"Early reviews are quite positive," Gal Gadot remarked, as she scrolled through the latest updates on her iPhone while Murphy checked his computer.
"There's a lot of praise online," she said, leaning closer to Murphy. "Rotten Tomatoes has collected 45 professional reviews with a freshness rating of 92% and an average score of 8.9. IMDB has 8,250 user ratings, currently standing at 9.1."
"Not bad," Murphy nodded.
Gal Gadot added, "Both the number of IMDB user ratings and professional reviews have surpassed those of your previous film at the same stage."
From this, Gal Gadot easily deduced, "By this estimate, more people watched the advance screenings of 'The Wolf of Wall Street' compared to 'Inglourious Basterds.'"
Murphy shrugged, "Otherwise, all our efforts would have been in vain."
While she acknowledged the publicity around the "investigation scandal" had drawn attention, Gal Gadot knew it wouldn't have garnered such positive reviews without genuine merit.
Neither of them went to bed, sitting by the computer after showering. Around midnight, Murphy received a call from Kara Faith.
"I understand," Murphy said, after Kara Faith spoke briefly. He hung up and turned to Gal Gadot, who was eagerly waiting.
"Is the advance box office count in?" she asked.
"20th Century Fox got the rough numbers," Murphy said directly. "About $9.4 million, with a margin of error of $200,000."
"Great!" Gal Gadot breathed a sigh of relief. "With those numbers, 'The Wolf of Wall Street' should easily surpass $50 million in its opening weekend."
Fifty million dollars was just 20th Century Fox's initial estimate. After the presales data was out, everyone knew this figure was a conservative guess for "The Wolf of Wall Street."
No one expected an R-rated film with a Wall Street theme to break the $100 million mark in its opening weekend.
While Gal Gadot continued to estimate the film's opening weekend numbers based on its reviews and advance box office, Murphy suddenly scooped her up and headed towards the bedroom.
"What are you..." Gal Gadot wrapped her arms around his neck and asked playfully, "What are you planning to do?"
"Darling," Murphy kicked open the bedroom door, "don't you think we should celebrate?"
"Sure!" Gal Gadot kissed him passionately, then whispered seductively in his ear, "There's a candle in the left nightstand. Light it up."
"Happy to oblige."
Manhattan remained brightly lit at night, and for this small island, the difference between day and night wasn't very pronounced. On multiple commercial streets, Manhattan had numerous 24-hour theaters. Despite the late hour, people kept flocking into these theaters. Over 80% of these moviegoers had one film in mind—"The Wolf of Wall Street."
Starting Friday morning, the relatively dull North American box office in November experienced a boom. While the theaters weren't packed to the brim, there was a steady stream of people buying tickets and watching movies. According to data continually sent to Murphy from 20th Century Fox, most of these viewers chose "The Wolf of Wall Street."
By Friday evening, Murphy received the latest statistics showing that "The Wolf of Wall Street" held a 54% screen share in North American theaters, with an average occupancy rate of 33% and a ticket purchase rate exceeding 50%.
Without a doubt, "The Wolf of Wall Street" dominated the North American box office that day.
So, when Gal Gadot saw an impressive box office report on Saturday morning, she wasn't surprised.
"'The Wolf of Wall Street' raked in $31.6 million across 3,960 theaters in North America on Friday, taking the top spot in the Friday box office and far exceeding expectations!"
Just reading the headline, Gal Gadot felt a surge of excitement. She couldn't help but recall the intense sensations from last night when Murphy had dripped hot wax on her chest, mirroring the thrill she felt now.
"Entering the fourth week of November, the North American box office saw a resurgence with Murphy Stanton's 'The Wolf of Wall Street.' The film's strong performance lifted the market from its slump since early September."
"Released by 20th Century Fox, 'The Wolf of Wall Street' grossed $31.6 million on Friday alone, leading the North American Friday box office and surpassing expectations. The film received an A+ CinemaScore, with predictions suggesting a $70 million opening weekend. At this rate, 'The Wolf of Wall Street' will be Murphy Stanton's third-best opening weekend, only behind 'Man of Steel' and 'Deadpool.'"
