Sullivan and Bauer, the two high school movie buffs who once sneaked onto the The Rock set, were also invited to the premiere. They watched the film with buzzing excitement the whole time. Of course, when their own scenes appeared, they couldn't help but brag to the moviegoers next to them: "Look, that's me, that's me! Did you see it, dude?"
The irritated moviegoers snapped back: "Shut up! Don't disturb my movie!"
Even though they were scolded, the two high schoolers were still thrilled. Seeing themselves on the big screen felt incredibly surreal.
The latter half of the film was just as exciting. After a fierce battle, General Hummel was gunned down by a few minor lackeys. Goodspeed and Mason teamed up to snatch the VX gas canisters from the small-time thugs. The Feds were about to issue the order to drop bombs from fighter jets, and Goodspeed's fiancée tearfully pleaded with the Director not to give the order. Goodspeed ran with a signal flare, accompanied by heroic and stirring music, signaling the jets. The moment the order to cease attack was given, every audience member let out a sigh of relief. The film ended perfectly. Although there was still an astonishing "bomb's-eye view" shot, for the audience, the movie had already concluded.
Finally, in the afterglow of the sunset, Goodspeed and John Mason conversed. Goodspeed let Mason leave peacefully, naturally learning a secret from Mason along the way. As the music swelled and the camera ascended, and the car sped away, all the audience members rose to their feet, applauding this magnificent film.
Butcher Rulz clapped and said to Evans, "Captain Mason is so cool! He truly is Hollywood's coolest old man." Evans, however, had a different opinion: "I love General Hummel's character. I don't know who played him, but he was truly superb."
"Yeah," Butcher Rulz agreed. "He really did a great job. I think General Hummel's character deserves some recognition during awards season. His two monologues really spoke to me."
Evans shook his head: "It's a shame. This film's genre pretty much guarantees it won't do much during awards season." That was certainly true. While The Rock did offer some reflection on loyalty, duty, country, honor, and the meaning behind betrayal, it was essentially a thrilling summer blockbuster.
During the post-film Q&A and media session, Gilbert only briefly answered a few questions, shifting the spotlight to the three main actors. Nicolas Cage was delighted. He had initially been quite reluctant to star in this commercial film. But now, all he wanted to say was that it was a wise decision. Roger Moore felt the same way. He had been a forgotten star, but with this film, he had reappeared in the public eye. Many young fans were even calling him Hollywood's coolest and most handsome old man, the best James Bond actor. This thrilled Roger Moore so much that he definitely wouldn't be sleeping tonight.
After the Q&A, Roger Moore found young Gilbert, who was resting, and expressed his gratitude: "Thank you, young Gilbert. Without you, I would have been forgotten in a corner. But now, the applause, the screams, the cheers are back. I can't forget this feeling." It was clear Roger Moore was enjoying himself. Gilbert patted Roger Moore's shoulder and said, "Roger, just enjoy this moment!"
After the premiere, the guests and moviegoers left Alcatraz by boat, and The Rock began its midnight screenings. The midnight shows were essentially a carnival for die-hard fans, and after a few films, young Gilbert's fan base had grown significantly.
At a movie theater on Powell Street, an alley connecting to San Francisco's Chinatown where the film was shot, a sudden influx of moviegoers arrived that night. The residents of Chinatown were curious. Usually, people of all skin colors, especially white people, rarely came here, let alone at night. After all, Chinatown had gangs, and security was just so-so. But this large, sudden influx of white people completely bewildered the residents. What was going on?
A bolder person dared to ask a white moviegoer. The white person, haughty and in a hurry, told the person that they couldn't get tickets at their local cinemas, and since there was a cinema here, they came to watch the movie.
Watch a movie? To be honest, a movie ticket wasn't cheap for the working-class . Some had never even stepped into a cinema, usually watching movies on videotapes or TV. The cinema near Chinatown wasn't doing well, barely breaking even. What kind of movie was so popular that other cinemas were sold out, forcing these "white lords" to come to a place they usually looked down upon?
Soon everyone understood: it was the latest work, The Rock, by young Gilbert, the famous genius director from Hollywood and a symbol of the American Dream. For people who were struggling at the bottom of society but harbored the American Dream, young Gilbert's story was well-known. Many hoped they could become the next young Gilbert. Hearing it was this director's film, many became interested and decided to grit their teeth, buy a ticket, and go see the movie. This was an unexpected bonus. The community was large, and if they all became young Gilbert's ticket base, they could contribute a significant amount to the box office.
But unfortunately, in today's film market, white audiences were the primary force. As for black audiences, Latinos, or other minority audiences, they only accounted for a very small portion. Watching a movie, no matter the country, was a luxury form of entertainment. A movie ticket wasn't cheap for those struggling at the bottom; it could be the cost of two meals for an entire family.
