Moneyball

Author's note: I now have a p-word as you all know, so if you feel like reading 5 advanced chapters at the measly price of $3, then do join. The link is in this book's bio, or you can just search 'Archonstine' followed by p-word on your browser.

Also, join my discord will ya? For movie and tv-show recommendations and character images. And also it's the one place where I ask you all for suggestions. The link is in this book's bio.

Also, donate some power stones while you're at it. And maybe... write up a review? Preferably 5-star... up to you though.

18th October 1996 (Friday)

Ricky Stirling (POV)

"Aaron, Sophia… it's been a week. What's the verdict?" I asked calmly, as my event coordinator and distribution liaison prepared to share their report on how things have been going.

Aaron cleared his throat," Well, the detailed report is this," He placed a file on the desk before continuing, "I'll give you the gist of it though. It's been a smashing success. These past 2 weeks, we've systematically released the film in select theaters on the west and east coasts, around 80 in total. Now, we initiated the midnight screenings and in short… It worked. '#MysticPhenomena' has been trending at no.2 spot in ICQ, AOL Instant Messenger, and Geocities. Also, as per your suggestions, we monitored audience reactions in select packed theaters, and leaked a few edited clips online. Also, the highly positive reviews, and critical acclaim, combined with audience testimonials has got people demanding a wider theatrical release… Anyways, Agatha wanted me to tell you while I'm at it. Vanity Fair and Vulture caught hold of all this and reached out seeking an interview with you. What do you want me to tell her?"

Well… it seems things went 'just according to keikaku'.

"Tell Agatha to stall. No interviews till the 1st weekend box office numbers are in after the wide theatrical release… in short, until the first week of November. It'll catapult me to the higher ground, they won't be able to talk down to me, like I'm just another story of the week, if we've got tangible results. You get me?"

Seeing both of them nod, I continue, "Sophia, you got anything?"

"Yes boss, here," she placed a piece of paper on my desk before meeting my eyes, "-are the box office numbers for our limited release. Good news… we broke even. $759, 346 to be precise. Based on these, our projections are up significantly. We expect roughly 10-15 million in 1st weekend gross. I talked it over with Cinemax, they've agreed to facilitate our demands. By 27th, we can expect 240 theaters to perform midnight and daytime screenings. Then a complete stop, till 31st, when we open in around 2500 theaters simultaneously. In short, our strategy, 'expansion based on demand' is working spectacularly."

Hot Damn!

"All right, things are going pretty well I suppose, but this is not the time to be lax. I crunched a few numbers, and juggled a few hypothetical scenarios. If this works out, if the hype, the buzz, if it all goes as per expectations, then we're looking at over $100 million domestic box office gross approx. And then the reviews… my first movie achieving such acclaim… we double back on that. Starting November, we initiate a full press tour. I'm talking about interviews, late night show appearances, surprise appearances at screenings. And then, on 10th November, an international release. Anyways, you two go do your thing, I'll hash out the rest with Agatha." I smiled encouragingly, as they took their leave.

Sigh.

I can't believe it. I mean, this was always the dream, it was always my aim to recreate classics of my OTL here, to achieve unparalleled fame, influence, and wealth.

But it's as they say, talk is cheap.

So to actually get started and then see it all happen in front of you, as the seeds of success are sowed and watered daily… It's downright surreal.

And my strategy… Oh my dear little strategy.

Oh, how proud I am of my brain to think up something like this… truly my intellect is developing at a frightening rate.

It all started a while back… it seems so long ago to even recall phase 1.

The creepy ass website. The mysterious website, that makes clever use of cryptic imagery, and little snippets of found footage accompanied by a brief description. It includes a fake documentary-style background about the 'incident' the film is based on.

And then phase 2, the social media teasers, where people were encouraged to speculate on the movie's plot, creating a buzz around its mystery.

Followed by phase 3 and 4, which included releasing short found-footage style teasers on VHS tapes, or through television broadcasts, and distributing posters and flyers in areas associated with the film's setting, respectively.

These steps blurred the lines between fiction and reality, making it increasingly unclear whether the footage was staged or genuine.

And then a masterstroke idea by Walt, establishing an investigative hotline, that supposedly dealt with paranormal phenomena, and then recording the rather… 'interesting' conversations that ensued.

Things got so real, a local tabloid covered an article about the incident without us orchestrating it, only this time they thought it actually happened, and went about trying to gather information on 'Ricky' and 'Janice', ultimately going to the local police station.

Yeah, that was a messed up day, the cops were definitely not impressed when they found out it was a marketing gimmick. But hey, a couple boxes of donuts, and a few hundred dollars, and we had essentially bought their silence.

But that little incident was a perfect segue to phase 5, which consisted of doubling down on our plan to blur reality and fiction by planting fake news articles and reports about mysterious occurrences around the film's plot, by using print media, local radio and tv stations to create an illusion of real world events.

This went on for a few days, before we held the critics screening, and generated a slew of positive reviews, with the occasional negative one. We know, cause we made sure.

