Time quickly came to the beginning of August, and in this one and a half month period, Wang Yang continued his reclusive lifestyle, dedicating every day to the film's promotion.
After two months of viral marketing, the effect had peaked. Now, without the need for Lionsgate employees to post anything, discussions about the "Kevin Case" kept multiplying across various internet forums. The rumors spread from one person to ten, ten to a hundred, becoming more abundant and elaborate. At one point, Paranormal Activity's official website was so congested it couldn't be accessed, forcing Lionsgate to switch servers for the site.
Major web portals began to report on this internet sensation, with Yahoo's headline reading "Real-life Paranormal Case Adapted into Movie?" However, this news report only presented the rumor that had recently spread online; it was merely descriptive, with no intention of investigation. After all, Paranormal Activity's method of viral marketing was not just innovative in the realm of cinema but also a pioneering tactic in the entire history of the internet.
Therefore, Lionsgate and Wang Yang welcomed the Yahoo article with open arms; it was a free advertisement that yielded excellent results!
Following the report, traffic to the movie's official website surged manifold. Posts in communities and forums began to show the desire to figure out if the whole thing was real or fake. This also indicated that the timing for the movie's market release had ripened. If they hesitated to screen the film any longer, their efforts might be wasted. As soon as media outlets started to investigate the matter seriously, the truth would quickly come to light. When audiences lost their sense of curiosity after learning the truth, naturally, they wouldn't bother going to cinemas anymore.
Preparations for the release of Paranormal Activity were already in place, as the movie had passed the MPAA's censorship a month earlier, just as Wang Yang had expected, with a PG-13 rating. A few days ago, Lionsgate had prepared twenty-five film copies and delivered them to twenty-five theaters in five cities including Los Angeles and San Francisco.
Today was the first day of Paranormal Activity's test screening. This movie did not promote its directors or cast, so of course, there would be no premiere gala—that's what blockbusters do. The screening times were set from the midnight showing to early morning of the next day. While it's the perfect time slot for watching horror movies, it is also time for sleeping, and now, during the summer break, movie buffs would have already enjoyed a blockbuster by the evening, spent their money, and you can imagine how few would stay for a midnight showing.
The screening period and time might not be ideal, but the target market drawn by this movie had been clearly defined from the start: those on the internet whose curiosity had been piqued. They would make a special trip to the cinema, regardless of whether the screening was during the day or night. Therefore, Wang Yang wasn't too worried about timing. He wasn't relying on those walk-in audiences who just went to the movie theater for some casual entertainment without prior knowledge.
Although the film lacked an official premiere, it didn't mean Wang Yang had no celebration of his own. Right now, he and Jessica were on their way to the cinema together.
Wang Yang was dressed in a brand-new black suit that day, which made him look very serious. His tall and upright stature made him appear "quite presentable." Jessica, too, was dressed very prettily, her brown hair fluttering, her sweet and charming face exuding an attractive girlish charm.
In the Fox sedan, Jessica looked ahead at the road conditions, hands on the steering wheel; Wang Yang sat in the passenger seat, listening to the upbeat radio music when suddenly his phone rang. He paused the music and took a glance at his phone, then smiled at Jessica beside him, "It's Rachel calling."
Jessica quickly glanced at him and said, "Oh, give her my best regards."
"Hi, Rachel!" Wang Yang nodded as he answered the call, his voice cheerful, smiling, "Jessica and I are on our way to the cinema, she says hello!" With that, he brought the phone to Jessica's lips, and she said with a smile, "Hi Rachel, good evening."
"Good evening, Jessica," came Rachel's voice, normally laughing from the other end.
After the greetings, Wang Yang returned the phone to his ear, looking out the window at the dazzling night view of the city center, excitedly said, "We're about to watch Paranormal Activity at the cinema, haha, it's really exciting!"
"That sounds like fun," Rachel responded lightly to Wang Yang's words, before suddenly asking with a hint of jest, "Are you and Jessica going to watch it just by yourselves? Wow, wow! Yang, is this like a date?"
"No, haha!" Wang Yang couldn't help but laugh as he glanced at Jessica, who, unaware of their conversation, playfully made a face and asked, "Are you talking about me?" Wang Yang shrugged at her and explained with a chuckle to Rachel, "You know, Zachary can't go to the cinema, just like you; Joshua went to another cinema to check out the situation there, so that's why."
