The Best Director

Chapter 55: Tide of Excitement (Vote for Monthly Tickets)

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

“This movie is just too awesome! Oh my God, yesterday hundreds of us just got up and danced in the theater! Dude, that feeling is indescribable, cool! I just realize now that I also like to dance, and I’ve already decided to sign up for a

dance class.”

“Does anyone know when the movie’s soundtrack is coming out? I want to buy one! The songs are so catchy.”

“I’m going to the school’s cinema to watch it again because I’ve fallen in love with Troy, he’s so handsome when he plays basketball!”

Sitting in the chair, Wang Yang smiled as he read the latest fan comments on the High School Musical official website. The comments were mostly complimentary, praising the music, the actors, and East High, among others. He felt very fulfilled and happy. This meant that students everywhere were embracing and loving High School Musical. Whether or not a viewing craze would be sparked would depend on word of mouth, as they naturally and freely promoted the movie virus-style in reality.

He clicked the mouse to scroll down and saw a comment that made him smile and frown: “Yang, baby, I love you, and I want to date you, I want to marry you!” In the latter part of the comment was a parenthesis: “(Don’t let me find out which girl gets you, or I’ll go crazy!)” He shook his head and muttered, “I’m clearly someone who works behind the camera…” And now, he had unexpectedly become an “idol” director with many passionate female fans. Should he feel happy or helpless?

Of course, not only students and fans commented on High School Musical, but also film critics and media who attended the premiere gave their assessments.

The latest issue of the Los Angeles Times entertainment section wasn’t the headline news but still occupied significant space. Their headline read, “Fresh Campus Musical Movie.” In their detailed review, they described the film’s style as very fresh, including the bright cinematography, simple yet beautiful story, and the integration of song and dance into the school setting and life, all worthy of attention.

“This movie wasn’t as bad as everyone imagined before, it’s not bad at all. For a 19-year-old director, this is an outstanding movie.” Although not stated explicitly, the subtext of the newspaper was that the achievements of High School Musical would be attention-grabbing.

In contrast to the cautious Los Angeles Times, the California Film Journal did a complete 180. Previously they had questioned Wang Yang, asking if he was “hot-headed and overly confident,” but now they were singing his praises, seemingly to make up for their earlier mistake: “This movie is beyond expectations, and many people wouldn’t believe how excellent it is before watching it! It has a magic that can make young people dance and sing along, releasing their youthful energy with abandon. This 19-year-old director clearly understands what makes an outstanding campus musical, and he has done it very well.”

“In this movie, he has proven his screenwriting, directing, and producing capabilities, ‘I’m not just a DVkid, I can play with film too.’ To describe him as promising seems pale by comparison, maybe we can expect more, and watch quietly to see what kind of achievements he can pull off!”

The Chicago Sun-Times commented a bit teasingly: “Is Magic Yang atoning? His Paranormal Activity scared too many, and a poor little girl was frightened nearly to death. Thank God she’s still alive and well, but if she has any lingering trauma, she should watch High School Musical, which is youthful, sunny, and positive. It is hard to believe that this is the work of a director with a $3.1 million horror hit.”

Not everyone had praise to offer; Kevin Thomas, who once harshly criticized Paranormal Activity, currently a freelance film critic, had his review published by a gossip tabloid: “I have not seen this film because it’s only being shown in campus cinemas, and obviously, I left campus quite some time ago. But one can imagine it’s going to be a new disaster, a story of a kid director trying to get his hands on candy. Will he use those nauseatingly shaky shots? Give me a break!” But clearly, Kevin Thomas was left shouting for attention on the sidelines, ignored by everyone.

Flame Films got their hands on the first-day box office results for High School Musical in the afternoon. 500 schools participated in the first week s screenings, with an average of 300 seats each. The ticket price was uniform at a 4.0% discount, $3.9 per ticket, with two showings per day. Last night’s overall occupancy rate astonishingly reached 75°/o, raking in a box office of $877,500! The achievement had the entire Flame Films and High School Musical cast and crew cheering, and Wang Yang clenched his fist and shouted ” YES’.” several times before letting out a sigh of relief.

The movie’s production cost was $8 million, with a marketing budget of $10 million, and it was estimated that copy transportation and other expenses would require more than $2 million. This meant the total cost reached $20 million, and the total box office would need to take in more than $50 million to recoup the costs after taxes. In fact, for Wang Yang, this was already an investment of two-thirds of his fortune. His big gamble had also been questioned by the media before: “Is this young man boldly impressive or foolishly in over his head?”

