blueteamnovel Chapter 137 Box Office Bomb
Chapter 137 Box Office Bomb
Chapter 137 Box Office Bomb
At 11 p.m., the lights were still on in Lorna Barrett's radio studio, as a special program was about to begin.
"Good evening to our listeners in Los Angeles, and to all our friends across the country who are listening to the midnight syndicate special."
"As you all have probably seen in the newspapers today, several international extremists," carrying a large quantity of high-explosive C4, attempted to send our most elite cultural figures to their deaths at the Dorothy Chandler Theatre.
"And a group of nameless militiamen who just happened to be passing by saved everyone in the darkness."
Lorna crumpled the newspaper in her hand next to the microphone and let out an extremely contemptuous sneer: "But is that really the whole truth? A group of heroic patrols, who happened to be carrying bomb disposal equipment, happened to wipe out a fully armed suicide squad at Long Beach Port?"
"Tonight, we will be hosting an unprecedented interview in our live broadcast room. Sitting in front of me are two heavyweight guests from the Oscars ceremony: Warner Bros. President Ted Ashley and Universal Pictures Executive Vice President Sidney Sinberg."
The two Hollywood titans, who are "sworn enemies," are sitting side by side on a long sofa. They exchange a glance, and a tacit understanding flashes in their eyes that only they can understand.
Ted Ashley approached the microphone on the table first, his voice tinged with lingering fear: "Good evening, Lorna. To be honest, when I saw the headline, I spilled my coffee all over the carpet. It was awful."
"I can't believe that when I was exclaiming in surprise at the little Native American girl Marlon Brando arranged, I was actually sitting on a C4 bomb!"
However, in reality, he was only concerned about the five hundred dollars from the Winning Union executives that night and had no idea about the bomb, let alone being afraid.
Sidney immediately chimed in: "Ted is right, all the executives in the Global Building are taking tranquilizers today."
This is simply the biggest joke in the history of American security!
The Jewish man made no attempt to hide his anger: "We pay tens of millions of dollars in taxes every year, and what do we do? What is the FBI doing? Where are the elite officers of the Los Angeles Police Department?"
"They not only allowed this group of lunatics to brazenly infiltrate downtown Los Angeles with high explosives, but they didn't even see a trace of them that day!"
The two men bombarded the official U.S. intelligence agencies with accusations, and Lorna, sensing the emotional turmoil, began to pose the question: "Since the official system is paralyzed, then, gentlemen, do you know who exactly saved you from the terrorists that night, and saved all of Hollywood?"
The group controlled the pace of the conversation, and the broadcast was briefly silent for a few seconds.
Then, Ted Ashley let out a dry, mocking laugh: "Lorna, didn't everyone see the White House press release? It says in black and white, 'It's a brave civilian security force.'"
"However, I must say that if Los Angeles community militias could quietly defuse bombs and wipe out heavily armed terrorists at the Port of Long Beach—that kind of story is something even the worst screenwriters in Hollywood wouldn't dare to write; it's simply a fantasy."
Sidney suppressed a laugh and followed Ted's words perfectly in delivering the finishing blow.
"Yeah, Ted. I also think that press release was too conservative." There was a hint of casual mockery in his words: "In Hollywood, there aren't many people who can sneak into the theater basement unnoticed and shut up those armed thugs with their fists and feet."
He then deliberately lowered his voice, as if sharing a private gossip with tens of millions of listeners across the United States: "If I had to guess, probably only those Chinese who know kung fu and can scale walls would have such incredible abilities."
At the same time, in Washington, D.C.
In the Oval Office of the White House, Richard Nixon sat behind his desk, where the voices of Ted and Sidney were clearly coming from an old-fashioned radio.
"Snapped!"
He slammed his hand on the sturdy table, his eyes practically spitting fire, his breathing heavy like that of an enraged bull—
Cow.
"What on earth are these Hollywood Jews doing?!"
The president's roar echoed in the empty office, "Don't they have enough trouble in the White House? Do they want to completely rip off the masks of the FBI and CIA, throw them on the ground, and stomp on them?!"
At this moment, Nixon's forehead veins were bulging, and he had completely lost his usual composure.