We read every single review by a publication on our movie, and out of 69 reviews (number of critics I invited to the screening), 5 were negative, 8 were moderate to positive, and the rest, were highly positive.

Now, to put this into context, I had essentially scored 93% on the rotten tomatoes critics score. I say essentially, because that's how rotten tomatoes would have calculated my score in the OTL.

But this is 1996, a time before Rotten Tomatoes has popularized review aggregation, and critical consensus was far more abstract in nature. There was no number denoting the success of a movie, people had to actually see it to believe it, or read multiple reviews to get an idea of the general consensus.

This was a double edged sword though. Since, if some people stumbled upon a negative review and accepted it, it would end their curiosity, and no amount of positive word of mouth would result in them going to the theaters to see the movie.

But at the same time, a highly positive review had the exact opposite effect. And due to the fact that the internet was still in its early stages of development, there were a few websites that promoted user-driven discussions to decide whether a movie was 'worth watching or not'?

Me and my team created anonymous accounts and targeted those sites extensively, right after I gave them a brief 30 minute lecture on why this movie was going to revolutionize an entire genre.

Even got a neat little level up out of it.

Teaching Lvl. 35

It used to be level 33 before.

Anyways, phase 5 worked out beautifully, setting the stage for phase 6, a limited theatrical release, to generate positive word-of-mouth, and leveraging scarcity as a marketing tool, emphasizing the fact that the film can only be experienced in theaters.

Again, this turned out to be a massive success, and so I have decided to initiate phase 7 effective immediately, which is audience engagement. This translates to encouraging audiences to share their experiences on media, essentially creating even more buzz, and a few surprise appearances by yours truly in about 10-12 theaters around America in major cities, like LA, NY, NJ, Philly, Miami, etc.

In these appearances, I'll replicate the demonic snarl I improvised at my Comic-Con appearance, and be my usual charismatic self. And then engage in impromptu midnight Q&A sessions, where I reveal myself to be the best-selling author that I am.

Currently, everyone knew this movie was made by a guy named Ricky Stirling, but due to significant differences in my characterization of 'Ricky' which included strategic changes in physical appearance, people in general hadn't made the connection between my author persona and my actor persona.

So, like the magnanimous person that I am, I'll seek to correct this misunderstanding, solely to market my movie.

I'm definitely not doing it to replicate my Comic-Con menage-e-trois… not at all.

…

…

TRING-TRING!

TRING-TRING!

I pick up the phone and press it to my ear, "Hello?"

And from the other side, blares the sound of dear old Trent. "RICKY! It's me man! Hey! I just called you cause I took Madeleine to see our movie! Dude, you might find this difficult to believe, but you made a goddamn chick-magnet! Ricky? You there?"

Chick-magnet… CHICK-MAGNET?!

"Trent, calm the fuck down. Now… chick-magnet, you wanna elaborate on how a psychological horror qualifies as that?" I ask calmly, as anticipation bubbles deep within me.

"Yeah, I thought you would ask, so let me tell you. Now, me and Maddy, it's our first date, okay? Now I told her I worked on a movie that's in theaters, and she wanted to see it, you know? Introduce some spontaneity, classic strategy. Then the movie starts. Halfway, her eyes are fixed on the screen, all the while she's terrified. Now I make a snap judgment, and put my right arm around her, and you won't believe what happens next buddy…"

"Trent, you know I hate suspense… TELL ME!" I finish, screaming the last two words to emphasize my impatience.

Hey! Don't judge me. I'm a horny almost 19-year old who constantly thinks of getting into other women's pants.

Don't blame me.

It's just the game dawg.

"Yeah fine. So I put my arm around her, and the next thing I know, she jumps into my seat, clutching me, burying her head into my chest as she asks me what's happening then. BUT! But that's not the real clincher Ricky. The crazy thing is what happens next. You ready?"

"Am I read-, I was born ready, you bastard now tell me!"

Yeah, so after the movie, she's shaken up, still clutching my arm, not letting me go anywhere. She turns to me and is like, 'Trent! My parents are out of town, and… after this movie, I don't think I want to stay alone.' This shit blew my mind, so I just stared at her going 'Huh?' And then she was all like, 'Do you wanna come up for a cup of coffee?' And I'm like, 'HELL YES!'. So here I am. On her fucking sofa, petting her furry little Siamese, while waiting for her to change."

…

"Hold on, you got called up into her apartment on your first date… Trent. You legend."

"Don't I know it Ricky. Don't I know it? Now listen, I think I just heard her bathroom door opening so I'mma make this quick. The next girl you're going out with, take her out to see a horror flick, a scary one. Not PA though, I have a feeling seeing you kiss 'Janice' in front of 300 people might make her… jealous. Anyways, new strategy buddy, a good old horror flick for a first date. Might be a miss, but if it's not… just saying. Okay! Gotta go buddy! Wish me luck."

And with that he cut the call. 

He probably won't call back until tomorrow.

Trent you lucky little bastard.