$875,000 and $50 million are naturally a world apart, but it’s worth noting that this day’s revenue was collected in campus movie theaters, at a 40% discount no less! Look at the attendance rate and response—this film’s potential seems to be no less than that of “Paranormal Activity”.

The box office results of the film’s second day further confirmed its potential, with the first screening unbelievably reaching a 100% attendance rate, the second at 85%! And this was in a campus theater! But for those astonished by this, knowing the complete marketing plan before and after the release of “High School Musical” would have left them unsurprised. The viral marketing, both online and offline, was all in preparation for reaping the rewards at this moment.

The schools participating in the premiere screenings were inundated with “High School Musical” posters and had also been bombarded with the “Let’s Dance” program for nearly two months. Once the students from the first screening couldn’t stop singing its praises, a domino effect took place. The whole school would buzz with excitement, and naturally, there would be a large crowd eager to see the film.

The two screenings the next day brought in a box office of $1.0822 million, adding to the more than $10,000 from Vita Projection Machine cinema, bringing the total box office for the two days to $1.9672 million! By the time the week of April 23rd to 29th came to a close, “High School Musical” ranked 11th in the North American weekly box office, relying on just 500 campus theaters, one city theater, and two days of screenings; “The Matrix” once again claimed the weekly championship.

“Yang, many theater chains have started contacting us,” Mark-Slante’s laughter sounded quite sinister over the phone.

Wang Yang simply shrugged indifferently and replied over the phone, “For now, let’s not bother with them. With the film’s momentum being so strong, our bargaining chips will only increase. After the second week of screenings, we’ll collaborate with whoever offers the best conditions.” He wouldn’t change the plan of screening at campus theaters for two weeks—it was all about building momentum and cultivating a hunger in the market. This new bomb would explode on May 14th.

“Yes, that’s what I was thinking too, my boss,” Mark-Slante chuckled a few times. He had good reason to be cheerful; Wang Yang had already told him that if “High School Musical” was a huge success and he fully demonstrated his capability, he could become a partner in the company.

April 30th marked the start of a new week, and with it, the release of new movies. 20th Century Fox launched “Stealing Heaven Trap,” which debuted in 2,814 theaters; and Sony and Columbia Pictures had high hopes for “Idle Hands,” which ultimately cost $25 million to produce. By the standard default ratio, promotional costs would have to be at least $10 million, not to mention other expenses, so it would need to make at least $80 million in total box office to break even. Thus, it opened in 1,611 theaters in its first week.

“High School Musical” was still screening in those 500 schools, and the next week, it would move to another 500. Seeing the heated discussions online and hearing about how wonderful the film was, many students itched with curiosity. They headed to the schools where the film was being shown, but the problem now was that these schools could only screen the film twice a day, and there weren’t enough seats even for their own students.

As the only non-campus cinema showing the film, Vita Projection Machine cinema was now packed with students, even more crowded than when “Paranormal Activity” was at its peak of popularity. Back then, there were five theaters in Los Angeles showing the film, but now there was only this one. “Please, why can’t you open more screening rooms?” In the ticket hall, the students who couldn’t get tickets all showed their dissatisfaction and started making a ruckus, glaring at the cinema owner as if he were an enemy. A blonde Caucasian high school boy stood at the front, cursing, “Boss, has your brain been kicked by a mule? Why don’t you talk to Flame Film Company? We want to see ‘High School Musical’!”

The owner, a somewhat balding middle-aged Caucasian man with a plump figure, looked at the crowd of students and smiled persuasively, “Hey, boys and girls, why don’t you check out some other movies for now? Like ‘Stealing Heaven Trap,’ or ‘Idle Hands.’ They’re new releases, wow, and they’re great!” If he could, why wouldn’t he screen “High School Musical”? But the contract for a week’s screening had already been set, and the Flame Film Company hadn’t agreed to his request to add more screenings either.

‘”Idle Hands’? Oh, please! Who wants to watch horror movies now?” The blonde Caucasian boy said with a smirk on his face, looking back and shouting, “My friends, would you watch it?” The students behind him all grimaced and shook their heads: “NO!” A girl standing by the poster wall glanced contemptuously at the “Idle Hands” poster and said, “It’s a mess. I won’t watch it! Look at this lead actor; he makes me sick. He’s not a patch on Troy’s little finger! Oh my God, Troy is so handsome!” Another pretty Caucasian girl shouted, “I’m here to support Yang! He’s my idol!”

