Chapter 133: The Premiere

Santa Monica Plaza, a commercial hub in the western part of Los Angeles, often hosts major events, and the premiere of Final Destination was held at the AMC Theater in the Cultural Activities Center.

Just past noon, a large crowd of fans began gathering at the theater's main entrance on Third Street, including several small groups of people who had arrived together.

A black business car stopped at the entrance to the pedestrian street, and as the door opened from the inside, three middle-aged men got in.

"Is everything ready?" Robert, wearing oversized black sunglasses, asked.

A bald man responded first, "Rest assured, everything is ready. We've been in this business for almost five years, and our reputation is impeccable. We'll ensure the atmosphere at the event is lively."

Robert had hired a reputable company known for their reliability. He still reminded them, "Make sure to be on-site at the premiere, keep an eye on everything, and don't let anything go wrong."

Another man with a crew cut smiled and said, "We have assigned specific tasks to our staff and have backup personnel ready."

Robert nodded in satisfaction. "I have several more premieres next year. If you do a good job, I'll give you the responsibility of handling the atmosphere for those red carpet events as well."

The third man, with shoulder-length hair and apparently the leader, smiled and said, "We hope to establish a long-term partnership with your company."

For medium and large companies, movie promotion budgets are high, and they usually feature well-known stars, making the premiere audience not an issue. For smaller companies, they often rely on services like these to fill in the gaps.

The business of hiring people to play fans had long been an industry practice.

In front of the AMC Theater, dozens of media reporters gathered on time, equipped with cameras and microphones.

Along the long red carpet, hundreds of fans held posters and signs with the names of the actors, waiting for the premiere to begin.

As the sun approached the horizon and the music from the DJ on-site played, a black Mercedes sedan stopped in front of the red carpet. Michael, the producer, stepped out of the car and walked towards the theater entrance.

There was a moment of awkward silence as no one recognized who he was.

"Who is this handsome guy?"

In the media area, a reporter asked a colleague, "I thought the male lead didn't look like this?"

The colleague shrugged. "I don't know him either."

"He looks good but a bit thin," said a female reporter. "I prefer more muscular guys."

Michael had a large frame, but he had lost over ten pounds in the past two years due to his busy schedule, making him look a bit thin.

As fans and media continued to discuss who he was, Michael quickly walked down the red carpet and entered the theater lobby.

Such events are meant for directors and actors.

Inside the lobby, Michael saw Robert and said, "You did a good job. Lots of fans and reporters came."

Robert, always honest, replied, "We spent the money well."

Michael laughed, "It's the first time. It'll get better in the future."

Embassy Pictures had sent out invitations, but no one responded. Even money couldn't bring in big stars to help. The cast's star power was limited; Katherine Heigl was barely a third-tier star, and the most famous person was the director, James Wong.

Due to certain well-known reasons in the industry, James Wong's appeal to the media and fans was limited.

To prevent the premiere from being lackluster and to create buzz, Michael had to get creative.

Outside, a wave of cheers erupted as fans suddenly became excited as if they had seen a major star.

"Devon Sawa!"

"Devon, over here! Give me an autograph!"

The atmosphere on the red carpet, which had been somewhat subdued when Michael walked down it, instantly became electric. Michael glanced outside through the glass door and saw Devon Sawa signing autographs, with several female fans clinging to his clothes, not wanting to let go, showing extreme enthusiasm.

Like a contagion, this fervor quickly spread among the crowd on both sides of the red carpet.

"These companies are good," Michael said to Robert. "They found reliable people."

Dedicated and professional, truly good employees.

This also reflects the completeness of Hollywood's industry chain.

In today's Hollywood, nearly every imaginable profession has practitioners, from the glamorous stars and directors to the unseen service providers behind the scenes.

Another silver Mercedes stopped in front of the red carpet, and Katherine Heigl, with her hair tied back, revealing her beautifully made-up face, stepped out in a rented Dior one-shoulder evening gown and onto the red carpet.

"Katherine!"

"I love you! Katherine!"

"Katherine Heigl!"

As soon as she stepped out of the car, Katherine Heigl was pleasantly surprised by the crowd. Looking towards the source of the voices, she saw hundreds of fans shouting her name, many holding up posters of her.

