Prelude

On the second day of the public release, the media began to hype the first-day box office results and audience reviews. They were highly professional, and besides journals, magazines, and the like, major newspapers had already reported on the grandeur of "Effervescent".

Paramount had also spent a lot of money this time, so film critics and journalists would consider their red envelopes before speaking.

As for whether the reviews were praising or objective, there was little control over that.

However, it turned out that these people still had some integrity left. After watching the film, most of the reviews leaned toward the positive side.

The New York Times: This French director has always been a pioneer in filmmaking. His films have unique perspectives, excellent cinematography, and it's hard to deny that many audiences like him. After watching "Effervescent", one must admit that it's as unique and outstanding as ever.

Variety: Lyman Lattes's directorial skills have always been tested and accepted by the market. This film, amid its coldness, has a touch of warmth, and amidst its simplicity, romance can be found everywhere. The nearly two-hour viewing experience from start to finish undoubtedly allows people to appreciate it. The character and dialogue designs are also remarkable.

Los Angeles Times: Although the film has many exciting aspects, what's most captivating is its narrative process. Especially in the latter part, just when one is anxiously expecting a tragedy, director Lyman Lattes plays an unexpected and subtle little twist, making the film's depth even more thought-provoking and elevating the theme. It can be said that this time, even in the romance genre, he has created his own artistic style, not relying on empty words, leaving the audience with some room for contemplation.

The Hollywood Reporter: "Effervescent" may not be the best romantic film, nor is it a flawless film that leaves everyone completely satisfied, but it is undoubtedly a well-crafted drama worth watching.

Première: I dare to assert that this will be a film that audiences will love.

...

In this age when the internet was gradually rising, the value of media reviews still remained unpredictable. However, by sheer coincidence, many of the viewers who had seen "Effervescent" on the first day were also recommending it to other netizens online. The combined efforts of print media and the internet were indeed astonishing.

Around five o'clock in the afternoon.

A Los Angeles cinema.

As more and more people got off work, watching a movie to relax was something many people enjoyed. A middle-aged Caucasian man, named Wilke, looked at the increasingly lively theater and began to perk up.

He was the ticket seller at this theater.

"Two tickets for "Effervescent"."

"Two tickets for "Effervescent", thank you."

"Give me one ticket for "50 First Dates"."

"Three tickets for "The Passion of the Christ"."

Then, customers handed over their Franklins, and Wilke skillfully opened the cash drawer and gave them their change.

Just like yesterday, the best-selling movie tickets today were still the French director's work and the religious-themed film that had been running for almost two weeks.

Time passed quickly in the midst of busyness.

The clock's hands gradually moved toward 6:30, and the theater's audience grew even larger. Wilke became even busier.

"Two tickets for "Effervescent"."

"Give us two more tickets for "Effervescent". I want to watch it again."

"Five tickets, together..."

At first, Wilke didn't notice.

However, gradually, as he observed the diminishing availability of tickets for the 6:30 to 8:30 screening of "Effervescent" in Theater 3, he realized that the increase in the audience seemed somewhat unusual.

The earlier showings did have some viewers, but mostly they maintained an attendance rate of around 60 to 70 percent, unlike now.

And most importantly, today was still a workday, with the widespread day off not scheduled until tomorrow. The main force of student viewers hadn't even joined the fray yet, so why was it so intense already?

What was going on?

Wilke clearly remembered that when the movie started playing yesterday, some showtimes were even overshadowed by "The Passion of the Christ".

And "50 First Dates" wasn't that bad either; people were still watching it. It had only been a day, but it seemed exaggerated for it to be so helpless.

However, the situation that was clearly unfolding now couldn't be denied.

In fact, Wilke knew a bit about "Effervescent".

A low-budget romance film. "The Passion of the Christ" had a production cost that was 1.5 times that of "Effervescent", and "50 First Dates" wasn't much higher either, but it was over $5M more.

Logically, even if the theater didn't schedule movies based solely on their costs, they wouldn't disregard this aspect.

In reality, if Lyman's previous works hadn't been so successful, the theater wouldn't have given them good showtimes. But even so, it couldn't compete with "The Passion of the Christ". After one day of screenings, "Effervescent" had only four showings, while "The Passion of the Christ" had six, and "50 First Dates" had three.

"Two tickets for "Effervescent"."

A customer interrupted Wilke's thoughts, and Wilke instinctively reached for the money, but his gaze froze slightly on the monitor. "I'm sorry, but tickets for "Effervescent" are sold out. If you want to watch it, you'll have to wait for the next showing."

"Sold out?"

"Yes, I recommend you can purchase tickets for some of the other movies. They still have seats available."

"No, when's the next showing?"

"Around 10:30."

"Why do you schedule movies like this?"

The customer grumbled in complaint, then said, "Give me two tickets for the 10 o'clock showing. I want seats in the middle."

Wilke could only helplessly offer a wry smile and then handed the tickets to the customer.

He wasn't in charge of scheduling, and besides, they couldn't just show "Effervescent" in all the theaters.

"50 First Dates" only had three showings in total, and they couldn't cancel those.

After a while, several more customers wanted to buy tickets for "Effervescent", but they all left disappointed.

Many of them suggested increasing the number of screenings or even opening up another theater.

Wilke comforted them while also forwarding their requests to the cinema manager.

As a seasoned movie ticket seller, he had some insight into such situations. Similar incidents had occurred before, and as for what would happen after the suggestions were made, that was up to the higher-ups to decide.

"Boss, tickets for "Effervescent" are selling very well. Many people are buying tickets for the next showing."

"What about the other movies? How are they doing?"

"They can't compare to "Effervescent". The attendance rate for some of the other films isn't even reaching 50 percent."

The person on the other end of the phone contemplated for a moment and then said, "I'll arrange it right away. When someone buys tickets later, tell them to wait half an hour, and there will be tickets available in Theater 1."

Making money was the priority, and there was no fear of making temporary changes to the screening schedule.