The students broke into an uproar. Some of them had come to see the hunk Tom-Willing; some had come for beauties like Jessica and Rachel; many were fans of Wang Yang; and even more were there to stay on trend, wanting to be among the first in their school to see “High School Musical.” Anyway, they were all here to see “High School Musical.”

At that moment, the blonde boy shouted, “Guys, what team!?” The students gathered there had all seen the trailer; they laughed and responded loudly, “Wildcats!” This sort of party-like atmosphere was also why they were happy to wait there—chances were they might even make some new friends.

“What team!?” “Wildcats!”

Seeing their surging emotions, the cinema owner wiped the sweat from his forehead, turned around, and tried to slip away quietly. He had only taken a few steps when suddenly something hit him on the back of the head. Startled, he turned around to find a die at his feet. Annoyed, he asked, “Who threw it!?” The students all burst into laughter, whistling, and none of them answered his question. Helpless, the cinema owner gritted his teeth and could only leave in defeat, touching his head and muttering discontentedly, “Wang Yang, you’ve screwed me over…”

For the week of April 30 to May 6, there were highs and lows in box office performance. “Stealing Heaven Trap” topped the charts with a box office of $26,126 million; “High School Musical” ranked fourth, taking in $5,123 million. Its number of releasing theaters didn’t change, staying at 500 campus cinemas, and nearly a 65% total occupancy rate over the week shocked the film industry once again. People saw a repeat of last year’s “Paranormal Activity.” If this dark horse were to be released on a large scale, what kind of results could it achieve?

A movie that shocked everyone was “Idle Hands.” It left many with broken expectations, not because it performed too well, but because it did too poorly. In its opening week, it was shown in 1,611 theaters but only garnered a $2.3 million box office. From the first day to the seventh, the percentage of daily box office earnings decreased drastically. It was as if the film aged prematurely, signaling its imminent demise… The movie was a complete failure.

Sony Pictures Entertainment was stunned, Columbia was stunned, “Idle Hands” producer Andrew Richard was stunned, and the director Dennis Rodman-Fred was stunned. What happened? Why did it turn out this way!? A $2.3 million box office?! Each cinema only averaged an income of $1,400 in US Dollars! With tickets priced at $6.5, this meant that, over the week, each cinema had just over 200 patrons choosing to watch the movie.

Why?! Why?!

The Los Angeles Times commented, ” ‘Idle Hands’ is a failed attempt that tries to create comedic effects with gory imagery. Unfortunately, this is fundamentally the wrong approach, especially when targeting the teenage market to which teens show no interest. What are they interested in? I think ‘High School Musical’ has taught ‘Idle Hands’ a good lesson. Teenagers don’t need dark humor or bloody scenes, and they aren’t funny at all; sometimes what they need is just a simple and beautiful story, like a fairy tale, filled with sunshine, through which they can freely express their youth. After watching ‘High School Musical,’ it’s not hard to understand why ‘Idle Hands’ met such defeat.”

Previously, “Idle Hands” clungto “High School Musical,” to Wang Yang, to Jessica, trying to generate buzz. Now, it appears to be a joke; they’ve embarrassed themselves. A gossip tabloid ‘Daily Entertainment’ spared no mercy, mockingly commented, “Now we knowwho’s not thinking straight; Andrew Richard has paid the price for his conceit, while Jessica Alba’s wise choice has brightened her future.”

They even went out of their way to interview Andrew Richard, asking for his opinion. With an expressionless face unwilling to be interviewed, he said gruffly after being harassed by reporters, “The more juvenile something is, the more people like it.” His subtext was that “Idle Hands” had overestimated teenagers’ taste, hence the failure; and that “High School Musical” was nothing but a trifle trick for kids, nothing to fuss over.

The comment did not bring any luck to “Idle Hands”; instead, it caused the few young people still slightly interested to lose any desire to watch it. Online, fans of “High School Musical” cursed “Idle Hands”: “Why should we watch a movie so bad even the projector doesn’t want to work? Andrew Richard, Dennis Rodman-Fred are the ones who are juvenile; they don’t even know how they fell into the hole!”

“Yang, thank you!” Jessica said sincerely over the phone, still somewhat relieved, “I am truly grateful now that I made the right choice. Just thinking about if I had chosen ‘Idle Hands’ makes me dizzy.” What scared her wasn’t just the film’s performance, but more importantly, she and Yang might have missed each other forever.

Wang Yang comforted her, “Jessica, we should now enjoy the joy of success, forget about ‘Idle Hands.’ Let it go.”

