….
Be it any time of the year, Hollywood's entertainment media machine never rests - especially not when a film like [Superman: Man of Tomorrow] dominates opening weekend conversations.
By 9 AM Monday morning, mainstream media outlets had begun publishing their reviews and ratings - matching positive reception of Regal's previous films.
The word of mouth also resonated with them, surely giving hope of blockbuster films at the box office.
Overall, Regal's film had once again successfully become the talk of the town, and things are proceeding smoothly, except for–
Darren arrived at LIE Studios earlier than usual, already dreading what he had found in the morning's media coverage.
He had stayed up past midnight monitoring social media reactions to Superman's opening weekend, watching the post-credits scene discourse explode across every platform.
The engagement was extraordinary - millions of people discussing, analyzing and theorizing.
But he had also watched the first spoiler-heavy headlines start appearing around 2 AM from international outlets. By the time he had gone to bed at 3, he knew Monday morning would be a disaster.
He was right.
Samantha was already in the conference room when he arrived, surrounded by printed articles and her laptop displaying multiple browser tabs.
"Tell me it's not as bad as I think."
"It's worse." Samantha turned her laptop to show him the headlines:
Variety - BREAKING: "Superman's Post-Credits Scene Breaks the Internet - Jonathan Kent Impostor Twist Revealed"
The Hollywood Reporter: "Mister Mxyzptlk Explained: The Fifth-Dimensional Villain Coming to Superman Sequel"
Entertainment Weekly: "Stephen Hawking's Dual Role: Actor to Return as Reality-Warping Antagonist"
Deadline: "Superman Ending Breakdown: Frame-By-Frame Analysis of Horror Twist"
IGN: "Who Is Mxyzptlk? Everything You Need to Know About Superman's New Villain"
Darren was visibly frustrated. "We sent explicit requests to every major outlet. Clear, professional requests to avoid spoilers in headlines and opening paragraphs."
"They ignored them." Samantha sighed. "Because clicks matter more than audience experience."
"Show me the worst ones."
Samantha pulled up Entertainment Weekly's article. The opening paragraph read:
"In a shocking post-credits scene, Superman: Man of Tomorrow reveals that Jonathan Kent (Stephen Hawking Sr.) has returned from the dead - or rather, that a fifth-dimensional being named Mister Mxyzptlk has taken his form. The scene, which features a subtle but disturbing 'glitch' in Jonathan's mirror reflection, sets up a psychological horror sequel where Superman must prove his own father is an imposter..."
"No spoiler warning?" Darren observed. "I understand if it were unofficial media outlets. But for a major public body to openly start the opening paragraph with a spoiler?
Samantha showed him Access Hollywood's morning show rundown. "They are doing a five-minute segment at 9 AM breaking down the entire post-credits scene. Entertainment Tonight is running 'Superman Ending Explained' during prime time tonight. Every entertainment news show is treating this as their lead story."
Darren sat down heavily. "How bad is the audience reaction?"
Samantha pulled up her phone, showing a curated list of tweets:
@MovieFanHeartbroken: Just got the Superman ending spoiled by a HEADLINE. Didn't even click the article. The headline itself ruined it. I was planning to see it tonight. Now I am genuinely upset.
@FilmEnthusiast_23: PSA - STAY OFF SOCIAL MEDIA if you haven't seen Superman yet. Every entertainment outlet is posting spoilers in headlines. Can't even scroll Twitter safely.
@CasualMoviegoer: Entertainment Weekly literally posted the entire ending reveal in their opening paragraph. No consideration for people who haven't seen it yet. This is why people hate entertainment journalism.
@DisappointedViewer: Spent weeks avoiding spoilers. Managed to stay clean until this morning. Then Deadline's HEADLINE spoiled everything while I was reading about something completely different. I am so angry I could cry.
"It's not a universal outrage." Samantha clarified. "A lot of people are defending it, saying 'spoilers are part of film discourse' or 'if you cared, you would have seen it opening night.' But there's a significant contingent of people who are genuinely upset."
Darren rubbed his temples. "What are our options?"
"Honestly, limited." Samantha admitted. "We can't force outlets to retract articles. We can't make them change headlines. There is no civil agreement here. They are under no obligation to protect spoilers, and they know it."
"We could issue a statement."
"Saying what? 'We're disappointed in the entertainment media'? That might backfire. Makes us look controlling or out of touch with how modern film discourse works."
"We could reach out to editors privately." Darren suggested. "Appeal to them directly. Remind them that spoiler-heavy coverage damages future cooperation."
"That's leverage we might not want to burn." Samantha countered. "These same outlets will be covering Matrix, Deadpool, every future MDCU release. If we antagonize them now by threatening access..."
"They will be even less cooperative later." Darren finished. "So we are stuck."
"Not entirely stuck. But our options are limited." Samantha pulled up a document she'd been drafting. "I have been working on a potential statement. Something that acknowledges the widespread discussion without being aggressive. Pivots from complaining about spoilers to encouraging deeper analysis."
She showed him:
Draft Statement - LIE Studios and MDCU Studios:
"We're thrilled by the passionate response to Superman: Man of Tomorrow's conclusion. While we had hoped audiences would discover the ending's complexities through theatrical experience rather than headlines, we're grateful that it's sparked meaningful conversation about storytelling, character, and the possibilities of superhero cinema..."
Darren read the full draft twice. "It's good. Non-confrontational but makes the point. We are disappointed without being accusatory."
"The question is whether it will make any difference." Samantha said. "Media outlets do what media outlets do. A statement from us isn't going to change their fundamental approach."
