Chapter 722: The Sorrow of an Era

Cannes screened the standard 2D version. During the opening premiere, the audience broke into collective applause three times: at the end of the first action sequence, at the climax of the pole-vaulting stunt, and when the film concluded. There were also six to eight instances of sporadic applause, including a final collective ovation from the remaining audience members after all the credits had rolled.

It was safe to say the overall viewing atmosphere was as explosive as the film's title.

The European and American film media had seemingly been conquered by Duke's masterpiece. "Action scenes that will go down in cinematic history," "extravagantly unbridled imagination," "astonishing expressiveness"... they spared no words of praise, offering a tidal wave of glowing reviews.

In a suite at another hotel not far from Natalie Portman's, Duke sat on the balcony gazing out at the nearby sea. Tina Fey walked in carrying a pot of black tea. She poured a cup for him first before sitting down in the wicker chair to his left.

"You're back early," Duke said, withdrawing his gaze and looking over at Tina Fey. "Good news?"

Tina Fey had just gone to take a call. She smiled and nodded. "Jamie Jensen called. Warner Brothers has tallied reviews from 36 mainstream European and American media outlets. They're almost universally positive, with an average score of 97!"

"97..."

Even Duke was slightly moved. Although media reviews didn't always align with audience reception, no one could deny that the press inevitably influenced the public.

He thought it over and asked, "I don't think any of my films have ever received a media score this high before, have they?"

"Hmm..." Tina Fey picked up her teacup. "This is indeed a first," she said before taking a sip.

"I wonder how much of this high media score," Duke said, slowly tapping the armrest of his chair, "will translate into actual box office returns once the film officially releases!"

To him, a perfect score of 100 from the media would be utterly worthless if it couldn't attract a massive audience.

There was no shortage of highly rated films in the past that audiences refused to buy into. In fact, there were quite a few.

Tina Fey set her teacup down and said, "Our people have already gone to the two theaters holding preview screenings of Fury Road to conduct surveys."

Fury Road would continue to screen throughout the Cannes Film Festival, but the number of showings was extremely limited. Aside from the opening premiere, there were only six screenings scheduled over the next ten days.

Not far from Duke's hotel, an open-air cafe on the Coastal Road was packed with people. It was filled with tourists and cinephiles from all over the world who would watch a massive number of films during the festival. However, there were simply too many movies being shown; even if they went without sleep, it would be impossible to see them all.

As a result, high-traffic venues like bars and cafes became excellent hubs for exchanging information. Before choosing a movie, many experienced film buffs would flock to these places to hear others' opinions. It was a way to sift through the mixed bag of screenings and find the absolute best.

Mike Banning sat alone in the open-air cafe, his ears pricked to catch the conversations around him. He was British, and he had traveled to Cannes at this time of year for only one purpose: to attend the Cannes Film Festival and watch the best movies.

He had arrived in Cannes early that morning, and had watched a film called Flight of the Red Balloon before noon, which left him incredibly frustrated. The director was the worst part. It was bad enough that the movie was awful, but the director had the nerve to arrogantly claim, "A director's creation does not need an audience." Mike was so angry he wanted to spit in the guy's face. If he didn't need an audience, he should just hide at home and admire his work by himself. Why bother participating in a public film festival?

Pretentious!

That was the most fitting adjective Mike Banning could think of.

The open-air cafe continued to fill up, and several other people soon took seats at Mike Banning's table.

They were clearly together and seemed to be discussing a film. Their accents sounded Australian. Since they were speaking English, Mike Banning could understand them perfectly.

"Hewitt..." one of the slightly older men said, "don't you know some people on the organizing committee? Can you get us tickets?"

"He can't guarantee anything," the young man named Hewitt said, shaking his head. "Phillips, you saw it yourself. There are way too many people trying to watch this movie."

"Yeah, too many!"

Another man in his thirties chimed in, holding his coffee cup. "We went to line up right after lunch. Who would've thought there'd be over 2,000 people in the queue? And the screening room wasn't even Lumiere Hall. We really should've lined up right after breakfast!"

The oldest of the group, Phillips, patted his shoulder and consoled him. "Fortunately, we already saw the movie yesterday. It's a shame we couldn't see it again today, but compared to the people who haven't seen it at all, we're still quite lucky."

"Exactly!"

After agreeing, Hewitt seemed to recall the film again. He spoke with palpable excitement, "That scalpel-like precision in the narrative pacing, the extremely concise and punchy dialogue, and the insanely creative action and chase designs! The characterization and expressiveness were jaw-dropping. You can hardly find a single flaw. And the way the director utilized those two eye-candy leads was completely masterful!"

