Chapter 1151: The Warmest Season, Winter (23)

The moment I heard the news, I ran to the conference room.

I asked the younger members, who had arrived before me and were wearing grave expressions,

“Why are you guys here?”

“We came running when we heard. This is about you, so how could we just sit still? We came to listen with you.”

At Biju’s words, the others nodded.

I thanked them, sat down, and waited impatiently for the briefing.

The conference room door soon opened, and representatives from Studio Lemon and our TF team hurried inside with quick, short steps.

“First of all….”

The head of Studio Lemon’s promotional team, breathing heavily, began to speak.

“You’ve all heard the news, right? About Sound of the Sun’s box office performance in the United States.”

“Yes.”

I asked cautiously,

“How bad is the situation right now?”

“Very bad. Worse than you’re probably imagining. You know the first-week figures we projected.”

“Yes.”

“It only reached about half of that.”

“…….”

Something had clearly gone wrong.

My thoughts were in turmoil.

My heart pounded and a headache surged in, but I first closed my eyes and forced myself to calm down.

While Junghyun, sitting beside me, pressed one of my pressure points, I quickly organized my thoughts.

-What caused it?

Sorting out my emotions and thoughts could come later. The first priority was identifying the cause of the immediate problem.

“What was the issue? Not enough promotion?”

“We did more than enough promotion. Wooju brought in seventeen million people worldwide. What more could anyone possibly do after that?”

I agreed.

Promotion clearly had not been the problem.

We had generated buzz by releasing Like The Sun in advance, appeared on every kind of talk show and television program with Silver Screen’s support, and the distributor had committed a considerable number of screens across North America.

Unless it had been a superhero blockbuster, we had pushed promotion for a musical biographical film as far as it could possibly go.

“Then….”

Ri Hyuk voiced the next thought that came to mind.

“Was it because of Director McGuinness’s film? West Hollywood?”

We had all been thinking the same thing.

It was considered the strongest film among those scheduled for release during the holiday season.

We wondered whether Sound of the Sun’s box office prospects had suffered because its release overlapped with the retirement film of Robert McGuinness, an Academy Award-winning director regarded as a master in Hollywood.

“Of course, that probably had some effect. It’s one of the hottest films in the United States right now.”

Studio Lemon’s promotional team leader continued.

“West Hollywood currently has a ninety-nine percent score on Rotten Tomatoes. That shows how well-made it is, and people are saying it truly deserves to be called Director McGuinness’s retirement film. But….”

“?”

“West Hollywood is also struggling in theaters right now.”

“That film too?”

“It’s the holiday season. Americans don’t necessarily want to watch a blood-soaked film on Thanksgiving either.”

We heard the behind-the-scenes story from the representative.

Apparently, Director McGuinness had insisted on releasing the film during the Thanksgiving season.

Usually, the distributor held the upper hand, but even distributors could not casually ignore a Hollywood master of his stature.

Come to think of it, I had been wondering about that for a while.

“Why would they release that kind of film during the holidays…….”

“No one knows.”

The promotional team leader shook his head.

“Anyway, animated films are currently taking North American theaters by storm. Most of them supposedly aren’t exceptionally entertaining, just decent enough, but there’s nothing more suitable for families who want to watch a movie together during the holidays.”

“That’s true.”

Jiho asked,

“Then if it wasn’t because of West Hollywood, and it wasn’t because of insufficient promotion, why did Sound of the Sun underperform?”

“That is….”

“Yes.”

“No one knows why.”

“…….”

Only then did we realize something we always forgot.

In the popular culture industry, there was not always a particular reason why something succeeded or failed.

Sometimes a blockbuster with tens of billions invested into it, even one that was genuinely entertaining, performed only moderately well. Meanwhile, films that made people think, That movie…? sometimes became inexplicably huge successes.

In the same way, there was no particular reason Sound of the Sun’s first-week North American numbers were poor.

They simply were.

“I have a question.”

Junghyun slowly raised his hand.

“The numbers don’t look bad to me, so why are you calling it a flop… No, why are you describing it as extremely bad?”

“That’s because, Junghyun.”

Jiho explained in his place.

“It’s true in general, but movies usually make the most money in their first week. In places like the US, after the first week, the second week can drop by half. There’s a term called the drop rate, but let’s skip over that.”

“Oh.”

“So it has to peak in the first week to do reasonably well. Our movie especially needs to hit hard at the beginning and then maintain momentum from there.”

While the members discussed it, I rested my chin on my hand and sank into thought.

Every possible method for resolving the situation floated through my mind.

I wanted to solve the problem so badly that even ridiculous ideas occurred to me.

-NewBlack’s Wooju uploads tearful selfie… Souffles launch “tearful theater rush”

Something like that came to mind, and I shook my head.

Using the fans to satisfy my personal desires would not be right. It would also make me look far too desperate.

But there was nothing else I could do here.

The fact that seventeen million people had been reached through promotion meant we had truly exhausted every option.

We had informed almost everyone who might care that the film existed. After that, choosing whether to watch it was up to them. We could not dictate that choice too.