Actually, Joshua had wanted to go with them originally, but his idea was nipped in the bud by Jessica, who preferred not to bring along Joshua, the noisy guy. It was better to have just her and Yang together. Listening to Wang Yang's explanation now, however, she felt a slight depression in her heart. Why did Yang feel the need to explain all of this to Rachel?
On the phone, Rachel suddenly let out a disheartened sigh, "Yang, I really wish I could fly to Los Angeles to watch 'Paranormal Activity' at the cinema, but instead you guys want me to hide away at York University, which is driving me crazy!" She blurted out an exasperated "Oh my God" before immediately apologizing, "Sorry, Yang, I'm just feeling very frustrated. My movie is premiering, and I can't even watch it. Honestly, I'm envious of you. It's going to be an unforgettable experience."
"I'm sorry, Rachel," Wang Yang sincerely apologized, hearing the unhappiness in her voice. It was the first time he had heard Rachel lose her temper. She was always so graceful, smiling gently, showing off those sweet dimples, but even she had her moments of irritation.
Actually, he really wished Rachel could come to Los Angeles so they all could watch the movie together, but the Liongate company wouldn't allow it. What if someone recognized Rachel in the cinema? Wear sunglasses, a hat, a mask? Wouldn't that attract even more attention? In order to ensure nothing went wrong during the trial screening phase, Liongate company had chosen to be extremely cautious.
Wang Yang could only offer consoling words with a smile, "But you'll definitely see it, Rachel. I think it'll screen in Toronto pretty soon."
"No, I'll watch it in Los Angeles," Rachel replied calmly, easing back into her cheerful demeanor, "Okay, I won't keep you any longer. Since I can't watch the movie, I might as well go to bed. Good night!"
"Alright. Good night, Rachel." Wang Yang hung up the phone, let out a slight sigh, and turned to Jessica helplessly, "Rachel is a bit upset. She has always been looking forward to seeing herself on the big screen, but now..." He shook his head, lamenting, "It would be so great if everyone could go see it together—Rachel, Zachary... everyone. Wouldn't that be wonderful, Jessica?"
"Mmm..." Jessica nodded softly. Of course, it would be fun if everyone watched it together, but it would also be fun, even more fun, if just the two of them went. She felt sympathy for Rachel, understanding her annoyance, but at the same time, she was excited and happy. Going to the premiere with only Yang, witnessing a significant moment—what a wonderful feeling that was.
She was witnessing Wang Yang's dream come true, as she had listened to Yang talk about becoming a director and making movies since they were little. After reuniting, she witnessed even more: his decision-making, writing the script, fundraising, starting the shoot, seeking distribution, and now, the movie about to be released. She had witnessed every step of his journey, the hardships, and the joys, and seeing it all unfold was incredibly fulfilling for her.
Thinking all this, Jessica couldn't help but glance over at Wang Yang, her heart beginning to race uncontrollably. He was nothing like his peers—so immature. Instead, he was wise and mature, steadfast in his ideals, talented and humorous. Then comparing him to the likes of Jack Frank and others, the repulsion from the flattery and showboating, Yang just seemed so "cool," and he was about to become the youngest ever director to have a movie in cinemas...
Hey, what are you thinking, Jessica! She shook her head to clear her thoughts and refocused on driving.
The cinema they were heading to that night was the very "Vitaphone Cinema" where they had their unexpected reunion. Because of its location in the city center and proximity to colleges including the University of Southern California, it had been one of Liongate's options, and Wang Yang had chosen it as one of the twenty-five cinemas for the test screening.
After parking the car, Wang Yang and Jessica arrived at the Vitaphone Cinema, and it was nearing midnight. The place was brightly lit but the cinema lobby was no longer busy with patrons.
On the poster wall of the lobby, Jessica excitedly found the corner where the 'Paranormal Activity - The Ghost Dimension' poster was displayed. She waved excitedly to Wang Yang, saying, "Yang, come over here! Look, the 'Paranormal Activity' poster!"
