Chapter 82: Release

Starting from Los Angeles as the center, the promotion covered the area of fifty states, including Florida, Maine, Louisiana, and others.

To meet the demand for the film's release in just over ten days, Kevin, along with several main cast members of Pirates of the Caribbean, tirelessly promoted the upcoming release through daily meet-and-greet sessions in each city.

The goal was not to deeply resonate with the audience but to ensure that the majority of viewers were aware of this family-friendly film hitting the theaters.

Such intense promotion demanded a lot from the organizing team.

Fortunately, both MGM and Warner Bros., being film companies with decades of heritage, had ample experience in this aspect of promotion.

Every time Kevin and his team arrived in a city, the promotional events were already well-prepared. Coupled with some pre-arranged setups, these events became lively and attracted numerous unsuspecting onlookers.

Simultaneously, Pirates of the Caribbean posters covered every corner of the fifty states in the United States, densely spread across each location.

That was the power of a twenty million dollar budget.

Moreover, with the help of Kevin's invented "water army" online, internet forums created a sense of nationwide anticipation for the release of Pirates of the Caribbean.

Many people genuinely believed that Pirates of the Caribbean had become the most anticipated summer blockbuster for Americans.

Do not underestimate this perception.

When such a consensus is reached, Pirates of the Caribbean's box office will sweep through all other films in the summer season.

...

"A twenty million dollar promotion budget?"

Paramount was immediately taken aback.

The amount of the promotional budget reflected the confidence and importance the production side placed on the film's quality.

Even their own production, Forrest Gump, with Tom Hanks' star power, had a promotion budget of only five million dollars.

It was not in the same league as Pirates of the Caribbean.

However, when facing a film co-produced by Warner Bros. and MGM, even if there were some tricks, it wouldn't be so easy to use them.

At this point, all Paramount could do was to try to swallow up the theater chains of other small film companies releasing in the summer season.

As for the number of theaters obtained by Pirates of the Caribbean, under this level of promotion, it was already beyond their ability to squeeze.

In Hollywood, there are no eternal friends or interests; everything is driven by profits.

If Pirates of the Caribbean were not a production of MGM and Warner Bros., Paramount would have numerous ways to deal with it. Whether it was through film ratings, theater distribution, or public opinion, they could easily destroy such a film.

These potential powers were the foundation of Hollywood giants.

To make money in Hollywood, a blockbuster film must give a significant portion of its profits to certain powerhouses. This is the hidden rule of Hollywood.

After more than ten days of intensive promotion and pre-release hype, Pirates of the Caribbean had become the most highly anticipated film currently released in the United States.

"On June 28th, the summer fantasy blockbuster directed by Oscar-winning director Steve Kevin and starring the eccentric Johnny Depp. Join us on a magical journey aboard a ship sailing the Caribbean Sea!"

"A family-friendly film, perfect for the leisure time of summer. A great movie to watch together with your family..."

Countless attention-grabbing slogans, devised by Warner Bros. and MGM's marketing teams, accompanied posters displayed in major shopping malls and commercial streets.

Finally, with a budget of twenty million dollars, the film captured the attention of the American audience.

In this situation, the film reached its release date.

As is customary for commercial blockbusters, after ensuring there were no issues during the internal screenings, Pirates of the Caribbean was released once the critics were adequately silenced with payoffs.

...

At 10:10 a.m., New York International Cinema, one of the largest three cinemas in New York City.

Kevin and Hayek sneaked into the theater.

Ever since they secretly watched the premiere of Get Out, Kevin and Jolie had taken turns going to the cinema incognito.

This time, it was Hayek's starring film, and he strongly requested to watch it with Kevin.

"Daddy, Mommy, I want to watch Pirates! I want to watch Pirates!" A young boy of around ten years old, still with a hint of innocence, pointed at the Captain Jack Sparrow on the poster hanging in the center of the auditorium and spoke with determination.

Kevin chuckled quietly beside them.

Men are forever young at heart. Who, in their youth, never dreamed of being a captain?

Just imagine, as a captain, commanding a crew, freely sailing the high seas. This romance, this dream, is something uniquely male.

Even ten-year-old children are no exception.

The man and woman exchanged glances, then looked at each other, and finally smiled helplessly.

The man wanted to watch an action movie, the woman wanted to watch a romance film, but when faced with their child's opinion, naturally, they had to compromise.

"Layla, keep an eye on this little rascal. I'll go buy three tickets for Pirates of the Caribbean."

The man instructed his wife, then walked alone to the ticket counter and asked the attendant for three tickets.

"Sorry, the next Pirates of the Caribbean screening isn't until 9:10 p.m. tonight. Do you still want them?"

After checking the screening schedule, the ticket attendant, wearing a troubled expression, asked.

The man hesitated and turned to look at his child, about to say something.

The young boy immediately spoke loudly, "I want to watch Pirates of the Caribbean. I want to watch it even if it's late."

A hint of doting appeared on the man's face.

Well, it was a day off anyway. He decided to spend the day playing with his child in this mall and watch the movie in the evening.

With his decision made, the man turned his head and said, "Please give me three tickets."

The ticket attendant then took the credit card handed over by the man, swiped the payment for three Pirates of the Caribbean tickets, and handed three evening tickets to the man.

...

This situation was not unique to just this one family.

Across the United States, in all the major cinemas, countless families argued over which movie to watch. However, in families with children, without exception, they ultimately chose Pirates of the Caribbean.

As for The Lion King, although it had a formidable box office surge in its first week, it had now been two weeks since its release. The majority of its target audience had already seen it. The remaining viewers were mostly undecided.

When comparing The Lion King and Pirates of the Caribbean, one being an animated film and the other a live-action fantasy film, they were not competing at the same level.