I Forged the Myth of the Ancient Overlords
Chapter 203 - 203 202. Is this something I can see for free_1

Chapter 203: 202. Is this something I can see for free?_1 Chapter 203: 202. Is this something I can see for free?_1 I wonder how many people, like Bai Qiquan, spent a sleepless night over the end-of-year holidays.

When Lu Ban woke up the next day and turned on his computer, the follower count of his new account “Silence Project” had already surpassed one million.

For a small YouTuber like him, barely breaking two million fans, such a speed of gaining followers was simply incredible.

After washing up, Lu Ban didn’t pay attention to the two wisps of fog on the bed but checked the comments under the Weibo post he had made with the account.

[Thank you Silence Project, thank you Lu Ban. I successfully spent a night without a wink of sleep.]

[Is this short film really something I can watch for free? The special effects of that bug are too realistic, they gave me goosebumps instantly.]

[It’s hard not to be moved. Lu Ban actually put so much effort into making a free movie just to scare people. I really owe you one.]

[I was planning to see “Cry”, thinking this one was free so I just watched it, now look at me. I don’t think I dare to go see “Cry” anymore, there goes one less for the box office.]

[Thanks to Lu Ban, I watched it with my girlfriend and she still dares not let go of my hand even now.]

[They say “Cry” is even more terrifying than this? I’m considering if I should cancel my movie tickets for tomorrow.]

[You guys should be grateful for Lu Ban’s final act of mercy. If the Easter egg in the movie was Christmas instead of Halloween, I’m afraid you would all be spending a very nerve-wracking Christmas.]

[Don’t mention it. Just hearing those three words gives me PTSD now, feels like it’s going to be a trigger for me.]

[I think this short film is on a whole new level compared to the previous ones. The previous movies and videos just felt like stories to the audience, but this one makes you think of the people around you—and it’s spine-chilling.]

[Not to mention, if someone around me suddenly said Halloween with a blank expression, I’d probably be scared unconscious.]

[Who knows, maybe I’m a bug typing this and just haven’t realized it yet.]

[Buddy above, wake up. You toiling away 996 every day might not even be as good as a bug.]

[The bugs in the short film are so my type, I can handle it, no problem!]

[Although people’s XP may vary, dude, your XP is just way too weird!]

[On behalf of the Insect Enthusiasts Association, I strongly condemn Lu Ban for harming those cute bugs. Don’t you know how lovely these bugs are!]

Comments like these flooded below the Weibo post, with many people expressing their thanks to Lu Ban, making him feel that his life had meaning.

His Weibo inbox was also bursting at the seams. There were messages from people simply sharing their thoughts and feelings, others who couldn’t wait to start ranting, promoters trying to boost their following, and those seeking collaboration, though it was anyone’s guess whether they were genuine or not.

According to the price list Lu Ban had seen before, just by using this account, he could attract investments in the tens of millions. Of course, he wasn’t short on money.

As of the current eight hours, “Cry” had already surpassed five million at the box office on its opening day, combining only the data from the midnight premiere. Therefore, the forecast for the first day’s box office is expected to be over forty million. Meanwhile, his screening quota is still less than three percent.

This data signifies that his movie had a very high occupancy rate, with almost full attendance in each showing.

Given this trend, cinema chains will likely gradually increase the number of screenings for “Cry”. Once the word of mouth starts to ferment, the daily box office will quickly surpass the opening day, and it might even reach a cumulative box office of one billion.

To know, the box office record for a domestic horror thriller from five or six years ago was about a haunted family mansion tale packed with stars and barely managed four hundred million. Since then, horror films are released every year, but the box office isn’t high; a good one makes over a hundred million, while lesser ones only a few tens of millions.

In fact, considering the growth of the movie market in recent years, “Cry” reaching a billion at the box office is quite a conservative estimate.

You see, when that movie was released, the box office for the Spring Festival period was also less than a billion, and now it’s aiming upwards of fifty billion.

The share of this money that would end up in Lu Ban’s hands was a significant sum—enough to keep him comfortably idle for the rest of his life without having to lift a finger again.

However, Lu Ban soon received a message from the cinema distributors.

The cinemas started with congratulations on the success of “Cry” and then informed Lu Ban that from the next day, his screening share would rise to about six percent.

“Why only six percent?”

Lu Ban found it a bit strange. If he were the distributor, facing a movie with excellent word-of-mouth and high occupancy rates, he would hurry to schedule more screenings. It’s all about making money, after all.

Moreover, “Cry” was only ninety-something minutes long, which is the normal running time, so cinemas wouldn’t cut down the number of showings for being too long.

Quite strange indeed.

Lu Ban inquired and finally got the answer.

The movies released around Christmas of his same period included a romantic comedy with many stars and a costume idol drama starring a new generation of pretty young actors.

Among these films, Lu Ban’s “Cry” seemed out of place.

He glanced at the box office figures; the costume idol film had the highest number, with over twenty percent even after five days of release. The star-studded film also had nearly twenty percent. These two films took up the majority of the cinema’s capacity.

In between were films like “Cry,” all brothers in adversity, with less than ten percent of the screenings.

“Is it that impressive?”

Lu Ban researched the idol drama online and saw that its actors came from some talent shows. The movie’s rating had dropped below five, with poor public praise and an ever-decreasing daily box office, making it a mystery how it could maintain such a high number of screenings.

He immediately called Song Yunyan’s secretary, Li Zijian, to chat.

Jiangcheng Industries also has commercial plazas in other cities with their own cinemas, though a small share. But at least for Lu Ban’s sake, they should increase the screenings of “Cry.”

Honestly, Lu Ban didn’t care how much money “Cry” made. He had achieved his minor goal with this film. However, now he needed to establish the worldview of Silent Lands, so the higher the box office of “Cry,” the more people who saw it, the greater the impact on his following plans and the easier to gain attention.

Therefore, he still had to fight for more screenings.

“That film? Didn’t you know? There might be fanatic fans block booking the theaters,” Li Zijian said, seeming to have been paying more attention to the film and entertainment industry recently and spoke with authority.

Block booking is a tactic to prevent the cinema from canceling the showtime due to no ticket sales. By purchasing just one ticket, the theater cannot cancel that particular movie showing, thus, maintaining the screening rate.

Since movie reservations are now possible for showtimes half a month in advance, fans can block book for ten days or more, causing the box office to plummet while the screening rate remains high.

Of course, some cinemas opt to apologize and issue refunds, but it takes time to recognize and process, so during this period, the movie’s screening rate remains high.

“We need to find a solution…”

Lu Ban didn’t quite understand this kind of real-world business competition. He thought dealing with monsters from Foreign Domain was simpler.

“How about opening midnight shows, like we did during the film festival?”

“That’s all we can do for now. On our end with our cinemas, I’ll discuss it with Director Song, and we should be able to increase the screenings,” Li Zijian replied. At the end of the conversation, he added another comment.

“By the way, your plan seems amazing. Can you handle it all by yourself?”

“Speaking of which, indeed, I don’t know how to manage a website.”

Lu Ban answered.

“…Is that the only issue?”

Li Zijian felt embarrassed. So, apart from the website part, he could get everything else right in one go?

Even the production brigade’s donkeys couldn’t work like that, right?

“No worries, if there’s a problem, I’ll definitely cause you trouble, so don’t worry.”

Lu Ban added one more sentence.

“Then I should thank you,” said Li Zijian, the corners of his mouth twitching.

By noon, Lu Ban saw a notification on his phone that “Cry” had added midnight showtimes, specifically screening from twelve to five in the morning.

“They’re really efficient,” Lu Ban remarked.