Chapter 451: Schedule Changes

Chapter 451: Chapter 451: Schedule Changes

Starring Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, "Mr. & Mrs. Smith" boasted an A-list cast and was originally scheduled for a June 10 release, but after repeatedly assessing market risks, Fox executives urgently adjusted their distribution plan, moving the release date up to May 27 to completely avoid crashing with "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End."

Additionally, "War of the Worlds," starred by Tom Cruise and personally directed by Spielberg, carried a production cost as high as $120 million, making it one of the most anticipated sci-fi blockbusters of the entire year.

According to the original timeline, the film was supposed to premiere on June 29, but now, under the strong pressure of "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End," Paramount executives discussed it through multiple consultations and directly postponed the release date by a full month, locking it in for a July 27 theatrical debut.

Beyond that, the release schedules of major films like "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory," "Hitch," and "The Island" had all shifted, showing a noticeable difference from the timeline in Irene’s memory.

Prime windows for the summer season were inherently limited, and with major blockbusters reluctant to crowd and fight each other, some mid-budget productions simply chose to squeeze into a May release.

In the eyes of all competitors, among Echo Pictures’ three upcoming films this year, "Taken" looked like the softest persimmon, the easiest one to crush.

Without the backing of A-list superstars, its genre was merely a dime-a-dozen spy action film on the market, and its promotional momentum fell far short of "Pirates of the Caribbean." To outsiders, it posed the lowest threat and was most suitable for seizing market share.

Quite a few competing companies quietly laid out public opinion strategies online, releasing a large number of bearish comments about the film in advance, attempting to shake audience expectations before the release.

Time flashed forward to the night of the Los Angeles premiere for "Taken."

Breaking with tradition, Irene did not step onto the red carpet to pose for media photos; her vehicle drove straight into the theatre’s underground passage, reaching the VIP reception room via the employee corridor.

Pushing open the door and walking into the room, she immediately saw Director Pierre Morel pacing back and forth by the floor-to-ceiling window, his fingertips rubbing unconsciously, unable to suppress a thick sense of anxiety between his brows.

Irene slowly stepped forward, gently patted his shoulder, and spoke in a steady, calm tone: "Relax, I have watched the complete final cut in advance. The production completion level is very high, and audiences will definitely buy into it."

A small portion of the film’s plot differed from the original in Irene’s mind, but its core style and story theme had not deviated at all, still possessing the potential to become a massive hit.

What was more, this time Echo Pictures had prepared a complete and mature marketing plan, paired with a professional team to build momentum. Presumably, the result would not be any worse than her previous life, and might even be better.

Pierre managed to force a smile: "Thank you, Irene. I really cannot control my nervousness. You know as well as I do that the internet is flooded with voices looking down on this movie."

"Do not mind it," Irene replied indifferently, "Most of the negative voices are deliberate smear campaigns paid for by competitors. There is no need to take it to heart."

Before their conversation could last much longer, the door to the reception room was pushed open again, and Marcus Grey and Taylor El walked in side by side.

The two of them were not only the original novel creators of "Taken" and "Twilight," but also core members of the scriptwriting teams for both series, belonging to the ghostwriters fostered single-handedly by Irene.

Earlier, Irene had made an early promise that as long as the adapted box office reached expectations, the two could get generous bonuses. Tonight, Irene specially invited them to attend the premiere.

Finding themselves at a top Hollywood movie premiere for the first time, the two youngsters could hardly hide their excitement, their eyes constantly sizing up the industry insiders moving back and forth inside the room.

Irene reined in her casual demeanour somewhat and solemnly exhorted the two: "The novel finalisation tasks for ’Taken 2’ and ’Twilight 2’ are scheduled to start this September. You must control your creation progress and avoid any delays that would mess up the film and television development plans."

Marcus nodded immediately: "Rest assured, Irene, we have already planned our writing schedule in advance and definitely will not slow down the overall rhythm." Taylor also chimed in right after, expressing that she would concentrate fully on completing the manuscript creation.

