steel,' which was an absolute masterpiece!
"Let's check the online reviews."
Alfred suggested, and Scully took out his phone, checking social media and several movie rating sites. 'Thor' had heaps of negative reviews, while 'Chaos City' received rave reviews!
"Screw 'Thor'."
For once, the usually indecisive Scully made a firm decision. "Let's watch 'Chaos City.' This movie has great reviews online; it should be a good film. 'Thor' has too many negative reviews; even if it's not a bad movie, it's just mediocre."
Alfred had no objections. "Among the movies I've seen, I really liked Murphy Stanton's 'Man of Steel.'"
They bought tickets and entered the theater, finding that many people were there to watch 'Chaos City.' The theater, which could hold over 300 people, was at least half full. Since the movie hadn't started yet, Alfred took the opportunity to check the adjacent theater showing 'Thor.'
"There are quite a few people there too."
When he returned, he told Scully, "It's almost half full. I wonder if the movie is really as bad as they say."
Apparently, many viewers still chose 'Thor.'
A man nearby, about thirty years old, who probably overheard their conversation, suddenly said, "A friend of mine watched 'Thor.' He said most of the audience now are comic book fans."
"Is that so?"
Alfred and Scully nodded. "Have you seen 'Thor'?"
"No," the man shook his head. "There are too many negative reviews online. Whether it's the IMDb rating or the Rotten Tomatoes score, 'Thor' is terrible. Now, only comic book fans are watching it."
He pointed at the big screen. "This movie, on the other hand, is great. I watched the preview last night, and this is my second time watching it. It won't disappoint you!"
A second viewing? Hearing this, Alfred and Scully were reassured. They thanked the man and patiently waited for the movie to start.
Soon, the film proved the man's words. It was definitely worth the ticket price, especially the action design, which was eye-catching.
It wasn't the flashy fighting that had become tiresome in recent years, but rather a powerful, sharp combat style that felt more direct and lethal, giving a strong sense of realism.
And Chris Dane's cool motorcycle was a favorite for anyone who loved bikes.
By coincidence, as Alfred and Scully were leaving after the movie, they encountered the audience exiting 'Thor.' Just like many people were discussing 'Chaos City,' those from the 'Thor' screening were talking about it too.
The difference was that most comments about 'Chaos City' were praises, while discussions about 'Thor' were mostly criticisms.
"Only Marvel comic fans can watch it. Chris Hemsworth's expression was wooden throughout, and Natalie Portman's performance was awful..."
"The plot is dull, the war scenes aren't exciting at all."
"It has no plot. Watching it was exhausting; I kept wanting to fall asleep."
"The storyline is disjointed, character relationships are a mess, the scenes are lackluster, and the pacing is so slow it makes you sleepy. The only memorable thing is the soundtrack."
Hearing these comments, Alfred and Scully felt fortunate. Choosing not to watch 'Thor' was undoubtedly the right decision.
However, 'Thor' still had a fan and audience base. Throughout the day, it maintained a similar attendance rate to 'Chaos City.'
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