New York, Staten Island.
In a white wooden villa nestled in the suburbs, the Ericson family was gathered together, roaring with laughter in front of the TV.
They were die-hard fans of Late Night with Conan O'Brien.
Illya Ericson, age forty, was a cosmetic surgeon. Like a dentist, he was among the high-income professionals.
Shaking his head as he chuckled, he said, "That District 9 really has me curious. We should go watch it together as a family when it comes out."
"I wanna see Iron Man! Let's go watch Iron Man!" yelled sixteen-year-old Tony, waving around his toy Iron Man gauntlet.
"We already saw Iron Man," Illya reminded him, frowning.
"But I wanna watch it again!" Tony insisted, striking a pose with his palm raised as if firing a laser. "Biubiubiu!"
His older sister, eighteen-year-old Lilith, rolled her eyes. "Idiot. You're sixteen, not six. Grow up and play something more age-appropriate instead of acting like a total moron."
Tony shot back, indignant, "Age-appropriate? Like you dating every guy on campus?"
"What?! I do not date everyone!" Lilith snapped, flustered.
"Hah! I saw you yesterday, riding on Baller's motorcycle!" Tony grinned smugly.
"That was Baller! The captain of the football team! I'm going out with him—so what? Everyone's jealous of me!" Lilith said proudly, standing up.
"Oh wow, Baller, huh? That's such a sweet nickname. So, have you two slept together yet? Don't forget, he's a total player. Even I've heard he's slept with the entire cheerleading squad!"
"What did you just say?! You little brat, shut up!"
"I won't! My sister got played by Baller! Haha, my sister got played by—"
"Silence!" Illya Ericson roared.
"Tony, don't talk about your sister like that."
"Yeah, shut up!" Lilith huffed with a smug grin.
"You too—shut it. Starting tomorrow, you're breaking up with that Baller guy. If I hear even a whisper that you're still seeing that little punk, I'll break both his legs myself."
"Ha! Shut it!" Tony echoed triumphantly.
Illya turned to his wife. "Maggie, starting tomorrow, I need you to drive Lilith to and from school. I don't want her getting played by some womanizing punk."
Lilith's eyes went wide. "That's not fair!"
"Fair? We can talk about fair when you stop living under my roof, eating my food, and spending my money!"
Family drama ? Just another day in many American households.
But let's shift our attention back to District 9.
After the Late Night with Conan segment aired, more and more people became interested in the film.
Online, the buzz was exploding.
"Hey folks, did anyone watch last night's Conan episode? Martin and Robert were hilarious—I have to see District 9 now."
"I've been waiting for this movie forever. When's it finally coming out?"
"Dude above, have you not seen the news? It's less than a week away. Pre-sales already started!"
"127 Hours proved Martin's skills as a director. But since that was a biopic, Iron Man's box office success is what really shows he can dominate the commercial scene. Now with District 9, I'm dying to see what kind of story he's crafted."
"Meyers Gang assemble! It's time to make our move—remember to use our group discount! The Movie Fans Association has a ticket-buying network. Each ticket can save you ten bucks. This is Martin's way of giving back to his loyal fans!"
"How do I join you guys?"
"Me too! I want to be a member!"
"Click the link above—it'll take you to our official Meyers Gang website. Just follow the steps to sign up."
June 15.Los Angeles, Grand Theatre.
The premiere of District 9 was underway.
Martin and Robert stood at a second-floor window, watching the long stream of guests pouring into the theater below.
Robertlooked out at the crowd, all smiles and anticipation, then grinned mischievously. "Man, I really hope they're still smiling after they've seen the movie. hehehe."
Martin laughed. "HAHAHA!."
Robert shot him a look. "Sometimes I seriously wonder if you're doing this on purpose, just to satisfy your twisted sense of humor."
Martin widened his eyes. "Come on! Do I look like the type?"
"Blugh~!" Robert made a gagging noise.
The lights dimmed. The screen lit up.
The film was about to begin.
Leonardo sat next to Robert, glancing at his friend's face. There was something odd about that smile—like he was waiting for something... or maybe watching someone walk into a trap.
So Leo asked, "What are you smiling about?"
Instead of answering, Robert countered, "Where's your little girlfriend?"
"Oh, we broke up again. Taking some time apart."
"Got it." Robert nodded casually.
Ever since that night at Donny's party, those two had been breaking up and making up so many times, no one was keeping count anymore. One fight and they'd break up. Two days later, back together. Again and again.
At first, Martin and the others would try to comfort him. Now, they barely reacted.
What did bug Robert, though, was: "Too bad your girl's missing out on one hell of a healing film."
"Really?" Leonardo wasn't convinced. "If it's that good, I'll recommend it to her."
He was so used to the constant breakups with Blake that it barely even registered anymore.
By now, the theater was packed to capacity—all 2,000 seats filled.
Clearly, the combined star power of Martin Meyers and Robert Downey Jr. was a force to be reckoned with.
People had popcorn in their laps, soda in hand. Some leaned over to whisper to their friends.
"Dude, have you seen the alien design? I feel movie might actually be a comedy."
"I thought it was a sci-fi horror?"
"Horror can still be funny, right?"
"Maybe, but I heard it deals with ghettos and racism. That doesn't sound very funny. I came mentally prepared for something heavy."
"I think it's going to be emotional. I brought a whole bag of tissues."
"Shhh! It's starting."
The commercials ended.