Clang— Clang—
As the last person to walk the red carpet, Zack Snyder, dressed in a sharp suit, finished his stride. Suddenly, a resonant and synchronized march began to echo. The fans gathered in front of the Chief Stone Theater in Los Angeles lifted their heads quickly. Two squads of towering, muscular Spartan warriors emerged from the theater's side doors, moving in perfect unison along the pathways close to the theater's walls, running towards the theater's entrance.
These Spartan warriors, clad in dark gold helmets and red capes, and wearing red shorts, displayed muscles like hard stone.
The fans eagerly raised their cameras, capturing this rare spectacle with their lenses.
The reporters also turned their cameras away from the red carpet to focus on the Spartans.
The Spartans leading on either side halted near the theater doors, prompting the rest to simultaneously stop and turn, forming two rows along the granite walls flanking the main entrance.
Then, as if choreographed, they drew their swords and struck their dark gold shields with the aluminum blades, creating a booming sound like war drums.
Following this, all the Spartans opened their mouths wide and roared in unison.
"Awoo! Awoo! Awoo—"
The three powerful shouts instantly invigorated the crowd in front of Chief Stone Theater, making it feel as though they were transported back to the battlefield of Thermopylae.
As the roaring ceased, the theater's previously blank billboard flipped, revealing an image of a godlike man, holding a sword in one hand and a shield in the other, yelling towards the sky.
At the moment the billboard was fully revealed, a pre-recorded, wild and strong shout from Matthew Horner blared from hidden speakers.
"This. Is. Sparta!"
Following this declaration, the three hundred warriors on both sides of the theater entrance roared again.
"Awoo! Awoo! Awoo—"
The audience's excitement peaked with these three resounding shouts.
David Ellison, standing on the steps in front of the theater, turned to Megan Ellison and asked, "How does it feel?"
"Full of testosterone and red shorts everywhere," Megan Ellison rolled her eyes subtly. "You could hold a male Victoria's Secret show."
David Ellison didn't mind and laughed heartily, clearly pleased with the response from the audience, which indicated that this unique premiere design would grab the headlines in entertainment media.
Megan Ellison nodded slightly. "It's certainly more effective than just a red carpet walk." She then asked curiously, "Whose idea was this? It can't be yours, right? Warner Brothers, maybe?"
"No," David Ellison sighed, speaking in an admiring tone. "It was Matthew's idea. He came up with it, and then I found people to design it."
Megan Ellison furrowed her brow but eventually commented, "He's quite creative."
David Ellison noticed that the main cast and crew had finished their interviews on the red carpet and were gathering at the sponsor's backdrop for a group photo. Adjusting his bow tie, he asked Megan Ellison, "Want to join for a photo?"
"No way," Megan Ellison firmly shook her head. "I'll have plenty of photo ops when the movies I invest in are released."
Hearing her stance, David Ellison didn't insist. He walked down the steps into the photo area, found Matthew, and squeezed in between him and Eva Green.
Matthew turned his head and, seeing it was David Ellison, asked, "Why didn't I see you on the red carpet?"
"I came early," David Ellison pointed to the theater entrance. "I was hiding over there, enjoying being the mastermind behind the scenes."
He then turned to Eva Green, "Hi, Eva, mind if I borrow your king for a bit?"
Eva Green, dressed in her usual black dress with a pale face and a slight smile, replied, "Go ahead."
In fact, she had returned to Los Angeles a while ago and had participated in many promotional events for the film. However, beyond professional interactions with Matthew, there was not much personal contact.
Their brief relationship had ended when she last left the Horner estate.
As they posed for the group photo, David Ellison took the chance to ask Matthew quietly, "I heard you cast Robert Downey Jr. as the lead in your investment, 'Iron Man'?"
Matthew replied softly, "Yes. His salary is low, and he agreed to a multi-film contract. If the movie succeeds and we make sequels, it will help control his future salary."
David Ellison expressed his doubt, "Aren't you afraid it might flop?"
Matthew put an arm around his shoulder, giving a reassuring pat, "Don't worry. Even if it doesn't work out, I have the 'Pirates of the Caribbean' series' pay and royalties. I won't go bankrupt."
As the group began to disperse, moving to smaller clusters for photos, Matthew called over James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender, introducing them seriously to David Ellison.
