Superstar in Hollywood

🎬 PART OF THE FANTASTIC FEST VLOG

The recording began inside one of the hotel rooms.

Owen appeared in front of the camera first, already completely dressed for the night.

He looked at his watch, "We have... twenty minutes before we leave for the red carpet," he said, then looked back at the lens.

"I've been ready for ten. Now I'm waiting for Jenna and, when she's done, we'll meet up with the others," he added, making a small gesture with his head for Ryan to follow him.

He crossed the room until he stopped in front of a closed door.

"Jenn," Owen called, pressing an ear closer.

"Yes?" Jenna's muffled voice could be heard from the other side.

"How much longer?" Owen asked.

There was a second of silence and then the answer came, "Almost done."

Owen remained still for a few seconds.

Then he slowly turned toward the camera, "She said exactly the same thing five minutes ago," he murmured, shaking his head as he moved slightly away from the door.

"But I learned a long time ago that it's better not to rush her. Not because I'm scared. It's just that, if you ask too much, she mysteriously takes even longer. Like they do it on purpose to make you suffer for trying to hurry them up."

Jenna's voice immediately came from the other side of the door, "I can hear you, expert on female behavior."

Owen stopped. He looked directly at the camera. A small smile appeared on his face.

Ryan let out a laugh from behind the lens and at that exact moment the doorbell rang.

Owen turned toward the entrance, "That must be someone who actually finished on time," he commented.

He walked to the door with the camera following him and opened it.

Matt and Maya were on the other side. Both already dressed and ready for the premiere.

"Hey," Owen greeted them.

Matt slightly opened his arms, as if he were waiting for an evaluation, "What do you think?"

Owen looked over his suit for a second, "Good. Not too formal, not too casual," he finally replied.

Matt immediately smiled, as if he had just gotten exactly the answer he wanted, "Perfect."

He and Maya entered the room and Owen closed the door behind them.

Matt looked around, "Is Jenna ready yet?"

The question came out with enough suspicion for Owen to understand perfectly what he meant.

"Almost done," Owen replied.

They had to wait another five minutes.

Finally, the door opened and Jenna appeared completely ready.

Shortly afterward, the five of them left the room.

They had agreed to meet the others in one of the hotel's common areas before leaving together.

When they arrived, almost everyone was already there.

Anya was completely ready for the premiere, accompanied by Yoshi. Eric, Tyler, Curry, and Cooper were there as well.

The only ones missing were Elizabeth and Sarah.

The greetings this time were much more informal.

After spending practically the entire trip together, there wasn't much point in formally greeting each other every time they saw one another.

Eric stood there looking at the group for a few seconds. He looked several of them up and down. Finally, he turned toward the camera, "We've leveled up, people."

Curry frowned, "In what?" he asked.

"Outfits," Eric replied.

He had been with the group at Sundance, Cannes, and even the Oscars.

Owen looked almost offended, "You're only saying that because you wore the same jacket at Sundance and Cannes and finally bought a new one," he shot back.

Several laughs immediately broke out.

"That has nothing to do with it," Eric defended himself.

Tyler looked at him with fake contempt, "Don't lump all of us together."

Eric slowly turned toward him, "You're not exactly the right person to talk."

Matt, who had been watching them, raised a hand, "We could have an outfit competition," he commented.

The suggestion got everyone's attention.

"Who decides?" Curry asked, immediately interested.

Matt pointed directly at the camera, "Them."

Ryan moved the lens slightly.

"The audience?" Yoshua asked.

"Exactly. Owen can leave a comment with each person's name under the video. Whichever comment gets the most likes wins," Matt replied, saying the first thing that came to mind.

Anya crossed her arms and stepped a little closer, "And what does the winner get?"

"That," Jenna added, "We need a prize."

Matt thought for a second and finally said, "The recognition of the public."

No one responded.

Matt looked around, "No?"

"That's not a prize," Tyler said.

"It's prestige," Matt replied.

"It's still not a prize," Tyler said with a grimace. He agreed with letting people vote, but the winner should get something more tangible.

