Chapter 20: Promotion and Hype
[Chapter 20: Promotion and Hype]
"Hey, Link, I heard your movie came out. How's the box office doing?"
In West Hollywood, while Link was grabbing a late-night snack at a diner, a few familiar faces approached him immediately.
"Pretty good."
"Don't kid yourself! We went to the Grove yesterday to catch a flick, and there were fewer than twenty people in the theater. Two even left halfway through. It felt like a private screening!"
"There wasn't much promotion yesterday; it was slow. But today, there seem to be more people."
"No way! You're the only actor in the film, and it's all set in a tiny wooden box. Who would pay to see that?"
"Alright, you've got a point there!"
After finishing his barbecue, Link settled the bill and headed out.
...
When he got back to his apartment, Chris Barnes came over to report on the Grove's screening situation, describing it as mediocre, only slightly better than the day before.
Chris started advising him against self-releasing Buried, saying it was a bad investment. He suggested Link would be better off buying a car; delivering takeout would be much more convenient.
Link replied that the money was already spent, and there was no way to get it back now.
Chris felt sorry for him.
...
After finishing his shift at Burger King, Link stopped by the Grove to check on the previous day's box office figures.
Buried sold a total of 719 tickets and grossed $3,812, which was just over a thousand dollars short of the minimum guarantee. Clearly, the situation was much better than Chris had described.
However, Jerome Preston warned him not to get too excited. The slight increase in box office numbers was partly due to media promotion and the Saturday crowds at the mall.
By Monday, the weekday ticket sales would likely plummet, and Jerome told him to prepare for losses.
"I understand, but I'm willing to risk it with this movie. If I lose money, I can still make more later."
"You've got guts. Since you've made your decision, I won't push anymore. Just remember, if you lose your deposit, don't blame me for not warning you."
Jerome pointed out that he'd seen plenty of broke people, but had never encountered someone as both stubborn and indifferent to money as Link.
...
After leaving Jerome's office, Link found a newsstand on the street to skim some newspapers.
There were a plethora of reviews about Chaplin, and most were glowing, praising Robert Downey Jr.'s remarkable performance, suggesting a potential Oscar nomination for Best Actor as he transitioned from a teen heartthrob to a serious actor.
Link spent half an hour combing through copies of The Hollywood Reporter, Variety, and Entertainment Today until he found four reviews for Buried.
Two were positive, one was neutral, and one was negative.
The positive reviews echoed Will Roger's sentiments, praising the film's quality and its consistent thrills, calling it a standout in the thriller genre.
The neutral review noted that Buried was innovative, describing it as an experimental film with decent direction. The story intricately tied together with limited resources, crafting a tense atmosphere with deep meanings, making it worth watching.
The negative review criticized the film for its rough production quality, poor visuals, and inadequate score, claiming it paled in comparison to Chaplin.
Link also saw a news article in the Los Angeles Times that was reprinted from the New York Post. It was about P. Diddy and was also somewhat related to him.
The article detailed a recent incident involving the rapper's crew on their flight back to New York after the Grammy Awards, during which a confrontation arose between one of his signed artists and a passenger. The artist used derogatory language, which prompted the passenger to quote Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s I Have a Dream speech in response, demanding an apology. Following the artist's refusal, Diddy had to apologize on his behalf.
The article even featured a photo with Wallace The Notorious B.I.G., Diddy, and rapper Jay-Z, along with Link, who was seen from the side with half his face visible.
Anyone who recognized him would know it was him.
There was another article about P. Diddy. It recounted a charity basketball game he held at City College of New York last December, where he invited stars like Mike Tyson and LL Cool J. The event had been poorly organized, resulting in a tragic stampede that left nine dead and 29 injured.
Afterward, victim families and survivors filed lawsuits, leading Diddy to settle for $750,000.
Many media outlets criticized him, with the New York Post labeling him as a publicity-seeking fool.
At this point, P. Diddy was receiving a lot of media attention, which also explained why this small in-flight incident was making headlines.
...
Once he finished reading the papers, Link went to a payphone and called the Los Angeles Times news tip line.
