ArcLight Cinema, the premiere of "Million Dollar Baby."
It took a little over half a year from the film's approval last year to its premiere today.
Three months were dedicated to Hilary Swank's boxing training, and the actual filming time totaled 37 days.
For a movie with a lot of action shots, this speed was nothing short of miraculous.
The ability to film so quickly, in addition to the actors' excellent performances, was mainly due to the directing prowess of Clint Eastwood.
In Eric's heart, there was a list of directors he admired most, divided into an old guard and a young guard.
The young guard he admired most was naturally Christopher Nolan, while the old guard was Clint Eastwood—both starting with "C."
In China, Clint Eastwood is referred to as Old Man Dongmu because his surname Eastwood literally translates to "east wood forest," or simply Dongmu.
Similarly, Frank, the male lead in "house of cards," is often called President Underwood.
This stubborn old man's life was legendary; as a teenager, he was expelled from three different middle schools for fighting and causing trouble, ultimately never graduating from middle school.
After dropping out, he had to make his way in society, working as a lifeguard, salesman, golf caddy, and a series of other jobs.
But he never lasted long in any of them, as he was too lazy and prone to causing trouble, leading to frequent dismissals.
His only redeeming quality was his good looks, so he decided to try his hand in the entertainment industry.
Unfortunately, after entering, he found there were no fancy cars, beautiful women, or money; he was just a background extra, and he remained one for nine years.
It wasn't until the classic Western film "A Fistful of Dollars" began production; due to a very limited budget, the actors the crew wanted all turned it down. In the end, they could only choose Clint Eastwood, who was already thirty and had achieved nothing. Old Man Dongmu even brought his own clothes.
Unexpectedly, the movie became a massive hit, leading to the consecutive filming of "For a Few Dollars More" and "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly," and Clint Eastwood instantly became a top Hollywood star.
An amusing incident occurred at the time: because "A Fistful of Dollars" was a plagiarism of Akira Kurosawa's "Yojimbo," it was sued.
However, director Sergio Leone was a huge fan of Kurosawa, and upon hearing that his idol had sued him, he enthusiastically and gleefully declared, "It's my honor."
And after Kurosawa received a 15% box office share from "A Fistful of Dollars" in Asia, he immediately changed his tune, praising the film as "f***ing good" and the director as "excellent!"
No wonder, he paid too much!
After Old Man Dongmu's explosion in popularity, he also starred in a landmark film, "Dirty Harry."
Because Old Man Dongmu's revolver-wielding posture in this film was incredibly cool, the American M92 revolver sold out.
Social surveys at the time showed that the M92 revolver's weapon popularity was second only to the lightsaber in "Star Wars"; arms dealers really should have given him a medal.
Furthermore, during the filming of "Dirty Harry," when the director fell seriously ill and couldn't continue, Old Man Dongmu volunteered, saying, "Let me try."
After taking over, he discovered...
"Huh?"
It turned out that directing was easier than acting; it was too simple.
Thus, in 1992, he self-directed and self-starred in his first film, "Unforgiven," which garnered 9 Oscar nominations and won four major awards: Oscar for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Editing, and Best Supporting Actor, with no technical awards.
The success of "Unforgiven" symbolized the official evolution of actor Old Man Dongmu into director Old Man Dongmu. He was 62 years old that year, and his future was promising.
It was a genuinely promising future, not the kind of sarcastic remark made about Da Jin Mao and Denzi.
In 2003, "mystic river" helped Sean Penn win an Oscar, and he himself received several more nominations for Oscar Best Director and Best Picture.
In 2004, "Million Dollar Baby" earned him his second Oscar for Best Director, along with Best Picture, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actor, and a host of other nominations.
In 2006, he directed "Letters from Iwo Jima" and "Flags of Our Fathers," interpreting the war from both American and Japanese perspectives, and, without surprise, once again garnered a slew of nominations for Oscars, Golden Globe, and Europe's Big Three film festivals.
Films like "The Bridges of Madison County," "Changeling," "Gran Torino," "Invictus," "American Sniper," "Sully," and "The Mule" won so many awards they lost count, and of course, box office wasn't neglected either.
For other directors, a single Oscar nomination is enough to glorify a lifetime; for Clint Eastwood, it's as if he can win whenever he wants, like it's his own home.
