The Best Actor in the Vase of Meiyu

Chapter 1183 Sold Out
99% of theater managers will not temporarily change the day's schedule and disrupt their own screening plans.

What if an audience member fails to buy tickets and misses the show?
Or, go to a different cinema.

This is just a movie, not a special exhibition of precious works of art. If it is watched at a different time or in a different place, the audience will always be able to fulfill their wishes.

But the point is, 99% of theater managers will not face the situation where all tickets for a same-day screening are sold out, whether it is a large theater chain or a small independent theater.

What if this really happens?

Theater managers gave the same answer 100% of the time: change the film schedule. If they didn't make money, they would be stupid. If they didn't increase the film schedule and screens after seeing such a high attendance, they might lose their jobs.

However, here, the situation is different in different theaters.

Large cinema chains should not have any hesitation. When the attendance rate exceeds 50%, theater managers will increase the screening schedule for the next day and the following days. Profit is their primary consideration; however, independent art theaters are different.

Don't forget that their mission is to give art films and independent films more opportunities to be showcased. Casually changing the screening schedule means squeezing the screening times and display space of some works. To some extent, this goes against their original intention.

Therefore, how to find a balance between interests and beliefs will become a topic.

Today, the Angelica Film Center is facing this challenge.

Ripley stood in the ticket hall, struggling faintly. In an instant, countless thoughts and distractions surged in her mind. Finally, she took a deep breath and clenched her fists.

Art has its own persistence; but at the same time, if art hopes to further open up the market, then when opportunities arise, they must seize them.

Act decisively and vigorously.

Ripley got busy. Although she was busy and tired, she was full of energy. She started running all the way around the Angelica Film Center.

Soon, the latest news spread in the Angelica Film Center:
For "The Elephant", one more screening room will be added, and eight more screenings will be added throughout the day; in addition, the three screening rooms that originally showed "The Elephant" will each add two screenings.

The Angelica Film Center tried to seize the opportunity and increase the number of screenings of "Elephant" as much as possible; but they did not get carried away and still retained two screening halls and continued to play those works as originally planned.

And, most importantly, the Angelica Film Center announced that they will continue the same schedule for the next Saturday and Sunday, ensuring that the audience can freely choose the screenings according to their own circumstances.

Obviously, Angelica Film Center knows that there are only two theaters in the entire New York metropolitan area showing "Elephant", and this wave of popularity will not cool down in the short term, and they are doing their best to meet the needs of the audience.

Wow.

There was a commotion and a lot of joy. The Angelica Cinema Center was like a carnival. The Christmas atmosphere that had not yet completely dissipated in the air began to boil again.

Just like last year when the “cat and mouse game” invaded Christmas, this year’s holiday is still accompanied by movies.

After a busy period of running around, Ripley was finally able to take a breath. She picked up her coffee that had already cooled down and took a big sip. Before she could swallow it, the phone on the desk rang.

Jingle bell, jingle bell.

Ripley was shocked and her heart was beating wildly, but she still answered the phone quickly.

"Angelica Film Center."

"Hey, Ripley? Is this Ripley? This is Hugh Jockman from the Chicago Music Box Theater. I wonder if you still remember me." The voice on the other end of the line sounded a little strange, but Ripley immediately recalled, "'Not Hugh Jackman'!"

Because his name sounds similar, he always jokes about his own name, calling himself "not Hugh Jackman". Apparently, this helps with memory.

Moreover, he is the theater manager of the Chicago Music Box Theater, a theater very similar to the Angelica Film Center, and also a holy place for movie lovers. Their biggest feature is that they often show foreign films.

Don't underestimate this matter.

In the history of North American cinema, there is only one non-English film that has grossed over $100 million at the local box office:
"Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon".

This record has been maintained for a full twenty years, and no other work has been able to break it. Not to mention breaking it, it is even difficult to get close to it.

The box office of non-English films in North America has always been low. The second highest-grossing film in film history is "Parasite" in 2019, with a cumulative box office of only million US dollars in North America; the third is "Life is Beautiful", and another Chinese-language film "Hero" ranks fourth.

Because of this, there are not many foreign-language films scheduled in North America, and few distribution companies are willing to bring them in. This is where the importance of the Chicago Music Box Theater can be seen. It opens a window for veteran movie lovers to see more excellent non-English works.

Ripley herself occasionally makes the trek to the Music Box Theatre to see a movie.

"Ahem." Jacqueman coughed twice, "Yes, that's me."

"I'm calling because I heard the news from New York that all the performances of 'Elephant' in your city today are sold out?"

There is a one-hour time difference between Chicago and New York.

Ripley looked at the clock on the wall, "Ah, you guys are just about to open the door, right?"

Jakman, "Yes, the line at the door is a bit scary. And the news from New York is now spreading all the way to the West Coast. I think I need to confirm it."

Ripley, "I don't know the situation at IFC yet, but Angelica's is basically sold out. We originally arranged three screens and six shows, but it was not enough; now it has been increased to four screens and eight shows. I just confirmed that the daytime shows are sold out, and the evening shows are being sold, but I think they should all be sold out in fifteen minutes at most."

Theater managers all know that Friday is still a workday, and the evening showtimes have higher attendance than the daytime showtimes.

Jacqueman exclaimed, "Oh, God."

Ripley smiled. "I know. This is unbelievable. I expected the movie to have good attendance, but I really didn't expect such a reaction. There was no publicity and marketing for 'Elephant' this time. I complained to our publicity department last week that HBO really refused to invest any promotional expenses, which made it difficult for us independent cinemas."

Jakman let out a long breath. "Anson. The answer can only be Anson. I guess people are curious about the sparks between Anson and Gus. After all, Keanu Reeves and Ben Affleck don't look that bad in Gus's movie. It seems like they have some acting skills."

Ripley: "Hahaha, Anson is in the wrong."

Jacques Mann, "I'm sorry, I can't say more. I need to adjust the schedule. Anyway, maybe because of Anson, we may create the best Christmas season at the box office. For this, we should thank Anson."

Ripley, “I don’t know how it is in Denver, Dallas, or Seattle, but I can be sure that Los Angeles will be very lively.”

A storm originated in New York and is sweeping towards the west coast following the slowly rising sun.

(End of this chapter)