September 30th was destined to be an exciting day. The long-awaited second film in the Overwatch series, Winston, was about to hit theaters across all major cinema chains!
It happened to be a weekend, so men, women, young and old could all set aside their tasks and head to the cinema for some proper relaxation.
Some people might not be interested in movies, but they would still accompany their children or partners to watch Winston. This was a carnival for the masses and an unparalleled visual feast!
At this moment, posts flooded the Douban homepage.
"Today 'Winston' is released. Giving away one ticket to the Flying Cinema on Brick Street in Vancouver—food and drinks all covered. Requirements: female, likes men, age 18–26, pretty, good figure, height no less than 165 cm, open-minded, likes teasing boys!"
"Manhattan International Cinema group viewing—men and women welcome. Endless fries and popcorn, endless cola!"
"'Winston' is finally releasing? My wallet is already starving! Gonna binge-watch for three days straight!"
...
Ronin browsed the posts, occasionally laughing out loud. The movie fans were really enthusiastic—there were plenty of clowns and drama queens among them, each acting like they were in a play.
Besides Douban, forums for games, novels, and more were all buzzing about Winston. Group-viewing posts were everywhere.
"In the movie forum, you can even discuss games…"
The admin of a certain single-player game's forum couldn't help but post this. It was truly terrifying—constant flooding, not a single game guide post in sight. All that remained were Winston viewing guides and flame-bait threads. It was hard to imagine a single movie could have such strong appeal.
Hot-blooded young men opening certain indescribable websites would find, among the full-screen "Macau Casino is online" ads, one Winston movie promotion mixed in.
Girls shopping for pretty clothes online would suddenly get a Winston ad popup.
No matter the industry, as long as you went online, you couldn't avoid seeing Winston-related words. Once curiosity made you click in, you couldn't avoid using your phone to book a movie ticket.
Whether you could actually get one was another matter—many theaters were already fully booked.
Movie fans around the world were all waiting for 8 PM to arrive!
8 o'clock was the time for a nationwide carnival!
Ronin could hardly believe how the discussions about Winston had already flooded the internet to this extent.
To be honest, the company hadn't done much promotion—just bought Google hot searches three days before release. Beyond that, nothing else. Even if they had, he wouldn't know. He was just a laid-back CEO; Lucy handled all company affairs.
This unbelievable hype felt more like the movie fans had stirred it up themselves. Yes—stirred it up!
Countless fans were arguing over who was stronger: Soldier: 76 or Winston. The debate spread across major forums online, and even bystanders couldn't avoid being dragged into it.
A bystander might have just replied "Passing by~" under a post, only to be flamed by the sky-arguing, ground-arguing, air-arguing keyboard warriors until they questioned their own existence. Comments like "Passing by your mom," "Idiot, didn't you see Daddy and the others discussing something?" and "Dog son, get lost!" were everywhere.
Ronin really wanted to say: Why bother? What would arguing to a conclusion even achieve?
Superheroes each had their own abilities and traits. In one aspect this hero might be stronger; in another, another hero might be stronger. There was simply no fair comparison. If they were purely comparing combat power, Ronin just wanted to tell them they had too much free time and nothing better to do.
Heroes each had their own characteristics and charm. If you liked one, there was no need to belittle another.
It was enough to love the hero in your heart. Insisting on putting down other heroes to elevate your own and starting flame wars was truly having too much free time!
"Sir, the car is ready! Mr. Stark says he's already here."
Thomas was wearing a floral shirt and raw denim jeans; he had even developed a few creases of his own.
Ronin was still in loose hoodie and sweatpants, with a pair of sneakers on his feet. His requirements for clothing were simple—comfort.
"Alright, I'll be right there."
He had held back from watching the finished film precisely so he could watch it with the fans today. At this moment, his mood was exactly the same as that of the vast audience.
Although he knew the plot direction, the visual impact was something the script could never convey.
As the producer, watching the movie together with the fans would definitely be a great experience.
He and Tony were probably the most down-to-earth celebrities. They could easily book an entire theater or watch at home, but they didn't—because that way they wouldn't hear the fans' cheers when exciting scenes played.
Once in the car, Ronin asked, "Lucy isn't coming?"
"Assistant Brent said she wasn't feeling well," Thomas replied.
"Fine, she'll regret it. Such a great movie, and she's missing it."
In truth, Ronin knew this was just an excuse. He had called her earlier, and Lucy had told him not to go—it was too easy to attract trouble. As a celebrity, the biggest taboo was showing your face in public too much.
His answer, of course, was that he had to go. With Iron Man by his side, there was nothing to fear. Lucy had gotten angry at the time, saying he wasn't thinking about his own safety. The Brilliant Star incident had already worried her enough.
He had casually replied, "Weren't you the one who told me to attend that summit or whatever?"
And that was the end of it…
Lucy had been with him for so long; she should know he wasn't the type to stir up trouble but also wasn't afraid of it. Why couldn't she understand him at all?
Tony had held countless exhibitions and was still doing fine. Now he was just watching a movie with the fans, and suddenly he wasn't thinking about his own safety?
Her way of thinking was truly unique!
Opportunities like this only came once every six months. Ronin didn't want to wait another half year.
Manhattan International Cinema was the most high-end theater in Manhattan. Inside, you could even soak your feet!
An orange-red supercar drove up, instantly drawing many eyes.
Another big shot!
When Ronin got out of the car, the crowd erupted in commotion. They hadn't expected the CEO of Overwatch Films, producer and screenwriter of Winston, to come watch the premiere together with everyone!
So the mysterious friend Iron Man mentioned was Mr. Ronin!
Many movie fans felt fortunate they had managed to snag tickets. Those who hadn't were now willing to pay high prices to buy them secondhand.
If they could watch the movie in the same screening room as these two celebrities, it would definitely be an incredibly wonderful and unforgettable experience!
"Ah!"
Ronin felt a headache coming on. The reporters who had been interviewing Tony immediately rushed over when they saw him appear, dividing their tasks evenly…
"Mr. Ronin, why did you personally come to the cinema to watch the movie?"
"Because I wanted to watch the Winston premiere together with the广大 movie fans and spend these wonderful two hours with everyone. I believe this will be an unforgettable night. What do you all say?"
"Yes!"
The movie fans responded in unison, their enthusiasm reaching an all-time high. Their voices echoed through the sky!