November is coming to an end, and with the temperature dropping sharply, people in North America are not getting quiet.

The big sales on Black Friday have brought new sales highs to major shopping malls, and movie theaters are naturally the entertainment choice after shopping. However, due to the postponement of "Fast and Furious 11" this year, the Thanksgiving period seems a bit sluggish.

In December, snow began to fall in many parts of the country. It was that time again when northerners mocked southerners for being unworldly. Lu Ban had been promoting the game in various parts of the country during this period, stirring up the popularity of "The Tide of Devil".

Up to now, Lu Ban has two ways to promote the film. The first is to screen it in advance in some cinemas to build up word of mouth. The second is to proceed step by step and release some behind-the-scenes footage from time to time to enhance the sense of anticipation.

Lu Ban ultimately did not choose to preview the film because he wanted to keep the suspense until the last moment.

Moreover, the films that are screened in advance are usually those in which the audience has little confidence. For "The Devil's Tide", the audience had high expectations. The first day of pre-sale box office was sold out a month in advance. Some scalpers also resold the tickets. In the second-hand market, the price of pre-sale tickets was driven up to two or three times.

With only one week left until Christmas, Lu Ban faced another problem.

That is whether the midnight premiere will be held in the country or abroad.

Foreign cinema chains invited Lu Ban to open the film at Times Square in New York, and in China, the choice was naturally Jiangcheng Cinema.

Logically speaking, "Magic Tides" was released simultaneously around the world for the first time, and "Fast and Furious 11" was also released at midnight. The first day of competition overseas was very important. In order to show that he values ​​the overseas market, Lu Ban should go to the premiere abroad.

But Lu Ban did not go abroad, but stayed in Jiangcheng.

In Lu Ban’s words, the premiere of Chinese films must stay in the country.

What's more, midnight arrives earlier in China.

Christmas, in Europe and the United States, is the day for family reunions. Christmas trees, Christmas dinners, Christmas songs, Santa Claus, and a strong festive atmosphere envelope the city.

On the Internet, the debate about "Fast and Furious 11" and "Uncharted Waters" has reached its most heated stage.

[I think we should support "Fast and Furious 11". It's a movie made in our own country. Why should we spend money to watch foreign movies? ]

[Why do I have to discuss nationality when I watch a movie, man? Shouldn't I just watch whichever movie is good, or watch all of them?]

[I have seen the advertisement of "Magic Tide", it seems to be a fantasy type. There are not many such movies recently. I may choose it after the second day of the release based on the score.]

[Wouldn't it be nice to spend more time with your family on Christmas? Don't you have girlfriends? ]

[No, even if Tides of Devil May Cry is not good, no one will want to watch the sequel to Speed. Ever since the previous films brought back the dead characters and turned the hero’s wife into a black person, I think this movie is hopeless.]

[Then the question is, a black movie and a yellow movie, which one would you choose to watch? ]

[Hey man, was what you just said racist?]

[I think these two works are not worth spending money to watch. Both are male-dominated, and there is no room for women to make decisions. Does this mean that women cannot work in modern society? I want to boycott! ]

The focus of the debate is probably on who to support. Both sides have their own opinions, and there are also people who sit on the fence and watch the fun. This situation will occur in any country.

There is not much emphasis on Christmas in China. Apart from some stores offering discounts and special promotions and some commercial plazas putting up Christmas trees, it is just an ordinary end of the year.

For many people, Christmas is not as good as New Year's Day, because at least there is a holiday on New Year's Day.

Jiangcheng Cinema was crowded with people.

The pre-sale tickets for midnight have already been sold out, but according to current box office forecasts, the first-day pre-sale box office of "Fast and Furious 11" in other places except China will far exceed that of "On Tides".

After all, this is the last film in a series that has lasted for more than ten years, and many old fans want to watch the premiere just for the sake of nostalgia.

Moreover, Lu Ban’s previous remarks were full of gunpowder, which made some people wish that Lu Ban would have a huge failure and be beaten by foreign movies.

"It should snow in Jiangcheng tonight."

Standing outside the cinema, Feng Yu looked at the gloomy sky.

“It’s quite appropriate.”

Lu Ban wore a mask to prevent unnecessary harassment. Looking at the entrance of the cinema which was still bustling near midnight, he sighed.

“Do you think you can achieve the goals you said you would?”

Feng Yu asked.

"It should be possible."

Lu Ban nodded.

Judging from pre-sales, "Magic Tide" is absolutely crushing the domestic market, with the first-day screening volume reaching 35% and the total pre-sale box office approaching 700 million. This kind of situation could only be seen during the Spring Festival period in the past.

As for "Fast and Furious 11", its screening schedule in China is 20 percent, and the pre-sale box office is close to 200 million.

This is mainly because the midnight premiere of "Fast and Furious" is based on North American time, so it can only be seen in China at noon, which compresses the box office on the first day.

But abroad, the first-day screening of "Fast and Furious 11" was much higher than that of "Unforgiven", reaching 43%, while "Unforgiven" was only 17%. The pre-sale box office difference between the two is about five times.

Judging from the global pre-sale box office, the first-day performance of "Fast and Furious 11" should be around 800 million, and "On Tides", coincidentally, should also be hovering around this range.

The gap between the two is difficult to see, and no one knows who will win until the last moment.

Because for movies with sufficient pre-promotion, the first-day box office usually represents the peak, so the battle on the first day also represents the first confrontation between the two.

Some media in North America have even dubbed the film "The Ultimate Showdown," calling on people to get out of their homes and go to the cinema to watch movies. It's hard not to think that there are theater chains behind the scenes fanning the flames.

But no matter who wins the first day in the end, the cinemas will make a lot of money, because this means that the domestic box office will reach more than one billion on Christmas Day alone. Those cinemas that are struggling with their year-end assessments cannot be more grateful to Lu Ban.

"But the first day's box office is nothing special. If you want to achieve record-breaking box office, it's not enough to rely on normal moviegoers alone."

Lu Ban knew very well that some movies had extremely high box office on the first day, but began to plummet from the second day, just like energy stocks that were cut in half. It was not necessarily because of the quality, but because these movies were enough to be watched once. No one would go to the cinema to watch them a second or third time. Those who should watch them would go to see them as soon as possible, and those who didn't want to watch them would be too lazy to go until they were out of theaters.

If you really want to break the record, you need word of mouth, details, audiences who come to watch the movie twice or three times, and you need to attract more people who didn't go to the cinema to watch movies before.

Can "Magic Tide" do it?