In full swing

"The show's over!"

A head poked out from inside the Chinese Theater, uttered a concise sentence, and then disappeared again behind the hanging curtain at the entrance. But on the square, it was as if a bomb had been dropped, and the place instantly erupted into cheers and excitement. After nearly three hours of waiting, the premiere had finally come to an end, marking the conclusion of the first part of the opening battle!

The crowd began to stir, with a small group of people rushing towards the adjacent street, unable to contain their excitement. Another small portion headed towards the large shopping mall on the right side, while those who had gathered near the door, about twenty to thirty people, scattered in all directions, leaving less than a third of them still standing in their original spots. Eli Wallah was one of them.

Eli didn't blindly follow the crowd. Everyone waiting at the door had already planned their strategies.

Next door on the street was a side or back entrance, the second exit of the Chinese Theater, conveniently located by the street, with cars parked along the road. This allowed the big-name actors to bypass the crowd and leave directly. As for the mall next door, situated between the Chinese Theater and the Kodak theater, it had an open rooftop garden and a skybridge. From above, not only could one observe the entire scene but they could also capture many shots using a telephoto lens.

Relatively speaking, Eli chose to stay at the main entrance of the Chinese Theater. As a reporter for the Seattle Post, getting a ticket for the premiere was not a difficult task, at least much easier than it was for the paparazzi. However, this time, his target from the beginning was not the cast and crew but the audience.

In this opening battle of the summer box office, critics were not the deciding factor, nor were the film companies or the journalists. The deciding factor was the audience, those who were willing to open their wallets and purchase tickets. The audience's word of mouth and feedback were the true barometers of the summer box office.

Faintly, the sound of the audience leaving the theater reached his ears. Eli suddenly stood up, looking excited and expectant as he stared at the main entrance. All the countless questions from the past three hours were finally about to be answered.

"How was it? How was it?" William Taylor jumped up and down in excitement. He was facing Hope Bates, moving sideways like a crab, every movement expressing his excitement. His eyes were fixed on Hope, his anticipation unreserved.

On the other side, Graham Hughes burst into laughter and joined in the excitement. "Hope definitely won't like it. Oh no, Renly must be heartbroken." His teasing words left Hope rolling his eyes in silence.

"Do you think I'm you?" Hope crossed his arms over his chest, menacingly. This time, it was Graham who felt awkward and rubbed his nose, while William stood by, laughing heartily. "Honestly, I almost had no hope, but... Renly was really handsome!"

William and Graham thought Hope was going to praise the movie, but to their surprise, he quickly shifted the conversation and started swooning over Renly again.

Hope turned his head and looked at his buddies with wide eyes. "Did I say something wrong?"

William and Graham exchanged glances, both wearing smiles. They couldn't deny that Renly had genuinely surprised them today. This surprise, in fact, was even more startling than his outstanding performance in "Like Crazy". As actors, Renly's excellence had already been proven through "The Pacific" and "Buried", so his brilliance in "Like Crazy" seemed almost expected. However, today's performance had a powerful impact, leaving them stunned.

"Excuse me!" a voice abruptly intercepted their path. In the midst of the bustling crowd surging towards the entrance, the three of them halted. The crowd pressed against their shoulders, and a continuous stream of amazed comments filled their ears.

"This is incredible! Worth every penny! Beyond imagination, I really love it! What should I do? I want to watch it again!"...

The chorus of voices made the entrance of the Chinese Theater buzz with excitement. Under the night sky, Los Angeles burst with heat and restlessness, surpassing even the summer box office. The grandeur of tonight's premiere was evident.

Eli's emotions began to simmer slightly. "What do you think of tonight's movie?"

He placed a recording pen in front of Hope. However, before Hope could answer, William and Graham eagerly responded, "Absolutely amazing! It's fantastic!" William's face contorted with excitement, but he didn't mind, shouting, "You'll regret it if you don't watch it!"

As a supporter of Renly, Eli had high hopes for "Fast 5", but the overall trend of North American reviews didn't look promising. Eli had repeatedly lowered his expectations, hoping that this opening battle wouldn't end in a complete defeat. During the premiere just now, Eli's mood had been all over the place, and now that the mysterious veil was finally lifted, he couldn't help but feel elated.

