Over the following week, Shrek's screening share kept rising, climbing from 15% all the way to 30%.
As its screening share increased, its weekly box office reached $60 million.
What was more, its IMDB rating continued to rise, going from 7.7 to 7.9. It was flourishing across the board and utterly unstoppable.
If Shrek's performance had already been dazzling, then Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, which had only been out for a week, left countless people dumbfounded.
In its first week of release, it raked in $120 million at the box office.
It was no worse than The Mummy Returns' first-week box office performance.
Yet it achieved that with only a 25% screening share, and without any box office padding whatsoever, displaying the domineering aura of a true box office king looking down upon the world.
Lin Yuan had loved the Harry Potter film series in his previous life, and he loved it even more in this one.
After all, it was an ally that had helped him dig a hole and bury Director Sommers, even if it was merely an accidental coincidence.
He also happened to notice a detail: the actors in the Harry Potter film series were all British!
He had never noticed that in his previous life. Back then, he had merely been an ordinary viewer. Who would have been interested in finding out what country the actors came from?
It was said that, in order to preserve the Harry Potter film series' authentic British flavor, author J.K. Rowling had forcefully demanded that every actor be British. Americans, Canadians, and New Zealanders might all be Anglo-Saxon too, but they did not have that same flavor, so they could not be used.
That excuse might fool movie fans outside the industry, but to Lin Yuan, who was also an insider, it was laughable.
Since when did the original author have such a powerful voice?
This was clearly the result of maneuvering by British film industry capital. They needed a star product to mass-produce a group of British stars, so they spared no expense on this project.
Director Sommers could only see the production cost of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. He could not see the countless hidden sources of support behind it, but Lin Yuan saw them all clearly.
So Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone's success was not simply due to the film's quality. It was also because British film industry capital had gone all in on a desperate gamble to create gods.
After pouring so much effort into making this film, how could they possibly use foreign actors?
J.K. Rowling's objection was merely a fig leaf they had thrown out.
As a reincarnator, Lin Yuan naturally knew that the Harry Potter film series had supported 25% of British actors. From the leads to the supporting cast, they were all British. It truly fed an enormous number of people.
Never having appeared in Harry Potter could actually become an eternal pain for a British actor, proof that they had been excluded from the mainstream.
The reason Lin Yuan cared about this was that British film and television capital was not only powerful, but also a natural ally he could unite with.
Its power was evident in the later television series Game of Thrones, another masterpiece in which the British film and television industry copied the same formula.
That television series was advertised as an American show, yet nearly all of its actors were British. Calling it a British drama would have been more accurate.
And as for why they could be united, when facing the rigid-minded old white men of Hollywood, Lin Yuan needed more outside forces and support.
No matter what, British film and television capital was an excellent choice.
With that in mind, Lin Yuan extended an olive branch. Using his influence on IMDB, he helped guide the ratings of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone in a positive direction.
As a result, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone's IMDB rating quickly surged to 7.6. Together with Shrek's 7.9, it formed a pincer attack on The Mummy Returns, which had only a 6.4 rating, creating an overwhelming advantage in word of mouth.
As Harry Potter's performance exploded and further raised its screening share, it was inevitable that The Mummy Returns, whose screening share had already fallen to just 20%, would be squeezed even further.
It could be said that over the past week, the seemingly favorable situation for The Mummy Returns had been completely reversed.
Everyone could see that its defeat was certain.
But Director Sommers clearly had no intention of accepting his fate. He was still struggling desperately.
At the Egyptian Theatre, the cinema that had hosted The Mummy Returns' premiere and could be considered its home base, its screening share had fallen from as high as 60% to only 25%.
Director Sommers stopped the theater owner, Mr. Land, at the entrance to the lobby.
"Mr. Land, I'm begging you to give me more screenings. At least observe things for another two weeks. Don't rush to lower my screening share." Director Sommers' voice was somewhat humble.
At this point, he had no choice but to bow his head. The Mummy Returns' enormous promotional costs, coupled with its constantly declining box office—
If this continued, its goal of $600 million in worldwide box office would grow ever more distant. He certainly would not have an easy time afterward.
If he really lost to Lin Yuan, it would be absolutely unacceptable to him.
The Egyptian Theatre represented the attitude of hundreds of cinemas across California. If he could win over Mr. Land, he could stabilize the screening share.
"Director Sommers, on a personal level, I want to help you too. But this concerns hundreds of cinemas. No one can turn down money. Your request really puts me in a difficult position." Mr. Land rejected his request.
"What do I have to do for you to help?"
"Unless you guarantee the box office. If it falls short, you cover the difference yourself. Then I can consider maintaining your screening share." Mr. Land stated his condition.
"..."
Director Sommers hesitated. His previous self-purchased tickets had already cost him the savings he had accumulated over many years. If he now promised a box office guarantee, he could only mortgage his property for a loan.
If anything unexpected happened in the end, he would truly lose everything.
Should he go all out and gamble everything on this?
Director Sommers began to waver. Maybe I should just forget it. At the very least, I shouldn't leave myself with no way out.
"Well, well? Isn't this Director Sommers? You look just like a clown right now."
A piercing laugh rang out. That voice was one Director Sommers hated to the bone.
If it weren't for him, how would I have ended up like this?
His budget had been manipulated by him. He had been forced to shoulder enormous promotional expenses because of him, leaving him trapped with no way to back down.
He had also set a trap for him with the premiere date. At first, he had thought May 4 was the better date, never expecting it to be a hellish den of monsters.
"Lin! Yuan!" Director Sommers roared each word separately, his eyes bloodshot as he glared at Lin Yuan. "Damn it, why are you here?"
"I came with Director Cohen to visit Mr. Land. After all, our film will be released next month."
"You won't end well!"
"It'll definitely end better than it will for you! You're about to lose. That look of yours, like you can't accept defeat, is truly ugly." Lin Yuan's smile was full of mockery.
"No! I haven't lost yet! I still have a chance!"
"For the sake of our acquaintance, let me offer you some advice: stop now! Don't let yourself lose everything."
Lin Yuan naturally knew that saying this would only have the opposite effect, but that was exactly what he wanted.
"No! I will win. I will see the day you slink away in disgrace," Director Sommers said viciously, as though he had made up his mind.
He turned to Mr. Land, the theater owner. "I'll give you the guarantee. Please continue supporting me."
Seeing this, Lin Yuan merely sneered and said nothing. He knew Director Sommers was completely finished.
The road to hell had always been paved with extravagant hopes.
The wind atop the rooftop was truly biting...
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