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Longlegs

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Longlegs
Theatrical release poster
Directed byOsgood Perkins
Written byOsgood Perkins
Produced by
  • Dan Kagan
  • Brian Kavanaugh-Jones
  • Nicolas Cage
  • Dave Caplan
  • Chris Ferguson
Starring
CinematographyAndrés Arochi Tinajero
Edited by
  • Greg Ng
  • Graham Fortin
Music byZilgi
Production
companies
  • C2 Motion Picture Group
  • Traffic.
  • Range
  • Oddfellows
  • Saturn Films
Distributed byNeon
Release date
  • July 12, 2024 (2024-07-12)
Running time
101 minutes[1]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget<$10 million[2]
Box office$119 million[3][4]

Longlegs is a 2024 American horror-thriller film written and directed by Osgood Perkins and starring Maika Monroe, Nicolas Cage, Blair Underwood, and Alicia Witt. Set in the 1990s, it follows an FBI agent tasked with tracking down an androgynous occultist serial killer responsible for murdering multiple families throughout the state of Oregon. Cage served as a producer on the film through his Saturn Films production company.

Longlegs was released in the United States by Neon on July 12, 2024. It received critical acclaim and grossed $119 million worldwide, becoming Neon's highest-grossing film to date domestically, as well as the highest-grossing independent film of the year.[5]

Plot

[edit]

In 1974 Oregon, a young girl with a Polaroid camera follows a mysterious voice and encounters an erratic man in pale makeup.

Twenty years later, FBI agent Lee Harker, who exhibits possible clairvoyance, is assigned by her supervisor William Carter to a case involving a series of murder–suicides in Oregon. Each case involves a father killing his family and himself, leaving behind a letter with Satanic coding signed "Longlegs", whose handwriting belongs to none of the family members. Lee discovers that each family had a nine-year-old daughter born on the 14th of the month, the murders all occurred within six days before or after the birthday itself, and the murders form an occult triangle symbol on a calendar, with one date missing. While talking to her mother Ruth, Lee receives a coded birthday card from Longlegs, warning her that revealing the source of the code will lead to her mother's murder.

Following a clue, Lee and Carter find a doll with a high-energy metal orb inside. After visiting a mental hospital to question Carrie Anne Camera, the sole survivor of Longlegs's attacks, who was visited previously by someone using Lee's name, Carter suspects Lee's connection to Longlegs. Discovering that Ruth had filed a police report of an intruder approaching Lee the day before her ninth birthday, Carter encourages Lee to talk to her. Ruth directs Lee to childhood belongings, where she finds a Polaroid of the pale-faced man, revealing Longlegs to be the man who had visited a young Lee on her birthday. Lee submits the photo, leading to Longlegs's arrest. Realizing the missing date is that day, Lee fears an accomplice will commit another murder. In the interrogation room, Longlegs claims to serve "the man downstairs" and hints at Ruth's involvement before killing himself. Lee is soon informed that Carrie has committed suicide.

Agent Browning drives Lee to her mother's home, where Lee witnesses Ruth kill Browning with a shotgun. Ruth then destroys a doll resembling young Lee, causing Lee to lose consciousness. Lee sees that Ruth has been Longlegs's accomplice since her childhood. Longlegs forced Ruth to choose between her daughter's death and his bidding, leading her to comply and spare Lee. Longlegs has lived in the Harker basement, creating Satanic dolls that Ruth, posing as a nun, delivered to households, causing the patriarchs to commit familicide. Lee's doll blocked her memories of Longlegs whilst influencing her with his magic.

Lee awakens in the basement and hears a demonic voice on the phone warning her about William Carter's daughter Ruby's ninth birthday party, which had been scheduled for that day. Lee rushes to save the Carters, whose deaths would complete Longlegs's triangle. She finds the family already possessed, with Ruth having delivered the doll. After William kills his wife Anna, Lee shoots him to protect Ruby. Ruth attacks with a dagger, forcing Lee to kill her. Lee tries to destroy the doll but her gun does not discharge. Staring at the doll, she tells Ruby they need to leave.