Maya raised a hand, "I have an idea."

Everyone looked at her.

"We all put in a hundred dollars. The winner takes the pot," Maya explained.

That did change several expressions.

Curry started doing the math in his head, "If we all participate... that would be twelve hundred dollars."

"Exactly," Maya nodded.

A smile slowly appeared on Curry's face as he stroked his chin, "Interesting. Very interesting."

That was more money than one of the short films on his channel had cost him.

Although, of course, the competition was tough. He was going up against Jenna Ortega, Anya Taylor, Owen Ashford... when it came to outfits.

"Wait a second. What about Ryan?" Matt commented, looking at the camera.

Everyone looked at the lens.

"Poor Ryan!" Cooper exclaimed between laughs.

Maya raised a hand toward the camera, "Sorry, Ryan!"

Ryan laughed from behind the camera, "It's fine. I'm in."

He knew he wouldn't win, but at least he could participate. For a hundred dollars, it was worth it.

"Then thirteen hundred," Curry corrected immediately.

"I don't know..." Owen said doubtfully.

Everyone turned toward him.

Jenna raised an eyebrow, "Afraid of losing a hundred dollars?" she asked.

Her tone was far too provocative to be accidental.

Owen looked at her.

Tyler immediately took advantage of the opportunity, "This guy spends millions without blinking to make a movie and now he's afraid to bet a hundred dollars on an outfit contest. Incredible."

"I'm not afraid of losing a hundred dollars," Owen replied. "But the odds of me winning are pretty low."

"Explain," Tyler asked, now genuinely interested.

Owen gestured toward the men in the group.

"Look at us. We're all wearing some variation of the same thing. Dark suit, white, gray, or black shirt, with or without a tie. We can change a few details, but visually there isn't that much difference."

Then he pointed toward Jenna, Maya, and Anya and added, "They have a lot more freedom. Completely different dresses, colors, designs, accessories... If people are going to vote for whichever outfit catches their attention the most, one of the girls will probably win."

There was a brief silence.

Joshua looked at Eric.

Eric looked at Tyler.

Tyler looked at Matt.

Matt looked at Curry.

Curry lowered his gaze toward his own suit.

Unfortunately, Owen had a point.

Jenna narrowed her eyes, "Chicken, McFly?"

Ryan slightly shifted the camera toward Owen, making sure absolutely none of this was left out of the vlog.

"Of course not," Owen replied. "But if I know I'm going to lose, I'm not stupid either."

Jenna immediately realized that provoking him that way wasn't going to work.

So she changed strategies.

"Look at it as content for the vlog. For a hundred dollars, we get something exciting for the video," she said sweetly.

Owen thought about it. That actually made sense. "Let's bet."

Matt gave a small smile, "She knows you, man."

Owen decided to ignore him.

It was right then that Elizabeth and Sarah appeared, the only two who were still missing.

For a few seconds, the competition was completely forgotten.

All eyes went to Sarah, specifically to her pink dress.

It was striking enough to stand out immediately among all the dark, elegant tones of the group.

But it wasn't ridiculous.

That had been the problem.

Sarah had managed to take the punishment from the bet and turn it into a genuinely elegant, modern dress that was perfectly suited for a red carpet.

Ryan slowly moved the camera to capture Sarah first and then the reactions of the others.

Anya was one of the first to approach, "You look beautiful," she praised her with a smile.

"Yeah, it looks amazing on you," Maya added, surprised.

Jenna nodded as she looked at the dress, "You definitely made it work."

"Thanks," Sarah said with a wide smile.

Then she looked for Owen. Her smile became a little more triumphant, "I kept my promise. Happy?"

Owen stared at her for a few seconds. Finally, he made a small grimace and muttered, "That's not exactly what I had in mind."

The laughter came immediately.

Sarah smiled even more. She had followed the rules. The fact that she also looked good wasn't her problem.

When they explained that they had just organized an outfit competition for a cash prize, she didn't even need to think about it.

"I'm in."