Seokhwan adjusted his glasses and said,

“Let’s focus on the positive side for now.”

The TF team leader addressed us as we listened closely.

“The box office trend fell below expectations, but the Korean box office alone has already recovered a considerable portion of the investment. Passing ten million admissions is guaranteed, and if things go well, it could reach twelve or even thirteen million.”

I felt relieved upon hearing that it would definitely pass the break-even point.

I was simply a little disappointed.

“But….”

Our acting coach, who had been listening quietly, spoke up.

“I think we should watch the situation a little longer.”

“Hm?”

“When you watch movies, there are films that make you think, ‘Ah, this truly is a masterpiece,’ and then there are films audiences love because they make them think, ‘Wow, this is seriously fun!’”

I understood what he meant.

“A masterpiece can still fail at the box office. Sometimes it is only recognized as a masterpiece years later. But movies the general public truly loves never seem to fail. Somehow, they always become successful.”

As I looked at him, Jiho quickly added,

“I-I mean, uh… I’m not saying Sound of the Sun isn’t a masterpiece.”

“I know what you mean.”

There were different kinds of masterpieces.

Some films used the medium so beautifully that people thought, This film is a masterpiece…! Others were so entertaining that, after watching them, people exclaimed, This film is a masterpiece!!

Jiho was saying Sound of the Sun belonged to the latter category.

“Anyway, highly artistic masterpieces sometimes fail commercially. But masterpieces like this might take longer, yet they never truly fail. That’s what I think.”

“That makes sense.”

I smiled and nodded.

“Right. Let’s wait and see.”

After thinking it over, I realized there was nothing more I could do here.

Then all we could do was watch.

I had no choice but to continue doing my own work and calmly wait for the situation to unfold.

Everyone agreed, and the meeting came to an end.

“Wooju.”

“Yeah?”

“What are you doing right now?”

“I’m taking a tearful selfie, just in case.”

“?”

Like the final scene of a comic.

I could only hope it would end with the caption:

This photo was never used….

The holiday season.

With Thanksgiving underway, animated films were currently sweeping through American theaters.

“Woooooow—!”

Children cheered excitedly inside the theater.

Parents who had brought their children smiled as they watched the film.

Hmm.

Unlike the children, however, the adults looked bored.

A man in his forties rested his chin on his hand and sank into thought.

Have I lost my inner child?

He clearly remembered finding animated films incredibly entertaining when he was young, so he could not understand why modern animated films left him feeling so indifferent.

Yet he could not say he had completely lost his sense of childhood wonder, because he still enjoyed watching the animated films that had dominated the 1990s.

He simply wondered why modern movies no longer gave him that same feeling.

Still, the kids are having fun.

When choosing a movie during the holiday season, the children in the family mattered most.

He could not take them to watch one of Director McGuinness’s blood-soaked films.

An action blockbuster did not feel particularly family-friendly either.

“Hmm…….”

So he settled for being satisfied that they were spending time together as a family.

While thinking that, he realized the ending credits had already begun.

After watching the credits, in which a cute cartoon character danced, they left the auditorium.

“Sniff… sob…….”

“Sniff.”

People were emerging from another auditorium.

What’s going on?

They had apparently watched an incredibly moving film, because the group was in tears.

The father, holding his child in his arms, spoke to them.

“Excuse me, what movie did you watch?”

“That one.”

Someone pointed toward a poster showing an Asian man playing the piano.

“Ah.”

He knew that movie.

[Sound of the Sun]

He had heard it was about the father of Sunny, the most famous member of NewBlack.

“Is it very sad?”

“No. It’s incredibly entertaining, and… it’s just… something.”

“??”

He did not understand what that meant, but assumed they were saying it was good.

Then, on the drive home:

Let us dance together

Around the Christmas tree

Keeping to the rhythm

A NewBlack Christmas carol played through the car radio.

While the family hummed along to the song, already overflowing with Christmas cheer, he kept thinking about the film.

Was it because of NewBlack’s song?

The carol, which seemed to be playing everywhere, felt as though it were whispering to him.

-The movie… you there… my good man. Why not watch this movie…?

The film kept circling in his thoughts.

Remembering the expressions on the faces of the people he had seen leaving the auditorium, the man eventually returned to the theater alone.

“One ticket for Sound of the Sun.”

Holding a tub of popcorn and a soda against his chest, the man took his seat.

He saw many people who looked just like him.

They seemed to have come after hearing about the film, taking their seats with expressions that said they had no particular expectations and were simply there to give it a try.

Rustle- rustle-

Slurp-

People sipped soda or munched on popcorn before the film began.

Sluuuurp-

Clatter-

The sounds continued when the film opened with unfamiliar scenes of Korea.

But as the setting gradually shifted to the United States in the 1990s, the noises began to fade.

And once the story reached New York, the theater fell completely silent.

“Wooooow…….”

Beautiful musical numbers flowed from the screen.

Dazzling group choreography.

An underdog story that began at the very bottom.

The man’s heart raced.

This is it.

Goosebumps rose across his arms.

