King of Hollywood

Chapter 419: Chapter 141: Finally Going to Premiere

A few days later, Adrian returned to Los Angeles. Although there was still no exact news from Kubrick’s side, it was essentially taken as a given. Naturally, the next step was to start preparing the long-awaited publicity work.

The movement from Warner was quick; by the end of January, “Eyes Wide Shut” had passed the MPAA review, and as expected, it received an R rating. Honestly, given the grand scale sex party in the middle of the film, if Bossworth, Miramax, or New Line had submitted it for rating, it could easily have been rated NC-17 or even X. That would mean it could only be screened in a few designated theaters, affecting both its reputation and box office performance significantly.

Who lets one of the Seven Major Film Companies like Warner have a seat in the MPAA? Although it took quite an effort, it was eventually rated R. This was why Adrian always insisted on trying to acquire the international distribution rights; having these rights would place one in a position to advocate for oneself within the MPAA. It wasn’t an easy matter. DreamWorks had spent several years and still had not managed to get in, but now he had a better plan—if the funds arrived as expected this year, there shouldn’t be any problem.

Soon, the first trailer for “Eyes Wide Shut” started airing, and various promotional advertisements began appearing on major media outlets. Suddenly, the entertainment industry, which was gradually regaining calm after the Christmas-New Year period, was thrown a massive bomb.

Early on, when there were rumors that the Miracle Director might take over the new work of a Legendary Director, the media showed great interest. They tried everything possible to unearth some valuable information. When Adrian was shooting exteriors in New York, numerous reporters attempted to enter the set and even managed to take some blurry photos from afar. However, because Adrian had been very strict from the beginning and had sternly warned everyone that leaking news to the outside world would lead not only to dismissal but also to lawsuits, the specific details of the film’s shooting remained unknown. One could only speculate based on the original novel.

In the absence of new information, media interest had significantly decreased, but that didn’t mean they had given up on exploring “Eyes Wide Shut.” From the moment Warner officially started promotions, numerous comments sprang up like mushrooms after rain. Especially since the news that “Kubrick had demanded the film not be distributed by any means if Adrian’s direction did not meet his standards” was deliberately leaked, the media grew even more excited; the implications were self-evident.

“If the rumors are true, it implies that Adrian’s ‘Eyes Wide Shut’ is indistinguishable from one directed by Kubrick, given that everyone knows how exacting Kubrick was with his work,” wrote a reporter from “Seattle.”

“Given Kubrick’s consistent style, it’s indeed possible, but I don’t think Adrian is on the same level as such a unique director, even though he also has noteworthy works,” expressed another person.

A somewhat renowned female film critic, Marcelline Maggie, wrote sharply, “It’s more likely that Warner and Adrian want to create an established fact to force Kubrick to capitulate, after all, promoting and distributing are two different things. Even if there’s a signed contract, finding loopholes isn’t too difficult; neither Warner nor Adrian would want to miss an opportunity to earn a reputation.”