West Hollywood.
It was 6:30 PM. After Peter Butler finished work, he had dinner with his girlfriend, Peggy, and then the two hurried to the cinema near their apartment.
Although he already had a good personal relationship with Simon, Peter Butler still hadn't learned the official content of 'The Butterfly Effect'. Therefore, he rarely left work on time today, eager to see it as soon as possible.
Peter's girlfriend, Peggy, was a tall, slender white girl who wore glasses and had a refined demeanour.
As the two sat down in the cinema, Peggy couldn't help but say, "Peter, I heard that critics aren't too fond of 'The Butterfly Effect.' Do we really have to watch this movie?"
Due to the initial poor feedback from critics during the first test screening, Fox had been cautiously concealing the results of 'The Butterfly Effect's test screenings and did not hold any public sneak previews before its release.
Therefore, until yesterday, the word-of-mouth for 'The Butterfly Effect' had only circulated among a very small number of people within Hollywood. But now, the first batch of reviews for 'The Butterfly Effect' had been published in the afternoon newspapers, and the film's media reception was naturally difficult to hide any longer.
As a journalist, Peter Butler naturally learned about these earlier, but he still trusted his own judgment more.
Scanning the gradually increasing audience in the lobby as the screening time approached, Peter Butler replied, "Peggy, didn't you really like 'Run Lola Run'? Simon's movie shouldn't disappoint everyone too much".
Peggy was the same age as Peter, 31 this year, and worked as a designer at an advertising company.
Although she greatly appreciated Simon's previous film, 'Run Lola Run', she had always been a very rational girl and was past the age of idolizing celebrities, so she didn't fawn over Simon Westeros as many young people did.
However, considering her boyfriend's relationship with him, Peggy wasn't too harsh. She just shrugged and said, "Perhaps".
After waiting patiently for a few minutes, the lights in the screening room dimmed.
Peter Butler looked around again. The screening room, which could accommodate a hundred people, was over 70% full, which was a pretty good number. Clearly, with the popularity of 'Run Lola Run', the opening weekend box office for 'The Butterfly Effect' would not be too bad, no matter what. The key was to see the film's subsequent box office trend.
During this time, 'Run Lola Run' unexpectedly achieved great success, and Simon Westeros naturally rose to fame. Peter Butler, due to his series of interviews with Simon, also received considerable attention within the Los Angeles Times company.
As the largest newspaper in the western United States, the Los Angeles Times company had a massive team of over 1100 editors and reporters. It was by no means easy for a younger reporter like Peter Butler, in his early thirties, to attract the attention of top management.
Accordingly, Peter Butler, unconsciously, became somewhat biased towards Simon in his personal stance. Subconsciously, Peter Butler had even decided that as long as the movie wasn't too unbearable, he would definitely say a few good words for Simon.
On the big screen.
After the usual pre-roll advertisements and studio logos, the male protagonist, Evan, played by Matt Dillon, cautiously walked through a dimly lit corridor and broke into an office. Then, amidst the violent banging of security guards and doctors on the door, Evan, hiding under the desk, quickly wrote a last series of words in a notebook and then began to play a videotape.
Amidst violent camera shakes, the scene had returned to Evan's childhood.
In the screening room, watching the warm-toned childhood scenes of the protagonist, Peter Butler was still recalling the opening prologue.
It was an excellent creation of suspense. Just this alone, Brian De Palma had successfully piqued the audience's curiosity and attention. In the following twenty minutes, Evan's various bizarre behaviours in his childhood appeared one by one on the big screen, continuously piquing the audience's curiosity. This continued until Evan reached adulthood, and the mystery gradually began to unravel.
East Coast.
New Haven, Connecticut.
It was already past ten o'clock at night. Jennifer Raybould, who was about to officially graduate from Yale next month, had become increasingly busy recently. It wasn't until eight o'clock that evening that she found time to watch Simon's new movie with her good friend, Lisa Collins.
At this moment, as they walked out of the cinema with the crowd, both girls looked at each other, not knowing how to evaluate 'The Butterfly Effect' they had just seen.
Was this a good movie?
Compared to 'Run Lola Run', which was stunning in terms of plot, cinematography, and soundtrack, 'The Butterfly Effect', apart from the idea of repeatedly traveling back in time, really didn't have much to comment on.
Was this a bad movie?
The film's plot was very complete, cleverly interwoven, and intricately linked. Compared to truly bad movies whose plots are difficult to remember after watching, many details in this movie are worth savouring.
Simply put.
As two seasoned moviegoers who frequently went to the cinema, Jennifer and Lisa found it difficult to find anything in this movie that could move them. Moreover, to be fair, they both genuinely disliked the despair expressed in the film.
Perhaps.
This was just a script that guy wrote casually; his next directorial work is definitely still worth looking forward to.
Jennifer was just thinking this when a clearly deliberately raised voice suddenly came from beside her: "This movie is so cool, even more exciting than 'Run Lola Run.' I think we should make time to watch it again".
Following the sound, Jennifer turned her head and saw three young boys, about seventeen or eighteen, following behind her and Lisa.
When the three boys saw Jennifer turn her head, their eyes all lit up. Then, the other two boys also echoed, and together they quickened their pace, catching up alongside Jennifer and Lisa.
