Chapter 39

Since the start of the filming of "Blue生死恋" (Blue Life and Death), everyone temporarily turned their pressure into motivation, and the shooting went smoothly. Even when occasional small problems arose, they were common issues that every production team would encounter.

This allowed Lee Jung-hui to have more time to pay attention to the development of "The Curse."

On the 8th, after the official website of "The Curse" released the last video, which sparked the biggest online craze, TUBE Entertainment's offline promotional activities also officially ignited. The originally planned one-month promotional budget was rolled out in just one week, including various TV, radio, newspaper, and magazine interviews, fan meetings at schools and cinemas, company-organized movie ticket lottery events, and of course, street posters and outdoor advertisements, which were also indispensable.

Finally, with the influence of the online wave on the offline world, "The Curse" became a household name throughout South Korea.

According to Gao Zuodong, the scale of their efforts left even major entertainment companies like CJ Entertainment in awe, wondering what madness had possessed them and how much money they had spent. They were also curious about what kind of film "The Curse" could be.

This naturally reflected on the many people who were still unfamiliar with "The Curse." They were involuntarily, or perhaps subconsciously, drawn into the public trend, becoming curious and exploring "The Curse," then discussing it, and finally, some of them would buy tickets...

On the 8th, the number of theaters increased from 81 in the morning to 152 in the evening, the number of screens from 129 to 206, and the advance ticket sales from 11,036 people at noon to 23,352 people at midnight.

This number ranked third in the day's advance ticket sales, with the first place being "Mission: Impossible 2," which had been in theaters for two weeks, with 39,071 advance ticket sales; the second place was "Shanghai Noon," which had been in theaters for just one week, with 38,619 advance ticket sales, not much different from "Mission: Impossible 2."

Following "The Curse" was the equally big "Gladiator," Russell Crowe's Oscar-winning film, which had also been in theaters for two weeks. However, its box office performance did not look good, with only 16,592 advance ticket sales that day.

The rankings after that were even more dismal. For example, the seventh place was "Love Space," which had been in theaters for a month and a half and featured Ha Ji-won, with only 315 advance ticket sales. The reason it made the list was that in 2000, the total number of films produced in South Korea for the entire year was just over 20, meaning there were not only fewer cinemas but also fewer films being shown in cinemas.

Of course, this year was the time for South Korean films to truly set sail!

The first day's performance was promising, but it was just the beginning. Most people had the habit of following the crowd. As "The Curse" was promoted everywhere by TUBE Entertainment, and the first group of people started buying tickets, those who were accustomed to following the crowd, had a strong curiosity, and had no financial issues began to follow suit.

Thus, on the second day, the advance ticket sales for "The Curse" increased from 23,352 people on the first day to 39,183 people, and the number of theaters increased from 152 to 231, with the number of screens increasing from 206 to 352.

However, interestingly, perhaps the promotion of "The Curse" stimulated the film market. On that day, it still ranked third in advance ticket sales, with "Mission: Impossible 2" at 42,112 people in first place and "Shanghai Noon" at 39,915 people in second place.

Of course, although "The Curse" was slightly behind, if the rating system was considered, "The Curse" was rated for viewers 18 and older, while "Mission: Impossible 2" and "Shanghai Noon" were rated for viewers 12 and older, so the gap could be ignored.

By the third day, "The Curse" finally turned the tide, with 255 theaters and 410 screens, and advance ticket sales reaching 50,129 people. This time, "Shanghai Noon" ranked second with 40,122 people, and "Mission: Impossible" ranked third with 39,360 people.

After that, once "The Curse" turned the tide, it never lost its top position in advance ticket sales. On the fourth day, it was 55,612 people, on the fifth day, 58,091 people, and on the sixth day, 62,310 people.

On the seventh day, which was the 14th, it was the premiere day. The box office performance after the premiere would determine the film's success. If the film was good, the media would promote it, and with further publicity, not only would the advance ticket sales but also the overall box office would surge to the top. If it was bad, the outcome would be obvious.

On the 14th, at 7 PM, the small premiere of "The Curse" was held at the Seoul Theater. Gao Zuodong led the main creators, including An Byung-ki and Ha Ji-won, to arrive early, where they were photographed and interviewed by the invited media. Kim Sung-gwang, the representative of TUBE Entertainment, was hosting the guests from the industry, such as other film companies and talent agencies.

Lee Jung-hui originally did not plan to attend, but as the main contributor, he could not refuse. However, he arrived quietly and stood aside, drinking champagne and eating snacks, like a casual observer.

