As soon as Matthew's condition improved slightly, he dived headfirst into promoting *Twilight*, attending numerous media events. His scenes for the *G.I. Joe* movie wouldn't resume filming until December, giving him plenty of time to focus on *Twilight*. Disney held an internal screening for the film, which received a positive response.
However, many outside the studio were skeptical about the movie's success, especially after the release of the trailer. The media was rife with sarcastic remarks, as romance films had been in decline for some time.
"Mr. Horner, why did you decide to invest in this film?" Mark Berman, a reporter from the *New York Post*, seized the opportunity to ask loudly during an interview. "Don't you think this genre is outdated? Werewolves and vampires are just gimmicks! Do you really think this film will recoup your $40 million investment?"
Matthew knew many people were waiting for him to fail. It wasn't personal; it was just human nature. When someone keeps succeeding, people cheer them on, but they also start to think that they can't keep succeeding forever—that eventually, they'll fail just like most people do.
"Outstanding movies never go out of style," Matthew replied, unfazed by the negative opinions. He confidently promoted his film, saying, "*Twilight* will become a classic love story."
He glanced at the reporter from the *New York Post* and smiled. "Whether *Twilight* will recoup the investment, we'll find out soon enough."
Mark Berman noted Matthew's confident smile but chose not to say more. He wasn't an entertainment tabloid reporter, and it wouldn't be wise to openly clash with a Hollywood heavyweight like Matthew Horner. But he would wait and see how much of Matthew's $40 million would be lost.
Meanwhile, a paparazzo from *The Sun*, a man in his fifties, wasn't as polite. He directly asked, "I've read the *Twilight* books— they're vulgar, awkward, and twisted. How could a film based on such a novel possibly succeed?"
Before Matthew could respond, the paparazzo fired off another question, "Matthew, you're not seriously considering *Twilight* as your leading role, are you?"
Everyone understood what he meant, and the surrounding entertainment reporters couldn't help but laugh.
Matthew glanced at the *Sun* reporter but didn't get angry or leave. That's exactly the reaction the reporter wanted. It was a typical *Sun* strategy—provoking with sharp, taunting questions and then goading the subject into a reaction.
"Sir," Matthew addressed him instead, "judging by your age, you're probably a father, right?"
The *Sun* reporter didn't understand Matthew's angle but nodded anyway. "Yes, I have an eighteen-year-old daughter."
"A daughter, huh?" Matthew thought for a moment. "I'm guessing you don't have a very close relationship with her."
Typically, teenagers don't have the smoothest relationships with their parents.
"This…" The *Sun* reporter was taken aback. "What does that have to do with my question?"
"It has everything to do with it," Matthew said earnestly. "Because you don't understand what your daughter likes."
Before the reporter could reply, Matthew continued, "You say *Twilight* is vulgar, awkward, and twisted, but you don't realize that falling in love with a handsome, superpowered, and caring person who's different from you is a dream every girl has had."
"Sometimes he's a prince in a castle, sometimes he's Spider-Man scaling walls, sometimes he's a rebellious bad boy, and sometimes he's a vampire with cold fingers."
Matthew took on the persona of a love guru. "No matter how the character is set up, he's always gentle, handsome, madly in love with only you, incredibly talented or superpowered, capable of anything, yet humble and patient before you."
The *Sun* reporter was momentarily stunned. He wasn't entirely clueless about what girls think, and hearing this, he realized Matthew seemed to understand women very well.
The other reporters around Matthew fell silent, listening intently to his words, knowing they had a good story on their hands.
Matthew gave an example, saying, "Take Edward, the vampire in *Twilight*. From the first moment he sees Bella, or smells her scent, he starts to avoid her but can't help but be drawn closer. He says, 'You're the one person whose mind I can't read.' Women love to believe that men will never fully understand them, so they'll always follow them. Once a man knows everything about her, the guessing game becomes boring."
He held up a finger. "Love at first sight is a woman's first dream."
