Universal Is Skipping Influencer Screenings for ‘The Odyssey.’ Film Critics Are Thrilled
Universal Is Skipping Influencer Screenings for ‘The Odyssey.’ Film Critics Are Thrilled
环球影业取消《奥德赛》网红提前看片会，影评人拍手称快
From the moment it was announced in late 2024, Christopher Nolan’s ambitious adaptation of Homer’s Odyssey has been a source of intense debate for the world’s keyboard warriors. 自2024年底宣布以来，克里斯托弗·诺兰对荷马史诗《奥德赛》的雄心勃勃的改编，就一直是全球“键盘侠”们激烈争论的焦点。
The higher-level disputes concern questions of how to translate the ancient Greek epic to the screen and the relative importance of accurate period detail. The ugly gutter fights are about the film’s diverse casting and its supposedly “woke” slant on the source material. 高层面的争论集中在如何将这部古希腊史诗搬上银幕，以及还原历史细节的重要性。而那些低俗的口水战则围绕着电影多元化的选角，以及其对原著所谓的“觉醒”（woke）倾向展开。
But whatever they imagine the film to be, the internet’s clout-chasers and tastemakers won’t be the ones to offer first impressions from actual screenings. In a sign of apparent confidence reported by The Hollywood Reporter on Thursday, Universal Studios has opted to skip the previews it typically holds for influencers. These screenings, common throughout the industry, tend to generate effusive praise on social media and fan blogs that can soften the blow of mixed or negative reviews from professional critics. 但无论他们如何想象这部电影，互联网上的流量追逐者和意见领袖们将不会是第一批通过实际观影给出评价的人。据《好莱坞报道》周四的消息，环球影业表现出明显的自信，决定取消通常为网红举办的提前看片会。这种在业内司空见惯的看片会，往往能在社交媒体和粉丝博客上制造出溢美之词，从而减轻专业影评人给出褒贬不一或负面评价所带来的冲击。
While it should be noted that any number of TikTok and YouTube content creators will still get to see the film ahead of its release along with the press, the decision to not directly court their buzz has proved widely popular—not least with the film critics themselves, many of whom plan to attend Odyssey screenings after its July 7 global premiere in London. 虽然值得注意的是，仍有不少TikTok和YouTube的内容创作者将与媒体一同在公映前观看该片，但环球影业决定不再直接通过他们来制造热度的做法，受到了广泛欢迎——尤其是电影影评人本身，他们中的许多人计划在7月7日伦敦全球首映后参加《奥德赛》的看片会。
Scott Mantz, a cofounder of the Hollywood Critics Association, wasn’t one to undersell his approval of the move. “GOOD!!” he wrote in a post reacting to the news on X. “Because EVERYONE knows those so-called ‘influencer’ social media reactions are TOTAL BULLSHIT.” 好莱坞影评人协会联合创始人斯科特·曼茨（Scott Mantz）毫不掩饰他对这一举措的赞赏。“太好了！！”他在X平台上回应这一新闻时写道，“因为大家都知道那些所谓的‘网红’社交媒体反应完全是胡扯。”
Other writers were a bit more tongue-in-cheek, if seemingly pleased as well; IndieWire chief film critic David Ehrlich joked on X that “this is what Homer would have wanted.” Some wondered if the snub could be the sign of a developing trend. “Good on Universal!” wrote Kristen Lopez, editor-in-chief of the independent newsletter The Film Maven, on X. “Interesting to see if other studios follow suit (though I’d lean towards no).” 其他影评人则显得更加幽默，但也同样感到高兴；IndieWire首席影评人大卫·埃利希（David Ehrlich）在X上开玩笑说：“这正是荷马所希望看到的。”一些人猜测这种冷落是否预示着一种新趋势的形成。“环球影业干得好！”独立通讯《电影专家》（The Film Maven）主编克里斯汀·洛佩兹（Kristen Lopez）在X上写道，“看看其他制片厂是否会效仿会很有趣（尽管我觉得可能性不大）。”
Tim Grierson, senior US critic for Screen International, tells WIRED that skipping the influencer showings is a “bold” idea. “Actual film critics have gotten used to how the studios try to diminish whatever importance we have by often letting influencers be the first people to sound off on a film,” he says. “It’s just another way in which Hollywood tries to instill the idea that some new piece-of-crap blockbuster is really ‘for the fans, not the critics.’” 《国际银幕》（Screen International）美国资深影评人蒂姆·格里尔森（Tim Grierson）告诉《连线》（WIRED），取消网红看片会是一个“大胆”的想法。“真正的影评人已经习惯了制片厂通过让网红成为第一批评价电影的人，来削弱我们的重要性，”他说，“这只是好莱坞试图灌输一种观念的另一种方式，即某些新的烂片大片其实是‘为粉丝拍的，而不是为影评人拍的’。”
