noveldepot Chapter 76 A Day at the Cinema
Chapter 76 A Day at the Cinema
Chapter 76 A Day at the Cinema
After all the preparations were completed, Wu Bin ordered the doors to be opened to welcome the first wave of viewers.
He hadn't expected many spectators, and he didn't have much to do in the morning, so after his inspection, he returned to his office for tea.
Unexpectedly, after sitting down for only a short while, a staff member rushed into his office.
"What are you doing? So reckless!" Wu Bin scolded him unhappily.
The staff member hurriedly said, "Manager Wu, we might not have enough theaters; there are too many viewers."
Wu Bin was greatly surprised: "What happened?"
The staff member was so excited he could hardly breathe: "Audience, there are a lot of audience members here. You'll see when you go out and take a look."
Wu Bin didn't believe it, but he still picked up his phone and left the office.
Upon arriving on the first floor and seeing the bustling lobby, Wu Bin was dumbfounded.
"Holy crap, where did all these people come from?"
Before he could even express his surprise or investigate the reason, Wu Bin quickly ordered, "Quickly, open two more screening rooms to disperse the flow of customers."
He couldn't go back to his office to drink the tea he had just brewed; instead, he went directly to the front-line counter to personally direct and provide excellent service.
"Two tickets for 'About Time' must be consecutive."
"Okay, which row do you want? There are empty seats in rows four and five right now."
"I need five rows, one in the middle."
"Okay, that's forty yuan in total. Would you like a drink or a snack?"
The boy hesitated for a moment, glanced at his expectant girlfriend, and finally nodded generously: "Two Cokes with ice, and a big bucket of popcorn."
Including the cost of the movie ticket, that's over eighty yuan spent, which was definitely a luxurious entertainment expense in 2005.
These two are likely still a student couple, still at the stage where they need money from their parents.
Twenty yuan for a movie ticket isn't cheap, but there's no other way. Ping An Grand Theater has a good location, and rent and utilities are a burden. How can the theater make a profit if it doesn't increase box office revenue?
Of course, this is just the cinema's idea.
In fact, many viewers have complained that some movie theaters charge exorbitant ticket prices. When "House of Flying Daggers" was released, there were even cases where tickets cost 100 yuan each.
This brings us to another form of underreporting of box office revenue: raising ticket prices.
The usual procedure is that cinemas will sell tickets at a certain percentage higher than the base ticket price, and then the cinemas and distributors will share the revenue according to the base box office.
The portion exceeding the base box office revenue was concealed by the cinemas and became their own revenue, without having to share it with the distributors.
This kind of operation is often done by independent cinemas, such as Ping An Grand Theatre, which do not have a cinema chain company.
Doing this is short-sighted, as it hurts both the audience and the distributors and producers.
However, only a few people have a long-term vision; most people are only thinking about making every penny they can in front of them.
As for the future development of the industry, they don't care about that at all.
Even with the advent of electronic ticketing systems like Maoyan, similar underreporting of box office revenue continues unabated.
It wasn't until the film industry experienced a downturn after 2020, with a large number of cinemas closing down, that cinemas realized how vulnerable they actually were.
But to say there has been no change, there still hasn't been.
It wasn't until the development of VR movies and brain-computer interface technology that technology defeated traditional cinemas, forcing cinemas to abandon their old ways and embrace the new era.
However, that future is a bit far off.
Therefore, the so-called game that caused Zhang Jun to travel through time is nonsense, and it is impossible for him to return to the present era and lead Chinese-language films to make changes.
There's not much he can do: make good films and protect his own interests. Other matters are for the big shots to handle; it's not his place to meddle.
The surge in audiences at Ping An Grand Theater in the morning was not an isolated case. In fact, cinemas in some popular locations in Shanghai and Shenzhen in Beijing also saw a surge in visitors in the morning.
Gong Heng did not go back to Shanghai this summer; instead, he stayed in Shanghai to work a summer job.
He had previously participated in events at the Dark Lights Restaurant and had even made plans with Xie Qing, a girl he had met back then, to see "About Time" together on Qixi Festival (Chinese Valentine's Day).
Recently, the two have been chatting enthusiastically on QQ, and their relationship has gradually warmed up.
Gong Heng, who is still single, decides to confess his feelings to Xie Qing during today's movie screening and win her over.
To avoid being constantly ridiculed by my roommates for having the desire to steal but not the courage to do so.
At that time, the Shanghai film market was dominated by Shanghai United Cinemas, which owned many cinemas, many of which were located in the bustling streets of Shanghai.
Huanyi Cinema, located in Meilongzhen Plaza on Nanjing West Road, is a member of the Shanghai United Cinema Circuit and is the first multi-functional cinema in mainland China.
The cinema boasts a cutting-edge, fashionable, and bold design, featuring not only movie theaters but also bars and cafes.
At the end of last year, Shanghai United Cinemas became the first commercial cinema chain to introduce an IMAX giant screen system, and Huanyi Cinema naturally also has an IMAX theater.
However, due to the limited number of IMAX movies, apart from screening "Shark Tale" during the May Day holiday this year, I haven't used the IMAX theater again.
But this doesn't stop Huanyi Cinema from promoting its brand and attracting audiences to come in and watch movies.
Gong Heng and Xie Qing arranged to meet here.
The number of people at Huanyi Cinema gradually increased in the afternoon. It seemed that urban white-collar workers and couples were all coming to see a movie after get off work.
Watching the couples in the audience, Gong Heng became somewhat uneasy. He suddenly felt afraid to meet her, worried that Xie Qing would find him unattractive enough, and also afraid that Xie Qing would abandon him.
"Maybe we should just leave!"
Gong Heng's idea had barely formed when it was interrupted by a noise.
