When the FZ subtitles came down, applause came from all directions like a tide.
Nanaya slowly stood up and expressed his gratitude to the people around him who praised him.
Investing in movies is like playing the lottery, the risk is high with a big investment.
There are too many factors that affect whether a movie can be a huge hit, and almost no one can guarantee it before the results come out.
Even though Nanaya has tried his best, there is no guarantee what the box office results will be.
If North American audiences don't like this story, then the film will be a complete flop.
It is not impossible that this could happen.
However, judging by the audience's reaction at the preview, Nanaya can confirm that the FZ film will definitely not fail.
Even if it doesn't sell as well as UBW did last year, recovering costs shouldn't be a problem.
Don't say Nanaya is a coward. In fact, the goal of most movies before they are released is to break even.
Grand scenes and big productions can guarantee a certain degree of topicality, but how far this ship named FZ can go on the sea depends on the efforts of all parties.
But there is no doubt that the quality of the ship itself is definitely the most important factor.
The specific statistics of the preview will not be available until later, but Washimine Entertainment's observers scattered throughout the theaters have already begun recording the words and deeds of everyone around them.
Whether it is a professional film critic, a theater representative, a media reporter, or even a very ordinary movie fan, the feedback from each of them is very important to Washimine.
"Congratulations, director. You have made a great masterpiece."
Crew member Dwayne Johnson walked over first and gave Nanaya a hug.
"Thanks..."
Nanaya felt like his ribs were about to be broken by this big guy.
Facing the prolonged applause, Shiki Matsuno on the side was quite emotional, "Nanaya, do you still remember what you said when you introduced yourself in class?"
"Which sentence?"
"You said you would definitely become the audience's favorite!" Shiki took the initiative to shake hands with Nanaya, "Now you have done it."
"Thank you, I remember you were the first..."
Nanaya wanted to talk more with Shiki Matsuno, but more people came over.
"Nice work, Nanaya Kiryu."
"Great! Our cinema chain will strongly promote this movie."
"Thank you. Thank you, everyone."
Faced with those who came to congratulate him, all Nanaya could do was respond with a smile.
"Director Kiryu..."
Just as the applause gradually faded, Nanaya saw the old friend from AMC Theaters walking towards him.
The other party's attitude is very clear.
"I love FZ movies and I will highly recommend them to the company."
"Thank you!"
Nanaya shook the hand he extended to him and exchanged a few words with him.
The relationship between him and AMC is a mutually beneficial one. As long as his movies can sell, these theaters will always lick his boots.
What if the next seven nights have a few consecutive flops like Spielberg did?
Naturally, when the father dies and the mother remarries, everyone has to take care of themselves.
Representatives from other theater chains also came over to congratulate him, and Nanaya shook hands with each of them and thanked them.
Cinema chains have not had a good time in recent years, and most of them have been operating at a loss.
Why after the success of "Avatar", North American theaters suddenly became keen on 3D movies.
In addition to the fact that the technology has finally matured, the biggest reason is that they have finally found an opportunity to increase box office revenue in a legitimate way.
"Director Kiryu, this movie is really great. I love it."
Nanaya saw a woman with a reporter badge on her chest squeeze through the crowd and come to his side.
"Thank you."
Nanaya felt that the other person looked familiar, but there were so many people coming today that he couldn't remember where he had seen the other person.
"Can I have a brief interview with you?"
Miss Katsushira had a sweet smile on her face.
"In a moment. There will be a media event later."
Nanaya answered the beautiful reporter's request with a smile, then elbowed the grinning Shiki in the stomach.
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The results of the preview were quickly tallied up, and after receiving the statistics, representatives from each theater chain rushed back to their head offices to report.
The large-scale release of Fate Zero is approaching, and each theater needs to come up with a filming plan as soon as possible.
At the AMC Theaters headquarters, company executives led by President Delinwood immediately met with their chief film expert.
"The special effects are excellent. This 3D effect is not only very good, but also not tiring to watch."
Facing so many company executives, George spoke confidently.
"I believe this movie will be a big hit."
George's past achievements convinced the bigwigs at AMC what he said.
While listening to this guy's explanation, these people looked at the copy of the film investigation report that he brought.
Sitting at the head of the conference table, Delinwood asked aloud, "What are the specific statistics?"
