Chapter 72: Opening Day Box Office
[Chapter 72: Opening Day Box Office]
"Link, I've got some great news! I just hung out by the movie theater entrance and overheard a lot of people saying that one viewing just isn't enough -- they're planning to see it again! Some even said they're bringing friends along to scare them!" Chris Barnes said excitedly as they left the museum cinema.
"That's good news indeed."
"Link, everyone seems to really love this film. How much do you think it's going to make at the box office? Is it going to hit 10 million?"
Chris leaned against the car window, watching the crowd streaming in and out of the cinema.
"Ten million should be a piece of cake."
"Don't set your sights too high, Link. The production cost of the movie was under $100,000. I think if we can hit $1 million, that would be fantastic. We don't need 10 million; that seems unrealistic."
Lily, holding her small handbag, chimed in.
"Sure, the production cost was less than $100,000, but the marketing budget was over $3 million during this period. Are you really hoping for just $1 million in ticket sales? Do you want to see the company go bankrupt, Lily?"
"Ah? Oh no, I forgot to factor in the promotional costs. With those, over $3 million total costs makes $1 million sound pretty low. But won't $10 million be too ambitious? The last film, Buried, was a massive success by chance; it's unlikely that every film will perform that well. I think if this movie just breaks even, that would be a solid win."
Lily blinked her captivating eyes, a thoughtful expression on her face.
"As a part of the company, you need to have faith in the projects and in me as your boss. At this time, you should think positively -- stay optimistic and avoid being a downer."
"I know, I know. I just don't want you to get too excited too soon; I mean, if the box office falls short of expectations, you might be disappointed. Alright, you're right. I should have faith in this film. Here's hoping Paranormal Activity makes $50 million. No, let's aim for $100 million! How's that for confidence?"
Lily asked with a smile tugging at her lips.
"Not bad."
Link took a good look at her. "When did you change your hairstyle? It looks great on you."
"I didn't really change it, just added a bit of curl. You're not supposed to stare."
Lily raised her handbag to shield her face, her cheeks flushed from his compliment, and she instinctively crossed her legs.
"Don't hide. As a professional assistant, you should be a little more confident. Confident women are the most beautiful, you know?"
"Fine, if you want to look, then look. Just don't say anything weird and no compliments."
Lily set her white handbag down, shooting him a playful glare. Embarrassed, she turned her gaze toward the window.
She wore a chic white professional outfit, a fitted blazer paired with a knee-length pencil skirt, and a white camisole that delicately displayed her pristine collarbone. A thin gemstone necklace hung gracefully on her subtly exposed neckline.
Her hair was styled with just a bit of bounce, still long and dark, which framed her pretty face perfectly. She looked sophisticated and trendy, embodying the essence of a modern woman with a touch of fierce elegance.
Yet even in her stylishness, she couldn't hide the hint of blush creeping across her cheeks and earlobes.
"Are you done? You look like a pervert."
"Not bad at all. You're stunning; those starlets don't hold a candle to you."
"Who asked for your compliments?"
Lily huffed lightly, flipping through a newspaper casually. A stray strand of hair fell past her ear and landed on the paper. She gently tucked it behind her ear, making her blush even deeper.
Link chuckled softly, deciding to ease off the teasing and instructed the driver to head back to the office.
...
Whew--
Chris Barnes sighed in relief. Every time he was around Link, especially with other women, he felt completely out of place. He often wished he could slip away, but the opportunity never presented itself.
Next time, he promised himself, he'd leave early -- the banter between them was just too awkward.
---
Once they returned to the office, Link settled into Guess Pictures to oversee the movie's publicity and distribution. The promotional campaign for the film started over a month ago, ramping up significantly as the release approached.
As a result, every major newspaper, radio station, and TV network had been running ads about Link's new film, Paranormal Activity.
With no trailers available, their marketing focused on three main areas.
First, they highlighted Link's return as the acclaimed director of Buried, encouraging fans of the first film to come watch his new work. After the success of Buried, Link had earned significant recognition, and many were eagerly anticipating his next project. This topic had inherent news value, and mainstream media often covered it without needing Guess Pictures' PR team to push for it.
Everyone was curious about whether his second film would be a hit or a flop. Could it replicate the surprises of Buried? Would he continue his good fortune, or was he truly a talented director?
