洛杉磯——好萊塢拍攝的是帶人們逃離現(xiàn)實的電影。而現(xiàn)在,一部電影與真實生活中的暴力掛起鉤來,讓電影業(yè)的高管們一時語塞,找不到合適的字眼來做出回應(yīng)。
Warner Brothers and its corporate allies spent last Friday struggling with the deadly shooting in Aurora, Colo., at a midnight screening of "The Dark Knight Rises,'' a brooding, apocalyptic film that has been at the center of a studio strategy built around superheroes, fantasies and brushes with violence.
上周五,華納兄弟(Warner Brothers)公司及盟友整整一天都在苦苦思考,面對科羅拉多奧羅拉午夜播放《黑暗騎士崛起》(The Dark Knight Rises)電影時發(fā)生的槍擊案,應(yīng)采取何種對策。該公司的市場戰(zhàn)略圍繞著超級英雄、奇幻和暴力展開,而這部陰暗、天啟式的電影一直以來在公司處于戰(zhàn)略核心地位。
By Friday afternoon, publicity for the movie had stopped, a Paris premiere had been canceled, and a trailer for a future Warner release, "Gangster Squad," which depicts four men shooting up a movie theater, had been pulled from theaters. Some broadcast networks and cable channels, including Fox Broadcasting and NBC, stopped running commercials for the film.
到了上周五下午,關(guān)于該電影的宣傳中止了,巴黎的首映式被取消,華納新電影《匪幫傳奇》(Gangster Squad)的預(yù)告片從各個院線撤出。預(yù)告片上,四個男人正在掃射一家電影院。部分電視廣播網(wǎng)和有線電視頻道,包括福克斯廣播網(wǎng)和NBC,停止播映關(guān)于該電影的廣告。
But a stunned Hollywood was also left looking for direction.
驚惶失措的好萊塢,仍在四處張望,不知道該怎么辦才好。
Declining to speak publicly were Barry M. Meyer, the chief executive of Warner Brothers; Jeff Robinov, the president of Warner Brothers Pictures; and Thomas Tull, the chief executive of Legendary Entertainment, which helped to produce "The Dark Knight Rises."
目前有幾位高管仍婉拒公開表態(tài),其中包括華納兄弟的首席執(zhí)行官巴里·M.邁耶(Barry M. Meyer)、華納兄弟影業(yè)董事長杰夫·羅比諾夫(Jeff Robinov),以及傳奇娛樂(Legendary Entertainment)首席執(zhí)行官托馬斯·圖爾(Thomas Tull),后者的公司參與制作了《黑暗騎士崛起》。
Early Friday, Warner issued a two-sentence statement that said the studio and its filmmakers were "deeply saddened" by the shooting, in which 12 people were killed and dozens wounded, and extended "sincere sympathies" to the families of victims.
在上周五上午,華納發(fā)表了兩句話的聲明,表示電影公司和制片方對造成12人死亡、數(shù)十人受傷的槍擊案“感到極度悲傷”,并向受害者家屬致以“誠摯的同情”。
Mr. Meyer, in a letter to Warner employees on Friday, encouraged "thoughts and prayers" for the victims and advised his fellow workers to seek solace from friends and families, or help from the company's human resources team. Warner was expected to refrain this weekend from the usual reporting of box office numbers.
上周五邁耶向華納員工發(fā)出公開信,鼓勵大家對受害者傳遞“關(guān)切與祈禱”,并建議各位同事從親友那里尋求慰藉,也可以向公司人力部門尋求幫助。預(yù)計華納在本周末,不會像往常一樣公布票房數(shù)字。
Speaking for the film's cast and crew, Christopher Nolan, the director, issued a statement in which he called the killings "appalling."
該片導(dǎo)演克里斯托弗·諾蘭(Christopher Nolan)代表該片劇組發(fā)表了一個聲明,他說這起殺戮事件“駭人聽聞”。
He added, "The movie theater is my home, and the idea that someone would violate that innocent and hopeful place in such an unbearably savage way is devastating to me."
他又補(bǔ)充說,“電影院就是我的家,想到有人會用這種令人難以忍受的野蠻方式,去侵犯如此無辜、為世人帶來希望的場所,這對我是巨大的打擊。”
It was still unclear what impact the shooting would have on the studio's marketing and promotional plans, now that its summer blockbuster has been linked to a tragedy that authorities say killed 12 people and wounded at least 59 more.
