Chapter 231: Handsome Men and Beautiful Women - Stripping to the Waist to Go Into Battle

On King Street West, many people stood in line holding hamburgers in the afternoon sun. Even though the queue stretched for nearly two hundred feet, no one left. They just waited patiently.

"Chicago only has three screenings."

A white man in his fifties spoke to a moviegoer clearly from out of town. "My neighbor went to the second screening yesterday. He said it was fantastic—the best movie he's seen in the four days since the festival began. So..."

He pointed at the men, women, and children around him. "It's the weekend, so our whole family came out together. If we miss this third screening, we'll have to wait two months to see it."

The old man looked at him and suddenly asked curiously, "Aren't all your American media outlets predicting that Duke Rosenberg will screw this movie up? Why did you come all the way here from Seattle?"

The man was also getting on in years. He shrugged. "I want to see how the movie version differs from the musical. Besides, how could anyone miss a new film teaming up a super director like Duke Rosenberg with a top star like Tom Cruise?"

His daughter stood beside him and chimed in. "I came specifically to see the big star and the big director working together. Tom Cruise looks so handsome on the poster, and Duke Rosenberg isn't bad either. I heard he's been dating the lead actress lately? Falling in love while making the movie? That's just too romantic!"

There was still nearly half an hour before the movie started, and the line was only getting longer. Just as they stepped into the theater, a volunteer shouted from behind them.

"I'm so sorry, the theater is full!"

They turned to look. Behind them stretched a line hundreds of feet long. It seemed Chicago had become the most popular film of the festival.

During the film festival, hundreds of thousands of moviegoers gathered across several blocks centered around King Street West. These people moved in and out of every theater, watching as many movies as possible. They used meals, drink breaks, and every other chance they had to mingle and exchange opinions on the films they had already seen, filtering out the best works to watch based on what they heard from other audience members.

The power of this word-of-mouth was more effective than any media promotion. Before long, Chicago became the focus of countless discussions. All three screenings were packed, and Warner Brothers acted accordingly, adding two more follow-up screenings. Although that still couldn't satisfy the audience's demand, Chicago's festival exhibition run had come to an end.

Audiences from all over the world—especially the massive number of North American moviegoers—who had seen the film became promotional nodes for its stellar reputation. Those who wanted to see it but couldn't took their hunger for the movie back to their hometowns.

This was a standard promotional tactic used by Hollywood distributors at the Toronto Film Festival, and also a form of hunger marketing.

However, Warner Brothers and Duke Studio wouldn't be satisfied with just this. Duke and his team quickly returned to Los Angeles to continue building hype for the film through various means, while the Warner Brothers staff stayed behind in Toronto, working hard to secure the festival's most important honor: the "People's Choice Award"!

Although this was a relatively fair and impartial audience vote, it wasn't without room for maneuvering. Besides, the Toronto Film Festival had always been a backyard for Hollywood movies.

Of course, all of this hinged on the premise that Chicago had genuinely earned the acclaim of countless viewers.

At the same time, the film's promotional push in North America had reached the stage where it truly began to flex its muscles, with related news springing up endlessly across the media.

"Tom Cruise's latest masterpiece; he prepared for the singing and dancing alone for half a year..."

"Duke Rosenberg and Tom Cruise collaborate for the first time, with both considering the other their best partner."

"The two female leads, Naomi Watts and Catherine Zeta-Jones, both possess extensive singing and dancing backgrounds. Their performances will surely not disappoint..."

Beyond orthodox promotional methods, gossip and rumors served as effective supplements. From Duke to Tom Cruise, and from Naomi Watts to Catherine Zeta-Jones, every possible candidate from the cast and crew began stripping to the waist to go into battle.

Nancy Josephson secured an endorsement contract with Tiffany for Naomi Watts. Duke Studio and Tiffany also reached a consensus, specifically choosing to hold a press conference right as the film was about to hit theaters. At the press conference, Naomi Watts spoke at length about her past struggles and how Duke had helped her.

"I will never forget Director Rosenberg. He is my guide in Hollywood. He pointed me down the right path, and I've been preparing for this movie and the role of Roxie for two years!"

Her words immediately caused an uproar in the media. What did this mean? While they were still immersed in the Explosive Maniac's explosions, Duke had already been preparing to transition!

Once they recovered from the shock, the media—guided by the public relations efforts of certain motivated individuals—immediately began hyping up Duke's two-year journey of transformation, along with inevitable stories about his relationship with Naomi Watts.

