The first month of the summer blockbuster season was already halfway over. "Pirates of the Caribbean" continued to dominate the box office charts, and despite negative reviews, "Pearl Harbor" still managed to attract a portion of the audience due to its thrilling battle scenes.
On Monday, June 18, another fast-paced car movie was released between the two.
When it comes to this genre of films, the most memorable in recent years were probably "Taxi" in 1998 and "Gone in 60 Seconds" in 2000.
Last summer's hit "Gone in 60 Seconds," with box office earnings of over $200 million, starred Nicolas Cage and Angelina Jolie and was adapted from a low-budget novel from 1974, telling a story about car thieves.
This type of film was currently popular, giving confidence to "Fast & Furious." With a budget of $38 million, they expected to achieve respectable results.
Unfortunately, their timing was not ideal, as they had to compete directly with "Pearl Harbor." It wasn't their choice to release the film at this time, but rather the schedule they had previously chosen. The competition was well aware of their release schedule and chose to go head-to-head with them, clearly not taking their small production lightly.
It was a situation they couldn't avoid. The competition was spending five or six times their budget effortlessly, and their cast featured top-tier actors and actresses. With the two different film types, they could still get a piece of the action from the big studios.
However, when the first-day box office numbers came in, everyone was shocked - $10.59 million! Compared to the first-day earnings of $25.88 million for "Pirates of the Caribbean" and $20.35 million for "Pearl Harbor," this didn't appear to be a remarkable box office performance. But if you considered the number of screens they managed to secure, the achievement seemed much more impressive.
This result was a complete surprise to everyone, including the production company. At this rate, they should easily reach 100 million in box office earnings. Overjoyed, they immediately began discussions about a sequel.
Meanwhile, "Pearl Harbor" was facing a decline after the first week, and when compared to its nearly $200 million budget, it appeared to be a financial disappointment.
Seeing the box office results, Louise was unsure what to say about Laila's foresight.
"Why did you know that a car racing film would appeal to the audience?" Louise asked.
Laila smiled slightly, "It's simple. Films of this type are relatively rare, so fans find them fresh. Moreover, you can see some thrilling car racing scenes in the movie trailers. In simple terms, it's an adrenaline-pumping film that offers excitement to the audience. Why wouldn't they like it?"
Louise nodded thoughtfully, "I see. Should we consider making a film of this genre as well?"
Laila replied, "Not necessary. Do you think we have the time to make small films like this with our current busy schedules?"
Louise, who had been silenced by the question, suddenly realized that both of their companies were investing in several films, and there wasn't much time left for new projects. Phoenix Flims was investing in low-budget films that wouldn't require much attention, and Dragon Soul Flims was working on two major productions.
With this in mind, she changed the topic, "The author of 'Harry Potter' hopes we can go to the UK to cast the lead role. What do you think?"
Laila didn't have strong feelings about it. To her, the movie was about the story, the special effects, and not necessarily the actors' performances. Whether American or British actors were cast, she didn't really mind.
She replied, "Let's go along with her suggestion and go to the UK. Remember to maintain a good relationship with her; I'm still waiting for her to write the sequel for us."
Louise took note and smiled. She had never been particularly enthusiastic about adapting children's books into movies, but Laila had a good eye. If she believed in it and had already planned a sequel before filming had even started, Louise was more than willing to cooperate.
As they discussed the acquisition of game company rights to adapt "Resident Evil" into a film, Louise couldn't help but confirm, "Are you really planning to acquire the game company as well? Some say that you're preparing a future gift for your brother with this action."
Laila laughed and stood up, saying, "Why not? It's not that expensive, and you can rest assured, I'm not the type to waste money just because I have it. Give me some time, and you'll see the profits these small investments will bring us."
Seeing that she seemed to be leaving, Louise was surprised, "You're leaving work so early today?" This was a rare occurrence.
However, when she saw Roy outside the door, she understood.
Laila walked over to Roy and waved two movie tickets in her hand, "We're going to the movies, and we'll also add some excitement to the box office battle."
Louise looked at their departing figures, feeling like she might be getting old. Why did she often have trouble understanding what Laila was talking about?
Could two movie tickets add excitement to the box office battle? She had no idea, but she would soon find out that what two movie tickets could do was far more powerful than she could imagine.
"Today seems to be the first time we've gone out together to watch a movie," Roy helped Laila put on her hat and sunglasses, doing his best to make her unrecognizable.
Thanks to the popularity of Captain Jack, he was constantly attracting a crowd wherever he went. Fans and onlookers were constantly asking for autographs and photos.
If it had been in the past, he wouldn't have minded fulfilling fans' small wishes. But now, it wasn't possible. He might easily get caught up in the crowd and not be able to escape.
"It seems so," Laila thought for a moment and nodded. They had watched movies together before, but those occasions were usually at the premiere with cast and crew members.
After enjoying a delicious dinner, the two of them finally headed to the cinema. They had chosen the evening show to minimize the risk of being recognized by fans and the paparazzi.
Sitting in the cinema, Roy couldn't help but lean closer to her ear and ask, "Why did you choose this movie? I thought you would be more interested in 'Pearl Harbor'."
His hot breath wrapped around Laila's ear, causing it to heat up, and her cheeks became a bit flushed. She was thankful that the theater was dark by now; otherwise, her embarrassed expression might have been clearly visible. It was just an unconscious gesture, why was she getting so nervous? She couldn't help but scold herself inwardly.