[Chapter 508: Mission: Impossible Premiere]
New Jersey, Johnson & Johnson Pharmaceuticals, Chairman's Office.
Besides the chairman and CEO, there was also Dr. Carter Klein, the company's chief research expert. He led an independent scientific research team.
The chairman pulled out a bottle of Vitality Pills. "Dr. Klein, this batch just came from Los Angeles through my contacts. I'm giving you six pills for research and analysis. I expect you to lead your team to reverse-engineer the formula. If you need any support, just send me a report."
Dr. Klein was thrilled. "Thank you, Chairman, I will commit fully to this task."
Not long after Dr. Klein left, another medical expert entered the office.
The chairman handed over a bottle of Beauty Pills. "Dr. Kasis, this batch is fresh from Los Angeles. I'm entrusting you with the research and analysis..."
Meanwhile, beyond Johnson & Johnson, at AbbVie, Merck, Roche, Pfizer, AstraZeneca, and nearly every global pharmaceutical giant, the same story was unfolding. Even if they hadn't secured the Vitality Pills, they all managed to get their hands on the Beauty Pills. Every company was racing to crack their formulas, hoping to tap into this tidal wave of wealth.
...
Baltimore, Maryland, Johns Hopkins University -- the top-ranked biomedical university in the country. Renowned biomaterials professor Andy Serkis led a state-of-the-art lab with an annual research budget of tens of millions of dollars.
Since the media revealed the Beauty and Vitality Pills, his curiosity soared. No matter how deep his funding went, buying enough Vitality Pills was still out of reach, but acquiring Beauty Pills for research was entirely feasible.
At the moment, he held two bottles of Beauty Pills his assistant had just purchased in Los Angeles. After personally taking one pill for testing, he was amazed at its effects.
That inspired him to commit fully to analyzing, testing, and researching the mysteries within the pills. He planned to keep one for personal use and dedicate the other to laboratory study.
Soon, the core research team gathered in his office as he assigned tasks.
It wasn't just Johns Hopkins -- Georgia Tech, Duke, MIT, Stanford, UC Berkeley, the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, UC San Diego... all the top ten biomedical research labs nationwide had simultaneously launched studies on the Beauty Pills.
---
Meanwhile, outside the corporate and academic frenzy, Linton remained unfazed.
Once the special store's pills sold out, he casually returned to his estate, diving back into non-stop celebrations with his girlfriends.
His twenty girlfriends unleashed their charms and passion, dressed in irresistibly seductive uniforms, nightgowns, lingerie, stockings -- each look more alluring than the last. Naturally, there were plenty of playful accessories to heighten the mood.
The fiery elegance and euphoric pleasures defied description, drawing Linton into endless delight and intoxication.
...
This decadent celebration didn't end until midday on May 8th because the Mission: Impossible was about to premiere.
Unlike past premieres, this one featured an added heavyweight event: the Victoria's Secret Angels lingerie show.
This strategy had been settled late last year -- Victoria's Secret aimed to leverage the synergy with Linton's Mission: Impossible to boost the Angels' popularity. Universal Pictures and Linton's production company also hoped the fashion show would add hype to the film.
Given the drawing power of the Victoria's Secret Angels and their appeal to audiences, the premiere wasn't held inside Universal's round theater.
Instead, it was staged at the Shrine Auditorium, a larger external venue known for hosting the Oscars many times before.
The choice was strategic: the spacious plaza outside could accommodate over 50,000 spectators, allowing a massive crowd to witness the Angels' show and the film's premiere live, amplifying their combined influence.
The event was broadcast live nationwide by MCA Television Network.
...
That afternoon, a T-shaped runway was built on the Shrine's entrance stage, with a long red carpet stretching from the stage into the plaza.
The plaza was packed shoulder-to-shoulder, a sea of people filling the space meant for 50,000 attendees.
Surrounding the area, Los Angeles police riot squads stood alert, ready to prevent any incident.
At 3 PM, the stage lights snapped on and thunderous music erupted. The host announced, "Welcome to the much-anticipated Mission: Impossible premiere! Let's start with the Victoria's Secret Angels lingerie show."
Out came six statuesque Angels: Heidi Klum, Helena Christensen, Leticia Costa, Daniela Pestova, Stephanie Seymour, and Tyra Banks. They sauntered onto the T-shaped stage wearing the tiniest, most provocative lingerie imaginable.
Each Angel sported the signature wings behind her back and blew playful kisses to the cameras and the audience, engaging with fans both live and on TV.
The crowd erupted instantly -- shrieks, cheers, whistles -- a tidal wave of enthusiasm.
Each Angel changed through five sets of lingerie, each look hotter and more seductive than the last, inspiring envy in women and sending men into frenzied standing ovations.
At the finale, the Angels didn't exit but moved to the center stage, striking a regal pose welcoming their prince.
...
"Please welcome the superstar director and lead actor of Mission: Impossible, Linton Anderson!" the host shouted.
Linton stepped out casually from backstage, dressed in a relaxed Armani suit, waving to the crowd as he made his way to center stage.
Arriving between the six Angels, they shifted formation and each shared intimate interactions with him, ultimately encircling him in a heart-shaped pose.
