Chapter 126: Must Add Showtimes

Even a good film needs time for word-of-mouth to spread, even with appropriate marketing. For a movie like "Saw," which had limited promotional efforts, it especially needed time. After its release on Friday and word-of-mouth promotion, combined with the ripple effect of the weekend, the occupancy rates for "Saw" at thirty theaters across the US significantly increased starting from its Saturday showings.

Due to the film's targeted market, the occupancy rate on Saturday morning was already comparable to the prime time slot on Friday night. By Saturday afternoon, the number of people watching "Saw" continued to grow.

Word-of-mouth might not significantly boost a widely-released film in a short time, but it can substantially improve the occupancy rate for "Saw," which was only in thirty theaters. The audience, drawn in by others' recommendations, were mostly horror film enthusiasts who felt extremely satisfied after watching it and then recommended it to their friends, creating a positive feedback loop.

Moreover, following the meeting at Fox Searchlight, the promotional efforts for "Saw" were ramped up. An additional $400,000 was not much, but it could still accomplish some tasks.

By Saturday night, the average occupancy rate for the thirty theaters showing "Saw" exceeded 60%!

Such a high occupancy rate is usually achieved only by films with limited screenings and excellent audience reception.

Although the weekend was not yet over, "Saw" had already delivered a huge surprise.

In this scenario, the Saturday single-day box office for "Saw" reached around $225,000 from thirty theaters, with a per-theater average of $7,500!

Combined with the previous day's $4,500, in just two days of the weekend, "Saw" had already exceeded Fox Searchlight's anticipated weekend per-theater box office.

This unexpected result, along with positive audience feedback reported by the survey consulting company, spurred the Fox Searchlight team working on "Saw" to go all out. They were determined to have the film appear in as many North American theaters as possible by the start of the new week.

"I demand an additional 500 prints!"

In the Fox Searchlight office, Godin Clyde was practically shouting into the phone, "The 1,000 prints already made must be delivered by 6 AM Monday. If you can't do it, hand in your resignation!"

He was generally mild-mannered, but his current attitude reflected the pressure from recent poor performance and the excitement from "Saw."

After hanging up, Godin Clyde quickly drank a cup of cold coffee and began calling various theater chain managers.

Fox Searchlight was not a small company without backing; it had the support of 20th Century Fox, one of Hollywood's big six, and beyond that, News Corp, one of the strongest media companies in North America.

It was well-known that companies like Fox had intricate relationships with theater chains. If a film showed enough potential, certain theater chains would prioritize it.

Not just the smaller theater chains, but also top commercial chains like AMG, Regal Entertainment, and United Artists received calls from Godin Clyde, seeking more screens for "Saw."

Without enough theaters and screens, even the best film can't achieve high box office returns.

On the other side, "Saw" continued to maintain high occupancy rates on Sunday. An interview with the Columbia University professor who fainted from fright was featured prominently in the New York Post and, thanks to Fox Searchlight's efforts, also appeared in Fox TV's entertainment news.

This kind of news might deter some people, but those individuals wouldn't enjoy such horror films anyway; horror enthusiasts would be drawn in instead. A film that could make someone faint—how terrifying must it be? Why not buy a ticket and experience it firsthand?

Movies are always influenced by social environment, but traditional North American gore horror films are relatively unaffected by such trends. "Saw," released a few years earlier, fit well with current societal tastes.

Of course, if it had been released a few months later, even "Saw" would have flopped, leaving Murphy despondent.

In Clarksville, Tennessee, at the headquarters of Regal Entertainment Group, Chris Wild had just put down the phone and called for his assistant, "Get Ronald in here."

Chris Wild, a high-ranking executive in charge of theater operations at Regal Entertainment, had received several calls from Fox Searchlight, including one from a 20th Century Fox vice president, all repeatedly mentioning a film—"Saw."

Chris Wild had no impression of this film, but given the persistent calls and earnest requests for more screens from both companies, it was likely a film worth showcasing.

A knock interrupted his thoughts. Chris Wild said, "Come in," and Ronald, with short auburn hair, walked in.

"Sit!" Chris Wild pointed to the chair across from his desk. After Ronald sat down, he asked, "Do you know about the film 'Saw'?"

"Yes." Ronald had also received several calls and been briefed on the film's performance. "It's a film that Fox Searchlight started a limited release for this Friday in North America, currently showing in thirty theaters. Our chain has two theaters showing it."

Chris Wild nodded, "How's the response?"

Theaters are commercial entities too. If the film was a dud, no amount of pleading would get it more screens.

"I hear the response has been great; someone even fainted from fright."

Seeing Chris Wild's puzzled look, Ronald quickly explained, "It's a horror film!"

Recalling the recent data, he continued, "In the past two days, this film has grossed around $12,000 per theater. By the end of today, it's expected to surpass $15,000 for the weekend!"

Hearing the final number, Chris Wild was slightly moved. A limited release in thirty theaters with $15,000 per-theater box office for a horror film was impressive.

No wonder Fox Searchlight and 20th Century Fox were so insistent; they had good reason.

Any distribution company would push for more screens if a film had such a strong per-theater box office, and theater chains wouldn't refuse—it would be against their interests.

Chris Wild was considering adding more screens when he asked, "Who's the director? Who's starring?"

Ronald thought for a moment, "The director is Murphy Stanton, a newcomer."

Seeing Chris Wild's frown, Ronald quickly added, "He previously directed a film with a $300,000 budget that grossed nearly $1.5 million in North America."

Fearing Chris Wild might still have doubts, Ronald continued, "I also heard from the theaters showing 'Saw' that CinemaScore is paying attention to this film!"

"CinemaScore?" Chris Wild was puzzled. "Since when are they interested in small productions like this?"

Ronald explained, "I have a friend at CinemaScore. He told me Ed Mintz personally ordered the survey for 'Saw' and is setting up a special database for Murphy Stanton!"

"Ed Mintz?" Chris Wild looked serious.

"Yes." Ronald nodded emphatically. "Ed Mintz happened to watch 'Saw' and immediately ordered CinemaScore to conduct market research on it and set up a dedicated database for Murphy Stanton."

Chris Wild tapped the table lightly. "So, Ed Mintz and CinemaScore are taking this film and this young director seriously?"

Ronald nodded in agreement.

"Alright, contact Fox Searchlight," Chris Wild decided. "Allocate some screens from the movies leaving theaters this weekend to 'Saw.' If its market performance is solid, we can add more. If not..."

"I understand," Ronald stood up.

Sunday passed slowly, with nightfall covering the vast land. Like many others with unique professions, many people were still hustling for work and livelihood.

As the new week approached, the North American film market adjusted based on the weekend's performance. Films with declining or poor performance gradually reduced their theater presence or were entirely removed from the market, while successful films often received additional screens while maintaining their current ones.

To secure additional screens and reach more viewers, adequate print support was essential.

In various large and medium-sized cities across North America, Fox Searchlight employees and hired hands could be seen retrieving prints from air cargo companies and delivering them to theaters under the cover of night, ensuring prints were in place within the specified timeframe.

The delivery of "Saw" prints to theaters meant that starting the new week, this horror film would be available to more viewers, facing its true market test.

A total of 1,000 brand-new prints were distributed across North America.

And the impressive weekend box office for "Saw" was the main reason theater chains were willing to expand its screening.

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