American fame and fortune.

Chapter 901 No One Is Born a Clown
The preview of Joker just ended at the Burbank Theater.

Christopher Nolan rubbed his brow and turned to look at Martin, as if he was meeting him for the first time.

This film marketing guru who is particularly good at grasping the market said: "In the current social environment, this is a film that is very much in line with market demand. It will become a classic."

Facing Nolan, Martin said modestly: "I am also taking shortcuts."

"Commercial films are speculative in nature," Nolan said without hesitation. "And your choice is just right. Looking at the current social situation, how many people will resonate with your film?"

He paused for a moment and then said, "This one is darker and more realistic than The Dark Knight, and closer to people's lives. I am personally very optimistic about the film's market prospects."

Martin said, "Thank you, Chris."

Nolan and Emma Thomas then said goodbye and went to find people from Warner Bros.

Compared to Nolan, a true master of film marketing, Emma Thomas's market sense is a little worse, and she has some doubts: "The content of the film is so crazy and realistic, the audience..."

Nolan whispered as he walked, "An ordinary movie like this might get high ratings, but its market prospects are hard to say. But you overlooked the most important point, this is a Joker movie! The Joker in The Dark Knight completely overwhelmed Batman, and he has long been deified on the Internet and among movie fans!"

After being reminded of this, Emma Thomas reacted and said, "No wonder Martin dared to shoot like this, the Joker gave him the confidence."

“Not only that, this kind of filming also fits the Joker’s personality.” Nolan has never been far away from the first-tier film market, and he has a certain understanding of the psychology of most audiences: “Think about the ordinary people whose lives have become increasingly difficult in recent years, and then watch this movie. I think it will touch people’s hearts.”

Emma Thomas didn't quite understand and looked at her husband in confusion.

Nolan explained softly: "Why is the Joker's life stuck in a quagmire and difficult to extricate himself from? Why did he lose his job? Why did he go completely crazy? It's all the fault of the people around him, his colleagues, his boss, passers-by, the media, and politicians. It's the cruel social environment that pushes people to this point, not because he did anything wrong."

Emma Thomas thought back to the movie she had just watched and realized that this was indeed the case. She asked, "Will this cater to their psychology and win their approval?"

Nolan said: "It is a common psychology among people that when they encounter difficulties, they must think that the problem lies with others, especially in the current bad social environment, it must be a social problem."

Emma Thomas then asked: "Do you think Martin did this unconsciously or did he do it on purpose?"

Nolan asked back, "What do you think? Martin has worked with us many times and he has a strong grasp of the film market. Don't you know that?"

After the preview, the crew also held a reception party at the nearby Burbank Hotel.

This was a special preview for the industry, media and film critics. The film's serious theme and realistic plot received unanimous praise from both inside and outside the industry.

Charles Rowan came over and shook Martin's hand: "A true masterpiece."

He said seriously: "Based on my thirty years of experience as a producer, this will be a big hit."

"Thank you." Martin said politely.

Many people came to see Martin, including many front-line film workers. These people seemed to be optimistic about the market prospects of the film, and they all spoke very nicely.

It was true. Martin stood in the banquet hall and looked around, and saw good people everywhere.

People who please him.

Before long, Martin was approached by Kenneth Turan and Todd McCarthy, two old acquaintances in the film critic community.

The former opened his mouth with a burst of praise: "The film is extremely well made. Its artistry and thematic depth are unmatched by any film in recent years."

He breathed a sigh of relief: "Originally I was a little worried that you would be pressured by DC and turn the good subject of The Dark Knight into a flashy comic book movie."

Martin listened to these words and just kept smiling.

Todd McCarthy automatically answered: "It turns out that Kenneth's worries are unnecessary. Martin shot this film in a very realistic way, which truly reflects our current social problems. The film's artistic and social qualities have reached a certain level."

