Chapter 90

In 2001, China had just joined the WTO, on the verge of an economic boom, and the overall national economy was still underdeveloped.

Even a poor country can have a large number of rich people.

The poorer the place, the larger the wealth gap could be.

Moreover, during the twenty-year market economic wave of reform and opening up, a large number of tycoons were created.

Among them, some people are ambitious and relentless in their struggle.

Yet even more people lose themselves in wealth, indulging in decadence day after day, being as extravagant and showy as possible.

With an investment of over a hundred million US dollars, a Sino-American co-production, the world's first mecha-themed effects blockbuster premiered, which was still not a huge stimulation for these people.

But the world's first IMAX movie with super shocking visual effects, with only five IMAX screens globally all located in China, this gimmick was relatively attractive.

During the preview stage, IMAX ticket prices had risen six- to sevenfold, even though many wealthy people had not yet noticed.

But with extensive media and online promotion, finally some wealthy people realized that this ticket, whether for personal viewing or giving to friends or superiors, was very prestigious!

For a time, under the China Film Red Ribbon theater chain, the advance sale tickets for the opening day of IMAX theaters in the five cities of Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Chengdu, and Wuhan were almost instantly sold out.

On the black market, however, the original twenty-one IMAX movie tickets started at two hundred each.

Some bold and ruthless scalpers could even sell them for three hundred each.

Shanghai, real estate developer Chen Shifu shouted into the phone, 'Three hundred, these bastards really dare to ask for it! Give it to them, give it to them—remember, two tickets, and they must be for prime time!'

His assistant, after negotiating with the scalpers a couple of times, said again on the phone, 'Um, Mr. Chen, prime time, four hundred per ticket!'

'Four—'

Chen Shifu was so angry he almost choked, thinking he was already ruthless enough, never expecting someone to be even more ruthless than him.

For those twenty-one movie tickets, they dare to ask four hundred each just by reselling.

If it weren't for the past few years when he cleaned up his act and started a big business, he would have considered leading a gang of brothers to wipe out these scalpers and then take over the operation himself.

'Give it to them, give it to them!'

After Chen Shifu finished speaking, he added, 'Add two more tickets, but not at the same time!'

The assistant was stunned, still thinking that Mr. Chen had gotten romantic, wanting to take his lover to see a movie!

But he didn't know that what Chen Shifu was thinking was that the original two tickets were meant to buy for Secretary Song's daughter.

The additionally added two tickets could be given to Secretary Song himself!

Whether he himself leads people to watch it or gives it to others, he ultimately must remember this favor he owes.

Although it's not enough to let him completely cling to that big tree, the more things he can do for the other party, the more opportunity there will be.

In Guangzhou, inside the office of a toy factory boss, a boss wearing a vest, shorts, and slippers, holding a stack of opening-day IMAX theater tickets for *Pacific Rim*, slapped them a few times and said, 'During this period, everyone has indeed been working hard, so I'll reward the team with two *Pacific Rim* IMAX movie tickets each!'

'Wow, boss, long live the boss, you're great!'

'Really, I've been queuing for ages and still couldn't get one—boss, you really moved me!'

The boss waved his hand and continued: "It's not just about going to see a movie, there's a mission; you must remember the features of every mecha and every monster in the film—whether we can make a fortune hinges on this time, you know!"

But he too was belatedly aware, because he had been busy with other orders; by the time he noticed the news that Pacific Rim was about to premiere, the advance screening in Guangzhou had already ended.

An employee brought him photos of the mecha downloaded from the Pacific Rim promotional website; upon seeing them, his eyes lit up instantly, and he hurriedly ordered everyone to gather related materials.

Unfortunately, although the mecha photos on the website are high-definition, they are basically just close-up detail shots.

In the premiere promotional clip, the 'Wanderer' could be seen in full, but because it was a night battle, the video quality was poor and many parts were too blurry.

The boss then thought of letting a few core staff go watch the film—as a reward for their work on the previous order—and also prepared to knock off the mecha and monster toys from Pacific Rim, aiming to make a big profit.

Although he himself hadn't seen it yet, based on his years of business acumen, he judged that such mecha toys would surely sell very well.

Moreover, in Guangzhou there were many toy manufacturers who shared his idea, all rolling up their sleeves and gearing up for a big score.

Some even gave up the domestic market altogether, aiming directly overseas, having struck deals with distributors in Southeast Asia, the United States, and elsewhere; after Pacific Rim's release, the factory would immediately knock off the mecha and monster toys, then ship them overseas to market.

One could say that too many people were circling the potential profits from this film, lying in wait to act.

July 13, Pacific Rim officially premiered in China's Neidi, Xianggang, Treasure Island, Beimei, Japan, the UK, and other regions where revenue sharing applies.

Because there was no midnight showing, and after extensive promotion over a long period, many theaters' 8:30 a. m. screening became the earliest showtime for Pacific Rim.

In China, in front of cinemas in the commercial districts of major cities, lines instantly formed, filled with eager-looking youths.

Especially those who held IMAX theater tickets and had brought their girlfriends—they were practically bursting with pride.

If only there were Moments back then; otherwise they'd definitely have posted a few updates!

Upon entering the theater, viewers who had watched the IMAX version were already beside themselves with excitement upon leaving, and they all turned into 'walking advertisements,' recommending the film to friends and family.

Of course, doing so also had an element of showing off.

After all, anyone who pays even a little attention to the film market knows how hard the tickets are to get and how high the scalpers' prices are.

Even some couples who were lucky enough to buy IMAX tickets at face value early on ended up being persuaded by scalpers' 'high-price buyback' offers and resold the tickets at 150 yuan each.

A young couple took three hundred yuan, happily went to the mall, and the scalpers turned around and sold the tickets at 250 yuan each to a sucker named Lawyer Zhang Wei.

One could say that after the film's release, even 'explosive' couldn't describe its fervor; only 'blazing' would do.

Because on the third day of the film's release, namely Sunday night, the IMAX playback equipment in a certain theater malfunctioned from prolonged continuous use, causing the audience inside to become uproarious.

An excited audience member shouted, 'I paid a high price for that ticket from a scalper, and I drove over a hundred kilometers just to see the IMAX version—now you're telling me it's broken and can't be shown?'

No way, it has to be shown!

The viewers in the theater basically all made that demand, cursing the staff to tears, and could only go find the manager.

But when the manager arrived, he too could not solve the problem, so he could only send someone to contact the manufacturer for technical support while trying to calm the audience.

But the audience wouldn't listen to that; each one was fuming, rolling up their sleeves, and it looked like a violent clash was imminent.

The theater manager, utterly helpless, fell to his knees with a thump before the audience!

(End of chapter)