With just under 30 million left to beat Avatar's record, many people began to see a glimmer of hope. But even more felt regret, believing that surpassing the record was truly out of reach. It wouldn't be long before every theater in the U.S. pulled the film from its screens. Without the American box office, could they really rely on overseas markets to make up the rest?
A $20 million gap wouldn't usually be much—newly released films could earn that in a single day. But the problem was that this film was already at the tail end of its run. If the U.S. fully removed it from theaters, the chances of winning were slim to none.
When Laila received the latest box office numbers, she couldn't help but feel a bit frustrated. Just this tiny bit—couldn't a few more theaters keep it on for a few extra days?
But she also knew that with per-screen revenue declining, it was unrealistic to keep occupying major theater screens. The fact that some were still showing the film was already a result of its outstanding performance. Compared to a long-running film, theaters obviously preferred to allocate screens to new releases. After all, audiences were always more interested in fresh content.
The Avengers had managed to stay in theaters this long largely because it hadn't faced strong competition for a while. If this had been during a blockbuster-heavy summer season, it would've been pushed out in no time.
They'd been lucky that its release coincided with a relatively quiet summer box office, when audience enthusiasm was still high. Once the season passed, the competition either got crushed or barely held on.
This just proved that choosing a good release window was crucial. Pick the right time, and you could earn significantly more. Choose the wrong one and go up against a juggernaut, and even the best films could flop.
Now the film was nearing its end. Even if they tried to hype it up again, it would probably just annoy audiences rather than help the numbers. Laila had already poured so much effort into this movie. If they really missed the record by just twenty or thirty million… no one else would need to mock her—she'd be furious with herself.
"Should we do one more round of global promotion?" Roy suggested, noticing her frustration.
"Let's hear it," Laila said, setting down her papers. She could tell there was more to his idea.
Roy sat down beside her. "We can't count on the U.S. anymore to hit that final number. What we can count on is the rest of the world. The Eastern market still has a lot of potential—and your reputation there is great. They really support you. Some places are even willing to delay taking the film down for you, which is a benefit no other movie is getting."
Laila nodded and gestured for him to continue.
Seeing that she was listening intently, Roy felt even more encouraged, and his words came more smoothly. "You have a strong fan base outside of the U.S. Some countries have already stopped showing the film, but many are still screening it. Last time, when you did global promotions, a lot of countries only paused briefly to let you attend one or two events. And even with just that, the box office got a significant boost."
"I think you should do one more round of promotional events. Spend a few more days in key markets. Especially in the East, you love that region. Don't you want to tap into its full potential?"
Laila hesitated. "Wouldn't it be too late to talk about promotions now? The company's already shifting focus to Silence. We're just days away from kicking off the full campaign."
Roy thought of Silence, the project she cared about even more. Wasn't its major promotion about to begin? If they promoted both films at the same time, it would just split the attention between them—and that wouldn't be good for either one.
He ached for her struggle and didn't want to see her stop at second place when she was so close to the top. But what else could they do?
Suddenly, his eyes lit up.
"If doing promo is too tricky… Laila, how about we go on a honeymoon trip?"
His voice and the words he spoke were like a siren's song to Laila—completely irresistible.
"Honeymoon?"
"Yeah. Aren't we getting married? After the wedding, you'll be diving headfirst into promoting Silence. You probably won't have time for a honeymoon then. So why not take a spontaneous trip now? What do you think?"
Laila was tempted. It wasn't the idea of promoting that drew her in—it was the honeymoon itself. Who wouldn't want to enjoy life in a beautiful, scenic setting?
Roy knew her so well—how could he not tell that she was moved? Smiling, he added, "I know how much you love the East. And little Eli hasn't been there yet. Don't you want him to see the place you love so much?"
"You're right! Let's go!" Laila was completely convinced. How could her own child have never been to the East? Who knows—maybe a little exposure to the air there would awaken something in him.
And so began a spontaneous honeymoon trip. First stop—the Eastern capital!
Laila and Roy moved quickly. As soon as their flight was arranged, they departed. Janet, who was deep in her design work, only found out about her daughter, son-in-law, and precious grandson's trip to the other side of the globe when she saw it on the news the next day.
"Laila! How could you just take off like that?" Janet called in frustration.
"Mom, I told you I was leaving. Did you forget?" Laila replied, sounding a bit exasperated herself.
Janet blinked. "You did?"
"Yes! I told you Roy and I were going on our honeymoon. You even asked me to bring back some traditional Eastern items for you."
That jogged Janet's memory. She had said that, hadn't she? But was Laila telling her she was going to the East?
She smacked her forehead. Of course! If Laila hadn't said she was going, she wouldn't have randomly asked her to bring back Eastern-themed items to help her better understand the culture.
"Ahem, I was just asking." Janet cleared her throat awkwardly. "Have fun! Don't come back too soon!" With that, she quickly hung up.
Laila stared at her phone helplessly. Same old story—always forgetful. Hopefully, little Eli wouldn't inherit that trait.
At that moment, the little family of three was seated in a hotel restaurant, enjoying a delicious Eastern-style dinner.
When she planned the trip, Laila really had intended it to be a romantic honeymoon, a chance to let little Eli experience the East. With only one-eighth of Eastern blood in him, she wondered—would he still feel some kind of connection to this land?
"If possible, I hope my future daughter-in-law has Eastern roots," she suddenly blurted out.
After ending the call, she had stared at her phone, then at little Eli for a few seconds, before making that comment out of the blue.
"…" Roy looked at her with a strange expression, wondering how she'd gone from that phone call to thinking about a daughter-in-law. Their kid was only one year old, for heaven's sake.
And besides, Janet hadn't even mentioned anything remotely related to that. Just where had her imagination wandered to?