Chapter 132 Death Is Just Around the Corner

In a middle-class community in Dallas, Texas, Kyle rode his bike swiftly down the street, with a large stack of neatly folded newspapers in the front basket.

Although his family was well-off, he didn't have much pocket money. If he wanted more, he had to earn it himself.

Passing by a large convenience store in the neighborhood, Kyle subconsciously turned his head and glanced at the huge billboard above the store, which had a somewhat eerie image on it with the words "Death Is Coming".

Kyle knew it was a horror movie. He had seen advertisements for "Final Destination" while watching "Crisis on Black Day" a while back.

Glancing at his wristwatch, Kyle quickened his pace. He needed to deliver the newspapers quickly, or he'd be late for school.

"Hey, Kyle!" someone called from the roadside. "My paper!"

Kyle slowed down a bit, grabbed a neatly folded newspaper, and tossed it to the person. "Hey, Eddie, here's your paper!"

As the newspaper landed on the lawn, Eddie went to pick it up, watching Kyle ride away before heading back home.

His mother had already prepared breakfast and was sitting at the table. Eddie divided the newspaper into two parts, placing the social and political section on his father's side and taking out the entertainment and sports section for himself.

He first checked the latest news about the Dallas Cowboys, then flipped to the entertainment section.

"Real-Life Cases of 'Death Is Coming'!"

Taking a big bite of his sandwich, Eddie continued reading: "Death is always hunting down those who try to avoid their fate. There are many real-life cases happening around us!"

After finishing his sandwich, Eddie wiped his hands and continued reading.

"In real life, many people have survived major disasters only to face death's pursuit in various bizarre ways."

"In January 1993, 21-year-old Jessica Lima helped organize a party for college students at the Kiss nightclub in Santa Maria, southern Brazil, and also helped sell tickets. But as she was about to leave for the club, her sick boyfriend called, asking her to stay home and take care of him."

"Although most of her friends were at the party, Jessica Lima listened to her boyfriend's plea and stayed home. A few hours later, the band at the party ignited fireworks on stage, igniting the foam roof of the club. Many people died from inhaling toxic gases, while others died from trampling or being trapped in the fire. The death toll that night reached 238."

"Five days later, Jessica Lima and her boyfriend went to another town for a trip. On their way back, their car collided head-on with a large truck. Jessica Lima died on the spot, and her boyfriend passed away in the hospital."

Scratching his head, Eddie wondered, is there really a death omen? There were several more cases listed, from Canada, Mexico, the United States, and even a shooting in Texas four years ago.

The time, place, names, and specific details were all very clear. A mainstream newspaper like the Dallas Morning News wouldn't fabricate such stories.

Eddie then saw the end of the article: "The movie 'Death Is Coming', officially released on December 3rd, is said to be based on a real-life plane crash. In the 1970s, several students were kicked off a flight after quarreling on board, thus escaping a plane crash. However, in the following two months, these survivors died in various accidents..."

Could there really be a death omen? Or is fate unchangeable?

Upon seeing this, Eddie suddenly became very interested in the movie "Death Is Coming".

December 3rd? The weekend after Thanksgiving.

Eddie made a mental note of the date.

In Brooklyn, New York, twenty-two-year-old Tom finished a day's work and returned home to turn on his computer, ready to surf the internet.

Opening the Yahoo homepage, logging into the forum, he noticed a hot topic with an unusually high number of replies.

Tom quickly opened it to find a video interview where several people discussed the accidental death of a relative.

First, a picture of a beautiful redhead smiling appeared in the video, followed by a picture of a redhead corpse. Though the corpse was pixelated, the bloodstains and wounds were still visible, chilling to the bone.

"This is my cousin, Lisa Reed, a news anchor from Texas Channel Five. She died in a shooting two years ago."

Speaking was a girl in her early twenties. "My cousin's death brought endless sorrow and fear to our family."

A microphone appeared: "Why?"

The middle-aged woman next to the girl replied, "Because Lisa had just survived a shooting. A week later, she died in another shooting."

The man sitting in the middle interjected, "Two years ago, you should have heard of the Eaton Shopping Center shooting in Texas, right? Lisa was there at the time. She had just bought a burger from the hamburger shop and was attacked by the gunman. Someone knocked her down, and Lisa miraculously avoided the bullets, but her burger bag was shattered by the bullets."

