I created the myth of the Great Old Ones.

Unlike its overwhelming dominance in the domestic market, The Tide of Magic's box office performance overseas, especially in North America, is not optimistic.

First of all, as a long-running series, "Gone with the Wind" has a large number of loyal fans in North America, and the final installment of the series has generated a lot of hype. It can be said that if it weren't for "Gone with the Wind," the North American box office champion this year would undoubtedly be "Gone with the Wind."

Secondly, this film is the final installment of the series, but that doesn't mean the actors and producers aren't making any more. They already have similar racing-themed film plans for the future. This film is an ending, but not the end, so box office performance is quite important.

Furthermore, "Ghost Rush" is a fantasy epic, a genre that isn't the most widely appealing even in Europe and America. Just as some viewers in China avoid ancient costume martial arts and fantasy films, some overseas viewers find knights and armor repulsive. Especially in North America, a place lacking historical depth, stories from their own lives are more captivating than distant fantasy. North America also has a strong car culture, and a young person's first car is very important. Therefore, in terms of genre, "Ghost Rush" has an advantage.

Finally, the limited number of screenings is a major drawback.

"Furious 11" had 47% of the screenings on its opening day in North America, while "The Tide" only had 17%, a difference of 30%. This is not something that quality or word-of-mouth can make up for.

If the total box office in North America on Christmas Day is $500 million, then the ceiling for "Gone with the Wind" would be more than $200 million, while the ceiling for "The Tide" would be $80 million.

This can be seen from the pre-sale box office: "Fast & Furious 11" had nearly $100 million in pre-sales on its first day, while "The Tide" had less than $20 million.

North American audiences still lack confidence in "Magic Tide".

A few hours after "The Tide of Magic" premiered in Wuhan, New York City in North America also reached midnight.

Two highly anticipated films have arrived as scheduled.

The New York Times even created a dedicated webpage to discuss the box office battle between the two films, providing real-time updates on their box office performance.

Just after midnight, when the first round ended, "Fast & Furious 11" was leading by a huge margin.

In fact, anyone with even a slight understanding of movie box office can see that with such a huge disparity in screenings, "The Tide" will definitely not surpass "Gone with the Wind". The first-day champion will be "Gone with the Wind" 100%.

By the time the film reached North America that evening, 24 hours later, the New York Times website reported that "Gone with the Wind" had grossed $130 million in North America, while "The Tide" had grossed $40 million.

A special feature was shown on the Nasdaq screen, where a female host and two guests discussed two films.

"I think what 'The Tide of Destruction' lacks is the portrayal of heroes. Throughout the film, we can only see the struggles of ordinary people, not a hero, a superhuman being who surpasses everyone else. There are only martyrs. A film without heroes has no theme, and that is where it fails."

One of the guests commented.

"In comparison, 'Gross 11' focuses on the relationship between the protagonist and his family. Compared to the relationship between people and the world, the emotions between family members are more touching, which is the reason for the success of 'Gross 11'."

Another guest added.

The female host, who was wearing glasses, looked at the audience after hearing the comments from the two guests.

"After listening to the views of the two guests, I have a few special things to say at this exciting moment."

She stood up, walked to the side, and stood in front of the screen displaying the real-time box office figures for both "Fast & Furious 11" and "The Tide of Deception." She began to speak vividly and engagingly.

"What's happening right now is absolutely crazy, right here in New York, in Times Square. This is unprecedented. Let me be specific. I want to talk to you about success. Success is all about growth, inheritance, continuation, and family."

"To succeed, you have to conquer yourself and the glory you have achieved. To succeed, you have to be knocked down countless times and still be able to stand up with your head held high. No one can interpret all of this better than the team behind 'Fast & Furious'."

"Ceryl is one of the most bankable action movie actors in North America and the world, but despite his impressive track record, he has never achieved his dream of being the highest-grossing actor of the year, but he has never given up."

"Looking back, a few years ago, the box office of 'Fast & Furious' was always suppressed by superhero movies until six years ago when the highest-grossing film in the series was born. That summer, nothing could stop Cyril and his 'Fast & Furious,' even those superheroes that seemed to be mass-produced in a cannery were defeated by him."

"But as we later learned, the release of two films in the fall caused him to miss the chance to become the year's box office champion. This time, he couldn't even get second place. Worse still, he may have missed an opportunity that would never come again."

"Then came those popcorn superhero movies, one after another, like mountains blocking his way. But he and his 'Fast & Furious' never stopped fighting. In the previous film, he finally overcame his inner demons and defeated a superhero movie. And now?"