"Really?" Eli sighed and looked at Hope, waiting for her response.

Hope shrugged in a playful manner. "I'm not very interested in movies that trigger male hormones." She threw a bucket of cold water directly. Not only William and Graham but even Eli's smile froze for a moment. Then Hope continued with a serious tone, "But the movie does get your blood pumping, especially the climax, and also Renly Hall! Honestly, Renly is just outstanding!"

As she spoke, Hope couldn't hold back her smile, which bloomed brightly. She then danced around, gesturing with enthusiasm. "No matter what you expected, Renly surpasses it by far! Trust me!"

It was only at this moment that Eli realized Hope had played a small prank, but he didn't mind. He continued with his question, "So, will you be going to watch "Thor" next week?"

"No, absolutely not," William immediately protested, his face serious. "I don't want to watch a movie starring that thief. I want to watch "Fast 5" again."

Without mentioning "Thor", everything was fine. But once the topic was brought up, William's anger flared up instantly. He had seen shameless people before, but he had never seen anyone as shameless as him. He had blatantly stolen someone else's script and used it to climb to the top. Now, he was even trying to turn the tables and capitalize on Renly. It perfectly showcased the dark side of Hollywood's fame and fortune.

Hope's temper was equally straightforward. "Who wants to watch a movie starring that garbage actor? It's truly shameless. And that female lead as well..."

Thinking about Natalie Portman, Hope felt annoyed. Despite Renly repeatedly emphasizing that they weren't friends, the media still managed to link the two of them together again and again. In Hope's view, there was probably some shady business behind the "body double scandal," which meant that Natalie's little golden statue might not be so well-deserved.

Natalie paired with Chris, the combination of a con artist and a thief, was quite good.

Before Hope could continue, Graham promptly intervened. "Today, let's just talk about "Fast 5", shall we?" He gave his two friends a series of signals with his eyes.

The best way to deal with hype was to ignore it. Otherwise, regardless of the response, it would become the focus of news. Just look at how Renly had handled things lately with his cold treatment – that was the best proof. They didn't like "Thor", and they even despised it. They had agreed not to give "Thor" any chance tonight. Tonight belonged entirely to "Fast 5" and Renly.

William and Hope snorted but didn't continue. Graham turned to Eli and emphasized, "We will definitely come back to watch "Fast 5" for a second and third time because it's worth every penny. Renly Hall is absolutely worth it!"

After saying that, Graham pulled his two buddies away, afraid they might say something more. They blended back into the crowd and gradually disappeared.

Watching the three of them walk away, Eli couldn't help but smile. In the midst of the summer box office season, "Renly Hall" was still an unfamiliar name. Under these circumstances, it was truly rare to encounter such loyal supporters of Renly. Although they didn't explicitly state it, their attitudes were clear.

As fans of Renly, their support for "Fast 5" was unconditional, and their evaluations were biased. But they weren't the only supporters. The crowd at the entrance of the Chinese Theater was surging, slowly moving in a dense mass. A quick scan revealed one excited and enthusiastic face after another. The frothing mouths, dancing hands and feet, and expressive expressions needed no explanation; they outlined the grandeur of the premiere without the need for words.

For instance, there was a tall and robust man right in front, narrating his excitement with his whole body, "…No, absolutely not before. I think this is what makes this whole series different."

Eli quickly approached, seized the opportunity, and asked the same question. Five or six people around them all turned their gaze toward the big guy.

The big guy didn't hold back and leaned down toward Eli's microphone. The height difference was too obvious; this guy looked like another Dwayne Johnson. "Right, it's really good. I've seen the first few movies in the series, and the first and fourth ones were decent. But this time, it really surprised me! It's fantastic! It's the first time I've seen a sequel better than the previous installments in a popcorn flick. It can easily be called the best in the series."

The big guy's deep voice drew the attention of the small circle around them, truly commanding the spotlight. But the big guy himself seemed completely unaware and waved his fist, spitting as he spoke, "The car chase scenes were truly fantastic! But the most outstanding part is the new actor they brought in…"

Huh, he was talking so well, why did his tone suddenly change? Was he sure he wasn't paid by Universal Pictures?