Hollywood:Starting out as an MV director

"Texas Chainsaw Massacre" obviously wasn't going to admit defeat that easily. Although it didn't have the stunning tactics of "Saw," the large investment in U.S. dollars still garnered plenty of attention.

Shay said that since they couldn't make it universally known, they would focus their promotional efforts on targeted audiences.

Therefore, they bought ad space on various TV stations, specifically choosing to air their movie commercials right after horror and thriller films, maximizing their effect.

Meanwhile, "Scary Movie 3" entered its promotional frenzy in October.

With more funds available, their promotion was more direct, featuring funny and thrilling segments along with the title and a huge "3" that was enough to surprise casual viewers.

By the beginning of October, the promotion for the three films had already entered full swing.

Various discussions were popping up everywhere, even in schools where students were talking about which new movie they would watch.

"What movie are you planning to watch on Halloween, Milon?" asked classmate Keith after class. He was standing next to a few friends who also played basketball with him.

"I'm thinking of watching Saw," Milon answered honestly.

"Saw... Hmm, I think it might be a bad movie. I prefer Scary Movie 3," Keith said. He wasn't interested in the Saw series and didn't think the film would be all that scary.

Milon knew Keith was a muscle-headed guy, so he didn't argue.

However, one of Keith's friends spoke up: "I think Saw could be good, but honestly, Texas Chainsaw Massacre also has a chainsaw. I'm not sure which to choose."

"Definitely Texas—that actress is so hot, I can't wait to see her get chased down!"

"But isn't that a bit cheesy? I prefer Scary Movie—it's funny and thrilling, and I can take a girl to see it."

"Don't you think a girl would prefer something scarier? Texas or Saw—you want her to laugh and munch on popcorn instead?"

"Yeah... You're right, buddy. I should go for a scary movie. So, which is scarier?"

Milaon confidently replied, "Saw, no doubt. The scenes scared even the robbers."

The group exchanged glances. "You're right, Milon. No wonder you've got Judy under control."

"Hey, what do you mean by 'under control'!" Milon quickly refuted. "We're not..."

"Sure, buddy." Keith slapped him on the back. "Take Judy to Saw, and remember, push the armrest up in the middle of the seats! That way, she'll be able to crawl right into your arms!"

"Ha ha ha." The group burst into laughter, while Milon just blushed.

Meanwhile, Madden and Puchi were at Deval's store, recounting their recent encounter with Billy the Puppet.

"Look at this! This is it!" Puchi held up Billy the Puppet, operating it to show its creepy smile. "This expression is amazing. It almost feels like it's about to come to life."

Madden immediately covered Puchi's mouth. "Shut up."

"What's wrong? Are you scared? I just want to play a game with you!"

"Enough." Deval waved his hand. "No matter what you say, I'm still going to watch Scary Movie."

"Why? Are you a scaredy-cat?" Puchi always spoke his mind.

Deval shot him a glare. "I just feel like I've been played. The film crew made such a big deal with their promotion, and now my store's business is suffering."

"But don't you think that's cool?" Puchi shrugged.

"Honestly, Puchi, I want to see Texas Chainsaw Massacre," Madden said after some hesitation, sharing his thoughts.

"What's that? Don't you want to see the director of Saw's first movie?" This revelation came after the promotional ads appeared, and everyone learned that Saw's director was the Academy Award-winning cinematographer, Ethan Tang.

"I do... but I'm not into those super scary movies. I've been hearing about Texas since I was a kid, so it doesn't scare me as much anymore," Madden explained his preference.

Deval was even more straightforward: "If it were a music video directed by Ethan, I'd definitely collect it. But a low-budget R-rated horror movie? I'm not convinced it will be that good."

"Fine, fine, a bunch of traitors and scaredy-cats!" Puchi held Billy the Puppet in his left hand, mockingly asking, "What do you think, Billy?"

Billy's mouth opened and closed: "I think they all should accept the judgment of the Jigsaw."

"Stop doing the voice, Puchi. It's freaking scary," Madden said, gesturing to him to stop.

"Nope, Billy, let these guys be taken by Jigsaw!" Puchi scoffed, leaving the store.

Deval and Madden exchanged glances and shrugged.