With that dress, in fact, her chances had just increased considerably.

Elizabeth agreed too. She had no intention of becoming the boring adult of the group who refused to participate over a hundred dollars.

And just like that, the vlog suddenly turned into an improvised runway.

One by one, they began stepping in front of the camera.

It was no longer enough to simply show off the outfit. Several of them, like Tyler, Eric, and Maya, tried to convince the audience.

Seeing their shamelessness, Owen decided to use the same approach, "If you vote for me, I promise I'll upload more videos to the Second Take Films channel."

…

That part of the vlog ended up becoming one of the most talked-about.

Especially because of the improvised outfit competition.

Owen had done exactly what he promised.

From the Second Take Films account, they left thirteen separate comments, one with the name of each participant, while above all of them there was a pinned comment explaining something quite simple:

@SecondTakeFilms:

OFFICIAL VOTE.

Like the comment with the name of whoever you think had the best outfit. There can only be one winner.

Below were the thirteen names.

After almost a week and nearly thirty million views, the audience had taken it considerably more seriously than expected.

Between the thirteen comments, they had already accumulated more than 2.5 million likes.

The podium was starting to become pretty clear.

1. Sarah.

2. Owen.

3. Jenna.

@SecondTakeFilms:

Sarah

👍 492,000 | 💬 8,731 replies

Sarah wasn't even close to being the most famous person in the group.

It didn't matter.

People had perfectly understood that this wasn't a popularity contest. It was about the outfits. Hers had been impossible to ignore, and it already had an entire story behind it.

The replies were practically celebrating her victory before the voting had even ended.

@Hanakmons:

This isn't even close. She turned a punishment into the best outfit

@maddieslee11:

sorry Sarah, your brother looks really good and I want more content

@McFlorden:

VOTE SARAH. RESIST THE OWEN BRIBERY.

@camileSM5nx:

she looks beautiful, she deserves to win! No to bribes!

@Dianaffecup:

I'm literally a Jenna fan and still voted Sarah. That dress won.

@ciacarrete87:

The fact that we had to wait months for the payoff to this bet makes it even better.

A little further down was Owen. To the frustration of several members of the group, his campaign had worked.

@SecondTakeFilms:

Owen

👍 447,000 | 💬 11,284 replies

It was the comment with the most replies out of all thirteen. Not necessarily because everyone wanted to vote for him.

But because half the internet was still arguing over whether promising new Second Take Films videos could be considered cheating.

@Danzanderx:

Vote for him. We need those videos.

@luadmoShells:

NO. Don't let him buy your vote.

@MichaisnotHJ:

I have no principles when extra Second Take content is involved.

@nosydetective22:

Sarah is winning fair and square. Stay strong.

Third place belonged to Jenna.

@SecondTakeFilms:

Jenna

👍 396,000 | 💬 6,419 replies

Her comment had less chaos. But probably the most organized fandom.

@jennafiles:

EVERYONE REPORT FOR DUTY.

@ortegaupdates:

She waited those extra five minutes and it was worth it.

@emilyroseFG:

Owen spent half the video complaining about how long she took just for her to walk out looking like that.

@lucy67:

"Almost done" was justified.

@wizardweinerr:

I voted Sarah but Jenna absolutely deserves top 3.

@itsmaggie2534:

Imagine losing because Owen promised people YouTube videos 😭

Much further down was one of the comments that had developed a completely different dynamic.

@SecondTakeFilms:

Ryan

👍 41,000 | 💬 3,862 replies

It was one of the lowest-ranked entries. Its replies seemed to act as if Ryan were a candidate forgotten by the system.

@bobgamess:

Justice for the man filming literally everyone else's outfits.

@SiPawScreentiem:

DON'T FORGET RYAN.

@Michaelparreira:

He can't even properly show us his outfit because he's holding the camera

@ryanwoodsfilm1:

Thank you to my 41,000 loyal supporters.

@AnneSchenoff:

Ryan going from almost being excluded from the competition to having an actual campaign is my favorite subplot.

