[Chapter 76: The Screening]
In a professional screening room at Universal Studios, Linton was joined by the film crew members Robert, Tim, Zack, Anne, and the editor Juliet. The Universal distribution director Levitt Gore brought several assistants and a few film critics. Considering the movie's soundtrack release, Daniel was also invited.
After watching the 97-minute film, the assistant pulled open the curtains. The entire film was basically the same as the original, but it was much more refined and visually appealing. The improvements mainly lay in several areas.
First, Linton, playing the male lead, was much more handsome than the original male lead, with a far larger fanbase and popularity.
Second, the female lead Naomi was much prettier than the original female lead, with a temperament more fitting to her character. Her figure was better -- curvier, with a slimmer waist. Her wardrobe was higher-end and more seductive.
Third, the final climactic dance scene was far better in terms of location, stage design, lighting, backup dancers, and audience atmosphere than the original.
Fourth, the film avoided some irrational scenes from the original, such as portraying a private art school with crowds packed like a public high school. Now, it depicted a truly fitting environment for a fine arts academy, with students dressed and behaving more artistically.
"Wow, wow," warm applause filled the room, likely because the quality of the movie surpassed everyone's expectations. Alongside the applause, enthusiastic praise continued.
"The screening's over, let's hear everyone's opinions," Levitt took over hosting the meeting as the head of distribution.
"Awesome! I never thought we could make such a great movie. On set, I just knew it looked good, but the final product is perfect," Zack, among the first to speak, complimented honestly.
"I agree, it's perfect. The dances are cool, completely reinventing the current Hollywood musical style. I believe it will be loved and copied by the youth," Anne said happily. She had contributed a lot to the movie's success. Furthermore, her dance troupe would gain fame, enabling them to command higher fees and even pursue film directing in the future.
"The movie is overall great, but didn't it have too little basketball? I remember we filmed a lot of basketball scenes. Sports and motivational themes can be good selling points," Tim hesitated before commenting.
"No, no, no. Step Up is first and foremost a musical, then a romance, and finally an inspiring story. Sports? Not necessary at all. There are already too many sports motivational movies; audiences are tired of them. Plus, the basketball scenes lacked innovation or star power. It's not like Michael Jordan; it won't attract viewers," Levitt cut in before Linton could reply.
"We're the only ones with a youth musical, right?" Linton asked. Tʜe source of this ᴄontent ɪs novel⸺fire.net
"You're the first to use street dance elements. Such a cool musical, combined with youth romance and inspiration, should appeal to teenagers. But we still need to watch market responses. Nobody can fully predict audiences' tastes," Levitt threw the question to the film critics.
Present were four film critics of different age groups: a woman in her twenties, a man in his thirties, a man in his forties, and a man in his fifties.
Their opinions varied greatly. The youngest female critic gave an A+ (the highest grade), the 30-something critic gave A-, the 40-something gave B+, and the oldest gave B-.
Seeing the ratings, Linton and Robert breathed a sigh of relief; it seemed the film had targeted the right audience.
"Emily, why did you give an A+? What's your reason?" Levitt asked.
"This is the first truly cool youth idol movie I've seen. The dances totally overturn traditional Hollywood musicals. The music is fantastic. Watching it, I felt my soul dancing along -- I wanted to get up and dance immediately. Unlike other stiff and fake films, this one felt free and unrestrained, with hot, passionate dances that delighted the eyes...."
"Okay, okay, you're not writing a review, just hit the key points," Levitt interrupted.
"The key point is this movie will definitely win over teen audiences. With targeted promotion and a good release window, plus Linton's charm and fanbase, as well as the beautiful female leads, it's sure to attract both young guys and girls. The box office will explode," Emily clearly voiced her opinion.
"Rich, why the B- from you?" Levitt turned to the oldest critic.
"Maybe it's a generation gap. Emily said the film is cool and moving, but I found it too loud and the dances too avant-garde. Although the love story is beautiful and inspiring, I just don't like it. But I'll encourage my grandson to watch it," Rich explained.
The other two middle-aged critics shared similar views: the film suited younger viewers better, and interest decreased with age.
Levitt was greatly satisfied with the screening results. Initially, he thought it was just a favor to Daniel or a business deal, but it turned out Linton really had skills. It looked like the film had a strong chance of success. Still, to be cautious, they planned a few audience test screenings to observe real reactions before deciding the distribution strategy.
"There's no need to modify the film. Everyone has shared their views, and personally, I'm optimistic. The target audience is clear: teenagers. So we have to schedule the release for the summer," Levitt said.
"It's early June now. Considering the rating process, promotion, audience screenings, theater negotiations, production and duplication, let's aim for early August. Universal doesn't have major releases scheduled then," he continued. "But the exact strategy depends on test screening results and theater reps' feedback."
"Locke, Broad, arrange test screenings in New York, Chicago, San Francisco, Houston ASAP. Skip Los Angeles though; people there just went through riots and are not in the mood for movies. Invite over 80% teenagers, but be careful that no more than 30% are Linton's fans. Send me the survey results right after," Levitt instructed.
"Got it," his two assistants nodded.
"Daniel, can the soundtrack release be synchronized?" Levitt asked.
"No problem. We're ready and just waiting for your release date confirmation," Daniel replied confidently. Having watched the film and heard its superb musical score, he was more confident than ever about the soundtrack's success.
Lisa completed the official soundtrack album for Step Up. Universal Music was optimistic and started manufacturing 5 million copies for the first batch.
"Great. Since the movie will come out early August, your label will coordinate promotion, right? B What You Wanna B is the lead track," Levitt confirmed.
"Exactly. Once you confirm the release date, we'll launch joint promotion and distribution," Daniel nodded.
"Perfect, let's combine our efforts."
"When selling the soundtrack, I want to include movie posters featuring Linton and Naomi together. I want to pick the best shot," Daniel said.
"Sure, no problem. You can choose any posters you want," Levitt agreed.
Being part of the same company and working on this movie project was a win-win situation. Their communication was smooth and positive.
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