The interview footage suddenly shifted, focusing on Truman’s childhood friend, and his best friend—Marlon.
Marlon straightened his back, a complex expression on his face, and said earnestly to the camera, “The content is absolutely real and original! What everyone sees is completely true; the only adjustments were made by our production team!”
As soon as these words came out, the entire audience was in an uproar.
Who would have thought that this childhood friend, who usually treated Truman like a brother, was not only an actor participating in this farce but also a staff member of the production team?
This was simply a huge irony, like a resounding slap, hitting Truman’s trust hard.
Looking back, whenever Truman encountered troubles or was full of confusion and couldn't figure things out, he would always seek out this close friend to confide in first.
He regarded Marlon as his most solid support and most trusted confidant, but in the end, this trust was ruthlessly trampled upon.
Ironically, this so-called “close friend” was even less reliable than the female extra who briefly appeared during Truman’s university days and bravely told him the truth.
In Truman’s life, though she was a fleeting passerby, she brought Truman the most precious truth at a critical moment.
As Marlon’s words fell, the movie also came to a complete end.
The lights in the cinema instantly brightened, and that sudden brightness made countless audience members feel as if they had woken up from a long dream, truly feeling that they had finally returned from illusion to reality.
The audience at the premiere couldn’t wait to pull out their phones, their fingers flying across the screen, immediately posting their viewing experiences and reviews online.
These heartfelt evaluations were like bright lamps, illuminating the way forward for those who were still hesitating outside the cinema, undecided whether to go in and watch the movie.
In the premiere hall, the overseas reporter who had previously interviewed Su Yu was now stooping, head down, walking quickly out.
His eyes darted around, afraid to make eye contact with anyone, looking like a startled mouse.
He knew very well that if Su Yu or anyone from the crew stopped him and asked for his opinion on the questions he had previously posed, it would be awkward.
What opinion could he have? Recalling his previous doubts and provocations, at this moment, he only felt a burning sensation on his face, as if he had been slapped in public.
The feeling of looking like a clown made him wish he could find a hole to crawl into; he simply had no face to stay there.
However, he was clearly overthinking things; at this moment, everyone’s attention at the scene was tightly fixed on Su Yu and the others, and no one cared whether a reporter had quietly slipped away.
This time, in addition to Su Yu being highly anticipated, the movie’s lead actor Kerry also successfully attracted everyone’s attention.
The duration of one movie was enough for everyone to re-recognize this actor from the United States.
Kerry’s brilliant performance in the film was like a carefully prepared surprise, delivering an astonishing and unexpected answer sheet to everyone.
He used his strength to break people’s stereotypical impressions of his past comedic image, proving his infinite possibilities in the field of acting.
After a lively interview session, the premiere of the truman show officially concluded.
Meanwhile, the online world was already flooded with reviews about this movie.
“Truman lives on Seahaven Island, seemingly in peaceful times, like a paradise, but in reality, it is a false life broadcast 24/7. His environment, every blade of grass, every brick and tile, is a meticulously constructed magnificent set; the friends and family around him, every smile, every greeting, are all false performances acted out according to a script. The director hides in the dark, weaving an invisible net with countless cameras, firmly controlling his destiny; the audience sits in front of the screen, like greedy voyeurs, freely prying into the joys, sorrows, and emotions of his life. But Truman was not tamed by this seemingly ‘perfect’ false world; he harbored a longing for truth, and with fearless courage, he resolutely broke through that door leading to the unknown but real. This film is like a mirror, making us reflect: in real life, are we also confined by invisible shackles, and unknowingly, have we lost our persistent pursuit of truth?”
“the truman show is a meticulously planned large-scale reality show; from the moment he was born, he became a tool for public entertainment. In this fabricated world, he lived happily and innocently, completely unaware of the truth behind it. When he gradually perceived abnormalities through his keen senses and faced the cruelty of the truth, although there was fear in his heart, he still firmly chose to walk out of that door. Beyond the door was unknown fear and challenges, a difficult path full of thorns, but also the first light of freedom. Truman, through his actions, explained a profound truth to us: even if the path to freedom is full of hardships, and every step may be accompanied by pain, it is far more worth pursuing than false security, because freedom is the most authentic meaning of life, and our eternal yearning deep in our souls.”
