Made In Hollywood

"Summer blockbusters, not a moment of peace."

Putting down the newspaper in his hand, William Morris's agent, Martin Miller, looked at the long-faced man sitting across from him. "But for us, this is good news."

The long-faced man was the most promising director under his management. In Hollywood, he was nicknamed "Little Explosion Man" and "The Second Duke Rosenberg." His explosion scenes and fast-paced editing were highly refined, and he was already a well-known commercial film director.

"Take a look, Michael." He handed the newspaper to Michael Bay. "To become as outstanding as Duke Rosenberg, it's not enough just to make good movies."

"I understand."

At this stage, Michael Bay didn't have much influence. He nodded humbly and said, "Hollywood competition is everywhere!"

Saying this, he opened the newspaper and quickly found the news Martin Miller referred to as good.

"Gunfire off the Screen: The Matrix Violence Incident!"

Just the headline alone was striking and shocking enough. It was undoubtedly bad news for The Matrix.

"Since the start of the summer blockbuster season, The Matrix has become the first major hit, sparking a frenzy among teenage audiences. Media and viewers are all abuzz about the film's plot, setting, and visuals, but they are ignoring its excessively violent elements. Just last Sunday, a shooting incident occurred in San Francisco. Josh Cook, only 19 years old, bought a gun similar to the one used by Keanu Reeves' Neo in the movie and used it to kill his landlord and the landlord's wife."

"According to witnesses, Josh Cook believed he was living in the 'Matrix' and was convinced he was the chosen savior. He thought the landlord and his wife were agents sent by the 'Matrix' to persecute him and that he had to kill them to restore the real world…"

Michael Bay stopped reading further. The news seemed true, and the timing of its release was clearly aimed at countering the immense popularity of The Matrix.

"This is just one of the many newspapers covering this incident." Martin Miller pointed at a thick pile of newspapers in front of him. "They're all hyping this shooting. If I'm not mistaken, it's likely Sony Entertainment trying to suppress The Matrix."

"I think so too," Michael Bay nodded.

Knowing Martin Miller wouldn't bring this up without a reason, he frowned and asked, "Do you think we should get involved?"

"Michael, your new film Armageddon will be released the weekend before Memorial Day."

Pushing the newspaper aside, Martin Miller said slowly, "That's the second weekend for Godzilla and the third weekend for The Matrix!"

Competition is everywhere in Hollywood!

Having transitioned from advertising to Hollywood for several years now, Michael Bay deeply understood this point. "Warner Bros. won't just sit back. They'll likely have some explanation or countermeasures. What should we do? Target Godzilla?"

"No!" Martin Miller shook his head without hesitation. "Godzilla has Michael Ovitz backing it, but I don't think it'll achieve massive success. The Matrix is the real threat to Armageddon!"

Initially, Martin Miller thought Deep Impact would pose the greatest challenge to Armageddon. The two films were similar in theme, and if the former achieved great success, Armageddon would be seen as a copycat.

However, DreamWorks couldn't withstand the siege by the Big Six studios. Before Deep Impact could generate significant buzz, it was nearly overshadowed by the impact of The Matrix, leaving minimal influence on Armageddon.

From this perspective, Martin Miller felt they owed some gratitude to Duke's film. However, The Matrix's strong word-of-mouth and solid weekday box office performance posed a severe threat to Armageddon's release two weeks later, making them direct competitors.

When dealing with competitors, attacks are inevitable.

"Michael, have you seen yesterday's box office statistics from Monday?"

Seeing Michael Bay shake his head, Martin Miller said, "Deep Impact's daily box office has already dropped below $3 million! Meanwhile, thanks to its overwhelming word-of-mouth and an expanding number of screenings, The Matrix's Monday box office fell less than 10% compared to Sunday, earning $14.51 million!"

"This... this is impossible!" Michael Bay couldn't believe what he had just heard. "That's almost Titanic-like performance!"

Martin Miller raised his voice. "It won't become another Titanic, but it's a bigger threat to us than Godzilla."

"What can I do?" Michael Bay asked.

"Join me in pressuring Touchstone Pictures, the production and distribution arm for Armageddon, under Walt Disney!" Martin Miller had clearly thought this through. "Let Disney join the effort to suppress The Matrix."

