Please! My relationship with the girl group leader is purely platonic.

Chapter 66 Tony: Today is a great day!

After learning the film's release date, Jiang Jingshu knew the purpose of Jiang Youzhen's call: Columbia Pictures would contact FFF regarding domestic promotional activities and theatrical screenings.

It has been confirmed that it will be released in multiple countries, but the number of theater slots available is limited due to the subject matter itself and a clause in the contract with the theaters.

Starting from the beginning of a film's release, theaters will allocate slots as much as possible within three days, but after three days, they will rearrange the slots based on box office performance.

Jiang Jingshu has extensive connections in China and can secure a good share of theater slots. Horror films are quite popular in China, and she happens to have a crime film in the editing stage that is expected to be released in the second half of the year. So she'll handle these two things together.

Regardless, she can guarantee a substantial share of theaters during the opening week, and she will also do her best to promote the film domestically before its release.

On the phone, Jiang Youzhen and Jiang Jingshu talked for a long time, mostly about movies. She was a little surprised to learn that Jiang Youzhen would soon be preparing for a new project, but she also knew that it was important to strike while the iron was hot.

But more than anything, I felt a sense of感慨 (gǎnkǎi, deep emotion) and 欣慰 (xīnw

...

The release date is set for mid-August, with theaters in the important North American countries of the United States and Canada cooperating with the project.

The later promotional campaign also included Australia, Europe, and parts of Asia. Overall, none of the three million US dollars used for promotion was wasted.

During this period, the film company purchased GG spots on GG signs along the streets in major tourist attractions, near universities, and in shopping malls in these countries.

The film has officially launched, but the question remains whether its opening week box office will satisfy the film company. The success of the opening week will also determine whether Kang Woo-jin can continue directing.

If the movie is a huge failure, he might not be willing to work with any actors in the future.

After nearly a month of continuous travel, the hype surrounding the R-rated horror film still garnered a lot of attention. In the early stages, there were detailed reviews from various media outlets and film critics. After returning home, they painstakingly analyzed the film's plot and were then surprised to discover...

This new director has really made a name for himself. At first glance, some of his movies might seem a bit incomprehensible, but upon closer inspection, they are actually quite enjoyable!

The continuous praise came later in the promotional period, when film critics caught up with them.

Even Jiang Youzhen himself didn't realize that these people were quite capable of getting things done after taking the money.

During the day, there may not be many people in the movie theater, with an occupancy rate of only 30%-40%.

But just after five o'clock, the entire theater was full, almost all of them were over 80% full, mostly teenagers and young people with hormones raging and who had invited each other to the movies.

Kang Woo-jin and Tony stood in a movie theater in Times Square. This was a movie theater they had carefully selected. It had enough seats, a good reputation, and most importantly, it was frequented by young people.

Each seat was adorned with a carefully prepared small gift, a delightful surprise for the audience. Whether you're a couple, a married couple, or coming alone, you're sure to get your money's worth.

To achieve such results before word-of-mouth has even taken hold demonstrates just how impressive a powerful film company can be.

Having spent the entire day in the theater, from noon until after midnight, Jiang Youzhen was starting to get tired of watching his own movies. However, a steady stream of viewers kept coming in to watch them.

These young people certainly have a long nightlife.

After enduring until the last show of the day, Jiang Youzhen didn't even feel like coming back to watch the show the next day. He went back to his apartment and had a good night's sleep in his room.

The director went to sleep comfortably, leaving a counselor and producer looking at each other in bewilderment. The next day, Tony rushed to the film company, where they were all waiting for the opening day box office results.

Because it's a low-budget investment, the box office performance doesn't matter much. As long as the word-of-mouth is good and it stays stable, there won't be any problems.

However, the marketing and distribution alone have already cost three million, and with the cooperation with theaters, the expenses have exceeded that amount. If they can't even break even on this, Columbia Pictures might have to blacklist Kang Woo-jin.

If it fails, the producer cannot accept such a loss.

Despite the overwhelming praise and acclaim online and in print, the film company remains uneasy, as box office performance and critical reception are their primary concerns.

Not only was North America on edge, but Jiang Jingshu, far away in China, was also staying up all night to keep up with the situation. She voluntarily used her overtime pay to have company employees who were willing to work overtime tally the film's box office figures.

Secretary Lin couldn't help but complain that her boss had never cared about her work.

"Of course I care. I follow every project. It's just that it's Yoo-jin's first time directing a movie, and I wanted to see how it went on the first day."

Jiang Jingshu raised an eyebrow, glanced to the side, and seeing that it was almost time, asked again, "Have the results come out yet? What were the opening day box office figures for Lost Delta?"

In the bright office, about a dozen people were working overtime on calculations. A few of them had just finished their calculations when Secretary Lin saw the data results, and her tone was somewhat shocked.

"On its opening day in North America, with an average occupancy rate of 45%, the box office reached $2.8 million, ranking third in theaters, depending on the theater's ranking. In Australia, where it was released simultaneously, the box office reached $1.7 million."

The film features Australian actors and was filmed in Australia. It was decided early in the promotional period that it would be released simultaneously in North America and Australia.

Considering the horror genre, the results this time are quite satisfactory.

Jiang Jingshu carefully calculated the North American market. She felt a little regretful that the movie wasn't released on Halloween, otherwise it would definitely have grossed over three million, but the opening day box office was still pretty good.

This only applies to North America, and film companies only calculate box office revenue in the United States and Canada.

Overjoyed, Jiang Jingshu readily distributed bonuses to the employees who worked overtime that day. The group of overworked employees took their newly received bonuses and went out to have fun. On her way home, Jiang Jingshu even tried to call Jiang Youzhen to congratulate him.

But... the line is busy.

As expected, it's probably someone in the US who made the contact.

Jiang Youzhen, unaware of his film's box office performance, was still fast asleep, completely oblivious to the fact that his phone was being bombarded with calls and text messages.

Tony happily took the data results and ran to the apartment. After ringing the doorbell for a long time, Kang Woo-jin was finally woken up.

"Good heavens... Tony, are you an OB-GYN? You're so good at pushing people, it's even more outrageous than any of the production companies I've ever met."

Jiang Youzhen dragged his tired body to the door. When he saw that it was Tony ringing the doorbell, he rubbed his face before opening the door.

"Anders! I called you over twenty times, and you were sleeping! Today is your big day! And you were sleeping?!"

When Jiang Youzhen didn't answer his phone, Tony almost thought he had had an accident or fallen into a pit.

His initial excitement turned into nervousness, but when he saw Jiang Youzhen coming to open the door in a disheveled state, wearing only a pair of sweatpants, he was speechless.

"Shouldn't we be sleeping? Good heavens... what time is it? Tony, we stayed up until after 3 a.m. before we broke up. You're amazing!"

Looking at the hardworking Tony, Kang Woo-jin suddenly remembered Mads-Oh's suggestion.

It seems that he was being asked to find an agent or assistant, and now it seems that Tony is a good fit. Moreover, some things are indeed beyond the scope of an assistant director's job, but Tony has never complained, which makes Kang Woo-jin very grateful to him.