“In this movie, I saw the darkness of human nature and the cruelty of reality. Truman is just an ordinary small person, like each of us, ordinary and nothing special. But he was unknowingly packaged and made into a so-called ‘big star’ by the ruthless hands of capital and commerce! In this process, his freedom was deprived, his privacy was wantonly trampled, and his dignity was mercilessly crushed! This is the most suffocating and most thought-provoking aspect for us to reflect on…”
“I think this movie deeply reflects the hope and anxiety deep within the human heart. With its unique modern art style, it mercilessly exposes the ugly acts of profiteering and human rights trampling in Western commercial activities. The last scene of the movie, the conversation between the two audience members, seems understated, but in reality, it is a powerful satire of the negative aspects of the United States’ morality, human relationships, and social conditions! That small town filled with hidden cameras—father, mother, friends, wife, lover, colleagues, classmates, and even passersby—are all actors! A person has lived unknowingly in such a huge soundstage for thirty years! This is simply chilling and makes one shudder.”
These comments, without exception, were all high praises for the movie, and some comments had a depth and insight that were eye-opening.
However, after reading these comments, Su Yu did not like or repost them like ordinary netizens.
He understood in his heart that as the screenwriter of the movie, his identity was special; if he, as an official figure, came out to endorse and affirm it, wouldn't the space for the audience to think freely and exercise their imagination be greatly compressed or even directly stifled?
This was not the result Su Yu wanted to see; he hoped that the audience could find their own insights and understandings in the movie.
After the premiere, Hao Ren, Kerry, and others rushed to the airport without stopping, boarding a flight to Hollywood.
After getting off the plane, they would continue to be busy with the truman show’s premiere in the United States.
Of course, Su Yu did not accompany them this time.
The reason was simple: the annual New Year’s Eve gala of various TV stations was approaching.
And before the New Year’s Eve gala, Su Yu also had a public lecture on literary exchange that had been arranged with Yan University Literature Department.
The specific time for the public lecture had been set last month, on Friday, December 27th, which was even earlier than the scheduled release date of the truman show.
Regarding Su Yu’s inability to attend the overseas movie premiere, Allen and Parker were naturally a hundred percent unwilling.
After all, one of the biggest promotional gimmicks of this movie was Su Yu, the legendary musician and screenwriter.
But they also knew that they had no way to influence Su Yu’s decision and could only reluctantly let him do as he pleased.
Of course, before the premiere in the United States began, the first day’s box office for the truman show in China was also about to be released.
At that time, with the support of the first day’s box office data, they would not have to endure too much malice and difficulty when facing the media and reporters.
At this time, Su Yu, who had just finished the premiere, did not return to his home in Yanjing, nor did he go to the company; instead, he went directly to Yanjing TV.
For this New Year’s Eve gala, Su Yu still chose to cooperate with Yanjing TV.
He was a person who valued convenience; he really didn’t want to spend several hours on a plane traveling back and forth for something that could be done close to home.
Moreover, because of the successful cooperation experience with the Mid-Autumn Festival Gala, Yanjing TV took meticulous care of Tianxing Entertainment’s artists, showing great concern.
Everyone from Tianxing Entertainment truly felt a warmth and comfort of homecoming when they went to Yanjing TV.
After a rehearsal, everyone was very satisfied with the stage effects, program flow, and coordination among staff, and now they were eagerly anticipating the final rehearsal before the New Year’s Eve gala.
When Su Yu finished his busy day and returned home, it was already close to midnight on the 24th.
After a simple wash-up, the results of the truman show’s premiere day were freshly released.
The first day’s box office was 119 million chinese yuan, and the movie’s first day rating was 8.8 points.
Considering that it was a Monday, this first day’s box office performance was already quite impressive, not to mention the added boost of an 8.8-point rating!
Many people firmly believed that the box office would see a significant increase in the next two days.
After all, the movie’s reputation was simply too good, especially Su Yu’s brilliant stroke of genius with his imaginative idea of filming a reality show within the movie and cleverly incorporating a large number of advertisements, which was like a magical key, opening a door to a whole new creative approach for some filmmakers.
Of course, everyone also understood that this unique creativity would be extremely difficult to imitate and might even backfire if not done well, but it successfully stimulated the creative inspiration of filmmakers and opened up their ideas and imagination, which was undoubtedly a valuable gain.
When the first day’s box office results in China reached Hao Ren and Allen, their confidence immediately surged, and they were full of anticipation for the movie’s upcoming release in North America.
Allen and Parker even boldly predicted that their overseas box office would ultimately surpass China’s box office.