…

@DiscussingFilm:

Reactions after the first screening of Lights Out at Fantastic Fest.

The film received a strong ovation at the end of its premiere.

🎬 CLIP — 1:16

Ryan, who hadn't been filming up to that point, turned on the camera and began slowly moving it toward the group.

The opening credits of Lights Out were still appearing on screen while applause filled the theater.

Some people had even stood up.

Ryan then focused on Matt, who hugged Anya, then Sarah and Elizabeth, and finally Yoshua.

Several members of the crew also approached, including the cinematographer, while Tyler and Eric appeared a little farther back, applauding and waiting for their turn.

Even Jason Blum made his way over to Matt. He gave him a short, firm hug, accompanied by a couple of pats on the back.

Ryan then turned the camera. He focused on Owen, who was standing nearby.

Owen was applauding. The theater lights had already started coming on, making his expression perfectly visible: a faint, satisfied smile at both the movie and the audience's reaction.

He noticed the lens and looked at it.

"Friday, October 6. In theaters," Owen said.

A counter immediately appeared at the bottom of the screen.

RELEASE DATE MENTIONS: 9

Owen vaguely pointed toward the theater, "Come watch it and decide for yourselves if these people are exaggerating."

Ryan let out a laugh from behind the camera.

It had already become a running joke during the trip.

Owen, Matt, Tyler, and Eric had discovered that any moment was a good opportunity to remind people that Lights Out was coming to theaters on October 6.

At the airport.

At the hotel.

During a meal.

Even before walking into the premiere.

Whenever they could, without the slightest bit of shame.

Jenna, who was still applauding beside him, looked first at Owen and then at the camera.

"This time I'm with him. It was an excellent horror movie that you absolutely have to see on October 6."

RELEASE DATE MENTIONS: 10

She wasn't saying it just to go along with the promotion.

Jenna genuinely liked the genre.

Lights Out had managed to keep her entertained, build tension, make the scares work, and, above all, create characters good enough for her to care about what happened to them.

It wasn't a masterpiece. It didn't need to be.

Most horror movies weren't trying to become the movie of the decade.

The camera then moved toward Curry and Cooper.

Both immediately noticed they were being filmed.

Cooper raised one hand and formed a circle with his thumb and index finger, leaving the other three fingers extended.

He didn't add anything. He didn't need to.

Curry, on the other hand, raised both palms, "It's horror cinema, people. You have to go see it on October sixth," he said solemnly.

RELEASE DATE MENTIONS: 11

Finally, Ryan pointed the camera toward Maya. She was applauding harder than almost everyone else. But she wasn't even looking at the screen.

She was looking at Matt.

The director was still one row ahead, receiving hugs, congratulations, and pats on the back from practically anyone who managed to get close to him.

Maya was smiling widely.

Matt finally turned around. His eyes found the group. Then the camera, and that was exactly where the clip ended.

💬 Comments:

@sebastiandelgado942:

Jason Blum with the two pats on the back. That's the cinematic equivalent of "well done, son."

@lennaS11:

Anya being one of the first to hug Matt 🥹

@Theultramadman:

Sarah + Elizabeth + Yoshua lining up to hug Matt is too cute.

@Dankay7:

Theater: 👏👏👏👏👏

Owen: OCTOBER 6 IN THEATERS.

@madisonwatkins:

Owen doesn't need a marketing department. He IS the marketing department.

@finchbreak-mk2:

Jenna joining the publicity XD

@horrifiedbread9 (replying to @finchbreak):

Curry too lmao

@robson-l7l:

At some point this stopped being promotion and turned into a competition to see who could mention the date the most times.

…

Another fairly talked-about part of the vlog happened during the party after the premiere.

The celebration following the first day of Fantastic Fest had brought together a large number of the guests, actors, directors, and crews who would be present over the following days.

That was where Owen ran into Peter Dinklage.

The actor who had brought Tyrion Lannister to life in Game of Thrones.

Peter was in Austin because one of his new movies, The Toxic Avenger, was part of the festival lineup.

