Hollywood, I became a legend with special effects.

July 28, Los Angeles, 5:30 AM

David's dream was reaching a crucial moment when the cell phone on the bedside table started vibrating for the fifth time.

"Ugh... Stop messing around..." David mumbled as he turned over and buried his face in the pillow.

The phone persisted, vibrating incessantly, accompanied by the Empire March from Star Wars.

"Ahhh!" David suddenly sat up.

The screen displays: Tom Oldenburg, President of Distribution at Lionsgate.

5:23 a.m.

David's sleepiness vanished instantly. At this point, either the house was on fire or the box office had exploded.

He cleared his throat, trying to make his voice sound less like he'd just been woken up: "Tom? What is it?"

A series of rapid breaths came from the other end of the phone, followed by an almost piercing shout: "David! My God! The data! The data is out!"

"Calm down, what data? From 'Paranormal Activity'?" David rubbed his eyes; that ultra-low-budget horror film wasn't even released until November.

"The Witch! Two days this weekend! My God, I can't believe my eyes!"

David's heart began to race: "How much?"

「周六353万！周日285万！两天累计638万美元！排片只有1600块银幕啊！单馆票房接近4000美元！这他妈是什幺神仙数据！」

With a "bang," David excitedly slapped the bedside table, causing the bedside lamp to shake a few times.

"Say it again? 638 million? Two days?" David ignored the shards of glass on the floor and jumped off the bed barefoot, a feat that was nothing short of a medical miracle for someone his weight.

"Absolutely true! The theaters reported an average occupancy rate of 82% on Saturday night and 75% on Sunday! And the audience reviews are ridiculously positive, with a CinemaScore of A- and an 82% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes! Social media is exploding; young people are all talking about that Chinese girl! The GIF of her holding up the subway car in the subway station has gone viral!"

David walked to the window and drew back the curtains. Dawn was just beginning in Los Angeles, and the sky was beginning to lighten.

"Tom, what were your initial expectations?" He tried to keep his voice calm.

"Expectations?" Tom's voice on the other end of the phone was somewhere between laughter and coughing. "Our initial internal forecast was $1800 million to $2500 million in North America, and we'd be lucky to break even! Now we've made $638 million in just two days! Based on this word-of-mouth and trend, the marketing department predicts at least $4000 million in North America, and globally, including other markets, $8000 million is no problem—and that doesn't even include Greater China! David, Light Chaser Animation has struck gold again!"

After hanging up the phone, David stood by the window for a full minute.

Then he turned and rushed to the study; the computer had never taken so long to boot up.

refresh.

Refresh again.

Page redirection.

Weekend box office rankings (July 25-27)

1. The Dark Knight - $1.55 million (second week of release, monster)

2. *Mamma Mia!* - $2760 million

3. Hellboy 2 - $1930 million

4. *Space Chimpanzee* - $710 million

5. "The Witch" - $638 million

It's written in black and white, right there in the book.

"Holy shit," David muttered.

He grabbed his phone, found the number at the very top of his contacts, and dialed it.

.....

At the BJ China World Trade Center, Jiang Yu was holding a meeting in the conference room, the atmosphere serious.

Yang Siwei stood in front of the projection screen, holding a laser pointer: "...China Film Group has basically finalized the deal; they will strive to release 'Black Swan' simultaneously or nearly simultaneously. However, Darren's films always have rating issues, so we need to prepare editing plans in advance. In addition, the censorship opinions from the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television are..."

"Buzz—Buzz—"

Jiang Yu's phone, which was on the table, started vibrating wildly. The caller ID read: David.

The meeting room fell silent instantly, and everyone's eyes were fixed on the phone.

Yang Siwei stopped reporting and looked at Jiang Yu.

Jiang Yu made an apologetic gesture and answered the phone: "David, it should be... midnight in Los Angeles right now, right? What happened?"

The voice coming from the other end of the phone was so loud that it could be heard without speakerphone; it was David's excited, hoarse roar:

「Boss！638万！周末两天638万！单馆近4000美元！烂番茄82%！观众评分A-！狮门预测北美4000万全球8000万！」

The executives exchanged glances, while Yang Siwei's mouth agape slightly.

Jiang Yu's expression remained calm, though a slight smile played at the corners of his lips. "What's the exact number?"

「周六353万！周日285万！638万！姜，你听见了吗？638万！一部华语片！这个数据比很多好莱坞中小等成本的片子都好！院线已经在要求增加排片了！狮门明天就会宣布扩大到2000块银幕！」

"What about reputation?" Jiang Yu asked, pressing the speakerphone button so everyone could hear.

"It's absolutely amazing! #TheWitch is trending on Facebook and Twitter! Young people love the female lead! The promotional videos with Nolan, Leonardo DiCaprio, Downey Jr., and Gwyneth Paltrow are fantastic. Many people came because of recommendations, and after watching them, they all said, 'This is ten times better than I expected!'"

Some people in the meeting room couldn't help but laugh.

