I Forged the Myth of the Ancient Overlords
Chapter 321 - 321 320. Let the bullets fly for a while_1

Chapter 321: 320. Let the bullets fly for a while_1 Chapter 321: 320. Let the bullets fly for a while_1 “Director Lu Ban, what are your thoughts on ‘Magic Tide’ encountering a Waterloo at the North American box office?”

A journalist inquired of Lu Ban. When the opening day box office in North America was released, it was already noon on the second day in China. During the first day of the domestic box office battle, ‘Magic Tide’ had garnered nearly 700 million in ticket sales. If counted from midnight, ‘Magic Tide’ would far surpass ‘Fatal Speed 11’ to become the box office champion of the day.

Although this single-day box office did not exceed the record of one billion from the previous Spring Festival blockbusters, as a domestic fantasy epic, this performance was still record-breaking.

Of course, ‘Fatal Speed 11’ premiered in China at noon, so by the time the overseas box office for their one-day total was calculated, half a day had already passed in China.

Therefore, the domestic media chose to tally the box office within twenty-four hours of the premiere.

The results just announced showed that the opening day box office of ‘Magic Tide’ exceeded 900 million, but ‘Fatal Speed 11’ staged a comeback in the North American market, outperforming ‘Magic Tide’ by about twenty million.

Suddenly, the media was in an uproar.

At this time, Lu Ban was being interviewed at Jiangcheng Cinema and, upon hearing the results, he did not have much of a reaction.

An opening day global box office of nine hundred million was already quite impressive.

Moreover, Lu Ban noticed that ‘Magic Tide,’ which only had a presale of twenty million US dollars, ended up with an opening day box office of fifty million US dollars—more than double its presale figures.

Meanwhile, ‘Fatal Speed 11’ had a presale of nearly one hundred million US dollars in North America, but its actual opening day box office was only one hundred and thirty million US dollars—just thirty percent more than the presale.

This indicated one thing: the box office for ‘Fatal Speed 11’ would rapidly decline and shrivel up in the next few days, as the majority of the audience wanting to see this movie had chosen to do so on opening day. Moreover, with Christmas falling on the weekend, it was hard to say if there would be a boost in viewership from the weekend crowd.

This was still the case despite having nearly fifty percent of the screening slots.

‘Magic Tide,’ on the other hand, had a very typical curve for a film from a new director: it exceeded expectations in box office on the opening day with a lower number of screenings, and it was now ready for word-of-mouth to ferment and the counterattack to begin.

But some people were in a hurry.

“Director Lu Ban, you once made bold statements about defending the glory of domestic films. Now that you’ve been defeated by a foreign film, what are your feelings?”

“What are your expectations for the upcoming box office? Do you need to revise your original goals?”

“Does ‘Magic Tide’s defeat against ‘Fatal Speed 11′ mean that the domestic film industry will need a long time to catch up with foreign films?”

“Director Lu, what do you think about foreign film critics’ comments that the ideological core of ‘Magic Tide,’ which is about the unity and struggle of the people, is inferior to the American individual heroism?”

In the vast screening hall, countless journalists pressed their camera shutters and held their microphones up to Lu Ban, trying to get his opinion.

In response, Lu Ban raised his hand, signaling everyone to be quiet.

He was well aware that among the journalists sitting below, as well as the newspapers, magazines, websites, and other media outlets behind these journalists, there were those who wanted to see him crash and burn.

Some people have always thought foreign films to be superior and believe that foreign movies, both in terms of artistic and commercial levels, are above domestic films. Therefore, they are not willing to accept a domestic film achieving success in the box office or positive reviews and would be happier to see their own films fail.

Others simply felt that Lu Ban’s current work was impeding their ability to make money from bad films. Having disrupted the original structure of the film circle with ‘Cry,’ Lu Ban has since been viewed as a thorn in the side by these people.

There are also those who are simply jealous of the popularity and box office success of Lu Ban’s works, feeling that their own talents are unrecognized, and harboring a belief that Lu Ban is merely lucky, resenting heaven and others, and wishing to see Lu Ban’s downfall.

But Lu Ban didn’t care.

If it weren’t for the goal of five billion, he wouldn’t be interested in doing interviews in front of people.

Wouldn’t it be better to focus on reading other books to enrich himself or to relax by watching a couple more movies?

When the cinema had finally quieted down, Lu Ban opened his mouth.

“Let the bullets fly for a while, everyone,” he said.

Hearing Lu Ban’s statement, many people didn’t understand what he meant.

After all, this world has not yet seen that particular film capable of being granted the status of intangible cultural heritage, and many people probably didn’t understand the reference.

But some inferred the meaning behind Lu Ban’s words and exhibited contemplative expressions.

“Congratulations to ‘Fatal Speed 11′ for reaching nearly one billion in global box office on its opening day. I’ve also seen the movie, and it is a series finale full of sentiment and nostalgia. I believe that regardless of whether audiences have seen the previous films in the series or not, they can find touching moments in this one. The special effects in the movie, the actors’ performances, and the plot arrangements are all excellent, representing the highest standards of the Hollywood film industry. I think everyone should go see it,” he continued.

As journalists heard Lu Ban suddenly praising the opposition’s film, many were perplexed and at a loss.

Had Lu Ban lost his mind?

Why was he promoting his competitor’s movie?

Had he gone mad from being overly affected by the setback?

Just as some journalists were looking to capitalize on the moment to ask if Lu Ban was admitting defeat in both his movie and the domestic film industry, Lu Ban continued to speak.

“That’s exactly why I can finally relax,” he said.

“Because the opponent is so strong and excellent, defeating them has value. It’s precisely because the opponent has demonstrated its quality through action that when ‘Magic Tide’ surpasses it and wins the box office champion of the year, its value will be apparent.”

“If ‘Fatal Speed 11’ were a bad movie, a hastily made blockbuster relying only on its IP to sell nostalgia and deceiving audiences into the cinema, then even if ‘Magic Tide’ defeated such an opponent, many would say that the annual box office championship was watered down and lacked true value, won solely by exploiting a weak competitor.”

“Therefore, I am grateful to Director Cyril and his ‘Fatal Speed 11.’ It is their excellence that highlights the even greater excellence of ‘Magic Tide.'”

“I, Lu Ban, never strike down the nameless,” he declared.

Hearing Lu Ban’s words, almost all the journalists, whether they were supporters or detractors, had the same thought: This guy is way too arrogant!!!

Despite the first day’s setback, Lu Ban didn’t seem to show any signs of disappointment or regret; rather, he saw it as an opportunity for his rival to prove their worth.

Did he have an assassin up his sleeve, or was he plotting something else?

Watching the baffled faces of the journalists, Lu Ban raised a finger.

“Going forward, ‘Magic Tide’s daily box office will continuously top the charts until the movie finishes its run. I am honored to witness history with all of you. Thank you, everyone.”