Chapter 658 Capital Compet.i.tion?
The truth will come out once an expert puts his hand to it.
The film attracted the audience with just a few scenes at the beginning.
There were about 50 people in the movie hall. At the beginning, some of them were still talking in a low voice.
Gradually, the hall fell into silence. All the people even forgot to eat the popcorn in their hands and watched the movie with full attention!
“Swis.h.!.+”
After the close-up of young Elizabeth’s pupils, Zi Yan’s beautiful eyes appeared on the screen in an instant. It was the Elizabeth who had grown up.
Lying on the bed, she suddenly opened her eyes. Her blonde hair and blue eyes seemed to be innate, making her look like a real foreigner. Only her face still showed the unique charm of an Oriental beauty.
“She is gorgeous.”
Many people exclaimed silently.
Zi s.h.i.+ya, in particular, was looking proudly at her excellent and beautiful sister.
“Why is Elizabeth so beautiful when she grows up?”
Many people thought so involuntarily. Even a young man who came here with his girlfriend could not help whispering, “Zi Yan is so beautiful. She has completely changed my view of beauty.”
He forgot that his girlfriend was sitting right next to him. Fortunately, the girl was also attracted by the film and didn’t notice what he had blurted out.
If she had noticed it, he would be pinched again.
Elizabeth got up. The room was so dark that it was not clear whether it was day or night. When Elizabeth picked up the pirate gold coin, everyone in the movie hall felt the mysterious atmosphere.
“Knock, knock, knock!”
Elizabeth’s father came in with a maid, opened the curtains and let daylight flood the room. The view outside was beautiful and it could be seen that the building was located at the seaside.
As the plot continued, Elizabeth put on her s.e.xy clothes with the corset and met Turner on her way to the party.
Jack, the protagonist, appeared with a fierce att.i.tude while was riding a small boat. The audience burst out laughing.
After landing, he appeared to be experienced with all his actions and expressions.
Before that, Jack saw the pirates hanging by the dock and took off his hat to pay homage, so the audience knew that he was also a pirate.
“Is he a villain?”
Many people thought so and subconsciously thought that this might be an outdated hero.
After the Royal funny duo appeared, there was a new burst of laughter in the hall.
But when Elizabeth fell into the sea from a high place and the gold coin disappeared in the sea…
“Buzz!”
A low roar spread out, and everyone could see the whole sea vibrating. A strong shockwave was spreading to the depths of the sea!
The audience thought that it was a special effect and began praising it.
Everyone was attracted by the plot and watched the film with all their concentration.
They saw the arrival of the pirate s.h.i.+p Black Pearl, the transformation of the arms of the pirates into skeletons under the moonlight, the horrible picture that Elizabeth saw after boarding the s.h.i.+p, and the last scene in which a group of pirates walked underwater and stepped into the moonlight area to become skeletons.
The deep accompaniment and suffocating rhythm were stimulating the audience’s senses.
In the end, the Royal Navy won and Captain Jack was to be hanged.
Many in the audience felt sorry for him and cried within them, “No, he is a hero!”
When Turner appeared, everyone realized that the plot might be reversed and Turner would save the protagonist.
They guessed right.
Turner took action but Jack was still caught. At this time, there was another reversal as Elizabeth saved the protagonist while Jack fell into the sea. He saw the s.h.i.+p capsizing in the distance and smiled. The audience was relieved.
At this time, on the wall…
Turner kissed Elizabeth.
All the people were stunned.
“Wow, Zi Yan’s kissing scene!”
“Is she herself? It seems to be!”
Everyone was discussing it in astonishment.
Finally Jack got on the boat, looked in the distance and said in a low voice, “The free side… The real villain… Let’s drink a lot, brothers!”
After he finished his last sentence and closed the compa.s.s, the movie was finally over.
But everyone knew that it was not the end but a new beginning.
Just as the audience stood up with admiration and prepared to walk out while recalling the plot, suddenly the screen lit up again.
“End credits?”
All the people stopped and saw Barbossa’s monkey pick up a gold coin from the treasure cave. Its skeleton was exposed in the moonlight. All of a sudden, the monkey screamed and ran to the screen. Then the screen turned dark!
“So naughty!”
Many people were scared, including Zi s.h.i.+ya’s cla.s.smates.
After standing in place to confirm that the movie was really over, they left the hall one after another.
There was a hot discussion going on outside the hall.
“Wait! s.h.i.+ya, we saw your sister’s kissing scene.”
“Yes, yes, it seems to be the first time. My G.o.d, sister Zi Yan made a great sacrifice for this movie!”
“Who is that lucky dog?”
Zi s.h.i.+ya stared at them when she heard this, “A lucky dog? Turner is played by my brother-in-law. My brother in law! Can you hear me?”
“Really? Turner is played by your brother-in-law… Hiss! It’s unbelievable. I forgot that Turner and Jack are played by the same person, but they looked totally different. He’s your brother-in-law, wow!”
Three little fans nearby were shocked.
Just now, they were still wondering why sister Zi Yan had broken her promise about kissing scenes after she got married. Unexpectedly, the two roles were played by her husband!
