Hollywood Road

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For a good movie, even with proper publicity, it often takes time for audiences to get word of mouth to ferment, especially for movies like "Chain Saw" that have a limited scale of publicity. After a day of release on Friday, and After the spread of word of mouth, coupled with the inevitable chain effect brought about by weekend vacations, the attendance rate of this film in 30 theaters across the United States has increased significantly since the next Saturday when it was screened.

Because the film is very targeted in terms of the market, the attendance rate of "Chain Saw" on Saturday morning is already comparable to the prime time on Friday night. By Saturday afternoon, the audience sitting in the screening hall of "Chain Saw" Continue growing.

Word of mouth may not be able to significantly increase the number of viewers of a large-scale release film in a short period of time, but it can significantly increase the attendance rate of "Chain Saw" with only 30 theaters, and it can be attracted by other people's words , The vast majority of people who come to watch movies are also horror movie lovers. They often feel extremely satisfied after watching the movie, and then recommend it to people around them, thus forming a virtuous circle.

Besides, after the Fox Searchlight meeting, the promotion of "Saw" was further strengthened. The additional funding of 400,000 US dollars was indeed not much, but it could do something.

On Saturday night, the average attendance rate of the 30 movie theaters showing "Saw" exceeded 60% in one fell swoop!

This kind of super high attendance rate is often only achieved by films with small-scale screenings and high reputation among audiences!

Although the weekend has not yet passed, "Saw" has already brought a lot of surprises.

Under such circumstances, the single-day box office of "Chain Saw" on Saturday can be imagined. It took away about 225,000 US dollars in box office from 30 theaters in 30 theaters. Up to $7500!

Including the previous day's $4,500, it took only two days of the weekend, and "Chain Saw" has already exceeded Fox Searchlight's expected weekend single-house box office results.

With such unexpected results, coupled with the audience’s word-of-mouth feedback from the survey and consulting company, Fox Searchlight’s "Chain Saw" project team has almost fully mobilized, and it is bound to make this film as good as possible at the beginning of the new week. Most of them may appear in theaters in North America.

"I request an additional 500 copies!"

In Fox Searchlight's office, Godin Clyde almost shouted into the phone, "The 1,000 copies that have been developed must be delivered by 6:00 on Monday morning, if you can't do it, you can directly hand in your resignation report! "

He's relatively mild-mannered.

Being able to treat subordinates with such an attitude, one can imagine the pressure brought by the poor performance some time ago and the surprise brought by "Chain Saw".

After hanging up the phone, Godin Clyde drank a cup of cold coffee as quickly as possible, and kept calling the numbers of the heads of various theater companies.

Fox Searchlight is not a helpless small company. Behind it is Twentieth Century Fox, one of the six largest Hollywood companies, and News Corp., one of the strongest media companies in North America.

As we all know, an established company like Fox is inextricably linked with theater companies. As long as a film shows enough potential, some theater companies will definitely give priority to films from Fox when arranging films.

Not to mention those small theater companies, even Godin Clyde, the three top commercial theaters of AMG, Emperor Entertainment and American Artists, called to try to win as many theaters as possible for "Saw" number.

Without enough theaters and screens, no matter how good a movie is, it won't get a high box office.

On the other hand, "Chain Saw" still maintained a high attendance rate on Sunday, and the interview with the professor at Columbia University who was stunned also appeared on the relatively prominent page of "New York Post", and it was also featured on Fox Searchlight. Fight for it, and this news was also featured on the entertainment news of Fox TV.

Such news will scare some people away, but these people will not like such horror movies; those who like horror movies will only be attracted. How scary is a movie that can scare people into unconsciousness? Why not buy a ticket and go in to experience it?

Movies are always influenced by the social environment. The traditional blood plasma horror movies in North America can be regarded as the type with relatively little influence. "Chain Saw", which came out a few years earlier, does not violate the current social trend.

Of course, if the release is postponed for a few months, even if it is "Chain Saw", it will make Murphy vomit blood directly...

In Kersville, Tennessee, at the headquarters of Emperor Entertainment Group, Chris Weld had just put down the phone when he pressed the intercom and told his assistant, "Let Ronald come over."

