Fan base

November 22nd, Friday.

Early in the morning, Kurt drove out to pick up his girlfriend, Lisa.

After picking her up, he curiously asked, "Lisa, why did you urgently ask me to come out? You didn't say what it's about. What's the matter?"

"Drive to the nearest movie theater first," the girl seemed impatient.

Kurt drove his car through the streets of Los Angeles and headed towards the Chinese Theatre on Hollywood Boulevard. "Don't tell me you called me in such a rush just to watch a movie?"

"Is that not allowed?" the girl replied while looking out of the window.

"It's allowed, but is it necessary to go so early? Isn't it better to go in the afternoon or evening?" Kurt complained. He thought his girlfriend called him so urgently because something had happened, but it turned out to be about watching a movie.

"It's because you were busy last night. Otherwise, I could have gone to the premiere of that movie at the Chinese Theatre. I missed it, so I want to see it as soon as possible."

Kurt changed direction, and the car turned onto Hollywood Boulevard. "Don't tell me it's that movie called "Fury". I remember you don't like war-themed films. How come you're interested now?" He was a bit puzzled.

"I don't like war-themed films, but I really like the director, Lyman Lattes. I must watch his works."

Kurt, who was driving, was surprised. "You're interested because of that? Is he really that good?"

"Don't you understand? You don't like "Buried" and "3 Idiots", how could you appreciate the talent of Lyman the director?" Lisa continued, "It's just a pity that I didn't get to see him in person last night. It was the best opportunity, but you missed it."

Kurt shook his head and didn't say anything. This topic couldn't be pursued any further. His quick-witted brain told him that singing a different tune might cause trouble.

The car parked in the parking lot near the Chinese Theatre, and Kurt and his girlfriend Lisa got out of the car and walked into the theater's ticketing lobby.

Perhaps they arrived too early, and it was a working day, so there weren't many people waiting to buy tickets.

"Two tickets for "Die Another Day"."

"Two tickets for "Fury"," Lisa said.

The ticket seller took the money, made change, and recorded the sales in a notebook on the side.

He was hired for an extra job today—to survey the real-time, accurate ticket sales for both "Fury" and its biggest competitor, "Die Another Day", which were both released nationwide in the US on the same day.

It was still early, and the theater had only been open for less than half an hour, but there was almost no suspense in the observations. Just like the ticket-buying choices of those few audience members earlier, the ticket sales for the two movies were not significantly different. To be precise, "007: No Time to Die," which had a larger fan base from previous films, sold slightly more tickets.

As the time approached for the movie to start, Lisa held her boyfriend Kurt's hand and sat in a seat slightly lower in the middle. After sitting down, she looked around and found that even though it was early, there were already more than 20 people in the theater.

It seemed that Lyman Lattes was gradually gaining fame. Combined with the enthusiastic promotion of the film, the film's market appeal was much higher than when "3 Idiots" was released. Lisa still remembered that when she went to see that film, it was around 5:30 in the afternoon, and there weren't as many people in the theater back then.

In fact, before coming here, Lisa had read about "Fury" in the newspaper. Compared to "3 Idiots", which relied on limited screenings and word-of-mouth to spread, this time "Fury" was released in 2,600 theaters across North America on its first day. It was said that there would be even more screens in France.

It was truly remarkable.

Film being recognized in this way naturally made Lisa happy. On the one hand, her favorite director was becoming more successful. On the other hand, it felt like one of her hidden gems suddenly became popular, giving her a sense of pride and validation.

In any case, it was a joyful feeling.

The lights dimmed, and the already quiet screening hall became even quieter as the movie began...

With each vivid character like "Wardaddy" and Norman, they entered the story woven by Lyman.

"It's really good," after the movie ended, Kurt couldn't help but say.

Lisa glanced at her boyfriend. Obviously, this movie was to his liking, as the realistic war scenes could stimulate any man's visual senses. Even though she didn't like this genre and thought the film wasn't as fantastic as "3 Idiots", she found it acceptable after watching it.

As always, director Lyman was skilled at character development. Lisa might forget the plot, but she would remember the character of Norman.

The behavior of the boy waiting in the late night just to catch a glimpse of his mother might sound foolish, but it stirred emotions.

