"Sit down quickly..." Leon pulled hard on Davis's arm.
"Damn it..."
Leon could already imagine the expressions of those Hollywood reporters seeing two dead-drunk nggas appear on the red carpet.
The premiere hadn't even started, and the two leads were already unconscious.
This kind of thing was probably not very common.
"Hold these two bastards up, keep them awake." Leon instructed the security personnel: "Pinch their butts hard if necessary!"
Click—
Click—
As soon as Leon's figure appeared, the reporters waiting at the scene immediately perked up.
The huge number of cameras made it impossible for the onlookers on the street to tell this was a low-budget hip-hop movie.
They stopped to watch, guessing which big-budget superhero movie this was.
"Mr. Leon, why did you think of investing in a black movie?"
"Tell us your prediction for the box office?"
"Heard the movie also insinuates Diddy?"
Leon waved to the reporters, avoiding all serious questions.
But he talked endlessly about provocative topics.
This was also a promotional technique.
"Hi, Leon~" James Wan shouted at Leon.
"Looks like the premiere is very successful, look at how many media outlets are here." Leon said.
"At least half of them are here for you." James Wan spread his hands, "WTF, what happened to Kendrick and Davis?"
"Ignore those two idiots, let's talk about the movie. What expectations do you have for the box office?" Leon asked.
"Of course I have confidence in my work." James Wan puffed out his chest: "But the data from evaluation agencies changes too fast... no one can say for sure!"
In the digital age, evaluation agencies can easily estimate the box office before a movie is released.
This data is not necessarily accurate; only God can fully assess whether a movie will be a big hit or a flop.
But it still has certain reference value.
Through comprehensive evaluation of the cast, movie theme, director, IP value, investment budget, market trends, etc., a final number is obtained.
A month ago, according to IMDb (Internet Movie Database) predictions, the final North American box office for this movie might be between 30 million and 50 million dollars.
Now, the estimated box office has been raised to 80 million dollars.
This was mainly due to the hot spots frequently created by Leon recently.
The grudges in the black rap circle once became the focus of public discussion.
At this time, Robinson also joined the chat.
The always low-key street big shot didn't want to miss the glorious moment of the movie premiere.
As for how much money the movie could make, he never had much expectation.
Making money is best, losing money is also acceptable.
He just gritted his teeth and reminded: "Make that kid Davis roll back to New York immediately tomorrow..."
Not far behind, the flashes made Davis's drunkenness subside by three points.
He regained some rationality.
A black girl was sticking to his side, looking around thirty years old.
Utilizing the racial advantage of black people to the extreme, her figure was terrifyingly plump.
This plump black girl was Robinson's cousin.
Davis was fearless of the camera, groping this girl up and down, occasionally twisting his crotch to make lewd movements.
Reporters raised their cameras with a mentality of hunting for novelty, pressing the shutter at the nobodies in front of them.
Leon shook his head helplessly; he could fully understand Robinson's mood these days.
After the main creators of the crew left their names on the signature board in the lobby of the ACE Hotel Theatre, they entered the cinema to start watching the movie.
James Wan specially arranged for Leon and Robbie's seats to be together.
Leon didn't say anything about this, acting openly.
Instead, Robbie was consistently out of state during the movie.
No one knew the content of the film better than Leon; the editing of the movie was completed under his direction.
He kept looking around, observing the reactions of film critics.
Everyone's eyes were focused on the big screen, and the corners of Leon's mouth rose to reveal a gratified smile.
The original movie from the inspiration refresh was completely a whitewashing work by Dr. Dre and Ice Cube.
Eazy-E was described as a cowardly, brainless idiot, a pitiful loser.
Because of greed for N.W.A's past glory, he finally lost everything.
In James Wan's version, the movie content was completely consistent with what happened in reality.
Not whitewashing anyone, nor deliberately smearing anyone.
Of course, except for P. Diddy.
After the screening, the guests dispersed one after another.
Netflix film executive Stuber arrived as promised, giving high praise to the movie quality.
Once again expressing a strong willingness to cooperate with Leon.
Film critics surrounded the crew, sparing no praise.
"In these 140 minutes, not a single minute made me feel bored!"
"Amazing~ James, you proved to everyone that you can shoot more than just horror movies~"
While the director was surrounded by film critics' praise, the situation on Leon's side was much more enthusiastic.
Fortunately, these film critics had certain professional ethics. Unlike those entertainment reporters who only focused on celebrities' lower bodies, their questions were very professional.
"Mr. Leon, I heard this script was created by you."
