Zenith of Desire: The Hollywood Incubus

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*****

She felt curious about the opulence of the wedding, which Miranda described in vivid detail, highlighting the luxurious decorations, the extravagant venue, and the exciting atmosphere that was going to have. It became clear that Miranda felt a sense of loss over her friend’s absence. She was also supposed to be one of the bridesmaids. The wedding represented a celebration of love and an opportunity for her friend to experience the grandeur and richness of the wedding surrounding the very top of social elites.

The following morning, Frank and Kris boarded a flight to Hawaii for a long, well-deserved honeymoon.

As November bled into December, the holiday season rapidly approached. Christmas was coming.

And with it, the release of *The Sixth Sense*.

The marketing machine of Miramax, supercharged by the viral explosion of Marvin’s basketball fame, shifted into overdrive.

The studio saturated the airwaves, the television networks, and the print media with a relentless propaganda campaign.

*”Genius Marvin Meyers’ highly anticipated, self-written, and starring film, ’The Sixth Sense,’ will unleash in theaters nationwide on the eve of Christmas, December 22nd.”*

*”Visionary director M. Night Shyamalan publicly states that young Marvin’s dramatic acting skills in this picture reach the level of a seasoned Oscar-winning veteran.”*

*”After the heartwarming success of ’The Parent Trap,’ the prodigy Marvin Meyers pivots sharply to create a horror film. Will he continue his unprecedented streak of success? Let us wait and see.”*

*”Action superstar Bruce Willis declares this is a psychological horror film completely different from all previous horror films, promising it will leave a deep, permanent, lingering impression on all audiences.”*

The propaganda spread like wildfire across the country and the world.

Simultaneously, the music world experienced its own Marvin-induced earthquake. The NBA officially secured the song ”Unstoppable,” which Marvin composed and performed live at the Lakers’ home court. It now served as the league’s primary promotional anthem and the official background music for every Lakers home game at the Staples Center.

It brought a hefty cheque to Marvin’s account, which he then reinvested into Yahoo.

The studio version of the track, rapidly produced and released as a commercial single by Wolf Cousins/Columbia, dominated the major radio stations.

*”Unstoppable”* acted as a thumping pop-anthem that Sia originally released in 2016 in the old timeline. To the musical landscape of late 1998, it sounded completely alien and entirely ahead of its time.

It sounded different from the grunge, bubblegum pop, and R&B currently making up mainstream music. The super-rhythm of the driving bassline felt addictive. Coupled with the sweeping orchestral accompaniment and Marvin’s exceptional, soaring vocal range with magic, the song made people’s blood boil with adrenaline.

Furthermore, the creation process of the single—written on a bank check during a basketball game, inspired by a Kobe Bryant dunk—made the track culturally irresistible.

The combination of all these explosive factors propelled ”Unstoppable” up the charts at a record-breaking speed. It almost instantly became a mandatory, high-energy track played in major bars, dance halls, and discos across the globe. It steadily climbed the ranks of the Billboard Hot 100, cementing Marvin’s status as a dual-threat titan in film and music.

The inescapable popularity of the song naturally brought more mainstream attention directly back to Marvin, setting the stage for his upcoming movie premiere perfectly.

Despite the musical success, Marvin remained focused on the literary publishing market.

A lucrative piece of the board remained missing. There was yet to be any mention of a *Harry Potter* book in the traditional market of either the USA or the UK. He scheduled the official release of his own version of the *Harry Potter* saga soon.

The delay gave him a mild headache. Where exactly was J.K. Rowling in this world? Why hadn’t she, or anyone else, come out with the original manuscript yet? He delayed his own publication specifically, patiently waiting for her to launch it, solely so his legal team could instantly sue her and her publishers into the ground for copyright infringement, crushing the competition while securing the billion-dollar IP rights in open court of money. But the enemy refused to show their face on the battlefield.

He filed the problem away in his mind. He would launch his own version by the spring if she didn’t surface soon.

After wrapping up the emotional duties of Frank’s wedding, the family returned to the sprawling Los Angeles estate. Marvin and a well-rested Amy immediately threw themselves into the daily promotion of *The Sixth Sense*.

The fact that Miramax began expensive press junkets and promotional tours far in advance of the Christmas release clearly showed the Weinstein brothers believed they held something truly great.

At the end of the day, the math of the Hollywood box office remained simple. It relied entirely on the raw number of average people consciously—subconsciously aware the film existed. Once the marketing push ensured people knew about the film, opening weekend numbers came down entirely to critical reviews and resulting word-of-mouth recommendations.

Not to mention, the studio relied heavily on the combined star power of the leads.

Bruce Willis possessed undeniable global appeal with the adult, action-loving demographic. Marvin’s appeal felt remarkably similar in scale, but focused on younger demographics especially captivated millions of teenage girls and young women who automatically flocked to anything he touched.

People who eagerly booked advanced tickets did so primarily because of the intense likability of the actors or the growing reputation of the young writer. In 1998, the era of the movie star still reigned. It had not yet become the era of massive intellectual property, where a recognizable brand name like Marvel or Star Wars automatically attracted a billion-dollar audience regardless of the cast.

The original *Harry Potter* films and *The Lord of the Rings* trilogy represented the two cultural series that would eventually start the shift toward IP dominance. They utilized relatively unknown casts rocking the movie world to its core purely on the strength of the brand.

Sadly for Miramax, those defining, franchise-driven eras remained a year or two away. Now, they could only rely on star power to attract the initial audiences. After the opening Friday, the film’s legs depended entirely on word of mouth.

