The Wolf of Los Angeles.

Chapter 16 Applause

Entering the screening room, Robert took a casual look and found that the audience was about half full.

He did not go to the front row, but sat in the last row, and said to Catherine and Eric: "You can do whatever you want, you don't have to accompany me."

Catherine and Eric exchanged a few words and sat on the other side of the aisle.

Robert took off his woolen coat and found that many people in the front row were drinking coffee. He said to his subordinates, "Simon, go buy a cup of coffee."

Simon came to the sales counter and saw some instant black coffee in paper cups on the counter. He asked, "Is this the only kind?"

"There's only this one." Mason explained, "Coffee is free when you watch a movie. The director pays for it."

He took a cup: "How many cups do you want?"

Simon asked for a cup of coffee, returned to the screening room, handed it to Robert, and explained: "The theater only has instant coffee, which the crew prepared."

Robert took a sip and said, "Using coffee to attract audiences is quite clever."

He gave orders: "Distribute the questionnaires and collect them after the movie. Don't come back. Just find a place to sit."

This is a common practice, and the four subordinates left one by one.

The doors closed and the show began.

In the middle of the third row, Hawke also received a questionnaire and a complimentary pen.

The questionnaire is the simplest post-screening rating, with the highest score being five stars.

Hawke was relieved that no accidents had occurred for the time being.

Regardless of whether the deal can be closed in the end, he is sure to make a profit on this business.

The audience, who had drunk strong black coffee, were full of energy. Lunch and cash prizes were hanging in the balance. Even though the movie was full of Mexicans, most of them still kept their eyes fixed on the screen.

One of the older girls felt bored and yawned.

The little girl next to her glared at her sister, as if she was trying to steal her pocket money.

The girl quickly straightened her posture and watched the movie seriously.

On the other side of the aisle, the bearded man noticed that the person in front of him had his head tilted to one side, so he kicked him under the seat, and the person immediately sat up straight.

Simon chose a seat and, in addition to watching the movie, his eyes would occasionally glance at the audience.

Simon was not very interested in the movie which was full of Mexican-Americans. What surprised him was that the white audiences nearby were very engaged and stared at the screen intently.

The other three people were in similar situations, but they were not surprised. In the past, they thought the films were not good, but after they bought them, there were so many films that the audience liked.

After the film opened, Robert never touched his coffee cup again.

The plot of this film is very neatly developed, with a standard three-act structure. The subject matter is also the prodigal son's return, which is popular among Hollywood and American audiences. It also involves family and friendship. Although the production is a bit rough, the cost is there, and it wouldn't be much better if it was replaced by a Hollywood company.

The only question is, why isn't the protagonist white?
Robert hasn't seen a movie like this for several years. He remembers that the last time he saw it, many viewers left early.

But the expected early exit did not occur.

Robert looked over from the last row and saw that most of the audience was paying close attention, with only a few even going to the bathroom.

This was somewhat unexpected.

Even until the end of the movie, no audience member left early.

Robert thought about it, with the development of the equal rights movement, the audience has become more accepting?

Or was it that the plot of this movie, which reflects the common problems of drugs and dealers faced by lower-class communities, resonated with these people?
As the movie reached its end, Catherine breathed a sigh of relief. The audience members did not leave early, and Robert did not leave early either.

Although there wasn't any exciting or explosive atmosphere, the ambience for watching movies quietly was really good.

Catherine began to think about it. She thought that there was a good chance that the copyright of the film could be sold to recoup the investment and even generate a profit.

She couldn't help but glance at her boyfriend. Besides being a flatterer, this guy also had real talent and could really help her improve her status.

The film ends at this point and the credits appear.

Hawke, who had been preparing for a long time, was the first to applaud, and the people around him followed suit, and the applause spread throughout the theater.

The entire audience was applauding.

Hawke was the first to stand up and give a standing ovation!
There had been prior communication, and the people around stood up and applauded. At the back left, Larson stood up, leading the people nearby to stand up one after another.

Elsewhere, four deputy captains, Brand, and the bearded man stood up one after another.

The people around them all stood up and applauded.

Theater audience, all stood up and applauded!
The applause continued for half a minute, one minute...

Catherine remembered Hawke's instructions and pulled Eric: "Idiot, go and take your bow!"

All the actors in "D.C. Heights" were hired temporarily, and there was only one person, the director, in the crew in front of and behind the scenes.

Eric had never experienced such a scene before. The applause made him feel nervous. He stood up and ran to the front. In the middle, he was so nervous that he almost fell down.

Hawke thought this guy was acting, and secretly sighed that it effectively increased the sense of reality.

As a rookie director, I was excited, shocked, and flustered to receive such recognition...

Eric stood in front of the screen, facing the audience, and bowed.

Hawke still stood up and applauded, and he applauded harder, and the people around him applauded even harder.

In the cinema, the applause became even louder.

Eric could only stand up and bow again.

Hawke looked down at his phone on the cup holder. It was less than four minutes, so he was in no hurry.

So, the applause continues.

The warm atmosphere spread to the back row. Robert slowly stood up and clapped his hands gently.

Everyone has their own criteria for judging movies.

As a film company business manager, Robert's standard is simple: a movie is good if it is liked by first-line audiences.

Because this is what makes it commercially valuable.

In the past, films that enjoyed such warm applause from the audience at film festivals were mostly successful.

The gazes of Larson, Bearded Man and the others passed through the figures and fell on Hawke, and they began to curse in their hearts.

Nothing else, my palms are a little sore from clapping for too long.

In front of the screen, Eric bowed once again, muttering in his heart, "It's not over yet? Are they going to clap their hands to pieces?"
Hawke kept track of time, and at the six-minute mark, he stopped clapping and sat back in his seat.

The applause gradually died down and everyone sat down one after another.

In fact, Hawke is still a bit conservative. In another five or six years, this will turn into a business at the three major European film festivals, and applause for more than ten minutes will not be uncommon.

"Thank you! Thank you!" Eric thanked loudly.

Applause broke out again.

After the film ended, the audience left one after another. Robert's subordinates stayed near the exit, collecting as many rating questionnaires as possible to obtain the most intuitive first-hand data as quickly as possible.

Simon was collecting questionnaires when a bearded man suddenly came over and whispered, "Let me ask you something. You came from Hollywood. Have you heard that Winona Ryder stole the underwear Bill was wearing in the zipper door?"

This question stunned Simon. He thought, I have never heard of this. How could he, an insider in the industry, not be as well-informed as movie fans?
Hawke, who came over from behind, quickly stuffed the scoring questionnaire into another person's hand and walked away.

The audience left the theater and headed to Alpine Pizza in high spirits.

We have done everything we can here, and Hawke cannot be affected by the rest, so we went to the pizza shop together.

He kept his word and took out the $10 that Bill had already exchanged and distributed it to each person.

The film festival has just begun and we will need these people later.

The bearded man walked through the crowd, found Hawke, handed him a can of beer, and clinked glasses with him: "Here's to you, buddy!"

Hawke drank, bumped fists with him, and toasted with the silent Brand.

Brand suddenly remembered that the $1000 spent on the party fell on George Hansen's head.

　Double monthly tickets, please give me a few, thank you so much.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)