The middle-aged ticket seller was slightly surprised when two pretty Asian girls requested eight tickets for "Black Mask" at once. Still, he dutifully checked the showtimes on the system and noted there was an 8:15 screening available. After confirming, he quickly processed the payment and issued the tickets.
"Enjoy the movie," he said politely as he handed over the tickets before turning to the next customer.
This time, a young white man dressed stylishly stepped up. From his experienced eye, the ticket seller guessed the man was here for a date, likely with a girlfriend waiting to buy popcorn. Based on recent trends, he suspected the man was there to see "Romeo and Juliet."
But he guessed wrong. Or, perhaps, half-right. The young man did indeed buy two tickets, but they were for "Black Mask."
As he issued the tickets, the ticket seller glanced at the screen displaying showtimes and noted that the 8:15 screening of "Black Mask" in the 120-seat theater had already sold 103 tickets. This surprised him, especially when he compared it to the sales of Leslie Nielsen's "Spy Hard," which had only sold 87 tickets for the same timeslot in the same theater on a prime-time Saturday night.
Though just an ordinary ticket seller at the AMC multiplex that had opened two years ago, he was aware of some of the latest industry happenings. Most theaters didn't actually want to show "Black Mask."
After all, this was the summer blockbuster season. Screening a low-budget Hong Kong film seemed out of place. And it wasn't even a Jackie Chan film—who was Jet Li, anyway? To add to it, the movie didn't feature any Western faces, which could alienate American audiences. The action was supposed to be a selling point, but the movie was more of a gunfight film than a traditional martial arts movie. If they had to screen "Black Mask," they might as well give "The Mummy" more screen time.
Despite these reservations, theaters ultimately committed over a thousand screens to "Black Mask." The reason? Danerys Entertainment had become too influential. Refusing "Black Mask" meant risking access to future releases like "The Mummy," "Mission: Impossible 2," and "Spectre."
So, "Black Mask" couldn't be ignored or relegated to smaller screens. Theaters had to fully support it, down to the posters and promotional materials. And now, it seemed the film wasn't doing as poorly as anticipated.
The ticket seller, busy handing out tickets on a bustling weekend night, sensed this situation might spell trouble for theaters for a long time to come. The industry's increasing reliance on Danerys Entertainment's films might only grow stronger, good or bad, creating a cycle of the strong growing stronger.
Meanwhile, the eight girls with tickets found their way to a screening room on the third floor and took their seats. Once inside, waiting for the movie to start, some people approached them, trying to strike up conversations. However, the girls, confident thanks to a certain man's backing, brushed off the advances without accommodating. The two female attendants with them acted as effective buffers, and the suitors soon backed off upon seeing the group's high-end attire.
The theater lights dimmed, and several advertisements played before the main feature began. The girls sat in two rows, engaged and curious, though most couldn't understand much of what was being said.
Soon enough, "Black Mask" started. The opening logo appeared, followed by an intense action sequence. Jet Li's character fought his way out, and the Chinese and English title of "Black Mask" flashed across the screen.
Li Youhu, sitting between Chi Jianjia and an attendant named Katie Roderick, was thoroughly entertained. She came from a family where they could afford to watch movies at home, but movie options were still limited in China. Moreover, the high-quality audio and visuals in this recently opened AMC theater far surpassed anything available back home.
As for the film itself, while American audiences might have seen it as a low-budget B-movie, Li Youhu was unbothered. She was used to it. However, as the storyline slowed down, she began to lose focus since she couldn't understand the dialogue, which was in Cantonese.
She glanced around. Chi Jianjia was watching intently. Typical of a top student, Li thought. She knew that Chi Jianjia came from a well-off family, was in her senior year at the Shanghai Theater Academy's dance program, and excelled academically. Unlike many who left school early, Chi had secured her diploma in advance.
In fact, none of the girls selected from tens of thousands of applicants were ordinary. All had strong dance foundations and knowledge, with many also skilled in music, calligraphy, or painting. Privately, Li Youhu sometimes suspected she and Chen Xingwei might be at the bottom of the group, as if they had gotten the job by luck.
Katie, the attendant on her other side, caught her eye and smiled.
Katie was Li Youhu's designated attendant and, like all the manor's attendants and guards, had undergone Chinese language training for basic communication.