“He is amazing!”
“He turns out to be Hanyang, the talented composer.”
The three young girls almost fell in love with Zhang Han.
For them, the kissing scene in the movie just now was too romantic and it even made them yearn for it very much.
The boys next to them were also recalling the wonderful scenes in the movie. The skeleton arms and the scene of walking on the sea floor were flas.h.i.+ng through their minds frame by frame.
“So cool!”
They hurried to take out their mobile phones and show off to their friends.
“I’ve just seen Pirates of the Caribbean, which refreshed my aesthetic values! It’s so cool, Captain Jack is so good!”
“I’m in Crescent Bay. Fortunately, I met my cla.s.smates and went to see Pirates of the Caribbean together. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be able to enjoy such a wonderful movie. It’s amazing. I’ll go to the cinema again in the daytime and watch it the second time. As for Green Man in Rage, I’ll wait a few days until I calm down!”
He attached a torn ticket of Green Man in Rage to the text.
He couldn’t help it. The entry time had pa.s.sed and this movie ticket had become a piece of waste.
They took the elevator to the first floor.
“s.h.i.+ya, where do you live? Shall we play cards or something?” One of the boys tried to invite her.
People love beauties. Zi s.h.i.+ya was also a pretty girl and there were many young men trying to pursue her at school.
They all hoped to be the lucky dog that met Zi s.h.i.+ya’s appet.i.te.
However, as soon as the young man finished speaking…
“Bam!”
Xu Yong, who was standing on one side, kicked his a.s.s lightly.
Xu Yong said half-jokingly and half-threateningly, “Are you up to no good? Do you want to play cards this late at night? Our Eldest Lady is going back to have a rest.”
Looking at Xu Yong who had a ferocious tattoo on his arm, the male student gave a slight s.h.i.+ver and replied with a smile, “Okay, we won’t play cards.”
“Ha ha ha.” Zi s.h.i.+ya was amused. Blinking her eyes that were similar to Zi Yan, she took a glance at Xu Yong and then at the male student and said, “Where do you live? Let’s get together tomorrow.”
“Well, we live in a hotel on the North Street.” The male student replied.
Although they were all tourists, not everyone came from a rich family such as Zi s.h.i.+ya. Those young men who were not so rich had chosen cheaper hotels.
“Oh, the North Street is a little far from here.” Zi s.h.i.+ya nodded her head.
Xu Yong smiled, “s.h.i.+ya, your cla.s.smates can stay in this hotel if you want to play with them tomorrow.”
“Ah?” Zi s.h.i.+ya was surprised, and then said, “It’s alright if it is convenient for them.”
The young men thanked her and stayed there. When they heard that it was an employee hotel, they thought that there would be many people in every room here.
But when they got to the room, they were startled by the luxurious decorations.
They all thought that Zi s.h.i.+ya’s background was very complex, but they were suddenly told in the chat with the two female students that she was Zi Yan’s younger sister.
“No wonder she is so beautiful. It turns out that her genes are very good.”
Just like this movie theater, 90% of the midnight audience in all the movie theaters were for these two movies, namely, Green Man in Rage and Pirates of the Caribbean.
Among the audiences who chose to go to the cinema at midnight, 50% wanted to see Green Man in Rage.
They exchanged feelings the next day.
“Pirates of the Caribbean! Great! The special effects are incomparable. It’s Hua nation’s turnaround battle!”
“The Curse of the Black Pearl!”
“The first kissing scene of Zi Yan, the G.o.ddess.”
“The two lead roles in Pirates of the Caribbean are played by the same man.”
“Hanyang is not only a talented composer, but also a talented actor. He performed with Zi Yan and kissed her. He’s a real winner.”
This series of news and film highlights appeared together on the hot topics list on the Internet and the movie quickly received a wave of praise.
But after all, the number of people who saw it at midnight was still very small, which made most people curious as they prepared to watch Pirates of the Caribbean in the daytime.
Many people’s conversation topic soon changed from “did you eat?” to “did you see Pirates of the Caribbean?”
As for Green Man in Rage, there were also many comments and hot discussions.
“I’m so disappointed. Is this really a 500 million dollar movie? It’s just mindless fighting.”
“The special effects are good, but the plot is terrible. I just saw the fights for no reason and then the movie was over.”
“They are extorting our money! They think that good special effects can make up for all the shortcomings?”
“Clatter!”
The result of this contrast was a strong stimulus to peoples’ nerves.
The score of Pirates of the Caribbean was still rising, and all the major scoring websites gave it a score higher than nine points. However, the score of Green Man in Rage fell to eight points in less than half a day and was still declining.
Edmund and his group were nervous.
All the people who took part in the bet got together again, but this time not for a celebration, as they were frowning.
“I saw Pirates of the Caribbean and Green Man in Rage this morning. I have to admit that Pirates of the Caribbean is very successful with excellent special effects and a fascinating story. As for Green Man in Rage, it was lacking many things.” A brush cut man said in a deep voice.
“Edmund, I know you don’t want to accept this conclusion, but that’s the truth.” Looking at Edmund, who was furious, a woman advised him.
