Chapter 122: A Suitable Release Date

Chapter 122: Chapter 122: A Suitable Release Date

Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, it was time for Irene and Britney’s birthdays again.

During this time, Irene attended classes on time every day, and after class, she would go to the editing room to supervise the editing work. Fox Pictures was still somewhat worried about Irene’s editing ability, so they kept suggesting they wanted to help lighten the burden.

However, Irene did not want to hand over the editing rights she had worked so hard to secure, so she had to run between both places, sometimes even sleeping directly in the editing room to save time.

Fortunately, Hill had already collaborated with her on two films, and their rapport was growing stronger. Sometimes, when she went out to attend classes, he could edit out the effects she wanted based on her brief instructions.

After Fox expressed satisfaction with their rough cut, Irene finally felt completely at ease.

In the meantime, Tom Hanks gathered the relevant personnel for My Big Fat Greek Wedding to hold a meeting, the content of which was about the film’s release date and method.

In fact, when the North America box office for Mean Girls surpassed $150 million, someone suggested taking advantage of the momentum to release My Big Fat Greek Wedding as well, thinking it might boost the box office by riding on the director’s coattails.

But Irene directly refused.

Because she had carefully studied the reasons for this film’s success.

Besides the fact that the film’s story was truly excellent and the quality was solid, there was another huge reason that could not be ignored.

That was that after the terrorist attack that might occur next year, American society would need a film that could bring warmth, laughter, and celebrate family reunions, and My Big Fat Greek Wedding would play this role just in time.

The authentic emotions in the film, along with the ubiquitous cultural clashes, created a large amount of gentle and harmless humor, allowing the tense American public to find warmth and peace in the movie.

Such a social reason was irreplaceable and not to be missed.

Although many things had happened since she came to this world that deviated from her memories of her past life, that kind of terrorist attack was a realm she dared not touch, and she dared not conclude whether things would happen the same way as in her memories of her past life a few months later.

But if it did happen, then the best release window for My Big Fat Greek Wedding would still be the first half of 2002.

If it didn’t happen, then the 2001 Christmas season would also be a good choice, fitting the overall atmosphere of the film.

Of course, she could not say these reasons explicitly. The excuse she gave was that this film should belong entirely to Ms. Nia Vardalos. She did not want her identity as a director to overshadow the glory that should belong to Nia, as that would go against her original intention.

Therefore, a suitable release date should be sought elsewhere.

Such an excuse was high-sounding, but it had to be said that it was very effective. At least it moved Nia Vardalos to tears. Irene even thought that if Nia could go on stage to receive an award for this film, regardless of what award it was, her name would likely be in the list of acknowledgments.

The final conclusion was that My Big Fat Greek Wedding would first tour various film festivals in 2001 to accumulate some goodwill, and then choose a reasonable time for a limited release, following the same rhythm as every other independent film.

In December in Las Vegas, the neon lights never went out all night. Outside the concert venue of the MGM Grand, fans held up light boards, screaming and shouting, and the air was filled with excitement and anticipation.

Britney Spears’ Dream Within a Dream Tour was holding its final show here, and this day was also her 19th birthday.

In her previous life, the first time Britney held a concert in Las Vegas was in 2001. In this life, when she won two Best New Artist awards, her achievements in all aspects surpassed her previous life, so the concert was naturally brought forward.

Irene had just finished the post-production dubbing for The Italian Job and immediately boarded a flight to Las Vegas.

She was wearing a simple black hoodie and jeans, with a baseball cap and mask, blending in with the staff as she quietly walked into the concert backstage, carrying a custom pink cake in her hand. On the cake, two little figures holding hands were outlined in cream, with Brit & Irene, Happy 19th Birthday written next to them.

Surprise!

When Irene pushed open the door to the dressing room, Britney, who was putting on makeup, turned her head sharply. Seeing who it was, her eyes lit up instantly. Ignoring the fact that the makeup artist was still holding an eyebrow pencil, she got up and rushed over.

"Irene! You really came! I thought you were too busy with post-production and wouldn’t be able to make it!"

The two hugged each other tightly. Britney still had a faint scent of perfume on her, mixed with the smell of stage spray. The smell was strange but not unpleasant.

"How could I not come?" Irene pushed her away with a smile and put the cake on the table. "We’ve spent our previous birthdays together, so this year certainly can’t be an exception. Besides, I wouldn’t want to miss your final concert, my big star."

Britney looked at the cake on the table and reached out to pinch Irene’s cheek. "You’re the one who understands me best. The tour has been so busy lately that I thought I’d have to spend my birthday all alone on stage this year." She turned to her assistant and said,

"Quick, put the cake in the fridge to chill. We’ll celebrate properly after the concert."

Britney’s personal assistant, Bella, said with a smile, "It’s a good thing Irene is here, otherwise I’m afraid no one would be able to handle Britney once she goes crazy later."

Irene, sitting on the sofa, raised an eyebrow upon hearing this. "What do you mean? What crazy idea have you come up with again?"

"Don’t listen to her nonsense." Britney hurriedly waved her hand, telling the assistant to shut up.

Bella clearly had a good relationship with her. Not only did she not shut up, but she actually raised her voice.

"Britney said that after the concert, she wants to have a good rest. Since she’s been dancing for the fans for so long, she wants us to find a few male models to dance for her!"

After she finished speaking, all kinds of laughter erupted in the small dressing room.

Irene also remembered that Britney seemed to have made such grand statements before her debut, but she didn’t expect that after so long, she still hadn’t given up on male models.

"That’s a good idea, but don’t let Edward know. He’s such a jealous guy, hahaha."

At this moment, the stage manager outside knocked on the door to remind them. "Britney, you have ten minutes before you go on stage."

Britney took a deep breath and gave Irene a big hug. "Wait for me to come back. We’ll cut the cake and blow out the candles together. You must watch me from the audience and cheer for me!"

"Don’t worry, I’ll be screaming for you in the front row." Irene nodded with a smile, watching her turn and walk toward the stage entrance.

The concert venue was packed. When the lights dimmed and the music started, and Britney, wearing a sparkling performance outfit, slowly rose from the lift, the screaming from the entire audience almost blew the roof off.