Once David Ellison moved on to take photos with the Warner Brothers' team, Matthew told James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender, "He's a big shot. Capable of funding top-tier productions. It doesn't hurt to have a good relationship."
James McAvoy remarked, "I just told Michael to pursue David Ellison's sister."
Michael Fassbender playfully punched James McAvoy, "Such a tough mission, you should handle it yourself."
The three shared a laugh and posed together again as more photographers approached, capturing their camaraderie.
As actors with individual careers that kept them globe-trotting and rarely meeting more than a few times a year, their bond forged before fame was stronger than ever.
After the photo session, Matthew, along with James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender, headed towards the theater. With a mischievous look, he nodded towards the steps ahead and said, "Megan Ellison is over there. You two should go for it."
Having teased them enough, he added, "Remember, marrying her could save you a lifetime of struggle."
Of course, it was all in jest. By the time they reached the steps, Megan Ellison had already entered the theater.
Inside the theater's VIP lounge, as the general audience filed into the auditorium, Matthew greeted Johnny Depp, Keanu Reeves, and others who had come to support him. Amanda Seyfried approached Matthew proactively.
She leaned in and whispered, "I've got good news. The interview team in Africa sent over the refugee footage."
"Where is it?" Matthew asked with interest.
"It's been uploaded to the foundation's office," Amanda explained. "The assistant just called to confirm it's been received and backed up in three different places."
She then asked, "When do you plan to use it?"
Matthew considered for a moment, "Not just yet. Depending on the film's subsequent box office performance, I'll discuss with David and Warner's team to find a suitable time to release the video for another round of promotion."
Amanda nodded slightly and then asked, "How are the pre-sales?"
"Pretty good," Matthew replied as he exchanged greetings with someone passing by. "The first weekend is expected to pull in about $20 million."
"That's much lower than 'The Mummy Returns,'" Amanda commented.
Matthew reminded her, "That was a sequel and rated PG-13. This is R-rated. Not really comparable…"
At this moment, he spotted a familiar figure—a middle-aged black man with glasses. It was Spike Lee, whom he had an unpleasant encounter with just a week prior.
What's he doing here?
Matthew found David Ellison and asked a few questions. David Ellison looked at Spike Lee and said, "You didn't invite him, I can confirm the production crew and Skydance Media didn't either. He must have been invited by Warner Brothers."
That seemed the most likely scenario.
Spike Lee had arrived and wasn't causing any trouble. Matthew couldn't exactly ask him to leave in front of everyone, so he decided to ignore it.
"What's between you two..." David Ellison was curious.
Matthew downplayed it, "Just a bit of unpleasantness at Clint Eastwood's premiere last week."
David Ellison, seeing how casually Matthew mentioned it, assumed it was a minor issue and moved on to other topics. "That 'Flags of Our Fathers' movie isn't doing well. It only made $10 million in its first weekend. It shouldn't be a threat to us."
Matthew nodded lightly, "The target audiences are different."
He had seen "Flags of Our Fathers," and unlike "Saving Private Ryan," it leaned more towards an artful style.
In his opinion, this film, now in its second week, had no competitive edge against "300 Spartans" premiering today.
As Matthew went to greet others, Spike Lee made a phone call to Francis Lawrence, who was not at the premiere but watching an early screening nearby.
Time passed quickly. At the staff's signal, the VIP lounge attendees began entering the auditorium to watch "300 Spartans."
In addition to the red carpet guests, a large number of professional film critics also entered the theater.
Among them was Rex Reed, one of the most renowned critics in North America today.
At the ticket checkpoint of the Chief Stone Theater, two people arrived late.
Despite being late, the security staff, after checking their tickets, allowed them into the theater.
"We could have easily gotten premiere invitations," Donadoni complained. "You insisted on buying regular tickets."
Giovanni Salvatore, looking serious, replied, "We're here on behalf of Armani for a field assessment. We need to gauge the audience's direct reaction without outside influence."
Donadoni sighed and said, "I know, that's why I'm here with you."
As they walked, Giovanni Salvatore continued, "As always, we need to ensure the underwear brand is both high-end and accessible. We need to see Matthew Horner's
physique and its reception firsthand."
_________________________
[Check out my Patreon for +200 additional chapters in all my fanfics! $5 for all!!]
[w w w . p a t r e o n .com / INNIT]
[+50 PowerStones = +1 Chapter]