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

Chapter 304 His European and American Female Fans
After the premiere of "Twilight", the production team arranged an exclusive interview session.

On the surface, it was a routine media interview, but in reality, it was a carefully planned public relations campaign to hype up the male and female leads' scandal and boost the film's popularity.

The Twilight crew, including Paimon Pictures, took this interview very seriously.

The entire interview was meticulously prepared, with Paimon Pictures not only bringing in a top-tier lighting team to create perfect lighting effects for the two leads, but also hiring the chief reporter of The Hollywood Reporter to host the interview. The PR team prepared press releases a week in advance, and even the interview chairs were specially replaced with antique furniture that matched the film's medieval vampire style, ensuring that every detail could create an ambiguous atmosphere for the "on-screen couple."

The two lead actors had been going over their scripts repeatedly for three days, rehearsing the interview content to the precision of movie dialogue, intending to capitalize on the momentum of the post-premiere interview and boost the show's popularity...

In the early 21st century, women around the world became more economically independent, leading to an increase in their spending on entertainment.

Consumer data shows that in recent years, women have consistently accounted for 52%-55% of North American moviegoers, and they are the main consumers in almost all film genres except for R-rated movies. Furthermore, female viewers' spending on movie-related merchandise, such as clothing and co-branded beauty products, is 3-5 times that of men.

Over the years, all the executives at the eight major Hollywood studios have been well aware that in the global entertainment consumption sector, the market potential of women far surpasses that of men. This area is currently still largely untapped, and whoever can truly pave this path will reap unimaginable rewards in the future…

In fact, Hollywood has gone to great lengths to expand the female consumer market in recent years. From the millennium to the present, from "Charlie's Angels" to the superhero "Catwoman" and "Sisters", there have been many female-oriented films almost every year.

In essence, Twilight is a very pure film. From casting to marketing to the scenes between the male and female leads, everything was meticulously designed, as if it was just missing a label that "wanted to please female audiences"...

……

This interview was originally planned to include four of the main creators…

The male and female leads, Wu Zuliang who plays the werewolf, and Zhou Yang...

However, due to some friction in Zhou Yang's previous cooperation with Paimon Pictures, although the two parties continued to cooperate on a new film, the interview invitation was not delivered to Zhou Yang in time due to the negligence of the staff.

Zhou Yang also seemed uninterested in the interview. As soon as the premiere ended, he lowered his hat brim, put on a mask, and quickly disappeared into the departing crowd.

Director Catherine made more than a dozen phone calls but no one answered. With the interview time approaching, she had no choice but to signal her staff to proceed as planned.

……

"You don't seem very happy?"

"To be honest, I have mixed feelings right now. The final product of this film is somewhat different from the ending after the premiere... Perhaps I did make mistakes in controlling certain key moments."

Before the interview began, Catherine frequently looked out the window, her expression revealing a hint of unease.

As the main cast members entered one after another, her gaze remained unfocused, her knuckles unconsciously tapping the table.

Finally, I took a deep breath, tried to remain calm, and walked towards the door.

at first……

At the beginning of the interview, the media coverage was very successful...

The creative team's interactions unfolded according to the pre-arranged script, with the topic consistently revolving around "female charm."

However, when the host invited audience members to ask questions, a subtle awkward silence ensued.

Although the assigned children were very enthusiastic, during the random Q&A session, a girl who was called upon hesitated before standing up and asking, "Excuse me, will the actor who plays the Eastern Exorcist participate in the follow-up promotions?" This question caused the entire room to fall silent instantly, and the lead actress Emma's smile froze on her face...

Director Catherine quickly tried to smooth things over: "Mr. Zhou Yang has other schedules..."

Before he could finish speaking, a chorus of disappointed sighs rose from the audience...

During the subsequent Q&A session, apart from the pre-arranged questions, more than half of the questions focused on Zhou Yang's performance details and behind-the-scenes anecdotes.

When the male lead, Leon, tried to change the subject with humor, only a few scattered, polite laughs came from the audience.

Although the carefully planned gossip marketing campaign did not go astray, audience members began to leave before the interview was over. The on-screen couple, who should have been the main characters, became mere supporting characters, and the entire event turned into a fan meeting for the supporting actors.

……

When the interview ended, everyone walked out of the interview room in silence, their faces unusually grim.

A hint of unspoken worry appeared on director Catherine's face...

This movie is probably going to be in big trouble!
................................................

4 month 1 day.

The North American premiere of "Twilight" received extremely polarized market reactions.

Despite Paimon Pictures' heavy investment in promotion, the overwhelming press releases and marketing campaign featuring on-screen couple rumors have yielded little result.