Cast

[edit]
Maika Monroe stars as Lee Harker.
  • Maika Monroe as Lee Harker, an FBI agent assigned to the Longlegs case
    • Lauren Acala as young Lee
  • Nicolas Cage as Longlegs, an elusive serial killer whose real name is Dale Kobble[6]
  • Blair Underwood as Agent Carter, one of Lee's superiors
  • Alicia Witt as Ruth Harker, Lee's religious mother
  • Michelle Choi-Lee as Agent Browning, one of Lee's superiors
  • Dakota Daulby as Agent Fisk, Lee's partner
  • Kiernan Shipka as Carrie Anne Camera, Longlegs's only known survivor
    • Maila Hosie as young Carrie
  • Jason Day as Father Camera
  • Lisa Chandler as Mother Camera
  • Ava Kelders as Ruby Carter, William Carter's daughter
  • Carmel Amit as Anna Carter, William Carter's wife
  • Peter Bryant as a senior FBI agent

Production

[edit]

The film was announced in November 2022, with Osgood Perkins as writer and director.[7] He drew inspiration from several sources; the plot device of the evil dolls that cause fathers to murder their families was loosely inspired by the killing of JonBenét Ramsey: "The murder took place approaching Christmas, and one present that the parents had gotten for JonBenét was a life-size replica doll of herself, wearing one of her pageant dresses. It was in a cardboard box in the basement, 15 feet from where she was killed, and there was something so insane about that, I'd cataloged it away."[8]

Perkins told People magazine that the film was inspired by his mother's treatment towards father Anthony Perkins's sexuality, shielding the public and the Perkins children from knowledge of his homosexual relationships. Oz Perkins was quoted, saying, "Your mother can protect you from a truth that she thinks is unsavory...And then you just build out a crazy movie around that.”[9]

In February 2023, Nicolas Cage and Maika Monroe came on board to star, with Cage also producing under his Saturn Films banner.[10][11] In March, Alicia Witt and Blair Underwood were announced as part of the cast.[12]

Dave Caplan's C2 Motion Picture Group financed the film for under $10 million.[2] Principal photography was scheduled to take place in Vancouver from January 16 to February 23, 2023.[13][11]

Music

[edit]

The film's soundtrack was conceived by Zilgi, a pseudonym for Elvis Perkins (the brother of the film's director),[14] credited as composer of the score compositions on the digital soundtrack album.[15] There were contributing tracks by sound designer Eugenio Battagila and Melody Carrillo with Elizabeth Wight. The soundtrack was released on July 12, 2024, on streaming platforms and on vinyl.[16]

Marketing

[edit]

Neon used guerilla marketing tactics similar to those that led to the box office success of The Blair Witch Project (1999), building speculation through clips, images, and coded messages that used symbology created for the film and concealed Cage's look as Longlegs.[17] Eleven promotional videos were uploaded to YouTube leading up to release, the first appearing in January 2024, which did not mention the film's title until February; together, the videos accumulated 30 million views.[2][18][19] A trailer was attached to every horror film released in theaters since January 2024.[2]

Additional content included a billboard (with no mention of the title) that featured a phone number for pre-recorded messages from the film's antagonist,[20] and a paid advertisement featuring a cipher that was published in the Seattle Times on June 14, a reference to the Zodiac Killer, that directed readers to an in-universe website detailing murders committed in the film.[21] The week of the film's release, Neon released a clip allegedly of Monroe's heartrate when she first saw Cage's character.[22] Following the film's theatrical premiere, Neon released another promotional spot highlighting hidden appearances of the devil that recur in the backgrounds of the film.[23] According to Perkins, there are 15 appearances of the devil in the film which are not readily noticeable.[24]

Perkins credited Neon for the film's marketing, saying the studio "asked me early on, 'Do we have your permission to kind of go nuts?' And I said, 'What else are we doing here? Go for it. Do your thing.'"[25] The film's total marketing budget was under $10 million, focusing on using digital content over traditional television ads.[2]

Release

[edit]

