I'm just trying to ride the wave of popularity!

Chapter 260 He! Regretted it!
Early Hollywood superhero movies always emphasized responsibility and sacrifice.

In recent years, DV Films' Superman movies have emphasized divine glory, portraying the protagonist as an omnipotent "god" who is always saving the world...

Perhaps at the very beginning...

Audiences are initially awestruck by this divine radiance, but as time goes on, the repetitive and idiosyncratic image of the great and righteous gradually leads to aesthetic fatigue.

Therefore, although "Superman II," a global hit in 2003, still grossed over $320 million worldwide, it fell far short of expectations...

Not only did "Superman" perform poorly at the box office, but subsequent films that followed the same formula all performed far below expectations, resulting in many unprofitable productions.

This period included films such as "Wolf Warrior" and "Son of the Ocean" produced by Marvel Studios.

These two films resulted in huge losses for the company and its investors, leading to Carl being privately questioned by company executives about his qualifications to manage Marvel Studios...

Just as Marvel Studios was facing a turbulent period...

A previously unnoticed Chinese film, "The Longest Nite: Reboot," has quietly hit North American theaters.

Initially, this film, starring Asian actors and subverting Hollywood's Superman tradition, couldn't even get a spot in prime time at mainstream theaters. AMC theaters only arranged a few symbolic daytime screenings, with overall occupancy rates below 30%...

On the day of the screening, boos could be heard intermittently from the sparse audience seats...

Nobody had high hopes for this movie!
Even for more than ten minutes after the movie started...

A group of people were criticizing the simplicity and crudeness of this Chinese film.

The props were rudimentary; Superman's cape looked like it was simply draped with the cheapest plastic film, creating a very disjointed effect!
The lens is rough, so rough it's unsettling, and some shots even shake abnormally. While it's not exactly amateurish, it certainly reveals a certain naivety.

There were absolutely no decent special effects; even the most sophisticated one, the laser beam shooting out of Superman's eyes, looked extremely awkward...

Moreover, apart from the English subtitles, all the actors spoke in Chinese, which was unbearable for many viewers who don't like reading subtitles...

All of this made the moviegoers who came to see [Warrior Pictures] extremely angry, and some even cursed on the spot!

They felt that Marvel Studios had gone mad, resorting to any means necessary to lure in "superhero" users!

however!
When the plot progresses to the point where the protagonist tears apart moral shackles and massacres the parliament building...

The movie fans who were hurling insults were stunned!
They saw a unique "superhero" in this movie!
This is a superhero who is no longer bound by morality and dares to tear off the shackles of hypocrisy!

This is a superhero who breaks free from divine aura and reveals human anger and vulnerability.

This is a superhero who refuses to be manipulated by public opinion and uses absolute force to fight against injustice!
This is a dark avenger who subverts the traditional image of a righteous and heroic figure and uses violence to combat violence...

He is also a berserker who broke free from the prison of the laboratory and declared to the world, "I rewrite the rules"...

The brutal, hand-to-hand combat and the exhilarating thrill of unleashing laser attacks at the slightest provocation stimulated everyone's nerves, unleashing a surge of hormones and driving them to a frenzy of bloodlust!

..............................

9 month 14 day.

early morning.

AMC Theatres in Los Angeles.

"What the hell!"

Reeves squatted on the steps outside the cinema, a cigarette dangling from his lips, staring at the "sold out" message displayed three times in a row on the screen not far away, and cursed under his breath.

Today was an incredibly magical day for him.

Last night, he received a call from his friend Jack.

On the phone, Jack was raving about a movie called "The Reboot" with great excitement: "The scene where the Chinese Superman punches the Capitol Building to pieces was so exhilarating it sent chills down my spine!"

As he listened to the movie plot, he instantly felt a surge of excitement. The next morning, he rushed to the cinema to see if the movie was as amazing as the legends said.

However, when he arrived this morning, he discovered that even the corner seats for the midnight showing had been sold out in advance.

"God, didn't nobody watch this lousy movie two days ago?" He grabbed a curly-haired guy who had just left the theater.

The guy who had just walked out of the theater was very excited, his eyes shining with excitement as if he were on drugs: "Bro, damn it! Everyone in the city is seeing it again! Yesterday, the Los Angeles Times called it an 'anti-superhero virus'!"

After saying that, they excitedly surged into the crowd.

Reeves stared blankly ahead...

At this moment, a long queue has formed in the ticket hall.

Reeves watched helplessly as the last two tickets were snatched away by a fat man wearing a Superman T-shirt.

He was somewhat dazed; the movie schedule on the electronic screen stung his eyes...

The number of shows for "The Distant Man" that were originally scheduled for three times a day has been increased to twelve, but the "sold out" sign for the next show is still glaringly obvious.

I stayed up all morning.

He finally managed to buy a midnight ticket from a couple who were arguing, even at an inflated price!

After staying up until evening, he went to the movie theater...

