Just as Murphy arrived at 20th Century Fox, Carla Faith and Bill Rossi approached him.
"You mentioned on the phone that there was good news on the way," Murphy said as he poured a glass of water for Gal Gadot and then sat down beside her. "What's the good news?"
"Indeed, it's good news that can stimulate the movie's box office—a real-life version of 'The Wolf of Wall Street'," Carla Faith said, nodding towards Bill Rossi. "Bill, why don't you tell him?"
Bill Rossi didn't hold back. "The New York Post just got an exclusive: a high-ranking investment banker on Wall Street, earning nearly ten million dollars a year, forced his wife to play switch games with clients to win their business."
"There really are people like that," Gal Gadot remarked, astonished.
Murphy didn't speak; instead, he frowned in thought.
"Not only do such people exist," Carla Faith said, shaking her head, "but they also have two children and appear to be a very happy couple."
Gal Gadot could only sigh, "Reality is more outrageous than fiction."
"The news hasn't been published yet, right?" Murphy suddenly asked.
"No," Carla Faith said, pulling up a chair and sitting down. "A deputy editor at the New York Post, who is a friend of mine, called me as soon as she got the story, thinking it might help with the film project I'm handling."
Murphy nodded, asking, "Is the source reliable?"
Carla Faith shrugged, her expression becoming quite vivid. "The whistleblower is the investment banker's own wife."
Reality truly was more extravagant than fiction, Murphy could only think.
"A real-life Wolf of Wall Street is indeed a great topic for promotion," he said, understanding Carla Faith and Bill Rossi's intentions. "It can attract more people to watch our movie."
With that, Murphy stood up and paced a few steps before asking, "Can we collect more information like this and have the New York Post and Fox's media outlets lead the way in creating a special report or series of reports focusing on Wall Street?"
"I think we can," Bill Rossi agreed.
Carla Faith also nodded, "It should be possible, and it isn't too difficult. But we should avoid targeting the truly big players to avoid trouble."
"Agreed," Murphy accepted Carla Faith's caution. "We're doing this to promote the film, not to start a war. Focus on the smaller fish, like those lower-level investment bankers."
"More than one?" Carla Faith raised an eyebrow, "Murphy, you're greedy."
"Aren't you?" Murphy laughed. "Greed is an original sin, but it's also a virtue."
Carla Faith tilted her head slightly, "Weren't you criticizing greed in the film?"
Murphy spread his hands, looking innocent, "That's just what the critics think. When did I ever say I was criticizing greed?"
Indeed, the investors on Wall Street were greedy. But greed as an eternal virtue was rooted in the hearts of people worldwide, not just in America.
On this topic, one can't simply point fingers at historical periods, stages of civilization, or specific individuals. It's the most basic characteristic of survival. Despite the dramatic changes in our world today, human nature itself hasn't evolved much.
This endeavor would require the support of 20th Century Fox, and it wasn't something Carla Faith could decide on her own. It needed time to develop.
Monday quickly passed, and the weekday box office for "The Wolf of Wall Street" dropped by 70% compared to Sunday, earning $6.2 million. While this wasn't a cliff-like drop following a holiday weekend, it was still a significant decline compared to Murphy's previous films.
However, these numbers were within the expected range for Murphy and 20th Century Fox. The prior 'investigation incident' had greatly mobilized the emotions of the North American audience, boosting the film's opening weekend box office. Once this fervor was exhausted, the number of viewers was bound to plummet, directly reflected in the substantial drop in box office earnings.
Given the film's subject matter, it wasn't the kind that had an extremely broad audience appeal typical of commercial genres.
Murphy knew that to maintain a steady box office trend, new stimulating topics were necessary, and Wall Street scandals were perfect for this purpose.
Carla Faith quickly received the support of 20th Century Fox. No commercial company would reject the allure of visible profits.
Moreover, they wouldn't provoke the big players, focusing instead on minor figures like lower-level investment bankers.
The New York Post fired the first shot of this promotional campaign.
