"Ladies and gentlemen, today is the premiere of Batman: The Dark Knight Rises. All departments must keep up with the promotion and work, and there should be no room for any mistakes!"
Inside Warner Bros., the president, Mr. Robinov, delivered a mobilization order to the various departments.
The first installment of The Dark Knight had already achieved the highest box office performance in North America in the first half of the year.
If we include the projected box office figures, it has essentially secured the title of this year's Hollywood box office champion.
After all, there aren't many big releases this year.
The only box office challenger might be The Dark Knight Rises.
In other words, Warner Bros. is essentially the producer that will firmly claim the annual box office champion title this year.
And there is a possibility of securing both the first and second positions.
This year, Warner Bros. is undoubtedly enjoying a high reputation among Hollywood film companies.
It's quite glorious!
"Yes!"
In unison, the human engine of Warner Bros. instantly went into full gear.
For this purpose, Warner Bros. even requested television network resources from its parent company, Time Warner, for publicity.
They kept airing past Batman films, aiming to arouse people's interest in Batman.
The coverage in print media has never ceased.
In the midst of this highly anticipated situation, Batman: The Dark Knight Rises officially premiered...
...
South Mountain Cinema in Los Angeles.
A Warner investigator, following the usual procedure, sat inside the cinema and monitored the attendance on the first day.
It was a straightforward data collection task.
The investigator had to gather information on the total number of people entering the theater, the number of ticket purchases, and the number of viewers for The Dark Knight Rises.
They also noted the gender ratio and age groups of the primary audience.
All the data would be compiled and sent back to Warner Bros.
Based on this data, Warner Bros. would adjust their specific marketing emphasis and strategies.
This process would continue until the movie finished its theatrical run.
A couple walked in.
"Albert, let's watch Winds of Destiny. It's only been a few days since its release, and everyone says it's good."
The woman sought the man's opinion.
Although Batman was one of the most famous IPs in the United States, its main target audience was clearly male viewers.
The film market is different from the television drama market. Male viewers are often the main contributors to box office success, just as television ratings rely on female viewers.
"How about we watch The Dark Knight Rises first?"
The male viewer asked tentatively.
"After watching The Dark Knight, we can then watch Winds of Destiny."
The woman's expression changed, and she expressed her dissatisfaction, saying, "Am I important, or is Batman important?"
As soon as these words were spoken, the investigator knew that an argument was inevitable.
Sure enough, a scene quickly unfolded inside the theater.
The woman got angry, and the man had to put in a great deal of effort and make numerous promises to appease her.
But once the man managed to calm the woman down, in order to show her magnanimity, the woman decisively chose to watch Batman with him.
The investigator silently made a note.
When both male and female viewers come together, there is a high probability that Winds of Destiny will be prioritized.
That was the conclusion they reached.
...
Inside the cinema, people came and went, and the day quickly came to an end.
The investigator glanced at the data summary they had compiled.
According to the data, if multiple male viewers came to watch a movie, there was a 95% chance they would choose to watch The Dark Knight Rises.
If it was a male-female couple, they were more likely to lean towards Winds of Destiny.
As for other types of viewers, especially those who came alone or in pairs, there was a high probability they would choose to watch The Dark Knight Rises.
Based on this, a summary report was prepared.
Thanks to the positive word-of-mouth and box office success of the previous installment, The Dark Knight Rises successfully attracted over 70% of the cinema audience.
Barring any unforeseen circumstances, it was highly likely that it would be favored by the majority of the audience during the summer blockbuster season in July and August.
The experienced investigator, with years of experience, knew that The Dark Knight Rises was going to be a box office hit.
...
Inside the cinema, people came and went, and the day quickly came to an end.
The investigator glanced at the data summary they had compiled.
According to the data, if multiple male viewers came to watch a movie, there was a 95% chance they would choose to watch The Dark Knight Rises.
If it was a male-female couple, they were more likely to lean towards Winds of Destiny.
As for other types of viewers, especially those who came alone or in pairs, there was a high probability they would choose to watch The Dark Knight Rises.
Based on this, a summary report was prepared.
Thanks to the positive word-of-mouth and box office success of the previous installment, The Dark Knight Rises successfully attracted over 70% of the cinema audience.
Barring any unforeseen circumstances, it was highly likely that it would be favored by the majority of the audience during the summer blockbuster season in July and August.
The experienced investigator, with years of experience, knew that The Dark Knight Rises was going to be a box office hit.
...
Warner Bros. headquarters.
Robinov stared with his bloodshot eyes, evidence of a sleepless night spent with his secretary.
With anticipation written all over his face, he eagerly awaited the first-day box office results.
The investigator's data had already been reviewed by Robinov before he left work yesterday.
According to the data, The Dark Knight Rises had achieved even better first-day numbers than its predecessor, capitalizing on the groundwork laid by the previous film and the continued buzz. This filled Robinov with high expectations for the first-day box office of The Dark Knight Rises.
...
"President, President..."
An subordinate in charge of reporting the data rushed to Robinov, out of breath.
Robinov's face darkened.
He disliked when his subordinates acted surprised or startled in front of him. It didn't befit their status as American elites.
After all, those who interacted with him could be considered middle management at Warner Bros., starting with a salary of at least $100,000 a year. In America, that would be considered middle class.
People like them shouldn't be getting worked up over trivial matters.
"What's the matter?" Robinov made up his mind that if the subordinate didn't provide a compelling reason, he would reassign them to the archives for retirement.
The subordinate spoke excitedly.
"President, The Dark Knight Rises has broken the first-day box office record."
"How much?"
Robinov was mentally prepared for such a record-breaking achievement. After all, the previous film had already secured the title of the year's highest-grossing film in advance.
If he had to find an enemy, it would probably be himself.
Only The Dark Knight Rises could potentially surpass The Dark Knight.
"Four hundred and thirty-one million dollars!"
Robinov stood there dumbfounded.
"President, it's four hundred and thirty-one million dollars!"
The subordinate looked at Robinov, who seemed to have not heard, and stood there in a daze, quickly reminding him again.
Only then did Robinov snap out of his trance, a bright smile appearing on his face. He managed to control his tone of excitement and said:
"I understand. Go to the publicity department and tell them to keep pushing until The Dark Knight Rises finishes its run. No one can relax until then."
"After it finishes, everyone gets double bonuses and a seven-day vacation."
"The other departments will also have their own bonuses."
The subordinate's face immediately lit up with joy.
Warner Bros. bonuses were at least half of their current monthly salary, and they were even more generous based on performance.
To receive such a substantial amount of money for no extra effort naturally made him very happy.
"Yes."
After replying, the subordinate happily went to inform the various departments of the good news.
After the subordinate left, Robinov finally closed the door.
In his office, he burst into laughter.
He was ecstatic. This news was simply too thrilling for him.
He danced and celebrated in his office, releasing his excitement.
Suddenly, Robinov muttered to himself:
"Oh, I should immediately inform Kevin about this good news and make him happy too."
As he mumbled, a tinge of regret arose in Robinov's heart.