Chapter 622: Sudden Realization

"This is the Fox Television Family Channel, and Louis Bjork brings you this live report."

Standing beside Los Angeles's Nokia Square, a reporter spoke rapidly into the camera. Behind him, tens of thousands of people had gathered across the plaza.

"For the past few days, the eyes of the entire nation have been on eight-year-old Alex Bosh. Today, he will realize his dream of becoming a superhero: Batman."

Driven by Christian Bale, a Batmobile rolled slowly toward Nokia Square. Alex sat in the passenger seat wearing a custom-tailored Batsuit, his face glowing with excitement. He still thought he was just taking part in a parade, entirely unaware of the massive wish-fulfillment operation waiting for him.

"Hey, little guy, don't be nervous," Christian Bale said, also dressed in full Batman gear. "We're about to save this city."

The Batmobile pulled into Nokia Square, and its doors slowly opened. The moment the little Batman and the big Batman climbed out, the plaza erupted into thunderous applause.

Seeing so many people and hearing thousands of voices chanting his name, eight-year-old Alex inevitably felt a little nervous, and even a bit scared. Just as he stood there at a loss, Scarlett Johansson walked over, dressed as Catwoman.

She took his hand and said, "Alex, you're Batman right now. These are all the people waiting for you to save them."

Thinking about his current identity and his greatest idol, Alex mustered his courage.

"I'll beat the bad guys and save them!" he declared.

What followed was the entire city of Los Angeles playing along to fulfill Alex Bosh's dream.

The chief of the Los Angeles County Police Department, dressed as the mayor of Gotham City, walked up to plead for help from the little Batman and his companions.

"The Los Angeles Dodgers' mascot has been kidnapped by bad guys..." he cried.

Alex Bosh and Christian Bale got back into the Batmobile. Joined by Catwoman, Robin, and a fleet of police cruisers, they sped toward Dodger Stadium.

The event had drawn tens of thousands of participants. The Los Angeles Dodgers had volunteered to join in, filling much of the stadium with eager spectators. The convoy attracted massive crowds all along its route, making the spectacle just as lively as the annual Hollywood parade.

On the ground, live broadcast vans from Fox Television and the CNN News Channel shadowed them closely. Up in the sky, two helicopters continuously transmitted panoramic shots of the grand event to audiences across the nation.

The production value rivaled a Hollywood blockbuster, but given Alex Bosh's health, the actual rescue missions were mostly symbolic. Everyone from the public to the participants knew this was all about making a terminally ill child's dream come true.

With the help of Christian Bale, Scarlett Johansson, Old Bosch, and a host of Los Angeles police officers, Alex first rescued the Los Angeles Dodgers' mascot at the stadium. He then headed to a nearby street to save a woman and defuse a "bomb," before moving on to defeat robbers and foil a heist at a bank that had volunteered to participate...

After Batboy defeated the "villains," Los Angeles district attorneys and Federal Bureau of Investigation agents joined the "performance" to put the "criminals" on trial.

Finally, accompanied by the live cameras, the group returned to Nokia Square.

The mayor of Los Angeles met with Alex Bosh, presenting him with a "key" made of chocolate to express the city's gratitude and commendation for their "little hero."

The event concluded there, but the subsequent media push had only just begun.

By the time Alex returned to the hotel where he was temporarily staying, multiple photos of him speaking with California officials and celebrities had already surfaced on the internet.

Politically sensitive figures naturally wouldn't pass up such an opportunity. Warner Brothers didn't even have to do much; these people stepped up on their own.

Just after the event wrapped up, George Walker Bush updated his Instant Sharing: "Batboy, thank you for catching those bad guys. You inspired all of us!"

It was no exaggeration to say that as the live broadcast of this charity event reached millions of households, the entire nation felt a wave of warmth.

On the internet, over 23 million people followed Alex Bosh's Batman itinerary, cheering him on.

The Los Angeles Times published a special extra edition that day under the masthead the Gotham Times. The headline was Batboy Saves the City.

Time magazine also released a special issue, observing that Los Angeles had never seen such heroic or joyous unity. At every stop, tens of thousands chanted the names of Alex and Batman, and many held up handmade signs reading, "Alex, you and Batman are our heroes."

In an interview, Alex's mother stated that making his Batman dream come true brought closure to the struggles their family had faced over the past few years. What Duke Rosenberg had given her son was not medicine, yet it had a far greater healing effect.

"When someone falls ill, they need the support of others. It is a good thing for an entire city to support a single patient."