"Yes."
"What was your original intention for investing in this movie? I mean, your skin color..."
"I understand what you mean." Halfway through the question, Leon interrupted him: "You want to ask why a white man like me would invest in a black movie, right?"
The asking film critic nodded vigorously, and others' eyes also focused over.
In the expectant eyes of everyone, Leon took a deep breath and said with the fullest emotion: "I love black culture. They are honest, diligent, friendly... important builders of this country."
"Just look at the skin color of friends around me, and I am also the leader of Drill music, no one can deny this."
"But now, look at the violent crime rate in black neighborhoods, the median household income..."
"Fxxk, they have been forgotten by this country!"
"It's not themselves that caused their current plight, but this society full of injustice!"
The film critics were immediately brainwashed by this heartfelt speech, nodding incessantly.
Muttering "yes, yes" to themselves.
This profession itself is linked to the "baizuo" (white left), and most of them studied liberal arts majors in college.
Just look at the Oscar selection criteria; the more politically correct the movie, the easier it is to gain favor.
"So, you invested in shooting such a movie to arouse public attention to the lives of bottom-layer black people?"
Snap—
Leon snapped his fingers, "Smart! Which media do you work for? I like smart guys!"
"Besides arousing public attention to the lives of bottom-layer black people, I also hope this movie can give hope to those struggling black boys."
"This positive energy can re-illuminate their lives!"
Clap clap clap—
The speech filled with grand narrative completely convinced everyone.
"Do you have any expectations for the movie box office?" The film critic continued to ask, "This subject might not be very pleasing in the market..."
"Money?" Leon sneered, "Fxxk, don't mention money to me, I didn't shoot the movie for money!"
"To have fewer gunshots and more sounds of reading in the streets of black communities, this is more important to me than any amount of money."
The film critic who asked the question hung his head in shame.
Ashamed of his overly low pattern.
"Leading Drill music, saving Vibe magazine, investing in a movie about N.W.A..."
"Although you are a white man, I think you deserve the title of Godfather of Harlem!"
Amidst cheers and applause, the premiere ended successfully.
Leon waved to everyone, and was stopped before taking a few steps.
"Where are you going, man? We have a grand party later!" James Wan said.
"Party?" Leon glanced at Davis from the corner of his eye; the other party was entangled with Robinson's cousin on the sofa in the lobby.
Looking like they were about to start a war on the spot.
"Do you think that bastard can still drink?"
"Just have someone send him back to the hotel." James Wan spread his hands, "Don't be a killjoy, man. In Hollywood, a grand party after the premiere is standard configuration, you have to get used to this!"
Leon nodded. Speaking of which, he could be considered half a Hollywood person now.
He also wanted to use this to further his relationship with James Wan.
Through this cooperation, he had a further understanding of the other party's ability.
In the past, his understanding of the other party only stayed on the gorgeous box office numbers of movies like Saw and Insidious.
Now he fully concluded that James Wan was a commercial film director born to make money.
The location of the party was a newly opened high-end restaurant, less than 200 meters from the ACE Hotel Theatre.
Mainly serving Japanese food, but the owner was a Chinese person.
In America, 99% of Japanese restaurants are actually operated by Chinese people.
Mainly because this cooking method has no threshold; as long as the ingredients are fresh and high-end enough, it won't taste bad no matter how you make it.
Tonight, James Wan showed amazing alcohol tolerance, successively drinking down multiple crew actors.
A black actor who had been very low-key throughout the process caught Leon's attention.
He drank very honestly, draining his glass no matter who he clinked with.
Even so, not a trace of drunkenness could be seen on his face, and his speech never lost measure.
A ngga who doesn't brag when drunk is too rare, rarer than getting into MIT.
Chadwick Boseman, who played Dr. Dre in the film.
Leon had a deep impression of him because the other party took away 1 million dollars in remuneration.
"Mr. Leon, thank you very much for giving me this role..." Boseman raised his glass, this was already his fourth toast.
"I'm very optimistic about you, you are indeed different." Leon said with a smile: "Maybe you can play the male lead in a superhero movie in the future."
Everyone burst into laughter, Boseman scratched his head embarrassedly.
It seemed there wasn't a superhero movie with a black protagonist in the market yet, a true orthodox superhero movie.
In the gap of everyone chatting, Leon cast his eyes on Robbie.
From beginning to end, the other party intentionally kept a distance from him, but didn't lose her true color as a "little alcoholic."
Robbie's face was flushed, exchanging toasts with people around her, a smile always hanging on the corner of her mouth.
