Chapter 294: Lower-Than-Expected Performance

"Everything in the Matrix has a dark green tint. It's meant to make the world look somewhat unreal and unnatural, but not too obviously so."

At the press conference following the premiere, the entertainment reporters—perhaps because the world the film presented was so bizarre—made a rare exception and focused their questions on the movie itself. Duke provided a few measured technical explanations.

"Colors can trigger a lot of emotions," he said. "Dark green not only makes a person's skin look pale and lifeless, but it also brings to mind the digital rain. It's as if that dark green digital rain has soaked into every object in the Matrix."

As soon as Duke finished, another reporter asked, "According to the film's timeline, it's set in the future. Why does human technology look so dilapidated and backward?"

"In the future ruled by the Matrix, our civilization has already been destroyed by machines."

Duke smiled at the hundreds of reporters in the press hall. "Although some technology survived, it has to be excavated from the ruins of the Old World. There's no way to manufacture brand-new computers or other hardware, so humanity has to do whatever it takes to utilize what's already there."

He pointed to the poster hanging behind him, which showed the interior of a hovercraft. "They splice cables together and cobble together computers using completely mismatched monitors, keyboards, and CPUs. It looks as if the computers' guts have been spilled everywhere, the exact opposite of the orderly machine world. This is the world Agent Smith despises. To him, the human world is chaotic, murky, and reeks to high heaven."

"But under those conditions, this is all humanity can manage. It is an imperfect world."

Another reporter stood up. "Director Rosenberg, how did you come up with the unique world and scenes for the film?"

"Computers are hardly a novelty for us anymore. The internet, as an entirely new space, has already begun to impact society philosophically and aesthetically, giving rise to cyberpunk culture."

Duke gathered his thoughts as he spoke. "Personally, I believe the internet's most significant impact on society is that it uses virtual means to truly flatten the world across time and space. Just like in America, diverse cultures from all over the globe mix together on the internet. That is exactly what The Matrix presents."

Duke paused for a moment to find the right words. "Western hard sci-fi elements, a brand-new interpretation of Eastern mysticism, futuristic weaponry, and the most ancient form of attack—Physical Martial Arts. I thought they could all be fused into a single film, and so this movie was born."

The topic then shifted to the film's most memorable scene—the enhanced version of Bullet Time, Explosion Time!

"In today's technological environment, this required an extensive preparation process. However, the scene we originally planned looked one way, and the final shot turned out completely different."

Duke left it at that, smoothly steering the topic toward the 360-degree wraparound explosion scene. "As everyone saw in the film, the Trench Coat Bomb Neo threw exploded, flipping police cars and sending people flying through the air. All of this required precise calculations so that at a specific instant, when it was a particular camera's turn, a certain actor would fly right past the lens. Because of this, the difficulty of designing the scene was unprecedented."

"So what were your thoughts when you designed this shot?"

Hearing the reporter's question, Duke answered without hesitation. "I wanted the audience to experience the feeling of being blown away. I just wanted to design a scene that would leave people completely dumbfounded in their seats. Looking at it now, the results aren't bad."

The film didn't just ignite the audience's enthusiasm; it also electrified these sharp-sensed entertainment reporters. They faintly realized that a massive hit—perhaps even a classic—had arrived, and they eagerly bombarded Duke with questions.

However, after answering a few more questions, Duke stepped aside and handed the interview stage over to the main actors: Keanu Reeves, Charlize Theron, and Hugo Weaving.

Returning to the lounge on the other side, Duke saw Aerin Lauder getting ready to leave. "Wait a moment," he said. "We can leave together."

Aerin gave him a playful wink. "You're one of the stars tonight. There are definitely a ton of paparazzi waiting for you outside, and I don't want the media hyping me up as your rumored girlfriend."

She stepped forward and gently squeezed Duke's arm. "An absolutely brilliant movie!"

"I'll have someone see you out," Duke said, waving Tina Fey over.

Aerin Lauder nodded and stood quietly beside Duke. Rushing over here to see such a spectacular movie had made it a worthwhile trip. She was also happy for her friend. Duke must have been under immense pressure during the recent storm of public opinion. As long as the film was a success, that pressure would vanish.

Was The Matrix a success?

Even though she was past the age of just appreciating guys acting cool and looking handsome, Aerin still felt the film was incredibly exciting. She knew her own aesthetic tastes were fairly mainstream, so judging by that...

"What are you thinking about?"

