147 Star poster

Disturbed by the knocking sound, Eva Green rolled out of bed, slipped on her slippers, and walked to the door.

Upon opening the door, she found her younger sister, Joy, standing there.

Joy was dressed in a pale white nightgown, her eyes carrying a hint of mischief.

"What's up? Do you need something?" Eva asked, puzzled. It was quite late, shouldn't she be asleep?

"I just saw it," Joy approached and embraced her sister's waist, smiling. "Who were you waving goodbye to when you got out of the car?"

"Come in." Eva pulled her sister into the room, closing the door behind her.

"At this hour of the night, brought back by someone, huh? Who is it?" Joy hurriedly continued, "Don't tell me it's someone from the film crew. It doesn't seem like it to me. You should be quite familiar with them, yet you waved goodbye."

Seeing her sister's speechless expression, Joy burst into laughter.

Her curiosity felt like it was about to explode.

"Why are you laughing so loudly? You'll wake up Mom and Dad later." Eva rolled her eyes and scolded in a hushed voice, while still wondering how she got caught.

"It's just a friend who gave me a ride back. You're making a big deal out of nothing."

Eva said, then sat down on the bed.

"Hehe..." Joy's intuition told her that this matter wasn't simple.

She leaned in, sitting side by side, occasionally glancing at her sister's face, still grinning, which was making Eva feel quite uncomfortable.

"What are you laughing at?"

"I'm laughing at someone telling a lie." Joy rocked her feet back and forth, saying mischievously.

"Who... who's lying? It's just a friend from the film crew. You're overthinking things."

"I don't believe you. You've never let me visit your film set, so there must be something fishy." Joy leaned closer, whispering. After saying that, she chuckled to herself. At this point, she probably felt like she was channeling the spirit of the great detective Sherlock Holmes.

"The film crew isn't under my control. Even if I allow you to visit, it doesn't mean you can get in, right?" Eva spoke frankly.

Visiting a film set wasn't something just anyone could do. Even the agents of a few main actors needed advance notice to enter.

Lyman had always managed this strictly.

"Hmph." Joy pretended to be annoyed with a huff.

She didn't want to go to the film set to see Eva, after all, she could see her sister at home. Her true intention was to find Tom Cruise.

Last time, she had asked Eva for help to get an authentic autographed photo of Tom Cruise, which had taken a lot of effort. Now, she was hoping to revisit that past success and see if she could meet him up close.

And her recent observations were just coincidental. She wasn't trying to investigate anything. Her ultimate goal remained to use any means to get to the film set and meet the mega-star.

It had to be said, although they shared the same birthday and Eva was only a bit older, their intelligence seemed to differ greatly.

Could this be the secret of twin sisters?

Joy probed for a long time, but she couldn't get any real answers. And it seemed like she couldn't achieve her goal either, so she returned to her room feeling somewhat disappointed, ready to sleep.

As her younger sister walked away, Eva finally let out a sigh of relief.

This sister of hers could truly be a bother sometimes—her thirst for knowledge was boundless. Perhaps that's why she managed to get into Pierre and Marie Curie University while Eva had pursued her studies at the School of Performing Arts.

Turning over, Eva lay on her back in bed, gazing up at the ceiling. Suddenly, she remembered the incident where she had taken the initiative to kiss Lyman but ended up biting his lip. A smile crept onto her lips, revealing a faint dimple.

Bad boy, I was determined to bite you...

...

After the filming of "Miscreant" concluded, EuropaCorp and Paramount Pictures joined forces to kickstart a small-scale promotional campaign.

They intended to launch a more extensive push after the post-production was complete, probably around May. Following that, the film would enter theaters and face the market's response.

The two companies collectively allocated $50M for promotion costs, with Paramount contributing $30M and EuropaCorp providing $20M. After all, the former would be the one reaping the lion's share of profits, while the latter sought enduring income from the film's long-term performance.

With ample financial backing, the limited-scale promotion was not a hindrance.

They embarked on activities like reaching out to major theaters, communities, and universities nearby—essentially placing promotional posters wherever the foot traffic was high.

Media involvement was also in the mix, though the full-scale media push was yet to come; a few tabloids had begun promoting the film.

Both companies didn't miss the boat when it came to online promotion. Riding the wave of the digital era, this facet had gradually become the forefront of promotional focus for major film studios.

And once again, the emphasis of this campaign was on the actors, particularly Tom Cruise.

He held a distinct advantage in this area.

If one were to divide the audience groups among the lead actors, Nicolas Cage's fan base mainly consisted of middle-aged women aged between 30 to 45. As for Heath Ledger, it didn't bear mentioning—his fan base wasn't extensive and didn't display any selectivity. However, Tom Cruise's audience spanned a wide range, from teenagers to the middle-aged and elderly, encompassing multiple age groups. Wasn't he rightly dubbed the "Tom the Hunk"?

