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Chapter 27. Lucky Jolyne Cujoh
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Unanimously.
When Jolyne Cujoh pinned her last hope on the BD sales, praying that "Phantom Blood" would be one of those critically acclaimed but commercially unsuccessful works, others in the "Phantom Blood" production crew also hinted at this concern.
Although the premiere of "Phantom Blood" went smoothly and was indeed very encouraging, they felt that if they couldn't deliver a satisfactory answer to Green Dolphin Studio for the generous treatment they received from Jolyne, how could they be worthy of such a privilege?
Especially those industry veterans whom Jolyne had unintentionally recruited.
To them, "dying for a confidant" was never just a figure of speech when faced with Jolyne, who gave them opportunities and hope. Pucci effortlessly managed to shoot "Phantom Blood" with the fully immersive shooting equipment for the first time, thanks not only to the actors' extraordinary talents but also to the industry veterans who had worked tirelessly and overtime, well-versed in the filming process.
After all, without overtime pay, anyone would find ways to slack off. But if overtime pay is sufficient, then the company is like home!
Thus, even if just for the sake of this generous pay, they didn't want Jolyne to truly go bankrupt.
But given the current situation,
Whether it was the sold-out advance screening rights or the growing popularity, which meant more people had watched the plot of "Phantom Blood," could they genuinely sell their BD discs afterward?
Considering the budget, after Jolyne decided to increase the funding, the money spent on "Phantom Blood" was significantly higher than other works of the same period, akin to the difference between the original "JoJo" and "Fate/stay night [UBW]."
Could they really sell enough BD discs to recoup the initial investment?
"Of course, we'll sell them and make a profit!" Pucci said confidently and without a doubt. "In fact, my thoughts align entirely with President Cujoh's!"
Jolyne Cujoh, who wasn't present: No, they don't! No, they don't!!
"Choosing an advance screening may seem like a bad move, but in reality, for a new studio like ours, it's a rare masterstroke!"
What's having a broad vision? This is it!
Even Pucci himself wouldn't dare to say or do this without the knowledge from his previous life to back it up. Before widespread knowledge that online dissemination could indeed boost animation revenue and that streaming sites could drive BD and merchandise sales, who could have imagined that such dissemination would bring real benefits to the producers?
"For those who like our work, no matter what, they'll buy our BDs for various reasons—whether for the special bonuses, or because true fans need three copies: one to preach, one to appreciate, and one to collect."
"For those who don't like our work, they won't buy it anyway."
"So for us, not yet widely known, the relaxed advance screening clause allows our work to spread and turn more new viewers into fans, making it the best choice!"
Though this might sound like deducing the process from the result, Pucci indeed had discovered that the law from his previous life still held in this world when Jolyne decided on the advance screening method and they prepared the episodes for screening.
Otherwise, why would Pucci contact [ ] and friends in the group to help with live stream promotion? Because he fully understood Jolyne's intentions, ready to assist wholeheartedly and even accelerate the spread of "Phantom Blood"'s fame.
--"Damn, why is 'Phantom Blood' an advanced-released weekly show?!"
--"Now I have to wait a week for the next episode?!"
--"I'll die without a new episode of 'Phantom Blood'!"
--"I'll die without a new episode of 'Phantom Blood'!" +1
--"..."
Even if someone pulled out an original life form meme to forcibly break this loop, the viewers' resilience would bring it back.
Until...
--"I heard that crews choosing advance screenings are usually short on money..."
--"Judging by the classic scenes in 'Phantom Blood' comparable to full-dive movies, it doesn't seem like a lie that they're short on funds and budget."
--"Indeed. Otherwise, I can't think why a production of this scale would go for advance screening."
--"...Damn, just take my money and give me the upcoming episodes!"
--"Shut Up And Take My Money!"
--"..."
Similarly, seeing these comments under "Phantom Blood," Pucci was confident about its potential to recoup costs.
In his previous life, David Production managed to sell over 20,000 copies of their work despite a tight budget. In this world, without the original manga to spoil the plot and with a budget surpassing David Production's, shouldn't they expect to multiply that sales figure?
"So, it's really lucky for Jolyne Cujoh to have chosen me as the director!"