During the week of May 7-13, the second week’s performance of “Idle Hands” caused despair among the owners of 1,611 cinemas. They deeply regretted signing a contract that required at least two weeks of screening, and some owners were even more miserable for having signed for a longer duration. The 1,611 cinemas only took in a box office of $453,000! This was beyond failure.

On the other hand, “High School Musical,” in its third week of screening, moved to a fresh batch of 500 schools and continued to amaze with ticket sales. Nearly 75% occupancy rate for the week, taking in $6.1525 million! Using campus cinemas, it harvested $13.2427 million in just 16 days. And on the North American weekly box office ranking, it continued to hold the fourth spot, with the top position being taken by the newly released blockbuster “The Mummy,” which earned $57,242 million across 3,210 cinemas.

Ever since the first week’s screening results for “High School Musical” came out, Flame Film Company’s phone had been ringing non-stop. Every theater company was scrambling to collaborate, regretting their initial indifference towards Flame Film. But if they lost the screening rights to this surefire blockbuster, the pain would be even greater!

Now it was Flame Film Company’s turn to pick, and Mark Slant had fully leveraged his business acumen. The deal was still a 90/10 split with a floor of 70%, but the duration for the 90/10 split was extended by a week. Moreover, the cinemas involved were all located near schools, boasting advanced facilities and a clean environment, with high attendance rates in the past.

The fourth week of “High School Musical” release, which was actually the first week of mass screening, saw 3,150 cinemas across North America join in. All students were looking forward to the 14th, barely able to contain their excitement. Under Flame Film Company’s viral marketing, they could always find stuff about “High School Musical” on online forums, and they heard that schools which participated in the screenings were going crazy about it. The songs had become popular, and they wanted to see, see, see!

As a result, throughout North America, there was only one non-campus cinema showing the film; but that was about to change. They could finally walk into a cinema to watch this mysterious movie. Despite tomorrow being the 14th, at this moment, Vita Projector Cinema was still packed with students who seemed to regard seeing “High School Musical” before its mass release as an honor.

“We are now at the ‘Vita Projector’ cinema, and as you can see, the lobby is filled with young students,” said the white female reporter on the TV screen, holding a microphone, with students chatting or playing behind her. She smiled and said, “This scene almost makes you think that ‘Star Wars: The Phantom Menace’ was released early. Will this be the start of a new movie- watching craze? Will the magical Yang bring us another miracle? Let’s wait and see.”

On the sofa, Jessica gave Miranda a look, a proud smile on her face, and said, “Miranda, do you see? My choice was the right one.” She then continued to watch the TV screen.

Miranda fell silent, a hint of embarrassment in her eyes. She couldn’t refute anything now because the facts were right in front of her. “Idle Hands” was a complete failure, while “High School Musical” was about to officially take off. If it were someone else, they might have already fired her as their agent. Even though she was a good friend of Jessica’s mother and had been Jessica’s agent since she was a child, this was definitely a serious professional blunder on her part. If she were to be fired, she would have no complaints.

“Jessica, I didn’t see this coming,” Miranda sighed, apologizing, “I’m really sorry, I almost dragged you into a mess.” In fact, she had specifically come to apologize this time.

“It’s okay, Miranda,” Jessica waved her hand, smiling happily, “A lot of people didn’t see this coming. This is a ‘Supernatural Phenomenon’!” Her eyes shone with sweetness as she whispered, “Sometimes, you just need to believe in someone, believe in them unconditionally, support them…”

Joshua, sitting at the other end of the sofa, looked disdainful, “Jessica, I remember you were quite hesitant at that time. Don’t you think you should thank me?” Jessica’s face turned red, and she gave Joshua a look, “Alright, I’ve always been very thankful to you! Are we good now?” Joshua sat up straight and said, “Just like that won’t do. I want a gift, hey, I’ve got my eye on a sports car!” His eyes lit up, “Wow, if I drive it out, oh my God… all the girls will look at me. I’ll be the most popular guy!”

“Joshua, I’m not buying you a car,” Jessica shook her head and laughed, “Yang doesn’t need to drive a sports car to be surrounded by girls, that’s what being the most popular is about. Understand?”

Joshua shrugged helplessly, “OK, OK!” He pretended to be dissatisfied, “All you talk about is Yang, always comparing him to me, I’m so tired of it.”

“Ha! You’re going to hear a lot more.” Jessica laughed, Tomorrow, “High School Musical” would land in 3,150 cinemas, and it was bound to create an even bigger frenzy! Everyone would be talking about Yang. They just would.

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