[Chapter 451: Victoria's Secret Angels]
On December 14th, The Sixth Sense officially premiered on a massive scale, opening in 3,300 screens nationwide. On its first day, the film grossed an impressive $16.31 million. With the addition of $4.63 million from midnight showings, Friday's total box office reached $20.94 million.
More importantly, the movie's word of mouth skyrocketed. Media outlets showered the film with praise, and even critics who had previously had issues with Linton gave overwhelmingly positive reviews this time around.
The third-party survey company hired by the studio, Cieasre, conducted on-site audience polls that left everyone confident and energized. On December 14th, Cieasre distributed 9,000 questionnaires in 150 theaters across 30 cities, collecting 8,828 responses. Of these, 8,271 rated the film A+, 307 gave it an A, and 127 settled on an A-. Only 23 participants rated the film below an A-, and those were limited to B+ and B grades -- meaning no outright negative reviews at all.
Looking over North American film history, such an achievement had only been matched by The Godfather.
Many fans who saw the movie quickly became its advocates, enthusiastically recommending it to family, classmates, and friends, which further amplified the film's glowing reputation.
"Dude, you've got to see The Sixth Sense in theaters. It's honestly so moving."
"Man, I caught The Sixth Sense last night -- totally amazing and emotional. You have to check it out."
"..."
...
The overwhelming media buzz, alongside fans' enthusiastic word-of-mouth, drew more and more moviegoers to theaters. Coupled with the film's undeniable quality, newcomers were quickly converted into promoters themselves.
By the second day, the film hit a viewing peak. Many theaters had to rush to add extra showings to meet demand. That day's box office skyrocketed to $23.57 million, accounting for 41% of the daily market share, which was especially impressive given the intense competition of the Christmas season.
On Sunday, major theater chains increased screenings of The Sixth Sense, expanding to 3,500 screens, capturing 35% of all showtimes. The Sunday box office did not disappoint, pulling in $21.25 million -- slightly higher than Friday's total.
Over the three days, the movie raked in a cumulative $65.76 million, topping the weekend box office with a 41.5% market share.
The second place went to last week's release Jumanji, which pulled in $19.39 million over the weekend.
Third place went to Braveheart, also in its second weekend, grossing $13.83 million. That movie was Sophie Marceau's first film after winning the Oscar for Best Actress. Although it had only been in theaters for ten days with a domestic total of $37.74 million, it was projected to reach $75 million by the end of its run. Not a huge hit, but definitely not a flop; it at least broke even.
...
The steadily climbing box office of The Sixth Sense brought the most joy to Linton's film company, followed closely by the director and the main cast.
Director M. Night Shyamalan became an overnight sensation, quickly rising to become one of Hollywood's hottest commercial directors, rivaling even Michael Bay in popularity.
Bruce Willis successfully reinvented himself through the film, broadening his acting range and reasserting his powerful box office appeal.
The biggest surprise was Haley Joel Osment, whose performance was stunningly acclaimed by both media and critics as the best child star performance.
Monica Bellucci also successfully rose into the A-list with the film.
As for Noriko Sakai, her impact was less pronounced because her screen time was limited and her fanbase mainly was in Asia. Still, the movie helped her make further strides in Hollywood, firmly establishing her as a solid B-list actress.
---
Just as The Sixth Sense was dominating the box office, Linton received an unexpected phone call.
"Linton, have you forgotten you're the second-largest shareholder in Victoria's Secret?" came a cheerful voice from Les Wexner on the line.
Since acquiring a stake in Victoria's Secret back in early May and appointing a board member, Linton had barely paid it any attention. Half a year had passed, and indeed many changes had taken place. The brand's lingerie had become sexier, and stores were booming.
But the Victoria's Secret Angels, the centerpiece Linton had cared deeply about, had remained inactive. Could it be that the angel team was finally forming?
"Les, no way I forgot. Is there some good news about Victoria's Secret?"
"Yes, remember we talked earlier about launching the Victoria's Secret Angels model team? The team is basically assembled now. The Angels have been preliminarily hired. Why don't you come by to oversee the final selection?"
"The Victoria's Secret Angels team is set up? Great! When and where?"
"At the New York branch. Are you free tomorrow?"
"Okay, I'll be there tomorrow."
...
That evening, Linton also got a call from Heidi Klum, informing him that Victoria's Secret had recruited six top supermodels to form the Angel team, and she might even lead the team.
---
The next day, Linton flew to New York on his private jet. Les Wexner personally picked him up at the airport and enthusiastically briefed him on Victoria's Secret's recent developments during the ride back to the office.
Since the May recapitalization and equity expansion, Victoria's Secret had accelerated its growth, opening over 100 new stores across North America this year alone.
The brand had also begun expanding overseas, successfully establishing branches in the UK, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Sweden, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, and Hong Kong.
Sales had soared by 70% year over year, reaching $1.6 billion in the first eleven months, with 40% of growth coming from overseas markets.
When Les Wexner talked about the newly formed Victoria's Secret Angels, he couldn't hide his pride.
"This time, we handpicked six Angels based on your earlier advice -- each one has the face of an angel and the body of a devil, top-tier beauties all. They've got stunning curves, long legs, and especially when they're in our lingerie, they're absolutely breathtaking."
"Is that so? I'm looking forward to seeing if your taste matches mine."
"They're all waiting upstairs, just for you to make the final call. If you find any less than beautiful or not sexy enough, you can eliminate them. The contracts aren't signed yet."
...
The two men exchanged smiles as they headed to a rehearsal studio directly, bypassing the office. Inside was a standard runway with a dozen VIP chairs arranged just below it.
They took seats front and center. Les Wexner signaled to his assistant, and soon music filled the room as six Angels entered one by one, staging a live lingerie fashion show for Linton and Les Wexner.
First out was Heidi Klum, whom Linton knew all too well. She had strutted the runway in Victoria's Secret lingerie at his own parties several times before.
Next came Helena Christensen, born December 25, 1968, from Denmark, standing 5 feet 10 inches tall.
The third was Daniela Pestova, born October 14, 1970, hailing from the Czech Republic, standing 5 feet 11 inches.
Fourth was Laetitia Casta, born May 11, 1978, from France, 5 feet 6 and a half inches tall.
Fifth came Stephanie Seymour, born July 23, 1968, from California, standing 5 feet 10 inches.
Finally, Linton spotted an old familiar face -- Tyra Banks, born December 4, 1973, also from California, a mixed-race supermodel standing 5 feet 10 inches tall.
Sure enough, sophisticated men had similar aesthetics; Les Wexner's carefully selected six Angels were all considered top-tier beauties by the public.
Every one was curvy, voluptuous, and long-legged. Especially when clad in the alluring Victoria's Secret lingerie and confidently strutting the runway, they frequently blew kisses toward Linton, exuding endless seductive charm that overwhelmed the room.
*****
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