It's reasonable for me to be a three-time Golden Horse Award-winning director and an all-around

Chapter 163: The Spirit of the Jian'an Era, the Legacy of Cao Cao; Box Office Success! (Seeking Monthly Tickets)
"Congratulations to 'Click' for surpassing 1.2 million RMB in total box office, exceeding the 1.09 million RMB record of 'A World Without Thieves'."

"Since filming began, the production team of 'The Banquet' has not allowed media visits to the set..."

"Liu Tao's relationship exposed... getting married, the identities of the four young masters of Beijing remain a mystery..."

...

On Halloween night in North America, at Peter's invitation, Lu Rui, along with Peter and his niece, went to the cinema to watch a movie.

In the car, Lü Rui was scrolling through domestic news, his expression somewhat strange.

He could understand Feng Xiaogang's decision to remain silent.

Having been repeatedly defeated and surpassed by younger generations, it's no wonder he couldn't remain calm, given his personality.

If reporters were allowed into the film set for interviews, there's a good chance the two sides could end up fighting on set. Avoiding them is probably the wisest choice.

What really surprised him was Liu Tao. He was so young and his career was just starting out, so why was he so desperate?
It is well known that once a female actress's relationship or marriage is exposed, it can be an extremely serious blow to her career!

Unless the man is exceptionally outstanding, prematurely revealing a relationship, including marriage, is never a wise choice.

Just like Jiang Qinqin, whose popularity plummeted after her relationship with Chen Jianbin was exposed!
Liu Tao was the same. The popularity and buzz she had painstakingly built up with "Remote Control" plummeted after her relationship was exposed, causing her to lose many loyal fans and casual viewers.

However, at the same time, it gained more male fans.

Well... it seems that most actresses, after acquiring the "wife attribute," inexplicably gain some strange fan groups.

Passive Skill: 'Cao Cao Attribute' - Activated!
The spirit of the Jian'an era, the legacy of Cao Cao, it's just a pity there's no Dian Wei to protect me!

"Uncle, look! There are so many people queuing up..."

The sudden sound inside the car interrupted Lü Rui's thoughts.

Following the direction Peter's niece pointed, he was surprised to find that there were indeed quite a few people queuing up outside an independent theater.

There were probably over a hundred people, some of whom were dressed up in spooky costumes to fit the Halloween theme.

"Uncle, I also want one of those 'ghost cameras' they have. Can you buy me one?"

As soon as the car came to a stop, the little niece grabbed Peter's arm and started acting cute.

“Okay, I’ll buy it for you.” Peter replied, then turned to look at Lv Rui with curiosity, his tone tinged with surprise, “Lv, is that merchandise from our movie?”

"Correct."

Lü Rui nodded and joined the group.

Although he knew the previous marketing efforts had been very effective, he found that the conversion rate was even better than he had expected when he actually came to the cinema today.

The cinema, which was specially opened for Halloween, quickly opened its doors, and the crowd that had been queuing outside filed in.

Lu Rui heard a variety of urgent voices:
"Give me two tickets, for 'Paranormal Activity'."

"I want three!"

"Saw 2, two copies."

"..."

Judging from these voices, most of the people who came to see the movies tonight were there for "Saw II" and "Paranormal Activity".

The difference is that the former has been in theaters for 3 days, and its opening weekend box office in North America was $3172.57 million.

For a horror film with an investment of only $500 million, this is undoubtedly a remarkable achievement.

Lionsgate made a fortune once again with the second installment of the "Saw" film series.

Lu Rui wasn't thinking about earning too much; he just wanted enough income to buy a villa in Beverly Hills.

He had his eye on that $4000 million house for a long time, but he didn't have enough money, so he had to stay in a hotel every time he came to Los Angeles.

...

The 150-seat theater was quickly filled to capacity.

Before the movie started, Lü Rui suddenly received a text message from Jason:
"Lv, the House of Broome has received a lot of feedback from theaters. Paranormal Activity has extremely high attendance. The 2220 theaters showing on the opening day are simply not enough. We are accelerating the distribution of copies..."

Lu Rui smiled, not surprised at all.

With a marketing investment of over ten million US dollars, plus two months of groundwork, it's no surprise that such a viewing frenzy was generated.

The public's curiosity and desire to explore have been repeatedly amplified by media coverage and online discussions, and now is the perfect time for them to be unleashed!

