Chapter 226: Chapter 226: Tonight Belongs to Counting Cards!

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After the week of July 25 to July 31 came to a close, “Spy Kids 3” opened in 3,344 theaters and grabbed the North American weekly box office crown with $49 million, despite its abysmal reviews with only 44% freshness and 37% likability; following “Pirates of the Caribbean” at $36.98 million and “Bad Boys II” at $32.15 million, the fourth place went to the horse racing inspirational movie “The Era of Galloping,” which reined in $31.58 million at the box office and received positive reviews with 77% freshness.

Another new release, “Tomb Raider 2,” ranked fifth with $31.25 million, becoming yet another film this summer to be slammed by critics, with a mere 24% freshness rating.

The date was now August 1, Friday, and a new weekend was about to unfold. “American Pie 3” was making its full debut in 3,172 theaters, and “MIT-21-TEAM” was also hitting the big screen in 3,354 theaters. Countless young movie fans and enthusiasts had been eagerly anticipating this day for a long time, some for “American Pie 3,” but more for the magical new work of Best Director, for Natalie Portman, for Rachel McAdams, for this legendary story.

This time last year, the mysterious “District 9” was the movie that garnered the most attention in the last month of the summer box office, then went on to dominate the entire month of August. Now, a year had passed, and the name “District 9” still reminded many audiences of its bleakness and that memorable dragonfly.

Today, Best Director’s “Las Vegas 2” finally premiered, and die-hard fans hoped he could replicate the magic, making his latest film another classic, and give them something to look forward to in August’s cinemas.

“Clay, how about we watch ‘American Pie 3′ instead? We can see ’21’ next week.”

The movie theater in the small fishing town was particularly lively tonight, with a long line of people waiting to buy tickets. Young moviegoers who had just gotten their tickets and a bucket of popcorn and soda were excitedly heading towards the theater with their friends.

In the middle of the line, a white young man wearing a T-shirt seemed to have a sudden change of heart. The blonde girl, Clair, laughed and looked at her boyfriend with both amusement and confusion, “Have you lost your mind, Adam? Is this your first day knowing me?” Adam stammered, “I just think ‘American Pie 3’ is more suitable for us as a young couple.” Clair rolled her eyes, “You know that won’t change.”

“I know, is it just because it’s a Wang Yang film that you want to watch it?” Adam’s face flushed with dissatisfaction. Always hearing about how magical Best Director is, he couldn’t help but mutter under his breath, “That damn bastard, I curse him!” Clair’s eyes widened in shock, and she gasped, “What did you say?” Seeing her react so protectively of that guy again, Adam vented his frustration, “I said he’s a stupid donkey!”

The young people around them glanced their way, and fans of Best Director frowned—what sort of person was this? A girl looked at the two with disgust and whispered something to her friend, “I saw that bitch again…”

“Shut up,” Clair said, her voice filled with suppressed anger as she glared at her boyfriend, her voice trembling slightly, “Where the hell were you when I was going through that tough time? Too scared to take any responsibility, just sneaking around! I don’t blame you; we were both immature back then! But in those moments, who gave me the strength to keep going? Who was it that encouraged and comforted me? Was it you!?”

Remembering those difficult, agonizing times filled with self-reproach, she felt tears welling in her eyes and took a deep breath, “I later wrote a letter to him, and his reply encouraged me. That’s when I accepted you again, you coward… Whatever you do, Adam, don’t make me hate you.”

Adam felt guilty, knowing she was a good person and understanding that he had been unreasonable, he mumbled sheepishly, “I’m sorry. Clair, I’m just jealous… of his status… you know I also really like Wang Yang’s movies!”

“Agh! You just shut up,” Clair, still angry, shook her hand dismissively and took a couple of steps forward in line, cursing, “You’ve completely ruined my good mood! What ‘American Pie 3’? Is it going to be funnier or crazier than ‘The Hangover’? I’ve been laughing since last year and haven’t stopped! Tonight, I want to see counting cards, what do you know, I want to see how those geniuses win big money with addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division! This is infuriating…”

“I want to see Natalie Portman in a Best Director film! Maybe others wouldn’t know, OK, but don’t you realize how much I love ‘Juno’? Without ‘Juno,’ I would never be with you, now at MIT! In Las Vegas, attending the premiere! Darn! This is so annoying…”

Adam, not daring to speak, pressed his lips together and listened to her curses, occasionally looking around uncomfortably.

