Chapter 87

Books also wander, please give them a bookshelf where they can develop peacefully, and they will reward you with a wonderful experience!

In the cinema, it was a bit noisy. It was quite rare to gather so many influential people for a film screening. Fortunately, Warner Bros. and DreamWorks had enough clout, and most of the theater owners were willing to give them face. Some smaller theater owners even came over, lured by the scent of dollars, and the Matrix team welcomed them all.

Everyone in the circle was familiar, but they rarely met. This time, they couldn't help but chat and catch up, and some were even on the phone.

Kong Yiji felt a bit nervous at the noisy scene, worried it might affect the screening later. Pek patted his shoulder, signaling him to calm down. "Don't be nervous. It's always like this. You have to get used to these influential people showing off wherever they go."

Jeffrey Katzenberg looked around and said to Chen Tiandu, "Why did you choose this cinema? I almost couldn't find the place."

Chen Tiandu explained, "We could have used the screening room at the company, but I always feel that the best place to watch a movie is in a cinema. Even if DreamWorks' screening room is better, it doesn't have the right atmosphere. I chose this cinema after inspecting many in Los Angeles. It's not big, but the environment is very comfortable."

Katzenberg nodded. "Most of them are here."

Spielberg raised his hand, looked at his watch, and said, "Most people are here, let's start."

"Okay."

Chen Tiandu responded, picked up the microphone, and walked to the front of the stage, saying a few simple words, "Hello everyone, I am the director of today's screening, Chrismos Chen. Thank you for coming to the premiere of 'The Matrix' today. No matter what mindset you have, I can guarantee that you will leave the cinema with satisfaction."

The cinema quieted down. Many people thought to themselves, "This Easterner is quite confident. We're not blind fans; to impress us, you need to at least bring a movie that can make the cinema money."

Chen Tiandu didn't say much more and then walked off the stage, signaling Kong Yiji in the back to start the screening.

The lights dimmed, and a beam of light shone on the big screen.

The film hadn't added the Matrix, Warner Bros., or DreamWorks logos, indicating that this wasn't the final version, but indeed a test screening.

Some people were still indifferent, but once the first shot began, everyone's attention was captured.

"Rumble" In the darkness, a bolt of lightning split the rainy night. Kate Beckinsale, dressed in black leather, appeared on a high-rise building, kneeling on one knee with two guns in hand. After a few lines of narration, she suddenly jumped from the height, bent her knees, and walked forward.

One scene was a high fall, the other a low-angle shot of her landing. The agile visual impact was immediate. Many people's eyes lit up, and they stopped their actions.

...

After the two-hour screening, a few claps echoed in the cinema, followed by a wave of applause. Overall, it wasn't an especially profound story, but as a sci-fi film, it was unique. It had a distinctive style that was unparalleled in the current film industry.

Many people exchanged glances, seeing the same message in each other's eyes: "Will it be a hit?" "It's possible." "It has the potential to be a big hit." "At least it won't be a loss."

Warner Bros.' distribution head, Philip Ru-Slay, shook hands with Chen Tiandu, "Chrismos Chen, congratulations, this movie is excellent. Warner Bros. can't produce a better one this year."

"Thank you," Chen Tiandu smiled. "I hope Warner Bros. can quickly implement the distribution work."

"Of course, after all, we invested money too."

As they were about to leave, they unexpectedly found a reporter from the Los Angeles Times. This was a secret screening, and the media hadn't been notified. They didn't know how the reporter found the place. The reporter, finding that the ticket seller hadn't lied, caught Spielberg and Chen Tiandu for an interview. One was a producer, the other a director. Although they didn't want to be interviewed here, for the sake of the movie's promotion, they gave a few brief comments.

They revealed the results of the test screening, and the reporter interviewed a few theater owners. Those willing to be interviewed all said it was a great movie, a rare gem.

After the screening, the negotiations didn't require Chen Tiandu's personal involvement. Otherwise, what was the point of hiring Pek for so much money? 'The Matrix' was officially scheduled for its premiere on August 6th.

It would face competition from MGM's 'Entrapment' and Universal's 'The Big Con,' right after Warner Bros.' highly anticipated 'Deep Blue Sea.'

At the same time, the movie's promotional campaign officially began. The official website for 'The Matrix' went live, and the first trailer was released.

With the two major companies and the Matrix team, various promotional channels were opened. Movie posters, viral marketing, and peripheral topics flooded the market, creating a powerful promotional force for a blockbuster.

After all, it hadn't been long since 'The Sixth Sense' swept the global box office with $670 million (including mainland China), and Chen Tiandu won his first Oscar. His collaboration with DreamWorks, now joined by Warner Bros., clearly had higher expectations.