Jiang Yu finally laughed out loud: "Thanks for your hard work, David. Tell Lionsgate I've approved an additional $200 million in publicity budget to capitalize on this momentum. Also, have the media team focus on promoting Wang Zhi and Lu Yang."

"Understood! I've already got the team preparing! Boss, we're about to make a killing again! By the way, Lionsgate just asked if we'd consider buying out the entire North American distribution rights for 'The Witch'..."

"Don't rush, let's wait for the complete data from the first week. Go and get some rest, you've worked hard."

"Rest? I'm so excited I could run a marathon! I'm going to get my work arranged now!"

The phone hangs up.

There was a three-second silence in the meeting room, and then—

Wow!

"US$638 million?! In just two days?!"

"That's almost 5000 million RMB!"

"A total North American box office of $4000 million? And $8000 million worldwide?!"

Yang Siwei reacted the fastest, grabbing the calculator on the table and rapidly typing: "Production cost $2500 million, marketing $500 million; if it really reaches $8000 million globally, after deducting theater revenue sharing and marketing, the net profit will be at least $500 million... This doesn't even include the Chinese market and subsequent streaming and DVD rights..."

She looked up, her eyes sparkling: "President Jiang, we've done it."

Jiang Yu stood up, smiled, and gave Yang Siwei some instructions.

"Siwei, prepare the press release immediately." His voice was steady. "Highlight three key points: First, the excellent box office performance of Chinese-language films in North America, breaking genre limitations; second, the international acclaim for newcomer Wang Zhi; and third, the professional recognition of the Chinese special effects team. Contact all mainstream media outlets in China; we want to see reports on this in tonight's entertainment news."

"Understood!" Yang Siwei immediately closed her notebook. "I'll take care of it right away."

"Also," Jiang Yu turned around, "call Lu Yang and Wang Zhi and tell them the good news. Also, remind them, especially Wang Zhi, that she's still young, and sudden success can easily make her lose her way. Tell her to keep a calm mind."

"Okay, I'll talk to them myself."

The meeting ended early, and everyone walked out of the meeting room with much lighter steps.

.......

The first to react were online media, which reacted much faster than traditional media.

Sina Entertainment featured it as a headline on its homepage, with the headline in bold and red: "The Witch Scores $638 Million in North American Opening Weekend, A New Box Office Legend for Chinese Films Abroad is Born!"

Clicking through leads to a detailed report: "...The sci-fi action film 'The Witch,' produced by Light Chaser Pictures, directed by newcomer Lu Yang, and starring newcomer Wang Zhi, opened on 1600 screens in North America, grossing $638 million in its opening weekend, with a per-screen box office of $3987, setting a new record for the best opening weekend performance of a Chinese-language film in North America in recent years..."

Tencent Entertainment went even further, creating a data comparison chart: "The Witch's" $638 million would rank fourth all-time in the 2008 North American box office for Chinese-language films, behind only "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon," "Hero," and "Fearless." However, considering the scale of investment—"Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" had a production cost of $1700 million, "Hero" $3100 million, and "Fearless" $3000 million—while "The Witch" only had $2500 million, making this achievement even more significant.

Sohu Entertainment, on the other hand, explored an interesting angle: "Why did young audiences fall in love with the Chinese superpowered girl amidst the rave reviews for 'The Witch' in North America?"

The article interviewed several American college students, one of whom, a guy named Jack, said, "Wang is so cool! When she lifted up the subway car in the subway station, my buddies and I screamed in the theater! She's not the kind of princess who needs to be rescued; she solves problems on her own, which is so modern."

Film and television forums and online communities instantly erupted in chaos.

On the Tianya Film and Television forum, a post titled "The Witch" grossed $638 million in North America in two days, what level is that?" received over a thousand replies in half an hour.

"The original poster just got back from Box Office Mojo, and the data is accurate! 638 million!"

"Holy crap! Holy crap! Holy crap! That's almost 5000 million RMB! In just two days!"

"Wang Zhi has become a sensation, transforming from a newcomer into an international movie star."

"Director Lu Yang is amazing, his debut film has achieved such results."

"The key is that the word-of-mouth is good, with an 82% Rotten Tomatoes score, which is higher than many Hollywood blockbusters."

"See? Focus on good special effects and a good story, and the audience will buy it! Aren't those producers who rely on celebrity hype to make money ashamed?"

"Light Chaser Pictures is something else. Jiang Yu has a really sharp eye."

"I heard the special effects for this film were done digitally with lighting and shadows? Can a domestic team achieve this level of quality?"

"The person upstairs is ignorant. Light & Shadow Digital has taken on projects in Hollywood. They did most of the special effects for Iron Man."

On Douban, the page rating for "The Witch" jumped from 7.2 to 8.1 overnight, and the short review section was flooded with comments.

"Bring glory to our country! Go China's film industry!"

"I haven't seen it yet, but based on its performance in North America, I will definitely go and support it."

"Wang Zhi is so cool! I want to be her fan!"

"Director Lu Yang has a bright future ahead of him!"

"Jiang Yu, an investment genius whose talent was wasted on movies (doge)"