"We are just coming to the end of the first day of the most luxurious Christmas season. Before its release, 'Fast & Furious' was heavily criticized by critics who believed that Cyril and his racing films were in decline. Those critics praised Lu Ban, a director from the East, who claimed that he would achieve a top-five box office ranking in film history."

"But so far, we haven't seen the amazing quality that the legendary 'Magic Tide' has shown. We haven't seen Lu Ban bring the audience a wonderful performance. What we have seen is the audio-visual feast brought to the audience by Cyril and his amazing racing skills."

"Everything has come to this day, the day the first day of box office closes. Inner demons can be overcome, dreams can be realized, and Cyril and his 'Fatal Speed' will prove his strength to the world, while Lu Ban and his 'Magic Tide' will become the best backdrop on this road to victory."

"Let's wait and see, a new legend will be born."

The female host's impassioned speech drew many onlookers, while the screen behind her showed that in North America, "Gone with the Wind" had crushed "The Tide" at the box office on its opening day, becoming today's top-grossing film.

Just as this victory-like statement and video were circulating online and being shared in China, the domestic box office statistics for the first day were also released.

Chapter 320 Let the Bullets Fly First

"Director Lu Ban, what are your thoughts on the box office failure of 'The Tide of Magic' in North America?"

When a reporter asked Lu Ban, he noted that when the North American box office figures came out, it was already noon on the second day in China. In the first day's domestic box office battle, "Magic Tide" had earned nearly 700 million yuan. If the countdown was based on midnight, "Magic Tide" would have far surpassed "Fatal 11" to become the box office champion of the day.

Although this single-day box office did not surpass the previous record of one billion yuan set during the Spring Festival holiday season, it is still a record for a domestic fantasy epic film.

Of course, the premiere of "Furious 11" in China was at noon, so when the box office figures for the day were being tallied overseas, half a day had already passed in China.

Therefore, domestic media chose to compile box office figures within 24 hours of the film's release.

The statistics have just been released. "The Tide" grossed over 900 million on its opening day, but "Gone with the Wind" made a comeback in the North American market, grossing about 20 million more than "The Tide".

Suddenly, the media was in an uproar.

Meanwhile, Lu Ban was being interviewed at Jiangcheng Cinema. When he learned of the result, he didn't have much of a reaction.

A global box office of 900 million on its opening day is already quite good.

Moreover, Lu Ban noticed that "The Tide of Magic," which had only $20 million in pre-sale tickets, ultimately grossed $50 million on its opening day, more than double the pre-sale amount.

"Gone with the Wind" had nearly $100 million in pre-sales in North America, but its opening day box office was $130 million, only 30% more than the pre-sales.

This means that the box office for "Gone with the Wind" will decline rapidly in the next few days, because most people who want to see the movie chose to watch it on the opening day, and since Christmas is a weekend, it is hard to say that there will be a rebound in weekend movie attendance.

This is despite having nearly 50% of the screenings allocated to this project.

"The Tide of Magic" is a typical example of the trajectory of a new director's new film. Despite having a low number of screenings on its opening day, it garnered an extra amount of box office revenue. Now, it's just a matter of waiting for word-of-mouth to spread, and that's when it will make a comeback.

However, some people are in a hurry.

"Director Lu Ban, you once made a bold statement to defend the glory of Chinese films, but now you've been defeated by foreign films. What are your thoughts on this?"

"What are your expectations for the box office performance going forward? Are you considering changing your initial goals?"

"Does the fact that 'The Tide of Deception' lost out to 'Gone with the Wind' at the box office mean that the domestic film industry still needs a long time to catch up with foreign films?"

"Director Lu, what are your thoughts on the foreign film critics' comments that the core message of the people's united struggle in 'The Tide of Devil' is inferior to American individual heroism?"

In the huge screening room, countless reporters pressed the shutter and held their microphones in front of Lu Ban, trying to get his opinion.

In response, Lu Ban raised his hand, signaling everyone to be quiet.

He knew very well that among the reporters sitting below, and among the newspapers, magazines, websites, and media outlets behind them, some people wanted to see him fail.

Some people have always felt that foreign films are superior, and that foreign films are better than domestic films in terms of both artistic and commercial quality. Therefore, they are unwilling to accept the box office or critical success of domestic films, and are happier to see their own films flop.

Some people simply feel that Lu Ban's current movies are hindering them from making bad movies and earning money. After Lu Ban broke the original pattern of the film and television industry with "Crying", he has always been regarded as a thorn in the side by these people.

