Challenge

In the USA, the "Spider-Man" movie teasers kept appearing on television channels.

Warner Bros. was particularly not that happy.

It was because the "Spider-Man" film was about to screen in USA cinemas on November 15, 1996.

It just exactly faced off the screening with their film "Space Jam", the movie starring Michael Jordan himself.

And Warner Bros. spent a lot on that film "Space Jam"; it was around 80 million dollars. They were initially hopeful for that film, as their popular IPs such as Looney Tunes would be included in the film.

Looney Tunes was an intellectual property that Warner Bros. acquired from Hanna-Barbera before Hanna-Barbera was wholly bought by KiShin.

Looney Tunes was highly popular, and by partnering their beloved IPs with the renowned NBA superstar, Michael Jordan, Warner Bros. had high expectations for the film "Space Jam." However...

With the "Spider-Man" film also scheduled for the same date as "Space Jam," Warner Bros. wasn't entirely certain whether it would still achieve the anticipated success. After all, facing such a challenging situation...

Simultaneously, they considered that if KiShin's "Spider-Man" fell short of expectations, it could be an opportunity for Warner Bros. to surpass it with "Space Jam." Rather than succumbing to fear, Warner Bros. decided to market "Space Jam" in a similar manner to the promotion of "Spider-Man."

Warner Bros. recognizes that while the "Spider-Man" film boasts impressive CGI, the pacing of the story might not be as strong. After all, its director, Sam Raimi, lacked experience in superhero movies, having directed only one with less-than-impressive success.

Moreover, Warner Bros. has Michael Jordan as the star of their movie, a factor likely to attract many, especially basketball fans. So, they believe they stand a high chance of making KiShin Pictures realize they can't simply launch an attack on one of the "Big Six."

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Trailers for "Spider-Man" and "Space Jam" graced television channels, capturing the attention of many anticipating two potentially blockbuster films set to release on November 15, 1996.

In a specific location in the USA, a group of friends gathered to discuss the upcoming films in November.

"Guys, what do you think of the 'Spider-Man' adaptation? From the trailer and teasers alone, I'm sure it's going to be a good movie!" a blonde young man exclaimed.

"'Spider-Man'? Nah, I don't think so. I believe the Michael Jordan movie will be the one," a tall man with dark hair stated.

"Yeah, I agree! I'm quite excited about the Michael Jordan movie."

Upon hearing his friend's opinion, the blonde young man retorted, "Really? You all want to watch a children's movie? Looney Tunes playing basketball with Michael Jordan? How on earth will that be interesting?"

The tall man frowned slightly and responded, "What do you mean, a children's movie? What about 'Spiderman'? It's a comic, right? Wasn't it meant for children too?"

Then, the red-haired young man, seated next to the blonde young man, interjected, "No. 'Spiderman' may be a comic, but it's not intended for children."

"Damn, who cares? Comics are comics," the tall man remarked before asking, "Anyway, what do you think? Should we go for the movie 'Space Jam'?"

"No. Let's go for 'Spiderman'," the red-haired young man asserted.

"You're making a mistake choosing that movie. I'll tell you, it's just going to be another superhero average movie like Superman, Batman, or something. Don't you learn at all?" Another tall young man expressed.

With this, the group appeared to split into two factions, those interested in trying the movie "Spider-Man" and those leaning towards "Space Jam."

"Let's just decide it with votes!" the blonde young man suggested as the group entered a round of debate.

The group agreed, and after posing the question of which movie to choose, they would raise their hands, and the votes would be counted.

"Spider-Man" garnered 8 votes, while "Space Jam" secured 12 votes.

With these results, the group of people decided to watch the movie "Space Jam" together.

Although others initially wanted to try the movie "Spider-Man," it doesn't mean they'd fight with their friends over a movie. Besides, they were also a bit excited to watch the Michael Jordan movie.

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As November 15, 1996, approached, many people purchased tickets for the movies scheduled for that date. They were able to buy tickets ahead of time through Moviefone.

Movies like "Spider-Man" and "Space Jam" were undoubtedly the hot tickets about to hit the screens.

From the ticket sales, although KiShin Pictures had established a reputation in the USA, it still seemed to be slightly behind the "Big Six" film studios such as Warner Bros., as estimated by the ticket sales for "Space Jam."

While the film "Spider-Man" also boasted impressive ticket sales, it fell slightly behind the numbers for "Space Jam."

Sure enough, on November 15, 1996, the first-day box office results for "Spider-Man" and "Space Jam" were revealed.

Warner Bros. was quite exhilarated as their film "Space Jam" emerged victorious in the first battle.

Meanwhile, KiShin Pictures was not overly concerned.

Even though Warner Bros.' film won the first-day sales, it didn't guarantee continued triumph. Thus, they put their best efforts into hyping "Space Jam."

With NBA Superstar Michael Jordan himself promoting the movie to his fans, this certainly helped, as basketball fans were eager to support Michael Jordan.