"There are so many people today..."
In front of the Los Angeles Temple Grand Auditorium, Jannette, a reporter from the Los Angeles Times, looked at the surrounding journalists and muttered, "There are far more people than expected."
His photographer nodded beside him, "I attended the premiere of 'the mummy returns' last year, and the number of reporters wasn't much higher than it is now."
"Look!" a nearby reporter exclaimed, "It's Orlando Bloom! Orlando Bloom is here too!"
On the red carpet leading to the Temple Grand Auditorium, the Elf Prince was walking past gracefully, causing waves of screams from the fans lining both sides of the carpet.
Although the hype surrounding the donkey's butt in recent days wasn't groundbreaking, it still attracted far more attention to the film than before.
Correspondingly, the number of fans and reporters who came to the premiere of 'the scorpion king' today was also much higher; any major summer blockbuster premiere last year was no different.
As the lead actor of the film, Matthew Horner was among the last to walk the premiere red carpet. As soon as he got out of the car, he saw countless donkey butts amidst a flurry of flashbulbs.
Those donkey butts were held up by fans, bearing Rex Reed's name, seemingly a special way for the fans to express their dissatisfaction with Rex Reed's comments and their support for 'the scorpion king'.
Aside from the donkey butts, the most common items Matthew Horner could see at the relatively noisy premiere were various posters for 'the scorpion king'. Many fans held posters, with the vast majority featuring the lead actor, Mathayus.
This was absolutely a lead actor's film, and the focus of the promotion was naturally Matthew Horner's character.
As he walked along the red carpet, Matthew Horner smiled and waved to the fans on both sides, displaying his bright and sunny side. He was naturally handsome, and with the help of a capable stylist, he looked exceptionally charming tonight.
When he reached the one-third mark of the red carpet, the left side was filled entirely with fans holding Mathayus posters. Matthew Horner waved over there and smiled and nodded slightly.
"Matthew! Matthew Horner!"
The sound of a girl screaming came from that direction.
Then someone else shouted, "Autograph! Autograph!"
The sound instantly grew louder as others joined in, "Matthew! Sign for us!"
Matthew Horner immediately walked over, took a marker from a female fan, and signed his name on the poster she handed him. After signing, seeing the female fan open her arms, he gave her a brief hug.
This embrace instantly caused chaos. Over a dozen fans swarmed him, and the closest one grabbed Matthew Horner's arm directly. Matthew Horner immediately realized the fans were too enthusiastic and quickly backed away. Two nearby security personnel also stepped forward to separate the overly excited fans. Even so, he still saw one female fan forcefully pinch his chest... Matthew Horner could only retreat and continue walking along the red carpet, soon arriving at the media area.
He stood in front of countless photojournalists, striking the poses he had carefully practiced, allowing the reporters to take pictures. Then he entered the interview area, where the journalists instantly swarmed around him like sharks smelling blood.
"Regarding the comments made by film critic Rex Reed..." The reporter naturally asked about the hottest topic being discussed recently, "What are your thoughts?"
Matthew Horner appeared very natural and said confidently, "The North American opening weekend box office for 'the scorpion king' will definitely exceed 10 million US dollars. I am confident about that!"
Another reporter immediately asked, "In that case, do you believe Rex Reed will definitely kiss the donkey's butt?"
"Actually, I have personally funded the purchase of a donkey," Matthew Horner certainly couldn't show weakness. With the film premiering now and opening in a few days, what was needed was explosive news. "FedEx has also accepted my commission and is currently shipping the donkey to Rex Reed's office in New York."
The surrounding reporters were all stunned, completely unprepared for Matthew Horner to respond in this manner.
Matthew Horner did not wait for the reporters to ask questions, but spoke up proactively:
"I hope that when Rex Reed kisses a donkey's butt, he can kiss the one I sent him." He asked the reporters seriously, "You can pass that message on for me, right?"
After speaking, Matthew Horner extricated himself from the reporters and walked toward the photo opportunity area, quickly arriving in front of the backdrop covered in sponsor logos, where he also signed his name.
Although the film was a period piece and couldn't feature modern product placement, the premiere still secured many sponsors. For instance, Matthew Horner's clothing and the luxury car he arrived in were all provided by sponsors.
Many members of the crew had already gathered here. Matthew Horner greeted them one by one and noticed Stephen Sommers approaching.
"Matthew Horner, you look more muscular," Stephen Sommers thoroughly appraised Matthew Horner. The fitted suit accentuated Matthew Horner's physique. "Your figure is also better."
He asked, "Have you still been keeping up with your training recently?"
