Chapter 45: Midnight Screening Box Office

No matter how hard Ye Xiaoyi tried to figure it out, she could never have guessed that the person spreading the phrase "卧槽" (Wocao) was actually a Chinese soul—a person with a "yellow heart."

If Ye Xiaoyi was a "banana person"—yellow on the outside, white on the inside—who was working hard to integrate into mainstream American society, then Gilbert was like a "melon person," a type with white skin and a yellow heart, perfectly representing him.

Though Gilbert was deeply embedded in mainstream American society, his heart still belonged to China. He missed all the beautiful Chinese actresses like Bingbing, Mimi, Shishi, Yanyan, Yuanyuan, and Tiantian.

Unfortunately, he couldn't go back, and even if he did, he wouldn't be the same person anymore. So Gilbert could only dream of being with Western women...

After a long period of promotion, the release date of *Final Destination* finally approached.

The film *Final Destination* was scheduled to release just after *No Mercy*, a Warner Bros. production that had premiered on August 7th and already earned over $70 million at the box office, performing quite well.

The remaining films were mostly low-budget productions, costing between a few hundred thousand to a few million dollars, making them hard to compete with the $10 million production of *Final Destination*.

The summer blockbuster season was coming to an end, and the next major releases wouldn't be until November, like Disney's own animated movie *Aladdin* and 20th Century Fox's *Home Alone 2*.

This meant that from late August to October, *Final Destination* would have a nearly pressure-free release, without the worry of strong competitors.

Another piece of news was based on data from a survey commissioned by Disney. Of the 1,500 viewers who had seen *The Shallows*, 15% said they would go to the cinema again to support Gilbert's new work.

The rest were inclined to decide based on word of mouth and box office performance. Only a very small percentage, less than 5%, said they wouldn't go to see Gilbert's new film at all.

This survey data was highly favorable, giving Disney a lot of confidence.

At midnight on August 28th, *Final Destination* had its opening in 500 theaters across the U.S.

Horror films are best experienced at midnight for the full effect.

Naomi Watts had just left Gilbert's apartment after a visit. Gilbert wasn't in the mood to sleep and waited by the phone, anticipating a call with the box office results.

He had already informed Touchstone Pictures to call him as soon as the midnight box office numbers were in.

Cameron Diaz wasn't sleeping either. As the lead actress, she was just as anxious as Gilbert, waiting for the news.

In a theater near the University of California, Berkeley, Ye Xiaoyi and her roommate Megan had bought tickets to see *Final Destination*.

Initially, Ye Xiaoyi hadn't planned on going, as she wanted to focus on her studies and stay in the U.S.

But after being persuaded by Megan and feeling curious about this director known for saying "Wocao," she decided to join her.

After entering the theater and sitting down, Ye Xiaoyi, who had never been to an American cinema before, was impressed by the luxurious facilities. She couldn't help but nod in approval—American theaters really were superior, much better than those back home.

"Want some popcorn?" Megan offered her a bucket of popcorn.

"Yes…" Ye Xiaoyi took the bucket and tossed a couple of kernels into her mouth, savoring the delicious taste.

The popcorn here was just as delightful as everything else…

The movie started soon after. Gilbert wasn't a well-known director, and the lead actors—Matt Damon, Cameron Diaz, and Jared Leto—weren't famous either.

So, the midnight screening had a low attendance. From what Ye Xiaoyi could see, there were only about a dozen people in the theater.

It seemed that this Gilbert director wasn't as great as Megan had hyped him up to be.

But soon, Ye Xiaoyi's opinion changed. The opening scene, with a plane explosion, scared both Ye Xiaoyi and Megan so much that they clung to each other.

But as it turned out, this was just a dream sequence from the protagonist.

Waking up from the nightmare, the protagonist insisted on getting off the plane, so a few others joined him.

While the protagonist Alex was arguing with the school bully, the plane actually exploded after takeoff, scaring everyone out of their wits.

"So, the protagonist has a premonition ability, able to foresee impending disasters?" Ye Xiaoyi guessed, already engrossed in the film.

The movie was gripping, very captivating, and quite thrilling.

The dozen or so audience members followed the plot development, barely daring to breathe. Occasionally, someone would get startled and let out a cry.

The film was seamless, without a single dull moment, leaving Ye Xiaoyi, who was watching a Hollywood movie in a theater for the first time, completely enthralled.

After the movie ended, Megan suggested, "Ye, how about we watch it again tomorrow?"

If it had been before, Ye Xiaoyi would have refused. But now, she was hooked.

"Sure, let's invite some more classmates and watch it together."

Megan was pleased with Ye Xiaoyi's suggestion, "That sounds great! The more, the merrier, and it won't be as scary."

With Megan leading the way, Ye Xiaoyi was drawn in. And Lewis, who had already seen one of Gilbert's films, was eagerly anticipating *Final Destination*.

As soon as the film was released, he gathered a large group of people to buy tickets for the midnight screening.

After the movie, they all excitedly discussed the plot.

Sarathi Merton exclaimed, "Oh my God, I can't believe Gilbert came up with such a unique concept. How did he even think of this?"

Lewis chuckled, "If we could figure out how he comes up with these ideas, I'd make my own movies."

A classmate nearby joked, "Lewis, stop dreaming. Even if you came up with the story, you wouldn't be able to direct it like he does."

Lewis wasn't offended, "True, Gilbert's talent is unmatched."

He had completely become a fan of Gilbert, who had once again delivered an outstanding thriller.

Lewis suggested, "How about we watch it again tomorrow?"

"Sure, a film this good deserves a second viewing."

"Anyone who doesn't watch it again is a fool."

"Agreed…"

And so, the suggestion to watch the movie again was unanimously accepted.

Back in his apartment, Gilbert received a call from Robert Iger, who delivered the midnight box office results, easing Gilbert's nerves.

"Thank you, Bob, for calling so late," Gilbert said politely.

"No need to thank me," Robert Iger, on the other end, was excited. "I should be thanking you, Gilbert. The work you've done is extraordinary. Now I can sleep soundly tonight…"

"Haha, well, sweet dreams then!"

"You too…"

After hanging up, Gilbert saw Cameron Diaz looking at him expectantly, clearly eager for the news.

Without any preamble, Gilbert shared, "Five hundred theaters, a thousand screens, with a 15% occupancy rate, bringing in $324,000 at the midnight screening."

Cameron Diaz was momentarily stunned—not because the result was bad, but because it was so good.

They had anticipated that making $100,000 from the midnight screening would be impressive, but they had surpassed that with over $300,000, a pleasant surprise.

Realizing this, Cameron Diaz shouted excitedly, "Yeah, we did it…"

Gilbert gestured for her to calm down, "Hold on, we still need to see how the first day and first-week box office turn out."

"They're going to be great!" Cameron Diaz jumped into Gilbert's arms, wrapping her legs around his waist and giving him a passionate kiss.

She had a strong feeling that her big break was just around the corner.

The Hollywood stardom she had always dreamed of was now within reach.

....

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