However, he was quickly spotted by Gao Zuodong, who immediately said, "Oh, Jung-hui, you finally came!" with a broad smile, and pulled his hand, "This isn't right, you're the main star today, how can you stand in the corner? Come, come, come..."

Lee Jung-hui smiled helplessly, "Well, Mr. Gao, I told you, I don't like being in the spotlight, especially in the media." Even if he appeared in the media, it was sporadic and unremarkable, earning no achievement points but potentially causing unnecessary trouble.

"I know, I know!" Gao Zuodong smiled and pulled him forward, "I promise no one will take your picture or interview you..." He then introduced Lee Jung-hui to a fat man nearby, "Mr. Kim, this is our genius writer, Lee!"

"Oh, you're Mr. Lee!" Kim Sung-gwang's eyes lit up, and he smiled widely, "A Harvard economics Ph.D., wow, you're truly a genius, we must work together more in the future!"

It was no wonder he was flattered and happy. For him, anyone who could make money was like a father. "The Curse," originally a test film, had already achieved 33,301 advance ticket sales by noon that day, totaling 321,978 people.

This data made even major companies like CJ Entertainment envious, indicating that as long as "The Curse" wasn't too bad, making money would be a matter of time. He had already seen "The Curse" and thought it was quite good.

"Mr. Kim, you're too kind!" Lee Jung-hui had to be polite in return and added a compliment for Gao Zuodong, "This time, we owe a lot to Mr. Gao's support and trust. He is the true hero of this film..."

Flattery goes both ways, and this way, everyone would be happy. Kim Sung-gwang, meeting Lee Jung-hui for the first time, found him not only talented but also very smooth, which surprised him.

However, before he could continue, An Byung-ki joined them.

"When did you get here?" An Byung-ki patted Lee Jung-hui's shoulder, "I thought you were going to stand me up!"

"I went home first," Lee Jung-hui smiled. He had returned to visit his grandmother and mother, and there were no significant issues with "Blue Life and Death" at the moment.

He then teased An Byung-ki, "How are you feeling these days, quite pleased with yourself, I bet!" He even whispered, "If the premiere goes well, there will be a lot of people with money lining up to ask you to direct films..."

These words hit An Byung-ki's sweet spot. Before filming "The Curse," and even after, he was very anxious, but now, seeing the booming advance ticket sales, he felt quite satisfied.

He was more aware than Kim Sung-guang that this film would not flop, and this meant a bright future for him.

Thinking about this, he couldn't hide his smile and nudged Lee Jung-hui, "You're just hoping I'll praise you, aren't you?" He then looked him up and down, "Hey, you look pretty sharp today," and glanced at Ha Ji-won.

Lee Jung-hui ignored this and just smiled. However, he did look quite stylish today, not in his usual jeans and T-shirt but in a gemstone blue shirt, black casual pants, and shiny black leather shoes.

These items were all of high quality and, when worn on his tall and slender frame, made him look more mature and elegant.

Coincidentally, Ha Ji-won and the other main creators had just finished their interviews with the journalists and were also looking over. Kim Gwi-ri also mentioned Lee Jung-hui, "Why is Mr. Lee so popular wherever he goes? Look at Mr. Kim, he even brought him a glass of red wine, wow..."

She nudged Ha Ji-won and teased, "Hey, Mr. Lee looks super handsome today, like a prince!"

Being handsome or not was not a big deal for the actors, as the entertainment industry was not short of good-looking people. However, like Kim Gwi-ri, everyone was curious about why Kim Sung-gwang was so polite to Lee Jung-hui, as they knew he was not usually very friendly.

Only Ha Ji-won knew the reason. It was because Gao Zuodong mistakenly thought she and Lee Jung-hui had a special relationship and accidentally revealed it, and she later confirmed it with Lee Jung-hui.

In fact, not only Gao Zuodong but the entire "The Curse" production team thought Lee Jung-hui was very supportive of Ha Ji-won, and the promotion was centered around the Eun-ju incident, which made the other actors, including Kim Gwi-ri, somewhat jealous. After all, Ha Ji-won was just a supporting role, but now she was the main focus in various announcements.

It was no wonder others had their suspicions, even Ha Ji-won herself.

However, knowing was one thing, and the entire promotional plan was a secret. Gao Zuodong planned to have it studied and documented as a company promotional guide.

Ha Ji-won, of course, would not reveal this to others now. She just stared at Lee Jung-hui, surrounded by people, and hummed softly. PS: Request for recommendations and support!

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