Chris Weld is an executive in charge of theaters of Emperor Entertainment Group. Today, he received several calls from Fox Searchlight, and even a call from a vice president of 20th Century Fox. They frequently mentioned to him A movie - "Saw"!

Chris Weld has no impression of this movie, but it can be mentioned frequently by people from these two companies, and in a very earnest tone, asking for enough support from Emperor Cinemas, it must be able to get it work.

A knock on the door interrupted his thoughts. After Chrisveld said please come in, Ronald with short chestnut hair came in.

"Sit!" Chrisveld pointed to the chair opposite the desk, and after Ronald sat down, he asked directly, "Do you know the movie "Saw"?"

"Well." Ronald had also received several calls before, and someone had done a public relations job for him, and he also had a lot of data, "This Friday Fox Searchlight is showing a film on a small scale in North America. Thirty theaters are showing it, and our chain now has two theaters showing it."

Chrisveld nodded, and asked, "How's the response?"

Theater companies are also commercial companies. If it is a bad film, he will never let it appear in more theaters.

"It is said that the response was very good, and some people were frightened and fainted."

Seeing Chrisveld's puzzled expression, Ronald quickly explained, "This is a horror movie!"

He recalled the recent data, and said, "In the past two days, this movie has earned a box office of about 12,000 US dollars, plus today, the most conservative estimate for this weekend, its weekend single box office It’s going to be over $15,000 too!”

Hearing the final figure, Chris Weld was slightly moved. The screening scale of 30 theaters, plus the box office of 15,000 US dollars for a single theater, and the genre of horror movies, this is already a rare achievement.

It's no wonder people from Fox Searchlight and 20th Century Fox made frequent calls. It turns out they have such confidence.

For any distribution company, if there is a film with such a good box office in a single theater, it is inevitable to ask the theater company to increase the screening, and the theater company will not refuse, and they cannot live with the profits.

Chris Weld has already considered adding a screening, and asked again, "Who is the director? Where is the starring role?"

Ronald thought for a while, "The director is Murphy Stanton, a new director."

Seeing that Chrisveld frowned, Ronald immediately said, "He had a film with a production cost of 300,000 US dollars that earned nearly 1.5 million US dollars at the North American box office."

As if he was afraid that Chris Weld would lack confidence, he added, "I got news from the two theaters that showed "Chain Saw" that people in re are also paying attention to this film!"

"re?" Chrisveld was puzzled, "Since when did they become interested in this kind of small production?"

Ronald explained in a timely manner, "I have a friend who works in re. I called him and asked him. It is said that this is the work assigned by Ed Mintz himself!"

"Him?" Chrisveld's eyes showed a bit of solemnity.

"Yes." Ronald nodded vigorously, "Ed Mintz watched "Saw" once in a while, and immediately called and asked re to conduct a market research for this film, and also asked for Murphy Stanton Set up a dedicated re database!"

Chris Weld tapped on the table lightly, "So, Ed Mintz and Re attach great importance to this film, and the little director Murphy Stanton?"

Ronald nodded his chin again, this is an obvious fact.

"In this way, you go to contact Fox Searchlight." Chris Weld made a decision, "The theaters withdrawn this weekend will give some to "Chain Saw"! If its market response is guaranteed, you can consider continuing it." Plus, if it's bad..."

"I understand." Ronald stood up.

The day passed slowly on Sunday, and the night shrouded this vast land. Like many special professions, many people are still running for work and livelihood.

As the new week is about to begin, the North American film market is also making adjustments based on this weekend’s market. Films with declining performance and unsatisfactory performances will be gradually reduced in theaters or directly removed from the screening market. On the basis of the original number of theaters, it is often possible to get the treatment of additional screenings.

If you want to add more venues in time and appear in front of more audiences, support in film copying is essential.

In various large and medium-sized cities in North America, you can see the staff of Fox Searchlight and the people of the company they hired. They retrieved copies from the air freight company and rushed into the courtyards of cities under the cover of night. line, and deliver the copy to the cinema company within the specified time frame.

A copy of "Chain Saw" was shipped to the destination, which also means that after the start of the new week, this horror film will appear in front of more audiences, and it will also usher in a real market test.

In all, a full thousand new copies were sent all over North America.

The box office of "Chain Saw" on the first weekend is the main reason why theater companies are willing to expand the screening. (To be continued.)