Chapter 417
Box Office Champion
Chapter 417 Box Office Champion
At 3 p.m., the pilgrims, inspired by the saint, began to take action.
Before Fang Xinghe returned to North America, his number of followers had dropped to the 1500 million level, reaching a historical low of about 1480 million.
In fast-paced America, "The Return of the Condor Heroes" is a thing of the past, and his last trip to the United States was even longer ago. The lack of exposure resulted in him being forgotten, and no one is an exception.
Moreover, it's more difficult for Fang Xinghe to maintain his North American fanbase than for others. As for his identity barrier, those who know, know, so let's not go into it.
Then, ever since he started promoting "Hurricane" in North America, the number of new fans has started to skyrocket again.
Running events to increase exposure, and appearing on the cover of Time magazine for the second time was the first milestone, with the number of new followers increasing to over 2200 million.
Gaining followers is secondary; the important significance of this batch of exposures lies in awakening public memory.
After making a few appearances, people in North America started to remember this person again—oh, it was him!
Next, at the premiere of "Pirates of the Caribbean," they suddenly came up with the bizarre publicity stunt of "the richest man filming action scenes for you," which was the second turning point.
The number of floating powder particles surged to over 5000 million.
The peak period for gaining followers for this marketing strategy has just ended, but there should still be a tail current of 10 to 20 million followers, which will be gradually released throughout the screening period.
Today marks the third milestone.
From the moment Fang Xinghe appeared in the cinema, the number of fans began to increase rapidly.
By 3 p.m., Fang Xinghe's floating powder had increased by more than 1000 million, bringing the total to around 6800 million.
In 2007, the total population of North America was approximately 3.46 million, including 3.01 million in the United States, 3300 million in Canada, and 1200 million undocumented immigrants.
Mexico is also a North American country with a population of 1.05 million.
However, Mexico is not Fang Xinghe's main battlefield, and he hasn't done much marketing there. His fan base is only so-so, so it's not worth counting.
So roughly speaking, Fang Xinghe now has 50 million fans in the US and Canada, accounting for one-seventh of the total population.
This number will continue to grow; it is far from its peak.
However, having a lot of followers doesn't necessarily mean high conversion rates. Leonardo DiCaprio has over 1 million followers, but the conversion rates for "The Man in the Iron Mask" and "Celebrity Life" were only so-so.
Floating fans are roughly equivalent to traffic, and commercial success is roughly equivalent to votes. Everyone wants to have both traffic and votes, but it is very demanding on projects and operations.
"Hurricane" is a great project. Brother Fang pulled off a brilliant move today, and as a result, fans flocked to the cinema like crazy.
At 3 p.m., theaters across the United States were nearly sold out of tickets for "The Hurricane".
By 4 p.m., all theaters across the United States were sold out of "The Hurricane".
At 5 p.m., long lines began forming at movie theaters across the United States.
At 6 o'clock, some cinemas began to vacate their new screening rooms.
Because Ocean's Thirteen was in a new release lockout period, according to the screen protection agreement, theaters could not change the "minimum protected screen" for Ocean's Thirteen. As a result, Shrek, whose screen protection had expired, was the first to suffer, and was cut down to only one screen between 7 o'clock and 9 o'clock.
The second unlucky one was the pirate ship. It was in the second week, and the screen was not working between 7 and 9 o'clock. The first show after 9 o'clock was hit by the hurricane.
This match isn't quite the gold standard, but it's still silver.
New tickets sold out instantly as soon as they were released.
Logically speaking, no matter how big a blockbuster it is, it should be about over by now.
Spider-Man 3, released in May, was the biggest hit of the year, grossing $1.51 million in its opening weekend in North America, the highest opening weekend gross in film history, kicking off this year's summer movie season and boosting the overall box office.
However, its record is only 100% attendance for the 9 pm show, while the attendance rate for the 10 pm show drops to around 85%.
But Hurricane created a legend—the 10 o'clock slot had a total of 4 screenings, averaging one screening every 15 minutes, and all tickets were sold out by around 9 o'clock.
The newly added "Starry Sky" effect has greatly increased the curiosity surrounding the Milky Way.
Their favorability towards Fang Sheng is just so-so, not very high—if they really had extremely high favorability, they would jump directly from the pink level to the middle level.
The main reason they kept flocking to the cinemas was out of curiosity.
Is China's richest man really that good at fighting?
What are rich people like in movies?
Is Taken really that exciting?
