Chapter 746 - Premiere Box Office

Cooper couldn't believe it. How could a woman, not even thirty yet, achieve what he had spent so much time and effort on thirty years ago and hadn't accomplished? "Someone must be acting as a puppet for her! Yes! How could she possibly make such a film on her own? She must have bribed someone with money to shoot the film, and then put her name on it!" He lost control, clutching his head, muttering to himself.

The moviegoers beside him, enjoying the film, were disturbed by him. They became irritated, one making a "shush" gesture to silence him, and another even waving a fist, warning him not to make any noise.

With an unpleasant expression, Cooper turned his head towards the big screen, secretly hoping that the film was made by a puppet for Laila.

But deep down, he knew it was impossible. If there were such a person, they would have already made their own film to shake the world. Could money buy a place in film history? Only those who love movies can create such films. If someone could make so many excellent films, they wouldn't hide behind Laila; they would step forward themselves.

Yet, he couldn't help but think that way. Otherwise, he couldn't accept that a little girl had achieved in a few years what he couldn't in decades.

As he watched the classic scenes on the big screen, Cooper wanted to leave, but his feet and body seemed stuck, unable to move away. His eyes were fixated on the screen, afraid to miss any shot. He detested himself for being like this, but he couldn't control his passionate love for movies.

There were many people obsessed with movies, watching them repeatedly. If tickets weren't so scarce, more people would willingly step into the cinema for this movie. The cinema experience of watching this film was fantastic, with impeccable sound and visual effects. People could easily immerse themselves in the plot, feeling the joys and sorrows of the characters, and following the story with either joy or sadness.

Not just in North America, other countries where the film simultaneously premiered were in the same situation. Some countries even crowned "the greatest film of all time" and "the best special effects film of all time" on "The Lord of the Rings."

The same was true in the East. Apart from discussing topics like "How long will it take us to catch up with Hollywood," the focus was on the film itself.

"I love this movie so much. I've decided to buy the official version after the CD is released and watch it once a year!"

"Every year? At least it should be rewatched monthly!"

"When will our country be able to make such movies? When can we stop spending money on those cheap special effects?"

"Why can't our country cultivate a genius director like Moran, even with so many people?"

Overnight, countless discussions about the movie erupted on major forums. Apart from marveling at the special effects, detailed analyses of the movie's costume design, dialogues, scenery, and more were flooding the discussions. Among them, the most eye-catching was probably Leslie Cheung's portrayal of the Elven King.

"The first time I saw him, I didn't even recognize that he was Leslie, the award-winning actor!"

"The makeup is too amazing! The director's vision is incredible! It feels like this role was specifically crafted for our Leslie Cheung!"

"Doesn't anyone think he portrayed it so well? The lively feel of the Elven King, looking both noble and dignified!"

"Of course, he played it very well; he's an award-winning actor! If he didn't have skills, would director Moran have noticed him?"

"Agree with the above. Director Moran didn't even care about the boycott, forcefully putting him in the movie. It shows how much confidence she has in him. No wonder they call her a Hollywood big director; just this kind of vision is already impressive!"

Whether on forums or chatting apps, every place for discussion was filled with topics about the movie. In this situation, one could easily guess how high the box office of the film would be.

In Hollywood, media reviews of the film drew more attention to it.

"A rarely seen great film." "The best movie of the summer." "A classic movie that can be watched a hundred times."

Similar comments were everywhere, overshadowing other films released at the same time.

While some media were focusing on "The Lord of the Rings" box office, the premiere box office had already been released — 25.3 million.

Compared to Laila's previous films, this was not a box office to celebrate. She had easily achieved 50-60 million on previous premieres, and just over 20 million now felt like a setback.

"Why so little?" Louise's heart nearly jumped out of her throat when she saw the box office results. With the previous Phoenix, getting such a box office on the premiere would have excited her enough to dance in the street. However, for the current Dragon Soul, this was a number lower than her expectations.

"This is not surprising," Laila said, looking at the box office figure with a slight smile. "Don't forget what situation our film is in. We faced resistance and doubts. Honestly, getting this much is already beyond my expectations."

"How is that possible?" Louise looked at her in astonishment, finding it hard to believe that these words without spirit were coming from Laila. Was this still the confident Laila? Or, was she pretending not to care about the resistance but actually caring?

Seeing Louise's puzzled look, Laila couldn't help but laugh. "It's normal. Think about it. The audience's money doesn't fall from the sky. They don't want to spend money on tickets for a bad film. With so much questioning and resistance we faced before, it's normal for the audience to want to let others watch first and then decide whether to see it. Right?"

Louise nodded in confusion. She had to admit that Laila's words made some sense, but...

"Even so, over 25 million is a bit low. We invested 300 million! And that's just the production investment. There are still related publicity activities, and we won't break even without four or five hundred million! Now, the premiere only got this much. Anyone would be shocked to the heart if it weren't enough," Louise said.

Laila waved the newspaper in her hand with a smile. "Seeing these reviews, do you think we need to worry about the box office?"

Looking at her, Louise realized that, okay, this is still the confident Laila. Most of the reviews indeed praised the movie, making it sound like a once-in-a-century great film. But boasting to that extent, would the public really believe it?