118 Chapter 118: The Premiere Begins

And she not only had the opportunity to sleep with him but also to get a chance to interview him.

By doing so, she could secure a permanent position at a major newspaper like the New York Daily. It was quite a profitable deal.

...

The waiting time quickly passed, and Kevin stepped onto the stage to receive the official interview.

Countless journalists wanted to shove their microphones into Kevin's mouth, but his expressionless attitude kept these unruly journalists from crossing the line.

The microphones crowded in front of him but maintained a certain distance.

Among these journalists, Kevin noticed the female journalist with the danger level aura. He squeezed out a faint smile and pointed at her, saying, "Any questions? Go ahead."

Grace became excited and asked, "Director Steve Kevin, do you have any expectations for the opening weekend box office of Batman: The Dark Knight?"

Grace's eyes were filled with anticipation and implication.

Kevin smiled slightly and confidently declared, "I don't talk about box office numbers; I talk about rankings."

"My goal is to be the number one at the North American box office in 1995."

The reporters beside him became excited. Kevin's confident words provided newsworthy material.

A reporter quickly interjected, "So, you think Ron Howard's film Apollo 13 is nothing special?"

"And that's why you chose to schedule the next Batman: The Dark Knight for July?"

"No, the scheduling is Warner Bros.' decision. As a director, I don't have control over that."

Although he was high-profile earlier, Kevin wasn't someone who would pick fights without reason.

No one had offended him, so he wouldn't go out of his way to provoke others.

Then another reporter asked, "It's been rumored in the industry that you have a very bad relationship with Harvey Weinstein, the owner of MiraMax. Is that true?"

"It's true," Kevin said, not hiding his answer.

Harvey Weinstein had too many fatal weaknesses. Kevin didn't need to make much effort to deal with him.

Not to mention the numerous cases of Harvey Weinstein sexually exploiting actresses.

He would promise these actresses that their films would be Oscar contenders, using that as a way to manipulate them.

With MiraMax's track record, this tactic was incredibly effective.

Unfortunately, Harvey Weinstein never followed through on his promises.

In the future, when the Women's Boxing League developed, Harvey Weinstein would be brought down by these scandals.

The reporter was about to ask more questions, but Kevin no longer answered these provocative questions and switched to giving official responses.

Afterward, the premiere officially began. Kevin said a few polite words before various celebrities, whether he knew them or not, faced the media and praised Batman: The Dark Knight.

Clearly, to boost the attention of this premiere, Warner Bros. had used its connections to invite many celebrities to attend.

Among them, the biggest name was none other than Tom Cruise.

Of course, there was also his ever-present wife, Nicole Kidman.

Having a superstar husband like Tom Cruise, Nicole Kidman never missed any opportunity to show herself.

Her ambition was practically written on her face.

But it must be said, Nicole Kidman was at the peak of her beauty at this time.

Her skin was so fair that it reflected light, elevating her already stunning appearance and making her truly eye-catching.

If it weren't for the rule of not pursuing a friend's wife and the fact that Nicole Kidman wasn't an easy target, Kevin might not have been able to resist her temptation.

After praising The Dark Knight in front of the media cameras, Tom Cruise completed his task and took a seat.

"Hey, Cruise, how are the negotiations for the next Mission: Impossible sequel going?" Kevin curiously asked.

He hadn't missed a chance to dig a pit for Paramount.

He wondered how much Cruise's salary would be for the sequel.

Cruise smiled and, as a great help on his path to stardom, saw no need to hide the matter.

"It's all settled. I'll be paid $20 million, plus a 10% share of the North American box office."

"If there's another sequel, the price will go up."

"Congratulations, Cruise," Kevin said with a smirk.

He was quite pleased to see other film studios bleeding money.

Nicole Kidman tried to interject several times but was ignored by Kevin, which almost made her doubt her charm.

And so, the time came for the movie to begin as everyone took their seats in the theater, one of the few super-sized cinemas that could accommodate hundreds of people in Hollywood.

Undoubtedly, the China Grand Theatre was one of them.

As the main cast and the audience settled in, the movie was about to start.

As the audience took their seats, they began whispering and discussing among themselves.

"That's Steve Kevin, the director. He's so handsome and talented, he's practically my idol."

"Daisy, you're amazing. You managed to get tickets for the premiere of Steve Kevin's movie. That's impressive."

Two young and beautiful girls, chatting behind, were looking at Kevin's figure and gushing about him.

Daisy, the girl mentioned earlier, blushed and replied, "It's not all because of me. I have an uncle who works at Warner Bros. I begged him for tickets."

"That's still impressive."

...

A group of college-aged boys was also excitedly discussing in hushed voices.

"I've been looking forward to Steve Kevin's new movie for so long, and it's finally here."

"Yeah, every movie by Steve Kevin is a masterpiece. This one won't be any different."

"Hehe, after we watch the movie, let's boast about it when we go back. The other classmates will definitely envy us."

"Dwayne, you're amazing. You actually managed to get five tickets."

Dwayne, clearly the leader of this group of boys, beamed with pride upon hearing his friend's praise.

"I had to spend quite a bit of money to buy these five tickets from scalpers. But it's worth it as long as we can attend the premiere of Steve Kevin's new movie."

...

As the movie began playing, the discussions of these fans gradually quieted down, and they immersed themselves in the world created by Kevin's film.

Gotham City, as depicted by Kevin's camera, showcased a gothic and dark style.

The movie started with a dream sequence of Bruce, the Batman, quickly immersing the audience into the childhood experiences of the Caped Crusader.

Then, Batman woke up from the nightmare, and Alfred, the butler, comforted him.

...

"This Batman... He's so handsome!"

The viewers quickly realized this.

Compared to previous iterations of Batman, the Batman portrayed in Steve Kevin's film exuded a prince-like aura, as if he were the heir to a kingdom.

He resembled a prince of Gotham City, the future emperor of Gotham.

Considering the influence of the Wayne family on Gotham City, everything seemed so natural and fitting...