As for the final sacrifice, Lisa didn't feel much about it.

"Let's go."

"Okay."

The length of "Fury" was noticeably shorter. When Kurt and Lisa walked out of the theater, "Die Another Day" on the other side hadn't finished yet.

"Hello, I am a researcher in the film market."

As soon as the two walked out of the Chinese Theatre, they were intercepted by a middle-aged white man.

This situation was very common, and Lisa had encountered it many times before.

"Could you spare some time for a few questions about the movie you just watched?" The middle-aged man quickly said when he saw the two nodding, "Do you think "Fury" was good?"

"Very good, it's an excellent war film," Kurt was still immersed in the memory of the plot, "I'm definitely buying a VHS tape of this movie to treasure it."

"I think it's great too. The depiction of comradery in the film is quite touching, and the portrayal of human nature is on point," Lisa thought for a moment and spoke.

"Then which character or actor left a deeper impression on you?"

"Im must be "Wardaddy". Nicolas Cage."

"Norman."

After saying this, the two exchanged a glance.

Naturally, men liked characters with stronger personalities and actions, especially the kind of visual stimulation where both sides fought for their lives under the hail of bullets. Although Lisa didn't like this genre, and she thought this film wasn't as fantastic as "3 Idiots", she found it acceptable overall.

"Could you please tell me in more detail why you like them?"

"Nicolas Cage," Kurt said, "I've seen many of his films and really like his appearance and performance in this one. He exudes a strong aura and carries a mature military demeanor in every move and gesture. It's just too fitting."

But Lisa had a different opinion, "I prefer Norman."

"Maybe it's because of the character's development. From the beginning to the end, Sergeant's character remains the same, while new recruit Norman undergoes a transformation from timid and naive to mature and resolute. The way the actor portrayed this change felt seamless, as if it depicted the true growth of a new recruit—trembling when firing his first shot and becoming steady later on. He experienced so much and changed so much, and I really like a character like that."

"Thank you both for accepting my interview."

After the middle-aged white man recorded their answers, he handed each of them a survey questionnaire and a signature pen with the tank from "Fury" on it.

Kurt and Lisa didn't hesitate and chose the "A+" rating option on the questionnaire.

Then, the middle-aged man took back the survey questionnaires, and the two pens were given to them as small gifts for answering the questions.

They accepted the gifts without any hesitation and then turned and left the theater entrance.

Meanwhile, the middle-aged man continued his survey and data collection work.

More people came forward to participate in his survey, which was quite common. Many of the respondents were willing to share their movie-going experience, especially right after watching a film, when they were eager to express their feelings. Of course, if they had watched a terrible film, they might not be as willing to share.

Some people would still be willing to criticize a bit, but most of them were in a positive mood to share their experience.

Who would want to share their experience of watching a terrible movie and rate it? That would be worse.

Fortunately, both movies that the middle-aged man was tasked with surveying today had received good reviews.

"Fury" was understandable, but even the 20th installment of the sequel film "Die Another Day" had received mostly positive reviews. Based on the audience's attitude, there was no sign of fatigue for the franchise; instead, it was highly appreciated.

It wasn't surprising, considering that the audience who bought tickets on the first day were either fans of these two movies or specific groups interested in the genres. It was natural for them to have positive evaluations.

If the middle-aged man wanted to truly evaluate the word-of-mouth, he would need to conduct surveys next week.

However, if he had to make a comparison now, "Fury" had the upper hand in audience reception.

"Die Another Day" had many fans, but there were also casual viewers. At least their reviews were fair.

"It passes, but it's not really exceptional. There are plenty of grand scenes that catch the eye, and of course, James Bond's charm and beautiful Bond girls are worth watching. Apart from that, the plot is somewhat silly, and the villains feel a bit stupid and poorly developed."

"Too fast-paced, can't remember what was said at all."

The middle-aged man gathered the collected market data and survey questionnaires and prepared to report back.

He even thought about taking a look at "Fury" on his day off tomorrow to hear what the audience had to say. The film's reviews were quite high, and it had sparked his curiosity.

After all, men always had a bit more interest in war-themed movies.