Hearing Duke's voice, Aerin smiled. "Nothing. I'm off. I'm heading back to New York tomorrow, so I won't say goodbye again."

"Safe travels."

Aerin Lauder wasn't the only one leaving the theater; a large crowd of moviegoers was heading out as well. After seeing such a spectacular film, they were eager to share it with others. For this predominantly young demographic, their platform of choice was the internet.

Hiller hurried back to his neighborhood alone. Huggins hadn't joined him; as soon as the premiere ended, the guy had run off to a nearby theater to catch the subsequent midnight screening.

Walking into his house and returning to his room, Hiller immediately sat down at his computer. He cursed the startup speed of the Microsoft system the entire time it booted. Fortunately, he didn't have to wait long before he entered the familiar Explosion Maniac Chat Room.

The place was already bustling like a boiling pot. Clearly, many of the regulars hanging out in the chat room had also attended the premiere.

"Duke built a mind-blowing sci-fi world! The concepts and scene designs are so fucking awesome, women will climax just watching it, and men will bust a nut..."

From the messages people were sending, Hiller could guess that they were still in a state of high excitement. This was perfectly normal. If this hadn't been his second time watching it, he wouldn't be doing much better.

"The styling for Charlize Theron and Keanu Reeves absolutely killed me!"

Reading the chatter, Hiller quickly fired off a message of his own.

"The internet is only just starting to boom, yet Duke's ideas and worldbuilding for the web have leaped two hundred years into the future. The guy is incredible! An unbelievable "real world" and an avant-garde ideology that completely shatters your worldview! Does the spoon exist? Are you also caught half-asleep? That undeniable god-tier logic is what makes it a well-deserved sci-fi masterpiece!"

"Exactly!" someone followed up below. "The Matrix is an absolute sci-fi masterpiece, especially the explosions and the fights. I think it'll redefine this entire genre in Hollywood going forward. We all call Duke an explosion maniac, and he completely lives up to the title. Plus, with the explosions in The Matrix, he's surpassed himself!"

"Yeah, that explosion... sorry, I seriously can't find the right adjectives for it."

Another person chimed in, "This movie is way too cool. I feel like I need to watch it ten times to be satisfied!"

"Duke's imagination is just staggering."

The chat room grew more and more heated, and quite a few people who hadn't seen the film yet found their curiosity piqued.

"I've decided. I'm heading out right now. I'm going to see the midnight screening!"

"I'm going too!"

"Me too..."

Temporarily backing out of the chat room, Hiller navigated to another website. It was currently the most popular movie site on the internet. He had noticed it a long time ago and already had an account with rating privileges. He easily found The Matrix displayed prominently on the IMDB homepage. He clicked onto its page and, without a second thought, gave it a ten out of ten in the rating section.

Between the three test screenings and tonight's premiere, a significant number of people had now seen the film. Without a doubt, those who managed to attend these events were true cinephiles, and quite a few of them had already cast their ratings on IMDB—115 users, yielding a score of 9.75!

Some of them had even left reviews.

"The settings and plot Duke Rosenberg created for The Matrix are incredibly immersive. I've actually had similar thoughts myself—maybe everything around us is an illusion, and we're just living in a virtual world while the real world remains unknown to everyone. Seeing this story really resonated with me!"

"Duke's new release marking his return to the Summer Season does not disappoint. It's as spectacular as ever. The Matrix still falls into the old trope of American heroism—a nobody awakens to save the whole world! However, it's the only movie out there right now that can make it look this cool. The action and explosion scenes are badass beyond description!"

"A film like The Matrix, just like its director Duke Rosenberg, is destined to leave a massive mark on cinematic history. I don't know about anyone else, but after watching it, I genuinely started to doubt reality."

After briefly browsing IMDB, Hiller switched back to the chat room. Perhaps more people who had attended the premiere had gotten home, because the place was even more active than before.

"I regretted it as soon as I got home. I should've found a theater and caught the midnight screening! Anyone in the Los Angeles area want to group up and rewatch The Matrix? Sign up if you're in!"

A wave of people replied below, signing up.

Seeing this, Hiller suddenly felt the itch again. He turned to look at the black trench coat and sunglasses hanging on his coat rack. Decisively, he shut down his computer, threw on his gear, and tiptoed out of the house. He headed straight for the nearest theater, ready to watch The Matrix all over again.

That night, many people across America chose to head out just before midnight, their sights set straight on the movie theaters.