"Wow! Really?" Wang Yang hurried over and sure enough, he saw a poster of "Paranormal Activity" on the wall. The poster was designed simply, with an image of a dark bedroom in the center, which was the bedroom in his apartment. Above and below the image was a field of black, with various taglines written on it: "Do you know what's happening while you sleep?" "Demonic possession, murder cases, don't watch for too long!" There were also logos like that of Lionsgate, but no information about the producers, directors, or actors.
"This is great..." Wang Yang reached out and gently touched the poster on the wall. Jessica stood by his side, smiling warmly as she watched him.
Even though the poster was only placed in a less noticeable corner, Wang Yang was still so excited that he was almost trembling. His movie poster, hung on the walls of a movie theater! He clenched his fists and said to Jessica with a smile, "Let's go, let's go. Let's go inside!" Jessica nodded her head.
"Hello, we would like two tickets for 'Paranormal Activity'!" At a glass ticket booth, Wang Yang, in a good mood, grinned as he watched the middle-aged white chubby ticket seller find the tickets, and took the opportunity to ask, "Hey, buddy, how's the ticket sale for this movie? Are there many people watching inside?" Jessica's face also showed a desire to know, her eyes looking at the chubby ticket seller.
The chubby ticket seller lazily pulled out two movie tickets and handed them to Wang Yang, droning, "Oh, this movie? Don't worry, young man, there are plenty of seats empty inside." He glanced at Jessica and suddenly his eyes lit up, he perked up and winked at Wang Yang with a smile, "You're one lucky guy. Remember, don't make too much noise."
Wang Yang and Jessica were both stunned, and Jessica walked away, both embarrassed and irritated, while Wang Yang rolled his eyes at the ticket seller, speechless and not wanting to explain further. After paying 12 US dollars for the tickets, he walked with Jessica to Cinema Hall 2.
In the dark cinema, there really weren't many people, it was quite empty, with just a handful of scattered viewers. Even though it was still about ten minutes before the movie's start time, the ticket sales for this showing didn't seem very good.
"Yang, it's fine, there are twenty-five cinemas showing it. Maybe it's just this one that's a bit quiet," Jessica said, trying to comfort Wang Yang as they stood at the very top of the cinema hall.
Wang Yang gave her a "don't worry" look and said, "I'm fine, Jessica, don't worry about me. Actually, this situation is within my expectations. As long as some people come to watch it, that's enough. What's important is that after they leave the cinema, they'll recommend it to their friends. That's the key thing." He shrugged with a smile, "You know, there always has to be the first person who dares to try something new. Once they have tried it, others will know it's good. If this movie scares them, the more terrified they are, the more they will encourage their families and friends to come and watch. That's how people are, once they've been scared themselves, they secretly hope others get scared too, then they can tease those people, see how pitiful you look being scared!"
And this was a form of viral marketing, away from the internet. Whether it could work depended entirely on whether the movie could frighten these first few viewers.
Jessica nodded, recalling that she had been terrified the first time she watched it, and then, just as Yang had said, she couldn't wait to see her friends like Eileen scared silly. She looked around at the few scattered viewers in the seats below and said with a smile, "Mmm, I think they'll definitely be in for quite a scare!"
The cinema, which could seat nearly five hundred people, was echoingly empty, with seating on a first-come, first-served basis, so the two had plenty of choices. They still chose the seats where they had sat when they last met, leaning back in the chairs. Wang Yang asked Jessica with interest, "Hey, I was thinking about that day. Such a big theater, and we ended up sitting together, wow, that's amazing! Jessica, why did you sit here?"
Jessica shook her head at him with a smile, "I don't know, it's just a movie-watching habit of mine. Whenever I go to the cinema, I like to sit in this spot." Wang Yang gave her a thumbs-up and praised, "Good habit, this is the best spot to watch a movie!" Jessica nodded, "I think so too."
In fact, some things they both had forgotten over time, like how Wang Yang had once told Jessica as a child, "Do you know where the best seat in a movie theater is? Ha, you don't know, do you? Let me tell you..."
The two chatted idly for a while, and soon it was time for the midnight showing at 12 o'clock. The number of new audience members entering the cinema hall hadn't increased much, remaining sparsely populated, with less than 10% of the seats filled.
