America Tycoon: The Wolf of Showbiz-Chapter 789 - 782: Hollywood is Innocent

That night, public opinion exploded, television news continuously aired related content for 24 hours, and the top trending internet searches were entirely about the incident.

Since the incident occurred at a film premiere, many reporters persisted in filming, leaving behind too many videos and images.

All of these became the focus for viewers, especially the parts regarding Martin.

Martin himself didn't need to come out and do or say anything.

As the venue videos were revealed, Cadillac and Coca-Cola also took action, purchasing videos from the journalists and mobilizing continuously on media and the internet.

The video content was very clear; the Escalade had saved Martin's life, and Coca-Cola had once again become a key weapon.

So, it was enough for Martin to remain silent.

There were plenty of related parties who would let the whole world know what he had done.

From traditional media to the internet, the public opinion about Martin was almost entirely positive, dominating Twitter, YouTube, and TMZ.

"This time, Martin saved countless lives!"

"If Martin hadn't killed one shooter and knocked down another, the number of casualties would definitely have doubled!"

"In the video, Martin too had a close brush with death, but he didn't hide in his bulletproof car, trembling with fear. Instead, he stood up once again."

At the same time, another piece of news was also trending.

The head of the "Family Hero," Vin Diesel, died in the shooting incident!

Vin Diesel's agency and family have already confirmed this.

The entire internet was mourning Vin Diesel.

"Farewell, Tang, your spirit will live forever in my heart."

"Love you forever, miss you forever!"

"Thank you for bringing us so much joy. May there be no shootings in heaven."

Soon, a new sentiment about Vin Diesel appeared on the internet.

"Go watch Vin Diesel's new movie to pay tribute to him!"

"Vin Diesel was a film actor; the best way to honor him is to watch his movies."

It was clear to the whole internet that Vin Diesel's new movie was "The Dark Knight Rises."

The official website of the movie reacted very quickly, turning into black and white after the attack and prominently displaying a photo of Vin Diesel — a tragedy, our hearts are with Vin Diesel's family!

At the tidy entrance of the Dolby Theatre, photos of the 22 victims were displayed, including several security personnel and two LAPD officers, but Vin Diesel occupied the most prominent position.

At half-past ten in the morning, several black sedans stopped at the corner.

Dressed in black, Martin, Nicholson, and Leonardo alighted from a black Cadillac, each holding a bouquet of flowers as they walked towards the entrance of the Dolby Theatre.

From another car, Nolan and Emma Thomas followed, also carrying flowers.

The surrounding reporters all converged towards them.

At the doorstep of the Dolby Theatre, hundreds of bouquets had been piled up, with some film fans lighting candles and placing posters of the movies Vin Diesel had starred in.

Nicholson was indifferent to Vin Diesel and chose the position of a girl in the photo to lay down his flowers.

Martin and Leonardo placed their flowers beside it.

When Nolan and Emma Thomas came over, the five of them said nothing and bowed their heads in silent tribute.

"May God be with you."

The Trio of Scoundrels were the first to walk back, refusing any interviews.

Nolan and Emma Thomas fell behind.

This had been discussed before they came; the Nolans would give an interview, they would weep for Vin Diesel, reminisce about the good times on the set, and evoke the remembrance of this movie star by all American film fans.

But some reporters continued to follow Martin and the others.

The three of them not speaking didn't mean there was no news.

The photos were in the reporters' cameras. The pens were in their hands. The keyboards clattered away, and attention-grabbing news would naturally appear.

Journalists practice the fundamental skill of drawing inferences from pictures.

A middle-aged woman accompanied by a 15-year-old girl, holding flowers, walked towards the Dolby Theatre entrance.

The girl looked up, saw Martin, said something to the middle-aged woman, and suddenly ran towards Martin.

She ran up to Martin, touched her teary eyes, and asked, "Martin, can I speak with you for a moment?"

Martin nodded gravely.

The girl spoke, "I was here last night; I happened to be at the entrance of the Dolby Theatre when the accident occurred. I thought I was a goner, but... I survived. I only found out from the news last night that it was you who saved me."

Martin opened his mouth but couldn't say anything, instead lowering his head.

"You did everything you could; you nearly lost your life protecting us!" The girl stepped forward, "Can I give you a hug?"

Martin gave a slight nod of his chin.

The girl hugged Martin tight, saying loudly, "Martin Davis, you have shown the strength of an American hero. You are not just a hero in the movies; you are a real hero, flesh and blood!"

"Thank you," said Martin in a hoarse voice, "May God bless us."

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He clearly didn't want to talk more; he lowered his head and followed Nicholson and Leonardo towards the parked cars at the roadside.

The girl and her mother watched Martin's figure disappear into the distance.

Those around bore silent tribute to Martin's departing figure.

Once in the car and the door shut, Nicholson drew the curtain and let out a sigh of relief, "Such a solemn event really isn't for me."

