Chapter 90

In the final days leading up to the release, all the mysteries on the website were finally revealed, replaced by a large countdown clock.

Those who habitually clicked on the website would notice the decreasing time and suddenly realize, "Maybe it's time to buy a movie ticket."

After months of hard work, everyone was nervous about the effectiveness of the viral marketing campaign and what the opening day results would be.

The entire cast of "The Matrix" returned, rushing through various interviews and appearances like the wind. Unfortunately, the most anticipated Chen Tiandu consistently refused to appear on any talk shows. "Vanity Fair" scheduled an interview, but the article was held back, much to Chen Tiandu's regret. He also gave an interview to the "Los Angeles Times," one of the four major newspapers in the United States, which he couldn't afford to offend. Chen Tiandu generously provided a batch of behind-the-scenes photos and videos that had never been publicly released, including many work photos.

With the news material, the "Los Angeles Times" gave him a full entertainment page, detailing the situation of his new movie. Even the news that Britney Spears' debut album "Baby One More Time" had sold 10 million copies was only placed on the second page of the entertainment section, showing the "Los Angeles Times'" high regard for him.

The "Los Angeles Times" wrote: "The year 1998 was the most fruitful and glorious year in Hollywood since the birth of the film industry. In this year, 'Titanic' created a miracle of a world king, and countless classics and masterpieces were born. 'Saving Private Ryan,' 'Shakespeare in Love,' 'Armageddon,' 'Rush Hour,' 'Godzilla'... 1998 saw too many memorable masterpieces in Hollywood, and in this year, a classic that Hollywood must remember was born—Chen Tiandu's 'The Sixth Sense!'"

"In April 1999, a young Chinese mixed-race man crossed the ocean, confidently holding a $30 million investment, and shot a world-shocking movie in a small town in Philadelphia. This movie not only received four Oscar nominations and won a golden statue, but also grossed $670 million worldwide. And to this day, his glory continues."

"While the brilliance of 'The Sixth Sense' still shines, this young man ambitiously brings a new sci-fi masterpiece with a budget of over $100 million—'The Matrix.' Virtual or reality, where are we? Suspense? Sci-fi? Action? Philosophy? How can this movie be described? Perhaps only that young man knows for now!"

"Are you ready for 'The Matrix' to hit?"

With a total box office of over $670 million, the movie was a hit in 67 countries and regions worldwide, receiving unanimous praise, making Chen Tiandu's role known in many countries. It was a hit in North America, the UK, Europe, Japan, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Southeast Asia!

A young director, note that he was only 23 years old last year!

Regardless, just from the perspective of his youth, the miracle of starting from scratch and betting millions of dollars made many young Americans think he was extraordinary. It's no wonder American media liked to call him a representative of the American Dream.

The feeling that a huge country on the other side of the world couldn't retain talent but embraced them fueled the arrogance of Americans.

Since being crowned as a representative of the American Dream, Chen Tiandu embodied the best qualities, and everything about him became well-known through months of media hype in Hollywood.

Born into an ordinary family in the capital of China, he fell in love with photography because of a World War II camera his grandmother owned, and then enrolled in the highest film academy in China. Just before graduation, he boldly ventured into the industry but hit a wall! He had worked as a temporary worker in other productions, played minor roles, and even shot commercials. Despite the unfairness of life, he never gave up on his dream of making movies.

Persistence and perseverance!

So he crossed the ocean, and he succeeded, making a name with one movie!

Of course, if the "Los Angeles Times" hadn't used half the page to post a few photos of him and Kate arm-in-arm at an amusement park, to fuel the rumor of their "breakup and reconciliation," the effect might have been better.

After the three-month box office explosion of "The Sixth Sense" last year, many places in North America and Southeast Asia have initially cultivated his fan base, though they are not yet loyal and may change their minds, but at least they will pay attention to his new movie.

With the continuous online buzz about "The Matrix" over the past few months, especially after the box office success of "The Blair Witch Project," people have greater expectations for "viral marketing." They all know that compared to the crude tactics of "The Blair Witch Project," the viral marketing model of "The Matrix" is more complete and standardized. How well will this promotional model perform?

The distributor ultimately secured a screening scale of 3,200 theaters for "The Matrix," an increase of 300 theaters compared to the original. This screening scale is only slightly less than "The Mummy" in May, which had 3,200 theaters, and even "Star Wars: Episode I—The Phantom Menace" only had 3,126 theaters.

This shows the distributor's confidence. Of course, this also reflects the gradual change in Warner's Philip R. Slay's mindset.

When the promotional effect reached its peak, the time quickly came to August 6th, the premiere date of the movie.

The premiere of the movie was held at the AMC Lincoln Theatre in New York, and on the same day, MGM's "The Net" and Universal's "The Big Con" held their premieres in Los Angeles.

At noon, a crowd of fans gathered early on the street, holding "The Matrix" posters and waiting.

"Unbelievable, so many fans are here even before the movie is released," Philip stood in front of a high-rise building's floor-to-ceiling glass, looking down at the fans waiting on the street. "How many people are wearing 'The Matrix' T-shirts? How many T-shirts did you give out?"

Peck shrugged and looked at Kong Yiji. In front of people, Kong Yiji was a highly talented business elite, and he said calmly, "Not many, we only printed 10,000 with the manufacturer, but it seems some people are already selling the same style on eBay."

"Good!" Philip pounded his hand.

Chen Tiandu smiled, "It's time for them to make their move. This is our final promotional plan. Old Kong, call the director and ask when he will arrive. We'll make our appearance in half an hour." The only person Chen Tiandu would call "director" here is Steven Spielberg.

"Okay."

The fans below were still waiting patiently, showing no signs of impatience. Suddenly, a series of luxurious sports cars sped in, and a group of men in black suits and sunglasses got out.

"What?"

"What's going on? Are they FBI?"

These sports cars were all sponsored by sponsors, including the cars in the movie. Chen Tiandu knew the benefits of product placement, but as a filmmaker, he was somewhat resistant to too much advertising, so there wasn't much product placement in "The Matrix." The car was one of the few advertising partners, so the movie's financing was only a few million, not much.

The men in black suits and sunglasses walked down the street in a catwalk, finally standing solemnly on the side, giving a stern salute to the fans and passersby.

"Wow, they're computer agents." A fan immediately recognized their attire.

"Wow, what a big deal, a hundred models." The journalists hurriedly took photos, which would naturally spark a new wave of online discussion. A bold young man stepped forward to take a photo and was immediately stared at by a row of black-suited men, almost making him collapse, and he fled back. His friends then burst into laughter.

But then a bold girl successfully took a photo with them, and people realized that the black-suited men would give a stern salute to everyone but wouldn't do anything else. They became more confident and bold. Before the main characters appeared, these model black-suited men became the biggest stars on the scene.

"How did you come up with this idea?" Philip looked at the lively scene below and asked Chen Tiandu curiously.

Chen Tiandu shrugged, saying nothing. He wouldn't tell him that this was a classic scene from the third sequel.

(P.S.: Thanks to "qwqwwqwq/Ji Si Tai/Guan Er Le/Shuyou130105151650103/Summer6902" for their generous donations, currently totaling 12,676 Qidian coins... With the premiere approaching, I'll add an extra chapter tonight. Also, please support and vote!)

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