Increasing Publicity

"Los Angeles, New York State, is currently experiencing a riot involving tens of thousands of people. In order to stop the riot from continuing, I, Bush, am now deploying the military to quell this rebellion."

"Contact the military immediately. Deploy a force of fifteen thousand troops to Los Angeles!"

Bush spoke firmly.

Beverly Hills.

Kevin was leisurely making love with Jolie in the villa when a phone call suddenly came in.

It was Dean from New Line Cinema.

"Kevin, the Los Angeles Riots have affected theater scheduling. The theater managers have also told us that since the riots began, movie theater business in other places has been hit hard as well."

"The box office for Get Out is likely to be in trouble."

"It opens tomorrow..."

Dean had called at Shaye's instruction, intending to ask whether Kevin had any other way to salvage the situation.

The three investors behind Get Out had already mobilized considerable promotional power and resources in other areas.

The money invested was actually the least significant part of it all.

Kevin merely chuckled.

"Don't worry, Dean."

"This isn't a bad thing. What we need to do next is step up the promotion."

"At this point in time, Black people are receiving unprecedented attention."

"If we use it well, they can contribute all the box office we need. Help me contact Warner Bros. President Jeff Robinov."

With that, Kevin hung up and waited quietly.

A moment later, Kevin answered his phone again. The caller was Warner Bros. President Jeff Robinov.

"Hello, Kevin?"

"Tell me what you have in mind."

On the other end of the line, Jeff Robinov sounded exceptionally mild, not at all nervous about the Los Angeles Riots.

"The riots can no longer be stopped. Those Black people have already gone mad."

"I estimate the White House has probably deployed troops by now."

"Director Kevin, you really are well informed."

"That's right. Just today, the White House issued an order to mobilize fifteen thousand troops and even deploy powerful weapons approaching medium-scale armaments."

Jeff Robinov's tone revealed information Kevin should not have been able to learn so quickly.

He had expected Kevin to be surprised, but Kevin was far calmer than he had imagined.

"In that case, the movie should open as scheduled?"

"At the same time, emphasize in the promotion that this is a film about fighting discrimination and advocating equal rights."

Kevin said it casually.

"I believe those Black people would be very willing to watch a film showing how they are discriminated against by white people."

Both Jeff Robinov and Kevin knew that, in their eyes, money was everything.

Whether equal rights truly mattered was irrelevant. What mattered was how much profit they could gain under the banner of equal rights.

Kevin had no real intention of fighting for equal rights.

But he certainly intended to make a fortune under its name.

Jeff Robinov thought the same way.

Setting aside the equal-rights and anti-discrimination metaphors in Get Out, it was also an excellent film in its own right, a standout among commercial thrillers.

Combined with the current situation...

"Kevin, do you have any interest in making a run at the Academy Awards?"

"Those old men at the Academy definitely won't give you Best Director, but Best Picture or Best Screenplay might still be worth fighting for."

"Let's wait and see how the box office does..."

Kevin left only an ambiguous answer.

Then the two hung up.

A day later, an extremely dramatic scene unfolded in Los Angeles.

Fifteen thousand fully armed soldiers suppressed every act of rebellion. Anyone who dared wander outside at such a time was treated as a rioter.

Those who did not resist were arrested on the spot. Those who resisted were directly threatened with firearms.

Fortunately, the military showed some restraint. At first, they used training rounds that hurt but would not cause overly serious injuries.

That was what kept the riot suppression from turning into a massacre.

"Kevin!"

"Today is safe."

Angelina Jolie's words conveyed that she wanted Kevin to step things up.

Under United States law, once a woman gave birth to a man's child, the man had to pay substantial child support based on his income.

Kevin did not want to shoulder that responsibility right now.

Angelina Jolie likewise did not want such a thing to happen at this point. She still wanted to go further in her career as a star.

Getting pregnant so early was clearly not a good choice.

Therefore, on unsafe days, both of them were very careful.

Of course, safe days were Kevin's favorite time.

Creak!

Salma Hayek, who had a key to Kevin's villa, abruptly pushed open the door and entered their room, catching them in the act.

With the military deployed to suppress the riots, the film crew shooting nearby decisively stopped filming.

Salma Hayek also decisively drove straight to Kevin's villa.

"Uh!"

Salma Hayek's arrival made Kevin very happy, and he immediately shuddered atop Jolie.

Jolie pushed Kevin away and lay weakly to one side.

Seeing Jolie lying there blankly, Kevin decisively crooked a finger at Salma Hayek.

Having watched such a spectacle, Salma Hayek could no longer restrain herself. She threw off her clothes, revealing her graceful figure, and took the initiative to approach Kevin.

Compared to Jolie, Salma Hayek gave Kevin a different kind of charm unique to a mature woman.

The next day, Kevin turned on the television.

After a day of suppression, the Los Angeles Riots had basically been brought under control.

CNN Television Network reporters moved through the streets, bringing everyone the latest news. This was not CNN's doing alone.

It was also required by the White House and the state government.

The purpose was to let people know that the Los Angeles Riots had ended, allowing Los Angeles to return to normal as quickly as possible.

Seeing that everything was over, Kevin did not remain idle.

After discussions with New Line Cinema and Warner Bros., they announced that all Warner Theater Circuit locations in Los Angeles would offer free screenings of Get Out for three days.

Warner Bros. had three major theaters in Los Angeles, and the large screens assigned to Get Out accounted for roughly a quarter of their capacity.

Three days meant losses of hundreds of thousands, perhaps even millions, of dollars.

However, for Get Out's word of mouth to build and to draw more Black people into theaters as quickly as possible, Warner agreed to this promotional plan.