Dean, standing beside him, also wore a look of sheer surprise.
He had been the one to greenlight the investment for this film.
Although the budget wasn’t massive, he still would have been held responsible if it resulted in a loss.
But now, the internal evaluators had given it an A rating, suggesting it could become a cinematic classic.
Based on this assessment alone, losing money on their $1.3 million investment was almost impossible.
Dean shifted his gaze to Robert Shaye.
As the studio’s boss and president, the specifics of the marketing plan were ultimately up to him.
However, given the test screeners’ glowing evaluations, the promotional push would undoubtedly be substantial.
Shaye also had his own thoughts on the movie he had just watched; he weighed them against the opinions of the executives present and made a swift decision.
Saw had the potential to be a massive hit.
It was absolutely worth investing a large sum of money in its promotion.
Of course, a “large sum” was relative to Saw’s original budget.
“Dean, contact the PR department immediately.
I want finance to allocate $3 million for a comprehensive marketing campaign targeting movie theaters near American university campuses.”
“Also, reach out to the print media and various professional film critics.”
“I want to hold advance preview screenings to build up word-of-mouth before the official release.
We are going to do everything in our power to make Saw a classic,” Shaye said decisively.
Clearly, judging from the unanimous praise in the room and his own viewing experience, he recognized that Saw had the genuine potential to become a genre-defining staple.
For a film production company, a classic movie generally boasted an incredibly long revenue lifespan.
Theatrical box office returns typically accounted for only 20% to 30% of a film’s total lifetime earnings.
Secondary revenue streams—such as DVD sales and television broadcasting rights—could continue flowing steadily for decades.
In the long run, they often matched or entirely surpassed the theatrical box office.
However, all of this was built entirely on the foundation of a successful theatrical run.
A classic that bombed at the box office would never get the chance to be recognized by the public.
Shaye turned his head, his face practically glowing with the expression of a capitalist about to strike gold.
Coincidentally, Kevin was thinking the exact same thing, even though his cut was only a 5% share of the box office.
If the movie truly exploded in the market, that 5% would be converted into a massive fortune.
Besides, that share wasn’t a large enough slice of the pie to cause New Line Cinema to fall out with a rising genius director.
Everything was proceeding exactly according to his plan.
Meeting Shaye’s gaze, Kevin returned a confident smile.
Shaye smiled warmly and asked, “Director Kevin, the advance screenings attended by film critics and traditional media will require your cooperation. Find the original chapter at g.com.
Will your schedule be an issue?”
Kevin nodded.
“Don’t worry, I’ll cooperate fully.
If you need anything, just tell me directly or contact my agent, Dawson.”
Kevin’s straightforwardness greatly pleased Shaye.
Genius directors often had eccentric quirks or unruly egos.
But Kevin seemed to possess none of these flaws.
Not to mention, the young man had managed the production budget impeccably, even leaving a slight surplus.
Given his extreme financial discipline, Shaye didn’t have the slightest objection to him using the leftover funds to throw a lavish wrap party.
If every director in Hollywood could be like Kevin, life would be wonderful.
Even though Saw hadn’t officially premiered yet, Shaye had already made up his mind to collaborate with Kevin a second time.
…
With all post-production matters basically handled, Kevin found himself with practically nothing to do as a director until the upcoming preview screenings began.
The summer holidays weren’t even over yet.
More accurately, for a senior film student like him who was on the verge of graduating, his university coursework was already completely finished.
Even without Saw, he would have been able to graduate from USC smoothly.
Mitch and the rest of the crew all had their own affairs to handle.
Sorting through the inherited memories in his mind, Kevin unknowingly found himself walking down Broadway in downtown Los Angeles.
According to those memories, the original Kevin had grown up in an orphanage.
However, thanks to a sharp mind, he hadn’t gone astray like so many others in his situation.
The original owner of this body had realized early on that education was the only way to change his destiny.
Because of this, he had studied relentlessly growing up.