Then he raised a second finger. "Edward also tells Bella, 'Your scent is like my personal brand of heroin.' Yet, this vegetarian vampire has to resist the urge to eat her, even being careful when they kiss. He always says he has to control himself. Isn't that just how women imagine their boyfriends? Loving them, but also having great self-control? That's a woman's second dream."
He lifted a third finger. "Edward is strong and powerful, always able to protect Bella. Whether it's pushing away a car in the nick of time, showing up to scare off thugs, or taking her to a dance where she's the envy of everyone, he even teaches her, someone who doesn't know how to dance, to move gracefully. With him, there's no fear, only admiration and fulfillment. That's a woman's third dream."
"Edward is even willing to spend his life with Bella. He respects her choices, doesn't want to ruin her existing life, and while she ages, he stays young forever. That, I believe, is a woman's biggest dream."
At this point, Matthew turned and asked for the author, Stephenie Meyer, to be brought over. "Ms. Meyer, like many women, wrote down these dreams. *Twilight* is a warm and touching film, more relatable than those films that claim to reflect major issues or life philosophies because it captures the dreams of every ordinary woman about men, even if these dreams are shattered in reality and seem a bit childish and laughable."
Stephenie Meyer chimed in, "All of this will be told in the film, deeply and movingly."
With Stephenie Meyer now in the spotlight, Matthew successfully redirected the reporters' attention to the author. After nearly a year of media training, Meyer had learned to handle interviews well, saying all the right things to benefit the movie.
"When I wrote this novel, I always wondered if it would ever be adapted into a film. Fortunately, that has finally happened, and both the director and the cast exceeded my expectations."
Stephenie Meyer seemed very pleased with the film adaptation. "Especially Nina Dobrev, who plays Bella. She's so charming and exactly how I envisioned Bella… At just nineteen years old, she's brought the character to life in a way I could only dream of."
As the release date for *Twilight* approached, Studio 13 and Disney's promotional efforts became more intense. Various news stories about the film were easily found in newspapers, magazines, online, and on TV.
"*Twilight* is about to hit theaters, ushering in a new era of vampire romance."
"The latest preview of the fantasy epic *Twilight* shows a young girl being harassed by a vampire."
In addition to these sensational headlines, Matthew also orchestrated the creation of numerous attention-grabbing stories, some true and some fabricated.
"*Twilight*'s box office prospects look good, heralding a new era of low-budget blockbusters."
However, all the promotion had one primary focus: targeting teenage female audiences, as they were the film's core demographic.
Matthew was well aware that *Twilight* wasn't a mainstream movie and would never become a true blockbuster.
"Vampire Falls in Love with Teen Girl" was the central theme of the promotion.
Men were unlikely to genuinely enjoy this film—Matthew included. When he first read the series, it was a struggle to finish, and his feelings of aversion far surpassed what he felt reading *The Hunger Games*.
But Disney and Angel Agency's marketing teams had thoroughly analyzed the film's potential, and Matthew himself admitted that *Twilight* had a certain charm, though it wouldn't work on everyone.
Looking at Stephenie Meyer's novels objectively, they were a refined, aesthetically pleasing type of feminine literature, telling a simple, romantic story—a centuries-old vampire falls in love with a shy human girl, overcoming many obstacles, yet love ultimately triumphs.
Matthew's team conducted a survey and found that 99% of *Twilight* fans were female.
Therefore, *Twilight* was a film made for women through and through. Its author, screenwriter, and director were all women. In fact, the film's continuity and plot progression were not driven by logical conflict but rather by emotional waves.
So when *Twilight* hit theaters, it wouldn't attract many male fans and might even draw criticism from male audiences.
It was an ideological divide between two worlds. Martians wouldn't understand Mercurians, and many Martians wouldn't lower their proud heads to try to understand Mercurians.
Helen Herman once told Matthew that the only men who could endure watching *Twilight* were either one of two things: a vegetarian vampire or a guy hopelessly in love with his girlfriend, watching it to keep her company.
And so, on the weekend before Thanksgiving, *Twilight*, a true female-centric romance film, made its grand debut in North America.
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