Returning to Hollywood, compared to the lively month of May, the films of June seemed far less imposing.
Knocked Up, which opened on June 1, performed decently; its 31.53-million-dollar opening weekend was acceptable.
On June 8, Steven Soderbergh's Ocean's Thirteen premiered—known more widely among Chinese audiences by its translated title Thirteen Thieves.
The fact that this heist series reached a third installment showed that the first two had performed quite well.
Naomi Watts, who appeared in the first two films, did not return for the third, while George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, and the other leads all came back.
The biggest challenge for sequels was actor salaries—especially since, over the years, even Matt Damon had risen to top-tier status through the Bourne series.
But Warner Bros. made enough concessions regarding box office bonuses to reunite the cast, even inviting veteran star Al Pacino to join, keeping the total production cost at 120 million dollars.
The film's opening weekend was solid. Released in 3,550 theaters, it grossed 37.08 million dollars, slightly higher than Warner Bros expectation of 35 million.
Of course, compared to May's three mega-blockbusters that all broke 100 million in their first weekend, this film was no match.
There was nothing to be done—sequels could differ greatly from one another. All were "third films," but this third film clearly couldn't compete with the others.
On Ocean's Thirteen's second weekend, it faced competition from 20th Century Fox's Fantastic Four 2, but the media's attention was completely diverted.
Because on that day, the series directed by Gilbert—Edgerunners—premiered on HBO and Disney's premium cable channels, attracting the attention of film fans across the United States and the world.
"Johnny, Fantastic Four 2 premieres today. Aren't we going to the theater?" his friend Paul asked.
The two were roommates, coworkers, and fellow movie lovers.
Johnny shook his head. "No, Paul, tonight we're watching Edgerunners."
Paul hadn't followed news about the series closely, so he asked curiously, "Edgerunners is really airing today?"
"Yes, Paul." Johnny rubbed his hands in excitement. "I've been wanting to watch this for a long time. A series directed by Gilbert definitely won't be ordinary."
"Well then," Paul shrugged, deciding to watch with him, "Coke?"
"Coke!"
The two camped in front of the television, drinking Coke and eating some unidentifiable lump of food as dinner, waiting for the premiere.
Not only Johnny and Paul—Gilbert's fans across the country were all gathered around their televisions tonight, waiting for the new series.
At Melon Studio, all the lights were on. Ivanka and Anna supervised personally, waiting for data to come in.
Everyone cared deeply about Gilbert's first attempt at a cyberpunk world. With such a large investment, no one wanted to see the series fail.
At 8 p.m., the first episode of Cyberpunk: Edgerunners officially aired.
In the San Francisco Bay Area, Zhao Jack and Irene sat in their living-room with their five-year-old son and two-year-old daughter, watching the Disney premium channel.
"I've been excited for this series forever. I watched the trailer so many times," Irene said, grabbing the ice cream from her son's hand and eating it herself.
Seeing his son's resentful look, Irene said with absolute confidence, "Kids shouldn't eat too much ice cream. It's bad for their teeth."
The boy copied Zhao Jack's helpless hand gesture, staring silently at the television.
Zhao Jack worried aloud, "Should we put the kids to bed? Isn't it a bit early for them to watch a series like this?"
"What's there to be scared of? Early education is great."
Irene mischievously pressed her cold, ice-cream-chilled hand against their daughter's soft cheek, making the girl giggle wildly.
"It's starting, it's starting…"
The couple watched the television without blinking, and even their slightly-understanding son looked on curiously, wondering what had captured his parents' attention.
Far away in New York, the Butcher family and the Evans family were gathered together—more than a dozen people crowded around the TV, waiting for the premiere.
From Los Angeles to New York, from Chicago by the Great Lakes to Miami on the Caribbean coast, even in Vancouver in Canada and Anchorage in Las Vegas, millions of viewers were excitedly waiting before their televisions for the broadcast.
When the clock struck eight, HBO and Disney's pay-per-view channels broadcast Cyberpunk: Edgerunners simultaneously, and it finally met the audience.
After the familiar logo flashed by, the opening of Edgerunners left viewers glued to their TV screens completely shocked.
August 23, 2023, the top of Arasaka Tower in Night City.
Dwayne Johnson's Adam Smasher and Morgan Blackhand's duel—Adam Smasher's unique appearance alone was enough to scare the little kids watching TV.
This heavily-augmented super cyborg exuded overwhelming pressure, and the Morgan Blackhand opposite him was no less formidable. Their battle atop Arasaka Tower was dazzling to behold.
Just from this opening scene alone, from firearms to cybernetic-enhanced combat, the way top fighters of the Cyberpunk world fought was fully displayed.
Seeing this sequence, Johnny and Paul were already shouting how cool it was. They had previously learned about the original lore and Cyberpunk tabletop game.
But even if the two of them exhausted their imaginations, they could never have pictured a scene like this. It was truly stunning.
This battle ended with the nuclear explosion at Arasaka Tower. The final shot was Adam Smasher being retrieved by Arasaka Corporation for further, more thorough modifications.
Time skipped ahead to 2076. Night City was still Night City.
A line that countless viewers would later come to recognize opened the curtain:
"Good morning, Night City! Yesterday's Dead Lottery ended with a grand total of thirty! Thanks to endless gang shootouts, Heywood alone contributed ten.
But we also lost a police officer. I think all of you will have to pay up, because NCPD definitely won't swallow this lightly.
Santo Domingo has suffered another blackout—sabotage to the grid again, courtesy of netrunners. Meanwhile, Trauma Team in Westbrook is still scraping bodies off the sidewalks after a cyberpsychosis outbreak.
And as for Pacifica… well… Pacífica is still Pacífica.
I'm your buddy Stan. Join me as we begin a brand-new day of chasing dreams in Night City."
The scene shifted—rain pouring over neon lights in Night City. A tall figure appeared silently beside an NCPD cruiser. Before the officer even had time to shout at the burly man, he was instantly reduced to a pile of minced flesh.
"F**k…"
Not only were curses coming from the characters on television; even viewers outside the screen were startled.
Zhao Jack and Irene exchanged a look and immediately sent their son and daughter back to their bedroom to sleep. This show was not suitable for children. Most parents made the same decision.
One Adam Smasher vs. Morgan Blackhand scene, followed by the opening braindance segment, basically established the tone of Edgerunners.
So that was a braindance. The braindance format and concept attracted many technology enthusiasts.
David woke from the braindance, then watched another adults-only braindance video, entering "sage time." At this moment David's mother appeared—the mother was played in a cameo by Julia Roberts.
The plot then moved into a calmer development phase, and the audience slowly became immersed. The world of Night City was unfolding steadily.
...
Hi For access to additional chapters of
Director in Hollywood (40 chpaters)
Made In Hollywood (Completed)
Pokemon:Bounty Hunter(30 Chapters)
Hollywood:From Razzie to Legend(40 Chapters)
The Great Ruler (30 Chapters)
Join pateron.com/Translaterappu