I'm just trying to ride the wave of popularity!

Chapter 264, Page 262: Zhou Yang, that son of a bitch, has no shame whatsoever!
Evening of the 19th.

【Warman】

Only 13 hours left until the global premiere of "The Black Robe Alliance"!

in the office.

Carl could not hide his anxiety.

It has been 7 days since the premiere on September 12.

"The Reboot" has surpassed $2000 million in global box office revenue and remains a hot topic in the market!
He only has a little over $9000 million left to complete the betting agreement!
The release of "The Black Robe Alliance" will be his last hope to fulfill the betting agreement. However, at this most critical moment!
Not just in China!
And the Hollywood area too!
He saw a triple attack from Columbia Pictures, Warner Bros., and rival DV Films!

DV Pictures has urgently moved up the release date of its $200 million film "Catwoman" to September 20. Posters featuring Anne Dessereau in a $300,000 outfit have been plastered all over theaters worldwide overnight. They'd rather lose money than miss out on the film's release!

Columbia Pictures mobilized its Asian cinema resources, buying out subway advertising space to display comparison images of the "official hero," while Warner Bros. partnered with five major Chinese film studios, offering a 10% revenue share to squeeze out more screenings...

Seeing the frenzy in the Chinese market, and witnessing the squeezed screenings of "The Black Robe Alliance" that major North American theaters had pre-booked...

Carl felt an overwhelming pressure surge down upon him in an instant!

He stared intently at "The Black Robe Alliance".

"Karl, your bet is about to expire. This is your last chance!" Zhou Yang's voice on the other end of the phone carried a hint of reminder.

Carl took a deep breath and silently looked around the office where he had worked for four years.

His eyes held a lingering affection, a complex mix of emotions, and a hint of bewilderment...

After a long silence, he sighed and finally said, "President Zhou, I can't let the IP 'Black Robe Alliance' lose its luster in this competition..."

He stared at the screening schedule of "The Black Robe Alliance" with an almost obsessive look in his eyes!

This is his last battle, a gamble with everything he has.

However, he was also very clear about the value of this film!
He was confident that the film wouldn't flop at the box office, but its potential was...

With Hollywood suppressing the film from all sides, it's unlikely to have a spectacular release!

The production cost of this film was only around 30 million RMB!
Catwoman, on the other hand, costs nearly $2 million, making it a top-tier Hollywood production. The huge disparity in budget meant that even he lacked confidence!
"I know, but I want to raise the bar for the Black Robe Alliance even higher!"

"Mr. Karl, we Chinese have a saying: 'When two armies meet on a narrow path, the brave shall prevail.' If you don't even have the courage to draw your sword, then what can you do next?"

"Can……"

"The movie will be released as scheduled. Regardless of the box office performance, it's all about our stance! Mr. Carl, you don't need to worry about anything. I can accept whatever the box office results are. If Marvel Comics doesn't want you in the future, we will!"

"That……"

"Fight them! Draw your swords!"

"..."

On the other end of the phone, Zhou Yang's voice was deep yet resonant, each word stirring the heart like a drumbeat.

Although not loud, it carries a passionate and infectious energy that makes people's hearts surge with emotion.

Carl took a deep breath.

He finally nodded and clenched his fist.

Immediately afterwards...

He slammed his fist on the table, knocking over the coffee cup!

He began to make connections with every resource he could in Hollywood over the years, and also began to take stock of his last assets!
At this moment, Karl was like a wounded and trapped beast, struggling in various ways within the confined cage!
this moment!
Even if it means mortgaging his property and selling his shares at a loss, he will do everything he can to ensure that this film gets screen time, at least to put "The Black Robe Alliance" and "Catwoman" on the same starting line!
..............................

At midnight on September 20, 2004, Los Angeles movie theaters were packed with people.

Searchlights illuminated the night sky as if it were daytime, and the flashes of cameras on both sides of the red carpet rose and fell, creating a silvery sea of ​​light.

Anne Descartes walked gracefully in a silver fishtail dress. Her $30 handcrafted Catwoman costume gleamed with a cold metallic sheen under the spotlight, and the DV logo on her chest appeared and disappeared with her steps.

