Three years ago, Renly brought his debut film "Buried" to the Toronto International Film Festival. Initially attracting little attention, the film sparked a wave of praise and discussion after its screenings, eventually leading to a situation of overwhelming demand and calls for additional showings. It became a rare experience for Renly as he stepped onto the international stage for the first time.
Three years later, Renly returned to the Toronto International Film Festival with his new work, "Gravity." Riding on the wave of acclaim from Venice, Toronto was already buzzing with anticipation even before he landed at Pearson International Airport. Fans even chanted "Welcome Home," eagerly awaiting the return of this top star.
According to incomplete statistics, on the day Renly and Alfonso arrived in Toronto, a welcoming crowd of over 1,500 people gathered at Pearson International Airport just to greet Renly. The grand and enthusiastic reception made people deeply feel Renly's current popularity!
Remember, this is Toronto, not Venice.
In recent years, thanks to the Toronto International Film Festival's effective policies and the gradual decline of Venice's influence, Toronto has become the world's second-largest film market after Cannes. Every September, major North American studios are more eager to promote their films in neighboring Toronto.
This year is no exception.
"12 Years a Slave," produced by Brad Pitt and starring Michael Fassbender; "Prisoners," starring Hugh Jackman and Jake Gyllenhaal; "Philomena," starring Judi Dench; and "August: Osage County," starring Meryl Streep, Julia Roberts, and Ewan McGregor.
"Kill Your Darlings" starring Daniel Radcliffe, "Rush" directed by Ron Howard and starring Chris Hemsworth, "Blue Is the Warmest Color" which won the Palme d'Or at Cannes this year, "Like Father, Like Son" which won the Jury Prize, and "The Great Beauty" which swept through Europe.
François Ozon's "Young & Beautiful," Joseph Gordon-Levitt's self-written, self-directed, and self-starring "Don Jon" (also known as "Don Jon's Addiction"), which also features Scarlett Johansson and Julianne Moore, and another sci-fi film starring Scarlett Johansson, "Under the Skin."
A constellation of stars!
A true galaxy of stars, continuing Toronto's strong momentum over the past few years. The flight from New York to Toronto takes only ninety minutes, far more convenient and simpler than crossing the Atlantic to Venice. Even the trip from Los Angeles to Toronto is straightforward. The same film might screen in both Venice and Toronto, but top stars may skip Venice but will never miss Toronto. That's the difference.
For veteran actors like Judi Dench and Meryl Streep, whose age no longer permits the physical strain of long journeys, Toronto's advantages become even more apparent.
The phenomenon of 1,500 people welcoming Renly at the airport occurred against this backdrop, highlighting his immense popularity and influence amid so many superstars. At this year's Toronto International Film Festival, Renly was the only actor to receive an airport welcome, and the only one in the past decade to draw a welcoming crowd exceeding 1,000 people.
This is Renly's current power!
And this was just the beginning.
"Gravity" was scheduled to premiere on September 12, making it undoubtedly one of the most anticipated and talked-about films at this year's festival.
Even before Venice, the film's buzz was high due to Renly's strong appeal. As the rave reviews from Venice spread across social media, expectations grew exponentially and continued to surge wildly with Renly's arrival.
The long lines at the Toronto International Film Festival have always been a point of pride.
Because this is a festival for the audience, and every viewer is happy to express their love and passion for cinema through their actions—especially this year.
On September 10, before the clock had even struck midnight, long lines had already begun forming outside the premiere theater.
This wasn't unusual; more accurately, it was the norm during TIFF, a scene that could be seen at any moment. However, this long queue soon evolved into two orderly and distinct lines, and the most remarkable thing was that film enthusiasts in both lines were chatting happily together—
What was going on? The second line on the outside—weren't they cutting in line? They'd skipped the end of the first line and started queuing directly at the front. Wasn't that incredibly rude?
Curious moviegoers walked to the front, where all questions were answered. There was no need to ask—signs in front of the two lines were already in place: the first line on the inside was for "Gravity"; the second line on the outside, which had started about four hours later, was for fans waiting for "Don Jon."
On September 10, the world premiere of "Don Jon" took place; on September 11, the North American premiere of "Gravity" took place.
Simply put, these were queues for two films premiering on different dates.
"Don Jon" had garnered significant attention during its preparation. This was Joseph Gordon-Levitt's second directorial effort. Previously, in 2009, he wrote, directed, and starred in a film called "Spark," which failed to attract attention at the time. Now, however, things were different. After laying the groundwork with works like "(500) Days of Summer," "Inception," and "The Dark Knight Rises," he had become a representative figure for the new generation of artistic youth.
When Joseph began preparing his second directorial work, media and fans paid close attention. Joseph also made full use of his industry connections, securing Scarlett Johansson and Julianne Moore as the two leading actresses, along with Brie Larson, who was still relatively unknown at the time.
In fact, Brie had already shown her acting talent in "Short Term 12" that year, a film Renly also admired. Later, in 2015, she would astonish audiences with her performance in "Room" and win the Oscar for Best Actress the following year.
After TIFF was confirmed as the venue for the world premiere of "Don Jon," all film fans eagerly awaited the film, especially excited about the chemistry between the two highly popular actresses, Joseph and Scarlett.
Now that the film was about to officially premiere, naturally no one wanted to miss it. They lined up immediately, hoping to be among the first to see it at the premiere—this was for the general public, not the media. But being able to see the film before other viewers was something to celebrate.
Even the audience for "Don Jon" couldn't "defeat" the audience for "Gravity." When they arrived at the theater, they found that "Gravity," whose premiere wasn't until the next day, had already attracted over a hundred viewers who had begun a long queue.
This was… truly astonishing!
Even more incredibly, as time went on, the queue for "Gravity" had begun to stretch along the streets and buildings, with at least 800 people queuing up 24 hours in advance. Their numbers were more than double those of the "Don Jon" queue, seriously affecting on-site order maintenance.
There was no chaos in the queues. In fact, both lines were orderly and harmonious, maintaining their formations neatly and in a staggered manner. If any mistakes or confusion occurred, everyone helped restore order, and there were no incidents of crowding or stampedes.
The problem was that the queues were incredibly long, while premiere tickets were limited.
TIFF organizers had to send staff to the scene to try to persuade the audience that there was no need to continue queuing, as the screening room simply couldn't accommodate more viewers. They argued that staying and waiting would be futile and might even lead to unexpected health issues.
The festival organizers promised to increase the number of "Gravity" screenings, including IMAX showings, to meet audience demand as much as possible. However, they hoped audiences would stop queuing for the premiere and prioritize their health.
But… it was all in vain. The organizers' promises failed to dampen the audience's enthusiasm, and the queue continued to grow. Even though everyone knew they couldn't get into the screening room, they were still unwilling to give up.
Upon arriving in Toronto and learning of the overwhelming response, Renly immediately went to the scene to interact with the audience. While expressing gratitude, he also advised everyone not to queue blindly, as any health incidents could be disastrous. "I'm also looking forward to the film's box office success after its official release in Canada," he said.
Renly's appearance undoubtedly triggered a frenzy of cheers. Whether it was the audience queuing for "Gravity" or "Don Jon," he handed out fan perks on the spot—taking photos, signing autographs, hugging, and shaking hands. He even joked, "I sacrificed my movie-watching time to come here. If you don't appreciate it, I'll be too sad."
A small number of audience members did obediently turn and leave, temporarily easing traffic congestion around the theater. However, soon after, enthusiastic fans who had heard of Renly's appearance returned like a tidal wave, their numbers multiplying exponentially. No one wanted to miss it.