---

Romeo Elliot operated as a veteran journalist working the entertainment beat for the *New York Post*, one of the most popular, widely read media outlets in the United States. He usually covered the film and television review section entirely because it meant he watched movies in air-conditioned theaters for free, actually got paid a decent salary to complain about them in print, and not to mention the studio ’gifts.’ For a natural pessimist, it couldn’t get any better.

Currently, he sat in a designated press row in a Philadelphia theater. He waited for the exclusive advance press screening of Bruce Willis and Marvin Meyers’ highly secretive new project, *The Sixth Sense*.

To be honest, Romeo didn’t expect the movie to be good.

Bruce Willis remained a serviceable action star, but an average dramatic actor at best. A slow-burn movie starring the *Die Hard* guy supposedly lacking heavy machine guns, explosions, or terrorists taking over a building?

Romeo disliked Bruce playing a serious therapist. That bias functioned as a well-known running joke among his editorial colleagues.

But he still planned to watch the movie and write the review, primarily because Miramax paid for his free, first-class flight tickets to Philly, and he got some gifts.. He looked forward to bragging in his column about exactly why the pretentious, child-written movie sucked.

The film stood a full week away from its red-carpet premiere, and one and a half weeks away from its wide holiday release.

That logistical detail made Romeo rethink his stance slightly. Usually, movie studios didn’t hold open media screenings so far in advance if internal test audiences indicated the movie represented a slow, boring disaster.

A nearly two-week advance screening meant the secret test audiences genuinely liked what they saw. It meant the studio felt confident.

They wanted to use glowing press reviews to build a publicity tour involving the actors doing media interviews in advance of opening day.

That corporate confidence filled Romeo with curiosity about the picture. It must be above average, at the very least, for a notoriously stingy studio like Miramax to invest in a massive advance press push like this. Not to mention, Marvin Meyers himself wrote the script. Even if the genius kid only had one family-friendly movie under his belt, Romeo genuinely liked reading Marvin’s bestselling sci-fi book.

Curbing his biting enthusiasm for a flop, Romeo made his way inside the grand screening hall, flashing his press badge. Near the front rows, he spotted Bruce Willis talking quietly with Marvin.

Romeo sat down in his assigned aisle seat while keeping a trained eye out for the kid. He saw Marvin smoothly hugging a woman looking to be in her early thirties.

Romeo checked his press packet and recognized her as Toni Collette, the Australian actress starring in the film as the young boy’s struggling mother.

After a few more minutes of the press corps filing in and finding their seats, a middle-aged PR representative stepped out in front of the massive silver screen holding a microphone.

”Hello everyone. Thank you all for coming out today to the official press screening of *The Sixth Sense*,” the man announced. His voice echoed in the large hall. ”Before we begin the projection, you must follow strict, non-negotiable rules while reviewing this movie for your publications. First of all, you cannot spoil the plot of the movie, or especially it’s ending, in your printed review, on any public forum, or on the internet. Period. If you leak the twist, we will blacklist you permanently. You will not attend any future Disney or Miramax movie screenings again. The specific plot points you are embargoed from discussing in your review will be covered in detail after the screening.”

Romeo raised an eyebrow. That felt quite a strange request for a studio to make publicly.

Usually, professional reviewers didn’t spoil major twists in thriller movies out of common courtesy to the reader and studio. However, some idiot bloggers always revealed minor points to get clicks.

”Secondly, your written review can only be officially released to the public on or after December 22nd, the movie’s wide release date,” the PR man continued.

That mandate made perfect sense. Standard industry practice ensured the general public saw the hype and reviews right when the movie actually released in theaters, keeping the opening weekend box office buzz at its peak.

”Okay, we will begin the movie now. We will take any questions regarding the embargo afterward. You will also have the scheduled chance to interview the cast members individually, and as a group, in the lobby.”

The PR man stepped away. The lights dimmed slowly until blackness pitched the theater.

Romeo settled into his seat, turning his attention to the massive screen as the opening credits started rolling.

The movie began with a quiet, intimate scene.

Dr. Malcolm Crowe, played surprisingly softly by Bruce Willis, and his beautiful wife Anna, played by Olivia Williams, sat in their elegant Philadelphia home. They talked warmly about an award Malcolm had just received from the mayor for his work in child psychology.

Their deep love and affection for each other portrayed nicely, feeling grounded and believable.

As they walked hand-in-hand into their bedroom, the very first twist of the story hit without warning.

A half-naked, trembling stranger—played by Donnie Wahlberg—stood in their bathroom, waiting in the dark for Malcolm. After hysterically, tearfully accusing Malcolm of failing him as a patient years ago, the stranger suddenly raised a gun. He shot Malcolm in the stomach, and then immediately shot himself in the head.

Romeo physically jumped in his seat. He felt instantly hooked. A hundred complex questions swirled rapidly in his head. He wanted to know what happened next.

The story took a jarring leap forward of several months. It showed Malcolm, ostensibly recovered from the traumatic bullet wound, throwing himself back into his work. He took on a deeply troubled new patient: a 9-year-old boy named Cole Sear, played by Marvin Meyers. Cole, a cute, pale little kid, rushed off down the street to a church. Malcolm followed him silently at a distance, looking uncomfortably like a stalker.

They finally talked in the pews of the church. It revealed that Cole didn’t think a doctor could actually help him, simply because most adults didn’t believe the things he said.

Malcolm noticed fresh bruises on Cole’s fragile arms. The doctor felt deeply worried the boy suffered bullying at school or physical abuse by his guardian at home.

In the next scene, the audience formally met Cole’s exhausted mother, Lynn Sear, played by Toni Collette. A sweeping panning shot showed her rushing around the kitchen, getting her son ready for school. As soon as she briefly stepped out of the frame into the bathroom to grab a towel, and then came walking back into the kitchen a second later...

*****

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