“`

Soon they arrived at the ticket counter, and Adam blurted out, “Two tickets for ‘MIT-21-TEAM’! Two large buckets of popcorn! Sweet!” Clair waved her hands in front of her face to cool down, revealing a slight smile, “You’re killing me…”

The premiere of ‘MIT-21-TEAM’ was held in Caesar’s Palace Theatre in Las Vegas; the red carpet event earlier was star-studded, with all the main actors present. Daniel Wu, dressed in a black suit, and his girlfriend Lisa Slayton made an appearance. Speaking of which, Lisa Slayton played an important role in securing the shooting rights at major casinos like Caesar’s. Alexis, Jay Baruchel, Nick Cannon, Karen Mok…

Aside from movie fans, invited journalists, and film critics, also in attendance were ‘Las Vegas’ author Ben Mezrich and Kevin Spacey, who came joyfully with his parents; Valery Firth, Margaret, and other key creators and members of the crew… Fireproof films even invited Zack Galifianakis, the card-counter from ‘The Hangover’, and the comedic heavyweight naturally stole the show on the red carpet, hogging a lot of limelight.

Of course, there was also the most attention-grabbing Natalie, who had just finished part of her filming for ‘Star Wars: Episode III’ and, after completing the promotional work for ’21’, would return to the set. She attended tonight’s event in a tailored knee-length dress. Rachel wore a red off-the-shoulder evening gown, her hair curled and her smile sweet. Not to mention, the appearance of Wang Yang and Jessica made fans scream and photographers’ flashlights blazed.

“You won’t have any problems this time, will you?”

In the dimly lit theatre, amidst the noise, the spacious auditorium was nearly full, with hardly any empty seats. Glancing around, there were many Asian faces with black hair. Evelyn and her good friend Kelly, who had just taken their seats, saw Kelly giving her an up-and-down look and asking with concern.

Evelyn looked at the preview playing on the big screen, excitement in her eyes, and shook her head with a laugh, “Why would I? It’s not a horror or thriller, it’s a drama about card counting! Card counting! Unless it blows me away with its coolness!”

Compared to other major North American cities, in San Francisco, which has a 1/3 Asian population, local prodigy Wang Yang has always been popular, and this time with the addition of the locally born Daniel Wu, telling the story of Chinese-American genius, ‘MIT-21-TEAM’ undoubtedly received fervent support from the Asian community, with a nationwide following among Chinese-Americans. This city was also a vital box office stronghold for ’21’.

Whenever Wang Yang’s films were promoted in San Francisco, Fireproof Films’ distribution department had a different plan in place, like this time the promotion specifically targeted the Asian community—the focus was on Jeff Ma, Daniel Wu, and the incredible Wang Yang, urging them to support films with Asian leads, with the goal of maximizing this market.

Indeed, Wang Yang hoped that these local folks and Asian-Americans would provide more support and encouragement, allowing the money-oriented market to change its attitudes, bit by bit, sooner rather than later.

The Chinese-American audience had no reason not to support this movie, assuming it was not a bomb. In fact, not much promotion was needed; among young Chinese-Americans, the proportion who considered Wang Yang an idol had already reached an unbelievably high level. From the moment he announced this project and confirmed a Chinese-American lead actor, they had been counting down the days to its release. And tonight, on August 1st, Chinese-American and Asian-American viewers flocked to cinemas across North America.

As for other big cities and white, African-American, Hispanic, Native American communities… the promotional focus was on the whole “genius students outsmarting Vegas” story and the diverse MIT team, as well as the magical card counting. For the actors, the emphasis was on Natalie Portman and Rachel McAdams, who have considerable box office draw among the young audience, while the incredible Wang Yang was a 100% guarantee of quality.

“It’s about to start.” In one of the 3354 cinemas, this one in Los Angeles, Nancy Reno sat in the middle of the audience seats, her arms crossed, wearing a thoughtful expression on her face with a blue fisherman’s hat. The movie had yet to start, and the nearby seats were almost entirely taken, the audience whispering to each other or enjoying their sodas and snacks.

What would this movie look like? This was the question Nancy was curious and pondering. She hadn’t asked Wang Yang directly but had discussed the topic with some friends from the University of Southern California. The subject was undoubtedly innovative and unique, so how would it be displayed on the big screen to be appealing? Some classmates suggested filming scenes of corruption from sudden wealth, team conflicts over profits… or some interracial love scenes, the situation of Asian-Americans…

Nancy thought these ideas didn’t sound practical; heavy and profound themes were not suitable for this subject matter, and the usual conflicts of interest seemed too common… that was just a topic after all. What was more important was how to use different shots to tell the story? What style, what pace…

What had her on the edge of her seat recently was because of Wang Yang’s display of strong confidence: “This is a movie that’s unique enough, enjoyable enough! I won’t say it’s cool, but you will,” “Let’s be clear, I believe it will create a new record in the genre! We can do it!”

