"Ladies and gentlemen, I believe you have all received the news. Yesterday, on Friday alone, the Hollywood movie 'The Dark City,' which uses the most IMAX footage to date, grossed $102.6 million from the North American market in over 4,600 theaters!"
Richard Gelfond, the head of IMAX's Los Angeles branch, set down his file and stood up, seemingly to emphasize his point. "This is the latest North American single-day box office record, and IMAX has played a part in this achievement."
All eyes in the conference room were on Richard Gelfond.
Clearing his throat, Richard Gelfond continued, "Nearly 200 IMAX theaters in North America contributed $16.88 million to this total! And the average occupancy rate across all IMAX theaters exceeded 95%!"
As he finished speaking, a wave of applause erupted in the conference room.
Seeing his excited subordinates, Richard Gelfond felt a mix of emotions. This decision had clearly been the right one. When Murphy Stanton initially requested to use IMAX cameras and mount them on high-speed vehicles, he had his doubts. After all, the entire company had only a handful of these cameras, and any damage would be hard to justify to headquarters.
Now, it seemed that supporting Murphy Stanton had been the right call all along.
As the applause died down, Richard Gelfond lightly coughed and sat back down. "From now on, we will fully cooperate with 20th Century Fox's marketing efforts. Headquarters has already notified me that IMAX will invest as many resources as possible into 'The Dark City.' The number of IMAX theaters showing the film in North America will increase from 80 to 140."
After a few more specific instructions, Richard Gelfond adjourned the meeting and returned to his office. Staring at the "The Dark City" poster on his wall, he began to contemplate.
Murphy Stanton appeared to be an old-school director, unlike tech-savvy directors like James Cameron and Robert Zemeckis. However, his understanding and use of new film technologies were no less sophisticated. Richard Gelfond believed that deep down, Murphy Stanton had the soul of a tech enthusiast.
Murphy Stanton's ability to maximize IMAX technology's advantages in his film was clear evidence. Regardless, he knew he had to push IMAX to continue collaborating with Murphy Stanton and his studio.
With this in mind, Richard Gelfond picked up the phone and dialed Murphy Stanton's number. After a brief exchange with an assistant, he offered his congratulations to Murphy personally.
If Murphy Stanton continued working with IMAX, Richard Gelfond would gladly drive him around if needed.
Despite Friday's screenings, "The Dark City" maintained high occupancy rates in IMAX theaters on Saturday, even surpassing Friday's numbers slightly. Word-of-mouth about the film's stunning IMAX effects had spread, and though 100+ IMAX theaters were showing the film around the clock, demand far exceeded supply. IMAX tickets were scarce.
Due to his busy schedule, Alex Clement hadn't seen the advance screening. He only watched the 2D version on Friday and regretted not experiencing the IMAX version after hearing colleagues and friends rave about it.
On Saturday afternoon, Alex Clement sat at his desk, refreshing various ticketing websites repeatedly. Every site displayed the same frustrating message—no IMAX tickets available for "The Dark City" today or tomorrow.
"How could this happen?" Alex Clement slapped his forehead. "I really have the brain of a pig!"
Shutting down the ticketing sites, Alex Clement searched Google and called the IMAX ticket line.
"I'd like to ask about the availability of 'The Dark City' tickets in the Los Angeles area?"
"Sorry, sir."
A pleasant female voice replied, "There are currently no tickets available in the Los Angeles area. The earliest availability is next Monday."
"Next Monday?"
Frowning, Alex Clement felt troubled. Monday was a workday. He thought for a moment and asked, "If I pay extra, can I get an overflow seat?"
He had heard from friends that some IMAX theaters, in response to the overwhelming demand for "The Dark City" tickets, had added overflow seating in front of the regular seats and sold those tickets.
Although these seats weren't ideal, the allure of seeing "The Dark City" in IMAX made them highly sought after.
"Sorry, we currently have no tickets available," the pleasant voice repeated. "The earliest availability for overflow seats is also next Monday."
Hearing this, Alex Clement had no choice but to thank her and hang up.
Unable to secure tickets for today or tomorrow, and with nothing else to do, Alex Clement decided to check Google News for updates on "The Dark City."
One report about IMAX caught his attention.
The report featured IMAX's Chairman, discussing the ticket shortage for "The Dark City." "Not only are there no tickets for Saturday, but Sunday's tickets are also sold out. Every seat is booked, and even Monday and Tuesday's IMAX tickets are nearly 90% sold. We're expanding our showings as much as possible, but the fans are too enthusiastic. No film has ever had such a massive draw as 'The Dark City.'"
Reading this, Alex Clement realized he might not get a ticket anytime soon if he waited.
He shut down the webpage and considered for a moment before making a decision.
Alex Clement picked up the phone and dialed another number. When the person on the other end answered, he smiled and said, "Boss, it's Alex. I need to request a day off in advance."
Hearing a "go ahead" from the other end, Alex Clement explained, "My parents are visiting from Louisiana on Monday. I need the day off to pick them up from the airport."
After a brief pause, his boss agreed. "Okay."
Alex Clement was thrilled but kept his excitement in check. "Thank you, boss."
After receiving an acknowledgment, he hung up and cheered, "Yes!"
With that settled, he called the IMAX ticket line again and booked the earliest showing of "The Dark City" on Monday.
"Murphy is not human!" Alex Clement said with satisfaction, sitting back in his chair. "He's a god!"
He wasn't alone in this sentiment. Many Murphy fans shared this view. On IMDb, Daisy's short review from Friday afternoon had received countless upvotes, making it the highest-rated comment in "The Dark City" section.
"'The Dark City' is a mind-blowing masterpiece. With this film, Murphy has officially announced his departure from the ranks of earthly directors, joining the gods! Equally divine are James Franco and Margot Robbie's performances!"
In just over a day, the review had received tens of thousands of upvotes.
In a Los Angeles home, Daisy glanced at "The Dark City's" 9.7 IMDb rating, shut her computer, and walked out of her study to her dressing room. Looking in the large mirror, she admired her sleek, straight blonde hair.
Since turning 18, Daisy had lived alone in Los Angeles, inheriting this sprawling estate and a substantial fortune from her late grandfather. Although she had worked sporadically, her income from managing Murphy Stanton's IMDb discussion group was substantial.
Daisy had the financial means to pursue her desires and realize her wild ideas.
But most of her ideas remained fantasies until the appearance of the magician. The magician's character, like a revelation, showed her that being a villain could be charming and terrifying.
If anything in the world fascinated her as much as Murphy Stanton's movies, it was this extreme form of evil.
"The magician, the magician..."
Daisy donned the magician's costume she had purchased. Though it was a movie-themed product, it was well-made. "Why isn't there a magician in the real world?"
This was her greatest regret. The magician existed only in Murphy's movies, creations, and imagination, not in reality.
"If there isn't a magician in the world, why not create a real one?"
With this thought, Daisy picked up a sharp pair of scissors from the dressing table and slowly raised it to her neck.
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