Instead, Universal is betting on the old-fashioned publicity cycle. “Essentially, the studio is declaring that it doesn’t need influencers—who tend to be very gushy and uncritical—to bolster the film’s initial word-of-mouth,” Grierson says. At the same time, he notes, “it was also a canny move on Nolan’s part, because now whoever does get invited to a press screening—including influencers, who will see it at the same time as the rest of us—will feel like, ‘Oh wow, Christopher Nolan values me as a smart, professional critic!’” 相反，环球影业押注于传统的宣传周期。“本质上，制片厂是在声明，它不需要那些往往只会吹捧、缺乏批判性的网红来为电影的初期口碑造势，”格里尔森说。同时他指出，“这也是诺兰的高明之处，因为现在任何受邀参加媒体看片会的人——包括那些将与我们同时观影的网红——都会觉得：‘哇，克里斯托弗·诺兰把我当作一个聪明、专业的影评人来看待！’”
“Whether or not that’s intentional, it’s certainly not the worst way to endear yourself to the people responsible for evaluating your movie,” says Grierson, who expects to review the movie himself. (And who knows, maybe critics who feel their work is receiving the respect it deserves are slightly more inclined to write favorably of a film.) “无论这是否是有意的，这绝对是赢得那些负责评价你电影的人好感的最佳方式之一，”预计将亲自撰写影评的格里尔森说。（谁知道呢，也许当影评人感到自己的工作受到应有的尊重时，他们会更倾向于对电影给出好评。）
While a handful of aggrieved anti-woke crusaders claim that elevating the response of establishment critics over hot takes from internet personalities indicates a fear that The Odyssey is in for major right-wing backlash, there’s no reason to suspect that anyone at Universal is sweating right now. The film is on track for a massive opening of $80 million to $100 million, and movie theater apps and websites were instantly overloaded when tickets went on sale earlier this month. It shattered the record for most seats sold in a 24-hour period at BFI Imax, which features the largest screen in the UK, and showings in premium Imax and 70-mm formats rapidly sold out across the US, leading scalpers to list tickets for as much as $1,000 on eBay. 尽管少数愤怒的“反觉醒”斗士声称，将主流影评人的回应置于互联网名人的热评之上，表明环球影业担心《奥德赛》会遭遇严重的右翼抵制，但没有任何理由怀疑环球影业的任何人现在会感到焦虑。该片有望获得8000万至1亿美元的巨额开画票房，本月初门票开售时，电影院的应用程序和网站瞬间被挤爆。它打破了英国最大银幕BFI Imax 24小时内售票最多的纪录，全美范围内的优质Imax和70毫米胶片格式场次也迅速售罄，导致黄牛在eBay上将票价炒到了高达1000美元。
Grierson says he doesn’t assume that cutting out influencers will become the norm for the Hollywood marketing machine, though he does wonder if it could catch on for certain projects. “It would become its own weird stamp of approval,” he says. “‘No, seriously, this extremely hyped film is actually good—you don’t have to take the word of the influencers we helped cultivate to do our shilling for us!’” 格里尔森表示，他并不认为取消网红看片会会成为好莱坞营销机器的常态，但他确实想知道这是否会在某些项目中流行起来。“这会成为一种独特的认可标志，”他说，“‘不，说真的，这部备受炒作的电影确实很好——你不需要听信那些我们培养来为我们做托儿的网红的话！’”
Maybe, then, people would start to reengage with the kind of artistic analysis that can’t be reduced to a breathless sound bite. Especially when you’re talking about an attempt to bring some of humanity’s oldest surviving literature to life on a movie screen, it’s not much to ask for. 也许到那时，人们会开始重新关注那些无法被简化为短促口号的艺术分析。特别是当你谈论的是一次将人类现存最古老的文学作品搬上银幕的尝试时，这并不算过分的要求。