She knew the incredible Wang Yang was not one to boast idly; if he said it was unique, it would surely be unique, if he said it was cool, it would surely be cool… Luckily, tonight she would see the true face of the movie!

“`

Curious and eager to unravel the mystery were the media journalists and film critics at the Caesar Palace Theater, all grappling with an almost uncontainable sense of anticipation! Usually, they get to watch a film before the general audience, but not when it comes to the marvel that is Wang Yang, which is one of the grievances the industry has against him. Apart from the previous “The Hangover,” this guy, riding on his undefeated reputation, stubbornly refuses to hold preview screenings, leaving them to only get a glimpse tonight.

When a director like Best Director grabs an Oscar, his next film naturally garners high public expectation and sharp critical attention, with even more stringent demands. Not to mention, it’s been less than five months since this year’s Oscar ceremony—everyone still recalls it vividly.

With “Las Vegas 2,” what tricks will the magical Wang Yang pull this time?

As night enveloped Las Vegas, the glittering neon and revelry slowly spread through the streets, and pleasure-seeking tourists and gamblers flocked to the casinos to play the slots, the big wheel, 21… Meanwhile, Caesar Palace Theater was packed to the brim, with movie fans in the back and the main creatives of the crew in the front, all exchanging laughs and waiting for the screening to commence.

“I’m seeing it for the first time too.” Rachel quickly echoed Natalie’s complaint about only being able to see the movie at the premiere, also eager to know what the theatrical version was like. She looked at Wang Yang seated to Natalie’s left, smiled with her dimples showing, and said, “The director always insists on secrecy, aiming for mystery…” Natalie seemed to find balance in her heart and laughed, “Ha, I thought I missed out because I was busy shooting ‘Star Wars’.”

“No, nobody involved in post-production has seen it…” Wang Yang shrugged his shoulders. Keeping the mystery was fun—that’s what made it interesting! He glanced around, jokingly said, “Because I think it’s fantastic, it’s mine, all mine! I don’t want you to see it yet! Okay, okay, we’re about to watch it together.”

Natalie blinked in realization and nodded, “I see now, no wonder Jessica’s magazine covers are so scarce.” Jessica, sitting to Wang Yang’s left, paused, then with a laugh showing her teeth, said, “I’m just lazy.” Wang Yang whispered with a silent laugh, “Yes, I’m a rather annoying conservative.”

After some more light-hearted chatting, the buzzing conversations in the theater were replaced by a round of thunderous applause—everyone clapped hard as the screening of “MIT-21-TEAM” was about to start!

On the darkened big screens of 3,354 cinemas, a moth plunged into the flames and emerged, reborn, into a beautiful, idyllic pastoral world, fluttering amongst the flowers and grass, dancing under the blue sky and clouds with the butterflies. After the introductory animation for the film company, a casual female voice filled the theater, “We’re going to find it, what’s most abundant in Boston? Nerds and geniuses…”

The conversation went on without pause, and the screen showed a dimly-lit bar with young students playing darts, a bartender wiping glasses, and after a few quick cuts, the camera moved to Natalie, Alexis, and Jay Baruchel sitting by the bar, with some text displaying: “Director: Yang Wang, Producer: Yang Wang, Starring: Daniel Wu, Natalie Portman…”

The applause at Caesar Palace Theater suddenly quieted down, the audience looked at the big screen intently; even the film critics, longing for so long, became focused, setting aside all other thoughts just to enjoy this film.

“My Ali is so cute…” Joshua, seated amidst the audience, had hearts in his eyes and a dazed smile on his face. He could have sat in the front if he came as Ali’s boyfriend, but he insisted on being just a production assistant tonight.

Daniel Wu couldn’t help feeling astonished seeing his name on the screen; during his school years, he never thought he’d become an actor, headlining thousands of North American big screens as a leading man… Fans like Evelyn and Clair in cinemas across North America, including many other passionate fans, lit up at the sight, thrilled to finally have something to watch. They all mentally chanted with excitement, “Count cards, count cards…”

“If I were to make it, I’d probably win the Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Film.” Jessica suddenly remembered that day early last year, at home in the living room, when she and Joshua first knew about the film. They discussed “how should it be made?” She recalled her interest in card counting techniques, makeup whisper clues, and gestures, and he said, “As you wish!”