Others are simply jealous of Lu Ban's works being both critically acclaimed and commercially successful. They feel that they are underappreciated and that Lu Ban is just lucky. They complain and wish Lu Ban's career would collapse.

However, Lu Ban didn't care.

If it weren't for the goal of reaching 5 billion, he wouldn't be interested in giving interviews in front of people.

Wouldn't it be better to focus on reading other books to enrich yourself or watching a couple of movies to relax?

Lu Ban only spoke after the movie theater had quieted down.

"Gentlemen, let the bullets fly for a while."

Many people didn't understand what Lu Ban meant when he spoke.

After all, there isn't a single film in the world that can be applied for intangible cultural heritage status, and many people probably wouldn't understand what it means.

However, some people roughly understood Lu Ban's meaning from this sentence, and showed a thoughtful expression.

"Congratulations to 'Gone with the Wind' for achieving nearly a billion dollars in global box office on its opening day. I also watched this movie. It's a series finale full of sentiment and memories. I believe that whether or not you've seen the previous movies in the series, you'll be moved by this film. The special effects, the actors' performances, and the plot are all excellent, representing the highest level of the Hollywood film industry. I think everyone should go see it."

When Lu Ban suddenly praised his opponent's movie, many reporters were confused and at a loss.

Is Lu Ban out of his mind?

How did you end up promoting your competitor?

Did he go insane because he was overwhelmed by the shock?

Just as some reporters were trying to seize the opportunity to ask Lu Ban if he acknowledged the failure of his film and Chinese films, Lu Ban continued to speak.

"That's why I'm finally at ease."

"Because the opponent is so strong and excellent, it is worth defeating. It is precisely because the opponent has demonstrated its quality through its actions that its value will be realized when 'The Tide of Magic' surpasses it and wins the box office champion of this year."

"If 'Gone with the Wind' were a bad movie, a poorly made popcorn film that only relied on its own IP to sell nostalgia and trick audiences into going to the cinema to make money, then even if 'The Tide of Destruction' beat such an opponent, many people would say that this year's box office champion title was inflated, lacked substance, and was only won by picking up the scraps."

"Therefore, I am very grateful to director Cyril and his 'Gone with the Wind,' it is their excellence that makes 'The Tide' even more excellent."

"I, Lu Ban, never kill nameless nobodies."

Upon hearing Lu Ban's words, the vast majority of people, whether they had previously supported him or opposed him, had the same thought pop into their minds.

This guy is too arrogant!!!

Despite the defeat on the first day, Lu Ban did not show any disappointment or regret. Instead, he believed that his opponent had demonstrated his value.

What trump card is he hiding, or is he plotting something else?

Looking at the bewildered reporters, Lu Ban raised one finger.

"From now on, 'The Tide of Magic' will continue to top the daily box office until the film leaves theaters. I am honored to witness history with everyone. Thank you."

Chapter 321 From now on, I will keep climbing to the top.

Lu Ban's interview caused a huge uproar in the country.

After all, he had contributed many famous quotes in his previous interviews. In this interview, when faced with the fact that the box office was lower than that of "Gone with the Wind" on the first day, he actually thought in reverse and called it a way to show the value of the victory, which left people speechless and contributed another set of holy words.

The box office battle surrounding these two films quickly intensified.

On social media and in the media, those who support and those who oppose Lu Ban hold their own opinions.

[Lu Ban is amazing! This is the kind of arrogance a young director should have! I'm so tired of their timid and submissive attitudes!!!]

[Just a casual observer, I've seen both movies, and in terms of the ending, Gone with the Wind was definitely more exciting.]

To be honest, I watched "Gone with the Wind" first, then "Gone with the Wind," and I'm actually glad I did. Otherwise, seeing the special effects in "Gone with the Wind" and then watching the explosions in "Gone with the Wind" would have been incredibly awkward—it was a complete blowout!

It's said that real cars were used in the explosions during the filming of "Gone with the Wind." With such extensive location shooting and a huge budget, what are special effects compared to that?

To be honest, I've almost gone from being a fan of Lu Ban to just a casual observer. If you lose, you should just admit it, not make excuses. And now they want to achieve thirty days at the top of the box office within a month? No other movie can do that, right?

[Does the person upstairs have any common sense? The record for consecutive daily box office earnings in China is still "Avada Kedavra" from ten years ago. It was released for ten weeks and held the top spot at the box office for ten weeks, and it hasn't been broken since.]

[But does Lu Ban's single-day championship refer to a global title? That seems even more difficult!]