[Chapter 89: Foursome, Promotion Levels Up Again]
By the time Linton returned to his hotel from the TV station, it was almost 11 PM. He had just finished freshening up.
Naomi, Halle, and Tyra seemed to have planned it together. They came to Linton's room wearing sexy pajamas, saying they wanted to wait for the opening day box office numbers together.
Was it really necessary to dress so seductively just to wait for the box office results? Especially when Halle and Tyra came in and immediately clung to him on either side. It was clear their intentions were more than just waiting -- they probably wanted to play a round of poker with some added affection.
Well, it was already 11:30 PM; the box office summary wouldn't be out until after 1 AM. Linton took the initiative to embrace the three of them and said, "The box office numbers won't come out for another hour and a half, so let's start a gift of love first, celebrating our movie with a heartwarming salute."
The intense four-person poker game began. Naomi was more accustomed to it since she had been practicing with Linton frequently, but Halle and Tyra were especially enthusiastic and their moves downright intense...
To Linton's surprise, during their intimate moments, he clearly felt Naomi's, Halle's, and Tyra's popularity rise significantly.
It seemed that with the film's release, their star power was skyrocketing fast. This also reflected the movie's growing heat. There was no need to worry about the box office performance.
...
When the phone rang, all four had to pause their passionate game. Jason's excited voice came through.
"Linton, great news! Step Up's box office just exploded! It opened today in 2,500 theaters with 5,200 screens and earned $9.54 million. Including midnight showings that brought in another $1.54 million, the opening day total is $11.08 million."
...
Hanging up the phone, Linton told the three thrilled ladies, "Did you hear that? We made it."
"Honey, you're the best. You said the box office would break $100 million, and everyone thought you were bragging. Now it seems you're absolutely right," Naomi teased.
"I think our gift of love earlier had an effect too! Let's keep going, sending even more blessings for the movie," Halle suggested boldly.
The three cheered happily. Halle's bold proposal met enthusiastic agreement, and the game resumed with room-filling laughter and warmth until dawn.
---
The next morning, more news arrived. Step Up captured the box office crown with $11.08 million, beating Clint Eastwood's self-directed and acted Unforgiven, which opened with $7.35 million.
The third place went to 3 Ninjas, which also opened the same day, earning $4.15 million. Following were Batman Returns in its sixth week with $2.74 million and Death Becomes Her with $2.31 million. The gap between Step Up and the others was huge.
CinemaScore conducted a survey in 30 cities across 150 theaters, polling 8,735 viewers.
The male audience comprised 51%, 90% were under 25 years old, and minority groups accounted for 20%.
Among them, 8,216 gave the movie an A+ rating, 348 gave an A, and fewer than 50 gave below B+.
Seeing these numbers, Universal went crazy. Such data only comes from blockbuster hits. No one doubted the $100 million North American box office anymore.
...
Various media outlets, TV, and newspapers reported the $11.08 million opening day success, shifting from earlier criticism to praising it from all angles. Some even called it a miracle for a low-budget film.
Under the arrangement of Universal's local promotion team, the press tour group held a media and fan meet-and-greet on Houston's bustling commercial street.
When Linton and his team walked the red carpet, they instantly ignited the excitement of reporters and fans.
Especially the young men and women who had seen Step Up and Linton's fans -- their high-pitched screams nearly pierced the sky.
...
Universal Pictures' distribution department also held a strategic meeting about Step Up. It included President Lou Wasserman, who had been worried about this year's performance until this sudden box office surprise.
Truth be told, although he knew about the Step Up project beforehand, no one at Universal really believed in it.
Many had complained that Levitt gave Linton such good distribution terms.
Anyway, now that the movie was a hit, Lou had to personally get involved to show his wise leadership.
The meeting was lively and efficient. Since Step Up showed huge box office promise, Universal planned to maximize its potential.
...
Four decisions were made:
First, quickly communicate with partner theaters to secure more screening slots.
Second, increase promotional investment by $4 million, bringing Universal's North American promotion spending to $10 million, roughly equal to the production cost. Of course, this figure was public-facing; the actual cost was known only to Universal's subsidiaries, which handled the entire promotional chain.
Third, speed up overseas release, upgrade international distribution level, and invest $10 million, focusing on promoting the movie's success in North America.
Fourth, expand the scope of press tours, increasing the team size and splitting into two groups for separate promotions.
Universal was particularly pleased that Step Up had great racial balance, with a high proportion and excellent reception among black audiences.
They decided to send Halle, Tyra, George, and Snoop Dogg to cities with large black populations for tour events, while Linton and Naomi traveled to major cities continuing the promotion.
...
After the meeting, Lou asked Levitt, "Do we have the rights to the Step Up sequel?"
"No, who expected this film to succeed? They never considered a sequel. Honestly, I agreed to distribute it mostly out of respect for Daniel. As you know, many colleagues criticized me back then."
"Yeah, it exceeded everyone's expectations. No matter what, you've done the company a great favor. With Step Up's success, we're finally ahead of Columbia and might even surpass MGM this year."
"Linton is a genius. He graduated just last year and immediately created an album selling over 30 million copies. Then he shifted to movies, writing, directing, and starring, and despite everyone's doubt, he pulled off a box office hit. He's truly God's favorite."
"Genius worlds are beyond us ordinary people. But I know one thing -- if we keep close to his projects, especially the sequel, we can share in the success. Make sure to negotiate with Linton for the sequel as soon as his promotion wraps up. If possible, try to secure investment shares, and we can offer the best distribution terms."
"Got it. I'll personally talk to him after the promotional tour."
...
At the fan meet-and-greet, Linton, Naomi, Halle, and Tyra each performed song and dance numbers from Step Up, shared shooting stories, interacted warmly with fans, signed autographs, took photos, and answered questions from reporters and paparazzi.
Everything wrapped up around noon. After a quick lunch, they rushed to Chicago without delay.
*****
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