“I saw the movie this morning. Their special effects are no worse than that of Green Man in Rage, and feel even more natural and real. It could not have been made by ordinary teams. They must have hired a top-level Hollywood team!”
“d.a.m.n it!” Edmund slapped the table hard, “I’ll punish them severely once I find out who they are.”
“It’s no use saying that now. Let’s wait for the box office results from all over the country of the first day. Maybe we can get a surprise at the box office!”
For commercial films, box office performance was the most important and public and critic evaluation was only the second.
They were really surprised by the box office results.
Around the world, their box office collection was the highest in more than half of the nations, but right after them was Pirates of the Caribbean and the gap between them was very small.
It was the first day for the two films.
The next day, in most parts of the world including North America, they lost to Pirates of the Caribbean at the box office.
On the third day, Pirates of the Caribbean topped the box office collection in all places.
Its hot topic index also ranked high in many regions of the world.
The whole Hong Kong film industry was very excited because the locally produced film even won against a Hollywood film.
The fourth day, the fifth day… up to the seventh day.
After a whole week, the box office collection of Pirates of the Caribbean were twice as high as that of Green Man in Rage!
In the first week, the box office collection of Green Man in Rage went down sharply and never recovered.
Edmund, the producer of Green Man in Rage, the gamblers, and the elders behind them, were all nervous.
The producers, in particular, couldn’t help blaming Edmund’s uncle for his involvement.
They were not bullying others but instead being bullied.
On the eighth day, Edmund, the gamblers, and their elders came together to discuss.
They had an hour’s negotiation and the whole process was seemingly casual.
Edmund’s uncle held up his gla.s.s and said, “For our victory.”
“Cheers!”
On the other side, Edmund said with a smile, “After all, money speaks the most in this world. Purple Moon Entertainment Company is doomed to fail! However successful you are at the box office, you can’t afford the 500 million dollars.”
The profit of 500 million dollars was enough for many people to do a lot of things!
In the second week…
The box office list of all regions in the world was once again dominated by Green Man in Rage. At the same time, it had received far more favorable reviews in various regions, more so than Pirates of the Caribbean.
In the third week…
Liu Qingfeng came to Hong Kong to take over Purple Moon Entertainment Company temporarily. He made plans and gave orders as swiftly as an ancient general.
In China and the other areas related to Liu Qingfeng, the box office of Pirates of the Caribbean had been breaking the record and there were no empty seats in all the theaters.
The same situation occurred in Singapore and some other places.
Liu Qingfeng said, “Don’t you want a capital compet.i.tion? Come on!”
“Bang!”
Edmund’s side was furious.
A box office battle broke out.
In the first week, the total global box office of Pirates of the Caribbean was 200 million dollars, while that of Green Man in Rage was 120 million dollars. In the second week, Pirates of the Caribbean gained 300 million dollars, while Green Man in Rage gained 500 million dollars. In the third week, the box office of Pirates of the Caribbean was 700 million dollars, while that of Green Man in Rage was a bit more than 600 million. In the fourth and last week of the agreed time limit, the global box office of Pirates of the Caribbean had reached 2 billion dollars, while that of Green Man in Rage reached 1 billion dollars.
It was crucial to note that the box office of Pirates of the Caribbean rocketed up on the last day.
Edmund and the others who were ready to celebrate were stunned.
They were taught a cruel lesson by their rival in the capital compet.i.tion.
In one month, Pirates of the Caribbean gained 3.2 billion dollars, while Green Man in Rage earned 2.22 billion dollars. All kinds of expenses, including handling fees, derived from this huge a.s.set were high.
Especially the 500 million dollars lost.
Originally, they planned to pay all kinds of fees with the 500 million dollars they would win from the bet, and the remainder would be their profits. But they didn’t expect that Purple Moon Entertainment Company to win in the end!
After the first month ended, Citibank confirmed the news and then transferred 950 million dollars to Purple Moon Entertainment Company’s account.
Because they won the bet!
“What shall we do?” Edmund was pale, limp, and sweaty.
He was at a loss and didn’t know what to do at this moment.
He couldn’t afford the nearly two billion dollars invested by many parties and the 500 million he lost on top of that.
His uncle was smoking a cigar with a poker face, who after some time, walked slowly to Edmund.
“Pa!”
He slapped his nephew mercilessly.
Edmund fell to the ground as he bled from the corners of his mouth.
He was stunned.
“How is this possible? How can a new company be this powerful?”
Edmund yelled at his uncle.
“It must be a trap! We have been framed! They can’t be so powerful!”
Edmund’s uncle listened to his rant with an indifferent look.
In the end, he replied in a cold voice, “Stop dreaming. Do you know how many forces they are related to? Do you know why we gave up in the end? You are too naive with a low IQ! We can’t win even if we doubled our money in the face of their cooperation!”
“Bang!”
Edmund looked like he had been hit by lightning.
His uncle continued, “You are solely responsible for the loss you have brought to the family. You’re on your own now!”
Then he left with the same poker face he displayed.
The same thing happened to Edmund’s friends, who now all hated him very much.
They shouldn’t have been involved in such a thing or they wouldn’t have to pay so much.