Normally, when a film premiere ends and the credits song begins to play, the atmosphere team should already be leading the applause. It was almost a conditioned reflex: the screen went dark, the names started rolling, someone clapped, cameras flashed, and the ceremony moved forward as if everything had been rehearsed in advance.
But this time, even after the song ended, even after Alex and Maggie, as part of the main cast, stepped onto the stage to thank the audience, the theater remained wrapped in silence.
It was not awkward.
It was not failure.
It was certainly not indifference.
Everyone was simply still trapped inside the film, as if their souls had been left behind in the final frame and their bodies, still seated in the theater, had not yet been given permission to return to the real world.
The battle of minds had continued until the very last second, without pause, without waste, without a single cheap concession. It was the kind of confrontation that crushed the audience's breathing, dragged every person by the throat, and forced them to follow each twist with their minds burning. To be honest, in the past ten years - no, perhaps even for people who rarely went to the movies - it would be hard to immediately find another battle-of-wits film so sharp, so clean, and so ruthless.
When they thought back to those earlier movies and dramas that had once advertised themselves as "intellectual duels," many of the viewers who had just watched both parts of Death Note almost wanted to go back in time just to slap their producers.
That thing you filmed had the nerve to call itself a battle of wits?
The difference was simply humiliating.
And naturally, the ending was no less shocking. L sacrificing his own life to expose Light's true face. The protagonist who had used the notebook to kill being killed, in the end, by the very notebook itself. The despair on the face of the actor playing the father as he aimed a gun at his own son. And finally, the flames consuming that object which should never have existed in this world.
There was far too much to digest.
Too many ideas to chew on.
Too many silences to fill.
Still, having everyone sit there with their heads lowered, saying nothing, was not exactly appropriate for a premiere ceremony either.
"Hm-hm."
Alex took the microphone from the host and gave a light, almost lazy cough.
Only then did that group of stars, journalists, and guests - who looked as if they had never seen a work of this level before - suddenly wake up.
Jay was the first to stand and applaud. The smile on his face was so wide it was impossible to hide. The more monstrous Alex became, the better the script he would receive from him. For Jay, this was not merely artistic admiration; it was an investment in his own future.
Right after him, Bianca also stood up, faster than most. After convincing herself that she had managed to cling to a truly powerful thigh, she did not dare lag behind and risk damaging the impression she had left on Alex.
Hannah, Vivian, Wallace, Jimmy, and the other artists present, along with the media representatives, also began applauding enthusiastically. Within seconds, the heavy silence was replaced by a wave of clapping, but even that sound seemed delayed, as if their bodies had only now caught up to the impact their minds had suffered earlier.
No wonder Alex was so arrogant.
At thirty-one, he truly had the capital to be.
Originally, Jay had suggested that after the premiere, everyone should go throw a party to celebrate. They could even invite a few reporters, create a second wave of publicity, and heat up the discussion around both Death Note and the new script Alex planned to give him.
But Alex made it clear that he had no time for that kind of fun. As soon as the interview ended, he would immediately fly to the United States.
After all, he still had to hurry over and earn money from the foreigners.
Jay shrugged and said it was fine. In any case, the celebrities who attended the premiere would also be interviewed, so he could take the chance to promote things on his own.
"It was insane. I've never watched such a brilliant investigative thriller. In my opinion, this film should break the all-time box office record here."
During the interview, Jay first showered Alex's film with praise as if throwing confetti with both hands. Then, by instinct, he almost started building hype around the new script Alex was preparing for him. The words reached the tip of his tongue, but at the last second, he held them back.
"I'll also be collaborating with Director Alex. He invited me to sing the theme song for his next film or television project. Everyone can look forward to it."
Jay said this because, deep down, he still lacked confidence in his next movie.
It was not that he lacked confidence in Alex's screenwriting ability. Never that.
The problem was that Alex had already said he did not intend to personally direct that project.
And that left Jay extremely uneasy.
An incredible script, if it fell into the hands of a bad director, could still become a bad film. It was that simple. For example, two people could play the same legendary character, yet one version might feel elegant and unforgettable, while the other came across so greasy it made people uncomfortable. The actor's appearance and temperament were important, of course, but the director's skill also decided the fate of the work.
Without Alex directing it himself, Jay simply did not have the same confidence.
After thinking it over, he decided it was better not to boast too loudly.
Alex did not intend to direct Initial D for a very simple reason: in his previous life, the adapted version starring Jay had already been good enough. Although it had lost some flavor compared to the original, a film was still only a little over two hours long. Trying to cram the entire essence of an anime into that limited runtime was obviously unrealistic.
Besides, Alex did not believe the film would become an absolute box office explosion.
If it could reach somewhere between one billion and one and a half billion at the box office, that would already be its ceiling.
Well...
Thinking about it, Alex's appetite really had grown larger and larger.
Now, even one and a half billion seemed small in his eyes.
Even if it was only for the theme song, the collaboration between the king of music and the king of film and television was already enough to generate attention. The second part of Death Note had only just premiered, yet many reporters at the scene had already started digging for information about Alex's next project.
Among the celebrities present, another inevitable interview focus was Bianca.
After all, during the premiere, Alex's attitude toward her had clearly been different from the way he treated the other local artists.
Do not overestimate the ethics of that media circle.
By the next morning, there would definitely be rumors implying that Alex and Bianca were involved. If Bianca ate a little too much breakfast, those people would be capable of publishing an article claiming she was pregnant.
Do not be surprised.
That was exactly the kind of people they were.
