China Entertainment’s rescue plan is hard to come by

Chapter 877 Witch, you're here again?! [Two-in-One]

December 25th, 00:00 AM.

Los Angeles, AMC Century City theater.

A long queue had formed outside the IMAX theater, with moviegoers, some with friends and others with their girlfriends, crowding around the ticket gate, waving their tickets excitedly, ready to exchange them for 3D glasses from the theater staff before entering.

At this time in 12, moviegoers' enthusiasm for 3D movies had not diminished, especially for some big-budget special effects movies with large scenes, which they simply couldn't resist.

Despite the fact that 3D movie tickets cost almost twice as much as regular preview screenings, it still couldn't dampen the enthusiasm of moviegoers. Many trendy young movie fans even came with 3D glasses, showing they were well-prepared.

In the middle of the year, AMC Theatres in North America was acquired by Wanda Pictures for a record $32 billion. After six months of independent operation, it has gradually regained its former popularity.

Moviegoers don't care whether the theater chain is backed by the Chinese or the American; as long as the service is good and there are good movies to watch, it's worth the trip for them.

Especially during Christmas, a time of nationwide celebration in the United States, moviegoers experience a peak in their viewing experience.

Just five minutes past midnight, moviegoers began to emerge from the theater, each reluctant to return their 3D glasses. This left the waiting audience looking on with excitement.

"Hey bro, how was the movie?"

Some people have already asked the question impatiently.

"Absolutely fantastic, absolutely fantastic, truly the coolest sci-fi movie I've seen this year."

"Oh my God, really?"

"Seriously, it's fantastic. Americans don't lie to Americans. Tom Cruise's acting is superb, and even better is Crystal Liu. She's incredibly cool in it, especially in one scene."

"Oh, no, no, no, bro, don't spoil it, I'm about to go in and see."

"Sorry, I got too excited. I will definitely go again. Trust me, it will be worth the trip."

"Yeah, I'm really looking forward to it!"

The moviegoers leaving the theater were intertwined with those waiting to enter; some looked like they hadn't had enough, while others were full of anticipation.

The cinema manager wiped his sweat as he tallied the number of customers.

"An 85% occupancy rate, the same as 'The Hobbit' two weeks ago. It's unbelievable that this is a film directed by a Chinese director and starring a Chinese woman."

At this moment, this scene is being replicated endlessly in thousands of cinemas across the United States.

"Edge of Tomorrow" was released nationwide at midnight on December 25, 2012, North American time. Some key theaters also had a premiere screening that was almost simultaneous with the official premiere.

On the day of its release, the first batch of 4020 cinemas participated, covering the entire North American region, including Canada, the United States, and Mexico.

To be honest, the participation of so many theater chains far exceeds the combined appeal of Sun Yi and Liu Yifei in North America.

Given Starlight Entertainment's capabilities and the reputation of the two actors' past films, having over 3000 theaters in North America participate in the initial screenings is already a great honor.

After all, there are only about 5000 theaters in North America these days, and top Hollywood productions typically have around 4500 theaters in their first run.

It must be said that Warner Bros., as one of the film's investors, did contribute, but the bigger reason was the film's male lead—Tom Cruise.

Sun Yi's invitation disrupted Tom Cruise's filming schedule, causing him to miss out on two consecutive poorly received films. At that time, Tom Cruise's appeal in North America was still among the strongest.

Upon hearing that the male lead of the film was Tom Cruise, and that Sun Yi and Liu Yifei had already gained considerable fame in North America after numerous previous successes, the theater owners readily signed the contract.

At this time, Sun Yi and Liu Yifei had just finished attending the premiere banquet. They declined Leonardo DiCaprio's party invitation and were driven back to their home in Los Angeles by their driver.

I haven't been here for more than half a year, but thanks to the property management company's service, the house is clean and everything is fine.

As soon as Liu Yifei entered the room, she kicked off her high heels and ran to the dressing room to change her clothes.

Then I came out and started lying on the sofa scrolling through my phone.

"You haven't even unpacked your luggage?"

Sun Yi looked at Liu Yifei like this, his face full of helplessness.

Normally, their assistant Zhang Xin would help with these kinds of things, but today's schedule was really too tight. The two of them had just arrived in the United States in the morning, had a short rest at noon, and were going to attend the premiere in the evening. They didn't even have time to pack their luggage.