The press office went to great lengths to produce a vague press release in order to cover up the intelligence service’s failures while avoiding angering its conservative voters.
As a result, these damned film businessmen actually dared to openly mock federal agencies on a nationally televised program, tearing away that fig leaf!
"I'm going to get the FCC to shut down this damn show right now!" he roared, grabbing the red phone on the table and his finger already on the dial pad.
"Mr. President." A steady, strong hand reached out and gently pressed on Nixon's wrist as he held the receiver.
Secretary of State Henry Kissinger stood to the side, his face showing no anger, but rather his usual calm smile.
Nixon turned his head and stared at the strategist, but did not loosen his grip on the receiver.
Kissinger withdrew his hand, turned down the radio volume, and said calmly, "Don't you think that the back-and-forth between these two Hollywood businessmen on the radio tonight is the biggest political boost you've ever received?"
"An assist?" Nixon exclaimed as if he had heard an absurd joke. "They're announcing our incompetence to the whole of America!"
They are inciting a group of unruly Chinese people!
"No, they're creating an urban legend for the American people." Kissinger walked over to the sofa and sat down to help the furious president begin his analysis.
"Mr. President, the people are foolish and blind. When a dry official press release is placed in front of them, everyone will nitpick: after all, the news of Japanese extremists infiltrating Los Angeles was released before the press release."
"The public will question why the FBI didn't find the bomb, and will question whether the White House is hiding something."
"However, when they hear a mysterious story about how Chinese kung fu, which involves leaping across rooftops and scaling walls, saves and defeats bad guys, their curiosity completely replaces their thinking."
"The public desperately needs an outlet for their emotions. If they channel their attention and resentment towards the government, which they have been fueling, into this 'mysterious kung fu hero'—"
"Then no one will ever investigate why our intelligence system let in several large pieces of C4 explosives."
Upon hearing this, the president's grip on the receiver began to loosen.
Kissinger added, "More importantly, the more popular this urban legend becomes, the more outrageous it gets, the less space there will be on the front pages of major newspapers to publish updates on the Watergate investigation." Isn't this exactly the situation you need right now?
, 7
On the radio, Lorna's program was still going on, but Nixon could no longer hear it.
His anger subsided quickly, and rational thought returned to his mind.
"Clatter".
The receiver was carefully placed back on the phone.
Nixon braced his hands on the table, lowered his head, and took a deep breath; when he raised his head again, the imposing American president was back.
"You can always see the most valuable part of things from the other side, Henry." He straightened up, straightened his disheveled tie, and then picked up the receiver again.
"Issue instructions to the press office: Starting tomorrow, if any reporters on Capitol Hill or any media outlet ask about security details for this event, pressing for specifics, no matter how outlandish their speculations may be, the press office shall neither confirm nor deny them."
"Since the American people now need a savior to soothe their fragile nerves, let them worship him."
We just need to sit behind the scenes and enjoy the peace and quiet.
The sun rose as usual the next morning.
Lorna Barrett's syndicate show was like a spark falling into a dry prairie, igniting a wildfire.
From car factories in Los Angeles to office buildings in Manhattan, New York, from roadside restaurants in Texas to subway cars in Chicago, everyone who listened to the program was talking about the same topic.
Whether it was the working-class Black laborers or the middle-class white employees, they all reached a strange consensus on this matter: a mysterious organization that knew kung fu saved Hollywood.
"Have you heard? Those liars in the White House are covering up the truth!" a truck driver wearing a baseball cap shouted in the restaurant.
"Of course! Those weren't community militias at all! I've seen the details in that report; the terrorists at the port were eliminated in a very short time. Who but those Chinese kung fu masters could do that?!"
"Bruce Lee was in Hollywood that night too! It must have been his students who saved everyone! Remember that fight on Santa Monica Beach? Those bureaucrats in Washington were jealous of his abilities, so they erased his name!"
Just as everyone's emotions reached their peak, a heavy hammer suddenly fell:
Nearly a thousand Universal Cinemas across the United States have displayed identical giant posters on their storefronts.
Without any trailers or newspaper ads, it suddenly appeared in the view of audiences across the United States.