Normally, Jennifer would have completely disdained such clumsy attempts at flirting. But this time, she actively looked at the boy who had just spoken and asked, "Do you really think 'The Butterfly Effect' is cooler than 'Run Lola Run'?"
"Of course, isn't the idea of going back in time by relying on a diary cool enough?" The boy gestured without hesitation and said, "What's more, there's the butterfly effect. Compared to the details in 'Run Lola Run,' changing a lifetime in an instant, that's the real butterfly effect. And, finally, going back to the womb and strangling himself with his own hands, tsk, Simon Westeros is truly a genius".
Listening to the boy beside her excitedly gesturing with his hands and feet, Jennifer felt as if something had flashed through her mind, but she couldn't grasp it. Lisa, who was holding her arm, clearly had a look of understanding on her face.
As they talked, they had unknowingly walked out of the cinema.
The three boys saw Jennifer and Lisa about to leave and caught up again. The boy who had spoken earlier actively invited them, "Hey, girls, how about going to a bar together? We know a bar nearby that doesn't check IDs".
Before Jennifer could answer, Lisa, with a hint of teasing, said to the three boys, "Forget it, little guys. We're not interested in dating minors".
After saying that with a smile, Lisa shook off the three boys and quickly pulled Jennifer to the parking lot.
After finding their car and getting in, Lisa, who was driving, started the car and then suddenly reached out, gently grabbing Jennifer's beautiful golden ponytail. Still smiling, she said, "You wear that ponytail all day, no wonder you're mistaken for a little girl".
Jennifer shook her hair, reached out and playfully hit Lisa, saying, "You drive quickly, I'm already a bit sleepy".
Lisa steered the car out of the parking lot, and seeing Jennifer still look thoughtful, she said, "You're not thinking about Westeros, are you?"
Jennifer's face immediately flushed slightly, but she quickly retorted, "You're the one who's thinking about him, right? You admire him so much".
Lisa, however, was not as shy as Jennifer and said directly, "He's such an amazing guy. I just don't know when I'll see him again. I'm not planning to go to California. Isn't your uncle his personal lawyer? When the time comes, help me mail back some autographed photos. And, if you can snatch Simon Westeros from Janette Johnston, I'll personally fly to Los Angeles to throw you a celebration party".
Jennifer heard Lisa becoming more and more outrageous, and blushing, she reached out, "What nonsense are you talking about?"
Lisa opened her mouth, and her neat white teeth pretended to bite the small hand that was trying to cover her mouth, scaring Jennifer away, and then she smiled, "I'm just saying what's on your mind. You have to work hard, Jenny".
"I've decided not to talk to you for the next ten minutes".
Lisa chuckled, and seeing that Jennifer was really ignoring her, she drove on indifferently.
After a while, she glanced at her friend in the passenger seat again, and seeing the fading blush on her face still tinged with worry, she suddenly said, "No need to worry so much. I think this movie might just be for those young rascals".
With the film's opening day, reviews for 'The Butterfly Effect' appeared widely on various media platforms.
"After 'Run Lola Run,' Simon Westeros once again used his excellent imagination to construct a wonderful story that explores the countless possibilities of life. 'The Butterfly Effect' made me realize that each of our lives is composed of countless tiny moments in the river of time. You cannot change, cannot escape, cannot regret. Real life is destined to have only one outcome".
This was the movie review article published by Peter Butler in the Los Angeles Times the next day.
Although during the viewing process, Peter Butler's impression of the film was similar to that of Jennifer and her friend on the East Coast, he still wrote an article expressing his approval.
However, apart from Peter Butler, too many critics in North America were very unreserved, overwhelmingly expressing their dislike for 'The Butterfly Effect'.
"No one can save these boring repetitive segments" — Variety
"Matt Dillon, who gave excellent performances in films like 'River's Edge' and 'The Outsiders,' choosing this movie was truly the biggest mistake of his life" — Entertainment Weekly
"Pessimistic themes, chaotic narrative, boring characters—this is truly one of the most uninteresting films in recent memory" — Film Salon
"Simon Westeros perhaps wanted to express some deeper philosophical thoughts through 'The Butterfly Effect,' but the result was merely a boring film completely devoid of any meaning" — The New York Observer
"..."
"..."
Among this series of negative reviews, Mark Hollington, the New York Times contributor who had previously raised questions about Simon, once again emerged, unceremoniously stating that "'The Butterfly Effect' is a completely foolish and pretentious chaotic film. I completely fail to understand what Simon Westeros wanted to express through such a disgusting movie".
The great success of 'Run Lola Run' ultimately had too many accidental factors, so the box office performance of 'The Butterfly Effect' became crucial for Simon's subsequent development in Hollywood.
In fact, it was only Saturday, and facing the overwhelmingly negative reviews of 'The Butterfly Effect', Ronald Goldberg eagerly called, hoping to organize a production meeting for 'Final Destination', which he wanted to attend personally.
This clearly violated the agreement they had originally signed.
It was obvious.
If 'The Butterfly Effect' ultimately failed at the box office, all three projects Simon was currently working on would be severely affected.