Blackstone Code

The quality of a film and its box office performance were never directly related. Throughout history, many critically acclaimed big productions were praised greatly before their wide release.

Whether it was filmmakers or critics, they all went to great lengths to praise a film, predicting it would become a benchmark in history. In fact, they were somewhat correct, but this benchmark often turned out to be a new low rather than a new high.

Similarly, there were films that few people had high hopes for, but once released, they soared in popularity, generating incomprehensible returns and leaving people speechless.

But did people really not know why this happens?

No, they actually did. They just didn't like to admit it.

Filmmakers and critics, these so-called "upper class" both inside and outside the industry, based their evaluations of films entirely on "artistic value."

They meticulously analyzed every scene, pondering if there was a deeper meaning in one part of the plot, or if there was some reference in another. They wouldn't even overlook a minor detail in the visuals.

For example, there was once a critic who, when promoting a film, focused on the wallpaper patterns, using them to interpret the profound meaning of the film.

These people clearly had an excessively high pursuit of art, or perhaps they were always like this, always trying to see things that ordinary people cannot.

However, ordinary people never wanted to pursue artistic value. They didn't receive a good education and had no idea whether the thorny vines on the wallpaper came from roses or brambles. They certainly couldn't figure out the significance of roses and brambles in religion, history, and mythology, so naturally, they couldn't understand these underlying meanings.

They only pursued practicality and usability. They couldn't accept anything too highbrow. Looking at film history, all films with religious content always had high ratings but low box office returns because people weren't interested. Only critics and filmmakers were.

It was like this film. Lynch had heard some critics behind him whispering their unique sarcastic remarks about its content more than once, and some even walked out to show their disdain.

Yet the real audience, those in the seats, were thoroughly enjoying it. Whether they came for the plot or to see the actress, at least they were very satisfied with the joy the film brought them.

That was why they entered the cinema. As for after they left?

They didn't want to think about whether aliens represented some form of inequality or if the heroine's extraordinary powers symbolized a power above the mundane world.

Actually, thinking this way, it seemed like it might actually be a work with profound content and a satire on reality.

As the film drew to a close, and the heroine stabbed the truck driver who had assaulted and nearly killed her in the eye with a dagger, the plot finally reached its climax.

Seeing the heroine bathed in the enemy's blood, the audience in the back rows clearly enjoyed this grand revenge scene.

As for the critics?

They were full of crap.

Lynch gave it an objective evaluation: it was a decent film. At least male fans would buy tickets without hesitation to enjoy about eighty minutes of fun. Even if it wouldn't make a huge profit, it should break even.

As the production credits began to roll and the lights in the cinema came up, people stood up, applauding either enthusiastically or indifferently.

Lynch shook hands with Mr. Fox, "Congratulations, this is the first step to success, and I believe it's the first step to a legend."

Mr. Fox was in high spirits and emotional. Not long ago, he was a nobody in a rural area dealing in shady businesses, and now, in the blink of an eye, he was mingling with high society and had produced a film. It was the most unimaginable yet real achievement of his life.

"I have to thank you, Lynch, my friend. Without you, I might still be running a shady finance company." This was one of Mr. Fox's greatest strengths: he not only knew how to hold a grudge but also how to remember kindness.

Lynch released his hand with a smile, "Now it's your time."

After the premiere, there was actually a cocktail party, but these events were rarely reported, mainly because journalists couldn't get in.

At the cocktail party, local production companies and industry professionals surrounded the Foxes. Due to well-known reasons, projects receiving investment in Lardimore this year were scarce, and some production companies even went bankrupt suddenly.

A large number of unemployed people were wandering the streets, not much different from other places.

Now, the Foxes appeared with their new film and new company, those in the film industry would naturally swarm around them like sharks smelling blood.

There were directors who had made films, project initiators, or celebrities, all with the same goal: to leave a deep impression on these two benefactors and hopefully secure some investment.

On Lynch's side, there were also people, but of a slightly higher status. He was chatting with a vice-CEO of one of the top five production companies in the Federation.

Lynch's Interstellar Trading Company had officially submitted its split records and initiated preliminary procedures for listing, signaling that the company could soon be listed on the three major stock exchanges.

If this had happened a few years ago, people wouldn't have cared. Back then, even a garbage collection station could go public and make a hefty profit.

But now, going public in such a poor economic climate meant absolute determination. Suppose a company had a market value of ten million, issued ten million shares at one buck each, matching its market value.

After issuing the shares, people's buying behavior would quickly drive up the price, attracting more capital, which was why new stocks would always make money.

When the price per share rose from one buck to two bucks, the total value of the ten million shares would reach twenty million. In other words, even if the company didn't make any profit during this time, its market value would have doubled.

This was the normal scenario, but now it was hard to achieve. Initially, some people might buy some shares, as the free market's free trading couldn't be entirely simulated or predicted, and some people would do it even if everyone thought it was stupid.

Those who bought the shares would find the price fluctuating little after a while. If some wanted to switch stocks or needed cash urgently, they would sell at a relatively low price, lowering the stock price—the last transaction price would become the real-time market price.

A lower stock price meant every shareholder's stock was depreciating, and in today's market, this would happen much faster.

Going public now wasn't the right move. Some companies thought they could withstand the post-financial-crisis winter but found their market value halved as soon as they went public. They were now considering delisting or had already done so.

So Lynch's move to go public against the trend had drawn attention from domestic capital to this young man from Sabin City, his company, and the huge profits in second-hand goods.

"Mr. Lynch, I noticed that you are one of the main shareholders of this company. That's why I'm here." The vice-CEO from Surprise Box Productions made no secret of his reason for being there, stating he came for Lynch, not the Foxes or the film.

Surprise Box Productions originated from a circus, which also had a simple playback equipment to show past shows after the circus performance.

The circus owner later found that people were less sensitive to live circus performances, even with changes and new performers. But if the shows were not quite right, the audience would notice quickly.

This showed the audience was more interested in the shows than the live performances, and this discovery allowed the circus owner to make a significant profit.

He hired some circus performers at a very low price to showcase their skills, recorded their performances, and then sent them on their way. After that, he could still earn revenue by playing these recorded performances continuously, without having to maintain or pay the performers.

In the end, the circus only had a clown for warming up the crowd and a young woman to warm the circus owner's bed, but the circus owner never made less money.

Under these circumstances, the circus owner became one of the first producers in the Baylor Federation, hiring people to shoot more circus films or other films, and the clown popping out of the surprise box became the company's logo.

Today, Surprise Box Productions was a significant force in the Baylor Federation's entertainment industry, attracting attention wherever they went.

Listening to the vice-CEO's somewhat flattering remarks, Lynch smiled and nodded, raising his glass, "I'm honored."Please vote for this novel at /series/blackstone-code/There are advance chapters available nowAccess will be granted 24 hours after the donationTier 1: 7 Advance chapters Link

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