To be honest, it had been so long since Bianca had last received this much attention from the press that she herself could barely remember when it had happened. So this was the power of the emperor of film and television?
Seeing Alex surrounded by stars as if he stood at the center of a constellation, Bianca felt her heart race in a way that was almost embarrassing, accompanied by a physical restlessness she preferred to pretend she did not notice.
That mommy's boy who clung to his mother really was useless.
When she got back, she would block him.
After all, how could a woman who had once been protected by a lion fall in love with a skinny little dog?
Alex: ???
When did I ever protect you?
Alex and Maggie did not have even half a minute to rest. As soon as the interview session ended, they went straight across the Atlantic. The timing had been calculated with precision: while the foreigners were still asleep, they would fly over; as soon as day broke there, they would immediately meet up with Taylor and the local team to begin the next round of promotion.
"How much was the first-day box office?"
After a full day passed, whether it was actors known for carrying domestic box office numbers or veteran directors, almost everyone ended up asking the same question.
Naturally, they were not asking about the domestic box office.
After all, the New Year release season still had a few days before it began.
So there could only be one answer: the second part of Alex's Death Note.
To ordinary people, it might not seem necessary to pay so much attention to an adult-rated film that could not even be released in the mainland market. But it was precisely because it had not been released there that industry professionals cared even more.
If Alex could create a box office miracle without entering the largest native-language market in the country, then what would happen if he one day released a broadly approved, all-ages film there?
Many veterans in the industry had already heard rumors that the higher-ups were urging Alex to produce a family-friendly work suitable for all ages, one that could be officially released on a large scale.
If Alex created another miracle, then the entire film industry would have to live under the shadow of that monster.
Whenever one of his films premiered, everyone else would have to make way.
"Fifty-five million."
After checking the numbers, the wives, assistants, and close associates of those veterans gave them the answer.
Nothing special...
Upon hearing that figure, almost everyone in the entertainment circle instinctively had the same reaction.
But in the next second, they realized the problem.
Wait.
Alex's film had premiered worldwide.
Which meant...
The unit was not local currency.
It was dollars.
Converted, that meant a first-day opening of three hundred and seventy million.
"That guy is an anomaly!"
At Aurora Entertainment, after receiving the company's first-day box office data, Mark slapped his own forehead.
Damn. After so many years in the industry, he still had never participated in a film whose total box office reached three hundred and seventy million. With this performance, perhaps only global-level superhero franchises could stand slightly above it.
"Shouldn't Maggie now be considered the country's first actress with a cumulative box office of one hundred billion?"
Talita looked enviously at Maggie, who occupied one corner of the poster.
Alex really treated that girl far too well. She had basically played a deluxe cameo, yet he still put her on the promotional material.
Hearing this, Lena, Sam, and the other actresses nearby all changed expression.
Damn.
Thinking about it carefully, it was true.
Even if her role was only a high-level supporting appearance, she had indeed participated in the film. If nothing went wrong, the combined box office of both Death Note films could truly reach the one-hundred-billion mark.
That would make Maggie the country's first "hundred-billion actress."
"I used to think Rebeca Verne had already started life with a divine opening hand, but I didn't expect someone even more exaggerated to appear."
Lena could not help sighing.
Three classic roles had turned Rebeca, while still very young, into a national goddess. And when she finished playing them, she had not even reached adulthood. That was already an absurd start, right?
But Maggie was even more terrifying.
Samantha Burnes, Light's younger sister, and on top of that, the female lead of a new series Alex planned to produce afterward. If Lena was lucky, maybe she would get to be her supporting actress.
This was basically taking Rebeca Verne's legendary starting point and grinding it into the dirt.
And all of it came from one source.
The man behind her.
Alex.
To be honest, once Maggie grew up, if her career and public image were not still closely tied to Alex, perhaps even her fans would refuse to accept it, regardless of what Alex himself thought.
After all, this was practically shoving resources straight into her mouth.
"No. There's someone even more absurd."
Mark, known for getting along far too well with women, suddenly interrupted.
"Violet Grant."
Lena fell silent.
Talita fell silent too.
Sam said nothing.
Fine.
They knew about that one too. And she was on another level.
Alex's next film or television project after Bleach would have Violet Grant as the female lead. And in the project being prepared for Lena, Violet's dramatic weight was also at the level of the third female role. Besides that, according to rumors, in several scripts Alex was preparing afterward, Violet would occupy important roles.
The most terrifying point was something else.
The girl was only ten years old.
Translation: what the hell did it mean to be born with cheats enabled?
At that moment, in front of a cinema in Manhattan, New York, Alex raised his arm energetically.
"The first-day box office was very good. Today, we have eight roadshow sessions to complete. Everyone, let's give it our all!"
His momentum was so strong that he was only missing some revolutionary slogan about no one being born destined to be king or servant.
Taylor, Tim, and the others, who had just reunited with Alex, widened their eyes.
Eight sessions?
Do you really think we're pack animals?
"What? Any objections?"
But when Alex cast that Light-like gaze toward them, everyone instinctively shuddered.
Damn it.
People always said Sosuke Aizen was Alex's true self on screen, but now it seemed Light might be even closer.
Both were demons who simply did not treat people as human beings.
Meanwhile, back home, the New Year was approaching, and the films of the holiday season began releasing one after another.
Although Death Note had not been shown in the mainland market, the person who filmed it was from their own country - and not just anyone, but the hottest phenomenon in the entertainment industry right now. Naturally, the work would be placed side by side with the domestic New Year films for comparison.
And then, something very interesting began to happen.