The Best Actor in the Vase of Meiyu

Chapter 1182 Breaking Perception
"Ripley..."

The office door was open, and the visitor knocked on the door and called directly.

Ripley stopped what she was doing, looked up, and gave him a questioning look to show that she was listening.

"The 'Elephant' show is on the verge of being sold out. Should we make some adjustments?"

Ripley's eyes widened, "All?"

Angelica Film Center has a total of six screening rooms, showing different works throughout the day.

Ripley's team also realized that "Elephant" is a hot topic recently and may attract more attention. In addition, there are only two theaters in New York for preview screenings, and there is no theater in nearby New Jersey. One can imagine the enthusiasm of movie fans, so they also made corresponding arrangements.

There are three main screening halls, with six shows scheduled out of eight throughout the day.

Such intensity and density are already very, very crazy for independent films and art films.

Here, we are not discussing those long-standing classics, but the artistic works of the past two years, which have had a very difficult time showing in theaters, including the award-winning works of this year's Cannes Film Festival.

"Savage Invasion", a Canadian work, won the Best Screenplay and Best Actress awards at this year's Cannes. The Angelica Film Center recently arranged a screening, two shows a day, for two consecutive weeks.

The average attendance rate is less than 30%.

Please note, this is New York, this is the Angelica Film Center, which has always been a gathering place for countless art film lovers.

However, the latest art films and independent films still face severe challenges.

There are three reasons.

Firstly, the film center is open all year round, and a wide variety of movies are released one after another, including old movies and new movies, well-known movies and unknown movies, movies from different countries and regions all over the world. It is like a treasure trove, open to everyone. Everyone can access it freely without any restrictions, so naturally there is no rush to grab tickets.

Secondly, the DVD market is gradually rising, and veteran movie lovers can freely roam in the video disc market and explore their favorite movies. Relatively speaking, the works arranged for screening by the film center are subject to certain restrictions. After all, they need to obtain screening qualifications.

Thirdly, people generally tend to choose movies that they are familiar with, that is, classic masterpieces. Only a small number of veteran movie fans are willing to try the challenge of new movies with "no information, no introduction, and no reputation." When a brand new art film comes out, people will still wait and see.

Ultimately, the marketing and promotion of art films and independent films is still an area that is being explored.

In fact, the average attendance of 30%, which is very, very good, played an important role in the news that "The Invasion" won the award in Cannes.

Ripley is even considering whether to arrange another round of screenings. After word-of-mouth spreads, there may still be movie fans interested.

It is conceivable that the screening screens and showtimes arranged by the Angelica Film Center for "Elephant" are already crazy. Ripley also took into account Anson's topicality and appeal, as well as Gus Van Sant's reputation among veteran movie fans in New York, and finally made a bold move.

However, after the arrangements were completed, I couldn't help but feel a little uneasy and nervous——

After all, "Elephant" is such a special movie that even if it wins the Palme d'Or, it's hard to judge it based on common sense.

It is worth noting that the attendance rates of the winners of the highest awards at the three major European film festivals each year at the Angelica Film Center vary greatly. Some works may have an attendance rate of less than 10%, while some works may easily exceed 50%. The market feedback differences between art films are often even greater.

"elephant"?
unpredictable.

Ripley made a series of plans and arrangements based on market trends, but to be honest, she was also unsure:

Six shows a day, three screens.

Finally, average attendance may be less than 20%.

However, this is the daily routine of Angelica Film Center, and Ripley has long been accustomed to it.

The result now?

On the verge of selling out? "Elephant"?
An independent film released this year actually sold out tickets in the first round of previews?

When was the last time this happened?
Ripley couldn't remember it, which seemed to be the first time in her tenure.

No wonder Ripley lost her composure. In an instant, this overturned all of Ripley's cognition. Although she knew that "The Butterfly Effect" was a hit, although she knew that Anson was now in great demand, and although she also knew that "Elephant" was the long-awaited Palme d'Or, the grand occasion before her was still unbelievable.

The first person that came to Ripley's mind was actually——

The premiere of "Star Wars Prequels".

Obviously, while Hollywood is still struggling to debate whether Anson, the vase, has market appeal, the general public is voting with their actions.

Ripley had to confirm again, "We're talking about 'Elephant' now, right? On the verge of selling out?"

After receiving a crisp affirmative answer, Ripley quickly stood up and went to the ticket hall in front.

Bustling and crowded.

The whole team was well organized and the scene was not chaotic, but there was a crowd of people.

Ripley quickly walked to the ticket counter, "The 'Elephant' show is about to sell out?"

The Angelica Film Center has only been open for less than thirty minutes!

"Yes, all three screenings during the day have been sold out. Now there are only two screenings left in the evening, but tickets are being sold very quickly."

Ripley looked at the dark crowd in front of her, left the counter and entered the crowd. "Excuse me, are you all here for the 'Elephant'?"

One, two, three, four, five, all raised their hands.

Looking around, there was a lot of noise.

"Didn't they say Anson would come to the screening today?" someone in the crowd said.

Ripley was shocked. "No! No! That's not happening at all!"

Haha.

There was a burst of laughter from the crowd.

"Just a joke, just a joke."

"But the 'cat and mouse game' last year was really fun and totally unexpected."

"I'm just simply curious about why Anson chose such a movie."

"Yes, yes, me too."

"Hey, don't discriminate against the vases, okay? Keanu Reeves also showed a little bit of acting skills in Gus Van Sant's film back then."

Teasing, complaining, and then bursting into laughter.

Ripley now has some clues.

Perhaps, they all came for Anson, but they were not necessarily all supporters of Anson.

Just like the box office explosion of the "Butterfly Effect", "Elephant" is also at the center of the storm.

Ripley followed the team for a while and asked several different groups of people, and finally came to an incredible conclusion:

More than 90% of them come for the "elephant".

Indeed, a small number of viewers came for other movies, and they didn't know what was going on with the line in front of them. The Angelica Film Center has its own group of movie fans. No matter what movies are playing here, they will come here every weekend to shop and discover the classic works recommended by Ripley.

But mainly it’s the “elephant”.

Now, with the opportunity before her, what should Ripley do?
(End of this chapter)