He had agreed to appear in the vlog.

It wasn't exactly a meeting between strangers.

Owen and Peter already knew each other.

They had spent time together during the filming of The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes, where Owen had played an important supporting role.

The difference was that the Owen who had arrived on that set had only a fraction of the fame he had now.

@hollywoodfiles9:

Owen Ashford reunites with Peter Dinklage during the Fantastic Fest opening party.

The two worked together on The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes

🎬 CLIP — 0:47

The video began with Owen, Matt, and part of the group walking through the crowd while Ryan followed them, filming the conversation.

Suddenly, a voice came from the side.

"Owen."

Owen stopped and turned around. He recognized the person immediately, "Peter," he said with a slight smile.

Ryan noticed the movement and kept the camera on both of them, staying still. He knew how to recognize when good material for the vlog had just appeared.

"It's been a while," Peter said as he approached.

Then he smiled a little more, "Good movie, by the way."

Owen raised his eyebrows slightly, "You were there?"

The question came out almost by reflex.

"Yeah," Peter replied. "It made me jump more than once."

Owen let out a small laugh. That was when Peter finally noticed the camera.

He looked at it for a second.

"Is this one of those famous vlogs now? Am I appearing in one?"

"Yeah," Owen replied. "But if you don't want to be in it, we'll cut it."

Peter shook his head, "No, it's fine."

Owen nodded with a smile, "The Toxic Avenger premieres tomorrow, right?"

"Yeah. At six in the evening," Peter replied. "I hope to see you there."

"Definitely," Owen replied, "I won't be going alone. We already have that movie pretty high on our list of things we want to see."

Peter smiled, satisfied, "Then I hope it lives up to expectations."

"After today, now you're the one under pressure," Owen joked.

Peter laughed and that was exactly where the clip ended.

…

But that wasn't Peter's only appearance in the vlog.

During the party, he ended up staying with the group for much longer than anyone expected.

That had consequences.

It took Matt, Tyler, Curry, and Cooper a few minutes to behave like normal people.

It didn't help that several of them had watched Game of Thrones for years.

Or that Tyrion Lannister was now drinking with them as if it were a perfectly ordinary thing.

At some point during the night, Tyler also had the brilliant idea of turning shots into a competition.

No one would later remember with absolute certainty who had suggested it.

Everyone agreed on one thing, however.

Tyler had made a mistake.

A fairly serious one.

Another fragment of the vlog became very popular on social media.

@PopCrave:

Tyler Kline, a friend and frequent collaborator of Owen Ashford, didn't end up doing too well after trying to compete with Peter Dinklage during the Fantastic Fest opening party.

🎬 CLIP — 0:39

The recording began inside one of the hotel bathrooms. It was already past three in the morning.

This time, Ryan wasn't behind the camera.

It was Owen.

He was filming with his phone in selfie mode, holding it in front of himself while trying to maintain a remotely serious expression.

Behind him, Tyler could be seen leaning over the toilet.

Eric was beside him, slowly patting him on the back.

Matt remained half-crouched next to them. He looked up at Owen.

Matt had the overly relaxed and happy expression of someone who had definitely been drinking.

"Are we seriously going to film our friend while he's throwing up?" he asked.

Owen looked at the camera, then turned the phone slightly toward Tyler.

"Tyler, do you mind if we film this?"

Tyler didn't lift his head. He simply raised one hand and gave a thumbs-up, "If it's for the content... it's worth it," he said.

As soon as he finished the sentence, he leaned over again.

"Uagh—"

Eric kept patting him on the back, "That's what you get for trying to compete with Tyrion fucking Lannister in a drinking contest," he commented disapprovingly.

Owen and Matt burst out laughing. Even Tyler seemed to try to laugh. It didn't work out too well.

There were a few seconds of silence.

Then Owen looked back at the camera, "October sixth," he said.

Matt reacted immediately, "That's it! October sixth!" he said enthusiastically.

He raised both hands and tried to form a six with his fingers. He didn't get it right on the first try.

Owen started laughing again.

