America achieves both fame and fortune

Chapter 178 Martin and His Fans

After finishing his styling, Martin made a special trip back to his North Hollywood apartment. Upon entering, he took out a Coke from a box, applied olive oil to it, and placed it on the windowsill facing the premiere theater.

Martin removed his disposable gloves, took out his phone, and dialed Robert's number.

In Atlanta, Robert said, "Understood, I'll get on it right away."

Martin went downstairs, got into the Mercedes parked in front of the apartment, and said to Bruce, "Go to the hotel to pick up Annie."

Bruce, driving, asked, "Does it really work?"

"I succeeded several times." Martin was also seeking psychological comfort.

This is similar to an act of worshipping the God of Wealth in a past life.

Upon arriving at the Hilton Hotel, Martin had just gotten out of the car when Laura accompanied Anne, who was dressed in a formal gown, out of the car.

Martin quickly went over to open the car door and helped Annie into the car by holding onto the roof.

Annie noticed all of her boyfriend's meticulous care in these little things and smiled sweetly at Martin.

Once Martin got in, the Mercedes started the engine.

Laura followed in another car.

Anne asked with concern, "What are Warner Bros.' expectations for the opening weekend box office?"

Martin looked under a lot of pressure: "$2500 million!"

Anne held Martin's hand and encouraged him, "I believe you can do it."

Martin nodded: "We'll see how the box office performs in the first week."

The current movie screenings are fundamentally different from those before 2000. Marketing strategies now focus on attracting moviegoers to theaters as early as possible. For most commercial films, the first two weekends account for more than half of the box office revenue in North America.

The premiere of "The Hills Have Eyes" was held at the El Capitan Theater. Rachel arrived early in the morning with the core members of her fan club and received official support materials such as light sticks, posters, and banners from Jessica and Emily.

Jessica and Rachel reached out to Anne Hathaway's supporters, sending them light sticks and other materials.

Before the red carpet, apart from some horror movie fans who came just for the fun, the fans were mainly divided into three groups.

Besides Martin and Anne, there is another large group – Wes Craven supporters.

Since "A Nightmare on Elm Street" in 1983, Wes Craven's horror films have become a well-known brand throughout North America for more than 20 years.

Therefore, the most prominent words at the beginning of this film, including the trailers that have already been released and some posters, are: A Wes Craven film.

Both director Alexandre Aja and lead actor Martin Scorsese had no objections and wholeheartedly supported the idea.

When the cool old man Craven was the first to walk the red carpet, a deafening roar of cheers erupted at the theater entrance.

Angelina Jolie came to cheer her on.

When Menez walked onto the red carpet, a large crowd called for his autograph. When Menez finally got there, he discovered that most of his supporters were over forty years old.

The people who then walked the red carpet almost stunned the media reporters and movie fans.

Paris Hilton has reappeared in public after a brief hiatus.

Having experienced imprisonment and Kim Kardashian's betrayal, Paris seems to have mastered the secret to attracting attention. She didn't linger on the red carpet, quickly catching up with Menez ahead and insisting on taking a photo with her.

Menezes were stunned: "What are you going to do?"

Paris said in a low voice, "Take a picture with me, then come find me later to collect the check."

Menez's expression immediately changed: "No problem, how do you want me to cooperate?"

The moment these two stood in the media area, the reporters almost rioted.

Paris was no longer as manic as before, and Menez put his arm around her waist as they smiled at the camera.

An even louder shout erupted at the front of the red carpet.

A black car pulled up in front of the carpet, and Martin helped Anne out of the car. The two walked hand in hand down the red carpet.

Unlike the wax museum premiere, Martin is the absolute star this time.

On both sides of the red carpet, hundreds of fans held up his posters and light boards with his name on them, constantly calling out his name.

Martin pulled Anne along, signing autographs for fans and even posing for photos with them.

Bruce followed closely behind, his eyes constantly scanning the fans for any potential danger.

With Anne's support, the fans were so enthusiastic that it wouldn't be a good idea for Martin to back down abruptly.

He and Bruce had discussed it beforehand.

Bruce said something to Mike at the collar, and four security personnel immediately came over and, citing security reasons, told Martin to quickly return to the red carpet.

Martin continued to enthusiastically sign autographs for fans until he was forced to leave by security.

Two security guards even had to hold Martin's arms.

"Martin really cares about us!"

Witnessing all this, the fans were moved to tears, and one female fan took the lead in shouting, "Martin, go back, don't delay the important matter."

Many movie fans echoed this sentiment in various ways.

With the movie stars they support going to this extent, what else can they say, and what else could they be dissatisfied with?

Suddenly, Jessica, caught in the crowd, shouted, "I want to buy five tickets to support Martin! I want to support Martin!"

Other movie fans agreed.

"Yes! I want to watch it three times."

