"I didn't expect you to show up as well," Matthew joked with David Ellison as they sat in the car heading to the premiere theater. "David, are you here to steal my spotlight?"
David Ellison gave Matthew an admiring look and replied, "You've made quite a splash here. I arrived yesterday and took a look around. Your news is everywhere—on newspapers, the internet, and TV."
He gave Matthew a thumbs-up. "When it comes to publicity, you're the master."
Matthew shrugged. "Give it another five or six years, and this approach won't work as well anymore."
Like films, marketing strategies needed to evolve with societal changes. Once this place developed true confidence, the results wouldn't be as impressive. But for now, external validation still hit the mark.
"No matter what," David continued to praise, "you've created a level of excitement here that Hollywood films have never seen before."
Matthew chuckled, knowing full well that years ago, the Titanic had caused a much bigger stir. Unfortunately, there hadn't been any prominent figures speaking on his behalf like there had been for the Titanic back then.
If that were the case, he wouldn't have to go to such great lengths. The Fast & Furious series would be an instant nationwide hit.
He vaguely remembered reading online about a significant figure giving a speech on Titanic at an official meeting, which served as the best kind of publicity—better than any formal campaign.
Maybe he could take a similar high-level approach in the future?
But then, recalling the power of certain regulatory bodies, he quickly dismissed the idea. If things went wrong, as the internet slang goes, it could lead to an instant "404."
As the car neared the premiere theater, Matthew saw the massive crowd gathered ahead from a distance.
A large number of fans had shown up, driven by the recent publicity, eager to attend the premiere and catch a glimpse of the unique Hollywood star, Matthew Horner.
One of these fans was Lin Feng. Because he lived far from the capital, he hadn't been able to attend the fan meet-and-greet at the Film Academy. After reading about it and hearing from friends who had attended, he had made the trip early this morning.
But once he arrived, he realized he hadn't come early enough. By 10 a.m., a large crowd had already gathered around the red carpet area, and the best spots had been taken.
As more people arrived, the police deployed a special force to maintain order. The crowd was simply too large. From a distance, all Lin Feng could see was a sea of people.
He initially worried that the event might be canceled due to the overwhelming numbers, but the order remained well maintained.
As the crowd grew, the organizers opened up areas originally reserved for advertisements on the other side of the red carpet. Lin Feng quickly secured a decent spot, even if it meant standing behind an ad board. It was still a better view than before.
As time passed, the excitement outside the theater intensified.
Lin Feng glanced at the giant posters hanging at the theater's entrance and observed the surroundings. The organizers seemed to have put in a lot of effort.
Starting at 3 p.m., a large section of the street in front of the theater was cordoned off. Thanks to the organizers' preparations and the strong support from the police, everything ran smoothly. What surprised him most was the arrival of even more fans. With the red carpet sides packed to capacity, these new arrivals had to wait behind barriers.
Even then, a large number of people queued up, trying to secure a spot.
Lin Feng was amazed. Although Matthew Horner had been all over the internet and media lately, he was still just a Hollywood star. Yet this turnout was comparable to premieres of the biggest domestic stars or top directors like Feng, Zhang, and Chen.
"Is this the power of a global superstar?" Lin Feng muttered to himself from behind the ad board. "When Tom Cruise came here for Mission: Impossible 3, it wasn't nearly this big!"
By 6 p.m., the red carpet ceremony for Fast & Furious 4 began. Lin Feng estimated that many of the fans in the best spots had been waiting for twelve hours.
Seeing their excitement, he marveled at their stamina.
The first to walk the red carpet weren't members of the Fast & Furious 4 crew, but rather local stars and directors, including some major names who seemed to have come specifically for this event.
When he saw directors Feng and Zhang appear, followed by several other prominent figures from the Beijing film circle, Lin Feng realized this premiere was turning into a massive event for the entire film industry.
"Matthew Horner has quite the pull," someone around his age remarked nearby. "So many big names came to support him."
Another person, a bespectacled man who seemed to know a lot, chimed in, "It's not just about influence—it's about power! Do you know who co-produced this film with Matthew Horner? It'll blow your mind: David Ellison, son of Larry Ellison, the Oracle billionaire who's consistently ranked in the top five of the global rich list! While others meticulously plan their promotions, they just throw money at it!"
