America achieves both fame and fortune

Chapter 706 The Plan Was Terrible

Hollywood Heights Center, one week before Thanksgiving.

Disney held a grand premiere for "The Martian".

Models of Mars rovers, spacecraft, and launch vehicles created an atmosphere reminiscent of a space exhibition.

SpaceX, the film's sponsor, even set up a special area with its own rocket models and other equipment, where Elon Musk personally promoted the space business, attracting considerable media attention.

As Martin Davis walked the red carpet in a black suit, Musk suddenly shouted, "Ladies, take him home! Take Martin Davis home!"

The crowds on both sides of the red carpet were in a frenzy, with female fans shouting like madwomen.

"Martin, come home with me!"

"Come home with me!"

"I'll let you have some fun when we get back!"

The security guards nearby quickly came over to remind him, and Martin sped up as he walked across the red carpet, even the routine Coca-Cola Cult ceremony was just a formality.

There's no way around it, the female fans all really want to take Martin home.

Subsequently, Ridley Scott, Jessica Chastain, and others walked the red carpet.

Martin entered the media area, where Leonardo and Thomas were waiting for him.

The former came over and asked, "Have you memorized everything?"

Martin said softly, "I've memorized the entire draft based on your ideas, and I just went over it with it in the car."

Leonardo, who declared himself the mastermind behind Martin Davis's sob story, encouraged Martin: "If you follow my plan, there won't be any problems. Thomas has already been contacted by the host."

"No problem." Martin stepped into the frame.

The host was very cooperative, exchanging a few routine words before asking, "Martin, I heard that you took on this film and role because of a dream?"

"You could say that I had a dream of going to space when I was a child. I watched TV and dreamed that one day I could go to space, go to the space station, and go to the moon."

Every actor constantly adjusts their dreams according to the needs of the role they play, and Martin is no exception: "At the time, I wanted to buy a model of a space shuttle, but I didn't have the money, so I could only make one myself. Later, something happened in my family and I couldn't find the model. I was sad for a while."

The host then asked Martin about the changes in his family.

Martin doesn't need to make things up; he can just tell the truth as it is.

After his sob story ended, Martin emerged from the media area.

Leonardo praised, "Well done. It would have been perfect if you had shed a few tears."

Martin wanted to give him the middle finger but refrained in public, reminding him, "I'm not a woman."

Leonardo nodded, went into the theater to meet Nicholson, and together they went to the VIP room.

Martin arrived in front of the sponsor's backdrop and took a group photo with the rest of the crew who arrived one after another.

…………

Atlanta, the nominal headquarters of the Cola Cult.

High Priest Robert, his hair neatly combed back, revealing a shiny forehead, placed a 03 Coca-Cola on an old-fashioned wooden table, muttering incantations.

Having completed the procedure, Robert heard a knock at the door. He went to open the altar door and asked, "What is it?"

An assistant dressed in red handed over a large envelope: "Ms. Kelly Grey had it delivered."

Robert opened it, and inside was a stack of movie tickets.

He handed it back to his assistant and said, "Distribute them. Two tickets for each person at headquarters."

The assistant glanced at the movie ticket and saw that the title was "The Martian".

The cult leader's new work.

Without saying a word, the assistant went to hand out movie tickets.

Robert returned to his office and checked the weekend's screening schedule. In the Atlanta area, over 70% of the screens would be showing "The Martian" this weekend.

If the film performs well at the box office, this screening schedule could continue until Thanksgiving next week and the following weekend.

Robert opened a can of the newly released commemorative Coke, took a big gulp, wiped his mouth, looked towards distant Los Angeles, and loudly proclaimed, "Master, box office success!"

…………

On the second floor of a café in the Highlands, Megan Ellison sat behind a glass wall, looking at the bustling theater across the street.

On the other side sat her brother, David Ellison.

David looked away, took a sip of his coffee, and said, "Actually, you made a mistake. You didn't have to fight for the 'Lone Ranger' project. You could have invested in it and partnered with Martin Davis."

"That's your style, not mine." Megan's desire for control was far stronger than her brother's: "If I have complete control over the project, do you think I can work with Martin Davis?"

David Ellison entered Hollywood earlier than his sister: "I recently heard a rumor, coming from inside Warner Bros."

Megan didn't ask, she just looked at him.

David said, "There's a rumor within Warner Bros. that 'Owls and Gods,' as well as 'Darklands,' which just had a box office disaster, were originally projects that Martin Davis was interested in. Warner Bros. pulled some strings behind the scenes and got Martin Davis in order to acquire these projects."

