On May 10, 1996, twister had its grand premiere.
Unlike the premiere of Se7en, Warner Bros. was extremely generous this time, uncharacteristically giving Kazir the precious opportunity to walk the red carpet for the first time.
"Hoo… hoo…"
Reese stood to the side, her breathing slightly rapid, a hint of nervousness in her expression.
"Reese, calm down, it's not our own film. We're just here as guests this time."
Kazir looked at the somewhat flustered woman beside him and couldn't help but chuckle softly.
For this red carpet event, he would appear alongside Reese Witherspoon.
"Kazir, why aren't you nervous? This is completely different from attending premieres in other countries. Think about it, napoleon dynamite didn't even have a red carpet premiere in the United States, and now, hundreds of newspaper reporters are eagerly waiting to photograph us. I'm really afraid I'll make a fool of myself." Reese frowned, her face full of worry.
"I don't think there's anything to be nervous about!" Kazir said with a relaxed expression.
"You…"
Reese sighed helplessly.
Indeed, for someone who could remain expressionless and unfazed even when being verbally attacked by people from the Children's Association, his emotional control was truly exceptional.
"Sometimes I really feel it's a pity he's not an actor," Reese couldn't help but murmur to herself.
"Don't worry, nothing will happen." Kazir noticed Reese's nervousness, gently took her hand, and squeezed it lightly, offering her comfort and strength.
"Thank you." Reese looked at Kazir, her eyes full of trust.
She never regretted being with Kazir; this man had matured greatly, handling things calmly, as if he had weathered every storm imaginable.
"I really don't know how many frustrating things he's been through to be able to remain so composed," Reese couldn't help but wonder.
"We're here!"
Just then, a luxurious car smoothly pulled up to the entrance of the cinema.
Kazir and Reese slowly stepped out. The moment they appeared, they were met with an overwhelming barrage of flashlights, so blinding that it was hard to keep their eyes open.
Kazir and Reese maintained polite smiles, arm in arm, and elegantly walked forward.
At the photo spot, they paused and posed for the photographers.
After the coordinator signaled, they moved to the interview area—it turned out Warner Bros. had already arranged for reporters to wait there.
"Director Gray, what do you think of the film twister?" a reporter asked first.
"It will definitely be a hit; it's absolutely going to be in the top five global box office films this year," Kazir replied confidently.
"Wow~"
The reporter exclaimed dramatically, then immediately asked, "When will your next work be released? Everyone is looking forward to you making another funny film!"
"It will be released this summer," Kazir responded concisely.
"Is this Miss Reese Witherspoon beside you? Could you tell us what your relationship is?" The reporter changed the subject, directing the question to Kazir and Reese's relationship.
Kazir and Reese had actually anticipated that reporters would ask this question. Warner Bros. and their agents had already given them a heads-up, wanting to use this opportunity to generate buzz for the hangover.
"Just friends."
The two exchanged a knowing look, then smiled at the camera before entering the cinema.
In fact, their agents had once advised them to go public with their relationship, as everyone in the crew knew their 'relationship was unusual.'
But both Kazir and Reese disagreed with using their relationship for publicity.
Warner Bros. had no choice but to find other promotional avenues.
"Let's keep some privacy if we can. I want to live a simpler life."
Kazir knew very well that this was actually a luxury—once a person became famous, there was almost no privacy left.
"Last week I received three scripts, could you help me take a look?" Reese whispered to Kazir.
At this moment, hundreds of people were already seated in the cinema, gathered in small groups, eagerly chatting about various Hollywood gossip.
"Come to my office tomorrow," Kazir responded softly.
"Seriously, have you been back to your apartment? It feels like you spend all your time in the office," Reese teased.
"Going back to the apartment is a pure waste of time," Kazir said earnestly.
"Waste of what? Your apartment is only a few blocks from the company," Reese laughed, continuing to tease him.
"Kazir, a pleasure to meet you."
Just then, Tom Cruise walked over with a smile to greet them, while Nicole Kidman stood elegantly beside him. The height difference between the two was quite noticeable, with Nicole being significantly taller than Tom, but no one dared to mention this in front of Tom, as the superstar disliked being called short.
Even Kazir was taller than Tom, he was over six feet tall!
"A pleasure to meet you, Tom. I heard your new film is coming out in May?" Kazir warmly extended his hand and shook Tom's hand.
"Paramount has already started promotion. It was very difficult to shoot, but fortunately, all the dangerous stunts were done by stunt doubles."
Big-name actors all have insurance, and insurance companies would never allow them to perform dangerous stunts themselves, which is also to mitigate risks.
"I will definitely be at the Mission: Impossible premiere," Kazir said sincerely.
"Then I'll be waiting for your ticket," Tom replied with a smile.
Afterward, many other actors came over to say hello.
To put it bluntly, these people were all there for Kazir. He was now a rising star director in Hollywood, and everyone wanted to connect with him, hoping to land a good role!
Enrico and Terry Semel also came over and chatted for a few minutes.
A few minutes later, twister officially began.
This film had a budget of 88 million, with another 4 million spent on promotion and distribution. Starring Helen Hunt and Bill Paxton, it told the thrilling story of the devastating destruction caused by a tornado.
The plot was very exciting, and Kazir and Reese watched with great interest, completely engrossed in the film's wonderful storyline.
Sure enough, in the first three days after its release, twister raked in 41.05 million at the box office, undoubtedly becoming a blockbuster film.
In its opening weekend, it easily left other films released at the same time far behind, effortlessly claiming the top spot for the weekly box office.
While Warner Bros. was busy with the follow-up promotion for twister, Kazir spent most of his time in the editing room, meticulously editing the film with Brody Hamilton.
"At this rate, post-production will be finished by June."
Brody was confident about completing post-production, and Kazir nodded in agreement.
But just as Kazir was engrossed in the post-production of the hangover, a rumor suddenly spread in Hollywood—that a Hollywood director, due to depression, had allegedly hit his wife…