Chapter 134: Comic Con
....
The theater had emptied out.
The final screenings of the private premium viewings had wrapped.
The last murmurs of laughter and disbelief still echoed faintly.
In the parking lot outside, groups of studio reps, industry insiders, and invited influencers huddled under the amber glow of overhead lights, all doing variations of the same thing - pulling out their phones.
Some were already texting reactions.
Some filming their thoughts.
Others simply nodded with a kind of quiet surprise.
The general vibe? Curious optimism.
The kind that brews when a film hits better than expected - not necessarily because expectations were low, but because it was just that good.
Something people didn't see coming.
Online, early word-of-mouth was quick and unfiltered.