On the Batman Instant Sharing account, Bruce Wayne had left that very message.

This event infused Batman's somewhat dark and cold image with a touch of warmth, endearing the character even more deeply to the public.

The following day, Penny Kalis held a press conference on Duke's behalf. She announced the establishment of a new Batman Foundation and revealed that Duke would donate his $15 million directing fee from The Dark Knight to help children suffering from leukemia.

All of this brought unprecedented attention to The Dark Knight. A consensus had already formed within Hollywood circles: the film's first two weeks would inevitably set a series of North American box office records.

Less than two hours after Duke's press conference concluded, advance ticket sales for The Dark Knight officially opened.

North American fans soon discovered a tragic reality: the ticketing hotlines were completely jammed. They got a busy signal no matter when they called. Turning to the internet, they found that the ticketing pages on IMDB and Box Office were unresponsive, and major ticketing websites were crashing altogether.

Fortunately, the server issues didn't last too long. The viewers who had grown frustrated by the busy phone lines quickly flocked online to book tickets for The Dark Knight's advance screenings, midnight screenings, and opening weekend.

Much like the commemorative Joker action figures, opening-week tickets for The Dark Knight became a highly sought-after commodity in the North American market.

The Dark Knight's presale tickets sold much faster than those for Iron Man, Pirates of the Caribbean 2, and others.

"This is the fastest-selling blockbuster of the year," the platform's executive, Harry Medved, told Premiere reporters. "Eighty-one percent of the tickets sold on our website are for The Dark Knight, and the movie hasn't even opened yet."

In just its first day of presales, The Dark Knight sold $25 million worth of tickets in North America!

As May arrived, that figure climbed to around $58 million.

"All of Hollywood and even all of North America have countless reasons to believe—from the presale trends to the public buzz—that The Dark Knight is poised to accomplish the impossible mission that Superman, Iron Man, X-Men, and Fantastic Four could not: surpassing Spider-Man."

The Hollywood Reporter published a dedicated commentary on the matter.

"That entire slew of comic book adaptations failed to drag the little spider down from the top of the box office charts."

"In 2002, Spider-Man sold over $404 million at the box office in North America, enough to make it the eighth-highest-grossing film in North American history. Titanic is the undisputed champion, having grossed an astronomical sum of over $600 million in North America. Spider-Man's sequel also performed impressively; 2004's Spider-Man 2 ranked twelfth with over $373 million in box office revenue..."

"Sam Raimi's Spider-Man represents the pinnacle of comic book adaptations. Can Duke Rosenberg and The Dark Knight surpass it?"

"The estimated North American opening weekend box office for The Dark Knight is guaranteed at $130 million. As for the ceiling... suspense!"

On May 2, Duke and Scarlett Johansson hurried to Chicago, the premiere location for The Dark Knight. The momentum generated by the film's early promotional campaign was staggering. Even though advance screenings were opening simultaneously alongside the North American premiere, a massive number of fans traveled to Chicago from all over the country. They wanted to participate in this grand event and, at the same time, mourn that young actor who had practically become the incarnation of perfection.

Chicago had mobilized a substantial police presence, even conducting a dedicated security drill for the occasion.

The IMAX Company had also renovated a large IMAX Cinema in downtown Chicago. They not only replaced the screen with the largest screen IMAX currently offered, but also comprehensively adjusted the seating and projection equipment.

In addition, the IMAX Company's 125 theaters across North America would be going all out to screen The Dark Knight.

Likewise, The Dark Knight's forty minutes of IMAX footage was also one of the film's promotional hooks. It would be the first commercial blockbuster truly produced using IMAX technology.

"This one isn't very good-looking, and neither is this one."

In the hotel room, Scarlett sorted through the custom-tailored suits that had just been delivered, her blonde brows furrowed the entire time. "Why are they all either black or navy?"

She turned to look at the clothing rack holding over a dozen women's gowns. "Why are all my clothes dark-colored too?"

Duke was currently processing emails. He looked up at her and asked, "Do you really not understand?"

This girl was sometimes as clever as an old fox, yet at other times, she was as foolish as that chatty little girl from years ago.

"Uh..." Scarlett set down the suit in her hands, asking in confusion, "Understand what?"

Shrugging, Duke went back to his emails, too lazy to pay her any attention.

Tina Fey, who was sitting on the sofa drinking tea, set down the documents in her hands and walked over. She flipped through the dark suits and offered a reminder, "Darling, did you forget about Heath Ledger?"

Scarlett Johansson came to a sudden realization.