New York has its own cinephile culture, with various underground film festivals that are quite dazzling.
However, overall, New York's movie enthusiasts have a certain threshold and are scattered throughout different corners of the city.
If it's a small indie film hosting a special screening, it's easy to gather a large group of cinephiles. But for special screenings of major commercial films, the turnout tends to be quite sparse.
That's why Karen believed they should stay in Los Angeles—
And now, it seems that was a good idea.
"Ah!"
With a scream, it's easy to rally a group of like-minded companions.
Doing something as crazy as this alone would seem insane, but with support from friends, it feels normal. Gradually, others around them begin to join in, letting go of their rationality, and it turns into a trend—
Like taking pictures with the cardboard cutouts.
Thus, a scene of performance art unfolds at the cinema entrance.
Yawning while lining up, Karen couldn't quite wrap her head around it, "Ugh, I have to protest against Sony Columbia. I'd rather watch the midnight screening than this early morning show. If it weren't for Anson…"
Unexpectedly, her grumble sparked a reaction immediately.
"Exactly, why not arrange a midnight screening?"
"I'd have been more than happy to watch a midnight screening, but Sony Columbia didn't give me the chance."
"They're probably still worried about the box office."
Since the 1970s, the concept of a midnight screening has existed in North American theaters, specifically referring to films shown at midnight, but this culture hasn't become mainstream yet. The news about commercial blockbusters breaking box office records with zero-hour midnight screenings is still just a concept for now.
Currently, there are mainly two types of movies that get a midnight screening:
One is genre films, such as romance, horror, westerns, and films restricted to viewers over eighteen, primarily catering to couples or specific audiences.
The other type is fan movies, like "Star Trek," which has a lot of die-hard fans but hasn't achieved widespread popularity like "Star Wars."
In simple terms, these screenings are niche.
After all, the idea of watching a movie at midnight isn't something that audiences in 2002, when the internet hadn't fully developed, have much imagination for.
Naturally, big commercial blockbusters in the summer rarely use midnight screenings as a gimmick, which is why we're seeing this scene now.
"Spider-Man" clearly isn't considered to have a fervent fanbase willing to rush to a midnight screening. Superhero comics are even labeled as a niche interest for nerds, so Sony Columbia worries that a midnight screening would be wasted effort—
As a result, a group of impatient, eager, and anxious viewers are forced to wake up early to come to the cinema for a morning show.
It's not just girls but also their boyfriends and, surprisingly, a small group of nerds who stand silently in line with their heads down, not daring to let their eyes wander.
In some ways, the morning show is even more ridiculous and bizarre than a midnight screening.
After all, staying up late is easier than getting up early.
However, when someone mentioned "worrying about the box office," everyone nodded in understanding.
Including Karen, who, despite her frustration, couldn't argue against it.
Then, a voice burst out from the crowd.
"They underestimated us, didn't they? Even if it's just for Anson, I'm watching it three times!"
"No matter if the movie's good or bad, I'm definitely not just watching it once."
"Anson is worth it!"
"Oh my God, don't you think Anson is simply perfect?"
"...Yeah, yeah, yeah, that Dior ad, I was just blown away by him, the kind that makes your legs weak. How can a man be so suave?"
"I'm here because of 'The Tonight Show.' Anson's interaction with Jay Leno was so funny. I can't remember the last time I saw such a hilarious show."
"Street performance, oh my God, I went back and specifically looked up his street performances afterward..."
"Is nobody here because of 'The Princess Diaries'? When Anson walked out of the crowd at the end—"
"Ahhhh! Ahhhh!"
Chicken calls filled the air uncontrollably. Every time someone brought up a topic, someone else would immediately follow up, one after another, making it impossible to keep up.
"By the way, does anyone have that 'GQ'?"
"I was just about to ask the same thing."
"It's out of print."
"What?"
"I specifically emailed 'GQ' asking to buy that issue with Anson in it, but they replied that it's out of print and they won't be reprinting it."
"Oh, my heart! This is despair!"
"I saw someone on a forum selling it last time, priced at ninety-nine dollars. I didn't dare to make a move, and then it was bought by someone else. I still regret it to this day."
"My God, Anson wasn't even on the cover in that issue. What's going on?"
"But you have to admit, Anson's shoot in that issue was really good, impossibly good-looking."
"I haven't seen it, so how would I know?"
Chatter and excitement filled the air, leaving everyone dazzled.
Suddenly, a whole new world opened up before Blair.
All along, Blair thought Anson was just an up-and-coming actor, and "Spider-Man" was his first leading role. It all seemed like a small circle, with only a handful of people recognizing him, much like a Manhattan street performance.
The "Spider-Man" premiere was the same, with just about twenty or so supporters led by Gloria. But to Blair's surprise, there was a vast ocean of people outside her little world.
Turns out, there are more people who like Anson than she thought.
A sense of joy at finding comrades instantly filled her chest, the kind of excitement and happiness fluttering like butterfly wings, soaring into the sky.
Blair was still shocked to learn that the issue of "GQ" had already gone out of print and that some people were even seeking it at a high price on forums. This was yet another new world—
How could this be?
But unexpectedly, Karen chimed in, "There's a scanned version on Yahoo now. Although it's not very clear, you can save it on your computer."
Blair looked at Karen in disbelief.
The surrounding crowd burst into discussion.
Karen also looked at Blair, smiling, "I also tried to buy a copy for myself, but couldn't find one."
Blair quickly covered her mouth: You, Karen, how could you not share such good news!
"What section on Yahoo?"
"Yeah, yeah, share it with us."
In an instant, laughter and chatter once again filled the cinema entrance.
Jesse and Alexander, who had just arrived at the AMC theater, hadn't quite realized what was happening yet. Sitting in the car, they looked out the window at the long queue with question marks all over their heads.
Alexander, being a straightforward guy, said, "Oh, could there be a big star here? Or are people lining up to buy popcorn?"
Jesse: ...
Jesse glanced at Alexander with a speechless look, "If you said AMC was holding a special summer screening promotion, buy one get one free, that'd make more sense."
Alexander looked pleasantly surprised, "Really? How come I didn't hear about it?"
Jesse was stumped for a moment, ignoring Alexander and looking out the window again, trying to think.
He confirmed that the "Spider-Man" crew didn't have any post-screening meet-and-greet events scheduled in Los Angeles this week, so how to explain the crowd of people outside?
With a reporter's keen instincts, Jesse immediately grasped a possibility—
No way… right?
Jesse's heart tightened as various speculations filled his mind, feeling nervous, excited, and confused all at once, completely at a loss.
Wait a minute, what exactly is going on here?