現(xiàn)在,華納兄弟的這部暑期檔大制作已經(jīng)與一起慘劇聯(lián)系到了一起。據(jù)權(quán)威部門表示,事件中有12人遇難,至少還有59人受傷,目前尚不清楚,槍擊案會對華納的市場和推廣計劃造成什么樣的沖擊。
The movie, the final one in a trilogy of Batman movies directed by Mr. Nolan, has been publicly reported to have a budget of about $250 million, and worldwide marketing expenses could easily drive the total cost beyond $400 million.
這部電影是由諾蘭執(zhí)導(dǎo)的蝙蝠俠三部曲的最后一部,有消息稱該劇的預(yù)算為2.5億美元左右,加上全球推廣的花費(fèi),總成本很可能超過4億美元。
Cinemark Holdings Inc., the Texas-based chain that owns Aurora's Century 16 theater, where the shooting occurred, said in a statement that it was "deeply saddened" by the incident and was "working closely with the Aurora Police Department and local law enforcement." Cinemark officials did not immediately respond to queries on Friday morning.
喜滿客控股公司(Cinemark Holdings Inc.)是總部設(shè)在得克薩斯的連鎖院線,擁有“奧羅拉16”電影院,槍擊案就發(fā)生在這家電影院。喜滿客在聲明中說,公司為這起事件感到“極度悲傷”,目前“正在與奧羅拉警方和當(dāng)?shù)貓?zhí)法部門緊密合作。”在上周五上午,公司官員沒有立即回復(fù)本報的問詢。
The third-largest theater chain in the United States, Cinemark operate about 300 theaters with nearly 4,000 screens. Its much larger competitor, Regal Entertainment Group, said in a statement that it would "monitor the situation and adjust our security needs as necessary."
喜滿客是美國規(guī)模第三大的院線,管理約300家影院,擁有近4000塊銀幕。比它規(guī)模大得多的競爭者帝王娛樂集團(tuán)(Regal Entertainment Group)則在聲明中說,它會“密切觀察局勢,在必要時調(diào)整我們的安保需求。”
AMC Entertainment, North America's second-largest theater chain, also expressed sadness about incident in a statement and said it was "actively working with local law enforcement in communities throughout the nation, and under the circumstances we are reaching out to all of our theaters to review our safety and security procedures.''
北美規(guī)模第二的院線AMC娛樂同樣在聲明中致以哀悼,表示它“正與全美各地的地方執(zhí)法機(jī)構(gòu)積極合作,鑒于目前的情況,我們要求旗下所有影院重新評估安全和安保程序。”
In New York City, Police Commissioner Raymond W. Kelly said his department would provide coverage at theaters where "The Dark Knight Rises" is playing in the five boroughs.
在紐約,警察局長雷蒙德·W.凱利(Raymond W. Kelly)說,《黑暗騎士崛起》在紐約市五大區(qū)公映期間,紐約警察局將會在各影院部署安保人員。
Carmike Cinemas, another major chain, also in a statement, noted that it uses both uniformed security and plainclothes officers and hidden security procedures "not in the sight of our guests."
美國另一家大型連鎖院線卡麥克影業(yè)(Carmike Cinemas)在聲明中說,公司將會請穿制服的保安和便衣警察共同執(zhí)勤,安保任務(wù)將盡量隱蔽執(zhí)行,“不會打攪觀眾”。
But one theater executive, speaking on condition of anonymity to avoid possible conflict with fellow executives in a rapidly changing situation, said it was nearly impossible to devise a broad response to the killings without knowing more about the incident. That executive said his chain, one of the country's largest, so far had not changed its plans for "The Dark Knight."
由于現(xiàn)在的情況在不斷發(fā)生劇烈變化,為了避免與其他高管的言論發(fā)生沖突,一位院線高管在匿名情況下說,在目前對事件沒有取得更多信息的情況下,業(yè)界幾乎不可能做出一致的反應(yīng)。這位高管所在的院線也是全美最大的院線之一,他說,他的公司目前未改變對于《黑暗騎士》的原有計劃。
Cinemark shares were down 91 cents to $23.36 in Nasdaq trading at midday. Regal and Carmike Cinemas saw similar declines, as investors drew back only slightly on the incident.