"Hi!"
Xie Qing suddenly appeared from behind: "Hahahaha, were you startled?"
Looking at Xie Qing, who was wearing a white dress, with long hair flowing down her shoulders and was incredibly beautiful, Gong Heng's heart began to pound uncontrollably.
Seeing Gong Heng staring blankly, Xie Qing asked, "What's wrong? Do you think my outfit looks bad?"
Gong Heng came to his senses: "So beautiful! I've never seen a more beautiful girl than you."
Once Gong Heng recovered, the words of praise naturally came out of his mouth.
"No way, all those celebrities are prettier than me!" Xie Qing said, pointing to Gao Yuanyuan on the poster for "About Time".
Gong Heng's emotional intelligence shines: "But celebrities' lives are too far removed from mine, they seem unreal. You're right in front of me!"
Xie Qing was delighted to hear this: "Thank you for the compliment!"
She asked, "Have you bought the tickets yet? What time are our tickets?"
"Of course I'll buy it!"
Gong Heng pulled out the movie tickets and asked, "Want some popcorn and hot dogs? Want a Coke?"
"I'm not eating, I'll just have a Coke!"
"OK!"
Although Xie Qing said she wouldn't eat it, Gong Heng still bought a small bucket of popcorn and two cups of cola just in case.
The prices at Huanyi Cinema are quite high; with the movie ticket, a hundred-yuan bill plus a twenty-yuan note just disappears.
Xie Qing was very talkative. Holding her cola, she chatted with Gong Heng about interesting things at school, the awards she won in her dance club, and all sorts of gossip about the school.
Although Xie Qing chattered on and on, Gong Heng was not annoyed at all; on the contrary, he enjoyed it.
The two stopped chatting and started queuing when they heard it was time to check their tickets.
A long queue had formed at the ticket gate, and Gong Heng and Xie Qing moved forward with the flow of people. Looking at the couples ahead of them, Gong Heng no longer felt jealous.
Now I have beautiful women by my side, I'm not lonely anymore, hehe!
The two also chatted about their expectations for the movie. Xie Qing said, "I've seen a lot of media reports saying that this movie is of good quality and very good."
Gong Heng nodded: "When the audience was leaving earlier, I heard them say that the movie was very good and touching."
So that's why!
Xie Qing opened her bag and took out a pack of tissues: "I've prepared tissues, so I can wipe my tears while I cry."
Gong Heng praised, "Wow, you've really thought of everything."
After entering Theater 2 and finding her seat, Xie Qing looked around and noticed that there were quite a few audience members, mostly couples.
"It seems this movie is very popular; I think most of the audience is young people," Xie Qing concluded.
Gong Heng met Zhang Jun and offered his explanation: "I think this is why Director Zhang Jun is so popular among us young people."
With Chen Kun, Gao Yuanyuan, and Fan Bingbing also starring, it's sure to attract a large young audience.
"That makes sense!"
Someone shouted, "The movie has started!"
The lights in the theater dimmed, and everyone remained quiet, their eyes fixed on the big screen.
Although "About Time" lacks the visual elements and dramatic conflicts common in blockbuster films, it firmly captures the attention of the audience in the theater from the very first minute.
Couples no longer had time to feel the warmth of their partner's hand or do anything daring in the dark; instead, they were completely absorbed in watching the movie.
Seeing Chen Kun's portrayal of Chen Xiu on the big screen, Gong Heng felt a connection to himself. He was socially awkward, somewhat introverted, and unsure how to approach girls.
Fan Bingbing's stunning appearance made many men's breath catch in their throats; she really is beautiful.
As Gao Yuanyuan, playing Su Man, emerged from the darkened restaurant, soft piano music began to play. The scene left not only the men in awe, but even the girls in the theater were amazed.
Some girls have already decided to go back and get the same look as Gao Yuanyuan; she looked absolutely stunning when she came out.
Gong Heng finally understood what the media meant when they said Zhang Jun was the best at photographing women. Under his lens, all women exude an incredible charm.
In the latter half of the film, the accumulated emotions begin to escalate.
Chen Xiu repeatedly travels back and forth through time, correcting his mistakes, falling in love with Su Man, and eventually getting married. His desire to change his sister's fate results in the disappearance of his own child, for which he pays a price.
He constantly summarized his experiences, gained growth and lessons, and began to love life better and love his wife and family more earnestly.
After experiencing his father's death, Chen Xiu traveled back in time to see his father.
The father calmly accepted the news and reassured Chen Xiu with his calm and wise words. This scene became a tearjerker, and many sentimental girls began to wipe away tears.
Xie Qing was no exception. She gripped Gong Heng's wrist tightly to calm herself down while wiping away her tears with a tissue.
Chen Xiu has the ability to travel through time. Although his father has passed away, he can still use his ability to travel back in time to see his father.
But with his own child about to be born, Chen Xiu decided to see his father one last time so as not to affect the child's normal birth.
The father and son were playing billiards. With Chen Xiu deliberately letting him win, the father won the game, but also learned that he would be seriously ill and die.
So the father made a suggestion: the two of them should go back to when Chen Xiu was a child, play on the beach, and spend a happy day there.
In the end, Chen Xiu said to his father, "Dad, I love you!"
Then the last day the father and son spent together came to an end, and he decided that he would never travel back in time to see his father again, leaving him only in his memory.
As the story unfolded, many boys couldn't hold back their tears, which welled up in their eyes.
I initially thought this was a romance film, but it turned out to be just a family drama disguised as a romance, a story about growth and love.
Holy crap, this movie is absolutely amazing! I have to call everyone I know to come see it in theaters right now.
After all, I can't be the only one who cried, can I?