Lin Feng, not knowing any of this, quickly perked up his ears.
"And here's another thing," the bespectacled man continued. "David Ellison has money, sure, but Matthew Horner isn't exactly poor either." He waved five fingers. "I read in a report that Matthew Horner's net worth is at least this much!"
"Fifty million dollars?" the person next to him guessed in surprise.
The bespectacled man scoffed, "You think someone with only fifty million dollars would dare to invest half of a $120 million movie budget? It's five billion dollars—at the very least!"
The person gasped, "Whoa! Being a star pays that much?"
"Not every star is Matthew Horner!" The bespectacled man emphasized, "There's only one Matthew Horner in the world!"
He went on, "And it's not just Matthew and David Ellison—this movie's distributor is Disney. You've heard of Disney, right? They just finalized plans to build a new Disney park down south, with a total investment of over $10 billion. They're in a honeymoon phase with this market, and China Film has clearly invested heavily in this movie."
He adjusted his glasses and gestured around. "Have you ever seen a Hollywood movie premiere here that closed off streets like this?"
Lin Feng thought for a moment. Indeed, even domestic films rarely received such treatment. Usually, either there weren't enough fans to justify it, or the films that drew large crowds couldn't get special accommodations.
"It does seem like… quite a unique situation," the person next to him agreed.
The bespectacled man smiled knowingly. "And there's more! Matthew Horner's sponsors are all top-tier brands—Mercedes-Benz, Rolex, and Armani. Every one of them is a global luxury brand. My friend's uncle works at China Film, and he told me that not only are these brands sponsoring Fast & Furious 4, but they also invited celebrities from across the country to attend the premiere."
He added in admiration, "Aside from Armani joining a bit later, Mercedes-Benz and Rolex have long established themselves in this market. Which local star wouldn't jump at the chance to represent such prestigious brands?"
The man wasn't wrong. As Lin Feng observed the event, he noted that at least a dozen A-list local celebrities had arrived before the Fast & Furious 4 crew made their appearance.
This was Matthew Horner's first visit to the country, and while his arrival had caused a media frenzy, it was clear that the grand show of support came from the massive brands backing him.
As 7 p.m. approached, fans on both sides of the red carpet eagerly awaited the arrival of the Fast & Furious 4 cast. According to the organizers, the crew was scheduled to start walking the red carpet at 7 sharp.
To facilitate coordination, all attending celebrities waited in tents at the front of the red carpet before making their entrances.
Given the notorious traffic, especially during rush hour, Matthew had made sure to instruct Jack to tell everyone in the crew to arrive early to avoid being delayed.
"Five minutes left! Get ready!" Jack's voice called out from the tent. "There are still two more guests ahead. Daniel, you'll step out right at seven!"
The crew's order on the red carpet had been carefully arranged. As the lead actor, Matthew would make his entrance last, while Daniel Wu would go first to engage the fans, with Justin Lin following in the middle.
Their roles were more likely to win over the local audience.
Additionally, Matthew had briefed everyone the night before, instructing the crew to avoid discussing any political issues during the premiere here, as that could be incredibly sensitive. A single misstep in this area could undo all their promotional efforts.
As for being approachable and cooperative, Matthew had no worries. These were the most basic skills in Hollywood. Only a fool would act arrogant in front of fans at an event like this.
Dressed in a dark suit, Matthew exuded calm confidence. David Ellison, standing next to him, suggested, "Why don't we walk the red carpet together?"
"No need," Matthew replied. "You don't need to be nervous—no one here knows who you are."
That comment caught David off guard, leaving him speechless for a moment. He pointed at Matthew and said, "Do you enjoy putting me down?"
Matthew grinned. "Just stating the facts."
"Daniel!" Jack's voice called out.
Moments later, Daniel Wu stepped onto the red carpet, and the fans' cheers noticeably rose.
However, when Gal Gad
ot followed, the cheers quieted. Though beautiful, Gal Gadot was relatively unknown at this point. She hadn't yet achieved the global recognition that came with becoming Wonder Woman.
One by one, the Fast & Furious 4 crew members made their entrance, and soon it was Matthew's turn—the grand finale.
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