He took the initiative to apologize to Martin: "I must apologize to you for what I said before The Shallows was released. At that time, I said that you were not suitable to be a director. It was completely prejudiced. You did a good job in The Shallows, and this one is even better! Martin, you directed a masterpiece."

Martin shook his hand and said, "Those things are in the past. Let's move on."

Kenneth Turan and Todd McCarthy both laughed.

After the reception, Leonardo and Nicholson, who had been hiding from the public, got into Martin's car.

On the way back to Beverly Hills, Leonardo said: "I really doubt whether you have found someone else to replace you as the director."

Martin made no secret of the fact that "I actually dispersed the director's work among various departments. Hundreds of experienced personnel completed the preparation, shooting and production of this film, and what I did was just specific coordination and continuous writing of checks."

Leonardo disagrees: "With just these two points, there wouldn't be such a movie."

Nicholson said: "Martin brought the character of the Joker into social reality."

He looked at his best friend: "Your Joker has surpassed me in all aspects."

Martin was not polite at all: "My Joker has become a god, and that's why I dare to shoot and produce it this way."

Nicholson reminded, "This film is going to win an Oscar, right? You're directing and acting, so I'll give you a suggestion: it's best to only apply for one of the best actor and the best director nominations. Two nominations will seriously split the votes, and you'll win nothing."

Martin is not an idiot who knows nothing about the Oscars. He is also very clear about the consequences of splitting the votes. He said, "I will only apply for one of the best actor and the best director."

Leonardo reached out and grabbed Martin's shoulder and shook him: "You must apply for the Best Director. Apply for the Best Director!"

Martin chuckled: "I almost forgot, your movie The Revenant will be released in December, and you want to compete for the Best Actor award."

Leonardo took the initiative to say: "You give up the Best Actor, and I will give up the Best Director for The Revenant, which I invested in."

Martin stretched out his hand and shook it with Leonardo: "It's a deal!"

Leonardo is first the producer and investor of "The Revenant", and then the leading actor. He has the final say on the specifics of the project: "Okay, it's settled!"

Nicholson looked disdainful: "The Oscars are the ones that are causing all kinds of weird things to happen to you bastards."

Martin told the truth: "Given the current ecological environment in Hollywood, how can you win an award without causing trouble?"

Leonardo DiCaprio fully agrees: "Old bastard, stop playing innocent. You told me many years ago that it is daydreaming to win an award just by virtue of the film and the role."

Nicholson said: "I wish you all the best in winning an Oscar next year."

Martin and Leonardo were both laughing.

The two bastards have reached an agreement in private. With their status and position, they will naturally affect the results of next year's Oscars. The next day, "Joker" held two more previews. The audience was mainly theater managers from North America and around the world, as well as ordinary movie fans from the middle and lower classes of society.

After several previews, the film received very good word-of-mouth.

The media gave it rave reviews.

“Martin Davis has explored the theme of Joker very deeply, and provided a complex, cold and realistic ultimate answer!”

"Through this film, Martin reveals the cruel social reality: the world is always sinking, and the people at the bottom of society are always the ones who suffer the most!"

"Joker is Martin Davis' cinematic, political commentary on the brutalization of our society. It's a realistic work that will scare us to death. It absolutely is."

Kenneth Turan, the top film critic from the Los Angeles Times and president of the Los Angeles Film Critics Association, wrote in his column: "After watching Martin's new film, you will find that no one is born a clown!"

“The tyrannical madness derived from the darkness and depression of "Joker" is the deafening voice of Martin Davis. This is a masterpiece far beyond people's expectations. It is not only a movie that focuses on the bottom and belongs to the little people, but also a social fable of caution!”

This type of film, coupled with the seriousness of the content and the depth of the theme, is extremely appealing to film critics.

These were also recognized by ordinary movie fans and resonated with them.

When people, especially ordinary people, encounter problems, they first attribute them to environmental problems.

The Joker is a god they created, and his development in the film is consistent with their cognition.

Fans who watched the preview poured out their emotions crazily on the Internet.