The forbidden love between the male and female leads, Leon Kraus and Emma Gwen, should have been the focus, but the criticism from the audience for the exaggerated acting and the clichéd script far exceeded expectations.

On social media, topics such as #TwilightAwkwardActing# and #Edward'sExpressionlessFace# continued to gain traction, with film critics bluntly stating that "the scenes between the male and female leads are like two rusty teleprompters reciting lines," and some viewers even joking that "the vampires' fangs are more expressive than their expressions."

The overwhelming press releases and rumors about the on-screen couple were like punches to cotton – the press releases about the “forbidden love” between the male and female leads, Leon and Emma, ​​received less than a third of the expected readership, while the hashtag #TwilightActingDisaster# swept across social media platforms like wildfire…

4:00 AM on April 2nd.

Catherine stared at the constantly refreshing negative reviews on the computer screen, her hand gripping the mouse trembling. Outside the window, the Los Angeles night deepened, the lamplight casting flickering shadows on her pale face.

The public opinion report sent by the PR team ultimately shattered the last shred of hope she had...

The report shows that the popularity of #TwilightActingDisaster# is rising at a rate of thousands of posts per minute, while the carefully planned #ScreenCouple# topic is sinking to outside the top 30 on the trending searches, like a farce that no one cares about.

This movie is about to end!
The moment the thought popped into her head, she was startled.

She then hurriedly shut down her computer, trying to calm herself down and get some rest.

However, the time at four in the morning was exceptionally difficult to endure. I tossed and turned in bed, unable to fall asleep. Finally, after taking some sleeping pills, I managed to drift off to sleep.

Perhaps it's because I've put so much effort into this movie these past few days, and I'm just too exhausted.

Catherine slept until about 4 a.m. on April 3.

She woke up groggily, ate something quickly, and then saw hundreds of incoming calls on her phone…

Just then, the phone rang.

It was my assistant calling.

Looking at the phone, her expression was complicated, as if something was weighing heavily on her heart, making it hard for her to breathe.

Faced with a barrage of accusations online, she didn't even have the courage to answer the phone.

I'm terrified of hearing bad news...

But in the end, she gritted her teeth and answered the phone.

On the other end of the phone, the assistant's voice trembled slightly with excitement: "Twilight's opening day box office results are in! $1800 million in North America, 20% higher than expected!"

She stood there, stunned, unable to believe it.

After confirming the data, she suddenly stood up!

"What are today's pre-sales and attendance figures?"

At that moment, her voice trembled almost imperceptibly.

"Average attendance rate of 68.7%, prime-time shows sold out! Today's pre-sale tickets are almost sold out!"

The air froze for two seconds, then she rushed to the computer and turned it back on...

She saw a trending post titled "The Mysterious Eastern Exorcist"!
..........................................

"God! I must find all the information about that Asian boy! He was so cool in the movie! Why did I only find out about such a charming Asian man now?"

"My God! This Asian man is absolutely captivating! Every glance he gives in the movie makes my heart race!"

"Breaking news, breaking news! I learned from my friends in China that he is not only a director and actor, but also runs his own film empire. I heard that he shines like a superstar in Asia!"

"Wow!"

"I'm completely captivated by this Asian boy! His on-screen presence is both dangerous and elegant, it's simply impossible to look away! Can anyone tell me more about him? Why is there so little information about him here...?"

"Damn, this Asian man is so charming! His performance in the movie was absolutely stunning! Why didn't the media introduce me to him sooner?"

"..."

On April 3rd, the male and female leads of Paimon Pictures' "Twilight" were caught in a media storm on the North American internet, gradually becoming the target of public criticism amidst a deluge of controversy and condemnation.

Logically speaking, a film facing such a reputation crisis is almost destined to fail miserably.

Unexpectedly, with the film's official release, a film review titled "The Mysterious Eastern Exorcist" suddenly went viral.

Although it's called a film review, it's actually more like a feature article with pictures and text.

The article not only includes a large number of Zhou Yang's wonderful stills from movies and handsome photos from his daily life, but also tells the complete story of his acting career with delicate strokes...

From impoverished years when no one cared about him, to the amazing directorial talent displayed in "Saw";

From the arduous journey of an ordinary person to their rise to power, to an inspirational story of fighting against fate.

Along the way, there was the desolation of being ignored by the industry, the bitterness of having one's dignity trampled on, the extreme experience of selling one's blood for one's dreams, and the dedication to repeatedly honing one's acting skills for the role in "Twilight"...

……

The handsome photos, coupled with the heart-wrenching stories, brought tears to the eyes of more and more Western girls who had seen "Twilight" and were moved by "The Mysterious Eastern Exorcist," and gradually made this previously unfamiliar Chinese name gain some popularity in North America...

(End of this chapter)