Fox is total garbage from 9AM to 8PM. I don't know how 11 hours of uninterrupted Trump bashing, covid fear porn, and cure suppression is "fair and balanced"
You're right on target. I would add one more dimension to this.
They don't care if you believe the movie is real, because they will make you believe that everyone else thinks it's real, and that will make it real for you, in a different way.
The sight of everyone wearings masks in MANY places, makes you believe, or at least fear that you are one of the only people who doubts the narrative.
The fact that the media demonizes anyone who isn't erring on the side of safety is another facet of this [remember the spring breakers?].
Another way of putting this, "Keep the silent majority, SILENT and SCARED.