319. Midway, Popping Champagne
Unlike its overwhelming dominance in the domestic market, The Tide of Demon Tide's box office performance overseas, especially in North America, is not optimistic.
First of all, as a long-running series, "Speed of Death 11" has a large number of loyal fans in North America, and the final installment of the series has generated a lot of hype. It can be said that if it weren't for "Demon Tide," the North American box office champion this year would undoubtedly be "Speed of Death 11."
Secondly, this film is the final installment of the series, but that doesn't mean the actors and producers aren't making any more. They already have similar racing-themed film plans for the future. This film is an ending, but not the end, so box office performance is quite important.
Furthermore, "Demon Tide" is a fantasy epic, a genre that isn't the most widely appealing even in Europe and America. Just as some viewers in China avoid ancient costume martial arts and fantasy films, some overseas viewers find knights and armor repulsive. Especially in North America, a place lacking historical depth, stories from their own lives are more captivating than distant fantasy. North America also has a strong car culture, and a young person's first car is very important. Therefore, in terms of genre, "Speed of Death 11" has an advantage.
Finally, the limited number of screenings is a major drawback.
"Speed of Death 11" had 47% of the screenings on its opening day in North America, while "Demon Tide" only had 17%, a difference of 30%. This is not something that quality or word-of-mouth can make up for.
If the total box office in North America on Christmas Day is $500 million, then the ceiling for "Speed of Death 11" would be more than $200 million, while the ceiling for "The Demon Tide" would be $80 million.
This can be seen from the pre-sale box office: "Speed of Death 11" had nearly $100 million in pre-sales on its first day, while "The Demon Tide" had less than $20 million.
North American audiences still lack confidence in "Demon Tide".
A few hours after "The Demon Tide" premiered in Jiangcheng, New York City in North America also reached midnight.
Two highly anticipated films have arrived as scheduled.
The New York Times even created a dedicated webpage to discuss the box office battle between the two films, providing real-time updates on their box office performance.
Just after midnight, when the first round ended, "Speed of Death 11" was leading by a huge margin.
In fact, anyone with even a slight understanding of movie box office figures can see that with such a disparity in screenings, "The Demon Tide" will definitely not surpass "Speed of Death 11". The opening day champion will undoubtedly be "Speed of Death 11".
By the time the film reached North America that evening, 24 hours later, the New York Times website reported that "Speed of Death 11" had grossed $130 million in North America, while "The Demon Tide" had grossed $40 million.
A special feature was shown on the Nasdaq screen, where a female host and two guests discussed two films.
"I think what ' The Demon Tide ' lacks is the portrayal of heroes. Throughout the film, we can only see the struggles of ordinary people, not a hero, a Transcendents surpasses everyone else. There are only martyrs. A film without heroes has no theme, and that is where it fails."
One of the guests commented.
"In comparison, ' Speed of Death 11 ' focuses on the relationship between the protagonist and his family. Compared to the relationship between people and the world, the emotions between family members are more touching, which is the reason for the success of ' Speed of Death 11 '."
Another guest added.
The female host, who was wearing glasses, looked at the audience after hearing the comments from the two guests.
"After listening to the views of the two guests, I have a few special things to say at this exciting moment."
She stood up, walked to the side, and stood in front of the screen displaying the real-time box office figures for both "Speed of Death 11" and "The Demon Tide." She began to speak vividly and engagingly.
"What's happening right now is absolutely crazy, right here in New York, in Times Square. This is unprecedented. Let me be specific. I want to talk to you about success. Success is all about growth, inheritance, continuation, and family."
"To succeed, you have to conquer yourself and the glory you have achieved. To succeed, you have to be knocked down countless times and still be able to stand up with your head held high. No one can interpret all of this better than the team behind 'Fast & Furious'."
"Cyril is one of the most bankable action movie actors in North America and the world, but despite his impressive track record, he has never achieved his dream of being the highest-grossing actor of the year, but he has never given up."
"Looking back, a few years ago, the box office of 'Fast & Furious' was always suppressed by superhero movies until six years ago when the highest-grossing film in the series was born. That summer, nothing could stop Cyril and his 'Fast & Furious,' even those superheroes that seemed to be mass-produced in a cannery were defeated by him."
"But as we later learned, the release of two films in the fall caused him to miss the chance to become the year's box office champion. This time, he couldn't even get second place. Worse still, he may have missed an opportunity that would never come again."
"Then came those popcorn superhero movies, one after another, like mountains blocking his way. But he and his 'Fast & Furious' never stopped fighting. In the previous film, he finally overcame his inner demons and defeated a superhero movie. And now?"
"We are just coming to the end of the first day of the most luxurious Christmas season. Before its release, 'Fast & Furious' was heavily criticized by critics who believed that Cyril and his racing films were in decline. Those critics praised Lu Ban, a director from the East, who claimed that he would achieve a top-five box office ranking in film history."
"But so far, we haven't seen the amazing quality that the legendary ' Demon Tide ' has shown. We haven't seen Lu Ban bring the audience a wonderful performance. What we have seen is the audio-visual feast brought to the audience by Cyril and his amazing racing skills."
"Everything has come to this day, the day the first day of box office closes. Inner demons can be overcome, dreams can be realized, and Cyril and his 'Fatal Speed' will prove his strength to the world, while Lu Ban and his ' Demon Tide ' will become the best backdrop on this road to victory."
"Let's wait and see, a new legend will be born."
The female host's impassioned speech drew many onlookers, while the screen behind her showed that in North America, "Speed of Death 11" crushed "The Demon Tide" at the box office on its opening day, becoming today's box office champion.
Just as this victory-like statement and video were circulating online and being shared in China, the domestic box office statistics for the first day were also released.