Leon decided to take the initiative, holding his wine glass and sitting down next to her.
"Maybe we should have a drink."
"Why not?" Robbie's smile was still enthusiastic, not showing a trace of strangeness.
This made Leon breathe a sigh of relief; currently, it seemed the other party didn't intend to keep people thousands of miles away.
"Looks like you've already drunk a lot today..." Leon said.
"None of your business." Robbie rolled her eyes.
Leon curled his lips and didn't refute, changing the subject and asking: "How did that bastard Sam treat you on set?"
"Director Sam is a good person, he didn't make things difficult for me because of those things that happened."
"That's good." Leon said, "If you encounter any trouble, remember to tell me, I mean any trouble."
Robbie was stunned suddenly, eyes dazed.
But quickly returned to normal.
Leon seized the opportunity and said: "You haven't come to the company for a long time."
"You know, my schedule is very busy." Robbie said, "Besides crew matters, I have to tour all over the world."
"That's great." Leon took a sip of wine, "Maybe you should find time to finish recording that song We Don't Talk Anymore."
Hearing this, Robbie's eyes lit up.
She thought that after the relationship broke down, Leon might give this work to someone else.
Female singers wanting to collaborate with Leon were countless.
Even within Apocalypse Music, Ariana's singing skills were much stronger than hers.
"Are you sure you want to save that song for me?"
"Of course, it's exclusive to you."
In a few words, a huge sense of contradiction arose in Robbie's psychology.
Deep inside, she had some expectations for what might happen next.
But the beautiful things in imagination didn't happen.
After getting a positive answer about recording, Leon responded perfunctorily a few times and was about to get up and leave.
Suddenly, Robbie covered her mouth, her expression ferocious and painful.
Eyes filled with water.
"Fxxk!"
This situation was unexpected for Leon.
Just chatting fine just now, how come she cried just like that?
Pretending not to see anything and turning away directly was obviously inappropriate.
"I don't know what to say to you..."
"In Hollywood, you will experience many complicated things in the future."
"In this circle, if you always look at the world with tears, you will feel the whole world is crying."
Thirty seconds later, under Leon's PUA bombardment, Robbie's expression gradually relaxed.
She wiped the corners of her eyes with a tissue, "Didn't cry, was choked by wasabi."
Leon was dumbfounded, completely petrified.
The comical expression made Robbie turn tears into laughter.
She raised her wine glass, cupping her chin and hooking Leon with misty eyes, "Thank you very much for saving that work for me. I will always remember the things you taught me."
Leon was silent, revealing a gratified smile.
"Cheers~"
The two drained the remaining wine in their glasses.
Just like the first meeting, drinking until dead drunk.
Also declaring the complete death of this relationship.
"One more time, okay?" Robbie's face was scarlet.
Under the table, she took off her high heels, teasing Leon's lower body with her fair instep.
"Breakup sex?" Leon understood immediately.
In the entertainment industry, going to bed actually doesn't need such high-sounding excuses as "dating."
Taking the opportunity to find an excuse to slip away with Robbie.
Just pushing open the hotel room door, the two entangled together, the battle situation stuck.
Coincidentally, this room seemed to be exactly the room where the two confirmed their relationship that night.
Robbie transformed into a female teacher, but ended up being taught a lesson by Leon...
That night, the sturdy big bed in the Four Seasons Hotel showed signs of loosening.
Both treated this time as an NBA Finals Game 7, going all out.
Three days later, film reviews for Straight Outta Compton were raving.
IMDb and other film review websites gave it high scores one after another, calling it the greatest and most authentic hip-hop movie in history.
Good word of mouth fueled the box office.
The average attendance rate in 1,600 theaters exceeded 70%.
Social media also spared no praise for this movie.
Many black mothers would even actively take their children into the cinema to watch this R-rated movie.
Asking them to block out violence and erotic content.
Properly absorb the positive energy the movie wanted to convey.
Similarly, the discussion about producer Leon in the movie community remained high.
In the past, Street Jesus was only known among teenagers, now this name is noticed by many middle-aged bottom-layer black people.
Deeds such as saving Vibe and leading Drill music became widely known because of this.
"Look at how the media calls you." Phil threw a copy of The Hollywood Reporter onto the desk, "Godfather of Harlem, Friend of Blacks... you might be the most popular white singer in history."
Leon lay on the swivel chair; his current prestige in the black community rivaled football superstar Tom Brady.
But he didn't care about this, his head full of fantasies about the opening weekend box office.