Hollywood: The Greatest Showman

Chapter 184: Bustling

The Toronto International Film Festival is drawing to a close, but the excitement shows no signs of waning; if anything, it is only intensifying.

After the premiere of "The King's Speech," it quickly became the hottest topic at this year's festival, effortlessly surpassing all previous competitors. It ignited a firestorm of praise among the audience, with ten screenings in just two days still failing to meet demand. The peak crowds not only broke the festival's attendance record set by "Buried" but also surpassed "Slumdog Millionaire," making it the most sought-after film at the Toronto International Film Festival in the 21st century.

Meanwhile, the additional six screenings of "Buried" also performed remarkably well, with tickets selling out completely and long lines forming for each showing. This buzzworthy film has attracted significant attention in Toronto, firmly securing its place on the international stage.

Other popular films like "Black Swan," "Blue Valentine," and "Incendies" also maintained high visibility. Although the Toronto International Film Festival does not award official prizes apart from the People's Choice Award, the organizers do recognize some works with additional accolades, such as Best Canadian Feature Film and Best Canadian First Feature Film, to encourage local creativity.

Naturally, discussions are rife about which film will emerge as the biggest winner in Toronto and carry the success of the North American premiere into the awards season.

Among the many focal points, the rise of the "Y Generation" is undoubtedly a major highlight—Natalie Portman, Ryan Gosling, Michelle Williams, James Franco, and Renly Hall, all actors of the Y Generation, have received widespread acclaim for their performances. Many believe these five actors will make significant strides in the acting awards race this awards season.

Among them, the long-established Natalie is undoubtedly the most notable. Her film "Black Swan," which debuted at Venice, has been on an upward trajectory, receiving increasing acclaim over the past two weeks. Before the awards season officially begins, it has already secured a strong position.

Natalie's performance in "Black Swan," blurring the lines between acting and reality, has been exceptionally well-received. However, the latest issue of "Entertainment Weekly" revealed that Natalie used a body double for her dance scenes in "Black Swan," sparking a heated discussion.

In an interview, Natalie explained that due to her lack of professional training, she could not meet the role's ballet requirements, hence the use of a double. However, she emphasized that she performed most of the dance sequences herself, accounting for over 85%. She also elaborated on how she captured the beauty of ballet in the film and the strenuous efforts involved in the dance scenes.

Using a body double is not an issue, as anyone with basic knowledge of ballet understands it requires years of dedicated training. As an actress, it's understandable that Natalie wouldn't meet this professional standard. However, the focus of the film's promotion has always been on Natalie's immersive dedication, making this revelation somewhat disappointing, instantly lowering the film's impression score.

Reporters are abuzz once again, speculating on how this will impact Natalie's Oscar prospects. In the Oscar campaign, any negative news can be a stumbling block, akin to the U.S. presidential election. The most famous case is the Weinstein brothers' upset victory with "Shakespeare in Love" over "Saving Private Ryan," where they used extensive smear campaigns and outspent competitors two to three times over. The outcome remains one of the most controversial in Oscar history.

Now, with Natalie revealing negative news just before the awards season begins, the impact is unpredictable. However, since she disclosed the information herself, there is a chance for damage control and for the public to forget, given there are still about five months until the Oscars.

This scoop has garnered massive attention for "Entertainment Weekly," even surpassing the recent buzz generated by "US Weekly" over the Renly and James debate, reigniting the fervor of the Toronto International Film Festival.

First, "The King's Speech," then "Black Swan," followed by the reemergence of "Buried," all led to an explosion of energy just before the festival's closing ceremony.

Initially, "The Hollywood Reporter" revealed that Focus Features and Fox Searchlight were vying for the North American distribution rights of "Buried." Then "The New York Times" reported that The Weinstein Company and Lionsgate had also entered the fray, with the Weinstein brothers' involvement adding intrigue to the competition.

The Weinstein brothers' unchanging goal each year is the Oscars, making people recall the ongoing hot topic of whether Renly or James would secure an Oscar nomination. With the Weinstein brothers now targeting "Buried," does this imply...?

News about "Buried" kept rolling in, rivaling "Black Swan" in attention. This low-budget thriller has become one of the hottest films at this year's Toronto festival.

A significant reason is that other popular films' distribution rights had already been snapped up, making Toronto the final stop for market transactions, allowing "Buried" to catch the eyes of major distributors.

However, among the films making their world premiere at this year's Toronto festival, "Buried" undeniably holds the top spot, marking a significant achievement.

Following this, "US Weekly" confirmed, "Focus Features has successfully secured the North American distribution rights for the hit film 'Buried'!"

"US Weekly" once again stole the spotlight at this year's Toronto festival, initially sparking the Y Generation actor discussion and then revealing the follow-up on this year's biggest dark horse, outshining other strong competitors in the news battle.

According to reports, Focus Features secured "Buried" for $4.5 million, outbidding The Weinstein Company and Fox Searchlight, causing a sensation.

This transaction easily surpassed "Buried's" $3 million production cost, allowing the crew to turn a profit and placing the film high on this year's Toronto festival's sales chart, second only to "Blue Valentine's" $6 million deal with The Weinstein Company.

A $4.5 million deal for an independent film is astonishing; at Sundance, the average deal is under $3 million, with occasional $6 million or $8 million sales, but those are rare.

This figure highlights the intense competition for distribution rights, showing that Focus Features has great confidence in the film's box office potential. Whether through profit-sharing or outright purchase, "Buried" needs to achieve at least $8 million to $10 million at the box office for Focus Features to break even.

In summary, "Buried" has once again grabbed attention, asserting its strong presence just before the closing ceremony.

However, as expected, "Buried" wasn't the focus at the festival's closing ceremony, nor was "Blue Valentine." Renly and Ryan's bet ended in a draw.

"The King's Speech" emerged victorious among strong competitors, winning the People's Choice Award at the 35th Toronto International Film Festival, making it the biggest winner of the event. Additionally, "Incendies" won Best Canadian Film, bringing director Denis Villeneuve global attention.

Notably, The Weinstein Company had already acquired the North American rights for "The King's Speech" at the Venice Film Festival. With positive feedback from critics in Toronto, it matched the acclaim of "Blue Valentine" and "Incendies." The audience's enthusiastic response and the People's Choice Award significantly boosted its awards season prospects. The Weinstein brothers clearly have high confidence in this film.

Incidentally, the People's Choice Award winners of the past two years have gone on to secure Oscar nominations for Best Picture.

The annual Toronto International Film Festival has finally concluded, marking the start of the North American awards season. Many films are stepping into the spotlight, hinting at this year's awards season landscape, with dark horses, favorites, obscure choices, and mainstream hits. It's clear that this awards season will be exceptionally lively, and media reporters are already excited, eager to begin their journey.

But for Renly, he has only one thought: it's finally over.

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