Leonardo said, "Whether or not this incident stems from Joker, it won't have much of a negative impact on you."

Martin replied, "As long as my public image doesn't collapse, then it's fine."

Nicholson parted the curtain, glanced outside, and saw The Noves still giving interviews. He patted the driver's seat, "Let's go."

Martin, seated in the passenger seat, glanced at the time and turned on the radio.

After waiting a few minutes, the Great Commander from the White House condemned the terrorist attack in his routine press conference and announced that America would fly flags at half-staff to mourn.

That afternoon, the Los Angeles Police Department held a press conference about the shooting.

They revealed the identities and further details of the three gunmen, stating that the initiator, James Holmes, had severe schizophrenic tendencies. The LAPD found evidence at the gunman Bob's residence linking him to Middle Eastern terrorists, suspecting the attack involved international terrorists.

The Los Angeles police were also doing everything in their power to alleviate their own pressure.

But online, public opinion was completely different.

There were too many photos and videos taken at the scene, many of which captured the visages of the gunmen.

All three gunmen resembled Joker.

The imitation of Joker in committing crimes spread wildly.

The already highly recognized Joker found himself on the real path to becoming a legend.

Unavoidably, there were voices in the media criticizing "The Dark Knight Rises," suggesting that the film's release should be delayed.

But Warner Bros. had spent a fortune on marketing, and a delayed release would mean at least half of the marketing expenses would go to waste.

Expecting the movie to pay for American society's violence was out of the question.

Touch on this point, and all of Hollywood would automatically band together.

Naturally, experts serving Hollywood came forward to testify to the innocence of Hollywood films.

An authority in psychology and psychiatry, after conducting relevant tests on the surviving gunman, told the media, "The occurrence of such a tragedy is closely related to the suspect's unhealthy personality; he couldn't distinguish between fantasy and reality."

Another sociologist questioned in the media, "If we ban all movies and TV shows, would similar acts of violence still occur in society? If we look back at history before the advent of movies, the answer is clear!"

Warner Bros. marketing tenaciously focused on the key point of Vin Diesel.

First, Charles Roven claimed in an interview that he dedicated "The Dark Knight Rises" to Vin Diesel, a legend never forgotten.

Then came Nolan's interview exposure, "Upon hearing the dreadful news, I was devastated. Vin Diesel was a great guy, humorous, easygoing, and compassionate."

With the financial support of Warner Bros., various tribute activities for Vin Diesel sprang up across America like mushrooms after the rain.

Even from the media to public opinion, everyone had forgotten that the real protagonist was Christian Bale.

Even at the height of "Fast & Furious 5," Vin Diesel's popularity in America wasn't half of what it was now.

.......

Universal Studios, headquarters of Universal Pictures.

Producer of "Fast & Furious 6," Neal Moritz, browsed through several newspapers, all plastered with reports on Vin Diesel.

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Someone who was a real pain in the neck on the set was now portrayed as a moral exemplar of Hollywood in the mouths of the media.

"Those Warner bastards are actually stealing our resources!" Neal Moritz could clearly see the commercial operations behind so-called memorials and said to director Justin Lin, "The 'Fast & Furious' franchise mattered most to Vin Diesel. Even if he's gone, it should be us, not Warner, who honor him!"

Justin Lin was also dissatisfied with Warner, "Warner didn't even give us a heads up before they launched a series of memorial activities."

Luckily, Vin Diesel's scenes had all been shot, so Neal Moritz didn't have to worry about filming issues. He said, "We also need to honor Vin Diesel. We have to make the world know that his last movie was 'Fast & Furious 6'!"

His brow furrowed, "Our movie can only be released next year, by then it will be old news and can't compare to the current effect."

Suddenly, Justin Lin had an idea, "We could produce a special feature, the entire cast remembering Vin Diesel as a family! Don't forget, we've always promoted the concept of family in the movie, the real big family!"

He had directed MTV before, "The cast could also invite someone to write a song that is both fitting and could go viral. That way, even if our movie is only released next year, the song could still evoke fond memories of him."

Neal Moritz thought for a moment, then said, "That works, I'll get people on it right away."

A star, especially a heavyweight actor, has boundless residual value that can be exploited even after death.

The strategy of Warner Bros., leveraging the deceased as a key point in pre-release promotion, quickly showed its effect.

Despite the tragedy at the global premiere, "The Dark Knight Rises" still opened on schedule in North America.

Against adverse conditions, "The Dark Knight Rises" still managed to rake in $176 million in North America during the opening weekend!

It was a huge commercial success!

However, the film's reception fell greatly compared to "The Dark Knight." Joker only had a few inconsequential minutes of screen time in the movie.

Yet these few minutes, in the eyes of fans, completely overshadowed Batman and Bane.

Many people bought tickets for "The Dark Knight Rises," but after watching, they were all reminiscing about Joker.

Martin's version of Joker!

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