In February 2023, Neon acquired the film's North American rights at the European Film Market.[26] The film had a screening at Los Angeles's Beyond Fest on May 31, 2024.[27] Longlegs premiered at The Egyptian Theatre Hollywood in Los Angeles on July 8, 2024.[28]

Longlegs held several special screenings across the United States throughout July 8–13, 2024.[29] This also included a 'parent-free' RSVP screening at the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema in Brooklyn, New York on July 12, 2024.[2] It was released in North America and the United Kingdom on July 12, 2024.[11][30] Longlegs was released on VOD on August 23, 2024. The 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray, and DVD was released on September 24, 2024.[31][4]

Reception

[edit]

Box office

[edit]

As of October 31, 2024, Longlegs has grossed $74.3 million in the United States and Canada, and $34.7 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $109.1 million.[3][4]

In the United States and Canada, Longlegs was released alongside Fly Me to the Moon, and was projected to gross $7–9 million from 2,510 theaters in its opening weekend.[32] After making $10 million on its first day (including $3 million from Thursday night previews, both records for Neon), weekend estimates were raised to $20–23 million.[33] It went on to debut to $22.4 million, finishing second at the box office behind holdover Despicable Me 4.[34] The opening marked the best opening weekend for Neon and the biggest total for an original 2024 horror film. It was Monroe's best domestic opening as lead (excluding 2016's Independence Day: Resurgence, for which she was billed) and Cage's first live-action film to open above $20 million since Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance in 2012.[2] In its second weekend, the film made $12 million, a drop of 46.6% to finish in fourth.[35][36] In its third weekend, it became Neon's highest-grossing film after surpassing their earnings for 2019's Parasite ($53.37 million) and added $6.8 million.[37][38] On August 16, 2024, the film had surpassed $100 million worldwide, making it the highest-grossing independent film of the year to-date.[39]

Critical response

[edit]
Critics praised Nicolas Cage's performance.

The film premiered to critical acclaim.[a] On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 86% of 304 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 7.5/10. The website's consensus reads: "Saturated in disquieting mood while leveraging a nightmarishly gonzo performance by Nicolas Cage, Longlegs is a satanic horror that effectively instills panic."[45] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 77 out of 100, based on 52 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.[46]

David Rooney writing for The Hollywood Reporter praised the film, saying, "It might be argued that he stirs too many elements into the mix here — crime procedural, occult mystery, mind manipulation, Satanic worship, scary dolls, a Faustian bargain and a 'nun' not fit for any convent. But Longlegs is [Perkins'] most fully realized and relentlessly effective film to date".[47] Bob Strauss of the San Francisco Chronicle wrote, "Most impressive is how Perkins blends psychological and supernatural horror in a manner not quite seen before. Longlegs is a conjuring of dark, poetic cinema where the devil is definitely in the details".[48] Vanity Fair's Richard Lawson expressed disappointment in the film, writing "Longlegs is stylish but vacuous, a prettily foreboding picture with nothing behind it. As Hannibal Lecter might say, it's a well scrubbed, hustling rube with a little taste".[49]

J. Hurtado of Screen Anarchy declared Longlegs "a masterpiece; an unholy, horrifying confluence of high art and anxiety, a film in which every frame is a nightmare, and it's beautiful".[50] Writing for Bloody Disgusting, Meagan Navarro praised Longlegs' performances and atmosphere, concluding, "Longlegs is as stylish as it is timeless, dripping with claustrophobic dread and rot."[51] Bill Bria of /Film called Longlegs "the most terrifying horror movie of 2024," noting the film's "rock n' roll spirit".[52]

Audience reception

[edit]

Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "C+" on an A+ to F scale. Those polled by PostTrak gave it a 70% overall positive score, with an average 3 out of 5 stars.[53]

A correspondent of LGBT magazine Them made note of how some audience members perceived the film's villain to be homophobic or transphobic due to the character's androgynous characteristics.[54] A CNN opinion piece accused the film of transphobia, comparing Longlegs to Buffalo Bill, and emphasizing the horror genre's complicated history of LGBT themes.[55]

