Chapter 79: Going To Hollywood

In mid-November, the trailer for "Zombie Stripper" graced the late-night hours of local TV stations in Los Angeles and Atlanta. The skilled team at Lionsgate Pictures carefully curated the highlights, including the trapeze and machine gun dance scenes, in the advertisement. It also featured Grey's films popular late-night show, known for its impressive ratings. Additionally, trailers and posters popped up in movie theaters.

For targeted screenings, the distribution company allocated limited resources, focusing exclusively on the intended audience. After just one week of minimal publicity, "Zombie Stripper" simultaneously premiered in eight independent theaters across Los Angeles and Atlanta.

Elena, enjoying a day off, had arranged to watch a movie with Martin in the afternoon. Lily boldly tagged along. Accompanied by two adults and with Lily's height in her favor, sneaking into the movie theater proved effortless since it was only rated R, not 17+.

The slightly antiquated theater had many vacant seats, and the trio chose a row at the back. Lily cleverly slid past Elena and took a seat on Martin's left. Elena, on Martin's right, shot Lily a glance and cautioned, "Pay attention to the movie, and mind your words."

Lily nodded and inquired, "There aren't many people here. Martin, is no one interested in the movie you're in?"

Martin extended a box of popcorn towards her and said, "Have some popcorn and talk less."

Elena handed Martin a glass of Coke and whispered, "Is the audience smaller than you expected?" The aging cinema, capable of accommodating nearly 200 viewers, had less than forty people in attendance.

"Zombie Stripper" played on the screen. Martin's goal had been met, so he was quite content. "It's a low-budget B-level movie. It only took three months to shoot and produce. We shouldn't expect a large audience."

Lily was about to speak again, but Martin offered her some Coke. "Drink up."

As the opening commercials ran, Lily started counting and announced, "Excluding us, there are 37 people here."

She muttered, "I did the math. Tickets are $6 each, so that's $240 in box office revenue."

Elena was curious, "What are you counting?"

Martin explained, "She's calculating the box office."

"The movie he's starring in is about to be released," Lily pointed with her finger and tapped Martin. "I did my research from movie magazines. It's a method of calculation."

She glanced at Elena's bust, lamenting that her elder sister's chest was inversely proportional to her brainpower, and added, "This film is short, only 92 minutes, so it can have 9 screenings a day, which means approximately $2,160 per screening on average."

Elena corrected, "You made a mistake; it should be $1,860."

Martin didn't bother to correct Elena and replied, "Let's start from Friday. Over the weekend, a single theater's box office for this film is roughly $6,000."

Due to varying audience numbers in each screening, this figure could fluctuate.

Elena continued counting on her fingers but eventually gave up. She was astonished, "Martin, you dropped out of school earlier than I did. Why can you figure this out, and I can't?"

Lily quipped faster than she could think, "Because you're truly exceptional, in a stupid way. Even more foolish than Martin..."

Elena turned a Coke bottle upside down and was about to thump Lily on the head with it despite Martin being present.

With a loud thud, Lily looked downhearted.

Martin quickly restrained Elena, "Let's not disturb people watching the movie."

The movie's main plot and fundamental content remained unaltered, but some redundant scenes were edited out, and the scale was slightly reduced to align with the MPAA rating.

From the beginning of the film, Elena was left speechless. She had thought that Martin's late-night scenes, including City Folls and others, were already quite exaggerated, but "Zombie Stripper" took it to another level.

Elena held Martin's hand tightly and pressed herself against him. Given her nature, if there had been no one around, she might have sat on Martin's lap.

Martin discreetly squeezed her palm and gave her a meaningful look.

Elena exercised patience and waited until the movie ended.

The atmosphere in the theater was lively, with the audience in front laughing and occasionally gasping.

Those who attended this screening were undoubtedly fans of B-movies. This campy film took the old zombie theme and added some creative twists, which delighted its audience.

After the screening, many viewers critiqued the weak plot but praised the actor for his originality and outstanding performance in several scenes.

Exiting the theater, Lily vented her frustration, "Who came up with such a ridiculous plot?"

Elena regretted bringing her along, "Don't make me regret this."

Lily was about to retort when she realized that the idiots Martin and Elena had disappeared.

She surreptitiously sneaked out, set up a wooden ladder, climbed onto the roof, and surveyed the moonlit surroundings.

Before long, all hell broke loose, with Elena chasing Lily brandishing a shotgun.

Martin, Harris, and Hall watched "Sisterhood" together.

...

"Zombie Stripper" screened in three theaters in Atlanta, with an average box office of $6,423 per theater over the three-day weekend.

Los Angeles performed even better, with an average box office of over $8,000 per theater across the five screens. Not a blockbuster, but a respectable showing.

