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Chapter 70: The Experience of Holding It In
🕑 Added 2024-09-28 18:52:24 +0000 UTCAfter the premiere, Gilbert and the production team embarked on a nationwide promotional tour.
Cameron Diaz was busy attending an audition for **The Mask**. Gilbert told her that she absolutely had to secure the lead role in this film.
Although Gilbert was quite a scoundrel in matters of romance, Cameron Diaz greatly admired his insight when it came to films.
So, she obediently followed Gilbert's advice and went to the audition.
The film was being produced by the mid-tier studio New Line Cinema, and the male lead had unsurprisingly been cast as Jim Carrey.
Meanwhile, following the premiere, the media reviews and scores for **Speed** were finally released.
Roger Ebert, the film critic from *The Chicago Sun-Times*, gave Gilbert's new film two thumbs up once again: "Among the many films with similar themes and content, few are as well-made as **Speed**. The film is filled with positive energy."
*The Los Angeles Times* also commented: "The director and his team have created an incredibly complex and visually stunning spectacle. The timing of these visual effects aligns perfectly with the film's content, constantly heightening the viewing experience."
Kenneth Turan, a critic for *The New Yorker*, praised the film: "The ending is clean and crazy, with speed being the best gimmick of the film. The theme of 'speed' is fully realized throughout."
Of course, not all the media reviews were glowing; there were still plenty of negative ones.
For example, *The Washington Post* remarked: "The plot is excessive, focusing solely on the endless public transportation battles between Reeves and his opponent. Even at the toughest moments, they should have considered getting off at the last stop before everything went downhill."
Renowned film critic Turske Leahy said: "There are many logical flaws in the film, and the plot has several weaknesses. It focuses too much on the explosions. If more attention had been given to exploring the villain Payne's inner world and understanding why he acted the way he did, the film's reception would have been even better."
At first glance, this comment seemed reasonable, but upon closer inspection, it was full of traps.
Exploring the character's inner world? Is that really what the audience wants?
Gilbert was confident that if he had made the film the way Mr. Leahy suggested, he wouldn't have received the opportunity to direct at such a young age.
The film company didn't care about the artistic merit of the movie; they were interested in Gilbert's ability to generate profits.
Of course, a mix of positive and negative reviews is normal. Such debates can even spark the audience's curiosity, driving them to go to the cinema.
On the night of April 30, at midnight, **Speed** officially opened in theaters.
The film premiered in 1,500 theaters across the United States, with 3,800 screens showing the midnight screening.
Compared to the midnight screening numbers for *Final Destination*, this was a significant improvement.
This indicated that theater chains had high expectations for *Speed* so they allotted it a considerable number of showings.
As the opening of the summer blockbuster season, the early May slot had always been highly competitive, and *Speed*wasn't the only film with a midnight screening.
Columbia Pictures, with CAA handling the packaging and Sylvester Stallone starring, also released *Cliffhanger*with a midnight screening on April 30.
On the surface, it seemed that the film starring the veteran action star would be more popular.
Although the marketing for *Speed* had created a strong buzz before its release, more people still chose *Cliffhanger* for the midnight screening.
No wonder CAA was confident in pitting this movie against Gilbert's.
Michael Ovitz's judgment wasn't wrong either—Stallone's muscle-bound appeal was clearly much stronger than Keanu Reeves.
But if the movie market were solely dependent on the star power of actors and directors to generate box office earnings, there wouldn't be so many surprises.
Hollywood's allure lies in the fact that it's a place where miracles can happen.
At a theater near UCLA, Lewis and the group of people led by Sarati Merton had already bought their tickets to be the first to support *Speed*
At the ticket window in the theater, many people were lining up to buy tickets.
"Three tickets for *Cliffhanger*, please."
"Two tickets for *Cliffhanger*.."
"Two tickets for *Speed*..."
Lewis, observing the ticket sales, couldn't help but feel anxious for Gilbert. "It seems like *Cliffhanger* is more popular than *Speed*."
Sarati Merton had already anticipated this outcome. "That's normal, Lewis. From fame to budget to appeal, *Speed* can't compare to **Cliffhanger**. It's only natural."
Despite this, Lewis still hoped*Speed*would be more popular.
Soon, the movie started, and Lewis and the others entered the theater to take their seats.
Judging by the decent turnout for the midnight screening, the pre-release marketing had been effective. In this theater located in a bustling part of town, the midnight showing reached about 40% occupancy.
Many of the audience members were seeing a Gilbert film for the first time.
They had only heard about him before, but this time, they came out of curiosity.
Next to Lewis sat an odd pair: a white guy and a Black guy who seemed to be good friends.
Even though there were now clear statements opposing racial discrimination, it was still uncommon to see a white person who had a Black friend.
However, a Black person who had a white friend was different; they were already internally more aligned with white culture, no longer part of the Black working class.
But none of that really mattered. What did matter was that both of them were here because they had seen the Super Bowl halftime ad and were intrigued enough to see the film.
The white guy was drinking soda, chatting happily with his Black friend about recent fun experiences.
Lewis noticed the white guy had consumed quite a bit of soda, so to improve his viewing experience, he advised him, "Hey! Buddy, I suggest you go easy on that soda."
The white guy asked curiously, "Why?"
"Because you won't have time to use the restroom later," Lewis replied.
The white guy was skeptical. "Really?"
"Of course, just wait and see."
Seeing how confident Lewis was, the white guy was a little doubtful but decided to put down his soda.
He clearly didn't believe there was a movie that could keep him glued to his seat, unable to leave.
But soon, the white guy realized he was wrong. As soon as the film began, it grabbed his full attention, and the whole audience was captivated.
"Holy moly, this movie is amazing! Who is this Jack guy? He's so cool."
"Yeah, I didn't think I'd be won over, but he's got me—even though I'm a guy."
As the film progressed, under Gilbert's direction, Keanu Reeves gradually revealed his charm.
It was the kind of charm that transcended gender, a lethal attraction that left people unable to resist.
Even Sandra Bullock, whom Lewis usually found average, started to seem sexy and alluring under the intense, thrilling scenes.
By now, the white guy who had drunk too much soda was struggling. He didn't want to miss a single shot, but his bladder was about to burst.
Unable to hold it any longer, the white guy ran at lightning speed to the restroom to relieve himself.
Lewis noticed that even as the white guy rushed to the bathroom, his eyes remained fixed on the big screen, not wanting to miss a single frame.
Lewis didn't want to miss anything either, so he quickly turned his head back to enjoy the film.
It had been a long time since he had felt this kind of exhilarating movie-watching experience. Lewis believed that this was the best movie Gilbert had directed in his career so far.
And that was saying something, considering this was only Gilbert's third film.
In terms of overall popularity, *Speed* still lagged behind *Cliffhanger*, but by the end of the midnight showings, *Speed* was the clear winner in terms of audience approval.
It seemed like these two films were in for a real battle at the box office this summer.
