Premiere

The premiere day arrived quickly. At the independent cinema near Century City, many of Britney's fans had been waiting since early morning.

Those attending the premiere included not only the film's creative team but also movie buffs, film critics, and, of course, some entertainment reporters, though the turnout today was hardly massive.

Irene arrived neither early nor late. As she wasn't a performer, she didn't need to put much effort into a glamorous gown; she simply wore a clean, white suit and walked slowly down the red carpet.

A rookie reporter on the sidelines instinctively pressed the shutter before realizing what he was doing, asking a veteran beside him, "Who is that?"

The veteran reporter checked the photo he had just taken and said casually, "That's Irene Coppola, the director of this film."

The rookie reporter couldn't help but exclaim, "Damn, she's so young."

Yes, at 17, even though Irene had tried her best to dress in a mature style, she still looked as fresh as a willow bud in early spring, completely unpolished.

"I thought there would be more people today." After scanning the surroundings and seeing no one else coming up to the stage, the rookie reporter continued chatting with his partner.

"For a rookie director, this scale is already quite good. She should be thankful she has a good father and a good best friend." The veteran reporter shrugged. "Besides, Mr. Cruise's film premiere is also today."

"Tom Cruise?"

"Yes, the Cruise couple's film Eyes Wide Shut. That side is truly star-studded and much livelier."

"Then why did you come over here with me?"

"Because I have a hunch that this movie won't be bad." In the gap between their conversation, the film's leads, Reese Witherspoon and James Franco, arrived together.

Reese had made a small splash before this, so at least reporters could name her, while James was a complete newcomer. Fortunately, his looks were on point, and many reporters referred to him as a handsome guy.

They walked the red carpet outside for a full twenty minutes before reaching the lounge, where Irene had been sitting, bored, for half an hour. She wasn't particularly good at small talk, so after greeting her father and godfather, she sat off to the side by herself.

She couldn't be bothered to listen to the mutual flattery between those so-called big shots. Hearing more of it wouldn't increase her box office anyway.

"Hey, Boss, here so early." James Franco walked over with great familiarity and gave her a fist bump, not treating her like a girl at all.

"I've been sitting here for half an hour, and you guys finally show up. The film starts in half an hour; how is it outside?" Irene had long since gotten used to this way of greeting while on set.

"I think there are quite a lot of people. The audience and fans should be entering soon. Boss, it's time to test your results. Are you nervous?" James raised an eyebrow at Irene.

Irene folded her arms. "What do I have to be nervous about? As long as it gets a wide release, it proves that the film company thinks well of my movie. What about you guys? You haven't seen the final cut yet, right? Are you looking forward to your performance?"

"I don't have many scenes, so I think it's fine, hahaha." James finished laughing and turned to look at Reese. "What's wrong, Reese? You haven't said a word since you came over. Something on your mind?"

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Reese tried to lift the corners of her mouth, only to find she couldn't smile. "Boss, have you heard? Tom Cruise's movie is also having a wide release today!"

"I know. The Cruise couple's new R-rated film Eyes Wide Shut, right? How could I not know? Their promotion started later than ours, but the momentum is much fiercer than ours," Irene said casually, her tone full of indifference.

"Boss, aren't you worried? They say their film cost over 60 million dollars to make, and it's the currently hottest Tom Cruise. Some are predicting it will be the next Titanic. Everyone is going to see their movie; what are we going to do?"

"To be precise, it's a 65 million dollar production budget. But don't worry, our audience and their target demographic are completely different. We are a campus comedy, they are a thriller drama; there's almost no overlap." Although she spoke calmly now, she still felt annoyed that the 1,200 theaters originally promised had dropped to 800 due to the last-minute scheduling of Eyes Wide Shut.

Every additional theater showing her film could mean thousands or even tens of thousands more in opening-day box office. Who wouldn't want their opening day to be as high as possible? But what could she use to compete with Tom Cruise?

Fortunately, she knew the Cruise couple's film wouldn't perform well at the box office, otherwise, she would probably be as anxious as Reese. She just didn't know exactly how poorly it would do—surely it wouldn't fail to even cover its costs?

"Let's not talk about this. The film critics will be here soon. You guys can be a bit more proactive and go say hello. Because of the Cruise couple's film, we only managed to invite some second and third-tier critics. Although the quality isn't as high, at least it saved money, hahaha."

Reese looked at her resilient director and felt that every laugh was just putting on a brave face. She must be terrified inside, but she couldn't let others see it, which was why she was laughing so painfully.

If Irene knew what she was thinking, she would probably pat her on the head and tell her she was overthinking it. Rather than worrying about the Cruise couple's power, she was more wary of Runaway Bride in two weeks.

It was a comedy of the same type as theirs, directed by Garry Marshall and starring Julia Roberts—all heavyweights in this genre. They had created countless classic images, and it was the second collaboration between the leads, which naturally attracted a huge group of die-hard fans. Unlike them, where most of the people standing outside weren't really there for the movie—most were media reporters and Britney's fans.

"Ahhhhh, Brit, look over here!"

A scream suddenly erupted from outside. It seemed Britney had arrived.

Irene stood at the entrance of the lounge and watched Britney, who was wearing a pink T-shirt, low-rise jeans, and a pink graffiti baseball cap. Dressed as a hip-hop girl, she didn't even wait to reach her before taking two steps in one and pouncing over.

"Be careful." Irene quickly steadied her.

"How is my outfit today? Is it perfectly on theme? The stylist suggested I wear a gown, but it's not exactly a super serious occasion. Wearing a gown would be a joke."

Irene smoothed out her hair. "You can wear whatever you want when you're with me; no need to consider the occasion." She then took her hand and walked into the theater, finding seats in the front row.

"That's what I said, so I came wearing this."

"Yeah, you did great."

"Hey, beautiful ladies, how have you been lately? The fans outside are really enthusiastic. It would be even better if they were here for me." Edward Nelson sat down next to Britney as soon as he entered. The front row was reserved for the creative team, so there wouldn't be any outsiders.

The other actors felt a wave of annoyance at being too slow when they saw Edward snatch the seat they wanted most.

"Hey, Edward, long time no see. The out-of-print Elvis album you gave me last time was too precious. I don't know how to return the favor; what do you like? I'll buy it for you." Britney smiled even more happily when she saw Edward.

Apparently, they had quietly established a connection when Irene wasn't looking.

If you like this book, please remember to add it to your bookshelf so you don't lose it next time.