A romantic and heartwarming love movie should be released during which time of the year? Valentine's Day, of course! The premiere of Sleepless in Seattle was held on the evening of February 13th.
Ryan still appeared on the red carpet with Nicole. Even though it was only his second time attending a movie premiere, things were no longer the same as before. Both of them had received Oscar nominations for Best Supporting Actor and Actress, and had started to attract their own fan bases.
Especially Ryan's role in Home Alone had won him the love of countless teenagers. On both sides of the red carpet, crowds of young boys and girls held up Home Alone posters. When he waved at them, their screams were louder than anyone could have imagined.
"Ryan, it seems you're much more popular than I am," Nicole joked.
"That's because it's not just movie fans here—there are a lot of book fans too." He had already noticed that the fans were holding not only posters but also books, which appeared to be Jurassic Park and two Harry Potter novels.
"Ryan~" The screams grew even louder.
"Go on, don't let them down." Nicole gently patted him.
Ryan walked over, took a small pen from his tuxedo pocket, and signed his name on the title page of a copy of Jurassic Park, smiling as he said, "Thank you all for your support."
"Ryan, will the third Harry Potter book really be released in March?" a girl asked as she handed over her signed copy.
"Yes, if all goes well, it should be out around March 10th." Ryan asked, "May I have your name?"
"Jenny!"
"Alright, Jenny, may your smile always be bright." He wrote a message of well wishes after his signature.
Since this was the movie premiere, Ryan couldn't linger for too long. After signing about ten autographs, he pointed to Nicole, who was slowly moving forward, and said, "Sorry, that's all for today. Nicole is waiting for me."
Hearing the confirmation of the release date of Harry Potter 3 directly from Ryan, the fans were more than satisfied. Amid another wave of screams, Ryan quickened his pace to catch up with Nicole.
"Wow, his handwriting is so beautiful," one girl sighed.
"And he's way more handsome than before."
"I heard he goes to St. John's Elementary. Should we transfer there?"
All movie premieres are more or less the same. After the routine group photos with the cast and answering a few harmless questions, Ryan walked into the theater. Due to their confidence in him, Miramax had invited quite a number of people this time.
After greeting a few familiar faces in the hall, he exchanged a few opinions with Harvey Weinstein. Despite most people at the test screening believing it was an excellent movie, the chubby man remained clear-headed and understood that this film couldn't possibly reach the heights of The Sixth Sense.
"We invested twenty million dollars. We estimate the North American box office will surpass one hundred million," said Harvey Weinstein, then looked at the boy who wasn't even shoulder-height to him. "Ryan, got any new ideas?"
"Come on, Harvey, do you think I'm some kind of idea vending machine?" Ryan glared at him. After all, this guy had already been using the tagline "Ryan Jenkins' first romantic work" in promotions, which led to many reporters asking if he had a girlfriend.
That was such a bizarre question! That was his only thought at the time. Okay, he admitted he still wasn't entirely used to Western thinking in some aspects.
After the crowd around them dispersed, Harvey Weinstein pulled him aside and whispered, "There's a rumor from the Terminator 2 crew that you've been writing another script during filming."
"That's true." Ryan continued before Harvey could speak, "The script is for James Cameron. Are you sure you want to invest in a film he's directing?"
The chubby man was stunned. He knew Terminator 2 had already gone over a hundred million dollars in investment, and it was rumored Cameron was still asking for more. Everyone was avoiding him like the plague.
"The script is almost finished. James estimates the investment might exceed Terminator 2!" Ryan's words completely extinguished Weinstein's interest. Even if he got his hands on the script and switched directors, it would likely still be a high-budget project. Miramax couldn't afford that right now.
After shaking off Harvey Weinstein, Ryan returned to Nicole's side. When he saw her enthusiastically introducing him to someone, he slightly bowed. "Miss Foster, it's a pleasure to meet you."
"You can call me Jodie, Ryan. Nicole and I are friends. No need to be so formal." The boy scratched his head. Jodie Foster and Nicole Kidman were friends? What's going on here? Could it be…
He shook his head, dismissing those unreliable thoughts. In his previous life, he'd read quite a bit about her and knew she should have already had a stable same-sex partner.