My friends and family all want to go see it. Should I join them?
Even when all the 10 o'clock slots were sold out, people were still flocking to the cinema.
Including those who queued up before they could buy tickets, about 97% of the tickets for the 11 o'clock show were sold.
The reason why not all tickets were sold out is that the two shows after 11:30 pm were too late. Not everyone lives in the city, and even the strongest curiosity has its limits. Many people chose to watch them tomorrow.
Of course, while some choose tomorrow, others choose the empty, desolate night.
The main group consists of young men and women, Black guys, and people who work late at night.
North American movie ticket prices are not fixed; prime-time screenings can cost over ten dollars, while early morning screenings and weekday morning screenings can cost as little as four or five dollars.
Ticket prices are relatively flexible, depending on factors such as the city, time of day, and cinema environment.
A $5 ticket for a midnight showing in Los Angeles is enough for a black guy to easily bring three friends along.
Since they don't sleep at night anyway, the 3 AM slots have about 50% occupancy.
This may sound absurd, but that's why Hollywood movies have increasingly emphasized Black supporting roles since 2010, to the point that it has become politically correct.
Because the potential of Black people's box office is becoming increasingly significant, and a large portion of this box office doesn't squeeze into prime time slots, but instead fills the evening showings.
How adorable these chives are!
Fang Ge fully understands the correctness of skin color in later generations: If I were a Hollywood production company, I would also try to please them.
Of course, the black mermaid is too sinister; it's probably not for economic gain. The waters are too deep.
Back to the main point, the hurricane exploded.
The explosion was undisputed and even boosted the entire market.
The next morning, TNT broadcast the edited version of "Fang Sheng's Dialogue with His Believer Tommy," which caused an even bigger sensation.
This time, the mainstream audience that Brother Fang attracted is completely different from before.
The Time magazine covers and interviews are specifically designed for young teenagers, focusing on a rebellious and cool image.
The topic of "the richest man's action scenes" attracts a superficial audience of action movies. They are not fanatical about action movies, but they can accept them. They like to watch them occasionally, but they are also critical at other times.
Yesterday's first wave of "Saints Are Alive" marketing targeted those who love to join in the fun.
These people don't necessarily have a strong sense of morality; they just like to flaunt themselves and join in on all sorts of excitement, which is why they flock to the cinemas as soon as possible.
Today, when the entire exchange and on-site interviews are edited together into a complete documentary, it attracts people with truly high moral standards.
Among them are artistic youths, soft-hearted housewives, responsible older white men, devout religious believers, and highly educated individuals.
Why is this happening?
Because you, Brother Fang, speak so beautifully.
For example, that comforting line accompanied by a sad piano piece by TNT—
that's it.
You can say 'that' to me, or you can say 'that' to yourself, either way is fine.
Fang Xinghe chose a very different way of expressing himself.
So be it.
You can say "So be it" to me, or you can say it to yourself——either way, it's okay; either way, it's good.
Instead of using the more common "That's it," he chose the gentler, more open-ended "So be it."
What may seem like a simple change in wording actually affects the emotional impact on a completely different level.
Coupled with his powerful delivery of lines, the show brought many people to tears upon its release.
When Fang Xinghe's Weibo account also reposted the video, the comments section exploded with enthusiasm.
“We were all deceived by his tough exterior, yes, Star Liar! He's so soft!”
"You are such a kind person."
I love you, all of me!
"Oh my god, I'm crying so hard I can't breathe! How can I donate to your foundation?"
"I don't know what to say, I just want to applaud you."
"You are a saint among poets, an all-powerful saint." "Poor Tommy, meeting you is truly the greatest happiness of his life."
"Your strength gives people courage, your gentleness gives people hope."
"Hey Bro, I saw your movie, so cool! Here's a picture of my ticket stub. Can I get a reply? Just wish me good luck in my gunfight today!"
"I don't like watching action movies, but I still gave Hurricane 5 stars. Because you are my favorite writer, I will always be fascinated by your ideas."
"I admire you a little more each time!"
“Dude, I tried my best. Although I left halfway through, I don’t feel bad. I wasn’t lucky, but I was happy. Thank you for coming to see me one last time—this will be my epitaph.”
Comment: "Hey buddy upstairs???"
Reply: "Cancer, but don't worry about me, I've completely accepted it."
Comment:"!!!"
Comment: "I'm sorry, is there anything I can do for you?"
Reply: "Write a memorial article for me?"