Combining that intense work ethic with a brilliant intellect, the original Kevin had managed to get accepted into the University of Southern California despite his impoverished background.
And his closest friend—or rather, the mentor who had guided the original Kevin onto the path of becoming a director—was someone who frequented a particular theater on this very street.
Walking past these familiar sights brought all those deeply ingrained emotions rushing to the surface.
Kevin strolled in silence, lost in thought.
With each passing day, the memories of his two lifetimes were merging even further, to the point where he could sometimes no longer distinguish whether he was truly the time-traveling Chen Daoxuan or the native Steve Kevin.
Perhaps they had always been the same soul, merely separated by the boundary of a past and present life.
Creak!
The sound of a heavy iron gate being pushed open interrupted his thoughts, and a handsome young man with a distinctively square jawline walked out.
“Kevin!” the man called out with a familiar, energetic grin.
Before Kevin could even respond, the young man strode over and slung an arm heavily around his shoulder, dragging him toward a nearby bar as if escorting a prisoner.
This boisterous young man was the exact person Kevin had just been reminiscing about.
The mentor who had guided him into the entertainment industry was none other than Robert Downey Jr.
Their friendship had begun entirely by chance when they crossed paths in a local library.
For a young actor who had dropped out of high school, constant study was essential if he wanted to go further in his career.
The media and the public always praised Downey as a generational acting genius, but only Kevin knew that even true geniuses had to put in hard work behind the scenes.
The two had crossed paths in that library: Kevin working tirelessly for his academic future, and Downey studying relentlessly for his acting career.
In Downey’s eyes, Kevin was just a driven but immature kid—almost like a younger brother.
Because of this dynamic, Downey had helped him immensely over the years.
He treated Kevin to meals, bought him textbooks he couldn’t afford, and helped him understand exactly what actors needed from a director, all while sharing crucial inside information about how Hollywood truly operated.
As for direct financial handouts, Kevin’s pride had never allowed him to accept them.
As a time traveler, Chen Daoxuan completely accepted these memories, seamlessly inheriting the deep bond of brotherhood between the two.
As for why Kevin hadn’t cast Downey as Jigsaw in Saw, it was entirely due to his screen image.
Agent Coulson—no, Clark Gregg—naturally possessed a uniquely approachable, gentle aura; looking at him, you never felt like you were in any danger.
When that kind of warm, mild-mannered temperament was grafted onto a devout serial killer, it created a horrifyingly stark contrast.
The killer genuinely didn’t believe he was committing crimes.
Instead, he firmly believed he was acting as God’s instrument to cleanse society of scumbags who didn’t cherish the gift of life.
This made the character infinitely more chilling.
Judging from Kevin’s perspective through the camera lens, Gregg’s performance was far more effective than Tobin Bell’s from Kevin’s past life, since Bell already looked like a seasoned criminal or serial killer from the moment he stepped on screen.
This bizarre visual contrast didn’t diminish Jigsaw’s sinister charm in the slightest; instead, it elevated his terrifying aura as a self-appointed servant of divine judgment.
Led by Downey, the two of them soon arrived at a local bar.
As dusk gradually fell, neon lights illuminated the venue, and the bar’s interior instantly transformed into a chaotic dance floor.
Through the dim, hazy lighting, Kevin could clearly make out men and women tucked into the shadowy corners, their silhouettes intimately intertwining.
In a single word: Chaos!
T/N: The raw text originally said “One word: 乱!” The Chinese character used here is 乱 (Luàn), which translates to chaos, mess, or disorder.
I used ‘chaos’ as it felt the most fitting for the scene.
Let me know in the comments if you think another word works better!
Kevin instinctively disliked these kinds of overstimulating environments.
Whether in his past life or his current one, he simply didn’t enjoy such places.
Downey, on the other hand, navigated the crowded room with effortless ease, looking absolutely in his element.
It took a few moments before he finally remembered to check on Kevin, treating the young man—who was three years his junior—like his own little brother.