Zhang Xin and her assistant team were even busier, arranging pick-up and drop-off, picking up dresses, doing makeup, and so on. They were busy until the end of the premiere. Sun Yi saw that it was too late, so he let them go home and rest early.

At this moment, faced with two suitcases that were completely full, I didn't know where to start.

Liu Yifei seemed not to hear him, raised her head, grinned at Sun Yi, and dismissed him with a simple, "Honey, you're the best."

Later, perhaps feeling a pang of conscience and a bit guilty, he added a flying kiss.

"Mua~"

No, I'm tired too~
Two hours ago, Sun Yi was the center of attention, with movie fans and media reporters alike focusing all their attention on him.

I never expected to receive this treatment just two hours later!
Do you think I don't have a temper?

I quit.

I, a dignified director
Sun Yi tossed his suit jacket aside and casually sat down on the sofa opposite Liu Yifei, sinking into it completely.

Wow, that feels so good!

Liu Yifei was eager to go online to read movie reviews. Generally speaking, by this time, after the movie premiere, relevant movie reviews should have appeared online.

She had already seen a lot of movies in China, and now she was eager to know how North American audiences would react to the film, or rather, how they would view her as the lead actress.

I logged onto a movie review website and read two rather pointless ones when I noticed the room suddenly became quiet.

Shouldn't my brother be packing his luggage?
Why is it so quiet?
Look up.

The two suitcases stood perfectly intact at the door, but Sun Yi didn't touch them at all, and was comfortably nestled on the sofa.

After noticing her gaze, he deliberately turned his face away.

Oh dear, my husband is throwing a tantrum!
Liu Yifei pursed her lips, secretly smiling to herself, and suddenly felt that her husband was a little bit cute.

Like a little kid.

She casually put down her phone, tiptoed towards Sun Yi, and jumped into his arms as soon as she reached him.

Thankfully, the sofa is of good quality; otherwise, it might have fallen apart.

"Oh~"

Sun Yi had noticed Liu Tianxian long ago, but deliberately didn't turn around, mainly because he didn't expect her to pull such a move. He took the hit from "Fairy Sister" and let out a muffled groan.

To be fair, this young lady, who is 170cm tall, is quite plump.

"Honey~ are you tired?" Liu Yifei giggled, with a hint of triumph in her voice.

"No~"

"So you're angry?"

No, not at all.

"Tsk tsk, you're angry, but you won't admit it." Liu Yifei forcefully hooked her arms around him and offered her fragrant lips, muttering, "Kiss~ Hug~"

"Don't try that, it's not working, ugh~"

"Honey, I was wrong!"

After kissing and hugging, Liu Yifei pouted and took the initiative to admit her mistake.

Damn it, who can stand this! Sun Yi felt a surge of hot blood rush to his head, and his whole body went numb.

"Brother~ I shouldn't have left you alone. Your Sisi has admitted her mistake. Don't be angry anymore, okay?"

"I told you, I'm not angry."

Sun Yi stammered in response, not daring to meet the girl's gaze for fear of revealing his fear.

He really couldn't withstand that attack.

Hehe, got it!

Seeing Sun Yi's current behavior, Liu Yifei was secretly pleased. She smiled knowingly and asked softly:
"Honey, shall we pack our bags together?"

"Okay, fine."

A moment later, the two opened their suitcases.

"Honey, this is my change of nightgown; I need to put it in the master bedroom."

"Brother, this is my spare makeup bag. Please put it in the dressing room."

"This is my facial massager, honey, please put it in the bathroom."

For more than half an hour, Sun Yi ran back and forth between the rooms of his house, his brows drenched in sweat.

Sun Yi only realized what was happening after both of their suitcases were completely emptied.

It seems like Liu Tianxian only moved her mouth, and he did the rest all by himself.

This is no different from him tidying it up himself!

"Honey, are you tired?"

"What do you think?"

Sun Yi replied irritably, slumped onto the sofa, and at the same time, two little figures in his mind began to fight.

Black Sun Yi: You, you, why can't you learn your lesson? You've fallen for this little vixen's tricks again. Can't you have some sense of husbandly authority?

White Sun Yi: She's acting all cute and charming, who could resist her?

"Wow, honey, you've worked so hard."

