Silence enveloped the entire screening room of the Wilshire Theater. It wasn't a dead, pin-drop silence, but rather a palpable quiet filled with the uneven sounds of breathing and heartbeats, with a subtle hum of tension and unease in the air. Everyone was lost in their own mental storms, too absorbed to discuss or even fully process their thoughts, exchanging only glances without words.
A silent storm raged on, but no one made a move.
Then—
A voice, hushed and cautious, broke through the silence.
"Jesus Christ, is that it?"
"To him, it was the only choice."
"But…"
"But we always hope we can save the world like superheroes, only to find reality often backs us into a corner."
"Maybe he didn't have to…"
"But he thought he did."
The quiet whispers and murmurs crept through the room, stirring the heavy atmosphere in the screening room.
Once the silence was broken, it couldn't be contained.
Turning towards the voices, familiar profiles appeared in the gradually brightening light of the theater—it was Anson and Heath.
Clearly, Heath was unsatisfied, holding his breath as he sat rigidly, glancing at the well-behaved audience around him before swallowing back his words and looking up in frustration, letting out a sigh.
The sight was so amusing it was hard not to laugh.
Next to him, Rachel let out a soft sigh, her profile tinged with melancholy.
"Perhaps this is precisely the most helpless part of fate—he trapped himself, and no matter how he tried to solve it, he couldn't find the answer."
"So, do you also think that in the end, everyone could be happy this way?"
Rachel looked at Anson—
What did that mean? A small circle of the audience collectively turned their gaze, their attention captured.
Anson shook his head decisively. "No."
Huh.
The room erupted with murmurs of surprise.
Anson glanced around, "Hey, the movie's over. There's no Q&A tonight, so if you're ready to head home, you can leave now."
The way he casually shooed people away drew soft laughter from the audience.
"What about you?" a bold audience member asked.
Anson shrugged lightly. "This is my first time watching the full version too, and I have a lot of thoughts and questions. I need to talk about them."
Nicholas's eyes lit up: Bingo!
Now he understood why this moment felt so familiar—it was like a film festival! From the premiere entrance without the red carpet to the free-form post-screening discussions, it was exactly like a fan-centric film festival mode.
It seemed Anson really loved this year's Cannes Film Festival experience, not because of the Palme d'Or, but because of the time spent in conversations with the fans.
So Anson brought the festival mode to the Wilshire Theater tonight.
Brilliant! Incomparable!
One glance around was enough to see that the audience was buzzing with excitement. This wasn't the reaction of fanatical superfans, but true film enthusiasts.
And "The Butterfly Effect" was exactly the kind of film that demanded such a moment—not the praise of critics or the push of the media, but discussions driven by individual perspectives.
To return the movie to the audience.
After throwing out this bombshell, Anson didn't elaborate but turned back to Rachel, continuing the previous topic.
"In my opinion, the story ends the moment Andrea lies on the hospital bed. Everything that follows is Evan's imagination. He believes that by erasing himself, he can bring happiness to everyone. But that's just wishful thinking."
Before Rachel could respond, Heath jumped in, "But why?"
Anson answered, "Jason."
What?
Who?
Wow?
The murmurs around them grew even louder, the room now alive with chatter.
Nicholas loved this kind of atmosphere; it was different from a premiere.
Post-screening discussions were common, but this was unique.
Film festival post-screenings allowed creators and audiences to deeply dive into the film, with the quality of dialogue depending on the audience's knowledge and the creators' artistic insights.
Premiere post-screenings were more for promotional purposes, filled with behind-the-scenes anecdotes or scripted Q&A, essentially a PR exercise.
Tonight, New Line Cinema boldly continued the open format of the premiere, breaking the typical Q&A mold.
And this time, the creative team wasn't there as filmmakers but as audience members, joining in on equal footing.
The vibe was entirely different, light and carefree, tinged with a joyful buzz.
No work pressures, no social expectations, no marketing agenda.
Let the film be about the film.
A simple action that reclaimed the essence of cinema for the audience.
Bold and confident.
Just this move alone meant the "Butterfly Effect" crew had already won.
Moreover, don't forget that the Wilshire Theater's audience capacity was double that of the Chinese Theater. Subtract the special guests invited by the film company—journalists, producers, critics, and sponsors—and the true movie-loving audience at the Wilshire Theater might be three to four times larger.
New Line Cinema's approach was effectively putting the reputation of the film in the hands of the audience.
Tomorrow's market response would be something to watch.
Interesting, this was truly fascinating.
But Nicholas didn't have time to dwell on marketing strategies; Anson had his full attention.
Anson continued without pause.
"The film mentioned twice that Andrea suffered three miscarriages before. Evan is effectively the fourth. What does that signify?"
"And Jason?"
"Throughout the previous three, Jason stood by Andrea. So why couldn't he take it anymore after the fourth?"
"In the ending we see, Andrea breaks up with Jason and later marries a stranger, having a healthy 'miracle baby.'"
"It doesn't add up."
So, Anson believed the picture-perfect happy ending on the screen was just Evan's wishful thinking.
Rachel caught on quickly, gasping as she looked at Anson in shock. "Jason tried to kill Evan when he was in the mental hospital, to save Andrea."
First, it showed that Jason deeply loved Andrea.
Second, it implied—
Heath followed the thread. "You're saying Jason kept going back in time through the photos, eventually losing his mind, trying to save Andrea?"
"Just like Evan tried to save Kayleigh?"
"And Jason failed every time…"
Heath's brain stalled, unable to finish the thought.
The room fell into stunned silence before someone tentatively, incredulously asked, "Are you saying Andrea's previous miscarriages were all because Evan ended his life?"
The words sparked gasps and whispers across the room.
(End of the chapter)