So, the focus of both companies' promotions this time around was clear: to play the fan card as effectively as possible.

The promotional posters, too, highlighted Tom.

His name was listed as the first in the cast and was intentionally bolded and enlarged.

Of course, being a top-tier star, Nicolas wasn't ignored; his name appeared second, similarly bolded and enlarged.

In truth, the arrangement of names on these promotional posters was quite nuanced.

It concerned an actor's star power and promotional standing and wasn't something to be taken lightly.

The remaining actors didn't receive such treatment; their fonts and sizes were average.

Beneath the actors' names, a small line of text read: "Directed by Lyman Lattes."

Well, the director's merits had to be leveraged too, as some people chose to enter the theater based on the director's name.

In addition to these elements, there were individual actor portraits.

There were portraits of Nicolas, Eva, Heath, Tom, and Kate.

These were snapshots taken during the filming, showcasing their character's appearances.

Upon release, these promotional materials garnered unexpectedly positive feedback.

In just a few days, over half the stock was sold out, prompting Paramount Pictures to swiftly contact the manufacturers for more prints.

The most outstanding seller was still the poster featuring Tom in the role of an undercover agent in the film. The image of him standing by the office window of a high-rise building, smoking, sparked a frenzy of purchases.

Many fans spontaneously sought to collect these posters, making one marvel at the prevalence of fan culture.

It's no wonder that the trend of selling a star's face has become more and more popular; it's practically the way of the future.

...

In the heart of Santa Monica, in a newsstand on Third Pedestrian Street, a group of flashy young boys and girls suddenly gathered around.

The newsstand owner was taken aback by the sudden influx, though he was no stranger to tumultuous situations.

He welcomed this group of customers with enthusiasm.

They were chatting and discussing eagerly, occasionally rummaging through the contents.

The newsstand owner stood by, comprehending their purpose.

It turned out that they were all here to buy promotional posters for a film. They had already exhausted many stores, and they were surprised to find some here.

Hearing this, the newsstand owner was speechless. He had stocked up on these last night and hadn't opened shop until the evening after dealing with some matters.

"Hey, I was the first to discover that there were still some here. Why aren't you all thanking me?" a chubby white boy felt ignored by his companions and loudly protested.

"Alright, Herman, thanks for letting us know. Can we move on now?" a blonde girl held a Tom Cruise poster with an indifferent tone.

"Thank you, Herman. You're a good person."

"Herman is really awesome."

"..."

The boy called Herman was disheartened by his companions' words, his round face full of disappointment.

"Boss, how much of this poster do you have left?" a girl inquired.

The newsstand owner fixed his gaze on it and saw Tom Cruise silently smoking in the picture.

After thinking for a moment, he replied, "There are 10 left, including the one you're holding, so a total of 10."

When he restocked, he received a total of seven different promotional images for the film "Miscreant". According to distribution rules, or rather, the promotion fee stipulated by Paramount Pictures, newsstands in major cities like Los Angeles, New York, and Chicago typically received around 10 copies of each poster.

He hadn't ordered too many, after all, it was a promotional task, and whether they would sell or not remained uncertain.

In hindsight, it seemed like he might have miscalculated?

"I'll take them all. Give them to me," the blonde girl said generously, pulling out a few Franklins.

"Lily, you're taking them all for yourself. What about us? I want one of those as well," another girl accompanying her complained dissatisfiedly.

"Yeah, I've been to several stores and couldn't find any. I want one too. I'm going to put it by my bedside."

"I... I'll pass," a boy was about to express his opinion but was silenced by glares from the girls and retreated.

"Well then, I'll give you some," the blonde girl wasn't unreasonable.

"Great, Lily, thank you."

Amidst the cheers and laughter of the crowd, the newsstand owner took the money, handed over the remaining nine posters, and gave change to the blonde girl.

Several boys didn't want to leave empty-handed either, so they picked a few posters each.

Boys, being boys, they mostly chose portraits of Kate Beckinsale or Eva Green from the film.

As for the remaining posters featuring individuals like Nicolas Cage, Heath Ledger, and others, unless they were true fans, most were unsold, only managing to sell a few.

"Shop owner, could you get more of the Tom Cruise promotional posters tomorrow? Many of my classmates want them."

Before leaving, a girl reminded him.

"Absolutely, absolutely." The shop owner, who was regretting not ordering more, of course understood these circumstances.

He didn't need the girls' reminder; he was already planning to contact the supplier tonight and get more.

"What? They're all gone?" As the night grew darker, the newsstand owner, who had finally settled down after a busy period, was just about to discuss this matter, but the news he received wasn't favorable.

"How much longer until another batch can be produced?"

"Alright, I got it."

"Sigh."

He hadn't even dreamt of getting rich yet, and already, his dreams had been shattered.