The moment the lights in the screening room went out!

He stared at the Eastern superman on the screen who had broken free of his shackles!

At that moment, he was shocked!

When he saw the Parliament building collapse in the heat of the moment, he roared along with the entire audience!
When Superman tore up the newspaper that was morally manipulating people and nailed the hypocritical politicians to the wall, he couldn't help but stand up and applaud, but was scolded and forced to sit down again!

The moment the blood splattered on the camera lens, the entire theater erupted in screams!
It wasn't fear, but rather a release of something that had been suppressed for many years.

The Black men in the front row even jumped up and saluted the screen, spilling popcorn all over the floor...

As the end credits rolled, Reeves found himself trembling, just like the rest of the audience—not from the violence, but from the thrill of being suddenly freed from the constraints of rules that had bound him for years!
This is a sensory experience that no Hollywood movie has ever given him!

This sensory experience stimulated his very being!

It left him wanting more, yet he also longed for the next film to be made...

Once home, he couldn't wait to go online to Rotten Tomatoes, excited to share his feelings about watching the movie with all the netizens...

But, no one could have imagined that at this very moment, the Rotten Tomatoes superhero section, which has only been open for three days, is already overflowing with praise for the movie!
....................................

Early morning on the 15th.

On Rotten Tomatoes, the film's freshness rating for "The Reboot" skyrocketed from 10% on its opening day to 65%!

The comments section was flooded with "F**king awesome!"

Five related posts are trending on the Reddit movie section homepage, with the top-rated comment reading: "When Superman crushed the senator's throat, all my pent-up workplace resentment from the past twenty years just exploded!"

Movie clips on video websites have garnered over 100,000 views!

The comments section was flooded with one wave after another saying, "This is the real superhero!"

……

This is!

The performance of the movie "The Longest Nite: Reboot" after three days of online streaming!
Mark stared at the real-time data on his computer...

He saw that the additional screenings added by AMC at 3 a.m. were still showing as "sold out," and the box office curve for "Saw" was cut off by the steep red line of "The Farther"...

His expression showed some shock, and then he clicked on the Wall Street Journal website!
[China Film Group breaks single-theater box office record, Marvel Comics stock price surges 200%!]
"In just three days, the total box office has already surpassed 700 million US dollars!"

"This low-budget film from China is about to break ten million in total box office revenue!"

"Perhaps this is another 'Saw'!"

"..."

The secretary next to him lowered her head, her eyes filled with complex emotions, and then took out another set of data.

"The key point is that this film, 'The Distant Man: Reboot,' is a trial project for Huaxia Film Company [Xuanshi Entertainment]. Last year, after they made a little money from 'Sun Wukong vs. Superman 2,' this film was their first attempt..."

"This movie isn't amazing; what's amazing is what comes after it: 'The League of Black: The Rise of Spider-Man'..."

"The Legend of the Condor Heroes: Reboot is rough, but the Black Robe Alliance..."

"..."

A long silence fell over the office!

Mark stared intently at the box office figures on the computer screen!

He watched helplessly as the North American box office for "Far Away: Reboot" skyrocketed, surpassing seven million dollars in just three days—a sight that dazzled him at that moment!

Next, I looked at other user data surveys on the screen. The surveys found that nearly 75% of users who watched "The Disguiser: Reboot" wanted to watch "Black Robe Alliance" online...

this moment!
He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, then opened the drawer, took out an agreement, tore it to shreds, and threw it into the trash can.

That was the "China Film Package Agreement" from a few days ago!
At that moment, the tattered corner of the paper in the trash can seemed to mock his arrogance.

He took a deep breath and calmed himself down.

But I still felt a slight bitterness in my throat...

"Those guys from [Warcraft] made the right bet!"

"Is someone at the company now mocking me for being a clown?"

"I should have known that this Chinese man, who could make one 'Saw' film, could make a second similar one..."

"..."

He took another breath, as if making a decision, and took out his phone, but his fingers froze when he dialed.

After a delay of several tens of seconds...

He eventually dialed another number.

The call was connected.

“Zhou, I think we should have a serious talk…”

"I sincerely apologize for my arrogance and rudeness, and I wonder if we, Paimon, will have the opportunity to participate in the rise of 'Black Robe Alliance: Spider-Man'?"

There was a long silence on the other end of the phone, followed by: "I'm sorry... I regret to inform you before, we have signed an exclusive contract with [WeComics]..."

"Can……"

"Feel sorry……"

The call was disconnected!

He watched silently as his secretary handed him another document.

He was stunned when he saw the screening report of "Black Robe Alliance" by [Xuan Shi Entertainment]!

Keep your eyes on the data above!
Then a slight tremor!

this moment!
He realized with a start that he had made a fatal mistake!

Maybe!

The "anti-superhero cinematic universe" concept that he once scoffed at...

At this very moment, it will become a weapon in the hands of the competitors!

(End of this chapter)