Just his title as a renowned director could save him hundreds of thousands in promotional expenses.
The second avenue involved publicizing the film's core story, which attracted viewers' interest. The film was inspired by Link's childhood experiences in a haunted house in El Monte, where he often heard strange noises, sometimes feeling like something was watching him while he slept -- much like the ghosts from urban legends.
To uncover the truth about whether ghosts existed, Link decided to experiment with a camera, inadvertently capturing supernatural phenomena.
During the promotional period, Guess Pictures had placed many articles about ghost stories and paranormal events in newspapers, creating a nationwide buzz about the existence of ghosts and sparking curiosity among the audience.
With that curiosity in mind, audiences were more inclined to check out the movie, eager to see what Paranormal Activity had to offer.
The third promotional strategy was to air clips showcasing stunned audience reactions while watching Paranormal Activity on TV. With limited footage from internal screenings, the highlight reel was scheduled for release three days later.
How much box office revenue they would see after the first three days depended heavily on the film's quality.
...
Currently, Paranormal Activity had only been screened in 14 theaters. Like Buried, they had paid to screen it. However, Guess Pictures had invested more this time around.
During the limited engagements, each theater collected $6,000 a day, with a minimum of six screenings. This meant they needed more than 100 viewers per show just to break even.
Because they rented out the theater to showcase their film, box office performance had little to do with how the theaters fared. Guess Pictures earned over 80% of the box office gross.
The specifics depended on the number of screenings; if ticket sales were promising, they could increase showtimes, and the theaters would also take about 10% of sales.
Though this method of distribution was costly and risky, a successful box office performance could yield substantial profits as well.
---
After a long day at the office, the next afternoon, Link received the opening day box office data.
Paranormal Activity grossed $164,000 on its first day across 14 theaters, averaging $11,700 per theater, surpassing the break-even point by over $7,000.
Across all limited-release films, a single-day revenue of over $6,000 per theater was considered acceptable, while over $10,000 was deemed excellent.
The best-performing limited-release film in the past five years had been the critically acclaimed movie Dances with Wolves, which had averaged $42,700 per theater.
Paranormal Activity managed to make over $10,000 per theater on opening day without any big name stars and without heavy marketing -- an impressive feat.
Additionally, according to the distribution team's reports, the audience turnout rate was low in the first half of the opening day, averaging only 68%. However, in the second half of the day, audience numbers surged, bringing the average seat occupancy across the theaters up to 92%.
Staff investigations revealed that many viewers watched the film at least twice, and some were inviting friends along as word spread.
Given these trends, they expected even higher attendance and box office numbers for the following day.
...
"How did we do on the first day, Link?" Chris Barnes asked anxiously.
Daniel DeVito, Michael Leeson, and Lily all focused intently on the document in Link's hands.
"We made $164,000 on opening day, averaging $11,700 per theater."
Link passed the document to Daniel DeVito.
"$160,000? How's that for results?" Chris Barnes asked, puzzled.
"Phenomenal! Any film averaging over $5,000 per theater shows distribution potential; crossing $10,000 indicates truly massive potential. Paranormal Activity has an incredible chance at the box office!" Michael Leeson exclaimed excitedly.
"Yes! Yes! Yes!"
Chris Barnes flexed his arms, muscles tensed, and shouted with glee.
Clap! Clap!
Lily brought her hands together in applause, beaming with joy.
"Everyone, let's not celebrate too early. This is just day one; real success depends on how we do for the week. Daniel, how's the audience highlight reel coming along? If it's ready, let's get it to the TV stations."
"It's all cut and ready; take a look."
Daniel DeVito produced a tape.
Link took it and placed it in the SVHS recorder to play. The highlight reel lasted 2 minutes and 35 seconds, featuring 64 different audience reactions. Each viewer displayed wildly different but hilarious reactions while watching Paranormal Activity -- some were particularly exaggerated.
Even Quentin jumping into Lawrence's arms wasn't the most over-the-top moment -- many parts of the reel were quite humorous.
The team in the office erupted with laughter watching these moments.
"Looks great. Let's distribute it to a few TV stations and make sure as many people see our film as possible."
"Absolutely! I'll get on that right away."
*****
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