Jack Zhao was one of the who gritted his teeth and bought a movie ticket, following the white audience. He worked as a valet at the Fairmont Hotel and also did some illegal odd jobs at night to earn money. He had a younger brother who was very good in school, his father died in a gang shootout, and his mother was in poor health, supplementing the household income by washing clothes for others. Therefore, Jack Zhao had to earn more money for his brother and his family to make ends meet.
---
Today, after getting off work from the hotel, he saw Gilbert checking into the hotel with a large entourage. At that time, he couldn't help but sigh at the luxurious life of this Hollywood genius director. One night's stay for Gilbert at the Fairmont Hotel was enough for Jack Zhao's entire family to live for three months. But back then, he merely sighed; he never even considered going to the cinema to watch this director's film.
But seeing a group of white moviegoers condescending to come to Chinatown just for this movie, Jack Zhao grew curious. Coincidentally, he had some tips from a hotel guest today, so Jack Zhao, as if possessed, bought a movie ticket and entered the cinema. Stepping into the theater, Jack Zhao saw that it was almost entirely white audience members. He was the only person, and his legs couldn't help but tremble a little; he was somewhat afraid.
But these usually aloof white people seemed too busy to bother with the slightly scared man, excitedly chatting and waiting for the movie to start. Seeing that no one paid him any mind, Jack Zhao relaxed a bit and found his seat. Two white girls next to him were chatting excitedly, also ignoring Jack Zhao.
Jack Zhao calmed himself and watched a movie in a cinema for the first time. It was an experience he had never had before, and the wonderful feeling made him feel like he was soaring. Was this what watching a movie in a cinema was like? Especially when the white girl next to him, feeling nervous during the explosions and car chases, unconsciously grabbed his arm. The soft touch was even better than the girls who worked on "Twisty Street."
But Jack Zhao wasn't focused on that. He was completely absorbed by the big screen, watching the exciting film, lost in its magic. When the movie ended, Jack Zhao felt a sense of relief. He felt it was all worth it. Although he might get scolded when he went home, Jack Zhao felt this trip to the cinema was incredibly worthwhile. No wonder these white audiences were still obsessed with cinemas, even though they could just rent videotapes to watch movies. There was a reason for it.
The white girl next to him seemed a little embarrassed about grabbing Jack Zhao's arm earlier. As they walked out of the theater, she actually initiated a conversation with Jack Zhao.
"Hey, I'm sorry about holding your arm earlier."
Jack Zhao was slow to react: "Huh? Oh, that's okay, I actually didn't even notice."
The white girl giggled at Jack Zhao's dazed look and extended her hand to shake his. "Hi, I'm Erin Case."
"Jack Zhao..." Jack Zhao awkwardly shook Erin Case's hand.
Erin Case tried not to laugh and invited Jack Zhao: "I think you're interesting. We're going to a bar for a drink. Want to come?"
Jack Zhao suddenly remembered that his mother and younger brother were waiting for him at home, so he quickly excused himself: "Sorry, Miss, maybe next time. I need to go home." With that, he left a stunned Erin Case and ran back.
Her companion next to her teased: "Erin, you're not actually interested in that Asian guy, are you?"
"What are you talking about?" Erin Case glared at her companion, then turned to look thoughtfully in the direction Jack Zhao had left.
---
The next morning, in the penthouse suite of the Fairmont Hotel, Cameron Diaz was reading news from the newspaper, while young Gilbert, Naomi Watts, and Charlize Theron enjoyed breakfast together. That's right, after the premiere, the four of them stayed in the same hotel and did what they did before Christmas. If the Fairmont Hotel itself could talk, it would probably grumble: "Can you four please go somewhere else? Every time you come here, I suffer too!"
"The entire film is spectacular, constantly driving the audience's emotions, taking them on a rollercoaster ride with the film's plot, with its ups and downs..."
Cameron Diaz finished reading the last newspaper, took the bread Naomi Watts handed her, and while spreading butter, asked young Gilbert: "Are the midnight box office numbers out?"
"We have the results," Gilbert nodded. "The midnight shows pulled in $4.43 million at the box office. That's a pretty good number."
"Wow," Charlize Theron exclaimed. "It looks like you have a lot of fans, huh? So many people went to support your movie for the midnight showing."
"I think the pre-release promotion for the film was very well done, darling. I believe the film selling well in the summer isn't an issue," Naomi Watts said, beaming. Although her role didn't have much screen time, she was still an important female character in a male-dominated film, so audiences would likely remember her. With Sliding Doors and The Rock selling well consecutively, she had pretty much reached the threshold of an A-list actress.
Gilbert didn't eat much breakfast and finished his meal quickly. After wiping his mouth, Gilbert said, "Midnight showings alone don't prove anything. Whether the film is truly popular in the market depends on its opening weekend performance."
Opening weekend box office plays a crucial role for a blockbuster in the summer. Audience word-of-mouth and occupancy rates are all factors that determine the film's future trajectory. However, this film shone brightly in his previous life, so there's no reason it would fail now. Gilbert was very confident.
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