The direct confrontation between "The Matrix" and "300" definitely did not hurt Warner Bros. and Page Pictures the most; it was precisely the other films released at the same time.
Shay, the head of New Line Cinema, said, "When gods fight, it's a real pain in the ass."
This was absolutely not an exaggeration.
New Line Cinema's new film, "Dragonfly," was released on April 6th, the same day as "300." Facing the aggressive promotional campaigns of Warner Bros. and Page Pictures, how much attention do you think New Line Cinema's "Dragonfly" still received?
Unless, Shay was also willing to invest heavily in promotion!
However, it was clear that Shay was unwilling to spend that much money, or rather, would only spend very little.
Touchstone Pictures and Lionsgate, two second-tier Hollywood film companies, each had new films scheduled for release on April 6th and April 10th, respectively.
But, considering the current situation, the executives of both film companies were quite depressed.
Touchstone Pictures: "We originally wanted to make a fortune, but now it seems like not losing money would be a good outcome."
Lionsgate: "Lionsgate is still okay. The film we bought from the Berlin Film Festival cost us $800,000. Even if Warner and Page make a huge fuss, we'll still make a profit, but... the revenue will definitely be much less than planned. Damn it!"
Even these two second-tier film companies, Touchstone and Lionsgate, were in such a state.
Those third and fourth-tier Hollywood film companies, whose films were released, were clearly becoming cannon fodder, and they were all gnashing their teeth in anger.
They had no power to resist whatsoever.
Hollywood, after all, is a place where the strong get stronger and the winner takes all!
Television, radio, newspapers, portals, instant messaging software, offline media... all became battlegrounds for Warner Bros. and Page Pictures.
The effect was good, but the money spent was also substantial.
Before "300" was even released, nearly ten million dollars had already been spent on promotional funds!
"Don't worry about the money!"
Kyle said loudly, "In Hollywood, even if you make a good film, but you don't have money to promote it, simply hoping for a comeback through word-of-mouth is pure wishful thinking. Money is meant to be spent!"
"Yes, boss."
Alexander looked strangely at his boss's contorted face, thinking, "He says it nicely, but he's probably suffering from the heartache."
Alas~
He guessed correctly!
Kyle was indeed very pained!
If Warner Bros. hadn't been involved, the promotional budget for "300" would have been around $30 million; however, now, if you don't shell out $50 million, you can forget about achieving high box office numbers under Warner's suppression.
At the same time, the big-name Hollywood stars who made guest appearances in "300" also lent their support to the promotion.
Matt Damon: "Very good, an excellent film!"
Johnny Depp, facing the interview camera, smiled alluringly and said, "That's right, I appeared in the '300' movie, and I played a very cool villain."
Joaquin Phoenix was also very interesting.
Recently, Joaquin had become very popular. After all, his starring role in "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" had raked in $200 million at the North American box office in one fell swoop. With his impressive acting skills, he finally received accolades and was praised by many as a leading young actor of Hollywood's new generation.
Currently, there were countless films inviting Joaquin to be the male lead!
Any offer below $5 million in salary had no chance of getting him.
"Interesting?"
"Of course it's interesting!"
"As everyone knows, I have a very good relationship with Page Pictures, and even Mr. Kyle Page and I have known each other for a long time. I have participated in the filming of many Page Pictures films, and '300' is no exception. If you ask me what kind of film '300' is, then I can only tell you that it is a film about passion, honor, courage, and fearlessness!"
Facing the reporter's interview, Joaquin Phoenix spoke eloquently, showing great star quality.
Of course, the most attention-grabbing person in the entire crew was always—Keanu Reeves!
If you were to ask who the hottest male actor in Hollywood was at this stage, you might say Tom Hanks, Tom Cruise, Will Smith... well, you would name many male actors.
However, if you were to ask who the hottest male actor this week was, then it would undoubtedly be Keanu!
Keanu, who played Neo, the male protagonist of "The Matrix," became famous across America with his cool look, a long black trench coat and black sunglasses!
The interesting thing was that he also appeared in the film "300"!
The vigorous promotion by Warner Bros. and Page Pictures made Keanu the most popular heartthrob this week!
"Wow, Neo actually appeared in the '300' movie again?"
"'The Matrix' wasn't enough, so I can just watch Keanu's performance in '300'."
"I'm watching the '300' movie for no other reason than for Keanu."
...Some moviegoers' comments on the official website made Warner Bros. quite envious.
What the hell?
"Damn it! We're promoting Keanu Reeves to better promote 'The Matrix,' so why is Page Pictures also benefiting?" A Warner Bros. executive was almost going crazy with anger.
Promoting a competitor's film, do you think Warner Bros. wouldn't be angry?
They were practically going insane!
How could you promote "The Matrix" without involving its male lead? This meant that every time Warner Bros. promoted Keanu, it was also promoting Page Pictures' new film "300."
At the same time, the main actors of the "300" crew, including director Zack Snyder, Viggo Mortensen (who played King Leonidas), Charlize Theron (who played the Spartan Queen), and Michael Fassbender, were also busy recently.
They frequently appeared on television shows, constantly promoting the film "300."
One promotion after another raised the public's enthusiasm for "300" to its peak!
...In the blink of an eye, "300" officially premiered across the United States!
"Spartans will never bow to the Persians!"
"Warriors, prepare to fight gloriously to the death!"
"A new era has arrived, an era of freedom has arrived!"
"The world will know of the 300 Spartan warriors who defended freedom and fought to the death. A hundred years from now, a thousand years from now, we will still be remembered by the world; we will forever be etched in history~!"
"Prepare breakfast, everyone eat well. But tonight, we will feast in hell~!"
On the movie screen, King Leonidas, played by Viggo Mortensen, delivered one inspiring speech after another, and the scenes of him repeatedly beheading enemies, showcasing blood, courage, and fearlessness, were all vividly displayed at this moment.
Many male viewers absolutely loved these bloody grand scenes;
Female viewers also shouted and screamed!
After all, the screen full of red briefs was overflowing with male hormones!