"Even drunk, you guys don't stop promoting the movie," Eric said, looking at them for a moment.

From the toilet, Tyler's weak voice could be heard, "Go see it..."

Owen slowly turned the camera toward him.

"Professional to the very end," Owen commented, and the clip ended there.

💬 Comments:

@Ieri_Anna:

"If it's for the content... it's worth it" while he's hugging a toilet is a level of professional commitment we did not need.

@AngeloPDS2:

Eric with disappointed dad energy while patting him on the back.

@tylerarchive:

JUSTICE FOR TYLER.

@Michelledepurter2: (replying to @tylerarchive):

No, no. He chose to compete with Peter Dinklage. Let him face the consequences.

@Twatguy69:

"That's what you get for trying to compete with Tyrion fucking Lannister" is probably the best line in the entire vlog.

@yssr_17:

It's past three in the morning, they're drunk, their friend is throwing up and THEY'RE STILL promoting Lights Out.

@alessandraG1997:

Owen: "October sixth"

Matt, with two brain cells functioning: "THAT'S IT!"

@Archie5016:

"Go see it..."

TYLER PLEASE

@Ianthango:

If Lights Out makes 100M, I want us to remember that Tyler sacrificed himself for this campaign.

@Sylis:

Universal spending millions on marketing and this group getting more engagement by filming a man throwing up in a bathroom.

…

Finally, one of the clips that got quite a bit of attention came near the end of the vlog.

There wasn't an entire group making jokes, no bets, no alcohol, no meeting celebrities or anything like that.

Just Owen.

@SecondTakeNews:

Owen Ashford closes his Fantastic Fest vlog with three announcements about the immediate future of Second Take Films.

🎬 CLIP — 1:08

The camera was completely still.

It seemed to be resting on some piece of furniture inside the hotel room.

Owen was sitting on the edge of the bed, leaning slightly forward and looking directly into the lens.

For the first time in the video, there was no one else around.

"We've reached the end of the vlog," Owen said, slowly letting out a breath, "It's been a pretty eventful three days."

"If you made it this far, thank you. I know it was a long video," he added with a small smile.

He let a second pass and raised one finger, "But before we finish, I have three things to say. First. A lot of you probably already know this if you follow me on Instagram, but keep an eye on the channel on October first."

The date appeared on screen.

OCTOBER 1

"Curve, the new Second Take Films short film, premieres. Yes, finally, after all this time, another short. It's horror and Curry is directing it."

At that moment, a photograph taken during the trip itself appeared on screen.

Curry was standing between Matt and Cooper, making a completely ridiculous expression at the camera.

Owen continued as if the image didn't exist.

"Yes. The same Curry who appeared throughout this video. When he said he was a director, surprisingly, he wasn't lying. He's good."

The photograph disappeared and Owen raised a second finger, "Second. Monday, October 9."

Another date appeared on screen.

OCTOBER 9

"There'll be another new video on Second Take Films. It won't be a vlog or a short film. It'll be something different."

Owen stayed silent for two seconds, searching for the words, and finally continued, "We're going to talk about what's next for Second Take Films. Upcoming projects, some things we're already working on and others we haven't announced yet. Announcements and stuff. Including something related to Instagram reels, because from what I can see, a lot of you are still asking for them."

He didn't explain anything else. He simply raised the third finger.

"And third..."

Owen's expression became completely serious.

"October sixth."

The image cut immediately.

Black screen.

Overly dramatic music began to play.

Then, in huge letters, appeared:

OCTOBER 6

Below it, the counter appeared one last time.

RELEASE DATE MENTIONS: 18

The video ended.

The comments didn't take long to split into three pretty clear groups.

Those who were still going along with the Lights Out joke.

Those who were already waiting for Curve, and those who had decided to turn the October 9 video into the channel's next big theory.

@somekidyt516:

Sorry, I didn't quite catch it. When does Lights Out come out?

@sammysams:

I think he said something about October, but I'd have to watch the vlog again.