Soon, the day before the movie's premiere arrived—October 16th.

That day, some Hollywood media outlets published polling data, which showed that among the three movies releasing for Halloween, Scary Movie 3 had an overwhelming lead in anticipation, with a 50% share.

Texas Chainsaw Massacre and Saw were tied for second place, both around 25%.

Many citizens said they would only choose one of the two movies—either Texas or Saw.

This caused Hollywood media to start speculating about the opening weekend box office of the two films.

Hollywood Reporter published their predictions: "According to box office data, Texas Chainsaw Massacre will open in 3,128 theaters, while Saw will open in 2,156 theaters.

"Although there's a significant difference in screen count, Saw's more widespread promotion and higher discussion rate still lead to a reasonable prediction that Texas Chainsaw Massacre's opening day box office will reach between 15 to 18 million dollars, while Saw's opening day box office will be between 9 and 13 million dollars."

In fact, the increase in Saw's screen count was due to the theater chains' response to the promotional efforts.

However, the media generally didn't believe that Saw would outperform Texas Chainsaw Massacre in the first week.

That's because Texas had a much broader base due to its well-known story, and with its one-day early release, it would undoubtedly make more in its first weekend.

As for the rest of the first week, it would depend on the quality of the films.

But from the media and critics' point of view, such low-budget R-rated horror films didn't have much quality; as long as they could tell the story and not waste blood, it was good enough.

And so, the day of the premiere finally arrived for Texas Chainsaw Massacre.

Ethan sat in the Lionsgate office, with Carl on his left and Jimmy on his right.

While Ethan appeared calm, the other two looked a bit anxious.

"Ethan, how much box office do you think Texas will make?" Carl couldn't stand the silence and spoke first.

"I don't know," Ethan raised his eyebrow. "Actually, you guys don't need to worry too much about the competitors' box office, because Saw will prove itself with quality."

"Ethan's always like this," Jimmy laughed, then looked at Ethan. "So, why did Lionsgate invite us over?"

Ethan leaned back in his chair, tapping his knee with his fingers. "They said they wanted to talk about a new contract."

"A new contract? Do they want to distribute our new movie?" Jimmy asked. He was referring to Little Miss Sunshine, a project Ethan had assigned to Greta but had been delayed due to trouble casting.

"Maybe," Ethan replied. As soon as he finished speaking, the door to the office opened, and Moria, the executive responsible for their film, entered with his assistant and secretary. After exchanging pleasantries, they got straight to the point.

"Actually, we want to talk to you about an investment in Norton Eye."

"Investment?" Ethan narrowed his eyes.

"Yes…" Moria spread his hands. "The board of directors is very optimistic about the development of Norton Eye and wants to invest in your company."

Ethan didn't hide the fact that he was the founder of Norton Eye, so Lionsgate had easily discovered this.

"But we don't need investment."

"Don't rush, just take a look at the agreement we've drafted," Moria said confidently, pulling out several pages and handing them to Ethan.

After reading through the document, Ethan raised his eyebrows. "A bet agreement?"

"Yes, a bet agreement," Moria replied.

It seemed that Lionsgate didn't want to invest directly; instead, they were taking an indirect approach.

"It looks like you really believe in Norton Eye."

Ethan said with a meaningful tone and handed the papers to Jimmy.

The agreement outlined terms for Norton Eye's next three films. First, these films would be promoted and distributed by Lionsgate, guaranteeing at least 2,000 screens. They would also provide a promotional budget at least equal to the film's production cost.

However, in return, the agreement required each film's box office to exceed $50 million. If any film failed to meet this target, Lionsgate would acquire 20% of Norton Eye's shares for $500,000.

That is to say, if the profits of all three movies do not exceed 50 million US dollars, then 60% of the shares of Norton's Eye will be sold to Lionsgate for 1.5 million US dollars.

But if the profit exceeds 50 million, Lionsgate will distribute the profit at a rate of 10%, which means that Lionsgate spends a lot of money but gets very little in return.

So Moria didn't think Ethan would resist the temptation of this gambling agreement.

And Ethan really had no choice but to accept this agreement.

After all, the subsequent films of Norton Eye are typical of small-scale bets on big gains, so why not take a chance?