"This is the Fox Television Channel, bringing you a live report from Louis Bjork."
At the edge of Nokia Plaza in Los Angeles, a reporter stood in front of the camera, speaking passionately. Behind him, tens of thousands of people had gathered in the plaza.
"In recent days, all of America's attention has been focused on eight-year-old Alex Bosch. Today, he will fulfill his dream of becoming Batman."
A Batmobile, driven by Christian Bale, slowly approached Nokia Plaza. Alex, dressed in a tailored Batman suit, sat excitedly in the passenger seat. He still thought he was just participating in a parade, completely unaware that a grand-scale dream-fulfillment operation awaited him.
"Hey, little guy, don't be nervous." Christian Bale was also dressed in a Batman costume. "Next, we're going to save this city."
As the car entered the plaza and the doors slowly opened, the moment little Batman and big Batman stepped out of the Batmobile, the plaza erupted into enthusiastic applause.
Seeing so many people and hearing so many voices calling his name, the eight-year-old Alex couldn't help but feel nervous and a little scared. Just as he was at a loss, Scarlett Johansson, dressed as Catwoman, walked over.
She took his hand and said, "Alex, you're Batman now. These people are all waiting for you to save them."
Thinking of his current identity and his idol, Alex gathered his courage. "I'll defeat the bad guys and save them!"
From that moment on, the entire city of Los Angeles accompanied Alex Bosch in fulfilling his dream.
The Chief of the Los Angeles County Police Department, dressed as the Mayor of Gotham, came over to seek help from little Batman and his companions. "The Los Angeles Dodgers' mascot has been kidnapped by bad guys..."
Alex Bosch and Christian Bale got into the Batmobile. Along with Catwoman, Robin, and several police cars, they headed to Dodger Stadium.
The event drew tens of thousands of participants. The Los Angeles Dodgers proactively joined in, and even the stadium had many spectators. Along the way, crowds gathered to watch. It was as lively as the annual Hollywood parade.
On the ground, TV broadcast vans from Fox and CNN followed closely. In the sky, two helicopters continuously transmitted panoramic footage of the event live to audiences across the U.S.
The entire activity was like a Hollywood blockbuster. But considering Alex Bosch's medical condition, the actual rescue operations were symbolic, and everyone involved knew that this was about helping a terminally ill child fulfill his dream.
With assistance from Christian Bale, Scarlett Johansson, Alex's father, and many Los Angeles police officers, Alex first rescued the Dodgers' mascot at the stadium, then saved a woman and defused a "bomb" on a nearby street, and finally stopped a robbery at a friendly-participating bank.
After "Batboy" defeated the "villains," local prosecutors and FBI agents also joined in the "performance," putting the "criminals" on trial.
Finally, with live TV cameras rolling, the group returned to Nokia Plaza.
The Mayor of Los Angeles met with Alex Bosch and presented him with a key made of chocolate, as a token of the city's gratitude and recognition for the "little hero."
The event concluded, but the publicity had only just begun.
Just as Alex returned to the hotel where he was temporarily staying, pictures of him interacting with California officials and celebrities began circulating online.
Naturally, politically sensitive figures wouldn't miss such an opportunity. Warner Bros. didn't even have to do much; these figures would step forward on their own.
Right after the event, George W. Bush updated his Instant Share post: "Batboy, thank you for catching those bad guys. You've inspired us all!"
It's no exaggeration to say that with this public service event broadcast live into millions of homes, all of America was warmed by it.
Over 23 million people online followed Alex Bosch's journey as Batman, cheering and encouraging him.
The Los Angeles Times published a special edition that day, titled Gotham Times, with the headline: "Batboy Saves the City."
Time magazine also released a special issue, stating that Los Angeles had never seen such bravery or joyful unity. At every stop, tens of thousands chanted Alex and Batman's names, with many holding homemade signs saying, "Alex, you and Batman are our heroes."
Alex's mother, in an interview, said that seeing her son's Batman dream come true marked the end of a chapter for their family. "Duke Rosenberg didn't give my son medicine, but what he gave worked better than any drug."
"When someone is ill, they need support. A whole city supporting one patient that's a good thing."
On Batman's Instant Share account, Bruce Wayne left this message.
