….
[Nineteen(:19) Days Later]
[July 27th, 2010]
….
Deonte Maravich, the President of Red Pictures Distribution, sat in his office, his gaze fixed on the stack of papers before him.
Across from him stood Pete Harty, the company's Film Acquisitions Executive - the same two men who had watched [Following] with Regal that day.
The report detailed the film's box office performance over the past six weeks.
His expression?
Unreadable.
[Following] wasn't just a success, it had exceeded all expectations, achieving a level of commercial triumph that neither he nor any other board member had foreseen.
And that was precisely the problem.
They hadn't foreseen it.
Deonte felt like a man who had been handed a feast, only to watch it slip from his grasp and shatter before he could take a single bite.
Frustrating and maddening - yet, there was nothing he could do. Because in the end, he had lost a battle of wits against a young man not even half his age.
"It was a complete defeat…" He muttered
His gaze shifted across the room to the man lounging comfortably on the sofa, William Rush, the former CEO of Red Pictures.
"You knew about this, didn't you, Mr. Rush?"
The older man nodded, his expression did not change. "To some extent, yes… but I didn't expect it to reach this level. Stephan got one over me again this time."
By the end of his sentence, his voice carried a hint of irritation, not because of the financial setback, but because he had lost to Stephan.
Deonte sighed, exhaling a small breath. He had no interest in getting caught up in the long-standing rivalry between those two.
Meanwhile, Pete Harty remained still, like an immovable statue, unfazed by the tension in the room.
Deonte's eyes lowered once more to the papers in his hands.
The movie was released on a - Tuesday.
Not exactly the most desirable day for a launch, at least not for a distribution company of their scale. But they didn't have much of a choice.
Because later that same week, another major film was set to release under - Pixy Studio.
A completely different genre, sure.
No direct competition. But still, avoiding that clash was the smart move.
Since Tuesday wasn't exactly a prime moviegoing day, with most people buried in work.
The expectations were modest.
But then, there was that name - Stephen Hawking.
His involvement as Presenter carried far more weight than even their own marketing team had anticipated.
Regal, the young director of the movie, and with the help of their Red picture's marketing team, knew exactly what they were selling, and they played their cards accordingly.
They went all in on Hawking's name, using it as the driving force behind their promotional push, leveraging curiosity to pull eyes toward the trailers.
And it worked.
By the time the morning screenings started, theater seats were filling up at an impressive rate.
Occupancy hovered between 50 to 60 percent - an incredible feat for a film with fresh faces.
Simultaneously, early reviews from critics who had attended the Monday screening were already making waves online, hailing the film as a must-watch.
Momentum built throughout the day.
By the time evening shows rolled around, [Following] started gaining traction.
Social media exploded with reactions. Positive word of mouth spread everywhere.
On the same day, by evening the occupancy shot up, hitting a staggering 70 to 76 percent.
By nightfall, one thing was certain - [Following] had made its mark.
[Day-1] Total - $1.2 million.
It was an unexpected start, but no one, critics, audiences, or even the team behind it, could have predicted what was coming next.
Not even Red Pictures.
Deonte flipped to the next report. His eyes scanned the numbers.
The number of [Day-2] was even better.
The film grossed $2.8 million, with theaters packed from morning until late at night.
Word-of-mouth spreads significantly, boosting attendance.
Social media hashtags trend, and people rush to see the film with friends.
Evening shows sold out across multiple cities, prompting exhibitors to add extra screenings for Wednesday.
By [Day-3], demand had forced a theater expansion, fifty more screens, bringing the total count to 650.
And the momentum didn't stop. The film raked in another $3 million.
Deonte murmured, staring at the figures. "It is twice the opening day numbers…"
On [Day-4], Friday, the film continued its impressive momentum.
Despite the arrival of a major new release that same day, [Following] held its ground. Ironically, the competing film's own pre-release screenings had backfired spectacularly.
Criticism poured in - and to make matters worse, audience reactions after the official release weren't any better.
Disappointment spread quickly, dimming the hype around the big-budget contender.
Meanwhile, [Following] thrived.
With no other film commanding attention, the indie breakout remained the center of discussion.
It had pulled in another $3.3 million, maintaining a 70 to 78 percent occupancy.
The film is still being driven by strong buzz and positive media coverage.
Offices and college youth buzz with conversations about the film, leading to steady evening shows.
Saturday, [Day 5], the theaters were once again expanded to a total count of 700.
The occupancy was at a peak over the weekend with 70 percent and even 90 in a few cities.
Praise for its gripping performances and unexpected twists dominated social media, with late-night screenings added to accommodate the surge in interest.
By the end of the day, it had grossed $4 million.
But something even more significant was happening.
Viewers who returned for a second watch found themselves appreciating the film even more. Subtle details they had missed the first time became clear, deepening their admiration for the director's craft.
Adding to that, the film was also released internationally, increasing the theater count from 700 to 1000 within two days.
The first weekend, [Day 6], Sunday - [Following] had pulled in another $6 million.
International media also starts reporting the phenomenon, further fueling ticket sales. Families and younger viewers also begin attending, expanding the audience base.
With its total earnings now at $20.3 million in just one week, the film had completely recouped its production and marketing costs, and then some.
Deonte stared at the figures, exhaling slowly.
"It's already recovered its Max estimated revenue… and added another $4 million on top of that." He muttered.
Yep. according to their initial estimation the movie's overall potential was around 16M which it recovered in its first week.
And this was the time big names in Hollywood finally noticed the film's massive success.
"…And it didn't stop there." He added, flipping to the next page.
But by then, it was already too late. [Following] wasn't just a hit, it was a full-blown phenomenon.
As the film's momentum grew, so did its theater count. In its second week, the number of screens soared to nearly 1,500.
Audiences poured in. Lines stretched outside theaters. Additional late-night screenings were scheduled just to keep up with demand.
By the end of the weekend alone, [Following] had grossed $16 million, and with another $14 million from weekdays, its second-week total climbed to $30 million.
For an indie film, these were unheard-of numbers.
In its third week, it had reached a staggering 2,500 screens, the highest domestic count for an independent film in recent years.
Occupancy remained strong, averaging 75-80%, with theaters still reporting sold-out shows in major cities.
By the end of the week, the film had amassed another $40 million, cementing its place as one of the most successful low-budget films of all time.
Only in its fourth week did the film begin to show signs of slowing down.
A few markets tapered off, and newer releases claimed some screens, bringing its theater count down to 2,200. However, demand remained high, with an occupancy rate of 65-70%.
[Following] ended the week with $28 million.
As expected, by the fifth week, theaters began reducing screenings. The count dropped to 1,800, yet the film remained a must-watch for those who had missed out earlier.
Even with the decline, it added another $18 million to its total.
Currently the end of the sixth week is running with a total of 1,000 screens and an occupancy of 50%-55%.
Official figures were yet to be finalized, but early estimates pointed to another $12 million added to the tally.
So with that, the film's total domestic earnings soared to a whopping $148.3 million.
Adding in the $54 million from international markets outside the US, the total climbed to $202.3 million.
And that wasn't all, there were still revenue streams from DVD sales, digital distribution, and other channels yet to be factored in.
An more than twelve fold return on investment.
But as Deonte stared at the numbers before him, a bitter truth settled in.
If only they had secured a larger share of the profits. If only they had controlled more of the distribution.
"This is our own loss… Well played, Regal… well played." He muttered under his breath.
That was all he could say - to acknowledge.
Because no matter how 'unfair' the deal had been - Numbers don't lie.
.
….
[To be continued…]
★─────⇌•★•⇋─────★
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