[Chapter 386: Crazy Premiere]
On July 2, 1995, the sci-fi action blockbuster Independence Day, which reportedly cost $100 million to make, premiered at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles.
Linton Anderson held Cristiana Reali on one side and Nicole Kidman on the other. Amid countless screams and shouts, and under the barrage of cameras and paparazzi flashes, the three of them walked the red carpet together.
Cristiana and Nicole had, with the director's full cooperation, both just wrapped their prior shoots -- Cristiana on As Good as It Gets and Nicole on The Long Kiss Goodnight -- on July 1, so they were now free to throw themselves into promoting Independence Day.
As the three of them walked the carpet arm in arm, the crowd clearly split into three camps. The biggest group was Linton's fanbase. They had long since gotten used to Linton's playboy antics, and they welcomed him strolling the carpet with two breathtaking beauties.
Cristiana's fans were different. They wanted their idol to monopolize Linton, to shove the other woman away.
Nicole's fans were equally vocal, insisting, Nicole stay by Linton's side, and asking Cristiana get lost.
Heated jeers between the two camps rose above the cheers, and paparazzi and reporters at the scene couldn't stop laughing -- this was tabloid gold, a front-page story for the morning.
No matter how the fans screamed or how crazy the scene became, the three of them were unfazed. They kept their close, practiced intimacy as they crossed the carpet and entered the interview area.
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Reporters from MCA and UPN, who were broadcasting the premiere live, rushed in. Since they were their own networks, the interviews were essentially elaborate promotional setups. Under the reporters' questions, Linton and the others took turns praising Independence Day from different angles.
"Director Linton, Independence Day is a story about defending the planet from a brutal alien invasion. As a writer, what inspired you?" a UPN reporter asked as the interview was winding down.
That question had been prearranged, and the sentimental, prepared answer had been rehearsed.
Linton forced a smile and voiced the line, knowing how it would play. "Humanity built a magnificent civilization on Earth. When our civilization faced the aliens' invasion and teetered on collapse, what should we do? I believed people around the world should set aside their fights, unite, and save our common fate. Just like in the trailer, America is the world's lone superpower, and it should shoulder responsibility and lead humanity's resistance."
Everyone knew how that soundbite would land when UPN sent it into millions of living rooms. It would stir pride across North America and drive countless people to theaters to see Independence Day.
After saying that, Linton waved at the cameras to play up the image of a patriotic, then turned and continued holding the two actresses as they moved toward the cast photo area.
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The premiere screening of Independence Day finally began.
On July 2 -- on the eve of America's Independence Day -- New Mexico's space monitoring station detected a massive craft hundreds of miles in diameter approaching Earth. The signals emitted from the craft interfered with the planet's communications satellites, raising alarms in government circles.
Soon an alien fleet surrounded the planet. From the mothership, thirty-six smaller vessels, each about fifteen miles across, descended over major cities worldwide, plunging people into confusion and panic.
Computer technician David discovered that the signals from the alien ships were actually a countdown to an attack. He found a way to warn his wife Connie, who served as a White House press aide.
The U.S. government tried to make contact with the aliens but received no response. The President grew anxious and, after receiving David's information, ordered evacuations, but it was already too late.
On the morning of July 3, the alien ships began launching fatal strikes at major cities across the globe. In an instant, humanity suffered enormous losses and devastation.
Afterward, the President of the United States rallied the world to stand together against the invaders and declared July 4 as Earth's Independence Day.
With help from David, fighter pilot Steve, and others, humanity mounted a full counterattack. The President even took to the skies in a fighter jet. Ultimately, they used a virus David cobbled together to bring down the aliens' seemingly impenetrable energy shields and wiped out the invaders.
The story was simple, but it resonated across the board. Most of all, the film's relentless spectacle -- the sheer number of explosions and the brutal destruction of cities and landmarks -- hit audiences viscerally. The special effects were so realistic they bordered on unbelievable, and the movie's melodramatic emotional beats were dialed to the max, ensuring viewers couldn't help but be swept up.
The unprecedented effects delivered an experience that could only be called staggering.
Over New York, Los Angeles, Boston, Chicago, San Francisco, and other major cities, the alien ships revealed their true, menacing forms.
The White House, the Empire State Building, the Capitol, the Washington Monument, the Statue of Liberty, Central Park, the Golden Gate Bridge, Hollywood -- countless iconic American landmarks were utterly destroyed, blown to dust by the aliens.
Those meticulously crafted, never-before-seen effects were, for that era, a seismic blow to the film industry and its audiences. Everyone was left stunned and then driven wild.
Toward the end, the U.S. President stood amid dawn's first light and gave an impassioned speech to the survivors on screen. The audience at the Shrine Auditorium erupted with excitement.
"We will not go quietly into the night! We will not vanish without a fight! We're going to live on! We're going to survive! Today, we celebrate our independence day!" the line rang out.
Applause and cheers filled the theater, and the crowd at the premiere answered with even louder clapping, shouting, and screams.
When the credits finished and the film's creators took the stage to bow repeatedly, the applause and screams slowly subsided.
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During the Q&A with media and fans, Michael Bay caught the infectious energy of the crowd and turned it up.
"People call me Explosion Bay, so I'll blow up America in Independence Day, blow up the world, blow up the aliens, and blast all the way into space -- explode a box office miracle and set a new standard for Hollywood effects," he declared.
When box office predictions came up, everyone looked at Linton. He didn't hesitate and let loose a bold claim.
"Right now the North American record is E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial at $359 million. I'll set a modest goal for Independence Day: $360 million domestic," he boasted.
The film's creative team exchanged glances. The reporters and paparazzi in the audience went wild.
That was Linton -- always daring to fire off fireworks at every premiere. Although he had a track record of ambitious forecasts coming true, some thought this was over the top: it was just a special-effects blockbuster -- did he really expect it to break records every time?
But whether Linton's bravado would be proved right or get him humbled didn't matter in the moment.
For the journalists, it was perfect. They already had tomorrow morning's front-page and second-page headlines planned out.
*****
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