Professionally trained, Katherine Heigl immediately adopted her most elegant pose, walking slowly and waving to the fans on both sides of the red carpet.

"Katherine!"

"Katherine!"

The calls for her grew louder, and the atmosphere was incredibly lively.

Katherine Heigl beamed with joy but tried to control her expression to avoid smiling too broadly, which could ruin the photos.

"Katherine Heigl, I love you!"

A fan shouted loudly. Katherine Heigl glanced in that direction and blew a kiss, causing the fans to go even crazier.

The atmosphere on both sides of the red carpet reached a peak.

Am I this popular? Naturally confident, Katherine Heigl didn't think there was anything wrong with this and felt it was only right.

At that moment, Katherine Heigl's confidence soared, feeling closer to becoming a top-tier star.

Confidence makes an already beautiful woman even more charismatic. Katherine Heigl also attracted a large number of reporters, with camera flashes constantly going off.

"Autograph, Katherine!"

"Sign here!"

Katherine Heigl went to the craziest section, quickly scanning the nearby fans, and took a pen and notebook from a girl wearing Chanel, signing her name swiftly.

"My turn…"

"Over here!"

Fans were enthusiastic.

Katherine Heigl signed two names and was about to take the third person's notebook when she saw the person's shabby clothes and immediately withdrew her hand, skipping that person and taking another notebook from someone wearing a pretty bracelet.

"Ms. Heigl, please come back."

Seeing the atmosphere getting too intense, a security guard reminded her.

Katherine Heigl handed the pen to a well-dressed young man without paying attention to the security guard, and turned back to the middle of the red carpet, slowly walking forward.

She moved very slowly, seemingly enjoying the moment.

Behind her, the black actor Tony Todd walked onto the red carpet, and only then did Katherine Heigl enter the media interview area.

In the crowd, someone made a hand signal, and some fans who had been empty-handed suddenly had Tony Todd posters, though not as many as for Katherine Heigl.

Michael watched Katherine Heigl being surrounded by media reporters, happily giving interviews, then turned to the red carpet. Despite everything, the atmosphere at the premiere was now lively.

The only regret was the lack of big stars, which meant less media coverage.

Michael realized he needed to expand his network, attending more industry parties and meeting more influential people.

These connections would benefit future endeavors.

Quickly, he had a specific idea.

He had read in the newspaper a few days ago that the Gotham Independent Film Awards had just been presented.

This marked the beginning of Hollywood's annual awards season, and the Gotham Awards' presentation signified the start of the new awards season.

From now until the Oscars, Los Angeles would be filled with parties centered around various awards, attended by producers, agents, stars, directors, and PR experts, as well as Academy members.

It was a great opportunity to meet more people.

Moreover, he could observe how Oscar campaigns were run.

Even without having participated in Oscar voting, Michael knew that the Oscars never went to the best films but to the ones with the best campaigns.

"Hi, Michael."

Katherine Heigl, entering the lobby, spotted Michael and quickly walked over. "What are you doing here?"

Michael didn't answer directly but instead took a good look at Katherine Heigl and smiled. "Katherine, you look stunning today."

"Thank you." Katherine Heigl opened her arms and gave him a light hug, her tone humble. "Thank you for giving me this opportunity."

As they parted, Michael introduced her to Robert. "This is Robert Lee from Embassy Pictures."

Katherine Heigl immediately put away her smile, the humility in her voice disappearing, and said coolly, "Hello, Mr. Lee."

Robert shook her hand. "Hello, Ms. Heigl."

Michael then said to Katherine, "You should head into the auditorium."

Katherine looked at Michael, her face instantly lighting up with a smile. "See you later."

Watching Katherine Heigl walk into the theater, swaying her hips, Robert touched his nose and said, "She sure changes faces quickly."

Michael laughed. "There are plenty of actresses like her."

More people gradually entered the theater. Michael had a brief chat with James Wong and soon entered the screening room as well.

Given the limited budget, the premiere wasn't large, and it quickly moved into the actual screening.

Michael took a look around the theater. It wasn't bad; the media seats in the front rows were mostly filled.

Media attention was crucial for gaining more exposure for the film.