In a Reddit AMA interview with director Oz Perkins, a fan inquired if the writing of Longlegs was intended to be a negative portrayal of a transgender person. Perkins responded by denouncing anti-trans behavior, but did not specifically elaborate about any element of the film.[56]

Director Guillermo Del Toro complimented the film, praising "[Perkins'] metronome, his meticulous composition and his uncanny sense of evil and impending doom." Paul Schrader commented on the film on social media, questioning why directors like Perkins and Ti West were "confined to the horror genre ghetto."[57]

Accolades

[edit]
Award Date of ceremony Category Recipient(s) Result Ref.
Hollywood Music in Media Awards November 20, 2024 Best Original Score – Horror/Thriller Film Zilgi Pending [58]

See also

[edit]

Notes

[edit]
  1. ^ Multiple references:[40][41][42][43][44]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Longlegs (15)". British Board of Film Classification. June 27, 2024. Archived from the original on June 27, 2024. Retrieved June 27, 2024.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g D'Alessandro, Anthony (July 14, 2024). "How Neon Made Longlegs Sexy At Box Office With Distrib's Record Opening Of $22M+, Best Start For Original Horror Pic YTD – Sunday Update". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on July 15, 2024. Retrieved July 16, 2024.
  3. ^ a b "Longlegs". Box Office Mojo. IMDb. Retrieved November 2, 2024.
  4. ^ a b c "Longlegs – Financial Information". The Numbers. Nash Information Services, LLC. Retrieved November 1, 2024.
  5. ^ Saperstein, Pat (August 16, 2024). "'Longlegs' Crosses $100 Million at Box Office to Become 2024's Highest-Grossing Indie Film". Variety. Retrieved August 20, 2024.
  6. ^ McCluskey, Megan (July 12, 2024). "Making Sense of Longlegs Terrifyingly Ambiguous Ending". Time. Retrieved July 19, 2024.
  7. ^ Wiseman, Andreas (November 11, 2022). "Nicolas Cage To Star In Horror-Thriller 'Longlegs' For C2, Automatik & Cage's Saturn Films; 'Sinister', 'La La Land' Producers & 'Joker' Exec Among Team". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on January 15, 2023. Retrieved January 14, 2023.
  8. ^ Northrup, Ryan (July 15, 2024). "Real-Life Inspiration For Major Longlegs Twist Explained By Director Osgood Perkins". Screen Rant. Archived from the original on August 17, 2024.
  9. ^ "Longlegs Director Explains Movie's Personal Connection to His Dad, Psycho Horror Icon Anthony Perkins (Exclusive)". People.com. Retrieved October 3, 2024.
  10. ^ Ravindran, Manori (February 6, 2023). "Nicolas Cage Horror 'Longlegs' Casts 'It Follows' Star Maika Monroe, Black Bear International to Launch Sales at EFM (Exclusive)". Variety. Archived from the original on February 6, 2023. Retrieved February 6, 2023.
  11. ^ a b c Lattanzio, Ryan (February 2, 2024). "Longlegs Teaser: Nicolas Cage and Maika Monroe Star in Neon's Mysterious Serial Killer Horror Movie". IndieWire. Archived from the original on February 2, 2024.
  12. ^ Grobar, Matt (March 6, 2023). "Alicia Witt & Blair Underwood Join Nicolas Cage, Maika Monroe In Longlegs Horror-Thriller". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on March 6, 2023.
  13. ^ "In Production - Creative BC". Creative BC Film Commission. Archived from the original on January 15, 2023. Retrieved January 14, 2023.
  14. ^ Pilley, Max (July 16, 2024). "Here's every song on the 'Longlegs' soundtrack". NME. Archived from the original on July 16, 2024. Retrieved July 16, 2024.
  15. ^ "Spotify". open.spotify.com. Archived from the original on July 18, 2024. Retrieved July 15, 2024.
  16. ^ "Longlegs Soundtrack Album Details". Film Music Reporter. July 10, 2024. Archived from the original on July 18, 2024.
