Gravity had completely ignited the holiday season box office.
Theaters everywhere were once again lined with long queues.
Especially at those cinemas equipped with the latest IMAX and 3D screens.
At Santa Monica Pier in Los Angeles.
In front of a theater boasting a state-of-the-art IMAX-3D auditorium, countless movie fans gathered, the lengthy line stretching from the lobby all the way out onto the plaza.
"Damn it! All the tickets for the IMAX-3D and regular 3D screenings before New Year's are sold out!"
Similar complaints echoed endlessly around Santa Monica Pier, forming a chorus of frustration.
"Why can't they build more 3D theaters? I don't care about the price difference."
"I've heard the visual effects in 3D versus 2D are worlds apart. If I'm spending money anyway, I want the best."
"This is great—now my girlfriend's going to nag me nonstop: Why couldn't you line up earlier? Why didn't you snag tickets online during presale? Why are you so useless? Ugh, I never should have fallen for you..."
Franco Clotho listened to the chatter around him and smugly turned to his girlfriend. "See? You were complaining about me splurging on those pricey IMAX-3D tickets. Now you get it."
His girlfriend Janice rolled her eyes. "Yeah, yeah, you're right, you're right."
A nearby white guy overheard their conversation and sidled up. "Hey, buddy, you got IMAX-3D tickets? How many? Nah, doesn't matter—I'll take 'em all. Name your price. A hundred bucks each?"
"Anyone got tickets? I'll pay two hundred."
"I'll do three hundred."
"Four hundred—gimme, gimme!"
Franco Clotho and his girlfriend Janice stared wide-eyed at the surging crowd, their scalps tingling with unease.
Franco grabbed Janice's hand and bolted toward the theater entrance, finally escaping the frantic ticket seekers.
Janice clutched her chest, soothing her racing heart, and couldn't help but swear. "Are these people insane? It's just a movie."
"Hey, Janice, but it's a Martin Meyers film—and one all the big directors are raving about."
"That's just marketing hype. I refuse to believe a movie can be that amazing. Those guys outside must be brainwashed."
Fifteen minutes later.
As Janice sat in the pitch-black IMAX theater, 3D glasses perched on her nose.
Her earlier skepticism vanished.
The vast, silent, inky blackness of space, amplified by the 3D effects, made her feel as if she were right there in it, a deep-seated fear rising from the pit of her stomach.
Instinctively, she grabbed her boyfriend Franco's hand. Normally, he'd pull her into his arms for comfort, maybe even sneak in a little grab on her boobs.
But this time—
Franco Clotho didn't budge.
His eyes were glued to the massive screen, completely oblivious to her grip.
And likewise, Janice didn't notice the difference from his usual behavior, her own gaze locked on the screen.
"Boom!"
An explosion rocked the scene, debris flying everywhere.
Franco Clotho and Janice jerked their heads in unison, dodging the shards hurtling toward them.
The rest of the audience did the same.
Franco shivered with excitement. Martin Meyers' film hadn't let him down.
The 3D effects were so lifelike, it felt like the debris was actually flying at him, ready to pierce his body, his head.
His adrenaline surged, compelling him to duck involuntarily... He even forgot he was there with his girlfriend.
Once the wave of debris "passed," he finally remembered her.
He turned to look.
Only to find Janice retching.
"Oh, honey, what's wrong? Feeling sick? Want to leave?"
The words were out before he could regret them—he'd waited ten hours online for these tickets, and the movie was so thrilling and didn't want to leave so early.
Thankfully, Janice's response put him at ease.
"No way, I have to finish this film. That spinning evasion shot was just too realistic—it made me nauseous for a second. I'm better now."
"Oh, good."
With that, Franco Clotho eagerly turned his eyes back to the screen.
He didn't want to miss a single moment.
And Janice did the same, focusing intently on the film, not even noticing that her boyfriend hadn't put her first.
"Boom!"
The second wave of debris struck.
The theater audience dodged again in unison.
To avoid another wave of nausea, Janice fought her body's instinctive reaction, staring wide-eyed as the shards pierced through her head, her body, her heart pounding wildly.
When the debris cleared, she realized her palms were slick with sweat.
This movie was downright terrifying!!!
But also insanely good!!!
No wonder Franco idolized Martin so much.
No wonder he'd rather lose sleep than miss out on IMAX-3D tickets.
No wonder those people outside were willing to pay top dollar to get him to sell the tickets.
It was all too real.
As the plot progressed, Janice fully immersed herself in the shoes of the protagonist, Ryan Stone.
The film threw a life-or-death crisis every ten minutes or so, with Ryan Stone's life hanging by a thread.
Janice and the other viewers couldn't help but adopt Ryan Stone's perspective, seeing what she saw, hearing what she heard, feeling what she felt: hurtling into oncoming debris swarms, crashing impacts, spinning ships, deathly silence, frantic gasps... All of it so vivid. It made the audience worry for her, fear for her.
This film had zero filler!
When Leonardo's character, Matt Kowalski, unbuckled his tether but still smiled gently, encouraging the heroine: "You have to survive."
Sobs echoed throughout the theater.
Janice couldn't hold back her tears any longer.
Beside her, Franco Clotho ignored his girlfriend's quiet sniffles.
He clenched his fists, his emotions stirred by Matt Kowalski's selfless act, while anxiety gripped him over Ryan Stone's plight.
Jessica was beautiful, Leonardo was handsome, but right now, no one cared about their looks.
Everyone was utterly absorbed in the taut script and the boundless cosmos.
In that moment, they all felt something profound, surpassing romantic love: one life's compassion, protection, and sacrifice for another; a deep appreciation for the universe's vastness, life's grandeur, and humanity's wonder, extending love to all fragile beings.
At the film's climax, Ryan Stone murmured: "Now, no matter what happens, I can face it calmly. Okay, I'm going to launch..."
As Ryan Stone's capsule, along with countless space station fragments, streaked across Earth's stunning blue sky, forming a meteor shower so spectacular, so beautiful, so breathtaking!
Janice, like countless other viewers, covered her mouth, tears streaming once more—this time, tears of exhilaration, of joy for life itself.
Her boyfriend—Franco Clotho—was no exception, bursting into uncontrollable sobs, his "manly" dignity forgotten.