December 15th, just 10 days before Christmas, and it's the peak of the holiday season.
Even a month after its premiere, "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets" is still hugely successful, bringing in millions of dollars daily. The magnetic pull of this franchise is undeniable.
In a few days, "The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers" will hit the screens, and on December 25th, Christmas Day, Steven Spielberg's "Catch Me If You Can" will premiere.
With the competition of these two giants, other films are doomed to fail. Therefore, unless there's another opportunity, no one dares to release their movies during this period.
Meanwhile, in major cities like Los Angeles, New York, and Houston, theaters began changing their posters.
A new poster appeared, depicting a massive tornado lifting a city into the sky. Surprisingly, shark heads were peeking out of the tornado.
Without much fanfare, the film "Sharknado" began its showings.
With a budget of only $150,000, there was no possibility for a full-fledged advertising campaign. Otherwise, the marketing costs would have exceeded the film's budget.
In the evening in Los Angeles, high school student White and two friends headed to the local cinema. His sister worked there and could get them in for free.
Approaching the ticket counter, White knocked on the glass: "Carol, give me three tickets."
A curly-haired girl peeked out from behind the counter and grumbled, "White, you come too often. I might get noticed."
"How is that possible? The theater is packed every day. Relax, no one will notice, and it's just three tickets."
"No, visitor numbers are low these days, they can easily check. I don't want to lose my job over a couple of tickets. If you want to see a movie, ask mom for money!"
White frowned and, turning, pointed to his friends: "Please, sister. You don't want me to embarrass myself in front of my friends, do you? I already promised them."
"I'll repay you the full amount from my pocket money. Hurry up, while no one's here."
Carol still hesitated: "But you've seen all the latest movies. Wait for the premiere of 'The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King.'"
"No, don't trick me. I saw the new poster. The movie is called 'Sharknado.' Come on, dear sister."
"Carol, what are you doing?" came a voice from behind.
"Nothing, Mr. Frost."
"Alright, take the tickets and go. My boss will be here soon for a check."
"Wait, get some popcorn and cola too."
"Here, take it, and leave quickly!"
There were only eight or nine viewers in the theater. A movie without a well-known cast, without advertising, and with a minor star like Ryan Reynolds could attract at least a few people. At another time, there would be even fewer.
"I have a feeling this will be a grand disaster movie," White said to his friends.
After the logo with the shark and the A.K. Films mark flew by, the film began.
A fishing boat sailed on the endless sea, with the captain discussing shark fishing with his partner. A few minutes later, the previously clear sky suddenly darkened, and sharks with surprising agility began leaping out of the water, sinking the boat.
The opening scenes made the audience frown.
"White, I don't like this. Why is the boat so small? And how can two people catch sharks? These sharks look awful."
The scene shifted to a beach, where beauties in bikinis once again caught the young viewers' attention. The director clearly knew how to engage them.
As soon as the "Sharknado" hit the shore, one of the sharks crashed into a bar where the main characters were hiding.
At this moment, a blonde with luxurious curls grabbed a pool cue and killed the shark with one blow. The strength of her strike amazed the audience, leaving them stunned.
"What the heck!"
"Did you see that? She killed a shark with one blow!"
"You missed the point! The sharks are flying!"
The movie continued, and the power of the shark tornado only increased, attacking the city. The funny special effects kept surprising the audience.
The main hero and his team tried to escape, speeding through flooded streets. But in one shot, a rubber belt flew past the car, causing puzzled exclamations.
"Is that a car wash? Is that their rain effect?"
The water brought by the tornado gradually flooded the city. Although it didn't even reach the car wheels, sharks swam in this shallow water, attacking passersby. The fake blood looked so ridiculous it was painful to watch.
In the end, sharks started flying out of sewer pipes and even water faucets. Yes, even small sharks poured out of the taps.
The movie reached its climax when Ryan Reynolds, holding a chainsaw, jumped several meters high and cut the last shark in half. The final credits rolled.
This was what a true international bad movie looked like!
At this moment, the few viewers in the hall leaned back in their seats, took a deep breath, frowned, and closed their eyes to soften the shock of what they had seen.
A few seconds later, the hall was filled with sounds of deep breaths, exclamations, groans, and curses.
"My eyes! My eyes!"
"How did this movie get to the big screen?"
"Tell me who the director is, I'll kill him!"
"White, after this movie I feel like I ate durian with herring, next to a three-month-old dirty sock."
But White, with shining eyes, looked as if he had found treasure: "I love it!"
"What? Are you crazy?"
"Of course not. I'll recommend this movie to Jennifer, Ben, Harvey. Everyone! I don't want to suffer alone!"
His friends agreed: "I'll post this on the forum. Let everyone enjoy this masterpiece!"
...
On its first day, "Sharknado" grossed only about $100,000, not even reaching the tail of "Harry Potter."
However, online discussions had already begun.
Eric didn't plan to spend big money, but a few tens of thousands were no problem. So, he had hired many bots in advance.
On the first day of release, they filled major forums, and left reviews on Yahoo, Movies, BOM, and IMDB.
In those years, internet advertising using bots was rare; the main means of advertising remained television, magazines, and newspapers.
In the evening, Eric opened the largest local forum in Los Angeles. Scrolling through the pages, he quickly found three topics about "Sharknado."
"The best picture of the year."
"Sharknado! I've never seen a movie like this, it stunned me more than 'Harry Potter!'"
"'Sharknado' – a masterpiece worthy of a place in film history!"
Reading a few comments, Eric couldn't tell if they were praising the movie or mocking it. He was surprised that even in those years bots were so inventive, not copying the same message.
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