She was one of the most successful child stars to transition into adult roles, though her journey wasn't without problems. The crazed fan John Hinckley, after failing to court her, tried to get her attention by attempting to assassinate President Reagan. Though Reagan was lucky and only spent six months in bed, Jodie Foster was forced into temporary seclusion.
Wait a minute? Ryan suddenly remembered something else. In his past life, he had watched The Silence of the Lambs at least ten times and remembered clearly that it was supposed to premiere the day before Valentine's Day—which meant today. Why was Jodie Foster, the film's lead actress, here?
"In fact, The Silence of the Lambs was originally scheduled to premiere today, but the producers felt the film clashed too much with the Valentine's Day vibe, so it was postponed," Jodie Foster explained when Ryan asked.
"I see," Ryan nodded. That movie really wasn't suitable for Valentine's Day. A couple going to see a cannibalistic doctor? That's just creepy.
"Nicole, bring Ryan to visit me sometime," Jodie Foster said as they entered the theater.
Honestly, the plot of this movie was very cliché, using tropes Hollywood had worn out, but it couldn't be denied that this kind of radio romance was very creative for its time. Moreover, both Tom Hanks and Nicole Kidman brought unique charm to their roles.
Especially the Empire State Building scene—it moved many to tears. By the end of the film, some viewers had their eyes full of tears.
After the thunderous applause, Ryan made a point of walking over to the future "Mr. Nice Guy of America."
"Mr. Hanks, your performance was excellent. Without you and Nicole, this film would've been a disaster."
"Thank you. Ryan, you can call me Tommy," Tom Hanks replied warmly. "During the shoot, I often heard Nicole mention you. It's hard to believe a love story like this came from a child. Later, I read all your works—honestly, Ryan, you're a genius."
"Thank you, Tommy." The boy smiled too. Everyone likes to hear nice things.
He had only provided the script for this movie. He didn't even attend the post-premiere press conference—he'd slipped away early to hide in the car. It took nearly an hour before Nicole finally caught up.
"Did something happen? You look exhausted," he asked as she got into the car.
"What else? You didn't go, so they turned all their firepower on me," Nicole rubbed her temples with a helpless smile. "They kept asking what inspired you to write such a touching love story and whether you had a girlfriend at school. Oh, God!"
Nicole suddenly held her forehead, her emotions a bit shaken, but she quickly composed herself. "Some reporters even counted your output last year—two screenplays, an unpublished Harry Potter book…"
"Did they say I'm a monster again? Or that you're hiding a whole creative team for me?"
"Do you think with our income we could afford that kind of team? And keep them quietly working behind the scenes their whole lives?" Nicole laughed and squeezed Ryan's hand. "No one knows better than me how talented you are."
There was no doubt this was the perfect Valentine's Day movie—warm and touching, naturally becoming the top choice for couples.
It wasn't peak summer or the Christmas season, so there were no strong competitors, and more theaters were available. After the first week, over two thousand theaters were showing the movie, and it grossed $14 million. With holiday films phasing out, more screens would be added. At this rate, a $100 million box office in North America seemed inevitable.
Ryan didn't care much about that. He had to return to the set—if he was late, James Cameron would definitely make him NG a hundred times in a single shot. He didn't want to risk angering that on-set tyrant.
Of course, even if he didn't care, the media wouldn't let him go. Many newspapers and magazines started reporting on him again, even listing his works from the previous year.
Especially Miramax, who took the chance to hype him up again.
"So far, Ryan Jenkins has had three screenplays adapted into films. Aside from The Sixth Sense, written in 1989, both Home Alone and Sleepless in Seattle were written last year. According to insiders at Miramax, he created the latter two scripts in just two months. Of course, Home Alone was an adaptation, but even so, his efficiency is terrifying. One wonders what the writers who can't find inspiration for months think about that."
"'Insiders'? It's clearly Harvey Weinstein!" That was Ryan's comment after reading it. "If that fat guy keeps hyping me up, one day I'll be a horned, winged freak!"
In truth, he knew that, compared to his age, his creative output was a bit fast. But 90% of what he wrote didn't even require brainstorming. As for inspiration? His excellent artistic talent allowed him to capture every detail in life and creation.