"Two tickets for The False…"
"One ticket for Van Helsing, please."
"Five tickets for The False, we need them together."
"The False…"
"The False…"
"Van Helsing…"
At ten o'clock on Friday morning, a movie theater in downtown Chicago welcomed quite a few moviegoers.
Raymond was the staff member at the ticket window. The number of people coming to watch movies in the morning was surprisingly high, and he was busy for quite a while before catching his breath to drink some water.
At this moment, his colleague said to Raymond, "This morning, the three auditoriums on my side sold 183 tickets for The False, while Van Helsing only sold 32. The gap is huge."
Raymond put down his coffee, checked his own numbers, and said, "It's about the same on my side. The False sold 112 tickets, while Van Helsing only sold 29."
"So that means, in total, Van Helsing only sold 62 tickets across three auditoriums, while The False sold 295 tickets in three auditoriums?"
"Looks that way."
Raymond nodded. "I need to report this data to the manager…"
This cinema was under the Imperial Cinemas chain, with twelve auditoriums, plus one IMAX auditorium still under construction, not yet in use.
There was also a relatively private VIP auditorium, but it had already been booked for a private showing.
According to the scheduling plan, from the morning until 4:00 p.m., both The False and Van Helsing were each allocated three auditoriums.
One large auditorium and two medium-sized ones formed the morning screening schedule for The False and Van Helsing.
The remaining four small auditoriums showed other films, and after 4:00 p.m., two more auditoriums would be freed up for The False and Van Helsing.
Raymond went to the manager to report the situation.
The manager asked, "What's your suggestion?"
Raymond said, "I suggest that the two auditoriums freed up after 4:00 p.m. be given entirely to The False. Right now, almost all phone reservations are for The False tickets."
The manager thought for a moment and then made his decision: "Do as you suggested…"
After Raymond left, the manager called the regional manager for Chicago theaters: "I suggest we cut back on Van Helsing screenings. This movie is absolutely no match for The False."
Nobody believed Van Helsing could be a rival to The False. After the midnight box office showdown, even David Ellison, who had been brimming with confidence, was crushed by the enormous gap.
But he had no way out now. It was too late to pull the film; he could only grit his teeth and go forward.
And since midnight showings are heavily influenced by fan bases, perhaps Van Helsing could still turn things around at the official premiere?
However, the reports that came in during the morning made David Ellison uneasy. From box office numbers to word of mouth, even the findings of Sky Studios' field investigators painted a grim picture.
Critical reviews, test screenings, and premiere night feedback could all be manipulated.
But first-hand survey data rarely had the chance of being faked, especially since it was based on a large number of sample collections.
The data showed that Van Helsing had an average audience score of B-, with most comments describing the film as boring, sleep-inducing, and bathroom-inducing.
"What about the situation with The False?" David Ellison asked Michael Ovitz with a dark expression.
Michael Ovitz replied, "The exact numbers aren't in yet, but the average audience score is an A, with mostly positive reviews.
Most importantly, the online discussion around the film is very lively, and nearly all of it focuses on the film itself—characters, plot—generating considerable buzz."
David Ellison, being young, understood better than anyone the significance of online discussions.
For a film like The False to keep the audience's focus on the movie itself, rather than on the big-name Hollywood stars in the cast, was proof of its excellence.
David Ellison sighed. Was Gilbert truly invincible in the summer box office? Was he completely untouchable?
Actually, not exactly. Gilbert himself had said: "It's not that The False is too strong, it's that Van Helsing is just mediocre.
Audiences aren't stupid. They can tell which movie is exciting and worth watching."
Sheena Boone suggested, "Once word of mouth and box office diverge, theaters will inevitably cut back Van Helsing screenings. We have to fight for every slot we can."
"That's inevitable. It all depends on the opening weekend numbers," Gilbert agreed. "At that time, get in touch with the head of Disney's distribution department."
"Got it," Sheena Boone nodded.
This time, The False was releasing in North America and over thirty countries and regions worldwide in the same weekend, except for China, which still needed to undergo a round of censorship cuts.
A few scenes might be trimmed, but it wouldn't affect its final release in mainland China.
Compared to the overseas market, Gilbert naturally paid closer attention to the North American box office, because that was the foundation. If the North American numbers underperformed, the overseas market would hardly be strong.
The midnight box office results left Gilbert satisfied; now it was a matter of whether the opening weekend data would hold up.
As for David Ellison, while discussing with Michael Ovitz, Martin Bob offered his opinion.
"Instead of betting everything on the North American box office, why not pin your hopes on overseas markets?"
"How so?" the two of them looked at Martin Bob.
