Hollywood Road

Murphy was well aware that an unpopular character could bring substantial negative impact to a film, and he knew that the doubts about Gal Gadot's role as Wonder Woman persisted from traditional media to online platforms. However, no amount of verbal defense could compete with the compelling power of the final cinematic product.

By mid-April, Murphy released the first extended trailer of "Man of Steel," where Wonder Woman made her official debut.

"After watching the trailer, I immediately want to see Wonder Woman."

"Wonder Woman is the highlight of the trailer."

"I'd give the trailer a 9 out of 10, 7 points just for the Wonder Woman scenes."

The online sentiment regarding Gal Gadot and Wonder Woman started to shift. Although a single trailer wasn't enough to completely turn the tide of public opinion, it did alter perceptions of the actress.

"This is a good start."

In Warner Bros. Studios' office, after watching the newly edited scenes of "Man of Steel," Bruce Rosenbloom seemed very pleased, "Our film will surely introduce a unique blockbuster style to Hollywood!"

"It certainly will," Murphy confidently agreed.

During their conversation about the film, Rosenbloom suddenly suggested, "Murphy, can we add one more stop to the film's international promotional tour after its premiere?"

Murphy, curious, asked, "Where?"

Rosenbloom named a surprising location, "China."

Hearing this, Murphy paused momentarily.

"I've spoken to Bill about it…" Rosenbloom showed sincerity, "but he refused based on your tight schedule. I think we cannot overlook the Chinese market; the country has over a billion people, and its movie market is rapidly growing. 'Man of Steel' might not achieve the best box office results, but it can lay a foundation for the upcoming 'Justice League' series."

Murphy's contract with Warner Bros. covered only "Man of Steel"; the future of the "Justice League" wasn't directly his concern, and aside from Superman and Batman, the other members were relatively unknown to the Chinese audience…

"No, wait!"

Murphy realized he was caught in an old mindset.

Besides Superman and Batman, Justice League members like Wonder Woman, Aquaman, Cyborg, The Flash, and Green Lantern were indeed unfamiliar to Chinese audiences, but how much better off was Marvel at this point?

DC at least had globally recognized heroes like Superman and Batman. In contrast, Marvel's most famous character, Spider-Man, was under Sony's control, and the members of the Avengers such as Iron Man, Thor, Captain America, and Black Widow, were less known internationally compared to Superman and Batman. The success of the Avengers was built gradually by Marvel Studios and Disney.

Now, DC and Marvel were essentially starting from the same point. Directed by Murphy, "Man of Steel" was even set to premiere before the Avengers assembled, making it somewhat humorous to judge the future of these superhero franchises based on old views.

The contract specified a limited number of international promotional stops. After a moment of thought, Murphy said, "Let me talk to Bill. You discuss with him to replace another country with China in my promotional schedule."

Visiting the other side of the Pacific could be beneficial.

Murphy's approval was all that was needed; the specifics would be handled by Bill Rossis. After Rosenbloom left, Murphy returned to his studio to wrap up the remaining tasks for "Man of Steel."

The post-production was nearing its end, with only a few segments of the score, voice-overs, and sound effects left to finalize, including the opening and closing credits.

Although "Man of Steel" was intended to kick off the "Justice League" series, Murphy did not employ Marvel's method of using dedicated post-credit scenes to link films. Instead, any connected content was integrated directly into the main film.

By late April, after adding the Warner Bros. and DC Comics logos, "Man of Steel" was officially completed.

With the film's production phase over, it signaled the final sprint in the pre-release marketing efforts.

A new North American summer movie season was about to commence. Nearly every weekend over the next three months, multiple films with budgets over ten million dollars were set to premiere. Popular weekend slots were battles for box office dominance.

For instance, the first weekend of the summer season would see "Spider-Man 3" premiere, followed by DreamWorks Animation's "Shrek 3," and then Warner Bros. and DC Comics' massive investment in "Man of Steel."

The subsequent Memorial Day weekend would feature Disney's "Pirates of the Caribbean 3"...

Every weekend in May was packed with blockbusters, and June was no exception with films like "Fantastic Four 2," "Ratatouille," "The Bourne Ultimatum," and "Evan Almighty."

July was slated for major releases like "Transformers," "The Simpsons Movie," "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix," and "Rush Hour 3."

Securing a slot in

 the summer meant facing intense competition. If one hoped for a leisurely premiere without any strong contenders, they should not choose a summer release.

This was Murphy's first foray into the summer season, and describing it as "between a rock and a hard place" was no exaggeration.

Ensuring the film's competitiveness required an aggressive promotional campaign.

In early May, just as the North American summer season kicked off, entertainment media erupted with news that the new Superman, Chris Evans, and Lois Lane, portrayed by Megan Fox, were spotted hand-in-hand on Manhattan's Fifth Avenue, officially announcing their "relationship."

Both actors acknowledged that "Man of Steel" had brought them together.

Such news undeniably brought more attention to their film. During interviews, Murphy and Michael Bay extended their best wishes to Evans and Fox, deeming them a perfect match.

Of course, this relationship was purely for publicity purposes and not genuine, arranged by the production team and their respective agents. Both actors, relatively new to the scene, agreed to this arrangement.

This was a triple win situation and a common promotional tactic in Hollywood, often yielding significant results.

The latest issue of "Entertainment Weekly" even featured the "couple" on its cover.

Before the film premiered, Chris Evans and Megan Fox had already become Hollywood's most talked-about rising stars.

In addition to leveraging the internet and new social media platforms like blogs to build momentum, "Man of Steel" also utilized traditional platforms such as television for promotion.

Warner Bros. managed to secure a PG-13 rating for "Man of Steel," marking Murphy's first non-R-rated film in Hollywood.

This rating ensured that the film's trailers could be broadcast during prime time on public television channels.

After investing heavily, the Disney-owned "At the Movies with Roger Ebert and Roeper" program also highlighted the latest countdown trailer for "Man of Steel."

"The trailer reveals the film's continuation of its creators' signature style and strengths, showcasing the epic narrative's captivating details, with excellent visual effects and Murphy Stanton's personal flair well-integrated," stated Roger Ebert on TV, not hiding his admiration for Murphy and the "Man of Steel" trailer. "In the trailer, we see Superman, Clark Kent, grow and evolve from childhood to embrace his destiny, with a climactic showdown imminent. I believe this will be the most authentic and reliable Superman yet."

Just before the first weekend of the summer season, Murphy and Warner Bros. hosted a screening of "Man of Steel," attended by select media professionals, renowned critics, DC Comics fans, and Murphy's followers.

Although the screening was modest in scale, the reviews that followed unanimously praised the film, citing it as "a typical Murphy Stanton dark style film with exceptionally outstanding visual effects," and calling it "the best movie of the year."

Online reviews from general audience members who attended the screening echoed similar sentiments.

"Based on the screening, 'Man of Steel' is above Murphy Stanton's average level."

"This movie has Murphy Stanton's dark style, as well as outstanding action scenes and visual effects; there's a lot of action, and Wonder Woman plays a crucial role."

"The CG quality is very high, very satisfying to watch, and Gal Gadot's performance as Wonder Woman is extremely dazzling, far exceeding expectations."

All this anticipation only heightened fan excitement, and even casual viewers began to take an interest, eager to see what made this reboot of "Superman" different.

However, given the fierce competition of the summer season, "Man of Steel" needed not only to excel on its own merits but also to withstand the onslaught of other major releases during the same period.

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