Made In Hollywood

Standing at the entrance of the screening theater, Norman Shiller and his companion pleaded with the staff blocking their way. "We waited in line for so long just to see this movie early. If there are no seats, we're fine sitting in the aisle."

The Warner Bros. staff member wasn't fooled by their pretense and exposed them directly. "Sir, if I'm not mistaken, this is your third time attending the screening, right?"

"Uh…" Shiller was instantly speechless, scratching the back of his head awkwardly. "The film is just too good. I just wanted to…"

"Sorry!"

The staff member picked up his walkie-talkie, said a few words, and then shook his head. "I can't let you in! The theater is already full!"

He gestured to the long line of hundreds of people behind them. "If we let you in, we won't be able to manage the rest of the line."

Today's screening drew an overwhelming crowd. Even though Warner Bros. chose the largest independent theater in Burbank City and limited the event to just the audience and Warner's survey personnel, the number of seats was far from sufficient. The promotional ads and trailers had attracted too many young viewers.

A significant number of them, who didn't qualify for the screening, hoped to try their luck getting in. There were also those like Norman Shiller who, having attended previous screenings, wanted to watch the movie again.

As the long line erupted in protests, Warner's media team captured the scene with their cameras. This was excellent material for promotional hype—a movie that caused such a sensation just from its test screenings...

In the end, Shiller and his companion had no choice but to leave the theater. Unwilling to go home, they headed to the nearby Burger King. At least there, they could still enjoy the characters' cool designs from the film.

Just last week, Burger King launched a Matrix combo meal. The packaging featured a wealth of imagery from the film's promotional posters.

Carrying a tray adorned with Matrix-themed prints and holding a burger wrapped in Matrix-style paper, Shiller sat down. His companion, Huggins, pulled out two freshly bought bottles of Coca-Cola. Unlike the usual red packaging, these bottles were part of Coca-Cola's new series, entirely black in design—the Matrix's black!

The most prominent elements were, of course, Neo and Trinity!

"I wish I could take Trinity home!" Huggins rubbed the image of Trinity on the bottle. "Long legs, tight leather, and high-heeled boots—she's perfect."

Shiller nearly spit out his Coke. "A woman that strong? Who could handle her?"

"She's only formidable in the Matrix!" Huggins argued. "In the real world, she's just an ordinary woman."

"What is real?" Huggins directly quoted the movie's dialogue. "What you see and feel—does it necessarily mean it's real?"

Shiller shook his head. "I haven't had enough of the first film yet, and I'm already wondering if there will be a sequel."

Three screenings in, The Matrix had garnered glowing reviews from viewers. Various statistics quickly converged on Warner Bros., Duke's studio, and the North American Theater Alliance. These market feedbacks would directly influence the film's subsequent promotional strategies.

"Pass it to me, Tina."

Panny Kallis handed over the statistical report on the film's audience reception to Duke, who was sitting at the computer. "Congratulations! The test screening has held up remarkably well, with the audience approval rating climbing to 97.5%."

"What about the theaters?"

The result had been foreshadowed by the previous two screenings, so Duke wasn't surprised. Instead, he inquired about another crucial factor influencing the box office. "Were there no representatives from theater chains this time?"

"None." Panny Kallis continued, "In the previous two screenings, 58 representatives from all major North American theater chains attended. Out of them, 50 rated the film as a Grade A commercial production, 6 rated it as A-, and only 2 deemed the film unqualified because they didn't understand it."

"News from Warner." Tina Fey interjected, "Theaters have confirmed they will open with at least 2,800 screens in North America. Whether this number increases will depend on the performance of the films at the start of the summer season."

"So the box office of Deep Impact will directly impact the number of screens available for The Matrix?"

Sitting quietly in the living room corner, Scarlett Johansson suddenly spoke up.

Glancing at the little girl her mother had brought over, Duke nodded. "Exactly."

He didn't have the time or energy to say much to Scarlett and turned back to Panny Kallis. "How's your online department doing?"

"We've been posting extensively on major forums to generate buzz for The Matrix!"

