First week's performance

As Lyman and his team began their promotional tour, the French media journalists were overjoyed. They eagerly wrote press releases about "Fury" for two or three days, covering every aspect and making all possible predictions. Just when they were running out of topics to discuss, hey, Lyman returned to France!

So, wherever they went for promotion, they could always see the same group of reporters in different settings. They loved to ask all sorts of peculiar questions, some of which Lyman was willing to entertain, while others he was not.

Another busy day passed, and only when the night grew quiet could Lyman finally read the most authentic audience reviews of the film.

Opening his computer, he clicked into the IMDb website and scrolled through the reviews.

As the box office results were released, the online reviews were also unsealed.

"It was quite shocking; thank you, director, for bringing us such an excellent World War II-themed masterpiece."

"The scenes of the battles were shot so realistically, giving a feeling of being there in person. Highly praised."

"From "Buried" to "3 Idiots", and now "Fury", Lyman's films always evoke different emotions in me..."

Of course, while some liked the film, there were others who didn't.

Lyman wasn't Franklin; he couldn't please everyone. Moreover, war-themed films were not typically favored by female audiences.

Some scenes were too bloody and graphic, causing visual discomfort to some viewers.

"Some parts were too gory; the director was too direct. Using an indirect approach would have sufficed. It was too stark for me to handle."

"It's not as good as you all say. I watched it and found it noisy."

Lyman could accept these reviews. After all, to each their own; different people had different tastes, and there was nothing to be said about that...

At Paramount Pictures' headquarters, Chairman Benjamin Casey-Winters sat in his office chair, feeling somewhat sentimental. "The film's box office reached $34.76M in just three days. Sherry, your decision to collaborate with EuropaCorp and invest in the promotion of "Fury" was indeed correct."

Although she only wore a smile on her face, anyone could tell that Sherry Lansing was in a good mood. With the Sunday box office results, although "Fury" was slightly behind the competitor "Die Another Day" in the North American weekly box office rankings, the hype generated by James Bond and Bond Girl's romance couldn't be ignored. It had to be said that MGM played its cards well.

However, after exhausting the enthusiasm of their respective fan bases during the first week, the crucial factor now would be audience word-of-mouth. As for promotions and gossip, their impact would only diminish.

Regarding word-of-mouth, Sherry had reason to believe that "Fury" would overtake "Die Another Day" next week.

After all, the difference between the two was not significant, with only $3.12M separating them in North America. In other words, "Die Another Day" earned $37.88M in its first week.

Most importantly, while both films' word-of-mouth had declined somewhat with time, the decline for "Fury" was smaller.

"Now, let's talk about the theater issue, Sherry. Tell CAA to exert pressure together with the major theater chains and strive to secure more screens for the film."

Mr. Casey-Winters instructed with a smile.

"I will personally contact their executives to set up a meeting."

With Sherry's assurance, the chairman no longer worried. The box office figures for "Fury" were there, and the theater chains wouldn't forgo the profit. He didn't seek to dominate "Die Another Day" on the screens, only to maintain parity next week...

Promotional tours were indeed tiring. The hectic schedule took a toll even on Lyman, a large man, let alone someone as delicate as Eva Green.

Therefore, after only one day of participating in the promotional tour, Lyman sent Eva back home, while the rest of the team persevered. Despite feeling tired, their efforts yielded excellent results.

They were well aware that their film "Fury" was reaping daily box office revenue. If they could add a little market share each day on top of the previous day's, then their efforts would be worthwhile.

The results proved that their promotions were effective. There was nothing more direct than data feedback, and the market was responding positively.

Thus, the team experienced a mix of pain and happiness.

Sitting in the car, preparing to head to the next event location, Lyman suddenly felt that his previous worries were unnecessary. Once the audience's enthusiasm for watching was ignited, the box office was just a number that kept increasing.

In France, "Fury" naturally secured the top spot in the first week's box office rankings, grossing $30.42M, triumphing over "Die Another Day", which earned $27.89M.

What was even more astounding was that on the following day, the film's second week had begun, and "Fury" still managed to collect $13.24M, while "Die Another Day" dropped to $10.32M, widening the gap further.