Major media and magazines, when summarizing the 1998 film scene and looking forward to 1999, would certainly mention 'The Sixth Sense' and Chen Tiandu.

The Los Angeles Times said, "In 1998, James Cameron conquered the world with a ship, becoming the 'King of the World.' The world cried for Jack and Rose's love, and the tissue industry reportedly saw a significant profit increase. That year also saw excellent films like 'Saving Private Ryan,' 'Elizabeth,' and 'Shakespeare in Love.' Finally, we must mention a 23-year-old Chinese man, now 24, Chen Tiandu, and his debut film, 'The Sixth Sense.'"

"1998 had two strange phenomena: first, everyone rushed to the cinema to watch 'Titanic' over and over again; second, all the young people rushed to the cinema to watch 'The Sixth Sense' over and over again."

The $670 million global box office put Chen Tiandu at an unprecedented peak in popularity.

Americans value teamwork and admire comic-style superheroes. A 24-year-old Chinese man crossing the ocean, single-handedly using two scripts to generate over $600 million in wealth, was a miracle. If Chen Tiandu were white, his popularity would be even higher.

So, the news of 'The Matrix' being scheduled for August 6th made many fans of 'The Sixth Sense' and 'Saving Private Ryan' look forward to it and pay attention.

The English title, 'The Matrix,' didn't reveal much. "Matrix, what's that? A strange movie title," many people were puzzled.

"I heard it's about hackers, but the title doesn't show it. Let's just watch the trailer first. We don't know what the story is, and it might not be my type," some fans went online and saw the trailer.

First, the Warner Bros. logo appeared, followed by DreamWorks, and then the Matrix studio logo made its debut.

A chain of green light rain extended from the void, accompanied by mechanical sound effects, weaving into a mysterious matrix in the air, blending sci-fi with Eastern mysticism. A black-cloaked figure dragged the chain and flew past. This was specially designed for 'The Matrix,' and if there were other movies, the design would be adjusted accordingly.

Then, the silent plot began to unfold. A helicopter flew over the mirrored facade of a skyscraper.

"Indoctrination job!" Neo sat in his office, staring at the computer, with a low piano score playing.

"In an ordinary world!" Through alternating subtitles and scenes, parties, paying bills, and paying taxes... a series of shots depicted the mundane life of an ordinary person.

"You live like a slave." The sound effects suddenly became intense, gripping and accelerating the heartbeat.

This was the work of the film's music master, composer Hans Zimmer. He was a rare talent. After his first Oscar nomination for 'Rain Man' in 1988, he became famous in Hollywood. Two years later, he was nominated for a Grammy for 'Driving Miss Daisy,' and in 1995, he won the Oscar and Golden Globe for Best Original Score for 'The Lion King.' In 1997, Spielberg hired him as the music director for DreamWorks, and he received the BMI Film Music Lifetime Achievement Award the same year. His musical style was unique in Hollywood.

This time, DreamWorks invested a lot of money, and they naturally wanted the best, so they hired him.

The film's score wasn't just the trailer. He composed a piece called 'Transcendence' specifically for the movie. Chen Tiandu could only nod and clap, giving him two thumbs up, with no other thoughts.

He said this was his initial attempt at using a lot of electronic instruments to replace traditional orchestral music in commercial blockbusters. He tried several styles, and this one best matched the atmosphere of 'The Matrix.' He asked Chen Tiandu if there were any shortcomings in the piece.

In the film, Hans Zimmer blended electronic sounds, vocals, and orchestral instruments into a gripping and stirring score, leaving people in awe. There were no shortcomings, and even if there were, Chen Tiandu couldn't point them out. He naturally thought it was the master's humility, and he couldn't help but admire the master's charm.

He felt himself becoming a die-hard fan and had no objections.

Then, the trailer cut through several scenes quickly. Neo's finger pierced through glass, which rippled like water; a boy played with floating building blocks; Neo's mouth was sealed like rubber; Neo fell from a great height; Trinity leaped up...

As the music became more intense, the plot reached a climax. A series of guns rushed past like a train. Neo and Trinity, in black cloaks and sunglasses, were incredibly cool. The bullet time, the plane crashing through the building's glass like water ripples, and the explosions were all shown in quick cuts.

In the last three seconds of the trailer, Neo flew up like a superhero, leaving the audience with endless suspense and imagination.

"Wow, cool!"

"Seems pretty good, at least the big scenes are impressive."

"The cloak is nice, but I feel like I've seen this outfit somewhere. What does the superhero flying scene at the end mean? Are they all superheroes fighting?"

Don't doubt the power of a great trailer. It can significantly impact the movie's future performance. Online, fans reacted strongly, and the anticipation index on famous film websites like IMDb kept rising.

On the official website of 'The Matrix,' discussions and expectations gradually increased, and this trend continued to spread over time.