As time passed, more and more guests arrived at the reception room one after another.

Several long-term cooperating film critics were holding water cups and chatting in a corner. Irene took the initiative to step forward and smoothly joined the conversational circle.

She did not intentionally curry favour, but simply exchanged thoughts on recent viewings with everyone on equal footing, casually chatting about recent industry conditions to maintain the network of contacts she had built over a long time.

Irene knew very well in her heart that the voice of the film critic community was long past as heavyweight as it had been a decade ago.

With the rapid development of the internet, ordinary audiences no longer blindly believed in the obscure and profound professional rhetoric of critics.

Compared to the condescending reviews of media personnel, the general public was much more willing to believe the straightforward, authentic reviews from ordinary moviegoers.

Such industry changes happened to match the promotional mindset she had laid out long ago. The value of the online astroturfing team she had operated for many years was also becoming increasingly prominent, capable of precisely guiding the direction of public opinion.

After a brief exchange of pleasantries, the reception room door opened once more. The film’s male lead walked briskly into the room, closely followed by the martial arts choreography team led by Yuen Woo-ping.

Irene immediately stepped forward to welcome them, actively shaking hands with the lead actor, earnestly thanking the creative team for their all-in dedication throughout the process, and then turning to the martial arts team, smilingly praising the design of the close-quarter fights in the film as extremely impactful.

Yuen Woo-ping and his group responded politely, their words filled with anticipation. Everyone was waiting for the screening to begin, ready to accept the ultimate test from the audience.

With the simple reception and socialising concluded, staff members came to announce that the film was about to start screening.

The creators and guests rose in an orderly fashion, walking successively into the main auditorium to take their seats. The lights slowly dimmed, the huge silver screen lit up, and the conversations across the audience gradually quietened down.

After the film officially began screening, the emotions of the audience inside the theatre were quickly and firmly grabbed.

The opening cross-ocean telephone kidnapping scene lacked fancy camera work, relying solely on rapid breathing sounds, chaotic footsteps, and the sound of heavy objects crashing to pile up a sense of oppression layer by layer. In the darkness, quite a few viewers involuntarily held their breath.

When the male lead calmly delivered that classic monologue that would go down in film history, the entire auditorium even fell briefly into silence, followed by someone quietly drawing in a cold breath.

Throughout the entire film, the pacing was tight, with almost no redundant shots, no dragged-out emotional subplots, and no hollow, lengthy dialogues. The narrative chain was tightly linked step by step.

Many viewers kept their nerves taut throughout, finding almost no gaps where they could relax or let their minds wander.

The core supporting all the action scenes was a heavy, sincere familial affection.

All of the male lead’s desperate rushing about and fierce, sharp counterattacks stemmed entirely from a father’s urgency and obsession to save his daughter.

This plain yet intense emotion pierced through the screen, easily triggering empathy from the entire audience. Many parents in the audience felt a ripple of emotional stirring in their eyes when they saw the male lead heading off to Paris alone and searching everywhere for clues.

The action sequences earned even more silent admiration from the entire house.

The film discarded rampant computer special effects and deliberately show-offy slow-motion shots, adopting entirely realistic close-combat styles, short and precise indoor gunfights, with the high-speed chase on the streets of Paris and the brutal slaughter at the abandoned construction site packing immense impact.

All fighting designs conformed to real CQB indoor close-quarters combat tactical logics; breathing rhythms, punching timings, and tactical positioning were all meticulously crafted, forging the authentic texture of a retired veteran agent’s actual combat. Without exaggerated, invincible hero halos, every victory relied on experience and calm judgment.

The sound team’s design was the icing on the cake, with environmental sound effects closely matching the protagonist’s heartbeat rhythm. When danger approached, low-frequency sound effects continuously intensified, constantly magnifying the immersive tension.

As the plot progressed into the climax rescue sequence, suppressed gasps of astonishment rose one after another in the theatre. Whenever a villain was subdued, many audience members subconsciously leaned forward slightly, immersed in the tense and thrilling rescue journey.