Moreover, Old Man Dongmu is also a master of film scores, often composing the post-production music for his films himself and winning several awards along the way. Even Chen Xunqi, known as a polymath, is merely a junior in comparison to him.
At the same time, Old Man Dongmu has a particular characteristic when filming: he's fast.
"Unforgiven" was filmed in 28 days, "The Bridges of Madison County" in 42 days, "mystic river" in 39 days, "Million Dollar Baby" in 37 days, and "Gran Torino" in 35 days.
Filming quickly while maintaining quality perfectly demonstrates what talent means for him.
Investors love this kind of director; filming quickly saves costs, so who wouldn't like that?
So, companies wanting to collaborate with him or hire him to make films would form long queues, but the prerequisite was that he had to be interested in the script.
Old Man Dongmu also entered politics, serving as an official in California, but he had conflicts with Governor Schwarzenegger, and ultimately, the cowboy lost to the Terminator and resigned.
Of course, if one were to ask Eric what aspect of the old man he envied most, his answer would be his romantic life.
Like many male stars, Clint Eastwood was also very philandering; although he only married twice, he had many lovers.
So much so that when reporters asked him how many children he had, he couldn't remember himself, only giving an approximate number, something like 7.
Eric's goal was to surpass him, not only to have many relationships but to manage them well, to make a group of women live harmoniously and happily under the same roof.
Due to the fallout with the television stations, which are closely linked to newspapers, the number of media reporters on the red carpet today plummeted; from hundreds of outlets previously, there were only a dozen or so this time.
Not many film critics came either, but it would be a mistake to think the premiere was deserted.
The more you want to see me fail, the more I will prove you wrong, the more I will make a splash.
Not only will it be big, but it will also be the strongest premiere in history.
Since media reporters aren't coming, it's their loss; I don't care.
If you don't come, won't I find people to support me?
The Writers Guild, Screen Actors Guild, Art Directors Guild, and the Big Three talent agencies have already stated that they will not participate in the dispute between MGM and The Big Six, or the television stations.
Stars don't need to worry about what they want to do, much less about being targeted.
So tonight's red carpet was star-studded; in addition to the film's main creative team, Nicole, Theron, Gadot, Ashley, Mary, Little Mercenary, Chris Evans, Heath Ledger, and all those with good relations with Eric were present.
Besides these people, Eric also invited everyone he could who had acted in MGM films or had connections with him.
Hugh Jackman, Pierce Brosnan, Orlando Bloom, Aniston, Brad Pitt, Tobey Maguire, Nicolas Cage.
In addition to actors, Eric also invited many singers. Of course, he couldn't do it on his own; he had to rely on Michael's help.
With stars, there are naturally fans. MGM paid to hire a large group of people in advance, just in case the scene wasn't lively enough.
But it turned out to be an overestimation; when these stars appeared on the red carpet, the screams never stopped.
Not only were the extras arranged by MGM not needed, but the security forces provided seemed stretched thin, barely able to hold back the frenzied fans.
The dozen or so small and medium-sized newspapers on site watched these stars with wide eyes, while Lionheart Network began a live broadcast.
"Sorry, Clint, this will undoubtedly be the least-watched premiere of your film."
Old Man Dongmu adjusted his cuff: "I wouldn't be so sure. The people you've gathered here are enough to hold a small Oscar ceremony."
"Although there are no TV stations or newspapers, the spread of the internet is growing day by day. I'm afraid it will become a trending topic tomorrow."
"Do you go online often?"
Eric looked at the other party with some curiosity. In his impression, an old-school tough guy like Clint Eastwood probably didn't spend much time online.
To his surprise, the other party laughed heartily: "Don't underestimate us old folks, young man. Although I'm 74 this year, I still love life very much and enjoy trying new things."
"Clint, you old geezer!" Beside them, the veteran supporting actor Morgan Freeman and Hilary Swank walked over.
Eric shook hands with the former and hugged the latter.
There's an interesting rumor circulating that Morgan Freeman gets one more age spot on his face for every movie he appears in, but whether it's true or false is unknown.
Hilary Swank looked at Eric's profile with some emotion. This young man was truly too bold. Looking at the spectacle he created today, it was clearly a challenge to those people. He wouldn't rest until he turned Hollywood upside down.
