Shulou(Shulou.com)11/24 Report--

Beijing, September 19 (Xinhua) Apple has encountered a problem of "bad artists", which may affect the company's road to Olympic Games.

In 2020, Apple paid $120 million (838 million yuan) to distribute Emancipation, a film about the American Civil War starring Will Smith.

▲ Smith starred in the movie Emancipation.

When the film was completed earlier this year, Apple thought it would definitely compete for the Oscars. But that was before Smith strode onto the stage of the Academy Awards in March, slapping host and comedian Chris Rock. At the time, Locke made fun of Smith's wife, Jada Pinkett Smith (Jada Pinkett Smith).

As a result, the slapping incident led him to give up his membership of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and was banned from participating in any college-related activities over the next decade, including Oscar television broadcasts.

In your hand? Now Apple finds itself in a dilemma. The unreleased Chong Olympic film cost $120 million, but the protagonist is a star who is no longer popular at the biggest awards ceremony. The other big question is: even if the film is an artistic success, can it overcome the burden that Smith is carrying now?

The sensitivity of the situation is obvious. Three people familiar with the matter said that Apple had discussed the release of "Emancipation" at the end of this year so that it would be eligible to compete for the Oscars. However, Vanity Fair magazine reported in May that the film would be delayed until 2023.

When asked how and when to release Emancipation, Apple declined to comment on Smith or anything else about the film.

▲ Smith slapped the Oscar host

This problem is not easy to solve. Should Apple postpone a film based on important historical themes because of the protagonist scandal, or should it continue to release the film and wait and see what happens? Audiences may lose interest in Smith's presence, which may tarnish some of the well-crafted Apple brand. Perhaps they will also make a positive response to the film, thus creating a momentum for the film to hit the Oscars, but this may make members of the film academy uneasy.

For Apple, the question of how to promote "liberating slaves" will come under scrutiny in its film marketing department, which has caused resentment in Hollywood over its stingy advertising spending and disconnected communication, and parted ways with its video marketing director this month.

"will Apple's reputation be damaged if they shelve the film? if it is released, will it damage their reputation?" "Hollywood likes a win-win situation," asked Stephen Galloway, dean of the Dodge School of Film and Media Arts at Chapman University and former executive editor of the Hollywood Reporter. "it's a lose-lose situation."

"regardless of the quality of the film, all the media, all the critics, all the columnists, all the award-winning forecasters will follow it and discuss that slap in the face," Stephen Gilula, a former CEO of Searchlight Pictures, said in an interview. "it is very likely that the film will not be judged by its pure merits. This will put it in a very difficult context."

For some, the film may be too good to keep it silent. Apple's screening of "liberating the Slave" for an ordinary audience in Chicago earlier this year received an overwhelmingly positive response, especially to Smith's performance, one of whom described him as a "volcanic eruption," according to three people familiar with the matter. In the feedback after the screening, the audience said they had not lost interest in the film because of Smith's recent public behavior.

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