Near midnight, a cinema on Fifth Avenue in New York was still brightly lit.
Cokes were being sold cup by cup, and the popcorn machine kept working diligently, filling paper tubs with freshly popped corn, which were then handed to eager moviegoers waiting for the screening.
This was a scene often seen during the North American summer movie season. Even close to midnight, as long as a new film was released, there was never a shortage of loyal fans.
Tonight's midnight screening featured two blockbusters showing simultaneously, making the place lively and bustling.
Batman: Begins, directed by Gilbert, starred Christian Bale as the new Batman, a remake of the series.
The film also featured popular stars such as Jennifer Connelly, Michael Caine, Gary Oldman, Morgan Freeman, and Liam Neeson—an ensemble of Hollywood heavyweights.
Kingdom of Heaven, directed by Ridley Scott, starred the popular young actor Orlando Bloom, alongside Edward Norton and Eva Green.
Interestingly, Liam Neeson also appeared in this film, though his role was not very significant.
Apart from attending the premiere, Liam Neeson skipped the rest of the promotional activities for Kingdom of Heaven. After seeing the premiere, he didn't feel like attending any further events.
Obviously, he knew which side was likely to be the winner.
Scheduling conflicts like this were common; usually, top Hollywood stars avoided such clashes to prevent competition between films from affecting box office revenue.
But for supporting actors, it didn't matter much—if the movie flopped, the blame wouldn't fall on them.
Liam Neeson believed the Batman Begins had a better chance of winning, so naturally he aligned with the likely winner, and his role in the film was fairly important.
For the audience, however, deciding which of the two movies to watch required some consideration.
Chloe parked the car in the parking lot while his wife, Anna, held her purse and called their son, Paul, to get out.
The family of three entered the cinema. Anna linked arms with her husband and asked, "Honey, which movie should we watch?"
"You guys decide!" Chloe replied.
Anna then asked Paul, "Paul, which movie do you want to see?"
Paul pointed to the poster for the Batman Begins and said, "Let's watch the Batman movie."
Anna didn't seem very enthusiastic: "Is it any good? Your father and I watched that Batman movie before—it was terrible."
Paul said, "It's different now, Mom. This one is directed by Gilbert. A movie directed by him can't be bad."
Anna thought Paul made a good point but touched her chin thoughtfully: "But Kingdom of Heaven has Orlando Bloom!"
"Orlando Bloom was also promoted by Gilbert. Without Gilbert, he's nothing," Paul scoffed.
Trust the director or trust the actor? Orlando Bloom was not one of the two Toms, so Anna wasn't fully confident in him.
So Anna made a decision: "Alright, let's watch the Batman Begins. Get the tickets—three Cokes and one large tub of popcorn."
"Got it!" Chloe went to pay, clearly acting as the wallet for the family.
Even though their son was only seventeen and in high school, he was already a regular at the cinema. The family went to the movies four or five times a year; this was just another ordinary outing.
Of course, there were also first-time moviegoers—teen fans coming alone to the cinema without parental accompaniment.
The PG-13 rating was helpful in this case, allowing seventeen- or eighteen-year-olds to watch independently.
Durant and James were two such teenagers. Although they shared names with a famous high school basketball player Durant and an NBA player James known for using his body to bulldoze opponents, they were completely different people.
This Durant and James both played on the St. Mary's High School football team in New York, though their team didn't perform well in state competitions.
They were also close-running backs and quarterbacks, lived next door to each other, and their parents were good friends, so naturally, they were very close.
One wonders how the basketball Durant and James would feel seeing two people so inseparable.
Today was the first time these two buddies came to the cinema without parents, and they seemed a little nervous.
As soon as they entered, they were overwhelmed by the busy lobby.
"Uh… where do we buy tickets?" Durant asked.
James shrugged in his usual way: "Buddy, I don't know either. My dad usually buys the tickets."
Although buying tickets was their first challenge, it didn't stop them. Durant approached a family of three—Chloe's family.
Durant was polite, his black backpack standing out: "Excuse me, where should we buy tickets?"
Chloe kindly asked, "First time coming to the cinema by yourselves?"
"Uh, yes," Durant and James said awkwardly, scratching their heads.
Chloe smiled: "No problem. You'll get used to it after a few visits. The ticket counter is over there, with Cokes and popcorn nearby. Turn left when you exit, and you'll find the merchandise shop."
"Thank you, thank you, you've really helped us a lot," Durant and James said gratefully, then quickly went to the ticket counter.
Anna looked at the two teenagers and complained about her son: "Paul, take notes—look how independent they are."
Paul scratched his head: "I think I know them—they're on our school football team too."
Wow, it turned out all three were from the same school. What a small world.
Just as they reached the ticket counter, Durant and James hesitated again. Two movies were showing, and they didn't know which one to choose.
The poster for Kingdom of Heaven looked grand, with Orlando Bloom's handsome face and Eva Green's stunning figure attracting the attention of the two teenagers.
Meanwhile, the poster for the Batman Begins featured the cool Batmobile, like an enticing beauty, with Batman standing beside it, forming a perfect picture.
A slight conflict arose between the two friends over which movie to watch.
Durant believed Kingdom of Heaven was better because it featured Legolas, the elven prince, and it was an epic blockbuster.
He had watched The Return of the King with his family and also owned the first two Lord of the Rings DVDs. Durant adored the series and especially Legolas, dreaming of becoming like him.
James, however, had a different opinion. He thought the Batman: Begins was more exciting. After all, it was Batman—every boy in America with a superhero dream would want to be Bruce Wayne.
A major selling point of movies, after all, is the sense of immersion.
Both friends dreamed of becoming their favorite characters, which was fine, but today they had to make a choice and decide on one movie.
Actually, they could have each gone to a different movie, avoiding the dilemma entirely.
But their parents had instructed them to stay together and watch the same movie to ensure they returned safely.
While they were still arguing, someone nearby couldn't help but speak up: "Guys, stop arguing. Check who's directing the Batman Begins ."
Durant and James looked and said in unison: "Gilbert?"
"That's right."
"Is he the same Gilbert who directed the Lord of the Rings series?" Durant asked again.
"That's right."
"Then why hesitate? Let's go watch the Batman Begins."
"Agreed…"
Thus, the two friends happily reached a decision and went to watch the Batman Begins together.
As for Kingdom of Heaven and the elven prince, they were soon forgotten in the corner, ignored… though not entirely; some people still chose Kingdom of Heaven.
This group was mostly girls, and their reason for choosing Kingdom of Heaven was naturally Orlando Bloom's handsome face.
It is well known that Gilbert, as a famous Hollywood director, might not act as well as Orlando Bloom, but his face was no less attractive than Orlando Bloom's.
However, a handsome face for a director serves mainly to attract a female audience; for an actor like Orlando Bloom, it is the very foundation of their career.
In fact, many people were curious what it would be like if Gilbert acted himself.
Over the years, Gilbert had only appeared in The Sixth Sense, for just a few seconds, which had become legendary.
Thus, there were many rumors that Gilbert's acting was not inferior at all; he simply didn't want to show himself on camera.
.....
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