"This is impossible! This is impossible! " James looked at the data displayed on the laptop screen and angrily slammed the table. "How can their box office be so high! How can this be! Heavenly State must be faking it! It's faking it! I protest! I protest! "
The Round Table Conference was no longer as high-spirited as before. Everyone present lowered their heads and did not say a word.
This time, they felt that their faces were slapped swollen.
In order to screen at the same time, they took out 10 million USD for public relations. At that time, they thought it was a very good idea. After all, it was too easy to give away 10 million USD. In the end, they did not expect that the other party had completely set up a huge pit for them to jump into. And they jumped without hesitation, even scolding the other party as fools.
Only now did they realize that they were the fools …
"So what if we protest?" Just then, someone sitting at the north side helplessly said, "James, did you see the scene in their ticket office? The audience started lining up from the ticket office to the door, turned a corner, then lined up again at the ticket office, then turned another corner and lined up again at the door … This is definitely not faked. And quite a number of our citizens went in to watch, and the result was … "
"What's the result?! What is it?! "James roared." Is our movie worse than theirs? They canceled the screening of our movie, canceled it! "
"We had no choice." That person slowly said, "After the citizens of our country watched it, the result they got was that compared to Pugilistic World, the only thing worth praising about our movie is the instant of the explosion …" After saying this, he added in a very helpless manner, "And this is because the theme of the movie is different …"
"How is this possible! How is this possible! " James shouted crazily. "How can the movie industry in Heavenly State reach such a level in one night? They've been learning from us all this time! Learning how to make movies! Now you're telling me that the only thing we can show off in this movie is the explosion?! Comparing explosion with martial arts movies?! What's the difference between comparing hairstyles with beggars?! "
"Dear James." Just then, another person shook his head and said, "We are not rich, and Heavenly State's movie industry is not beggars. I think you need to calm down. You have already lost your mind from anger. "
"Calm down? How can I keep calm?! " James turned the computer screen around to face the other seven people. "Look at what it's like outside now! What had happened?! Our Hollywood has been surrounded by citizens! They were demonstrating! They're marching! Do you understand what a demonstration is?! "
"Are those people crazy?!"
A few of the leaders gathered around, and the image in the notebook immediately stunned all of them.
On the screen, countless American citizens were holding up signs and demonstrating on the streets! Those signs had slogans like "Break the movie monopoly", "We want to watch Pugilistic World", "Oppose Hollywood's one word", and so on. The meaning was very obvious. You guys are not kind. You're afraid that the other party's movie will steal the box office, so you're deliberately not letting us watch the movie! All of you are cowards!
"How could this be!" One of them was stunned. "What's going on with these people?!"
"What else could it be?" James panted heavily, almost going crazy like a bull that saw blood. "The people from our country watched 'Pugilistic World' at the Heavenly State Cinema and then posted their comments on our country's forum. Then, some people also went to watch the trailer, and then one by one, and that's it! "
"But that doesn't warrant a demonstration, right?" Another person felt strange and said, "There have always been local film protection regulations. They shouldn't be so agitated!"
"It's all because of that 10 million! That 10 million! " James started to roar again. "I don't know who spread the news that we used 10 million to attack the box office of 'Pugilistic World'! It was nothing at first, but now that this group of people knows about it, they think we're a bunch of fools! A bunch of self-righteous fools! They think we're cowards, daring to go to Heavenly State to attack the box office, but not daring to let 'Pugilistic World' screen at the same time as us. They think we're all embroidered pillows. We usually brag about how great we are, but at the crucial moment, we don't dare to face the challenge head-on! "
After hearing what James said, everyone was completely silent this time.
Going to Heavenly State to attack the box office was nothing. There had always been competition in the film industry, and what they fought for was the box office. Often, there would be people who would choose to release the movie on the same day to compete for box office results. This was very normal.
But this time, out of all the things they shouldn't have done, they shouldn't have only attacked the box office in Heavenly State and not screened it in their own country.
This was like going to someone else's house to issue a challenge, but after that, you said that you had an 80-year-old mother and a two-year-old baby at home and didn't let them find you for a fight. To put it simply, there was no such thing as admitting defeat.
It was no wonder those people were so agitated. You went to challenge others, but when you came back, you didn't even dare to accept the challenge. Wouldn't that make you a coward?
Especially for a country like Merika that had always prided itself on fairness and democracy, doing this would naturally cause the citizens to be very unhappy.
If the Holographic Projection Technology on the previous online gaming fest could only be considered as a small warm-up for a slap in the face, then now that Hong Dali, who had never slapped anyone in the face, was the second small slap in the face. James and the rest really felt that they couldn't take it anymore.