The man in his thirties set down his coffee cup and said loudly, "The director's talent is absolutely astounding. That unimaginably brilliant action choreography makes every other action movie look like absolute trash by comparison."

"All those superheroes and street-racing thieves—compared to this movie," Phillips said with slight exaggeration, "they're basically just kids playing house."

Hearing all this, Mike Banning finally couldn't help himself. "Excuse me..."

The three of them looked over, and he quickly asked, "Could I ask what movie you're talking about?"

"You don't know?"

"You haven't seen it?"

"Everyone in Cannes is talking about this movie right now, and you actually don't know?"

Faced with their rapid-fire questions, Mike Banning scratched his head in embarrassment. "I only arrived in Cannes today..."

Before he could even finish, the youngest of the group, Hewitt, interjected, "We're talking about the opening film of this year's festival, Duke Rosenberg's Fury Road!"

"Fury Road?" Mike Banning silently committed the name to memory before asking, "Is it really that good?"

Before the trio could answer, a young man at a neighboring table spoke up. "Haven't you read the major media outlets today? Almost all of them gave Duke's new film a score of 100!"

The girl sitting across from him chimed in. "If you don't know what a movie that drives people crazy looks like, you'll know once you watch Fury Road."

"Exactly!"

"That's right!"

It seemed many people had overheard the discussion about the film, as numerous voices chiming in agreement began to echo throughout the open-air cafe.

One person even stood up and declared loudly, "This is the sorrow of our era. Because from now on, there will only be two categories of action movies: Fury Road, and all the rest!"

Mike Banning now knew exactly what movie he needed to watch next.

After asking a few more questions, Mike Banning left the open-air cafe and headed straight for the theater screening Fury Road that evening. Even though it was still over three hours before the showtime, he had learned from his tablemates that if he wanted to see this movie, he had to line up early.

"The latest news."

Dressed in casual wear, Tina Fey walked up behind Duke. She looked him over and pointed out, "That shirt is a little short."

It was a casual shirt Duke had just had someone bring over. He glanced in the mirror and saw that it was indeed a bit short. He took it off, changed into a white one, grabbed his sunglasses, and put them on.

"Let's go," he said to Tina Fey.

The two left the room.

"Over 2,000 audience members lined up for the noon screening of Fury Road," Tina Fey said as they walked. "In the end, only a third of them made it inside. The organizing committee is suggesting we add more screenings."

Duke frowned slightly and pondered the matter. It wasn't until they left the hotel that he finally spoke.

"Maintain the current screening scale," he said. "Have Warner's media outlets increase their on-site coverage."

Duke waited for Tina Fey to finish her phone call before continuing down the Coastal Road. The wide, clean seaside avenue was flanked by a sandy beach and bay on one side, and elegant hotels on the other. The hotel architecture ranged from historical complexes from the last century to highly modern buildings. In the median strip running down the center of the street, flowers bloomed year-round, while the vibrant palm trees basking in the sunlight added an extra element of allure to the small city.

During the annual Cannes Film Festival, the Coastal Road was a true gathering place for celebrities, and naturally, the paparazzi were never far behind.

As soon as Duke stepped out of the hotel, reporters began to follow him. However, his four bodyguards formed a subtle perimeter around him and Tina Fey. The reporters were allowed to take pictures, but the moment they got too close, the bodyguards would intercept them.

On this particular street, there was often a tacit understanding between celebrities and reporters. The latter wouldn't intrude too aggressively, and the former wouldn't stop them from taking photos.

Besides, Duke had come out precisely to increase his own exposure and help promote the film.

Tina Fey, who had fallen slightly behind Duke, made another phone call before hurrying her pace to catch up.

"News from Jamie Jensen..." she murmured quietly at Duke's side. "Isabelle Huppert has a very favorable impression of our film."

Duke nodded but didn't say anything. Sometimes, he couldn't help but admire the vast networks of connections that the major Hollywood studios possessed, as well as the thoroughness of their planning. Fury Road was a prime example.

Warner Brothers' proposal for Fury Road to participate in the Cannes Film Festival wasn't a sudden whim at all. They were fully capitalizing on the current landscape. One only had to look at the film's script to see its extraordinary female characters. On top of that, the jury president for this year's Cannes Film Festival was a renowned feminist, which meant the film's chances of winning an award had increased exponentially...

"I'm so sorry to bother you..."

Just ahead and to the side, the bodyguards had intercepted an Asian actress. Her voice pitched a little high as she spoke in English, carrying just enough for Duke to hear.

"I'm a fan of Director Rosenberg. I just want an autograph."