上周五,喜滿客在納斯達(dá)克的午盤交易中股價跌了91美分,至23.36美元。事件發(fā)生后投資者的態(tài)度只是稍有保留,帝王娛樂和卡麥克影業(yè)的股價都是輕微下挫。
"The Dark Knight Rises" took in $30.6 million in 12:01 a.m. shows on Friday, the second-highest midnight screenings total on record. Warner said that total came from 3,825 locations in North America, 330 of which were Imax theaters. ("Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2" set the record last summer, with $43.5 million in midnight ticket sales, according to Paul Dergarabedian, a box office analyst for Hollywood.com).
《黑暗騎士崛起》在上周五凌晨12點(diǎn)01分的公映中,票房收入達(dá)3060萬美元,是有史以來午夜票房收入的次高紀(jì)錄。華納公司說這個收入是由北美3825家電影院貢獻(xiàn)的,其中330家為Imax影院(據(jù)Hollywood.com的票房分析師保羅·德加拉比迪安[Paul Dergarabedian]介紹,《哈利波特與死亡圣器(下)》在去年暑期檔創(chuàng)下紀(jì)錄,午夜票房收入達(dá)4350萬美元)。
As Warner executives determined what further steps they might take in response, it remained unclear whether the incident would ultimately change the public's reception of a film that has been one of the year's most anticipated.
華納的高管們現(xiàn)在仍在考慮將要采取哪些舉措,而現(xiàn)在暫時尚不能確定,事件最終是否會改變?nèi)藗儗τ谶@部年度最受期待電影的態(tài)度。
Given the outsized performance of similar hero-fantasies around the world, it appeared virtually a foregone conclusion that the movie would make money, even if it gets caught up in the kind of debate that surrounded "The Matrix."
同類型的英雄-奇幻題材電影在全球都取得了驚人的佳績,所以盡管《黑暗騎士》一劇陷入了當(dāng)年《駭客帝國》(The Matrix)也曾面對的爭議,但人們似乎仍舊認(rèn)為,這部電影必然能夠賺到錢。
That film, released by Warner in late March 1999, was associated by some with the Columbine school killings a few weeks later. But it went on to become an enormous hit, and spawned two similarly successful sequels.
1999年3月下旬,華納發(fā)行了電影《駭客帝國》,在幾周后發(fā)生了科倫拜恩(Columbine)校園兇殺案,兩者間存在一定關(guān)聯(lián)。但這部電影仍然在票房上大賣,并由此催生了兩部同樣成功的續(xù)集。
With its vision of revolt and chaos in a disintegrating Gotham City, "The Dark Knight" has already inspired a sense of awe among some reviewers, who found in its nearly three hours a worthy conclusion to a three-film Batman cycle. Vigilantism and its moral quandaries are a theme of the film, which is rated PG-13 but trades heavily on violence.
《黑暗騎士》講述的是在四分五裂的哥譚市(Gotham City)中發(fā)生的叛變與亂象,它讓一些影評家心悅誠服,認(rèn)為這部近三小時的電影足以為蝙蝠俠三部曲畫上一個圓滿的句號。這部電影定為PG-13級(13歲以下兒童宜在家長指導(dǎo)下觀看),但充斥著大量暴力鏡頭,令影評家們在道德立場上感到左右為難。
Already, some fans had caused trouble in the film world by adding a sense of threat to their passion for the anticipated movie. The Rottentomatoes.com Web site, which compiles film criticism, disabled its reader comments on "The Dark Knight" reviews earlier this week, after a handful of negative reviews drew death threats.
一些影迷在發(fā)表自己對這部備受矚目電影的期待之外,還進(jìn)行了種種威脅,這已經(jīng)為電影界帶來了一些困擾。上周初,影評網(wǎng)站爛番茄(rottentomatoes.com)關(guān)閉了該片的評論,因為有人在發(fā)表針對該片的負(fù)面評價之后,遭到了死亡威脅。
Crowds were still lining up around the country on Friday to see "The Dark Knight Rises," which had been expected to take in about $190 million in domestic ticket sales by Monday morning. The film appears to remain on track for a strong weekend, even as the promotional campaign has been pulled back, partly because of strong advance ticket sales.