Once connected, he informed the operator that he knew the man who had the confrontation with P. Diddy. He mentioned his own name and that he was the lead actor in Buried.
"A movie? Buried? What's that movie about?"
"Buried is a new film showing at the Union Theater and the Grove. Renowned film critic Will Roger strongly recommended it yesterday in The Hollywood Reporter. If you watch it, you'll see why."
"Alright, sir, your tip is very valuable. Please leave your contact information. Once we verify the news tip, we will grant you a reward."
"No need, I'm just a devoted reader of the LA Times. Sharing tips is my pleasure. I hope the information helps you."
"Thank you again for supporting our work!"
"Glad to help!"
Hanging up, Link returned to the theater.
---
It was the weekend, and the crowds in the mall were increasing again, with about fifty to sixty people filtering in to watch movies every hour.
On the afternoon of the third day of Buried's release, the box office numbers came in. The Union Theater sold 704 tickets, earning $4,232, almost reaching the minimum guarantee.
In total, the film sold 1,506 tickets in its opening three days, pulling in $8,100.
The average daily box office figures still fell short of the average for art films.
The Grove's cinema grossed a total of 1,821 tickets with a revenue of $10,500 over the same period.
This put it at one of the lowest ranks among current releases.
Jerome Preston and Mason asked him if he wanted to continue screening, warning him that weekday sales would become dire, and holding out could make things even tougher.
Backing out now might still recoup some losses.
Link shook his head; he was all in, and he wasn't going to back down easily.
...
By Monday, traffic at the mall dropped sharply, and the number of moviegoers plummeted dramatically.
For the commercial films competing with him, this had a significant impact, with drops over 60%. By 4 PM, the cinema had nearly emptied out.
But for Buried, the impact was less severe.
This was partly because it had only a 40% capacity rate during the previous three days.
With the buzz surrounding Buried steadily growing in the press, the number of viewers began to increase as well.
...
On Tuesday morning, the Los Angeles Times mentioned Link and Buried in an article about Diddy, providing another boost in exposure for the film.
On Monday, Buried sold 512 tickets, earning $2,896. Although this was lower than the weekend, it exceeded expectations and surpassed the daily earnings of several art films.
...
However, at the Grove, Buried concluded its screening after three days because the cinema had other bookings.
Jerome Preston handed Link 65% of the box office revenue from the screenings, keeping the remaining 35% for costs.
Link's take-home amount was nearly $7,000.
With his earnings, he contacted The Hollywood Reporter to buy a small advertisement to promote Buried further.
...
On Tuesday, driven by media publicity, Buried sold 749 tickets at the Union Theater.
In the afternoon, a reporter from the Los Angeles Times came to interview Link about the incident with Diddy.
Link claimed to know little about rap music and initially hadn't realized they were celebrities until he saw the news later. He expressed regret over B.I.G's discriminatory comments and applauded Diddy for stepping in to apologize on behalf of B.I.G.
During the interview, Link also discussed the details of his new film, Buried.
He shared quite a bit, but the following day's article only mentioned Buried briefly, spending the rest on his responses to the reporter's questions.
...
On Wednesday, Buried sold 806 tickets at the Union Theater, making over $4,900, almost reaching the minimum guarantee.
"How is this possible? How could Buried have a box office increase on a weekday?" Mason marveled at the numbers in his hands, disbelief etched across his thin face.
"It's completely normal! The quality of my film is high. A lot of people who've seen it are recommending it to others. Word of mouth spreads, and more people will naturally start coming."
"That's still hard to believe. Your film is relatively offbeat with a somewhat simple plot, only film buffs would likely appreciate it. Young audiences don't have that kind of patience."
"Maybe I resonate with my audience more than you think."
"Based on current numbers, if Buried can maintain over $6,000 in revenue for the next couple of days, I can apply to keep it playing in theaters."
"Thank you so much, William."
"I said 'if.' If the earnings exceed $6,000 on Thursday and Friday, I can help you apply. Otherwise, if it falls below that, the application won't go through. So you'd better pray that ticket sales don't drop dramatically."
"Alright, let's hope for the best."
Link crossed himself, silently seeking luck.
*****
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