Some gossip media outlets naturally wouldn't let this topic go. "Lyon Entertainment" ran a bold headline: "Direct Showdown Between French Film and Hollywood Blockbuster: Lyman Defeats 007 and Upholds French Glory."

With sensational headlines, the article briefly stated the box office performances of both films, easily capturing the attention of readers.

Such media outlets were not in short supply, but more reputable magazines like "Le Parisien" and "Le Journal du Dimanche" appeared relatively impartial. They provided a more objective assessment of the competition between the two films, pointing out the differences in "Fury"'s performance in North America and the French market, offering the reason, "We have reason to believe that the French people tend to support works directed by their own filmmakers."

Amid all the noise, Lyman only got a rough idea of the situation. He didn't have the habit of constantly following news and magazines. That day, like always, he woke up early in the morning, preparing to set off for the next city on their promotional tour.

The next city was Toulouse, a major city located in southwestern France, also known as the "City of Roses".

It had beautiful scenery and a pleasant climate...

Well, enough of that; Lyman and his team were not interested in the city's culture and scenery.

Besides, they were exhausted, so they had no mood to tour around.

As the car drove along the road, Lyman forced himself to close his eyes, trying to take a short nap and conserve energy.

However, just as he was about to fall asleep, the voices of René and Thomas discussing something reached his ears. "Should we wake him up? He's the one most concerned about these things, right?"

"Let him sleep. With such a hectic schedule recently, no one has had a good night's sleep. Let him rest a bit longer."

"Okay, it's good news anyway, and there's no rush."

"What good news?"

Lyman opened his eyes and turned to look at René.

"You're awake... Well, it's nothing much. George just sent a message saying that "Fury" has generated higher box office revenue in North America on a single day than "Die Another Day"."

"How much higher?"

"Not much, just a little over two million dollars."

Indeed, the market feedback was just as Sherry had predicted. Once the second week arrived and the enthusiasm of the core audience and fans was nearly exhausted, the true determinant of the market became the general moviegoers – the ordinary viewers. This group always valued a movie's word of mouth, and after just one day, the gap between the two films had almost disappeared. By December 1st, "Fury" had earned $11.46M, defeating "Die Another Day" with its $9.13M in box office revenue.

Upon hearing this, Lyman was also delighted. Being better than their competitors was undoubtedly the best news, making him feel that the efforts of the past few days were not in vain. Even though their promotions here had minimal impact on North America, who cared? As long as their spirits were lifted, it was enough.

"Recently, the publicity about Halle Berry and Pierce Brosnan's romance is intense. It seems that MGM is determined to use this kind of side promotion strategy," everyone's mood was good, and Nicolas Cage even jokingly brought up the hottest news topic in North America.

"Everyone in the industry knows they're just pretending, but both their fans and some viewers are immersed in it. I heard that many of Halle Berry's die-hard fans even claim that Pierce Brosnan is not worthy of her. Ha-ha," René chimed in.

Heath also smiled but didn't say much. He usually didn't pay much attention to these things, and at this moment, it felt like he was listening to a story.

"It's a pity that we can't create gossip. I have to admit, this trick is pretty effective," René analyzed. "As long as you proactively create attention, the news media will automatically follow. It's so effortless, unlike our tiring on-site promotional tours."

"I don't mind. Unfortunately, there's no proper female character in the film, not to mention a female lead. Sigh," Nicolas said with an approving expression, pretending to sigh.

As they spent more time with him, they found him to be quite a mysterious person. To strangers, he seemed dull and unapproachable, but once you got to know him well, he was willing to try any bold moves.

"Forget it. Do we really need to create an on-screen couple for every movie? I don't have the time for that. Moreover, are they really that useful? I doubt it. They may attract attention, but how many of those people actually care about the movie? They just watch the excitement and that's it. From my perspective, it doesn't have much impact," Lyman waved his hand, not finding MGM's promotional tactics particularly clever.

It merely grabbed the audience's attention, but if the movie itself wasn't good, they wouldn't genuinely walk into the theater to support it.