"As for the outcome," he smiled, "you already know."

Megan sneered: "What are you trying to say? Martin Davis dug a pit, and I jumped in? That it will fail like those two idiotic Warner Bros. films?"

"You know that's not what I meant," David said, shrugging.

Megan said, "You have no idea how I got these projects." She briefly explained the theft: "Could he have known in advance and deliberately left two scripts in the company safe to lure me in? At that time, I had never had any contact with Martin Davis."

David also felt that this couldn't possibly be a deliberate trap set for Megan, saying, "If that's the case, then it's definitely not."

Megan has a strong sense of confidence: "Even if an idiot like Warner fails, I can still make it succeed."

David really didn't know what to say.

Megan turned to look out the window again. It was getting dark, and the lights across the street were bright.

She said, "We'll know if Martin's film succeeds or fails. If it succeeds, my projects will succeed too."

David believes that Megan inherited her father's super confidence one hundred percent.

…………

"Unfortunately, we couldn't save Kodak's film business."

In the theater's VIP lounge, Christopher Nolan was giving a passionate speech to several producers and directors: "Film should not disappear from the film industry. It gives films a realistic texture. If Kodak runs out of its film stock, film will say goodbye to Hollywood."

Susan Downey chimed in, "Kodak is on the verge of bankruptcy, and the decline of film is irreversible."

Graham King sighed and said, "The Kodak Theatre will soon be renamed Hollywood Heights Center, and I wonder who will be the next company to sponsor it."

Many directors and producers disagreed with Nolan's words and took the opportunity to change the subject. Nicholson, who is always well-informed, said: "I heard that Dolby Laboratories is in talks about naming rights."

Warren Beatty chimed in, "There's a disagreement over the naming rights fee, and if they can't reach an agreement in a short time, it's possible that by the time of the Oscars, this place will still be called Hollywood Heights Center."

Martin came in from outside and greeted everyone.

Nicholson pulled him aside and asked, "Have you started implementing Leo's sob story plan?"

Martin said, "We just sold a bunch of stuff in the media area."

Leonardo leaned in and said, "Martin's performance was absolutely brilliant, Oscar-worthy acting. If he doesn't win Best Actor, there must be something fishy going on."

Martin and Nicholson exchanged a glance and had the same thought: Leonardo's failure to win Best Actor was also due to his terrible plan!

Nolan then came looking for them, while Leonardo and Nicholson went elsewhere.

"Soon, we'll be clients of the same brokerage firm," Nolan confirmed. "Is the WMA environment more free than the CAA?"

Martin was not one to mislead people on this matter, saying, "Chris, I've never been with any other agency and don't know much about them, but I have a very good working relationship with my agent, Thomas."

As he spoke, his gaze swept across the VIP room, and through the reflection of the light, he found Thomas and smiled at him.

Thomas touched his completely bald forehead and nodded toward Martin.

Seeing Martin always made him feel exceptionally powerful.

Nolan then added, "If all goes well, my space movie will start filming next year after The Dark Knight Rises is released. Make sure you have the time to make sure you're available."

"I've got the schedule ready." Martin has two film projects planned for next year: one is "Prince of Thieves," which he has invited Graham King to be a producer, and the other is the third installment of the "John Wick" series.

Chad, Chen Hu, and Marcus are working on the action design, with the latter possibly not starting filming until the second half of next year.

As the time drew to a close, the guests began to enter, with the main cast and crew, including Martin, being the last to enter, led by Ridley Scott.

Amid thunderous applause, the group took their seats in the front row.

The premiere screening then began.

This film doesn't actually have a very strong science fiction element; it's more of a Martian version of Robinson Crusoe, using science as a backdrop and adding optimism and perseverance.

Ridley Scott always handles science fiction projects with ease.

Strictly speaking, he changed the style of science fiction and told a light and fun story. Although the style changed drastically, the protagonist's optimism and comedic elements were very popular with the audience.

This makes the film more realistic and down-to-earth, no longer a mysterious unknown world, nor does it contain profound theories and speculations.

Instead, it tells a story that is easy for the audience to understand, progressing from simple to complex.

In the pre-release marketing, one of the highlights of the film was how Martin grows potatoes on Mars.

Martin also won the audience's applause with his professional farmer-like qualities, coupled with self-deprecation, optimism, and dramatic plot twists.

As the male protagonist, Martin is undoubtedly surrounded by a halo, but he focuses more on "how humans can survive in desperate situations".

Therefore, the film doesn't have the obscurity and difficulty of hard science fiction; it's more like a drama with science fiction elements.

(End of this chapter)