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Chapter 49 - Chapter 49: The Eve of Release

In the morning, as the sun climbed between the buildings in Burbank, the newsstand owner set out the freshly arrived newspapers, waiting for customers.

"One Los Angeles Times, please."

A familiar voice called out. The owner looked up, accepted the money, handed over the newspaper, and greeted warmly, "Good morning, Mr. Davenport."

"Good morning."

The young man responded politely and then entered the office building.

"It's unbelievable he hasn't jumped off a building yet!" A plump middle-aged woman stepped out of the newsstand, looking towards the office building entrance. "I thought he was bankrupt and done for."

The newsstand owner frowned and reminded her, "Lisa, don't talk nonsense."

The plump woman fell silent, grabbed a newspaper, and sat on a chair, which creaked under her weight.

"Look at this! This is crazy!" the woman suddenly shouted. "That guy, young Davenport, he made another movie, and it's coming out in late October!"

The owner, curious, picked up a similar newspaper, turned to the entertainment section, and found the related news on the second page. It was more of an advertisement than an article.

"He won't be satisfied until he jumps off a building," the woman muttered, glancing at the office building. "One of these days, he'll jump from there."

The owner didn't say anything but shook his head. Old Mr. Davenport was a good man, but his son seemed unreliable.

Michael arrived at the office and immediately called a meeting with his top three executives to get the latest updates. "Robert, you went to Lionsgate yesterday. Have they confirmed the distribution strategy?"

Robert responded promptly, "After signing the distribution contract, Lionsgate held two media and fan screenings. The reviews were mixed but generally positive. They're having an internal meeting today to finalize the strategy for 'The Purge.'"

Michael instructed, "Stay in close contact with Lionsgate." He then turned to George Clint, "What's the evaluation of the promotional scale?"

"Just some ads in second-tier media," George Clint reported. "The major push will be in the week leading up to the release."

Michael nodded, "This year's Halloween falls on a weekend. Lionsgate and I agreed to release the film a week earlier."

Halloween is traditionally the prime slot for horror films in North America, and most people choose to watch them during this period.

Robert interjected, "The weekends before Halloween are crowded with horror films, the biggest one being 'Halloween 7' starring Jamie Lee Curtis."

"The Scream Queen is back," Michael said. "This is the most favourable slot for horror films."

He thought for a moment and added, "I talked to James yesterday. He will quickly modify the film to change the purge date from March 22 to Halloween."

This didn't surprise anyone; films need to fit their release slots.

Michael then asked George, "What about outdoor ads?"

George replied, "Lionsgate is actively securing ad spaces near black communities and other minority areas. They plan to roll out these ads extensively two weeks before the release."

Michael paced around the office and then said, "George, can you contact some film critics?"

"I can," George Clint, well-connected in the media industry, guessed Michael's intent and reminded him, "Top-tier critics are hard to bribe, and their rates are very high; some won't take money at all."

Michael said bluntly, "Reach out to as many second and third-tier critics as possible, those whose rates aren't exorbitant, and get as many positive reviews as possible."

In the era before the decline of traditional media, film critics still held significant influence.

George nodded, "Understood."

Michael then turned to Mary, "Allocate the remaining $11 million budget for this."

Mary asked, "For PR expenses?"

"Yes," Michael confirmed. "Count it as PR expenses."

The $11 million raised had become standard production costs on paper.

Using money from overseas investors was indeed gratifying.

The short meeting ended, and Michael specifically reviewed the data from the past Halloween release. In the last five years, the average theatre run for horror films during Halloween was three weeks. Even horror films with million-dollar budgets only ran for about seven to eight weeks.

For example, "Halloween 6" was pulled from theatres in less than five weeks.

The short theatrical lifespan of horror films was a common phenomenon.

Michael concluded that if "The Purge" didn't perform well in the first two weeks, it would undoubtedly be a failure.

Just as many Americans eat turkey on Thanksgiving, moviegoers watch horror films during Halloween. However, the enthusiasm will significantly wane after Halloween.

As the saying goes, the excitement comes fast and leaves just as quickly.

Suddenly, there was a knock at the door. Robert entered with a smile and said, "I just got news from Lionsgate. Their two screenings rated 'The Purge' a B overall. They've decided to distribute it widely, with an estimated initial release in no fewer than 1,000 theatres."

"Good!" Michael couldn't help but clench his fist. "That's great!"

The number of theatres showing the film would directly determine its box office performance.

Although there were four grades above B, a B-rated horror film was already a rarity and warranted such treatment.

Lionsgate signed this film to maximize their profit.

Under the current Hollywood distribution contracts, the distributor's risk was minimal.

Michael looked at the grim-masked poster on the office wall. "The Purge" was approaching success.

Half an hour later, he received a call from Gray Enriquez. Lionsgate, having no other films to release at the moment, was relatively optimistic about this film and would strive for more screens and showtimes.

Of course, Lionsgate couldn't match established companies, with "Halloween 7" opening in nearly 2,700 theatres compared to the approximately 1,850 theatres for "The Purge."

Michael didn't expect the film to be a blockbuster but needed it to succeed at the box office.

Whether in terms of screens or ticket prices, it couldn't compare to post-2010.

In early October, "The Purge" released its first official trailer, and Lionsgate increased its advertising efforts.

Following Michael's suggestion, they targeted their ads towards black communities and minority areas while maintaining appropriate general advertising.

Many bus stops, subway entrances, and billboards near minority communities displayed large posters for the film.

Compared to prime locations, these ad spaces were much cheaper.

In Queens, New York.

Owen and Bill, having finished playing basketball, rode their bikes back. Even in the more excellent season, they were still sweating.

Before entering their community, they passed a large convenience store with a giant billboard. Owen glanced at it and stopped.

"What's up?" Bill asked.

Owen pointed at the billboard, "There's a new movie ad."

Bill turned to look. The ad was clearly a movie poster, with two images: one of an eerie and chilling masked face and the other of seven characters standing in a row.

The most prominent were a blonde white person and a black person...

"The Purge?" Bill muttered.

Owen said, "Halloween is coming. Let's go to the movies this weekend?"

"Yeah," Bill nodded, pointing at the poster. "This looks scary, and it seems the black guy is the main character."

Owen examined the poster, "Let's watch this one. I hate movies where all the main characters are white."

Bill nodded, "Me too. America isn't just white people. Without us black folks, there wouldn't be the America we know."

They rode their bikes, chatting as they disappeared into the community.

The large movie poster hanging near the black community kept catching the attention of passing black residents.

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