“It’s dark, realistic, twisted and shocking. Martin is indeed a star and director who came out of the slums. He understands the current social situation and uses a movie to express the grief of the entire American people!”

"The plot rhythm is perfect, the connotation and tension are perfect, the artistic drama is perfect, and the character creation is perfect. It turns out that only Martin can bring a real Joker."

"How serious is the class stratification in this world? It has reached the point where any part of it can become the material for a good movie! Martin sees it clearly. When facing these people at the bottom of society, there are only a few choices: struggle, accuse, go crazy..."

Warner Bros. and the crew lifted the ban on the film’s reputation.

The Rotten Tomatoes freshness rating is as high as 98%!

MTC comprehensive score is 86 points!
With its high professional reputation and wildly spreading topics on the Internet, "Joker" has attracted a lot of attention since September.

In order to create momentum, Martin was so desperate that he even brought out the retired Nicholson to make a fuss.

As the previous movie clown, Nicholson said a classic statement in an interview: "Twenty-five years ago, to create a clown, you needed to push people into a chemical raw material pool. Twenty-five years later, you just need to push people into society..."

Nicholson's remarks were forwarded crazily on social media, and even topped the Instagram hot list in early October!
The overwhelming reputation of the preview, Martin's own appeal, and the comprehensive A+ rating from theater managers also made North American theater companies willingly mobilize large amounts of resources for the release of "Joker".

After obtaining statistics on the total number of theaters open, 4250, Warner Bros. Pictures worked hard to produce and transmit copies.

Digital copies are simple, convenient and confidential.

In addition, the film has also been working hard on publicity and marketing.

Martin's Joker poster appeared on the cover of Empire magazine.

As the top figure in the crew who shoulders both the director and the leading actor, Martin gave an exclusive interview to The Hollywood Reporter.

A large number of promotional soft articles have emerged crazily using the Internet as a platform.

"Joker is darker than The Dark Knight!"

"This movie definitely deserves another Oscar for Martin Davis!"

"Martin Scorsese said: Joker should be classified as a social reality movie, not a comic book movie."

Not only the media, but the FBI also joined in the fun, saying that they would fully cooperate with the "Joker" crew to ensure the safety of the film's premiere.

The shooting at the premiere of "The Dark Knight Rises" is still fresh in people's minds, and Martin is also worried about the emergence of extremists.

Today's social environment is worse than in previous years.

In order to ensure the safety of the premiere, the crew hired a professional security company to be responsible for the security of the premiere.

The FBI also sent several teams to assist throughout the process.

On the day of the premiere of "Joker", hundreds of security personnel were deployed at key locations around the Chief Rock Theater.

Even so, security remains an issue.

Because there were too many clowns at the scene, thousands of clowns blocked the road in front of the Chief Rock Theater.

The purple suit, the pale face, and the bloody mouth have become the most popular fashion look in Los Angeles today.

All the main creative staff of the crew were present at the premiere.

Many of Martin's friends and partners, such as Leonardo, Nicholson, Chuck, Menez, David Fincher and Nolan, all came to cheer him on.

Elizabeth Olsen, who has not appeared in public for a long time, also accompanied Martin on the red carpet for the premiere.

Most unexpectedly, Zack Snyder accepted Daniel's invitation and came to the theater with Deborah.

In addition, several actors from the "Justice League" crew also came.

On the contrary, none of the DC executives came.

"I proposed to make a Zack Snyder's director's cut after the film was released and put it on HBO, but DC refused." Zack Snyder was helpless and said, "In DC's eyes, I am now a superfluous person."

Nolan, who recommended and promoted Zack Snyder, consoled him: "Predecessors have always been enemies."

Martin said nothing.

From what he knows, it won't be long before Warner and DC release the Zack Snyder version.

Thousands of movie fans, hundreds of media reporters, and dozens of guests flocked into the screening hall to watch the premiere of "Joker".

(End of this chapter)