Their gazes were firmly glued to the screen.
For Kevin, that was already enough.
Keeping an audience engaged until the very end without a single person walking out proved it wasn’t a bad film.
As for Jigsaw’s sinister charm, Kevin knew that once the final twist played out, this classic figure of cinematic history would be firmly engraved into their minds.
Time flew by during the screening.
Everyone was fully engrossed in the film, following the desperate struggles of the protagonist, Adam.
Before long, the movie reached its conclusion.
As the lights came up, the critics immediately began scribbling in their small notebooks.
Roger Ebert, however, was empty-handed.
He glanced around the room, spotted Kevin, and slowly walked over to him.
“Hello, you must be the genius director, Steve Kevin.
I’m Roger Ebert.”
“You flatter me, Mr.
Ebert.
I wouldn’t exactly call myself a genius, but yes, I’m Steve Kevin.
It’s an honor to meet you,” Kevin replied with a modest smile.
Ebert looked at him with keen interest and immediately asked, “How did you come up with a character like Jigsaw?”
Kevin had already prepared for this exact question, allowing him to answer it smoothly.
“I grew up in an orphanage.
Throughout my childhood, I watched many elderly people pass away right in front of me.
Most of them suffered from terrible illnesses.
But at the same time, I also saw many of my peers who had absolutely no respect for life.
They indulged in drugs and reckless behavior.
“They threw their lives away without a second thought, only feeling regret when sickness finally caught up to them.
“Because of this, I created a serial killer like Jigsaw.
He doesn’t just kill at random.
Instead, his entire purpose is to teach people to cherish their lives.
Throughout the movie, he never leaves victims like Adam—people who didn’t value their own lives—without a way out.
It’s just that they failed to seize those opportunities.”
…
Kevin spoke with deep conviction, and Roger Ebert nodded repeatedly as he listened.
In terms of conceptual depth, Saw had already far transcended the boundaries of ordinary slasher flicks.
It carried genuine philosophical weight.
While terrifying its audience, it simultaneously urged them to cherish the gift of life.
Without a doubt, it was a rare masterpiece of the genre.
Such an excellent work deserved to be seen by as many people as possible.
Standing nearby, Dean watched Kevin and Roger’s pleasant exchange with a look of genuine surprise.
Everyone in the industry knew that old Roger Ebert was completely impervious to flattery.
Usually, the only thing film companies could hope for was paying him enough to keep his mouth shut.
Getting him to actively praise a movie?
That only happened if Ebert genuinely loved it.
Yet here was this stubborn old man—someone who notoriously refused to let money dictate his opinions—chatting happily with this newbie Director.
“Haha!
Director Kevin, you truly are a genius,” Ebert praised once more before finally turning to leave.
Dean immediately hurried over to Kevin’s side.
“Are you Roger Ebert’s secret son or something?”
Kevin’s face darkened.
What kind of question was that?
Couldn’t the man speak like a normal human being?
“Don’t misunderstand,” Dean quickly explained.
“I just haven’t seen Ebert treat a director that well in ages.
As you can imagine, he isn’t exactly known for his warm personality among the critics.”
“But his reviews always manage to unearth unexpected insights, and his influence on a movie’s public reputation is massive.”
Kevin nodded.
He had heard Roger Ebert’s name in his previous life, though he only knew him as a famous film critic.
Still, as Kevin had reminded himself earlier, the power of print critics in this era was absolute.
Unless absolutely necessary, it was best to avoid offending such people.
With that out of the way, Dean steered Kevin off to find Shaye in his office so they could discuss the upcoming theatrical release.
As for the critics and print media representatives, the studio staff would naturally take over hosting duties.
Having already pocketed New Line Cinema’s money, they certainly weren’t going to badmouth the film.
They possessed at least that much “professional integrity.”
…
Seeing Kevin and Dean enter his office, Shaye quickly waved them over.
Spread across the table in front of him were theatrical release schedules, meticulously detailing information on movies currently playing and those slated for upcoming release.
Terminator 2: Judgment Day, The Silence of the Lambs…
These were all major blockbusters that had been playing for several months.
Looking at the lists, Kevin couldn’t help but feel fortunate.
October and November were traditionally considered the off-season for the North American box office, meaning there were no heavy-hitting competitors on the horizon. Read this novel at novelping(.)com for the best experience.
Furthermore, Halloween was fast approaching.
Based on a normal screening schedule, they could definitely time the release for Halloween weekend—the absolute golden window for horror films every year.
However, they wouldn’t be the only ones eyeing that date.
Other film companies naturally wouldn’t miss such a lucrative opportunity.
And choosing Halloween meant Saw would have to compete fiercely with other studios’ releases.
There was a limited number of theater screens available across the country; if one movie secured more, the others naturally got less.
It was a cutthroat, zero-sum game.
‘Is Shaye trying to get my opinion on the release date?’ Kevin wondered internally.
“The few movies currently showing aren’t a threat, but the upcoming Halloween window is going to be a bloodbath for horror films,” Shaye said, cutting straight to the chase.
“Kevin, I need you to go on a promotional tour across various university campuses.”
“No problem,” Kevin agreed without hesitation.
With that settled, they immediately launched into a detailed discussion.
The promotional tour was scheduled to kick off the day before Halloween, with the first stop being the theater right next to Kevin’s alma mater, the University of Southern California.
But before then, a proper marketing push was absolutely essential.
…
The next morning, Kevin woke up, bought a stack of newspapers at the hotel entrance, and returned to his room to read the critics’ reviews.
“A genius director’s masterpiece.
This Halloween, it is a superb work you absolutely cannot miss.
In this film, you will witness how Jigsaw, acting in the name of God, punishes those who do not cherish the gift of life…”
“The most worthwhile horror film of the year.
I guarantee, on my reputation, that this will become an even greater classic than The Silence of the Lambs, which was released earlier this February.
You will absolutely regret missing it.”
Kevin smiled slightly.
The Silence of the Lambs was produced on a budget of around $1 million, which was even lower than Saw’s investment.
T/N: Ah, Chinese web novel authors—always playing fast and loose with the numbers.
In reality, The Silence of the Lambs had a production budget of $19 million.
The author clearly slashed it to $1 million just to make the protagonist look better.
But alas, what can this poor translator do?
I have translated the text exactly as written to preserve this so-called “originality”!
However, its promotion and distribution costs were likely similar to his own.
Some people naively believed that a good movie was naturally guaranteed a good box office.
But in Kevin’s opinion, that was pure nonsense.
The Shawshank Redemption was a timeless classic, right?
Yet, with an investment of $25 million, it barely managed to scrape together $16 million at the box office.
In the end, it only managed to make a comeback through word of mouth, slowly recouping its costs years later in the home video market.