在上周五,影迷們?nèi)匀辉诿绹鞯卮笈砰L龍,等待觀看《黑暗騎士崛起》,預(yù)計在周一早上,該片的國內(nèi)票房將達(dá)到1.9億美元左右。盡管電影公司暫停了推廣活動,但周末該片的票房仍然表現(xiàn)強(qiáng)勁,這部分跟已經(jīng)預(yù)售了大量電影票有關(guān)。
In Paris, workers removed a giant Batman mask that had been mounted on the front of a cinema along the Avenue des Champs-Elysees, where the screening was set to take place. Warner Brothers also canceled other promotional activities, including an interview with Marion Cotillard, the French actress who stars in the film, on the evening news bulletin of TF1, the most-watched television channel in France.
在巴黎香榭麗舍大街,一家電影院原本要舉行《黑暗騎士》的首映禮,工人們爬上屋頂,摘下了一張巨大的蝙蝠俠面具。華納兄弟還取消了其他推廣活動,包括對該劇法國女演員瑪麗昂·歌迪亞(Marion Cotillard)的專訪,專訪原本準(zhǔn)備在法國收視率最高的電視頻道TF1的晚間新聞中播出。
The Paris screening was one of four such premieres set for international markets. One of them took place on Wednesday in London, the same day as the world premiere in New York. The others are set for next week in Tokyo and Mexico City. Warner Bros. did not say immediately whether those would go ahead.
巴黎首映禮是該片原本計劃在海外市場舉行的四場首映禮中的一場。其中一場已于上周三在倫敦舉行,同日還在紐約舉行了全球首映禮。其他兩場則計劃本周在東京和墨西哥城舉行。華納兄弟并未介紹這兩場首映禮是否還會如期舉行。
Historically, there have been remarkably few major incidents of movie-theater violence, given the vast number of attendees - about 1.3 billion tickets were sold in the United States last year. In 2010, one viewer stabbed another in the neck with a meat thermometer at a showing of "Shutter Island," in Lancaster, Calif., and a man shot himself to death a screening of "Watchmen" in Eugene, Ore., the year before.
從歷史上來看,考慮到巨大的觀影人數(shù)——去年美國賣出了約13億張電影票,與電影院有關(guān)的大型暴力事件相比之下并不多見。2010年在加州蘭開斯特市,播映《禁閉島》(Shutter Island)時,一位觀眾用肉類溫度計刺傷了另一位觀眾的頸部。而在2009年,一位俄勒岡州尤金市的觀眾在放映《守望者》(Watchmen)時開槍自盡。
But incidents have usually been isolated, contained and showed little or no relationship to what was showing on-screen.
但這一類事件通常是孤立的,與當(dāng)時正在播映什么電影看來并無關(guān)聯(lián),即使有也是微乎其微。
Following the 9-11 terror attacks, exhibitors briefly flirted with the idea of banning backpacks in theaters. But the notion was largely dropped as unworkable, especially in New York City, where the many thousands of fans who do not drive cars often show up at the movies with a bulging bag.
在“9·11”恐怖襲擊發(fā)生后,院線一度考慮過禁止觀眾背包入場。但這想法操作性并不強(qiáng),在紐約尤其如此,因為大量影迷并不開車,往往會背著個鼓鼓囊囊的大包去看電影。
A spokesman for 20th Century Fox said executives there were still assessing the incident. Earlier this year, Fox executives abruptly retitled a comedy, "The Watch," out of fear that its previous title, "Neighborhood Watch," would conjure associations with the Trayvon Martin killing. Speaking privately to avoid conflict with fellow executives, one Fox official said he now expected heightened security at theaters when "The Watch" opens next Friday.
20世紀(jì)??怂?20th Century Fox)的一位發(fā)言人說,公司高管仍在權(quán)衡這起事件。在今年年初,??怂沟母吖芡回5貙⑾矂 渡鐓^(qū)守望者》(Neighborhood Watch)更名為《守望者》(The Watch),因為他們擔(dān)心原來的片名會讓人聯(lián)想到崔旺·馬丁被殺案(Trayvon Martin,這名少年在購買糖果和冰茶后,遭到荷槍實彈的社區(qū)守望志愿者槍殺——譯注)。由于擔(dān)心自己的意見與其他高管相左,??怂沟囊晃还芾韺釉谀涿闆r下表示,他希望《守望者》在周五公映時,電影院應(yīng)采取更嚴(yán)格的安保措施。