"Mr. Page, Director Sam, Mr. Kevin, please wait a moment."
The trio of Kyle, Sam, and Kevin had already passed the fan zone, crossed the media zone, and reached the end of the red carpet, yet they were held back by the host of the premiere's outdoor segment.
It was common practice for the outdoor host to have a brief chat with guests at a premiere.
Rebecca Murphy, female, 30 years old, was a host for the FOX Network's movie channel. Her program, "North American Movie Watch," was well-loved by many movie fans.
Naturally, Rebecca Murphy, with her wine-red hair, was quite beautiful.
"Mr. Page, as far as I know, you were invited to screen 'X-Men' even before its post-production was completed," Rebecca said with a smile.
"Yes!"
Kyle smiled and replied, "As everyone knows, Rupert and I are good friends. When 'X-Men' was still in the middle of post-production—before the score, dubbing, and special effects were even finished—he urgently invited me to see a rough cut. I must say, Director Bryan Singer did an outstanding job. Even as a work-in-progress, I thought 'X-Men' was quite good."
Attending a movie premiere hosted by another company, Kyle naturally had to offer praise!
Otherwise, why come? To crash the party?
In fact, Kyle also wanted to take the opportunity to promote his own film, "Spider-Man." However, he didn't need to do that himself right now; otherwise... what was the point of hiring so many subordinates?
Director Sam Raimi and Kevin Feige performed their duties excellently.
"I believe the success of 'X-Men' is a high-probability event, and the same goes for our 'Spider-Man'," Kevin Feige said, facing the interview camera.
"The director of 'X-Men' is Bryan Singer, a friend of mine for many years. He's filming 'X-Men' while I'm filming 'Spider-Man.' To put it bluntly, comic book superhero movies will achieve breakthrough success in our hands!" Director Sam Raimi appeared even more confident.
Bryan Singer was no ordinary talent.
The "X-Men" series, "Superman Returns," "Jack the Giant Slayer," "Wolverine," the rebooted "X-Men" series, the "House M.D." TV series... these well-known film and television works,
Were all directed by Bryan Singer.
In 2017, the biographical film "Bohemian Rhapsody" directed by Brian was released globally. With a production cost of 50 million dollars, it achieved a global box office of 900 million dollars. The film instantly became the highest-grossing biographical film in the World, breaking a series of cinematic history records.
Yes, Kyle knew him very well.
"How could I not?"
"I've already bought the script for 'House M.D.' from David Shore, and I'm just waiting for Bryan Singer to serve as the director for the series."
Kyle thought to himself.
Of course, the deal might not necessarily go through.
After all, Bryan Singer's salary was not low. Especially after the massive success of "X-Men," the price Kyle would have to pay would undoubtedly be even higher.
"I'll talk to him first. If the salary is so high that I can't accept it, I won't mind switching directors. It's not like it has to be him for David Shore's script."
..."Hi, Kyle, long time no see."
As a Hollywood celebrity and a well-known billionaire in America, Kyle was the center of attention wherever he went!
Case in point, as soon as he entered the venue, many people came over to greet him.
Kyle responded to each of them with a smile.
"I say, Kyle, you really know how to keep your cool," Shea said with a laugh.
Shea, the owner of New Line Cinema. Even though a significant portion of his company's shares were held by Disney, Shea still maintained a firm grip on the power at New Line. This alone showed that his methods were quite formidable.
Of course, his reputation was also notorious!
"If you want to know who is the best at withholding salaries and payments, look for New Line in Hollywood."
This was a joke written by many people, but it was enough to reflect the situation at New Line Cinema. Even the famous director Peter Jackson fought a lawsuit against New Line for several years over the salary and profit sharing for "the lord of the rings" series.
One could only imagine the situation for others.
Shea continued, "'X-Men' has already held 19 screenings and received high critical acclaim with an 'A' rating. But what about you? To this day, the 'Spider-Man' movie hasn't had a single screening. You're keeping a very tight lid on it."
Kyle shook his head and said, "Buddy, how would I know? I'm busy producing 'lara croft: tomb raider' right now."
He wasn't about to tell him!
Shea was no good; his character was too poor!
Kyle's own bottom line was low enough, but... Shea's bottom line was clearly even lower.
However, he was right about one thing. Since the completion of "Spider-Man," not a single screening had been held. Only a few major theater chains in America had seen it in advance, but... they remained tight-lipped to the outside World.
Therefore, the veil of mystery surrounding "Spider-Man" had led to much speculation from the public.
Before long... the main creators of the film appeared together: "X-Men" director Bryan Singer, producer Lauren Shuler, and lead actors Patrick Stewart, Hugh Jackman, Ian McKellen, and Halle Berry.
The premiere officially began!!!
...Wolverine, Storm, Phoenix, Cyclops, and other superheroes appeared on the screen one after another.
The praise for "X-Men" from the audience and invited guests also continued to climb.
Kyle also watched with great interest. Although he had seen it more than once in his previous life, watching it again, he still found it brilliantly exciting.
In 1997, after the release of "Blade," it became a milestone for Marvel Comics adaptations;
In 2000, the release of "X-Men" could definitely kick off the era of superhero movies;
"However, my 'Spider-Man' will be the absolute peak of the first phase of superheroes!" Kyle shouted in his heart.
Just look at other superhero movies.
Even for the "X-Men" movie, its production cost was only 75 million dollars. In contrast, "Spider-Man" had a production cost as high as 150 million dollars—a full twofold difference!
"It really is wonderful."
Shea, the owner of New Line, whispered to Kyle, "However, I believe that by next year, 'the lord of the rings' produced by my company will be even more outstanding."
"Yes!" Kyle nodded.
Kyle wasn't just trying to flatter Shea.
Buddy, it's "the lord of the rings"!
Regarding the peak of Hollywood fantasy films, Kyle wouldn't dare say which single film it was, but up until 2020, Kyle dared to say that "the lord of the rings" trilogy was the pinnacle of Hollywood fantasy cinema!
He was envious~
...A few days later.
The "X-Men" movie was officially released across America.
On its opening day, it left the works of other major Hollywood studios far behind. Even films from the other members of The Big Six were defeated by "X-Men."
In its opening three-day weekend, "X-Men" raked in a massive 54 million dollars in America alone, ranking number one.
At the same time, the performance of "X-Men" was the highest opening for a 20th Century Fox Film Corporation movie in the year 2000.
The media, film critics, moviegoers, and industry peers alike showered "X-Men" with praise.
"When will 'X2: X-Men United' be released?"
It had to be said that the massive success of the first "X-Men" had driven the market's hunger for comic book adaptations to a very high level.
Consequently, many people turned their focus toward "Spider-Man."
In terms of the popularity of Marvel superheroes, Spider-Man was leagues ahead of the Mutants. Spider-Man was one of the most famous superheroes in the Marvel Comics system.