The theater was silent, with only the buzzing of the monitors echoing in the background.

The mockumentary filming technique, combined with specially designed visual effects, successfully created a "supernatural" ghost scene.

The screams that rang out from time to time were enough to prove that this film had a strong impact on many people!
As the event ended, Lü Rui was surrounded by the sounds of discussion:
"I knew it was true! Ghosts really exist. That young couple was so pitiful; they actually angered a ghost."

"Which brand of surveillance camera is this? It can even capture ghost images?! I want to install one too."

"It feels a bit strange, but I can't quite put my finger on what's wrong..."

"Isn't this just like 'The Blair Witch Project' back then? A mockumentary-style film, but this movie is really well made. For a moment, I couldn't tell what was real and what was fake."

"If future horror movies can be made to this quality, I'd be willing to keep paying to watch them!"

……

Halloween night passed in the blink of an eye, and November quietly arrived.

The reputation of "Paranormal Activity" has once again taken off, with praise pouring in from various websites and forums.

However, many people said that this movie is not suitable to watch at night.

What? You're asking me why it's not suitable to watch at night?

Because it's too terrifying!

After watching it and returning home, I didn't dare turn off the lights when I lay in bed, for fear that a ghostly figure would suddenly jump out of the attic, grab my feet, and drag me into the darkness!
However, instead of offering advice, this attempt to persuade them only piqued the curiosity of even more people.

People flocked to the cinema, eager to find out what was going on.

With high attendance rates, major cinema chains have increased the number of screens to meet audience demand.

On November 1st, the most frequent feedback Lü Rui received was requests from theaters to print additional copies.

The number of cinema screens at the opening ceremony soared from 2220 to over 3000 by the end of the day!
At 9 a.m. on the 2nd, Lü Rui and Peter drove together to the Brom House.

Today is the day the film's opening day box office results are announced, and almost all of the middle and senior management staff from the distribution company are here.

After nearly two months of hard work, everyone is looking forward to witnessing the results of their efforts.

Inside the meeting room, Lü Rui sipped his coffee, showing no sign of tension.

Think about the glory this movie achieved in its past, and then look at your current investment and groundwork. If you still can't achieve good results, you might as well go find a block of tofu and smash your head against it.

Peter is on the phone, communicating with Warner Bros. about the promotional progress of "I Am Legend".

Zack Snyder and Jason Brilliant huddled in front of their computers, repeatedly refreshing web pages, hoping to get box office feedback as soon as possible.

For both of them, the success or failure of this film is of paramount importance.

If the box office is a huge success, the distribution company's cash flow will surge, and its development will be on the fast track.

At the same time, Zack's reputation as a director will also rise accordingly...

"Ding dong!"

Suddenly, the notification sound of a new email echoed in the conference room.

"New email!"

"Quick! Open it and take a look."

Zack and Jason's voices rang out one after the other, both filled with barely concealed urgency.

Lu Rui put down his coffee cup, turned his head, and a hint of anticipation appeared in his eyes.

"It's the box office results!" Jason suddenly shouted, speaking at lightning speed. "The number of theaters that opened has jumped from 2220 to over 3000, and the current total opening day box office is... $1190.5 million!"

Zack Snyder, standing next to him, swallowed hard, craning his neck forward as if to bury it in the computer screen, his eyes filled with disbelief.

He even reached out and subconsciously tapped the screen, as if to check if the decimal point was in the correct position.

Lu Rui raised an eyebrow, suppressing his inner turmoil, and casually asked, "What was the opening day box office for 'Saw 2'?"

Jason quickly typed a few words on the keyboard: "$966 million!"

Lu Rui smiled with satisfaction, leaned back in his chair, and slowly sipped his coffee with remarkable composure. Jason, however, was still excitedly muttering, "An average of $3968 per restaurant?!"

At this moment, his breathing became noticeably rapid, his chest heaved violently, and the ecstasy in his eyes was impossible to hide.

Keep in mind that the output of just one day has already exceeded the total revenue of Blum House over the past three months!
If this momentum continues, the company's future is incredibly bright, and it might even be able to carve out its own niche in the Hollywood distribution landscape!

Peter had just hung up the phone when he heard the string of numbers and slammed his hand on the table: "Lv, you've created another miracle!"

His gaze toward Lü Rui was incredibly intense.