This event gave Batman's typically dark and cold image a touch of warmth, making it even more deeply rooted in people's hearts.
The next day, Panny Kallis held a press conference on behalf of Duke, announcing the establishment of a new Batman Foundation. Duke would donate his $15 million directing salary from The Dark Knight to help children suffering from leukemia.
All of this brought The Dark Knight unprecedented attention. Within Hollywood circles, a consensus had formed: the film was sure to break a string of North American box office records in its first two weeks.
And less than two hours after Duke's press conference, pre-sale tickets for The Dark Knight officially went on sale.
Then, North American moviegoers discovered a sad truth: the ticket ordering hotline was completely jammed, with busy tones at almost any time. Online, IMDb and Box's ticketing pages wouldn't load, and even major ticketing websites crashed.
Fortunately, the site issues didn't last long. Those disappointed by the hotline all turned to online purchases, securing tickets for early screenings, midnight premieres, and opening weekend shows of The Dark Knight.
Just like the Joker commemorative figurines on the market, The Dark Knight's opening week tickets became a hot commodity in the North American market.
The pre-sale tickets for The Dark Knight sold faster than those for Iron Man and Pirates of the Caribbean 2.
"This is the fastest-selling blockbuster of the year," said Harry Medved, a spokesperson for Fandango, to a Premiere magazine reporter. "Eighty-one percent of the tickets sold on our website are for The Dark Knight, and the film hasn't even been released yet."
On just the first day of pre-sales alone, The Dark Knight racked up $25 million in North American pre-sale box office!
By the time May rolled around, that number had increased to around $58 million.
"There are countless reasons in all of Hollywood and across North America to believe from the pre-sale momentum to the buzz on the street that this time The Dark Knight may accomplish what Superman, Iron Man, X-Men, and Fantastic Four couldn't: achieving the impossible—surpassing Spider-Man."
The Hollywood Reporter published a targeted commentary on this.
"None of those comic book adaptations managed to knock Spidey off the top of the box office charts."
"In 2002, Spider-Man grossed over $400 million in North America, making it the 8th highest-grossing film of all time in the region. Titanic, of course, remains the undisputed champion, earning over $600 million in North America. Spider-Man's sequel also performed strongly—2004's Spider-Man 2 ranked 12th, with a box office of over $373 million…"
"Sam Raimi's Spider-Man represents the peak of comic book films. Can Duke Rosenberg and The Dark Knight surpass it?"
"Projections place The Dark Knight's North American opening weekend box office at a minimum of $130 million, with an upper limit that… remains a suspense!"
On May 2nd, Duke and Scarlett Johansson arrived in Chicago for the premiere of The Dark Knight. The film's early promotion had created an astonishing buzz despite early screenings and simultaneous nationwide debuts, a considerable number of fans from all over the country flocked to Chicago to take part in this grand event and to mourn the young actor who had come to embody near-perfection.
Chicago mobilized a significant police force and even conducted a special safety drill for the event.
IMAX Corporation also renovated a major IMAX theater in downtown Chicago not only upgrading the screen to IMAX's current largest, but also completely overhauling the seating and projection equipment.
In addition, 125 IMAX theaters across North America would go all-out in showing The Dark Knight.
Similarly, the film's 40-minute IMAX footage is also one of the major promotional highlights it will be the first true commercial blockbuster created using IMAX technology.
"This one doesn't look good, and that one doesn't look good either."
In the hotel room, Scarlett flipped through the custom-made suits that had just been delivered, her golden brows furrowed the whole time. "Why are they all either black or dark green?"
She then turned to look at the clothing rack with over a dozen women's dresses hanging. "Why are all my dresses dark-colored too?"
Duke, who was busy going through emails, looked up and asked, "You really don't get it?"
This girl could be clever like a genius one moment, and the next as silly as the chatty little girl from back then.
"Uh…" Scarlett put down the suit in her hands and asked in confusion, "Get what?"
Shrugging, Duke went back to his emails, too lazy to respond.
Tina Fey, who was sitting on the couch drinking tea, put down the file in her hand, walked over to look through the dark suits, and reminded her, "Sweetie, did you forget about Heath Ledger?"
Scarlett Johansson suddenly came to a realization