Chapter 294: On-Site Reaction

Chapter 294: Chapter 294: On-Site Reaction

Irene Coppola emerged from the residential building office and walked slowly along the street. After just a few steps, she arrived at a familiar cinema.

On the "Blockbuster of the Day" display board at the entrance, the poster for Pirates of the Caribbean occupied most of the space. Captain Jack Sparrow’s tilted head and smirk were particularly eye-catching.

Robert and Hill were already waiting on a bench at the cinema entrance, holding movie tickets in their hands.

Seeing her approach, Hill immediately stood up to greet her: "MGM invited you to the premiere and you didn’t go, yet you come to the cinema to watch it privately. I really don’t understand you."

Irene took the ticket from Hill’s hand. "I wasn’t free then, and besides, only by coming to the cinema can one truly know the word-of-mouth reputation of this movie among the audience, right?"

Robert smiled upon hearing this: "I specifically observed the screening schedule just now. In this cinema alone, Pirates of the Caribbean accounts for 40% of the screenings today, while Die Another Day accounts for 52%.

A new movie release will certainly maximize its screening volume, so our movie’s proportion will be relatively lower. This is normal. If the box office and word-of-mouth for 007 are not as expected after this week, it will definitely be adjusted next week."

Irene nodded thoughtfully.

As the three of them walked into the cinema lobby, they were immediately jostled by the oncoming crowd.

Even though it was only noon, the cinema was exceptionally lively on the weekend. Audiences in casual wear walked in groups of two or three.

Irene even spotted several people with dreadlocks and tricorn hats at a glance, looking exactly like Captain Jack Sparrow. They were joking with each other while holding popcorn, clearly loyal fans on their second viewing.

Irene’s gaze swept across the ticket window, where a long queue had already formed.

Fortunately, Robert had arrived early and bought the tickets first; otherwise, they would likely have been added to that line.

While moving forward in the queue, Irene’s attention was drawn to a couple in front of them.

The boy was tall and holding a canvas bag, while the girl held his arm and was touching up her lipstick. The two were quietly debating something.

"Aren’t you the biggest fan of James Bond? A new movie is out and you’re not watching it?" The boy frowned, his tone tinged with helplessness. "Didn’t we already see Pirates of the Caribbean last week?"

"That’s different!" The girl tucked her lipstick into her bag and looked up at him.

"Captain Jack is so interesting—he’s both quirky and reliable. The Little Blacksmith is also much more handsome than James Bond’s eternal poker face! Besides, Bond escapes danger every time; it’s all a formula. You know the ending as soon as it starts. It’s not interesting at all."

The boy helplessly put his arm around her waist and sighed: "Fine, fine, we’ll do as you say." He turned to the ticket seller and said, "Two tickets for Pirates of the Caribbean, please. Thank you."

The ticket seller looked down at the schedule and looked up: "I’m sorry, sir. The seats for the upcoming screenings of Pirates of the Caribbean are almost full. Only some corner seats are left. Can you accept those?"

The boy’s face instantly fell: "Oh great, the view from the side will definitely be bad. I told you to leave the house earlier, but we wasted half the day, and now even the good seats are gone."

"I only spent time on my makeup to go out with you!" The girl immediately retorted, stomping her foot. "Forget it, forget it. We won’t watch Pirates. Let’s switch to 007!"

The boy nodded helplessly. Holding their tickets for Die Another Day, the two turned toward the screening hall. The girl was still quietly complaining about the boy’s lack of consideration for her.

Watching this scene, the corners of Irene’s mouth curled up slightly.

Robert also looked over and said in a low voice: "The choice of this young couple is more real than the box office data we look at."

Hill: "It seems your Pirates of the Caribbean is truly popular, Irene."

The three of them took their tickets and walked into the screening hall for Die Another Day. As soon as she crossed the threshold, Irene’s gaze quickly swept over the entire room.

The hall wasn’t small, with a capacity of about two hundred people. At the moment, it was more than half full, with empty seats scattered in various corners.

For a blockbuster carrying the gold-standard ’007’ brand that had just been released, such an attendance rate could only be described as mediocre. It was far from the explosive popularity of Pirates of the Caribbean next door, where only corner tickets remained.

"It’s quieter than expected." Robert raised an eyebrow and whispered to Irene and Hill, "After all, it’s a classic IP. It shouldn’t be this deserted."

Hill found a seat in the middle-back row and sat down: "It might be because the impact of Pirates in the same slot is too great, siphoning off a lot of younger viewers."

Irene didn’t speak. She just sat in a middle seat and draped her coat over the back of the chair.

The lights in the hall gradually dimmed, the screen lit up, and the familiar black pistol logo appeared. Accompanied by the stirring 007 theme song, the movie officially began.

Irene had seen this film in her previous life. The plot progression and twists were all etched in her mind.

Watching it again now, she felt no waves of excitement throughout; she was simply observing the reactions of the surrounding audience.

The opening scene where Bond infiltrates a North Korean military base was fairly engaging. The hall was quiet, with only the rustling of popcorn bags.

A middle-aged man in a hat in the front row was very immersed, nodding from time to time and muttering:

"Still the same old Bond, the action scenes are intense." His wife beside him, however, seemed a bit bored, her fingers sliding gently across her phone screen, occasionally looking up for a few seconds before quickly looking back down.

Before long, the plot entered the middle act, and the maneuvering between Bond and the two Bond Girls felt slightly sluggish.

Two boys behind Irene began to quietly criticize. Their voices weren’t loud, but just enough for her to hear clearly.

"This villain’s setup is too clichéd. Wanting to monopolize energy again? Can’t we get something fresh?" The boy on the left chewed on popcorn, his tone full of disdain.

"And this romance line, she falls for Bond for no reason, without any buildup." The boy on the right agreed, "Compared to Captain Jack’s morally ambiguous charm, Bond’s ’heartthrob’ persona is getting old, isn’t it?"

"Don’t even mention it. When we were picking a movie just now, I wanted to choose Pirates. My buddy insisted on dragging me to 007, saying we can’t abandon the nostalgia."

"Can nostalgia put food on the table? Look at these special effects; they aren’t even as shocking as the ship battle scenes in Pirates."

The two of them went back and forth, their criticisms precise and sharp. Irene couldn’t help but chuckle inwardly. If these two were movie critics, they might actually make a name for themselves.

There were several important action sequences in the middle, such as Bond driving a hovercraft in a chase across the ice and fighting the villain bare-handed.

The hall instantly fell silent, and many audience members held their breath.

A young man in a jacket in the front row watched with clenched fists, whispering in amazement:

"This action choreography is good! Looks like they spent money on it; the plot is thrilling enough!" Several boys nearby also nodded, clearly drawn in by the dense rhythm of the fighting.