"If a movie is good, I'll watch it five times."

Few people noticed Jessica, who was the first to speak out, but similar sentiments spread rapidly through the crowd, with shouts rising and falling.

Many people simply say that their finances allow it, but they may not have the time.

But Emily took the DV camera and filmed everything, then uploaded it online, which always stirred people's emotions.

Do good movies automatically guarantee good box office returns?

Often, a film's success is more important than its commercial success.

As Martin walked the red carpet and entered the media area, Jessica and Emily waved to Rachel and quickly left.

The two entered the cinema through a side door, went to the reserved office on the second floor, opened the laptops they had brought, and immediately uploaded the photos and some videos taken on site to the Internet, especially the decryption website.

Unlike Warner Bros. and the film's publicity staff, they were completely centered around Martin.

Martin and Anne gave interviews in the media area and then went to the theater's lounge to wait for their turn.

Many guests have gathered here.

Sofia and Vincent also arrived; the former's imposing figure drew frequent glances.

She approached Martin, glanced at Annie briefly, and asked, "Is this your new girlfriend?"

"Anne Hathaway," Martin introduced Sofia. "My friend in Atlanta, Sofia."

Sofia, whose face was full of fat, smiled and shook hands with Annie.

Anne felt that this woman's hands were as hard as stone.

Worried that Sophia might say something inappropriate, Martin pointed behind him and betrayed Bruce without hesitation: "Bruce is over there."

Sofia lost interest in everything else and quickly walked towards Bruce.

Martin believed that Bruce would not fall into his trap.

Annie leaned closer and whispered, "She doesn't seem like a good person."

Martin, of course, wouldn't tell the truth: "She's a fitness fanatic, she's completely sculpted, she looks a bit scary, but she's actually a very nice person."

Scott can absolutely prove that.

"Hi, Martin," Wu Maoting greeted him.

His daughter, Wu Dan, looked at Martin with admiration, just like any ordinary little girl: "You look radiant today."

Martin, however, cleverly shifted the focus to Anne: "Did you hear that? Miss Wu is praising you."

Anne had completely accepted Martin and was very cooperative, even taking the initiative to shake hands with Wu Dan.

Wu Maoting said, "I visited Pacific Pictures and Warner Bros., and I also spoke with several Warner Bros. executives. The situation is even better than I was told. Thank you for giving me this investment opportunity."

Martin didn't stand on ceremony at all: "Mr. Wu, may I ask for a small token of my gratitude?"

Wu Maoting thought to himself that these Westerners really didn't know how to be humble, but he smiled and said, "Sure, as long as I can do it."

Martin said, "Could you sell me a batch of jade at cost?"

It was such a small matter! Wu Maoting's good impression of Martin returned: "I'll have someone bring you a list later, you can choose whatever you like."

After the two left, Annie asked softly, "Jade? I think I've heard of it."

Martin simply stated, "A precious oriental jewel."

"Jewelry?" Annie's mind immediately started racing. Was the jewelry finally coming?

Jewelry is here, so how far away are luxury cars and mansions?

Wes Craven then came over and took Martin to meet several media figures, mainly film critics, including Kenneth Turan, a columnist for the Los Angeles Times; Todd McCarthy, chief film critic for The Hollywood Reporter; and Courtney Howard of Variety.

These people are all members of the Los Angeles Film Critics Association.

Martin greeted them politely and chatted with them for a while.

Celebrities need the praise of the media and critics.

As Martin was leaving, he asked Craven, "Should I prepare some small gifts for them?"

Craven shook his head: "No need, the production team has already made preparations." He reminded Martin: "If you're aiming for awards in the future, prioritize contacting critics in Los Angeles and New York. Nearly 70% of the Academy's members live in those two places."

Martin tentatively asked, "Them?"

Craven understood Martin's point: "Most of the time they'll emphasize fairness and justice. But everything around Hollywood is a business."

Martin then saw Mene and noticed that Mene was being led around by Paris Hilton, socializing everywhere.

He couldn't figure out what had happened, so he took the opportunity to go and ask.

Menez said with a bitter face, "Boss Martin, she gave us too much!"

Knowing he was under financial pressure lately, Martin encouraged him, "Keep it up, try to earn more."

Make money, not shabby.

Inside the El Capitan Theater, large numbers of audience members entered the venue.

Ted entered the venue with nine other lucky audience members, and his seat was in the middle row.

The theater, which can accommodate nearly a thousand people, was completely full except for the first few rows.

Although it wasn't peak season like summer or holiday, The Hills Still Attracted a Large Number of People.

Guests and media personnel then entered the venue.

Amid applause, Wes Craven and Alexander Aja led the main cast and crew into the theater.

Of all the actors in the cast, only Martin could truly be considered a star.

After a brief media interview, "The Hills Have Eyes" officially began its premiere.

(End of this chapter)