  17. ^ "Horror movie 'Longlegs' has gone viral with its creepy marketing campaign. But is it more than just a stunt?". Northeastern Global News. July 10, 2024. Archived from the original on July 15, 2024.
  18. ^ Wampler, Scott (January 19, 2024). "Neon Releases Third Teaser For What Is Clearly Oz Perkins' Longlegs". Fangoria. Archived from the original on July 15, 2024. Retrieved July 15, 2024.
  19. ^ Wampler, Scott (February 2, 2024). "The First Trailer For Oz Perkins' Longlegs Is Finally Here". Fangoria. Archived from the original on July 15, 2024.
  20. ^ "'Longlegs' Uncaged: Dial This Number for the Creepiest Call of Your Life". June 17, 2024. Archived from the original on July 17, 2024. Retrieved September 3, 2024.
  21. ^ Squires, John (June 14, 2024). "The Birthday Murders: Viral Marketing Website Launches for Longlegs". Bloody Disgusting. Archived from the original on June 21, 2024. Retrieved July 15, 2024.
  22. ^ Romano, Nick (July 14, 2024). "Maika Monroe on her intense Longlegs scene with Nicolas Cage and that heartbeat video". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on August 17, 2024.
  23. ^ "LONGLEGS: Look Closer". YouTube. Neon. July 22, 2024. Archived from the original on August 17, 2024.
  24. ^ Malhotra, Rahul (July 24, 2024). "Osgood Perkins Hid Over 15 Appearances of the Devil in 'Longlegs'". Collider.
  25. ^ Lattanzio, Ryan (June 24, 2024). "'Longlegs' Director Oz Perkins Says the Wild Marketing Campaign Is All Neon: 'I Would Be a Jackass to Take Too Much Credit'". IndieWire. Archived from the original on July 18, 2024.
  26. ^ Wiseman, Andreas (February 19, 2023). "Neon In Pole Position For Nicolas Cage Horror-Thriller 'Longlegs' Marking First Sizeable Domestic Deal Of EFM". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on February 20, 2023. Retrieved February 20, 2023.
  27. ^ Peters, Daniel (June 1, 2024). "Nicolas Cage horror movie Longlegs gets rave reactions following surprise screening". NME. Archived from the original on July 13, 2024. Retrieved June 1, 2024.
  28. ^ "LONGLEGS". American Cinematheque. Archived from the original on July 4, 2024.
  29. ^ "LONGLEGS | NEON". neonrated.com. Archived from the original on July 11, 2024.
  30. ^ Travis, Ben (June 17, 2024). "Longlegs UK Release Date Confirmed For July". Empire. Archived from the original on June 17, 2024.
  31. ^ Squires, John (August 22, 2024). "Longlegs Heads Home to Digital This Friday and Physical Media in September". Bloody Disgusting. Archived from the original on August 22, 2024. Retrieved August 22, 2024.
  32. ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (July 9, 2024). "Gru To Rule With $33M+ As 'Fly Me To The Moon', 'Longlegs' Provide Depth To Weekend Box Office – Preview". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on July 14, 2024. Retrieved July 11, 2024.
  33. ^ Moreau, Jordan (July 12, 2024). "Box Office: 'Longlegs' Makes $3 Million in Previews, Surpassing 'Immaculate' to Set Neon Record". Variety. Archived from the original on July 12, 2024. Retrieved July 12, 2024.
  34. ^ "Domestic 2024 Weekend 28". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on July 15, 2024. Retrieved July 16, 2024.
  35. ^ "Domestic 2024 Weekend 29". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved July 28, 2024.
  36. ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (July 22, 2024). "'Twisters' Even Bigger With $81M+ Opening – Monday AM Box Office Update". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved July 22, 2024.
  37. ^ Goldsmith, Jill (July 28, 2024). "It's Official, Longlegs Is Neon's Top Grossing Film Ever; Sean Wang's Didi Sees Nice Open In Limited Release – Specialty Box Office". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on August 4, 2024.
  38. ^ "Domestic 2024 Weekend 30". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on August 5, 2024. Retrieved August 5, 2024.