Despite being a seasoned Hollywood publicist, Panny Kallis had a sharp mind. Having noticed the advantages of online publicity during Chicago's promotion, she had already begun formulating strategies. Her ideas aligned with Duke's, and she had even established a dedicated online PR department for him.

It wasn't an exaggeration to say that Duke and Panny were ahead of Hollywood in this regard.

For The Matrix's online campaign, they had employed internet trolls as a promotional tool on Duke's recommendation. Although the internet wasn't as advanced as it would be in the future, they had managed to create significant buzz among frequent internet users. Duke's personal website had even crashed under heavy traffic, thanks to their overt and covert promotions.

"Panny, come look at this website."

Duke waved Panny Kallis over. "This is currently the most popular professional movie website online, with the largest gathering of film enthusiasts. It also has a dedicated film rating section. Though it has some entry barriers, it still reflects audience feedback to some extent."

The site was called Database, the Internet Movie Database, or IMDb for short.

"I know this site. Amazon just acquired it earlier this year."

Panny Kallis glanced at it and said, "Our people will immediately start generating buzz there. While its scoring system doesn't calculate an average score, it can still influence opinions. Don't worry."

Warner Bros. and Duke's studio had utilized almost all available promotional methods and channels. The results so far were promising. Meanwhile, preparations were underway for a targeted campaign against their competitors. They were waiting for the final ten days before the competitor's release to strike and achieve maximum impact.

Meanwhile, The Matrix's competitors were far from idle.

"Good news, Steven."

In CAA's luxurious office, Martin Bob greeted Spielberg as he walked in. "The rating for The Matrix is out—R-rated!"

A faint smile appeared on Spielberg's face. As the producer of Deep Impact, the film's success was directly tied to him.

Likewise, Martin Bob, who was responsible for packaging the project, had much at stake. "The films releasing the same weekend are negligible, and The Matrix is R-rated, while Deep Impact is PG-13. We have the upper hand."

In terms of content, Deep Impact was virtually flawless. Even if the major studios wanted to challenge it, they couldn't find enough grounds to do so.

Sitting opposite Martin Bob, Spielberg's faint smile quickly faded. "While we have the upper hand in ratings, we've been suppressed by theaters. Martin, I need you to mobilize all of CAA's resources!"

The six major studios had joined forces to pressure the North American Theater Alliance. Coupled with DreamWorks' recent streak of underperforming films, the number of screens initially planned for Deep Impact had been significantly reduced from 3,000.

"CAA can't do much," Martin Bob said grimly. "You know this, Steven. Ino Martin's side…"

Hearing the name Ino Martin, Spielberg frowned. Compared to Martin Bob, he had a much closer relationship with Ino Martin. But some things couldn't be resolved through personal connections. Spielberg had called him recently, only to have several small requests flatly denied.

This made Spielberg acutely aware of the irreconcilable conflict between Ino Martin and Martin Bob. The power struggle at CAA meant one of them would eventually leave in defeat. Despite its apparent strength, CAA wasn't as formidable as it seemed due to internal conflicts.

At any rate, the immediate goal for Deep Impact was clear: The Matrix.

"The Matrix is getting exceptional audience reviews from test screenings," Spielberg said slowly. "And theaters have profited greatly from Duke's past works. They'll undoubtedly push this film aggressively. If it performs well at the box office, it will definitely impact our second-week earnings."

Just hearing Duke's name made Martin Bob's face darken. He'd suffered countless setbacks because of him in recent years and was determined to turn the tables this time. The rating advantage alone could make a decisive difference, which was why he hadn't objected when Spielberg approached Michael Ovitz for collaboration.

Sometimes, partners and competitors are separated by a fine line.

"Steven, I've already activated a significant number of media outlets. With DreamWorks and Sony Entertainment working together, we'll deliver a heavy blow to them. Deep Impact's first-weekend forecast is $40 million! I'm confident we can keep the second-week drop to under 40%!"

Spielberg nodded. If the film performed as expected, it was bound to be a hit. He also knew Warner Bros. had set The Matrix's first-weekend forecast at $35 million, clearly affected by its rating.

Martin Bob added, "Once we hit May, we'll give The Matrix a surprise!"

....

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