HLnovel Chapter 42 exploded.
Chapter 42 exploded.
At eight o'clock in the morning, the movie theater ticket window resembles a quiet little coffee shop.
The ticket window staff hummed a slightly off-key tune, happily preparing to enjoy their delicious breakfast.
Although today is a day off, based on past painful experience, no one will come to watch the movie in the morning, let alone so early in the morning.
It's currently the off-season for cinemas, and these peaceful and pleasant days will continue until the Thanksgiving season arrives.
So the ticket seller calmly and methodically tidied the table, fully enjoying this moment of leisure that was all his own.
Before he could even take a sip of coffee, a crisp "smack" shattered the tranquility as a banknote bearing Franklin's image was slapped onto the ticket counter.
"The Man from Earth, the earliest show, five seats together."
The ticket buyer's strong, resonant voice made the salesperson's eyes widen instantly, and she was clearly taken aback for a moment.
"What's going on? Did the sun rise in the west today? People are already here so early."
The ticket seller had some doubts, but put on a standard professional fake smile and mechanically handed over the movie ticket.
Just as I picked up the coffee cup and smelled its rich aroma, a large, hairy hand came into view again.
"Three photos, the earliest scene of 'The Man from Earth'."
The ticket seller glanced into the lobby instinctively, and the sight before him almost made him spit out his coffee from the night before.
The once empty hall was now suddenly filled with a group of people. They were gathered in small groups, making the ticket seller wonder if she had misremembered the date—was it April Fool's Day?
"Hey, three tickets for 'The Man from Earth,' are they all sold out?"
After realizing what was happening, the ticket seller quickly processed the transaction for the other party.
Time flies by in the midst of our busy schedules, and before we knew it, it was ten o'clock.
When cinema manager Vincent strolled leisurely through the cinema doors and saw the densely packed crowd in the lobby, he thought he had gone to the wrong place.
I rubbed my eyes and looked up at the cinema sign again. Yes, it was the right one.
He waved over a nearby staff member and asked, "What's going on?"
The other person wiped the sweat from his forehead, speaking breathlessly, "Manager, they are all customers who came to watch the movie, to see 'The Man from Earth'."
"So many people?" Vincent exclaimed. Such a scene only appears during peak season when there are big movies showing.
What exactly happened? Isn't this a low-budget film?
However, Vincent was a seasoned veteran who quickly realized that now was not the time to think about such things.
The massive crowd instantly transformed into stacks of pulsating banknotes in his eyes, and his immediate priority was to cash them out as quickly as possible.
"Then what are we waiting for? Let's sell tickets and let them in!"
The other person looked distressed and cried, "But we don't have any screening rooms left. They're all here to see 'The Man from Earth.' The screening rooms we arranged for this movie today are already packed, and now even the aisles are almost full."
"You're so stubborn!" Vincent stomped his feet in anger, snatched the walkie-talkie from the other person, and roared, "Open all the advance ticket channels! Schedule 'The Man from Earth' for every single unused theater! Support the ticket office immediately! Security, keep a close eye on things and maintain order inside the theater. If anything goes wrong, I'll hold you all responsible!"
This is all money! At this point, other movies' screenings have to be compromised. Even if the King of Heaven himself came, it wouldn't make a difference.
Don't be fooled by the screening agreements between theaters and film companies before a film's release. Agreements are agreements, and verbal agreements can never be as practical as monetary ones.
When the first screening ended, thunderous applause and cheers erupted from within, further fueling the curiosity of the waiting audience.
"This is simply the most imaginative movie I've seen all year!" a young college student excitedly told his companion after the screening, his eyes filled with excitement and awe.
Such exclamations of praise echoed throughout the hall, filled with lively discussions. The audience members, who had initially grown impatient with the wait, were also infected by the enthusiastic atmosphere and obediently sat down.
"Add more games, we absolutely have to add more games," Vincent said, wearing a baseball cap as he put corn kernels into the popcorn machine while listening to his subordinates' report.
"I'm not blind. I don't need you to remind me how many people are watching. Reduce the screenings of other films and make room for 'The Man from Earth' in all the theaters."
The popcorn machine never stopped working, it was almost smoking, and he still had to step in personally. Do I need to explain how many people were involved?
Throughout the day, the entire cinema staff were so busy they barely had time to breathe, like wound-up robots that couldn't stop for a moment.
During peak season, these cinemas hire a large number of temporary workers, but today, the number of employees in the off-season is enough to cope with the peak season's customer traffic.
When the lights in the final screening room went out, Vincent slumped into his chair like a lump of mud, too exhausted to move a single finger.
With 38 screenings scheduled in a single day, this cinema has broken its single-day screening record.
This isn't to say that "The Man from Earth" is that great, but rather that the films released at the same time were so bad that there was no competition.
Let's take a look at some of the movies currently showing.
Released on October 4th, "D3: Hockey Showdown" is distributed by Disney Studios and is the third installment in the "DuckTales" film series. It tells the coming-of-age story of a group of young hockey players.
This is also a low-budget film series with a limited audience. The fact that three films were made is entirely due to the previous positive word-of-mouth and the potential for profit.
Also released on the same day was "Unstoppable Miracle," distributed by 20th Century Fox. Its biggest selling point was that it was directed by Tom Hanks and told the story of the rise and fall of a fictional rock band in the 1960s.
It's not a blockbuster, and it's already been showing for a month, so its box office potential has basically been exhausted.
The only blockbuster in this release window is "Cutthroat Island," released by New Line Cinema on October 11th. With a production budget of $80 million, it can definitely be considered an A-list production.
High investment does not guarantee high box office returns. The film has been in theaters for more than 20 days, but its box office revenue is only a dismal $14 million. Its overseas box office performance is also below expectations. Many media outlets have already awarded this film the title of this year's box office disaster.
The film that had the biggest influence on "The Man from Earth" was Disney's "Sleepers," which boasted a strong cast including big names like Brad Pitt and Dustin Hoffman.
The film is based on Lorenzo Cactus's autobiographical novel and tells the story of four childhood friends.
This is a film with strong social significance and satire. Through the experiences of four teenagers, it shows the impact of childhood trauma on a person's entire life, as well as the dark side of society.
The film also explores themes of friendship, justice, and revenge. The superb acting of the lead actors greatly enhances the film, giving it a deeply moving artistic appeal.
The film "Sleepers" has already grossed $1.1 million worldwide, and analysts predict it will gross over $1.6 million, making it the biggest dark horse of this off-season.
However, The Sleepers' box office potential lies mostly overseas. In North America, the film will be shown for more than three weeks, so while it poses a threat, it's not a major one.
Instead of letting these movies occupy the screening room, it would be better to give them all to "The Man from Earth".