The huge poster features three blood-red Chinese characters for "Fist of Fury," creating a striking visual impact. The English title, "Fist of Fury," also directly addresses the theme.
In the center of the screen, Bruce Lee, playing Chen Zhen, is dressed in a black Zhongshan suit, his face cold and stern.
He leaped into the air and delivered a fierce flying kick, striking a Japanese dojo sign that read "Sick Man of East Asia".
The wood chips exploded in the air, the violent aesthetics and the thrill of revenge overflowing from the paper instantly grabbing the attention of all passersby.
At the very bottom of the poster were two lines of English slogans drafted by Qin Han: "The enemy creates fear in the shadows; he, in the light, shatters humiliation with his fists and feet!"
This is no longer a metaphor; it's a blatant declaration!
Who are the enemies lurking in the shadows? They are the terrorists who planted bombs at the Oscars venue!
Who is he in the public eye? He is the Chinese hero on the silver screen, fiercely beating up the Japanese!
Even before cinemas across the United States open in the morning, long lines have already formed outside the ticket windows.
The queue stretched for three blocks from the cinema entrance, blocking traffic.
No one complained; everyone's face was filled with an indescribable excitement.
This isn't just queuing to watch a movie; it's a massive pilgrimage!
At 9:00 AM, the first batch of "Fist of Fury" films were screened simultaneously across the United States.
The dark screening room was packed, with even the aisles filled with viewers who couldn't get seats and were standing.
On the screen, when Chen Zhen carried the plaque that read "Sick Man of East Asia" and stepped alone into the Hongkou Dojo, the air in the entire theater seemed to freeze.
The Japanese laughed wildly, wantonly insulting this silent Chinese man.
Suddenly, Chen Zhen moved.
He ripped off his coat, letting out his signature strange howl, his fists leaving afterimages in the air before slamming them hard into the face of a Japanese samurai with a muffled thud.
Blood splattered!
This punch seemed to strike right at the hearts of all American viewers.
"Beat them! Beat these bastards to death!" A burly black repairman jumped up from his chair, his fists flailing wildly in the air, veins bulging on his forehead.
"Kill them! Let them know what happens when they plant bombs on our turf!" Another young white man slammed his popcorn bucket on the ground and roared at the top of his lungs.
The scene in the movie continues: Chen Zhen delivers a side kick, sending three Japanese men flying backward and crashing through the paper door.
He stepped on the dojo master's chest, his eyes filled with a chilling murderous intent, forcing them to swallow the piece of paper with insulting words written on it.
The extreme anger towards Japanese right-wing terrorists in reality and the bloody revenge of the Chinese nation to wash away humiliation on the screen perfectly overlapped at this moment.
The audience was screaming and roaring wildly, stomping their feet so hard that their shoes hit the floor with a dull thud, and the entire theater floor was shaking violently.
Applause, screams, and whistles blended into a frenzied sea.
In that instant, Chen Zhen ceased to be a fictional movie character and became the embodiment of all viewers' venting of anger.
An unparalleled box office tsunami has completely erupted.
Hollywood, the headquarters of Universal Pictures' "Black Tower".
The vice president's office door was tightly closed, but the laughter coming from inside penetrated the thick door panel.
Sidney Sinberger stood in front of his desk, holding the first-day midday box office reports that had just been sent back from various regions.
On the whiteboard, the plot line of "Fist of Fury" showed an almost vertically soaring line on the first day of its release!
-
"My God—it's insane—the whole of America has gone mad—"
The executive vice president looked at Qin Han sitting opposite him, his smile completely uncontrollable: "Qin, I swear, the 15% commission we'll give you will set an insurmountable record."
Qin Han raised his teacup: "Sidney, believe me, the surprises Hans has brought to Global Times are far from over."
"In a little while, I'll go to the airport to pick up two friends and then come visit you."
"Oh? Who is it that you need to pick up personally?" Sidney suddenly became interested.
"Peter finally accepted my suggestion and is preparing to move to Hollywood permanently. He will join the writing of the Jaws script and work with me to ensure the quality of the script."
"There's also a young couple who just flew in from Maine, eagerly anticipating their first big surprise!"