As she paused, turned around, and lightly touched the collar of her battle suit with her fingertips, a deafening cheer erupted from the crowd…

This iconic pose perfectly replicates the cover design of issue #38 of the 1966 comic book series, making it the craziest scene for all Catwoman fans.

At the end of the red carpet, Warner Bros. executives and Columbia Pictures representatives jointly unveiled a ten-meter-tall Catwoman statue.

The statue's base is inlaid with concrete fragments filmed on location in Gotham City, and a large screen not far away is playing a series of fight scenes designed by Hendrik Willem Van Loon's martial arts team!
Countless movie fans flocked into the screening room, excitedly watching the captivating figure of their Hollywood actress, Descartes!
As the lights dimmed, and Desserie used her cat paw to pull back the premiere curtain, thunderous applause erupted in the IMAX theater!
The unique mechanical sound of the film projector and the grainy texture of the film itself render the scenes of Catwoman leaping across walls and rooftops like a motion comic.

As the film premiered in a Los Angeles theater, the opening sequence simultaneously lit up in 187 IMAX theaters worldwide!

Warner Bros.' iconic shield logo and DC Comics' page-turning effect complement each other.

Under the open-air broadcast screen in Times Square, New York, a crowd of die-hard fans held up copies of Action Comics #62 (the year Catwoman first appeared in 1944).

Meanwhile, in a Tokyo cinema across the Pacific, the Japanese-dubbed film reel had just received special approval from customs, and the projectionist was carefully loading the heavy metal reel into the Songhuajiang 5502 projector.

Compared to the noisy premiere of "Catwoman"...

Despite Marvel having already given Black Robe a lot of attention...

but……

After all, it lacks the foundation of comics!

After all, the global premiere of "The Resurrection" was only 8 days old, so its influence was extremely limited. It also lacked any big-name stars. At most, it was supported by fans who had seen "The Resurrection" and fans of "Saw". Apart from "Warcraft Pictures" barely keeping "The Black Robe Alliance" in the rankings, everything seemed to indicate that this was a battle with a huge disparity in strength and no chance of victory!
AMC Theatres.

Carl sat in the screening room.

His eyes were fixed on the upcoming premiere of "The Black Robe Alliance"!

Even with excellent soundproofing, the noise and commotion from the Catwoman show next door could still be heard...

The sounds were extremely loud and he found them exceptionally jarring!
About ten minutes later...

The lights in the screening room dimmed!

The global premiere of "The Black Robe Alliance" has officially begun!
....................................

Hollywood, here!
The premiere of "The Black Robe Alliance" was not particularly exciting!
But the situation was the same in China, where countless reporters flocked to the [Huaying International] office, making it extremely crowded.

The premiere of "Catwoman" in China was given a very grand reception, almost like walking the red carpet...

Mainland China, Hong Kong Island, Taiwan Island; Beijing metropolitan area, Hong Kong metropolitan area, Northwest metropolitan area...

Almost half of the directors and stars in the Chinese film industry came, turning the premiere of "Catwoman" into an international awards ceremony!
Li Minghao delivered a very emotional speech! Following him, Li Mingrui, a representative of filmmakers from Taiwan and Hong Kong, also took the stage, pouring out his heart in praise of "Catwoman" with great enthusiasm and emotion…

Just as the Chinese premiere of "Catwoman" began...

[Huaying International] Inside the entrance of the Yanjing Cinema!
Suddenly, a series of cars drove up!
Next!

The originally noisy and lively scene instantly became abuzz!

Everyone stared at the young man who got out of the car, as if they had seen a ghost!

The young man wore glasses and had a smiling, polite demeanor.

"Zhou Yang!"

"It's Zhou Yang!"

"Damn it, Zhou Yang, that troublemaker, is here to cause trouble!"

"Quick! Get security to kick this guy out, damn it, hurry up!"

"..."