The video showed many photos and newspapers. Tom carefully examined them. The photos seemed to be from the scene of the shooting, and the newspapers reported on the incident. One newspaper had a headline that read "Lucky Girl Lisa Reed".

Tom wholeheartedly believed this was a true event.

"Death didn't spare Lisa. After the shooting, Death came for her. Just a week later, Lisa encountered a robbery on the street and was shot in the heart and died."

The man suddenly became hysterical: "Death will hunt down everyone who escapes death's fate! Until it takes their lives!"

After watching the video, Tom noticed that the first reply to the post listed other similar cases.

A girl survived a nightclub fire but died in a car accident, someone survived a tornado but died from a rabid dog bite, and someone survived a plane crash only to die in another plane crash soon after.

It seemed like their fate was sealed, destined to be taken by Death. If not the first time, then the next accident awaited them.

And there was a movie based on similar events?

Tom quickly looked up more information: "In the 1970s, several students were kicked off a flight after quarreling on board, thus escaping a plane crash. However, in the following two months, these survivors died in various accidents. Famous horror movie director James Wong, who previously directed 'The Purge', adapted this event into a horror movie called 'Death Is Coming', which will be released on December 3rd. Death is just around the corner!"

After Thanksgiving, newspapers, magazines, TV stations, and the internet suddenly saw a surge in reports of accidents of all kinds. It seemed like the whole of America was shrouded in a cloud of accidents, with many famous accidents from past years being frequently mentioned in both old and new media.

Everything was telling the public how fragile life is, and Death is just around the corner.

The promotion of "Death Is Coming" did not create the sensation that "The Blair Witch Project" did, but it did attract a lot of attention. The website dedicated to "Death Is Coming" by Embassy Films was filled with numerous cases of people surviving accidents only to die in subsequent accidents, which was extremely eye-catching.

Although there were inevitably some inaccuracies and cases of propaganda, they were concealed among many real cases, greatly increasing their credibility.

By early December, the total number of visits to the "Death Is Around" movie website had exceeded eight million.

Ronan instructed people to analyze the IP addresses visiting the website, and they were dispersed across the United States, not concentrated in one area.

This also indicates that extensive marketing has already pushed "Death Is Around" in front of many Americans.

Today, when the Pacific film market has yet to rise, the United States remains the world's largest film producer and consumer, along with the European Union, constituting the vast majority of the world's film market.

Movies that can capture these two markets undoubtedly stand to succeed.

The key to marketing is to push "Death Is Around" in front of potential audiences.

Ronan has never ceased investigating and understanding the market over the past two years. Even in economically developed areas, one-third of adults never go to the cinema. The core cinema audience consists of movie enthusiasts who watch at least one movie per week, accounting for 40% of ticket sales.

Apart from this core audience, the second tier watches a movie approximately once a month, also accounting for about 40%.

However, it's the first tier that determines the fate of a new film.

These individuals pay attention to new releases each week, select one they're interested in, and buy tickets over the weekend, contributing to the first-week box office numbers.

The marketing of "Death Is Around" is enough to ensure that the film's information reaches the first tier audience.

As long as this audience can help "Death Is Around" achieve impressive first-week box office numbers, attracting the attention of the second tier will be easier.

The release date of "Death Is Around" isn't ideal. It comes right after the Thanksgiving holiday weekend, which undoubtedly releases many movie fans' movie-watching enthusiasm, resulting in a low market turnout the following weekend.

But this weekend also has its benefits, as there are no strong competitors among the films released simultaneously.

The only other major release alongside "Death Is Around" is "Dark Crimes" distributed by Universal Pictures. Although the film stars Denzel Washington, its heavily artistic style doesn't offer much market competitiveness.

In comparison, the films released in the weekends before and after "Death Is Around" are much stronger.

The previous weekend had "Apocalypse Now" and "Toy Story 2," while the following weekend had "Dumb Dance Man" and "The Green Mile," followed by "Elf Brothers."

The holiday season, composed of Thanksgiving and Christmas, is as crowded and lively as the summer season.

On December 1st, all copies distributed by the Embassy Films were in place, and the premiere of "Death Is Around" began.