Chapter 102 Two Hundred Cinemas

The door to the lounge of the theater swung open, and several people began to trickle out. Among them were Miller, the deputy general manager from Emperor Entertainment's Los Angeles branch, and Brown, the assistant manager of the film selection department from AMG Cinemas, who lingered behind.

It was evident that they had something to discuss.

"How many screens did you allocate for this film?" Brown asked tentatively.

Miller shrugged. "Without the explosive publicity, this lousy film wouldn't even make it into Emperor Entertainment's theaters."

Brown nodded in agreement. "The film itself is garbage, no doubt about it, but the promotional tactics they've used are rare and effective. Even in our company, many people are discussing the Blair Witch."

Turning to him, Miller asked, "How many screens did you allocate?"

Slightly concerned that AMG might have given them fewer, he pondered the potential trouble if the film's box office exploded.

There was no conflict between the two companies regarding this film, so Brown answered directly, "Twenty theaters, twenty screens, but none of them are in prime locations."

Miller chuckled. "I'm the same. If it weren't for the collaboration with Angel Films and their grandiose noise, I wouldn't even want to allocate ten screens." Suddenly, he asked, "You seemed impressed by their promotional effectiveness. Why so few screens?"

Brown didn't answer directly but countered, "And you? Why?"

"No matter how big the publicity is, if the film's quality is poor, it's highly likely to fail." Miller said solemnly. "Remember Batman & Robin from two years ago? How big was the hype? And yet, how dismal were the box office numbers?"

Brown smiled and said, "I share your view. Publicity correlates with box office, but good publicity doesn't necessarily translate to good box office for a lousy film. The quality of this film is just too poor..."

If it weren't for the recent high profile of this film, it wouldn't have attracted people of their caliber to the test screening.

As they reached the theater entrance, Brown added, "The person who devised this promotional plan is undoubtedly a genius, but they severely lack experience and have grossly underestimated the crucial factor of film quality."

Miller nodded. "You're right. The promotion for this film is insane, and whoever came up with it is no ordinary person. Unfortunately, they don't understand the film market well enough."

Brown continued, "Stanley Kubrick's posthumous work, Eyes Wide Shut, is also releasing this weekend. I want to reserve more theaters and screens for Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman. The attention they bring isn't any less than the Blair Witch."

"Hmm, despite Eyes Wide Shut being a bit esoteric, it's still better than this Blair Witch." Miller said, "The Cruise couple attracts a lot of attention."

Recently, there had been rumors about the marriage of Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman being on the rocks, and the media was buzzing with it.

As for the equally topical Blair Witch, screenings had been arranged for theaters and screens. If the test screening results were as good as the promotional effect, then expanding the screening scale would be a breeze. The company had played out this strategy countless times; it was no big deal.

In another lounge within the theater, Garcia, who had just finished negotiations with representatives from several theater chains, met with Ronan.

Ronan asked directly, "How was the test screening?"

Garcia shook his head slowly. "If I could, I really wouldn't want to host this test screening."

"We don't have the bargaining chips with major theater chain companies," Ronan didn't really want to host a test screening either. "They demanded a test screening before considering bringing the film into theaters, so we had no choice but to comply."

In essence, no one's money comes easy, and every business company is out for profit.

Garcia continued, "Fortunately, we've mostly met our expected targets. Including the big three theater chain companies, we've secured 100 screens in 100 theaters. However, most of the theaters are in rather average locations."

Ronan nodded in satisfaction. "That's not bad. Coupled with the 100 independent theaters with which Embassy Films has long-term cooperation, Blair Witch will open in 200 theaters on its first weekend."

If he remembered correctly, the scale of this film's opening in his previous life would definitely not exceed 50 theaters.

"Let's hope everything goes as planned," Garcia said.

This film was purchased by Ronan Anderson, and he personally planned the promotional campaign while also solving the funds for publicity. If it were truly successful, it would undoubtedly dispel the unease caused by Embassy Films' acquisition and even establish immense prestige for the company.

Moreover, the success of the film would help Embassy Films undergo a transformation. In the past, Embassy Films had never conducted such a large-scale promotion.

Ronan instructed, "Make sure to inform the printing press and FedEx in advance. If the film's box office is indeed good, contact the theaters immediately to prepare for the delivery of copies."

"Don't worry," Garcia said confidently. "I've spoken to both parties, and I'll double-check. Once the funds are in place, they'll start work immediately."

Ronan contemplated the schedule he had seen before and said, "The biggest release on the same weekend is Eyes Wide Shut starring Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman. However, this film's audience is completely different from Blair Witch's, so it won't affect us much. Whether our substantial investment in promotion will be effective remains to be seen next weekend."

David Billiard, who had been silent all along, chimed in, "I believe it will definitely succeed!"

As the person in charge of publicity, he had first-hand data and was quite confident about it.

Ronan continued, "How are those people doing in Africa?"

Garcia replied, "They're doing fine. Expenses are low in Africa, and the air is good. It's said that director Daniel Malek has organized them to shoot a documentary about Africa."

Ronan thought for a moment and said, "After the film has been released for three to four weeks, have them come to Los Angeles. We need them to handle all the media attention."

During the film's peak popularity, this actual planner definitely wouldn't show up in front of the media. Embassy Films also needed to maintain a low profile.

It would be best to let the director and actors take the limelight.

Ronan glanced at the time and said, "Let's call it a day. If the opening weekend performs well next week, I'll treat the entire company to see Eyes Wide Shut. They say you can see Nicole Kidman's nudity in it."

Like all art-oriented actresses, Nicole Kidman had played many provocative roles.

However, Eyes Wide Shut had caused many rumors, such as Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman divorcing because of it, Nicole Kidman filming a fantasy scene for real, and Nicole Kidman damaging her uterus and becoming infertile due to the real scene.

The most memorable impression this film left Ronan was Nicole Kidman. The Australian actress had an amazing figure.

Apparently, this was the phase when Nicole Kidman's looks and figure were at their peak.

With the test screening over and having secured 100 test screening theaters from several chain theater companies, the pre-release promotion and distribution of Blair Witch entered its final sprint.

Two hundred copies were quickly delivered, and the list of theaters and addresses was posted on the movie website. The promotional campaign never stopped, and the viral copies continued to circulate in society, with more and more discussions about college students and the Blair Witch.

Finally, on July 16th, Blair Witch appeared in 200 theaters across the United States.