On Lionheart Network, the live audience for the premiere surged from hundreds of thousands to millions, then from millions to several million, finally breaking the ten million mark. The comments below surged like a tide, wave after wave.
"So many stars! This isn't a movie premiere; it's clearly an awards ceremony! So many stars, it's awesome!"
"Who can tell me where the venue is? Is it still possible to go now?"
"It's ArcLight Cinema. If you're in Los Angeles, you should make it if you leave now!"
"I envy the audience who went to the scene. I like Charlize Theron; she's really hot."
"Ryan Reynolds is so handsome. I really want to touch his chest muscles."
"It seems MGM is going to fight The Big Six and the TV stations to the end. Eric Cooper is f***ing fierce! Even if I had as much money as him, I wouldn't dare do what he's doing!"
"Wow! It's Kevin Spacey! His Frank acting is divine. I'm his loyal fan now."
"And Robin Wright."
"Michael! Even Michael came! I hope all four coaches of The Voice gather; that would be so interesting."
"The premiere of 'the polar express' is also tonight. Does anyone know what's happening there?"
"I just checked, and it's also quite lively. Robert Zemeckis is a big director, but 'the polar express' is an animated film, so there aren't many actors and stars supporting it. Instead, quite a few directors came to show their support."
"What's there to see about directors! Of course, watching stars is more interesting. It's Britney, and Beyonce!"
On site, with Michael's arrival, the fans' screams rose by several decibels. His popularity was simply too high.
Not only were fans infatuated, but many stars present, seeing him arrive, specifically ran over for autographs and photos.
For a moment, Old Man Dongmu and Morgan Freeman exchanged helpless smiles.
"I think no one remembers this is the premiere of our movie anymore."
"You're right. Now it's more like a Grammy awards ceremony. Shouldn't someone hand him a microphone?"
"Good suggestion. I really like that song 'Rolling in the Deep.'"
"You're not kidding?"
"Of course not. I love life. I even chased Jackson's concerts back in the day."
Eric walked over and hugged Britney Spears. As one of Eric's two major young goddesses in Europe and America during his youth, Eric listened to many songs by Britney and Avril.
They had also met at the Grammy Awards a few months ago, but it was merely a nodding acquaintance.
Although Eric ruined Justin Timberlake, theoretically avenging Britney, this matter couldn't be explicitly stated. He couldn't just say, "I know about the terrible things that scumbag did to you."
Britney currently only saw him as a talented super-rich man, probably thinking it wouldn't hurt to maintain a good relationship, so her presence was quite a show of respect.
"What! You really can't read sheet music?" Britney looked at Eric with some disbelief.
"I really don't understand it. I can't even fully distinguish basic musical notes. That's a fact."
"My goodness! That's impossible, absolutely impossible! Because it's unscientific. How could you create 'Rolling in the Deep' without even understanding basic music theory?"
"Feeling, it's all based on feeling. I usually hum some tunes myself, then record them in a way I can understand but professionals might not. Slowly, the melody becomes complete, then I write the lyrics, and it becomes a song."
Britney still couldn't believe it: "You must be joking with me. All of this sounds more like a fantasy."
"If you can create songs like that, then I can only go home in shame and hide under my covers. You're messing with me, aren't you?"
"I can testify, everything Eric said is true."
Michael passed by and added a remark, and Britney immediately fell into deep self-doubt.
The news of the lively red carpet for "Million Dollar Baby," which gathered half of Hollywood, quickly spread to Warner Bros. and the premiere of "the polar express."
A senior executive asked worriedly, "Robert, are you confident?"
Robert Zemeckis naturally had no intention of getting involved in the struggles between companies; he just wanted to make the movies he wanted to make.
He smiled and said, "Jones, didn't you attend the internal screening of 'the polar express'? You should have a good idea of its quality."
"Moreover, we used full 3D and achieved good results. For the audience, this is a huge attraction."
"And we are suitable for all ages, while 'Million Dollar Baby' is rated PG13, so we also have an advantage."
"We also have a richer promotional campaign, so one premiere doesn't mean anything."
"Remember, the success of a film ultimately depends on the film itself, not anything else!"