"A Wall Street Executive Enacts Real-Life Wolf of Wall Street: Forces Wife into Swinger Games to Win Clients," the headline declared. Strictly speaking, the New York Post wasn't a mainstream major newspaper. Stories like this usually stayed in less significant sections. But this time, the New York Post put it on the front page, complete with a photo provided by the whistleblower herself.
The photo depicted the whistleblower with her husband and two daughters, appearing as a very happy family.
This happy family photo sharply contrasted with the story's content.
"A $7 million-a-year investment banking executive, tall and handsome, with a perfect family, now exposed by his wife as a 'Wolf of Wall Street'! To win over an important client, this Wall Street executive not only forced his wife into swinger games but also involved cocaine use."
"42-year-old Sachi Kelly, head of healthcare at Jefferies Investment Bank, is currently in a divorce lawsuit. According to court documents obtained by the media, his wife, Christina, claims her husband forced her to participate in swinger games with pharmaceutical company owner Mark Beal and his girlfriend, involving cocaine use."
"Mark Beal is an important client for Jefferies Investment Bank, critical to Sachi Kelly's career."
"Recently, Christina detailed the incident to our reporter: 'That night, six of us were drinking heavily at the Ritz-Carlton bar in Boston. Besides me and Sachi, Mark Beal and his girlfriend were present, along with Hengke Bank's senior vice president, Kirk, and Beal's eldest son. Except for Beal's son, the five of us took cocaine. Kirk then booked a luxury room, where Beal's girlfriend performed a striptease.'"
"Christina recalled that Mark Beal kept harassing her. She tried to seek help from her husband, but Kelly told her to loosen up. Ultimately, four of them engaged in orgies and swinger games."
"'I knew Kelly's intention was his job. Beal was a potential key client. If he couldn't handle Beal, he might lose his job. So I became the sacrifice,' Christina angrily said."
"According to Christina, this wasn't the only time. Unable to endure such absurdity, she decided to file for divorce. Shockingly, in the lawsuit, Christina listed many high-ranking Wall Street executives who had engaged in drugs and orgies with her and her husband, including Kelly's boss at Jefferies Investment Bank, Ben Loreiro."
This report immediately attracted widespread attention. In an era where traditional print media was declining, the New York Post experienced an unusual sellout.
This situation was closely linked to the widespread attention drawn by "The Wolf of Wall Street."
Conversely, this report further fueled people's interest in Wall Street secrets, prompting more to visit theaters to watch "The Wolf of Wall Street."
The immediate result was a 20% increase in Tuesday's single-day box office for "The Wolf of Wall Street," earning $7.7 million that day.
But this was far from over. The attention would persist for some time, and the promotional campaign focusing on Wall Street wouldn't cease.
Soon after, a post on Facebook accusing a hedge fund manager named Brian Leidman of frequently groping a waitress's buttocks during meals was widely shared. Brian Leidman's response on Facebook not only failed to deny the allegations but boasted of groping thousands of women's buttocks, claiming it gave him pleasure and more passion for his work.
Next, a famous blogger posted an anonymous blog on their site, detailing advice given by a Goldman Sachs employee to interns for promotion. The advice included numerous sexist and arrogant entries: sleeping with interns and bragging about it to gain respect; never making racial jokes but repeating others' racist jokes and attributing them to their source…
These stories were also picked up by traditional print media, revealing more of Wall Street's unknown sides to the public, sparking curiosity and further stoking post-subprime crisis resentment towards Wall Street.
Though these tidbits offered a partial glimpse into Wall Street, the scandals and negative news were plentiful. Where there's money, there's drama, and Wall Street, the global financial hub, saw all sorts of desires, farces, and human weaknesses play out.
More people flocked to the theaters, making "The Wolf of Wall Street" the biggest beneficiary. The deceptive practices of Wall Street brokers depicted in the film continued to spread, leading many who had suffered significant losses or even bankruptcy during the subprime crisis to attribute their misfortune to Wall Street's deceit.
Certain unnamed emotions began to grow among them, spreading like a virus.
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