Chapter 127: The Release Date is Set

[Chapter 127: The Release Date is Set]

"That's strange, I smell something familiar," remarked Harvey Weinstein as he scanned the newspaper in the Miramax office, his brow furrowing.

"What smell?" Bob Weinstein asked, sniffing the air and grimacing at a putrid odor. His eyes darted beneath the desk, where a pair of bare, filthy feet puffed a cloud of steam.

"Damn it, that's not what I meant!" Harvey shot Bob a glare and pointed to the paper. "Before the release of Paranormal Activity, Link generated a lot of supernatural buzz through the media, including news about the Blair Witch. Now, it looks like there's a surge of similar stories popping up everywhere, just like back then."

"You mean, Link is drumming up hype for his next movie?" Bob replied surprised, shaking his head right after. "No way! Link has been touring for book signings since last year, he hasn't had time to film, and even if someone's promoting a movie, it wouldn't be him."

Harvey stroked his chin, deep in thought. Media coverage had traced Link's activities from the end of last year to early this year, where he had been busy promoting his new book and couldn't possibly be preparing for a film. Furthermore, his third film, Final Destination, was already in pre-production, scheduled to start shooting in March. Given all this, it didn't seem likely it was his film.

"Maybe someone is borrowing the angle of Paranormal Activity to promote their own movie," Harvey speculated.

"Very likely. After the success of Paranormal Activity, many studios are trying to replicate it. There could be dozens of similar movies released this year. Should we jump in and invest?" Bob suggested.

"Let's wait and see. Paranormal Activity's success had a great deal of luck involved. It's not easy to follow in its footsteps and succeed," Harvey squinted thoughtfully.

"Brother, could you put on some shoes? Your feet stink like a dead rat," Bob said, scrunching his nose.

"Shut up!" Harvey lifted a foot, rubbing it without any intention of putting on shoes.

...

As news of the Blair Witch flooded the media, it wasn't just the Weinstein brothers who felt something was off; many industry insiders sensed the atmosphere was eerily reminiscent of the lead-up to Paranormal Activity's debut. There was widespread speculation that a studio was imitating that film's release strategy to market a new project.

Hollywood studios began investigating to determine which company had a film project lined up, but thorough confidentiality made it nearly impossible to find out despite extensive digging. People suspected Link but not many. He had become a major author and had been traveling the globe for book signings, leaving little time to shoot a film. It seemed improbable this film was his work.

"Link is clever," Ben Affleck commented as he looked at the newspaper.

"Are you complimenting him or criticizing him?" Matt Damon inquired.

"Definitely a compliment. Before filming the Blair Witch, he left the crew under Sofia's direction while he handled book signings. At first, I thought he simply abandoned the crew and let Sofia run wild. Little did I know, during the break of the book signing event, he came to the crew to shoot the movie.

Looking back, it was clearly all part of his plan; he used the book signings as a cover so no one suspected he was involved with the movie. That's brilliant."

Ben Affleck pulled out a notebook to jot down Link's tactics, thinking it might prove useful when he directed a film himself one day.

"Does that really matter? I mean Link? A movie's success boils down to two factors: box office sales and recognition from film critics or awards. The Blair Witch doesn't exactly seem like an Oscar contender. The only way to prove it's good is through box office performance. Will it do well? If it flops, everything Link has done, past and present, will be for nothing, and all our hard work too," Matt explained.

"Relax! Link's sharp; if he's orchestrating this, he must have faith in a successful outcome. Besides, you picked this film and dragged me to audition for it. Now that it's about to hit theaters, you're suddenly worried about all our efforts being wasted? Isn't that a bit late?" Ben replied with a smirk.

"This is our first lead film. Aren't you worried?" Matt asked.

"Not really. A movie that costs less than $100,000 isn't going to hurt us too badly, even if it doesn't perform well," Ben shrugged.

...

In February, American media continued to hype the Blair Witch news. HBO aired clips from tourists who had filmed their own 'Blair Witch' experiences. Given the recent popularity of the topic, the footage was spooky enough that the show averaged over 12 million viewers.

The buzz surrounding the Blair Witch remained rampant in American media, igniting curiosity. As speculation abounded regarding which studio was behind the promotion, the Los Angeles Times divulged the truth.

The Times reported that three students from the University of California took an expedition to a small town in Wilton last year and mysteriously vanished without a trace. In January, tourists searching for traces of the Blair Witch accidentally came across a broken camera; it had ceased functioning due to exposure to the elements.

Fortunately, they discovered a backpack nearby that contained three videotapes. The backpack and tapes belonged to the three missing students. The footage recorded the students' journey from start to finish and even delved into elements of mysticism.

The families of the missing students sold the tapes to Trimark Pictures, and in an interview, the company's president, Mark Amin, proclaimed that the tapes were intact. The company was in post-production, adjusting the tapes' format. If all went well, audiences would soon get a chance to witness what happened to the students before their disappearance.

...

Once the Los Angeles Times broke the news, media outlets quickly picked it up. Within days, many learned of the incident and expressed eager curiosity about the tapes filmed by the students. A few more ethical media sources stepped forward to debunk the hype, claiming the Blair Witch legend and the 'tape incident' were hoaxes. They insisted recent media coverage was simply Trimark Pictures' ploy for marketing a new film.

However, while these articles aimed to critique Trimark's methods, mentioning the Blair Witch incident only fanned the flames of curiosity among more people. By mid-February, Trimark Pictures officially announced that The Blair Witch Project would be released on February 26.

*****

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