"Mmm." Matthew Horner gave a vague reply, but instead of elaborating, he changed the subject, pointing toward the photographers, "It's time for the group photo."
Stephen Sommers nodded and stood in a row with the other principal creators of the crew for a group photo.
Matthew Horner stood in a relatively central position in the line with Director Chuck Russell and the female lead, Kelly Hu. The film's designated personal publicity also focused mainly on the three of them.
Steven Brand and Clark Bernard, who had once tried to scheme against Matthew Horner, were excluded from all subsequent operations by the crew after receiving notification from Helen Herman, starting from the end of filming.
With corroboration from Duff Villa, Helen Herman formally terminated her contracts with both men for legitimate reasons and notified all major talent agencies in the industry about the specific situation.
The difficulty for these two to make a comeback in Hollywood had at least doubled.
After the group photo, the two leads, Matthew Horner and Kelly Hu, took pictures with representatives from the sponsors. Then, chatting as they walked, they entered the VIP lounge inside the Temple Grand Theater. Since the screening would not start for a while, and the general audience still needed to be seated, the guests who had walked the red carpet were mostly waiting here.
"Matthew Horner, that jerk's comments are infuriating!"
Michael Fassbender and James McAvoy walked over. Michael Fassbender spoke first, "We will support you!"
James McAvoy smiled and said, "We each bought a hundred tickets for this Friday's showing."
"Thank you!" Matthew Horner was very grateful. "If the box office exceeds ten million US dollars this weekend, I'll treat you all to a feast."
His expectation wasn't too high, as this was his first film as a lead actor. However, Universal Pictures was full of confidence, setting an opening weekend box office expectation of twenty million US dollars for 'the scorpion king' based on early market reactions and survey data.
Matthew Horner chatted with Michael Fassbender and James McAvoy for a while. Helen Herman walked over with Stephen Sommers, and the three of them gathered together for a brief conversation.
The VIP lounge door was pushed open from the outside, and Orlando Bloom walked in. He had just gone to the restroom. Returning to the lounge, he immediately looked around, quickly located Matthew Horner, and then saw a face he had seen many times in photos, right across from Matthew Horner.
Stephen Sommers—he was the target of Orlando Bloom's attendance at this premiere!
Orlando Bloom didn't hesitate and immediately walked over. Matthew Horner spotted Orlando Bloom from a distance. Since Helen Herman and Stephen Sommers were mostly the ones talking, Matthew Horner simply waved to Orlando Bloom. Orlando Bloom's handsome face was wreathed in smiles as he quickly approached Matthew Horner.
"At a time like this..." Matthew Horner opened his arms and gave Orlando Bloom a brief hug. "I'm so touched that you came to support me!"
Orlando Bloom first glanced at Stephen Sommers before responding to Matthew Horner, "Look at you, saying that! All the more reason for me to come and support you!"
As if he had truly come solely to support Matthew Horner.
Stephen Sommers was still chatting with Helen Herman. Helen Herman's peripheral vision had taken in the scene by Matthew Horner, and she couldn't help but feel curious. This Elf Prince seemed to have a strange relationship with Matthew Horner... She knew Matthew Horner's best male friends were Michael Fassbender and James McAvoy. She had never heard him mention being friends with Orlando Bloom?
Could it be? Seeing Orlando Bloom's slender figure and handsome face, she immediately had a negative association, but then shook her head. After all, Matthew Horner's relationship with Britney Spears wasn't fake.
Matthew Horner and Orlando Bloom separated. Orlando Bloom glanced behind him and asked casually, "Are these your friends?"
"Ah, right." Matthew Horner quickly pulled him over to the two people and introduced them enthusiastically, "Orlando, this is Helen, Helen Herman, my Agent. This is Stephen, Stephen Sommers, a truly remarkable Director!"
Next, he introduced Orlando Bloom to the two, "Helen, Stephen, this is Orlando, Orlando Bloom, the famous Elf Prince Legolas, a friend of mine."
The three exchanged polite greetings, but after only a few words together, Matthew Horner could tell that Orlando Bloom was very keen on Stephen Sommers.
Matthew Horner then found a random excuse and pulled Helen Herman away, creating an opportunity for Orlando Bloom to speak with Stephen Sommers alone.
As he walked toward the other side, he deliberately looked back, hoping Orlando Bloom wouldn't waste his good intentions.
After greeting people along the way, the time was almost right. Matthew Horner and Helen Herman walked toward the screening room. Taking advantage of the lack of people around them, Helen Herman slowed her pace slightly and voiced the question on her mind.