"The word-of-mouth from professional film critics is 80% favorable," George replied. "As for audience word-of-mouth, 457 viewers participated in the survey, 376 of them rated it A or A+, and 52 rated it C or below."
"The number of bad reviews is a bit high." Someone replied.
"Most of those people are not very satisfied with the fact that Kiryu Nanaya is broadcasted in two parts again." George shrugged.
"For a movie, all the selling points are there. The special effects and story lines can satisfy the audience's needs." Delinwood nodded as he looked at the feedback materials.
For film companies, the key is that the movie sells well.
The reputation of a movie is only a prerequisite for box office data, and theater companies always want results.
"Since there haven't been any major commercial movies during this period, I think our company should focus on promoting this movie."
If the recommended movie is a big hit, you can get a substantial bonus.
Since it concerns his own wallet, George certainly hopes that the company will pay as much attention to FZ as possible.
"You also need to prepare peripherals in advance." The person in charge of the merchandise department reminded, "Last time during FSN, our peripherals were out of stock."
"Unfortunately... the 3D version is only available in IMAX."
Delinwood smacked his lips with some regret.
The ticket prices for 2D and 3D movies differ by almost half. If even the regular version of the movie is available in 3D, how much more money can the cinema chain make?
But this kind of thing is just something I can think about.
The modification of 3D projection equipment is a considerable cost. Given the uncertain market prospects, even if Delinwood himself wants to do so, he has no way to convince other shareholders.
"Then contact Washimine and tell him that we will try our best to give the film enough screens for the first week."
Delinwood used this sentence as the conclusion of the meeting.
Almost at the same time, major theaters in North America made the same decision as AMC Theaters and submitted it to Washimine as soon as possible.
Nanaya was not particularly surprised by this result. With two consecutive years of box office success, Nanaya has already established a considerable position in the cinema industry.
If it is an ordinary small director, even if the preview screening has great reputation, without the endorsement of a big company, the theater chain will not adopt the method of large-scale release.
But it's different for people like Nanaya who have past achievements. They have a track record of box office success, and their new movies have a good reputation. Of course, theaters are most welcoming to the works of such directors.
However, support from theaters alone is far from enough.
In this day and age, any film that wants to be a big hit needs publicity and hype.
With the end of the preview, FZ's pre-screening promotion entered the final sprint stage. The film's leading actors, led by 14 Masters and Servants, began to frequently appear on various major programs to promote the film.
Nanaya, who is the director, leading actor and producer, is naturally the one with the heaviest publicity responsibility.
There are all kinds of newspapers, magazines, promotional advertisements, and even TV programs, not to mention the conventional means of promotion.
Many reporters and media, and even Washimine's own team, have also come up with the idea of spreading rumors.
A publicist from Washimine proposed a plan to use the scandal surrounding Nanaya for publicity and hype.
This guy who didn't know what "If you don't commit suicide, you won't die" meant came up with two solutions:
One is to use the scandal between him, Ryan and Ori during the Chinese New Year to build momentum.
The other is to use the content of the movie to hype up a scandal where Illya and Nanaya had a real relationship during filming, and then use the love triangle in the first plan to drop a big bomb.
It's a pity that this plan, which could have been amazing, was stopped only on paper.
The person who called a halt was none other than Shion.
Moreover, from then on, no one in the publicity and promotion department saw this guy again.
Apart from this little episode, FZ's promotional plans are proceeding in an orderly manner.
As the release date draws closer, Washimine's publicity campaign becomes more and more intense.
Last year's Christmas box office battle allowed Washimine Entertainment to accumulate a lot of experience in the publicity and promotion department, and now they are all using it in the promotion of FZ's movie.
At the same time, Washimine, which has already established a firm foothold in North America, will naturally not be satisfied with making money only in North America and Japan. They have set their sights on the increasingly huge global box office market.
FZ's global publicity campaign is also very rapid. FZ's promotional advertisements can be seen in various countries and regions such as the United Kingdom, France, and Australia.
In Shion's opinion, this was a training exercise.
Because the production schedule for the first half of FZ was too tight, it couldn't be screened globally. But when the second half of FZ is released next year, she hopes it can be released simultaneously around the world.
In short, after experiencing all kinds of troubles.
On March 29, 2007, the last Thursday of March, the first part of the modern fantasy blockbuster "Fate Zero", which cost a whopping $150 million to produce, finally opened its doors at the AMC Theater in New York.