At that moment, the cinema was very quiet, everyone's eyes fixed on the big screen ahead. The Lionsgate logo appeared on the screen for a few seconds, then the screen turned pitch black, followed immediately by Kevin, played by Zachary, appearing. He was vlogging with a selfie on the camera, smiling and saying, "Hello everyone, I'm Kevin! This is our new home!" The movie hadn't been re-edited at all; the version being shown was the one that Wang Yang had taken to seek distribution.
On the screen, Kevin walked around the apartment with a DV camera in one hand, cheerfully introducing the kitchen, bedroom, and other areas of their new home.
"Oh..." In the dimly lit movie theater, the audience suddenly let out low exclamations of surprise, startled by the intense shaky camera motion as Kevin toured the apartment. Despite the poor quality of the DV footage on the big screen, the blurriness was evident during the camera shake.
Wang Yang's heart instantly tightened. Would this limited audience accept the shaky footage and poor quality? He faintly overheard men's voices from two or three rows back saying, "Jesus! Has someone gone mad? Oh, is this a movie? My god, how could it be like this..." Then, he heard someone else say, "Dude, don't you know? This is edited from real DV tapes, this Kevin is actually already dead..."
As the movie continued for over thirty minutes, Wang Yang finally let go of his tension, quietly breathing a sigh of relief—no one had left their seat! The first half hour is a checkpoint for a movie; once the audience watches for more than half an hour, they generally remain to the end. Indeed, the audience in the theater became more and more engrossed, even the whispered discussions in the back rows ceased, with only the occasional sound of heavy breathing and gasps.
Wang Yang glanced around and whispered to Jessica with a smile, "Hey, it looks pretty good!" Jessica, too, was all smiles and said, "Yeah, the best part is yet to come. They're going to be scared out of their wits."
As the movie progressed, the thrills and scares increased. When the audience saw Rachel's frenzied performance in front of the mirror, they felt a chill on their scalps; when they caught a glimpse of the ghostly figure that flashed across the TV screen in the living room, their hearts felt almost suffocated with tension. These psychological horror tactics successfully made them scare themselves, the tension stretching tighter and tighter until they were almost breaking.
Soon, the movie neared its end. As they listened to Kevin's screams, each one more desolate and powerless than the last, and saw the empty bedroom, the theater erupted with an "Oh my god" as the audience reacted with heads held in their arms, and others instinctively curling up. Kevin's screams sent chills down their spines, causing goosebumps and even involuntary trembling.
"Tap tap tap tap..." The scariest part of the movie was approaching. As the footsteps in the corridor were heard, all the viewers held their breath. Wang Yang tensed up again—whether he could scare them into success would come down to this moment...
The footsteps stopped, and after a few seconds, Kevin was suddenly flung into view!
"Ahhh!!! Ahhh—" The audience in the movie theater screamed crazily as they were startled into pure instinctive reaction, unable to help themselves but scream, and there were sounds of people falling; someone had been scared so badly they had flipped backward. The uncontrolled shrieks continued, and some even cried out, "Help, help!"
Wang Yang looked at them, listening to the screams, his fists clenched tightly, his eyes moistening. Wasn't this the dream he had been chasing? To have people go crazy over his movie—he had done it. Looking at these terrified spectators, he had achieved it! He was successful!
"Yang, I'm proud of you," Jessica said softly to Wang Yang. She pulled out a tissue, handed it to Wang Yang with a smile, and repeated the words Wang Yang had said on the day they reunited, "Maybe you need this."
"Thank you, is this a return favor?" Wang Yang said with a smile as he took the tissue and wiped the corner of his eyes, then rubbed his sore nose. Looking around at the audience who were still unsettled, he said with a smile, "Jessica, I'm just too happy. I just feel like, 'Wow, this is great!' Look at them; with their screams, I feel like it's all been worth it. What are those past grievances and setbacks to me now? Look at this, it's fantastic!"
Jessica said softly, "I know, Yang, I do." She thought about everything Wang Yang had been through and was also deeply moved, looking at him and saying, "Yang, this is what you've been pursuing since you were little."
"Yeah!" Wang Yang spread his arms as if embracing the entire cinema, and with a laugh, he said, "I found it."