Reading this, Gal Gadot lightly rubbed her chest, recalling the stimulating experience from the previous night. It was a unique sensation that started with pain but transitioned into an intense excitement, making her entire body shiver in pleasure.
Gal Gadot closed her eyes, wondering if she and Murphy should experiment with more in the future.
Humans are social creatures, especially when choosing movies. There's always a tendency to follow the crowd. A film's high box office can often attract more viewers.
This wasn't just Murphy's opinion. The bandwagon effect, as it's known in various disciplines, explained this phenomenon. In marketing and psychology, it describes the tendency for people to adopt certain behaviors because others are doing so. Most people in the world are influenced by the majority, leading them to follow trends.
In today's age of highly fluid information, attracting a segment of initially uninterested people into theaters required more than just high box office numbers for "The Wolf of Wall Street." It needed outstanding reviews, especially those from average viewers.
Word-of-mouth marketing was crucial after a film's release, and neither Murphy nor 20th Century Fox could afford to slack off. They understood this well, leveraging social networks, traditional internet blogs, forums, and professional websites to maintain a constant flow of positive reviews, ensuring more internet users saw the film's acclaim.
A blog post by a regular viewer became a focal point for 20th Century Fox's promotional efforts.
"The day after Thanksgiving, I took my girlfriend to see Murphy Stanton's new film 'The Wolf of Wall Street.' From the trailer, I expected a glamorous commercial film, but it turned out to be an extraordinary biopic—based on the autobiography of Wall Street's infamous stockbroker, Jordan Belfort."
"The film is nearly three hours long but never drags. It's filled with humor and excitement. From the script to the cinematography and the performances, Murphy Stanton has made this film 'meticulously' exaggerated. Every laugh, though seemingly over the top, seamlessly pushes the plot forward. Robert Downey Jr.'s energetic performance makes you forget his role as Tony Stark, and the other actors, whether Stanton's regulars or Christoph Waltz, all deliver top-notch performances."
"The director, writer, and actors went all out: Murphy Stanton used more 'f@ck' and sex than in any of his previous films. The sex scenes almost rivaled those in adult films. The film's numerous explicit scenes and Robert Downey Jr.'s dynamic performance, with extensive dialogue, made his face turn red with veins popping out. He appeared fully nude multiple times, performing sex scenes without a body double. The drug scenes were so frequent that you'd think the actors would suffocate, and the sex scenes seemed exhausting."
"It's a miracle this film was rated R instead of NC-17. Every second is filled with drugs, money laundering, uninhibited sex, gay sex, alcohol, luxury cars, helicopters, and private yachts, depicting the lavish life of Wall Street predators to the extreme."
"In short, Murphy Stanton has delivered another masterpiece. He and his films are delightfully unique."
Despite the lingering effects of the subprime crisis, Wall Street remained a focal point of public attention. Naturally, 20th Century Fox leveraged this in their word-of-mouth campaign to draw even more attention.
"This is Murphy Stanton representing countless people defrauded by Wall Street, delivering a slap-in-the-face critique of American financiers and financial institutions. It continues the excellent tradition of his previous works: slapping faces until they drop dead, leaving no room for mercy."
"Murphy Stanton has pioneered a new genre of black humor, achieving new heights in his critique of Wall Street and financial entities."
"Whether you view 'The Wolf of Wall Street' as a political film or a biopic, it excels in every way."
The combination of a high opening day box office and strong word-of-mouth continued to draw people to theaters. Particularly casual moviegoers, influenced by the buzz, also purchased tickets. However, given the film's explicit content and storyline, it was inevitable that not everyone would enjoy it.
In a Long Island theater, as "The Wolf of Wall Street" ended, a gray-haired Academy member stood up, ignoring the other viewers around him, and loudly criticized, "Murphy Stanton, I am truly ashamed for you!"
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