I Forged the Myth of the Ancient Overlords
Chapter 318 - 318 317. The outcome of the first days box office_1

Chapter 318: 317. The outcome of the first day’s box office_1 Chapter 318: 317. The outcome of the first day’s box office_1 As November drew to a close, accompanied by a sudden drop in temperature, the people of North America did not quiet down.

The big promotions of Black Friday set new highs for sales in various shopping malls, and naturally, cinemas became the entertainment of choice after shopping. Only, due to the delay of “Fatal Speed 11” this year, the Thanksgiving schedule seemed somewhat listless.

In December, snow began to fall in many parts of China, and it was time for northerners to tease southerners for their lack of worldly experience. Lu Ban had been constantly promoting “Magic Tide” in various locations within the country, whipping up its popularity to a fever pitch.

By now, Lu Ban faced two possible promotional strategies moving forward. The first was preview screenings, showing “Magic Tide” in advance at select cinemas to build up word of mouth; the second was to proceed as planned, occasionally releasing some behind-the-scenes tidbits to enhance the anticipation.

In the end, Lu Ban chose not to have preview screenings because he wanted to keep the suspense until the very last moment.

Moreover, films that usually have preview screenings are those that lack confidence from the audience. With “Magic Tide,” the audience’s expectations were very high, and the presale box office for the first day, one month in advance, had already sold out, with some tickets being scalped. In the secondary market, the prices of presale tickets were inflated to two or three times their original value.

With just one week left until Christmas, Lu Ban faced another dilemma.

That was whether to have the midnight premiere at home or abroad.

Foreign cinemas invited Lu Ban to a grand unveiling in New York’s Times Square, while, naturally, Jiangcheng Cinema was the choice domestically.

Logically speaking, with “Magic Tide” premiering globally at the same time, and meeting “Fatal Speed 11” at the same midnight release overseas, the first-day showdown abroad was important. To show his importance to the foreign market, Lu Ban should have gone to the foreign premiere.

But Lu Ban did not go abroad; instead, he stayed in Jiangcheng.

In Lu Ban’s words, the premiere of his country’s own film should certainly stay domestic.

Moreover, midnight came earlier domestically.

Christmas in Europe and America is a time for family reunions, with Christmas trees, Christmas dinners, Christmas songs, and Santa Claus, as cities are enveloped in a festive atmosphere.

On the foreign internet, the debate between “Fatal Speed 11” and “Magic Tide” reached its most intense point.

[I think we should support “Fatal Speed 11,” this is our own country’s film. Why should we go spend money on a foreign film?]

[Why should I discuss nationality when I’m watching a movie, buddy? Isn’t it about watching whichever one is good, or maybe both?]

[I have seen the advertisement for “Magic Tide,” it seems to be a fantasy type. We haven’t had many of those movies lately, so I might decide to see it the day after its release, based on the scores to make my choice]

[It’s Christmas, isn’t it better to spend more time with family? Do you guys not have girlfriends?]

[No, even if “Magic Tide” isn’t good, do people still want to see sequels to “Fatal Speed?” Ever since they brought back characters who had died in previous installments, and turned the male protagonist’s wife into a Black woman, I just think this movie is beyond saving]

[So here’s the question, between a Black lead movie and an Asian lead movie, which one would you choose to watch?]

[Hey buddy, was your last comment racially discriminatory?]

[I think neither of these works is worth spending money on. Both are male-dominated with no space for women in leading roles. Are they saying women’s work isn’t up to par in modern society? I’m boycotting!]

The crux of the debate was about whom to support, with both sides standing their ground and some fence-sitters merely watching the spectacle unfold. In any country, such situations would arise.

Domestically, Christmas was not treated with much fanfare except for some stores offering discounts and promotions, and some commercial plazas putting up Christmas trees; other than that, it was just an ordinary end of the year.

For many people, Christmas was less significant than the upcoming New Year’s Day, at least New Year’s came with a holiday.

Jiangcheng Cinema was bustling with people.

Midnight presale tickets had sold out long ago, but according to current box office predictions, “Fatal Speed 11” surpassed “Magic Tide” in pre-sale box office on the first day in all places outside of China.

After all, it was the final installment of a series spanning over a decade, and many die-hard fans came to the premiere for the sake of nostalgia.

Moreover, Lu Ban’s previous provocative statements had incited some people to wish ardently for his crazy downfall, to be trounced by foreign films.

“It should snow in Jiangcheng tonight.”

Standing outside the cinema, Feng Yu looked up at the gloomy sky.

“Quite fitting for the occasion.”

Lu Ban, wearing a mask to prevent unnecessary harassment, looked at the entrance of the cinema that was still lively as midnight approached and remarked with a sigh.

“Do you think you can achieve the goal you mentioned?”

Feng Yu asked.

“I should be able to.”

Lu Ban nodded.

Based on presales, domestically, “Magic Tide” was absolutely crushing. Its first-day screen allocation reached thirty-five percent, with presale box office totals close to seven hundred million yuan—scene only possible during the Spring Festival holidays in the past.

As for “Fatal Speed 11”, its domestic screen allocation was twenty percent, with presales nearing two hundred million yuan.

The main reason was that the midnight premiere of “Fatal Velocity” was on North American time, so it would be noon before it could be viewed in China, which compressed its first-day box office.

However, overseas, “Fatal Speed 11” had a much higher first-day screen allocation than “Magic Tide”, reaching forty-three percent compared to “Magic Tide”‘s seventeen percent, with a presale box office difference of about five times.

Looking at global presales, “Fatal Speed 11″‘s first-day earnings should be around eight hundred million yuan, and “Magic Tide” is, coincidentally, expected to hover around the same figure.

The gap between the two is unclear. Until the last moment, no one knows who will emerge victorious.

For movies with sufficiently strong early stage publicity, the first-day box office typically represents their peak. So this battle for the first-day figures also symbolizes the initial clash between the two competitors.

In North America, the media even called it the ultimate showdown, summoning people to leave their homes and go to theatres to watch the films. It’s hard not to think that there are cinemas behind encouraging this wave.

But no matter who wins on the first day, the cinemas are laughing all the way to the bank, as it means just on Christmas Day, domestic box office revenues could reach over a billion yuan. Those theatres closing the year scratching their heads could not be more grateful to Lu Ban.

“However, there’s not much to say about the first day’s box office. To achieve record-breaking ticket sales, relying solely on normal moviegoers isn’t quite enough.”

Lu Ban was very aware that some movies peak on the first day but then plummet from the second day onwards, like energy stocks getting halved, not necessarily due to poor quality, but because these movies are sufficient after one viewing—nobody would go for a second or third watch. Those who wanted to see it would do so at the first opportunity, and those who didn’t care much would not bother even when the movie stopped showing.

But to truly break records, you need word-of-mouth to spread. You need the details. You need an audience who will watch it two or three times. You need to bring in more people who previously wouldn’t go to the cinema to watch movies.

Can “Magic Tide” do it?