C 23

After hanging up the phone and pacing the living room twice, Luke calmed himself, his mixed emotions gradually giving way to a more composed demeanor.

The first day's box office statistics for Speed were in, reflecting its limited release across 20 theaters. The average attendance per screening was 18 people, with each showing bringing in an average of $84—slightly reduced due to ticket discounts. With an average of eight screenings per theater, the film grossed $13,440 on its opening day.

By comparison, this result was dismal compared to blockbuster films that could easily make $15,000 from a single theater. But there was a silver lining.

A total of 2,880 people watched Speed on the first day, and 20th Century Fox received 2,056 audience surveys. Of those, a staggering 1,577 gave the film an "A+" rating, 256 rated it an "A," and less than 20 rated it below a "C." The film had achieved overwhelming first-day acclaim. Now the question was whether that buzz could translate into a stronger box office performance.

With a sigh, Luke left his house and headed toward the nearby seaside promenade. Even in April, Santa Monica was already warm. Though the sea breeze offered some relief, Luke soon found himself sweating as he strolled down the coast. When he reached the marina area, he ducked into a cool drink shop at a nearby intersection and greeted the man behind the counter.

"Joe, one iced coconut milk," Luke said.

"Hey, Luke," Joe replied, handing over the drink. "I heard your movie's out?"

"You're well-informed," Luke said, taking a large gulp of the cold coconut milk and feeling refreshed.

"This is Santa Monica," Joe replied, gesturing toward the marina. "You grab anyone from over there, and chances are they're a movie star."

Luke smiled, and Joe added confidently, "Don't worry. We've known each other for ten years. I'll get everyone I know to see your film!"

Luke couldn't help but hope that the moviegoers, like Joe, would spread the word about Speed. He knew how powerful word-of-mouth could be.

Elsewhere in town, Cunites walked tiredly into the University of Southern California. He hadn't slept well after watching Speed the night before, his head filled with images of speeding buses. In his dream, he'd even been on the bus himself, witnessing its fiery crash into a plane.

"Damn that movie! How could that young director, Luke Rosenberg, make something so thrilling?" Cunites muttered to himself.

"Hey, Cunites!" A group of classmates caught up with him, one of them throwing an arm around his shoulder. "Let's go play some basketball!"

"I need sleep," Cunites said, pointing to the dark circles under his eyes. "That movie last night was too intense."

"What movie?" a friend asked.

"Speed. It was insane—one of the best action films I've seen since Terminator 2."

His friends became intrigued, and one asked, "So, what's the name of this movie?"

"Speed. You guys should check it out."

As the sun moved higher in the sky, Johnson returned to his office after lunch. A group of colleagues had gathered, and the conversation drifted toward films.

"Alien 3 is coming out next month," someone said. "I heard they've got a new director—David Fincher."

Another colleague chimed in, "I'm not really into Alien. Any other good films out?"

"I saw Speed last night," Johnson said, and began recounting how exciting it was. Although Speed had been modestly promoted, its reputation was slowly spreading among audiences, particularly after a strong first few days at the box office.

By Friday morning, Robin Grande had called Luke with the latest figures. Wednesday's box office numbers showed an average attendance of 21 per screening, with a daily gross of $14,000. Thursday's numbers had risen to 25 per screening, with a total of $16,000. Over three days, Speed had earned a cumulative $44,810 across 20 theaters, with an average of $2,240 per theater.

"This is good progress," Luke thought.

That same morning, George Lucas called Luke with encouraging words. "This is already better than my highest expectations. Speed has potential. I'll inform Lucasfilm to pressure Fox into investing more resources."

Meanwhile, over at 20th Century Fox, Tom Rothman, the head of distribution, was holding a meeting. While Alien 3 was the main focus, Speed had entered the conversation. Rothman's deputy expressed cautious optimism, suggesting they maintain their current promotional efforts and assess the film's box office results over the weekend.

Friday marked the busiest time in the North American film market. The weekend's box office results would ultimately determine the film's staying power. Fabio, a theater manager, was preparing for the rush. He noticed more and more people purchasing tickets for Speed as the evening went on, with the number of attendees nearly doubling from the previous day.

By nightfall, word-of-mouth for Speed had reached critical mass. From New York to Los Angeles, theaters saw their Speed screenings packed, some with more than twice as many viewers as on Thursday. Groups of friends and students were arriving at theaters, excited to see the film that had everyone talking.

By the next morning, Speed's box office surge had been reported back to 20th Century Fox, and Tom Rothman was ready to allocate more resources to the film.

"Friday's box office gross was $62,778, with an average of $3,138 per theater. The audience gave it a 77% A+ rating..."

The data on Rothman's desk was undeniable proof: Speed had found its footing in the market, and its success was just beginning.