Martin Bob explained, "In recent years, overseas markets have been growing rapidly and now account for a bigger share than North America.
David, this is your first movie as a producer. Whether or not you beat Gilbert doesn't matter—the important thing is making money."
This remark reminded David Ellison that he had become obsessed. All along, he had made defeating Gilbert his core objective.
But in truth, that was unrealistic, or at least not something that could be a short-term goal.
Gilbert had dominated Hollywood for fourteen years since his debut, and he was clearly not someone a newcomer could defeat so easily. To even qualify to compete with Gilbert, one had to first establish a firm foothold in Hollywood.
And what was the foundation for gaining a foothold in Hollywood? Making money.
As an outsider not backed by traditional Hollywood powers, David Ellison could only rely on profitable films to secure his position.
Michael Ovitz nodded toward Martin Bob, signaling for him to continue.
Martin Bob went on, "Even if Van Helsing underperforms at the box office, with merchandise and long-term revenue streams, it will still turn a profit."
Having been doused with cold water by the midnight box office and survey data, David Ellison finally calmed down.
He felt that Martin Bob made perfect sense, so he nodded in agreement: "OK, let's do it your way."
David Ellison might be arrogant, but he wasn't stupid—he was still a rational man.
If he continued butting heads with Gilbert and The False, he would inevitably face a crushing counterattack.
Even so, since the two films were released during the same period, although their themes were different, The False still affected the market performance of Van Helsing.
Although Friday was part of the opening weekend, it was clear that most viewers were at work that day, and only a small portion went to the movies.
It wasn't until the evening that the flow of people into theaters gradually increased.
In major North American box office cities, popular theaters began to overflow with crowds, as people welcomed the arrival of the summer season in this way.
Among them, there was a particularly special group of people. They gathered in an organized fashion, signed in one by one, counted their numbers, acted collectively, and then waited for the film to begin before entering together.
Those who didn't know any better were puzzled: "What's this? Looks like religious fanatics—are they going to church, or to watch a movie?"
Someone nearby explained: "Though they're not going to church, it's actually not much different. To these core fans, this is just as sacred as going to worship."
"Whose fans are they?"
"Who else? Gilbert's fans, of course!"
Only then did the person suddenly realize. Nowadays, those who dislike and oppose Gilbert often describe his fans as locusts, and when they gather in large numbers, they call it a locust plague.
Though it was meant as a mocking nickname, it wasn't entirely inaccurate. These fans really were just as overwhelming as swarms of locusts.
Every summer, whenever a Gilbert film was about to be released, these fanatics would march into theaters as if on a religious pilgrimage.
These fans were well-organized, influential, and united—downright overbearing.
Previously, if any ordinary moviegoer dared say something negative about his films, these fans would immediately subject them to public condemnation. Not only in real life, but also online, these fanatics were everywhere.
Some ordinary viewers and audience members couldn't bear the attacks, and with further provocation from haters and internet trolls, they eventually became opponents of Gilbert.
And as the group of fanatics grew larger, the group of opponents also expanded.
There really wasn't any good solution to this issue.
Melon Studio had contacted fan organizations early on, using them to manage the behavior of fans so as to avoid larger public controversies.
Even so, because of Gilbert's consistently excellent performances over the years, his fan base continued to grow, and opponents could only silently endure the more extreme actions of these fanatic groups.
Fortunately, it was precisely Gilbert's success that made these fanatics hold themselves to a higher standard.
They carried an air of arrogance, as if to say, "Even though I know you're slandering the films and director we love, you're not worthy of my response."
If one day Gilbert were to fail, and the opponents seized the chance to mock and attack, then those fanatics would no doubt break down.
By then, the clashes between the two sides would likely be quite a spectacle—enough to keep Hollywood lively for some time.
But Gilbert clearly had no intention of giving them such a chance, so his fanatic fans could continue to look down at the world with an air of superiority, laughing at all the fleeting noise.
After Friday's opening day ended, the box office figures for The False and Van Helsing were quickly tallied, sent to the relevant parties, and soon picked up by major media outlets.
Online media responded very quickly, updating their websites and pushing notifications in no time.
"The False earns $23.426 million on its opening day, winning both box office and word-of-mouth. In contrast, Van Helsing only pulled in $13.504 million and received poor reviews, making it unlikely to compete with The False."
"The False brings together three of Hollywood's biggest stars along with many other accomplished actors, yet only managed $23.426 million on opening day—its prospects may not be promising.
Van Helsing shows huge potential and stands a strong chance of defeating The False."
Two completely different news reports highlighted the true charm of journalism.
....
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