Seeing Sun Yi like this, Liu Yifei came over again and even took the initiative to wipe Sun Yi's sweat.

"Do, do what?"

"Nothing much, you're all sweaty, you should take a shower."

"Phew~ I'll go after a short rest~"

"Honey, are you sure you want to rest for a while? If you want to shower now, I can shower with you."

"No more rest!"

Black Sun Yi: She's here again, you have to hold on!

White Sun Yi: Get lost! Let whoever wants to take the lead, I'm already giving in~
While Sun Yi and Liu Yifei were taking a bath at home, the midnight screening of "Edge of Tomorrow" had already ended, and a large number of moviegoers in 4020 theaters across the United States were leaving after watching the film.

Their faces were full of excitement.

"What an awesome movie! The battles between the mechs and alien creatures were so thrilling."

"And that landing battle, the scene was truly magnificent. I never expected that a Chinese director could film such a shocking scene."

"Tom Cruise is still so handsome, especially when he wears a military uniform."

“Crystal is even more beautiful. The way she does push-ups on the training field is simply breathtaking.”

"Yeah, and when she was fighting alien creatures in her mecha armor, it was so cool. I declare that from today onwards, I am her fan."

A wave of movie fans are discussing the plot of the film.

At around 3 a.m. North American time, a time when most people are already asleep, the internet was bustling with activity.

On IMDb and Rotten Tomatoes, the number of comments on the page for "Edge of Tomorrow" is growing rapidly.

"Tom Cruise's performance was arguably the best of his career, but what truly amazed everyone was Crystal Liu. She perfectly portrayed the perseverance and bravery of a Chinese female warrior, and the explosive power of the mecha close-quarters combat scenes left the audience breathless."

"Sun Yi, this director from the East, his films are full of Eastern philosophy. Time loops are not a gimmick, but an alternative reflection on victory and sacrifice."

"Who says Asian actresses can only play gentle roles? Liu Yifei is a battlefield queen! Her action scenes are even more impressive than Black Widow's!"

"Fortunately, the director managed to turn back time in the end, otherwise, if Crystal had died, I think I would have sent bullets to this Eastern director."

"I was basically holding my breath the whole time, speechless. This is a hardcore yet humane film, warm yet intense, which is amazing!"

"The scenes are grand, the special effects are exquisite, and the visual effects deserve a score of 90 or above, out of 100."

"Generally speaking, audiences often expect action scenes from sci-fi movies like 'Edge of Tomorrow' because these kinds of movies are often relatively weak in terms of plot. However, Sun Yi's 'Edge of Tomorrow' does not have this problem. In 100 minutes, the film creates the sci-fi concept of time loop. What is even more commendable is that he tells the story to us in its entirety."

Film reviews from different perspectives quickly emerged, including those from ordinary viewers and those from professional film critics.

Over 90% of the film reviews were full of praise for the movie.

The next morning.

Sun Yi and Liu Yifei were still fast asleep.

Suddenly, a cell phone ring broke the damned silence.

"Who is this? Ugh, so annoying."

Liu Yifei woke up groggily, and after discovering it was Sun Yi's phone, she nudged him a few times, then buried her head in the pillow and went back to sleep.

She was sore all over and hadn't recovered at all. For her, nothing was more important than getting some sleep.

Sun Yi seemed to be in good spirits, clearly having had a very enjoyable bath last night.

Hello!

"Oh boss, my God, we did it! You've made history!!"

Sun Yi half-opened his eyes, glanced at the caller ID, and replied with a helpless expression, "Tom, it's 6:30 in the morning. If you can't give me a satisfactory reason, then you'll have to say goodbye to your bonus this year."

"Oh, no, no, no, boss, you can't do this! I'm so excited! I have great news, fantastic news!"

"Then tell me quickly."

"The box office figures for our movie, which aired at midnight last night, have been released."

"So fast?"

"Of course, I specifically arranged for people to follow them overnight, and the statistics were just completed half an hour ago."

"Okay, your bonus is back. Now, tell me the result."

"Thank you for your comments, boss. 'Edge of Tomorrow' opened in 4020 theaters across the United States last night at midnight, grossing $8.2 million, breaking the $8 million midnight box office record set by 'The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King' nine years ago."

"Boss, you've made Hollywood history."

(End of this chapter)