Comment: "(wiping sweat) (wiping sweat) Sorry, I'm not SR..."
Reply: "Haha, just kidding, then let's just say 'So be it'."
Comment: "So be it."
Comment: "So be it."
……
#So be it# [Trending]
On June 3, a new trending topic emerged on Weibo.
George Clooney stared into deep thought at the hashtag #FangXingheRecommendsWatchingOarsHan#, which had received additional funding but still couldn't crack the top 10 trending topics...
Do we still have a chance?
"what?"
"box office."
"Don't ask me, I don't know."
Pitt kept flipping through today's morning paper, and finally found the news in a corner of a tabloid: "Pitt and his wife Angelina attended a party but got into an argument and left separately." He felt like all the drinks he had yesterday were a complete waste.
So he looked up and emphasized it again.
"Don't ask me, there's not much I can do anymore. Do whatever you want."
What a loser!
George Clooney and Matt Damon exchanged a glance, deciding to give up on the slippery guy.
Well, to be fair, you really can't blame them.
George was the initiator of the Lohan Project and received a share of the profits. He needed to realize his triple benefits—power, money, and influence—through the success of the project.
Matt has another Bourne movie coming out soon, and he needs both buzz and positive reviews, so he has to pay attention to Lohan.
What inextricable interest does Pitt have in this? None.
Therefore, it is only natural that he would be the first to back down and give up when faced with difficulties.
The Jomapi duo has officially split up.
However, the remaining two also no longer share a unified consensus.
Should we continue to target him personally?
"Of course!"
"But this is completely meaningless. He has no weaknesses left, so there's no need for him to stir up trouble against the tide."
"But as long as the hurricane is still going strong, it will keep pressing down on us. Are you willing to only get 6000 million in box office revenue? Or even less?"
"But now the hurricane is boosting our box office!"
The two of them frowned; it wasn't an argument, just a complete disagreement.
Pete raised an eyebrow and chimed in, "Since yesterday, the hurricane has driven the market up, and many viewers who couldn't get tickets have ended up here."
"I know, I know, but that's far from enough!"
"Admit it, our poor box office performance has nothing to do with him; it's just that the film was too clichéd."
"So you think defeating the hurricane is pointless?"
"It's no use."
"It's no use."
The two-to-one situation left someone speechless for a moment.
As humans living in a normal timeline, they certainly can't judge what the normal box office of their own movie should be; they can only feel the oppressive force of the hurricane.
But now that the reputation comparisons are out, it's almost a done deal, and there seems to be no way to salvage the situation.
"What should I do?"
"Let's try to steal the box office revenue from Pirates of the Caribbean and Shrek."
"Yes, we and Hurricane are both in the protection period. It's impossible to ruin SR now, otherwise we won't be able to steal Hurricane's box office. Why don't we try a different target?"
Nothing is impossible.
"Stop dreaming, buddy. Smear SR? Who can do that now? Just quietly eat the scraps he leaves behind. You should be glad we've always been closely tied to him."
"I'm not fucking glad at all!"
"You should think of it this way—the hurricane can't stay this strong forever; people's enthusiasm will eventually wane, and that's when we'll have a good opportunity to cause trouble. As for now... avoid it and pick on other easy targets, OK?"
"Okay, I'll talk to Warner again."
Whether we talk or not, it doesn't really matter. Things have come to this point, and Warner Bros. can no longer target Sage Fang Xinghe.
It's a thankless task that will inevitably backfire; who would dare make such a decision?
"George, let's focus on continuing to damage the pirates' reputation. Hurricane is too tough, and SR is too tough. We don't need to waste our energy on them anymore. What do you think?"
Mr. Qiao always felt that this was not a good way to cure the problem, and a vague unease lingered in his heart.
But he really had no other choice; the stance he had prepared was simply too weak to be used.
"Okay, that's settled then."
"OK, so be it."
George frowned deeply as soon as the Warner vice president spoke.
What kind of art are you into?
Now we should use "That's it!"
"Excuse me for being blunt, but your accent is terrible."
He threw down a sarcastic remark and stormed out.
What a terrible day, absolutely terrible!
Um, sorry, not today.
On Monday, June 4th, the opening weekend box office results were released, with "Taken" topping the North American box office charts for the week.
Two games on Thursday + Friday, totaling 2861 million.
Saturday, 3931 million.
Sunday, 4217 million.
Three consecutive days of positive growth, reaching $1.1 million at the end of the first weekend!
(End of this chapter)