The screenings were highly targeted, catering to the desired audience. It was common for some films with excellent screening results to gross over $20,000 per theater.

As for the less fortunate ones, they went on three-day or single-day tours across movie theaters.

These results were sufficient for Lionsgate to expand distribution further and boost their promotional budget. Advertisements and short promotional clips for the film began appearing on various websites, especially on forums frequented by B-movie enthusiasts. Television and print media campaigns received significant investments.

On the weekend just before Thanksgiving, "Zombie Stripper" expanded to 54 theaters in North America, resulting in a weekend box office surge to $425,000. Combining the earnings from the previous weekend and weekday showings, this B-level film's North American box office surpassed $500,000.

As for critical acclaim, it was a lost cause for a B-level movie.

Conversely, the remarkable performances of the male lead became a hot topic among B-movie enthusiasts on multiple film websites.

Just two days before Thanksgiving, the Zombie Stripper Studio received a business letter from Lionsgate Pictures. The studio promptly informed Martin, Catherine, and Benjamin to convene for a meeting.

Since the studio's office space was too cramped for the occasion, they held the meeting at Gray's place.

Benjamin was in exceptionally high spirits. As they met, he enthusiastically embraced Martin, exclaiming, "Man, we're going to be famous." Martin grinned and replied, "Is it really that big of a deal?"

Being the first to arrive, Benjamin leaned in and whispered, "We're headed to Los Angeles."

Catherine, thrilled, chimed in, "Hollywood?"

Benjamin remained silent.

Kelly Gray entered the conference room with Ella at this moment. She nodded briefly at the trio and announced, "Lionsgate Pictures just informed us that 'Zombie Stripper' will expand to 650 theaters this weekend, covering all states in the United States. We pulled it off."

Martin reclined in his chair, gazing up at the ceiling. He raised his arms and clenched his fists, as if he could see the sky through various obstacles. The sky seemed so pristine, the sun so radiant, and Benjamin, despite his bald head, looked striking. Ella's freckles adorned her face beautifully, and Kelly and Catherine were simply stunning.

When you're elated, everything appears beautiful. Martin could even find Roberts seem handsome in this mood.

That's because on-demand screenings and large-scale releases have vastly different impacts. Martin had been tirelessly working for nearly half a year, and now, it had all paid off.

Benjamin pounded the conference table with glee. When he saw Martin extending his fist, he met it with his own.

The excitement got the best of them, and they exerted too much force, eliciting a painful cry.

Catherine was slow to grasp the situation, possibly not comprehending the significance of 650 theaters. She pinched her own face and inquired, "Ms. Gray, are we going to Hollywood?"

Kelly glanced at Martin and responded, "Lionsgate Pictures is arranging a fan and media event in Los Angeles to further promote the film. They've booked your flights. You'll spend Thanksgiving in Atlanta and depart early on Friday morning."

Catherine, now assured of her destination, exclaimed, "Hollywood?!"

Her first statement was a question, but her second turned into an affirmation. "I can go to Hollywood!" She suddenly burst into cheers, twirling around with her blonde hair flowing.

For a regular actor, the allure of fame was hard to resist, and Catherine was ecstatic in this moment. Even Martin couldn't help but watch Kelly Gray with a smile.

Why hide your happiness? Actors are naturally expressive.

After her exuberant outburst, Catherine regained her composure, settled into her chair, and said apologetically, "I'm sorry, I got carried away. This means... so much to me." She took the initiative to offer high-fives to Martin and Benjamin. "Thank you! Thank you! It's an immense honor to work with both of you."

Martin smiled and nodded, "Likewise."

Kelly chimed in, "During negotiations with Lionsgate, Dave secured a $5,000 compensation for each of you. However, once you're in Los Angeles, you must fully cooperate with Lionsgate throughout the promotional process in the film industry."

Benjamin, still brimming with excitement, even let out a few colorful words, "As long as they don't mess with my rear end, I'll cooperate wholeheartedly." Then, he added resolutely, "Even if they do, I'll endure it!"

Kelly instructed her assistant, "Ella, bring in the champagne; we're celebrating."

Ella swiftly brought champagne and glasses, and they all raised a toast in the conference room.

Benjamin and Catherine soon left hand in hand.

Martin had lunch with Kelly before heading to her lavish apartment.

Kelly remarked, "Your wish came true."

Martin corrected, "Our wish came true."

Kelly didn't deny that Martin securing the lead role in a theatrical movie was a significant achievement. Her company benefited from the project, turning a profit that would allow for more substantial investments in new productions and studio renovations in the automotive industrial park.

After a moment of contemplation, Martin sincerely expressed, "Kelly, I hope to see you in Parliament soon."

Kelly Gray chuckled, "Martin, I hope to see you become a superstar soon."