News always had a time limit. Just as the buzz generated by Naomi Watts cooled down slightly, good news arrived from the Toronto Film Festival: Chicago had won the 1996 Toronto International Film Festival's "People's Choice Award"!

This was a heavyweight award and a massive promotional gimmick. The People's Choice Award might carry very limited prestige globally, or even in Europe, but in a highly exclusive media market like North America, it held far more weight than the Golden Bear, the Golden Lion, and the Palme d'Or, especially in the eyes of the audience.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, Warner Brothers also released a second round of posters and the first promotional trailer, both featuring the text "People's Choice Award Winning Film." Even the billboards erected on Broadway and in the West End of London added this new promotional slogan.

The quality of a film was merely the foundation. Promotion and marketing were the necessary tools for commercial success. The two complemented each other; neither could be missing.

As the media industry grew increasingly developed, methods of film promotion became widely varied. All sorts of tactics emerged one after another, and the bottom line for these methods only dropped lower and lower.

As time ticked into November, a gossip outlet secretly photographed Duke and Zeta-Jones shopping hand in hand on Rodeo Boulevard. They even caught pictures of the two acting intimately, completely cementing the news that the Explosive Maniac had fallen in love with his new film's leading lady. Their residences in the Greater Los Angeles area also became gathering spots for the paparazzi.

The rumors that had been circulating from time to time had finally turned into facts. The excitement of the gossip media was palpable, and gossip was always the fastest-spreading and most popular topic among the public.

"The Explosive Maniac Finds True Love, Falls for the Female Lead of His New Film Chicago..."

"Chicago: The Film That Changed Duke Rosenberg's Life, Where He Met His Muse."

Although they couldn't snatch the headlines of mainstream papers like the Big Three Newspapers, Chicago and Duke definitely stole the front pages of plenty of gossip outlets like the New York Post.

When their own film entered its promotional release period, no director would hide completely behind the scenes. Given Duke's status in Hollywood, combined with the waves being stirred up by Warner's media outlets, grabbing a few gossip headlines wasn't a difficult task.

To attract attention, Penny Kalis also released numerous reports written by hired ghostwriters. Media outlets, led especially by the Weekly World News, actively participated in this hype.

"With his first four films all becoming massive hits, Duke Rosenberg has reaped rich rewards. According to reliable sources, he has earned a total of at least 300 million dollars across the four movies. In other words, this young director already possesses a fortune in the hundreds of millions. And who is Catherine Zeta-Jones? Before Chicago, many people had probably never even heard her name. Why was she able to win Duke's favor? Insiders close to Miss Jones have told us that she actively pursued Duke. She personally said, 'I only went after him because he has money'..."

These media outlets collectively downplayed the relationship between Duke and Zeta-Jones. In reality, this was also a backup plan prepared in advance by Penny Kalis.

"Duke and Zeta-Jones came together because they spent so much time on the set of Chicago. They have many shared topics when it comes to film, singing, and dancing, but this kind of romance is bound to be short-lived. Hollywood has proven countless times that when the movie ends, so will they."

Meanwhile, both Duke and Catherine Zeta-Jones hid away in their homes, refusing to comment on the media hype and allowing the news to fully ferment. Whether the opinions leaned in their favor or reports took an opposing stance, it was all beneficial for spreading the word about Chicago.

Of course, these were just supplementary methods to normal promotion. The film's conventional marketing had been pushing hard all along. In the three weeks leading up to Thanksgiving, Warner Brothers gradually pushed the promotion to its peak. Following standard practice, they organized consecutive test screenings for theaters, media, and audiences. The difference was that the audience was highly targeted, consisting of nostalgic viewers who enjoyed themes similar to Chicago.

Unsurprisingly, most of the people who watched the film early were satisfied with it. Their reviews were quickly disseminated by the media, and Warner made a big fuss over this as well. Even Mia Valentine, the female lead of the Broadway musical who had participated in the filming, stepped out to endorse the movie.

"I've already watched the film in advance, and it's far more brilliant than I imagined. This is a successful adaptation. No one could have done a better job than Director Rosenberg!"

She said during a media interview, "I think everyone who loves the Chicago musical should go to the theater and watch this movie. It provides a completely different experience from the stage play, yet it is equally moving!"

Although it wasn't a standard big-budget commercial blockbuster, the intensive hype and promotion surrounding Chicago attracted more than enough attention. Furthermore, unconventional promotional methods continued to emerge to grab even more eyeballs.

If they constantly hyped up one person's gossip, it would inevitably cause fatigue. This time, Tom Cruise jumped out, bringing along his beautiful wife Nicole Kidman.