This is what I’ve been waiting for.

A smile naturally spread across his lips, and dopamine flooded through him.

He realized he had not been wrong.

He had not lost the ability to enjoy entertaining films as he aged.

Modern films simply had not been satisfying enough.

Sound of the Sun was truly like a gift set packed with everything an audience could want.

-You have waited a long time. From this moment on, we invite you into a land of dreams and fantasy.

It was truly a film made for the audience.

And the story of Sun Myungju was so thrilling that it was difficult to believe it had really happened.

That made the final part of the film even more resonant.

“Sniff, sniff…….”

“Sob, sob.”

Perhaps it was because they had emotionally invested in him for two full hours.

At first, they had merely thought that some pianist they barely knew had died.

By the end of the film, tears streamed down their faces as though they had lost a friend.

It felt difficult to let him go like this.

And then….

[The awards Sun Myungju received for his contributions to the jazz industry were…]

[None.]

By the end, they even felt outraged.

Sitting there alone in the theater after the film ended, the man felt an emptiness in his chest and, for some reason, wanted to watch the movie again.

Should I… watch it again?

He shook his head.

No. This… this is something ➤ NоvеⅠight ➤ (Read more on our source) I need to bring other people to see with me.

And so the audience members began recommending the film to everyone around them.

At first, it was a modest beginning.

“I’m telling you, I found an insanely good movie. Want to see it together? It’s the best film I’ve ever watched.”

“Should we take the kids? The music was really good.”

“Want to see a movie? Sound of the Sun?”

And the audience continued to grow.

Like a multilevel marketing scheme, Sound of the Sun began spreading everywhere.

Other people’s misfortune is my happiness.

Some people lived by that motto.

“Hahaha!”

A prime example was Dwight Goodman, the man responsible for conducting tourist tours at Silver Screen Studios.

Because of his heavy build, he breathed harshly whenever he walked even a short distance.

“Hahahaha!”

He had been enjoying himself every day lately.

When he had first been demoted to this position because of one arrogant K-pop singer, every day had been miserable.

He had gone from managing enormous promotional budgets to selling cat figurines to tourists overnight.

The only reason he had not been fired was because of his connections at headquarters.

But… things were different now.

I’ll be going back soon.

The news that Sound of the Sun had flopped in the United States had him humming happily.

With numbers like that, it’ll be cut in half this week. Pathetic results compared to the money they spent on promotion.

Rebecca Cassidy, who had taken over his former position, was under pressure, and he might soon return to headquarters.

He could already imagine what he would say to the chairman of Silver Screen.

-Didn’t I tell you? With the budget already strained, films like that should have been cut.

Dwight Goodman imagined the chairman admitting that he had been right.

And he was not the only one delighted by Sound of the Sun’s poor box office performance.

“Haha.”

A silver-haired man in a suit laughed cheerfully in a coffee shop.

His name was Chris Finn.

He had been fired from World Art Studios over racist remarks and was currently searching for a new job.

Excellent.

Finding employment might become easier now.

Whether it involved racist remarks or anything else, Hollywood operated according to the principles of capitalism.

Even producers or actors who posted inappropriate comments on social media could continue making a living as long as their box office performance remained strong.

If Sound of the Sun continued underperforming like this, there was a good chance he too would be given another opportunity.

-From the moment I heard about Sound of the Sun, I knew it was a doomed project. That’s why I tried to phrase my rejection tactfully, but I think that fellow misunderstood me.

The silver-haired man hummed to himself.

There were also people who were not quite as delighted as him, but were still quietly enjoying the situation.

The employees of World Art Studios.

“What was that? We got scared for nothing.”

“Exactly.”

When NewBlack’s leader had publicly attacked World Art Studios, the employees had flinched.

They had worried that their Asian revenue might collapse.

They had wondered whether NewBlack’s furious fans might do something.

But seeing those pathetic numbers gave them courage.

So he wasn’t such a big deal after all.

Judging by everything that had happened so far, the film had seemed destined to become the greatest movie in the world.

But what had the final result actually been?

Compared to expectations, its first-week box office performance was poor enough to be considered an outright failure.

“At this rate, that film is finished too.”

“It’s over.”

Just as sneers spread across their faces—

“D-Did you hear the news?”

“?”

Someone came running in, out of breath.

“Sound of the Sun’s second-week numbers. Something’s strange about them.”

“Strange?”

“They’re almost identical to the first week. In fact, they look like they might rise.”

“…….”

A film’s box office earnings normally dropped by half as the weeks passed.

That was why its initial performance could be used to predict its overall success.

But what if its first- and second-week numbers remained exactly the same?

What if they actually increased?

“…….”

“…….”

Everyone fell silent.

They realized something was happening.

It was a phenomenon none of them had ever seen before.

As Dwight Goodman, Chris Finn, and everyone at World Art Studios swallowed hard, a gust of wind swept through from somewhere.

Documents fluttered like the pages of a book turning.

An immense presence could be felt moving through the air.

-An insignificant beginning. But a magnificent end.

Jelly-colored clouds began to gather over Hollywood.