The surrounding paparazzi went wild, snapping photos incessantly as a blizzard of flashes flooded the area.
The audience's screams and cheers escalated even further.
Many fans tried to rush the stage, but the security wall of guards held firm.
Luckily, with the Angels' show ending, Linton was escorted safely off the T-stage, and the crowd's frenzy gradually settled as the Mission: Impossible premiere resumed.
What Linton didn't realize was, bolstered by his own star power, the Victoria's Secret Angels, and MCA's live broadcast, the ratings soared well beyond typical afternoon numbers.
Online forums buzzed with real-time commentary; as soon as Linton appeared onstage interacting with the Angels, massive waves of fans flooded the discussions, crashing Yahoo's forum servers once again.
...
The guest list for the Mission: Impossible premiere was especially star-studded. This was Linton's first public event since the Vitality and Beauty Pills exposure, and his own premiere to boot -- on top of being Universal's owner.
Hollywood was packed; nearly every prominent director and celebrity was present.
Especially the leading ladies; they clawed tooth and nail to snag an invite.
Not just Hollywood stars -- top TV actors and music stars from New York's bustling scene also scrambled for a seat.
But they faced a higher bar; only the A-listers were granted entry.
Mariah Carey, Whitney Houston, Celine Dion, Janet Jackson, Jennifer Aniston -- all went out of their way to show support for Linton.
Of course, aside from Xu Qing and Winnie, the rest of Linton's harem was at the event too.
The sheer number of stars outshone the Oscars itself.
For the audience, it was a rare treat. No one expected to see so many celebrities at a single movie premiere. The combination of the Victoria's Secret lingerie show and this star parade left the crowd thrilled, with waves of cheers and shouts filling the venue.
...
This extended the red carpet walk well past 6 PM, when Linton and Catherine finally took center stage hand in hand, greeted by a thunderous ovation.
Besides stars, producers, studio executives, even Viacom's Sumner Redstone, Disney chairman Michael Eisner, and News Corp's Rupert Murdoch -- accompanied by his young wife, Wendi Deng -- attended.
Though these heavyweights were Hollywood's power brokers, they remained behind the scenes, skipping the red carpet and entering directly through the VIP entrance for media interviews.
...
After all the celebrities finished walking the carpet, the film's lead team took a brief round of interviews before the film began screening.
Mission: Impossible delivered high thrills -- intense, grand-scale action punctuated by inventive spy twists.
Linton's performance was absolutely magnetic: cool, sharp, and brilliantly intelligent, showcasing his charm to the fullest.
In fact, the entire film could almost be considered a lengthy, high-budget music video for Linton. Fans erupted in cheers throughout the screening.
Catherine's role, though more decorative, was flawless -- a perfect example of beauty adding glitz to a blockbuster.
The supporting cast also impressed, leaving a mark on the audience.
Throughout the screening, cheers and shouts echoed nonstop, culminating in a spontaneous standing ovation when the credits rolled.
...
Linton and his team took to the small stage below the screen, bowing repeatedly until applause slowly died down.
However, the Q&A session revealed a shift. Early questions were standard, but when asked about box office expectations, Linton grew flustered under the barrage.
"Linton, do you think Mission: Impossible can break Independence Day's North American box office record?"
"Do you expect the film to hit $400 million domestically?"
"Are you confident it could surpass Jurassic Park's global box office?"
"Could this be the first film to break the $1 billion mark worldwide?"
These questions felt absurd -- Independence Day and Jurassic Park were phenomena.
Jurassic Park had revolutionized the film industry and was a family favorite, grossing over $970 million worldwide -- a record unbeaten for years.
Independence Day set new standards in Hollywood effects, obliterating every major city on screen, a fiery epic of humanity's fight against aliens.
Though its global gross was below Jurassic Park, it set a new North American record with $361 million.
Mission: Impossible was just a spy film -- how could it compare?
Why did they put so much faith in me? Am I really some kind of divine messenger?
The reporters were clearly after a sensational headline, but Linton didn't want to play that game.
Boasting too much would backfire if the results fell short.
For the first time at a premiere, he dodged direct answers with skillful evasions.
"The film is fantastic; I'm confident about the box office, which certainly won't disappoint. But the exact earnings depend on audience support."
The reporters left disappointed. 'When did Linton get so cautious? He doesn't even brag anymore.'
But unwittingly, their silence implied possibility -- he never denied the chance to break these records, which was good enough for the tabloids.
The next day's subheadlines already read: [Breaking News: Linton Expects Mission: Impossible to Set New Box Office Records.] [Explosive: Linton Hopes for $1 Billion Global Gross.]
Of course, the main headlines celebrated the Victoria's Secret Angels' contribution to the premiere's success.
...
After the premiere, Universal and Linton's company co-hosted a lavish reception at the nearby Four Seasons Hotel.
With so many stars showing up, regardless of personal agendas, the proper courtesies had to be observed.
Linton typically avoided such events, but Robert and Scott persuaded him -- after all, most attendees came for him, and lots of Hollywood heavy-hitters were present.
Yet his harem, including Catherine, wisely skipped the party. For them, the reception held no real value; it would only sour their mood with endless seductive temptresses flocking to Linton. They preferred the peace of absence.
*****
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