"No, but it might shift how audiences perceive the coverage." Darren stood, pacing. "If we position ourselves as trying to protect the viewing experience while outlets prioritize clicks, that puts us on the side of audiences. That's valuable."
"It also risks looking out of touch. A lot of people think spoiler protection is outdated in the age of social media."
"Those people saw the film opening night. They got the full experience." Darren's frustration was showing now. "What about everyone else? The people who couldn't get to theaters immediately? The people in international markets where it releases later? They just... don't matter?"
Samantha recognized this wasn't really a question. Darren was venting - something he rarely did, which meant this was bothering him more than usual.
Maybe because of how closely he watched Regal working for the film, and the effort they put into while filming the exact scene making sure no leaks happen.
Still Regal must have predicted this, right? She couldn't help but question.
From her perceptiveness, Regal is someone who doesn't like his work being put at disadvantage no matter how invaluable that might be?
So… is this something that is completely unstoppable and out of their hands?
"Look." she said carefully. "I am frustrated too. The whole unit worked for months to craft that ending. Watching it get reduced to a headline feels like vandalism. But we have to be strategic here. If we come across as fighting spoiler culture broadly, we look like dinosaurs yelling at clouds."
"Then what do we do?"
"We pivot the conversation." Samantha pulled up her notes. "We have got scheduled interviews coming up - Entertainment Weekly, Variety, Hollywood Reporter. In those interviews, we ask the actors to spread awareness, and directly ask the audience to avoid such scenarios. And maybe shift discourse from 'what happens' to 'why it matters.'"
Darren considered this. "Alright. Refine that statement. I will run it past other team members and legal, but I think it's the right approach. Non-aggressive acknowledgment of the problem, subtle disappointment, pivot to encouraging thoughtful discourse."
"I will have final draft ready in thirty minutes."
"And Samantha?" Darren looked at her directly. "Start drafting new spoiler protection protocols for Matrix. Stricter screener NDAs. Explicit content restrictions for media previews. If outlets want early access to future films, they follow our rules or they get nothing."
"That is going to piss people off."
"Let them be pissed. I am tired of watching careful filmmaking get reduced to clickbait headlines." His voice was firm. "We tried the polite approach with Superman. For Matrix, we are being explicit about consequences."
"Some outlets will refuse to comply."
"Then they cover the film like everyone else - after the public release. With no early access, exclusive content, and special consideration." Darren grabbed his coffee–
"I will discuss it with Regal… later. For now, let's focus on damage control for Superman."
….
Same Day | Evening.
The statement had been approved and released across all official LIE Studios channels.
Darren and Samantha monitored the response in real-time, watching how media outlets and audiences reacted.
Initial coverage was mixed:
Variety - Follow-up: "LIE Studios Responds to Spoiler Controversy: 'Experience Matters'"
The Hollywood Reporter: "Superman Team Addresses Ending Coverage: Statement Encourages Thoughtful Analysis"
Deadline: "Regal Seraphsail's Studio Pushes Back (Gently) on Spoiler-Heavy Media Coverage"
The comments sections were predictably divided:
@MediaCritic_23: Good for LIE Studios. Entertainment journalism has become a race to spoil everything first. No consideration for audiences who can't see films immediately.
@RealistFilmFan: Oh please. If you cared about spoilers, you should have seen it opening night. The world doesn't revolve around your schedule.
@JournalismProf: As someone who teaches media ethics, I appreciate LIE's measured response. There IS a way to cover films that doesn't require spoiling major plot points in headlines.
@ClickbaitHater: Too little too late. The damage is done. Every major outlet already spoiled the ending. This statement is just a PR cleanup.
"At least the conversation is happening," Samantha observed. "Before the statement, people were just sharing spoilers. Now there's actual debate about media ethics and spoiler culture."
Darren asked. "What about the box office? Has this affected numbers?"
Samantha pulled up the Monday estimates. "Actually... no. Monday came in at $47.3 million domestic. That's a 43% drop from Sunday, which is excellent for a Monday. Most blockbusters see 60-70% drops."
"So the spoilers aren't hurting performance."
"Apparently people want to experience it properly regardless of what they have read." Samantha showed him social media posts:
@DeterminedFilmFan: Got spoiled by a headline this morning. Still seeing it tonight because I want to experience the actual filmmaking, not just know what happens.
@MovieTheaterEmployee: Working at the box office today. Multiple people saying they got spoiled but came anyway because 'knowing what happens isn't the same as experiencing how it happens.' That's a good sign.
@CinemaEnthusiast: Yes I got spoiled. No, I am not less excited to see Superman. The craft matters more than the information. That's what great filmmaking does.
"Huh." Darren said, genuinely surprised. "So maybe Keanu was right."
"What did Keanu say?"
"That if the work is strong enough, spoilers don't diminish it. Experience transcends information." Darren set down his phone.
"Also, I believe the film didn't simply work because the post credit scene worked, there was a whole two hour film before it which also worked making it a whole experience."
"True…"
….
While Hollywood was partially revolving around his film - the man himself was on the first morning of his promised break.
Regal slept until nine-thirty - a miracle that Gwendolyn noted with quiet satisfaction as she moved through their kitchen, brewing coffee that smelled like actual peace.
She had made pasta - which they ate at peace, and after watching another random film from Netflix from each other's shoulder -
Regal had fallen asleep with his head in her lap twenty minutes in, and she had let him stay there, running her fingers through his hair.
.
….
[To be continued…]
★─────⇌•★•⇋─────★
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