"It's okay," Katie replied with a slight accent. "I'm not too interested. Ellie might enjoy it more." Ellie, or Elissa Camille, was Chen Xingwei's designated guard and came from the family's MCSS private military base in Ohio, where she trained in combat and firearms. Elissa was one of two guards accompanying the group of six girls.
Given security concerns, Katie, who had also received firearm training, was even carrying a gun.
Li Youhu turned back to the big screen, occasionally glancing at the other viewers' reactions. She didn't understand the complex industry politics behind the movie's release, nor what the high attendance in this theater truly implied.
Still, as she listened to audience reactions of laughter or gasps, she couldn't help but feel a small sense of pride.
When the movie ended, Li Youhu and Chi Jianjia walked out arm-in-arm, overhearing enthusiastic discussions. Even though she hadn't understood most of the movie, she felt quite pleased.
Some young men passed by, the same ones who had tried chatting them up before the movie. This time, they were speaking louder, clearly wanting to get the girls' attention, but ultimately failed. Li Youhu scoffed and asked Chi Jianjia, "What were they saying?"
"They said 'Black Mask' was even better than Arnold Schwarzenegger's 'Eraser.'"
"Schwarzenegger? Oh, I know him—I've seen both 'Terminator' movies. Is 'Eraser' his latest one?"
Chi pointed to a poster on the theater wall. "Yeah, that one. They also mentioned that while 'Eraser' cost 100 million dollars to make, 'Black Mask' didn't even reach 10 million."
Li Youhu glanced at the poster, with Schwarzenegger's photo prominently displayed. She smiled proudly. "Ten million against a hundred million? That's amazing. But spending 100 million dollars on a movie is just extravagant."
Chi Jianjia laughed. "Well, 'Black Mask' will probably earn less than 'Eraser,' but the fact that it's showing here is already a big deal."
"Either way, I'm rooting for 'Black Mask.'"
Unbeknownst to them, their conversation echoed a sentiment rapidly gaining momentum online. Across the internet, comparisons between "Black Mask" and "Eraser" were quickly emerging.
A renowned film critic for The New York Times posted on Facebook, saying that while "Black Mask" might be rough around the edges, it offered plenty of excitement in its action scenes. In contrast, he described "Eraser" as "a lumbering giant, clumsy and tedious." This sentiment struck a chord with many viewers, boosting "Black Mask"'s popularity further.
Coincidentally, both movies' final showdown scenes featured villains wielding pulse weapons. Despite the limited budget, "Black Mask"'s pulse weapon sequences felt thrilling, while in "Eraser," aside from Schwarzenegger's iconic move of ripping a steel bar from his thigh, little left an impression.
This sudden wave of comparison was no accident—it was the result of clever promotional maneuvering by "Black Mask"'s distribution team.
From Friday's premiere onward, the weekend buzz generated an additional few million dollars' worth of publicity for "Black Mask."
On May 27, Monday, East Hampton.
After waking up and reviewing the weekend box office report, even Simon was pleasantly surprised. "Black Mask" had earned $6.56 million across 1,276 screens over the weekend, with an impressive per-theater average of $5,141. Simon had originally hoped for an average of $5,000 over a full week, which would have been considered a success.
The current rate suggested that the film might reach an $8,000 average for the full week—a remarkable feat for a film of its scale.
For comparison, Leslie Nielsen's new movie "Spy Hard" grossed $10.45 million on 2,286 screens that same weekend, resulting in a lower per-theater average of $4,570.
The movie's total revenue was already close to covering its $5 million combined production and distribution costs. In contrast, both "Eraser" and "Spy Hard," which required significantly larger budgets, were struggling to break even at the box office.
While "Black Mask" appeared modest in scale, its profitability was significant.
If "Black Mask" reached $20 million in North American box office revenue, it would yield around $5 million in profit. With the film's burgeoning reputation in the North American market, a further $5 million in sales for Europe would not be unrealistic.
Combined with expected revenue from VHS and television distribution, "Black Mask" was projected to gross approximately $35 million over the next
two years.
In contrast, "Eraser," which cost $130 million to produce and distribute, was expected to earn only $160 million globally and result in a net loss of $60 million after distribution fees. The movie's poor performance at the box office would likely hamper its long-term returns.
Thus, while "Black Mask" started as a humble underdog, it had achieved a small miracle.
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