@boxofficeben:

If anyone doesn't know when Lights Out comes out after this vlog, that's entirely their own fault.

Curve had also generated quite a bit of interest.

Especially because it was the first new Second Take Films short film in quite some time.

@rainbowjason:

New horror short on October 1?

Perfect way to start the month.

@christineYW:

Curry was actually a director I didn't believe him XD

@Andrewcox:

A new horror short literally on the first day of October. They understand the calendar.

@matthewgms:

"When he said he was a director, surprisingly, he wasn't lying" Owen can never compliment someone normally.

@ghostpyro444:

He called him good after insulting him. That counts as affection between them.

The second announcement, however, generated much more speculation.

@sunnyGray:

OCTOBER 9?

What new projects?

The superhero movie? Finally new information?

@21donasty:

Black Mirror news? 👀

@Leolooners:

Lights Out 2 before Lights Out even comes out?

@LazyfoxWD:

"Something related to Instagram reels"

THE NEW SKETCH.

@Dandyjacoby:

FINALLY (I know it hasn't even been a month since the first one)

Even Curry ended up appearing among the replies to this tweet.

@CurryBarkley:

I love that the photo they chose to announce my directorial debut on the channel is that one.

@CooperTomlinson (replying to @CurryBarkley):

I looked good.

…

October 1 finally arrived, and at six in the evening, Curve appeared on the Second Take Films channel.

But by then, things had changed quite a bit.

The Fantastic Fest vlog, the clips that had circulated throughout the week, and the posts that followed had caused considerable growth across all of Owen's social media accounts.

On YouTube, Second Take Films had gone from 12.7 million subscribers to 13.55 million in just twelve days.

More than 850,000 new subscribers.

A huge number for the channel.

Although it wasn't exactly difficult to understand where they had come from.

The Fantastic Fest vlog alone had reached 27 million views in less than a week.

More than twice the number of subscribers the channel had when it was published. It also hadn't been one of those videos that got millions of views and then disappeared.

It had too many moments that could be clipped and reposted on TikTok, Instagram, and X accounts. Owen didn't mind them appearing on accounts that weren't his. They worked as advertising and constantly brought new people back to the original video.

Instagram had grown even more. During that same period, Owen gained almost 1.2 million followers.

His account went from a little over 22 million to approximately 23.3 million.

Fantastic Fest had provided a large part of that boost.

But Owen had also posted a carousel of photos from the festival that ended up surpassing six million likes.

Then, on September 28, he made another post. Photos from France at the fashion show with Jenna.

Growth on X had been smaller, although still considerable.

His account finally passed nine million followers.

All of that had an additional consequence.

Curve was no longer going to premiere as a short film that appeared out of nowhere or had very little marketing behind it.

For the first time since it had been announced, a significant number of people were waiting for it.

So when it finally appeared, Curve launched with considerably more momentum than it would have had a few weeks earlier.

In its first twenty-four hours, it reached approximately six million views.

The days continued to pass, until it completed its first week.

But Curve wasn't the only major news during those days.

On Thursday, October 5, Lights Out had its official premiere in Los Angeles.

This time, the atmosphere was quite different from Fantastic Fest.

It was no longer the more relaxed red carpet of a festival dedicated to genre cinema.

It was a studio premiere in Los Angeles with more photographers, press, and guests.

Owen, Matt, Anya, and the rest of the team gathered in front of the cameras once again, this time just hours before the movie began its commercial release.

Because on Friday, October 6, after so many jokes and reminders, Lights Out finally arrived in theaters around the world.

By the end of Sunday, October 8, the first complete figures from its opening weekend were already available.

The following morning, Matt suddenly threw open the door to one of the meeting rooms at Second Take Films.

It was one of those executive rooms: a long table with several black chairs.

Inside were Owen, Tyler, Eric, and Curry.

It wasn't even nine in the morning.

Matt, on the other hand, looked like he had been awake for six hours. He walked in with a huge grin and spread both arms as if he had just won a championship.

"Ninety-three million dollars!" Matt exclaimed.

-------------------------------------------------