Jessica felt a familiar hand grasp her right hand and looked at Wang Yang beside her. She whispered with a soft smile, “Our seventh premiere.” Wang Yang shook his head with a chuckle, “No, it’s the tenth!” Jessica felt a warmth in her heart; she hadn’t counted herself, but he had…

“I have a math problem for you, how about it? 2 + 7 + 4 – 5 + 2 + 4 – 1 + 9 + 2 + 6 – 4 + 2 – 8 – 7 + 4 – 2 + 6 equals what?” On the big screen, as the nerdy, plump classmate trying to hit on girls appeared, Natalie quickly rattled off a long string of numbers as if just babbling. However, many fans who had studied the trailer closely knew the answer was 21—turns out this question was in the beginning, it was that kind of plot!

Many fans who loved “Juno” felt something was different now—Natalie’s styling and acting method seemed somewhat similar to the mischievous Juno, yet dissimilar…

“`

“21.” Just as the chubby classmate was foolishly gaping with his mouth open, being ridiculed by the smiles of three others, a voice suddenly rang out. On the screen, Natalie Portman turned her head, clearly intrigued. Following the male voice asking, “I have a question for you, too, what’s 22 minus 1?” the camera switched to Daniel Wu’s mocking smile.

Young viewers across North America all felt a surge of excitement. The energy was totally different from the trailers; this entrance was so cool! They couldn’t even remember that simple math problem—not because it was obscure, but because the mental calculation was incredibly fast! Although the person on screen was a rarely seen Asian face, not from an action movie, they had already anticipated this before walking into the theater. Still, the scene of counter-mocking the beauty was amusing to many.

And the Chinese viewers were especially thrilled, not just with Jeff Ma’s cool entrance, but with the coolness of this very moment!

“If you were participating in a game show and had to choose one of three doors to open…” “That’s the Monty Hall problem… The chance of success if you switch is 2/3. Why not?” …The voices in the theater didn’t stop after that, as for the next 5 to 6 minutes there was barely a second of silence. With the camera cutting to different angles and positions by the bar, the two individuals intensely threw math questions at each other, ridiculing, confusing, and disrupting… each striving to defeat the other!

There were also moments when Alexis and Jay Baruchel’s eyes increasingly glowed with interest and smiles; along with the chubby classmate’s somewhat dazed expression, Natalie suddenly asked with a smile full of laughter, “If you had to bet, how could you win?” After a pause like that, Daniel Wu spoke more slowly, “There’s no winning in gambling.”

WOOWOO… The emotions inside the critics were churning. There wasn’t any clear good or bad judgment for a while because they were a little slow to react to the unexpectedly exciting start! It seemed to bear traces of the table chatter from Reservoir Dogs but was completely different! In 5 minutes, it covered what a normal film would take at least 10 to 15 minutes to convey! It was an oppressive, fierce beginning, attempting to pull the audience straight into the story!

It was like a glamorous and ferocious fight scene, with punch after punch landing solidly, which would make one feel tough and violent; but this mathematical brawl conveyed the sense that these two guys were of extraordinary intelligence! Geniuses…

Hearing a few audiences around her taking deep breaths as if they couldn’t help themselves, Nancy adjusted her fisherman’s hat and watched on screen as Natalie and her companions stood up and left, sighing inwardly with admiration, “Wow! She could faintly sense those impressive things. That long stretch of dialogue sounded quick and mysterious but was also somewhat incomprehensible, like a flood of knowledge rushing into the brain. Those sarcastic witticisms gave people time to breathe.

It also created a debating confrontation atmosphere, giving the feeling of a physical fight, except the weapons were brains instead of brawn. No wonder she felt such a thrill…”

“You’ll be joining a club very quickly.” In the movie, Natalie and the others walked out of the bar with style. The camera gave a close-up of Daniel Wu and the chubby classmate standing side by side. The chubby classmate shouted out loud with a puzzled look, “Hey, what do you mean? What kind of club?” Alexis turned back for a look, revealing a goody-two-shoes smile, “The kind where you solve math problems.”

Nancy couldn’t help but adjust her sitting position, faintly hearing the excited whispers around her, “MIT team…” “That poor chubby guy.” She smiled; Kevin Spacey had touched on the exciting point! Nearly everyone in the theater knew the story and were interested in card counting… This shot made people eager to see Jeff Ma join the MIT 21 team and enter a new world.

“COOL——!”

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PS: After the revision, 6000 words, wow, I’m seeking votes, thank you, everyone! (To be continued, if you want to find out what happens next, please visit www.boxnovel.com. There are more chapters, support the author, support genuine reading!)