Upon seeing that repulsive smile, Li Mingrui's expression changed drastically!
Not only did Li Mingrui's expression change, but everyone present trembled slightly!
Reporters rushed towards Zhou Yang like madmen, almost stealing the spotlight from the premiere of "Catwoman"!

I saw countless security personnel and reporters!

Zhou Yang wasn't nervous. He simply had his bodyguards stand guard to the side, but his eyes were fixed on Li Mingrui, who looked grim and as if he had swallowed a fly.
He squinted!

"Is this how you treat your guests?"

"I'm also a fan of 'Catwoman,' and I'm here for the premiere of 'Catwoman'!"

"These are my movie tickets, tickets for the premiere!"

"Mr. Shen and I came here to support the premiere of 'Catwoman,' are you not even going to let us in?"

"..."

"Yes, that's right, we are indeed competitors, but..."

"I've always been a broad-minded person..."

"..."

Countless cameras were shining on Zhou Yang's face.

Zhou Yang's smile widened even more as he pulled out the premiere tickets for "Catwoman" from his pocket. Under the protection of his bodyguards, he led Shen Long into the screening room with an air of nonchalance!

Shen Long was somewhat dazed...

I feel uneasy!

sometimes……

The world is truly magical!
Who would have thought that he, a small-time Chinese director who couldn't even get into the mainstream of China, would one day be able to compete with a Hollywood blockbuster like "Catwoman"!
He never imagined in his life that such a day would come!
But he was following behind Zhou Yang!
When I arrived at the cinema and saw the somber expressions on the faces of those once high-and-mighty filmmakers...

But he stood tall and proud!
"Let him in! Mr. Zhou! Thank you for your support!"

After seeing Zhou Yang's troublemaking expression, Li Mingrui's face turned ashen, but he finally gritted his teeth and resisted the urge to beat Zhou Yang to death!

"You're welcome, haha. By the way, Director Li, President Li, and all the directors, you're not going to hit me as soon as I walk into the screening room, are you? Or, like in those movies where the villain walks into a trap and gets killed with a single blow?"

Zhou Yang suddenly blurted out this sentence!

That's all!
Countless media outlets and reporters frantically took photos of Zhou Yang!
Li Mingrui took a deep breath, feeling a bit like he had a stroke, but he managed to suppress his emotions!

"Mr. Zhou is joking!"

"Then let's go in!"

"please!"

"..."

The moment Zhou Yang stepped into the screening room, the media outside the theater went wild!
Countless flashes of light went off one after another!

Reporters jostled each other, cameras flashed, and some even climbed onto the railings to broadcast live.

The security personnel were terrified and tried desperately to stop them, but they almost couldn't stop the group of crazy media people!

The media were practically going crazy with excitement, their eyes glued to Huaying International!
Zhou Yang, that damn troublemaker!

Fuck!
They absolutely adore Zhou Yang!
They know!

They knew that Zhou Yang, that bastard, was definitely going to pull off a big stunt at the premiere of "Catwoman"!
They attacked right up to my face!
only!

There's no way I can get into the premiere theater to see how Zhou Yang causes trouble!
What a damn shame!

The media frenzy lasted for about twenty minutes!
In the screening room, the premiere of "Catwoman" had just lasted ten minutes!
Just as everyone was speculating what big news Zhou Yang would create at this premiere, and some media outlets even started fabricating stories...

In the screening room not far away.

Everyone stared in shock as Zhou Yang walked out of the screening room!
Immediately afterwards...

Zhou Yang led Shen Long out of the screening room indignantly, looking like a die-hard fan who had been deceived by a bad movie, and started ranting to the media cameras!
"What kind of garbage is this?!"

"This movie is an insult to intelligence!"

"This movie is utter garbage!"

"It's fucking ugly!"

"After watching for ten minutes, I felt like I had a fishbone stuck in my throat, thorns in my back, and I couldn't sit still or stand on pins and needles..."

"Damn it, this is a complete rip-off of the original work!"

"Sorry, I swore. I lost my temper, but please understand the excitement of someone who has been a DV fan for over ten years..."

"..."

(Sorry, it's late... midnight... 10,000 words)

(End of this chapter)