At this time, whether or not to let 'Pugilistic World' screen in their own country was a problem.
And if it continued to crush the box office after screening … then they would be completely disgraced.
This time, they really knew what it meant to be a wolf in the front and a tiger in the back. No matter what choice they made, it was quite difficult.
"He … Damn it! Motherf * cker! "James angrily threw the laptop away." This is f * cking freedom! "
Equality, freedom, James only wanted to swallow these few words into his stomach.
…
On the third day of 'The Heaven Sword and Dragon Sabre: Pugilistic World' screening in Heavenly State.
Merika, a country that claimed to be equal and free, finally couldn't withstand the pressure from the public opinion of its own citizens and opened its doors.
At 10 AM, it was screened in all the cinemas in the country at the same time.
And at this time, Hong Dali, who had always been hiding in the dark and never slapped anyone in the face, finally bared his fangs!
At the 10 AM premiere, the average occupancy rate of all the cinemas reached 56%, sweeping 6.8 million USD in the box office with just one screening.
And this, was just the beginning!
At 12 PM, the average occupancy rate of all the cinemas in Merika reached 78%, sweeping 9.2 million USD in the box office again!
People spread the news, and the topic of discussion was all about the plot and martial arts moves of 'The Heaven Sword and Dragon Sabre: Pugilistic World.' Reports about 'Pugilistic World' were everywhere, and like a tornado, it destroyed the entire Merika film industry like a cornfield that had just been ravaged by a bear.
At 3 PM, the occupancy rate of all the cinemas reached 85%, and it was another 10 million plus in the box office.
When people walked out of the cinemas with a satisfied expression on their faces, they all expressed extreme excitement when they were interviewed by the reporters —
"God, Heavenly State's kungfu, kungfu, it's really too amazing! Do you know about kungfu? That's all real kungfu! " A male film fan said as he mimicked the martial arts moves in the movie. "Just like that, that tree that's as thick as an arm broke! My God, that's definitely real kungfu, even the broken part is a close-up shot, it's definitely different from the usual special effects! "
"Zixiao Mu is really too handsome, too cool. I plan to fly to Heavenly State tomorrow to look for him, I want to give birth to his child!" A female film fan excitedly screamed. "He's really too stylish!"
"The plot of the entire movie can be summarized with twists and turns! Compared to this movie, the previous' Air-Raid of the Trump Cards' and 'Moment of Screaming' are simply stuff written by children. " Another more professional person said, "Oh, please forgive my inappropriate choice of words, but when I think about how those stupid pigs in Hollywood actually used such a movie to challenge 'Pugilistic World', alright, my emotions are a little agitated, please allow me to say one last sentence to those people: F * ck!" Then, he magnificently stuck out his middle finger!
Three screenings had already swept away 25 million plus USD in the box office. This matter completely alarmed the higher-ups of Merika.
In order to protect local movies and prevent the movie company from suffering too heavy a loss, the higher-ups of Merika disregarded the objections of the people and finally decided to only open the 10 PM slot for one more screening, after which "Pugilistic World" would be taken off the shelves.
The dissatisfied voices of the people got louder and louder, but after all, an individual couldn't go against the machine of the country. After the protests were futile, the people made their greatest effort — at 10 PM to midnight, the theater occupancy rate in the whole country actually reached an unprecedented 120% in history!
Countless people squeezed in the aisles just to see that magical statue, that mythical and legendary big tortoise, that legendary skill that could really break a small tree with one palm, as well as those twists and turns that were unexpected yet within reason!
Actually, originally, this movie might not have been able to achieve such results, but the higher-ups of Merika just had to say that they wanted to take it off the shelves that very night. Thus, even those audiences who weren't very interested in movies previously couldn't sit still when they heard this news — if they didn't watch it now, they wouldn't have a chance in this lifetime. Thus, they would rather spend some money to see it first!
Thus, "The Heaven Sword and Dragon Sabre: Pugilistic World" only screened for one day in Merika and created a legend with an opening box office of close to 40 million USD. Then, it was taken off the shelves and became a legend in the history of movies!
At least within a few decades, there definitely wouldn't be anyone who could break this legend.
Hong Dali never slapped people's faces, but once he did, it would definitely be earth-shattering!
And at this time, contrary to everyone's expectations, the miracle of "The Heaven Sword and Dragon Sabre: Pugilistic World" was still continuing, and it crazily spread at a level that exceeded everyone's imagination!
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