Chapter 126: War of Public Opinion
Outside Santa Monica Commercial Square, a group of twenty-somethings walked toward the movie theater. One of them, holding a copy of the Los Angeles Times, was reading the entertainment section's front-page interview to his companions in a Q&A format.
"How do you view the critics' attacks on Independence Day?"
"If you look at the history of the film industry over the past twenty years, you'll find that critics always like attacking the movies the public enjoys just to show how unique they are. They love to attack people who achieve massive success in film. Whatever."
"So, Duke, you don't care about the critics' attacks?"
"Why should I care? Miss Sarah, let me ask you a question. Roughly how many professional film critics are there in North America?"
"Around three hundred."
"And what about fans who regularly go to the movies?"
"There have to be forty or fifty million, if not more."
"Then the question is very simple. As a director, should I prioritize the viewing experience of tens of millions of people, or a few hundred critics? As far as I know, the critics' composite score for Independence Day is only 3.1, while the audience approval rating is as high as 86 percent. That rating comes from 100,000 ordinary moviegoers who participated in the survey. Who should I value more?"