With a production cost of $140 million, Armageddon was produced by Disney's Touchstone Pictures and distributed by its Buena Vista Pictures division.

With such a huge investment involved, how could Disney-affiliated media stand by and do nothing?

After Michael Bay left, Martin Miller made a call to Walt Disney's management. The two sides quickly reached a consensus.

When certain corporate forces want to push an already sensational incident, related news will spread across North America and the entire Western world at lightning speed. The popularity of The Matrix in North America wasn't just affecting the domestic market; the competition extended to a much broader overseas market.

"When crazy directors do terrible things, we need to reflect on the kind of messages we're conveying. Some films' violence and fantasy have led to this tragedy. Hollywood filmmakers must be more responsible. The Matrix bears undeniable blame for this social violence. When cinematic violence translates into real-life behavior, should films be held accountable?"

Not only were print media outlets reporting on the shooting incident, but Duke also saw related reports during ABC's primetime segment. Although the reports didn't name The Matrix outright, their implications were clear, and there was no doubt about the subject.

In the favorable situation where The Matrix grossed $14.51 million on Monday and $12.78 million on Tuesday, bringing its North American total to $81.47 million, the reports about the shooting undoubtedly cast a shadow over its future prospects.

Having lived on this land for so long, Duke knew all too well that sensationalism was not exclusive to any one country. North American media were just as adept at it.

Rubbing his still-reddish nose, Duke looked out at the dark night sky through the floor-to-ceiling window. His gaze shifted to Panny Kallis, Nancy Josephson, and Jamie Johnson, who had finished their discussion.

The trio had already wrapped up their plans.

In fact, from the moment the newspapers started widely reporting the incident yesterday, Duke and Warner Bros. had launched their crisis PR efforts. However, uncovering the truth, investigating the shooter's background, and devising effective countermeasures took time.

The only department to respond quickly was Panny Kallis's online PR team. They spread targeted promotional material on the internet, encouraging The Matrix fans to defend the movie online.

Even so, traditional media still held an overwhelming advantage.

"Duke, leave the PR to us."

Nancy Josephson said, "Combining your input with the shooter's background, we've developed a comprehensive strategy to redirect public attention toward family issues."

"I've always had faith in you."

Before he could finish speaking, Duke started coughing. Tina Fey quickly brought him a glass of water and handed it over, saying, "Your top priority right now is to recover."

Duke nodded. In such matters, he could at most offer suggestions. The actual execution was best left to professionals.

A common cold was a minor illness, but recovering from it could be a hassle. After Nancy Josephson and the others left, Duke took his medication, instructed Tina Fey to monitor the situation, and went upstairs to rest. Regaining his health was more important than anything else.

In fact, PR wasn't complicated. Just like how John Hinckley Jr. was influenced by Taxi Driver to assassinate Reagan back in the day, tragedies like this are rarely caused by a single factor.

The next morning, NBC's Today Show featured an in-depth analysis of the incident.

A well-known American mental health expert discussed Josh Cook's mental health issues based on his psychological records.

"The shooting by Josh Cook cannot simply be blamed on any one factor. This tragedy is largely related to the suspect's unhealthy personality. Any incident he encountered could have become the trigger for his emotions. He couldn't distinguish between the virtual and real worlds. Based on the information we've obtained, Josh Cook suffered from severe depression and mental illness…"

Meanwhile, The New York Times and Los Angeles Times focused on Josh Cook's family background and some incidents during his tenancy.

"Josh Cook, a mixed-race individual of Asian and Latino descent, grew up in a broken family. He was fostered in multiple households, where he experienced some level of abuse. Later, he found a job and rented a place in San Francisco, where he was often mocked by his landlords… This again highlights the harm of broken families on minors. Josh Cook was merely a victim of family dysfunction…"

Warner-affiliated and sympathetic media used various angles to divert attention from the shooting's cause, much like how the opposing side exploited Josh Cook's belief that he lived in the Matrix. Both narratives were based on fact.

Discussions about cinematic violence were not new in North America, and Warner's crisis PR efforts gained considerable approval.

Even so, it was impossible for such an incident not to have a negative impact on the film. The most direct manifestation was its box office performance.

(The shooting incident is based on a real event, although it occurred after the release of the second film.)