  39. ^ Saperstein, Pat (August 16, 2024). "'Longlegs' Crosses $100 Million at Box Office to Become 2024's Highest-Grossing Indie Film". Variety. Archived from the original on August 17, 2024.
  40. ^ Davids, Brian (July 9, 2024). "Maika Monroe Talks Fighting for 'Longlegs,' Why She Nearly Gave Up Acting and 'It Follows 2'". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on August 4, 2024.
  41. ^ Garside, Megan (June 13, 2024). "Nicolas Cage's upcoming horror movie debuts to perfect Rotten Tomatoes score, with critics calling it "the scariest film of the decade"". Total Film. GamesRadar+. Archived from the original on August 4, 2024.
  42. ^ "What is 'Longlegs' about? Everything to know about the hit horror movie starring Nicolas Cage". EW.com. Retrieved July 29, 2024.
  43. ^ "Here's The Story Behind Nicolas Cage's Deeply Unsettling Longlegs Transformation". HuffPost UK. July 16, 2024. Archived from the original on August 4, 2024.
  44. ^ Morgan, Mason (July 18, 2024). "10 Movies to Watch if You Like 'Longlegs'". Collider. Archived from the original on August 4, 2024.
  45. ^ "Longlegs". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved October 14, 2024. Edit this at Wikidata
  46. ^ "Longlegs". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved July 16, 2024.
  47. ^ Rooney, David (July 6, 2024). "Longlegs Review: Maika Monroe and Nicolas Cage in a Mesmerizing Serial Killer Chiller That Burns With Satanic Power". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on July 18, 2024.
  48. ^ Strauss, Bob (July 8, 2024). "Review: In Longlegs, Nicolas Cage and Maika Monroe go to impressively disturbing extremes". San Francisco Chronicle. Archived from the original on July 10, 2024. Retrieved July 10, 2024.
  49. ^ Lawson, Richard (July 10, 2024). "Longlegs Is a Grueling Collage of Far Better Films". Vanity Fair. Archived from the original on July 10, 2024. Retrieved July 10, 2024.
  50. ^ "Longlegs Review: Every Frame Is A Nightmare In The Year's Best Horror Film To Date". ScreenAnarchy. June 10, 2024. Archived from the original on July 13, 2024. Retrieved June 11, 2024.
  51. ^ Navarro, Meagan (June 10, 2024). "Longlegs Review – Oz Perkins' Latest Gets Under Your Skin and Festers Like a Putrid Nightmare". Bloody Disgusting. Archived from the original on June 11, 2024. Retrieved June 11, 2024.
  52. ^ Bria, Bill (June 10, 2024). "Longlegs Review: Osgood Perkins' Masterpiece Is The Most Terrifying Horror Movie Of 2024". /Film. Archived from the original on August 4, 2024.
  53. ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (July 12, 2024). "'Longlegs' Kicking Up Surprise Record Opening For Neon With $20M-$23M, 'Fly Me To The Moon' Drifting To $10M+ – Box Office Update". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on July 15, 2024. Retrieved July 12, 2024.
  54. ^ Allen, Samantha (July 17, 2024). "Is Nicolas Cage's New Movie Longlegs "Queerphobic"? An Investigation". Them. Retrieved October 3, 2024.
  55. ^ Berlatsky, Noah (July 13, 2024). "Opinion: It's time more horror films push back against queer stereotypes". CNN. Retrieved October 3, 2024.
  56. ^ Monteil, Abby (August 15, 2024). "'Longlegs' Director Says "Anyone Who is Anti-Trans Is a F**king Piece of Sh*t Idiot"". Them. Retrieved September 13, 2024.
  57. ^ Bergeson, Samantha (July 16, 2024). "Guillermo del Toro Praises 'Longlegs': 'A Great Oz Perkins Film' and '100 Percent His Vibe'". IndieWire. Retrieved October 3, 2024.
  58. ^ Willman, Chris (November 6, 2024). "Hollywood Music in Media Awards Noms Led by 'Emilia Pérez' and 'Blitz,' With Elton John, Hans Zimmer and Scores More Among the Nominees". Hollywood Music in Media Awards. Retrieved November 6, 2024.
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