Since its inception, Ruixing Film Studio has achieved success all the way, unlike most independent production companies that have failed and gone bankrupt. This upward momentum is truly inspiring!

"Don't get excited, this is only the first day of the show."

Lu Rui's smile remained unchanged.

In its previous life, 12 cinemas were enough to create a box office miracle. Now, with 3000 cinemas opening, this is just the beginning.

The group then began discussing subsequent promotional plans, while at this time, an executive walked out of the meeting room and announced the first day's box office results.

Not long after, a deafening cheer suddenly erupted outside, the excited shouts clearly audible even through the door!
Upon hearing this, Lü Rui smiled and continued, "Jason, release the remaining advertising funds into the market according to plan. Also, communicate with the major commercial cinema chains to try to stabilize the number of cinemas at over 3000..."

“Okay!” Jason replied enthusiastically, his eyes shining even brighter than before.

Half an hour later, the meeting ended, and everyone left the meeting room.

Another round of enthusiastic applause erupted!

The middle-level employees in the office area looked at Lü Rui with particularly intense gazes.

Because they all know who wrote the script for this movie, who spearheaded the ingenious marketing plan, and who deserves the greatest credit for this success.

Although Lü Rui wasn't used to this straightforward and enthusiastic way of celebrating, he still smiled at everyone and then winked at Peter.

Peter immediately understood and announced loudly, "There will be a party tonight, everyone remember to come and celebrate our success!"

A burst of enthusiastic cheers erupted again, and the employees high-fived each other, their excitement barely concealed.

Most of those present were long-time employees of Blum House. When the company was acquired by Ruixing Film Studio, many of them had some reservations.

Although the treatment after the acquisition was better than before, people generally felt that this independent production company might not be able to bring better development.

But after personally participating in the promotion and distribution of "Paranormal Activity" and seeing the film achieve such outstanding results on its opening day, they realized that being acquired by Ruixing Films was actually a stroke of luck for them.

Only when the company's revenue increases, its scale expands, and its films become bestsellers, can they have broader development opportunities, something that the old Blum House couldn't provide.

"Luckily, it was acquired back then!"

Many people secretly murmured to themselves, their gazes towards Lü Rui now filled with more trust.

Lu Rui stood quietly to the side, observing, and could clearly sense the changes in the employees' mentality.

A single success can often solve many problems, such as team cohesion and loyalty to the company...

And at this moment, these intangible things are quietly taking root and sprouting.

In the following days, the number of theaters showing "Paranormal Activity" was officially set at 3175.

Jason mobilized all available resources, both online and offline, to further expand the film's influence.

The topic of "ghostly analysis" continues to gain traction on social media, and posters and merchandise displays outside cinemas are becoming more frequent. Even street comedians and Black rappers are starting to use the "surveillance footage of ghosts" meme to create jokes and lyrics.

Encouraged by the box office success on the first day, the entire Brom House entered an unprecedented state of high-speed operation.

The employees walked with a brisk pace, their communication efficiency doubled, and even their document copying speed was half a beat faster than usual. Everyone's face showed a spirit of "turning things around"!

Feedback from cinemas across the country has been overwhelmingly positive, with theaters packed to capacity and lively discussions heard as screenings ended.
"Did you notice the angle of that shadow? It's definitely not a special effect!"

“I also have surveillance cameras installed at home, and I’m going to watch the playback when I get home tonight.”

"You might not know this, but I've also encountered ghostly figures in my attic. I consulted a psychic, who said my wife is possessed by an evil spirit and needs to be taken home for treatment. We've already had exorcisms performed for several nights in a row..."

"Bro? Why does your head look a little green?"

"It's probably the light..."

...

Compared to the somewhat rough production of "The Blair Witch Project," "Paranormal Activity" boasts a much higher level of realism and deception.

The graininess of the surveillance footage, the naturalness of the lighting changes, and the actors' subconscious micro-expressions all closely resemble real home videos.

This led many viewers to subconsciously believe that "it really happened," and even if they later calmed down and felt suspicious, they couldn't help but repeatedly scrutinize the details with their friends.

Once a person's curiosity is aroused, it's like a lit fuse that won't be easily extinguished until it reaches a conclusion.

The continuous stream of screenings in theaters and the ever-increasing box office revenue are the most direct proof of this "curiosity frenzy"!
Three days passed in a blink of an eye.

"Paranormal Activity" grossed $3363 million in its first three days, topping the 2005 Halloween box office charts!

When this achievement was presented to everyone at the Brom House, the office erupted in cheers!

Some people excitedly slapped the table, some hugged each other, and even the most composed veteran employees couldn't help but cheer.

$3363 million—that's almost the company's total revenue over the past two years!
And now, it only took 3 days to earn it back, which is really unbelievable!

On the other hand, the atmosphere in Lionsgate's conference room was so heavy it was almost palpable.

Everyone stared at the box office figures on the screen, saying nothing.

"The film is indeed of good quality, but the publicity deserves even more praise." Sarah, the head of the production department who had worked with Lü Rui before, broke the silence first, her tone tinged with complexity.

The people at Lionsgate are all industry veterans; they've seen through the marketing tactics of "Paranormal Activity," but no one dares to expose them.

Hollywood's publicity tactics are incredibly diverse, and as long as there's no direct conflict of interest, everyone tacitly understands the situation.

After all, no one can guarantee that they might need to use some "special methods" someday, so naturally they hope that others can keep it a secret.

Even so, curiosity, jealousy, and amazement were still overwhelming.

With a cost of $300 million, it raked in $3363 million in just three days – the return is absolutely insane!

More importantly, the film's popularity continues to grow, and there is clearly still a lot of room for further box office growth.

“We’ve made predictions that this film’s total North American box office will not be less than $8000 million,” the analyst next to him added.

Sarah's eyes flashed with amazement and envy again, and she couldn't help but recall the way Lü Rui had negotiated with her back then.

At that time, he carried a confident air about him, and the current success is the best proof of that.

She took a deep breath and made a decisive decision: "Contact Ruixing Film Industry and ask when the production plan for 'Lurking 2' will start? We need to prepare for the next Halloween."

Meanwhile, as the box office continues to soar, the ratings for "Paranormal Activity" on various platforms are also being released one after another:
The Cinema Score received a B+ rating from live audiences, a 7.3 rating on IMDb, and a 76 rating from general audiences.

Many viewers were lured into the theater by the "real ghost" promotion, but after watching it, they had no complaints and instead praised it.

Because of the film's solid horror atmosphere and meticulous attention to detail, they felt that the ticket price was well worth it!
Film critics spared no effort in their descriptions.

However, they are more interested in analyzing its marketing logic than the film itself:

"It's no exaggeration to say that this is a textbook marketing victory! From the suspenseful setup of 'home surveillance footage' to the viral spread of the topic, every step precisely hit the audience's curiosity, taking the core selling point of 'suspense' to the extreme."

"The mastermind behind this is incredibly audacious! They dared to gamble with the gimmick of 'pseudo-reality' and managed to package the lie in a way that made half the audience believe it. Such boldness is rare in Hollywood today."

"This is the perfect marketing model. It uses high-quality content as a foundation and clever strategies to amplify its impact. Compared to 'The Blair Witch Project' which simply relied on deception to gain attention, it proves that the highest level of marketing is the combination of reality and illusion. It not only hooks the audience but also makes them willing to pay for the quality after watching it."

With the explosive popularity of Paranormal Activity, House of Brom has also come into the industry's spotlight.

Many independent production companies have flocked to the project, either wanting to collaborate and replicate similar promotional strategies, or wanting to see firsthand the mastermind behind this incredible marketing approach for horror films.

However, Lü Rui never revealed his identity.

As a Chinese director, being too flamboyant in the Hollywood distribution field may not be a good thing; his unique identity makes him more suited to controlling the direction behind the scenes.

To reduce his profile, he decided to temporarily withdraw and quietly left Los Angeles, flying directly to Taiwan.

The Golden Horse Awards are about to open, and he's going to meet some "old acquaintances".

Feng Xiaogang's "The Banquet" is currently in production, and "A World Without Thieves" has been nominated for several major awards, so he will likely use the Golden Horse Awards to generate buzz.

After the setbacks of "Kung Fu Hustle" in North America and the contract termination controversy of the "Star Girl", Stephen Chow has kept a low profile. Whether he will make an appearance this time is still unknown.

Also, there's Tsai Ming-liang, Johnnie To, Hou Hsiao-hsien...

On the red carpet and inside the theater, it's destined to be another battle without gunpowder!

(End of this chapter)