บท 165: Chapter 165: May the Force Be With You - Part 2
Having witnessed the live-action thrill of "Star Wars," the remaining onlookers no longer just watched; they too dug into their pockets for coins to feed the nearby idle arcade machines.
Soon, a chorus of complaints filled the air, transforming the previously quiet cinema into a bustling marketplace of noise. This scene delighted the portly manager, as each crisp sound signified a quarter added to the cinema's revenue—a sum that didn't have to be shared with Hollywood studios. However, the ticket-selling matron observed coldly from the sidelines, for in her eyes, these gamers were not the target audience of the cinema.
Indeed, it took merely fifteen minutes for these individuals to exhaust their pockets of coins. Facing the reality of their empty pockets, they reluctantly left the cinema without having watched a film.
"Coming to the cinema and not watching a movie? What's the difference from a gaming arcade?" the matron muttered under her breath.
Yet, as she watched, hoping to see her manager's arcade machine plan backfire, it wasn't long before the same group of youths returned, heading straight for the ticket counter and asking, "What time is the next 'Star Wars'?"
"Ten o'clock," the young employee replied.
"We'll take five tickets."
"That'll be ten dollars."
The swift transaction left the matron taken aback; she hadn't expected these folks could still pull out money to spend!
After all, in just fifteen minutes, even the least indulgent among them had fed the machines at least four times, meaning a minimum expenditure of five dollars! And yet, despite an average spend of one dollar on gaming per person, they still had money left for movie tickets?
Oh—such speed of earning was even faster than selling snacks! With this thought, the matron's gaze shifted to the youths.
Under her watchful eye, those who had purchased tickets returned to the arcade machines—coin clinking, and frustrated sighs filled the air once more. When called to present their tickets, they seemed reluctant, as if regretting their purchase.
But two hours later, as they emerged from the theater, their cries of "May the Force be with you" pierced the sky. "Watch the movie, watch the movie, watch the movie!" they shouted maniacally at the other gamers.
"Don't play games anymore! Go watch the movie! 'Star Wars' is as excellent as the game!"
"No—"
"This is absolutely the best movie I've ever seen!"
"Once you see the movie, you'll understand the meaning behind those phrases in the game. I'd love to spoil it, but—you really have to see it yourself!"
"Oh, and the spaceships on screen are even cooler than in the game!"
The matron was baffled by their frenzied behavior, but the gamers caught their drift.
"Bro, are you serious?" asked a bystander who hadn't gotten a turn. "Are the spaceships in the movie really as awesome as in the game?"
"Absolutely!" shouted a youth fresh from the cinema. "Totally cool!"
Seemingly to prove their point, but perhaps more to relive the astonishment, they rushed back to the ticket counter for more.
"Give me another five tickets for 'Star Wars'!"
The matron was startled by their drug-like behavior, unable to comprehend how just one movie could provoke such excitement.
Yet, as the evening wore on and more people poured into the theaters, their frenzied shouts transformed the cinema into a scene straight out of "The Shining." They yelled about the Millennium Falcon, Darth Vader, Luke Skywalker, endlessly promoting the movie's brilliance to gamers outside. Their behavior might have been incomprehensible to the average person, but it didn't matter.
This madness wasn't confined to Los Angeles alone. By noon Eastern Time, as the first batch of gamer-fans exited the theaters, their evangelizing spread like wildfire across every corner of America.
Though it was a Wednesday, May 25, 1977, cinemas in various cities still saw a significant uptick in attendance, at least 20% more than usual.
And who were these attendees? Clearly, they were youths who had skipped class.
After enduring two hours of waiting and another two hours of screenings, the infectious enthusiasm and the frenzy over the arcade machines turned every cinema into the city's hottest spot.
Passersby fresh from work stared in bewilderment at the long queues.
Inquiries, curiosity, and trials led to an overwhelming surge of calls to the police.
"I'm calling from Century City Cinema! We need police assistance! We only have three 'Star Wars' arcade machines, but there's a huge crowd wanting to play! They're all crammed in our lobby, and we're understaffed to manage the situation!"
"This is Long Island Cinema! The line of people waiting to see 'Star Wars' has stretched onto the street! Now it's three lines! Oh, shoot! It's three lines now! Some are cutting in line, others are pushing
and shoving; we can't control the scene! We need police! We need police! Please, hurry!"
"This is Boston, ah—I'm being attacked—"
As Evelyn witnessed how cinemas in Los Angeles went from a handful of attendees to full capacity, she removed her sunglasses, her face etched with disbelief.
"Oh—Ethan! Is this the blockbuster you were talking about???"
"Yeah!" Ethan, having roamed Los Angeles for a day, smiled and nodded, gazing at the throngs of people outside the window. "This is the blockbuster I was talking about."
He also asked, "Evelyn, do you find this scene spectacular?"
"Spectacular??? How can you use that word to describe what's happening???"
Looking at the flashing lights of police cars, Evelyn exclaimed, "Can this even be called spectacular? Ah, I mean, this is clearly a miracle!!!"
"It's a Wednesday!"
"Not a holiday!"
"Even though we've hyped up a lot of discussions before, isn't this turnout even more exaggerated than a typical weekend? No! This is absolutely shocking!"
The girl was somewhat incoherent, also puzzled, "Why do these people love 'Star Wars'?"
"Why are they crazily praising that movie?"
"Why?"
She couldn't fathom it.
Leaning on the steering wheel, Ethan grinned.
"Why?" He repeated her question with a hint of wonder, then sighed with a smile, "Because it's called 'Star Wars,' it's that simple."
Having witnessed history come alive, seeing how "Star Wars" ignited North America in an instant, Ethan really couldn't be bothered to analyze why the movie succeeded anymore. It was meaningless.
Once something achieves success, even its flaws are overlooked. When the fact of success is laid before the public, people no longer ponder its potential failure.
If the public instinctively abandons their capacity for critical thinking, then what's the point of analysis for someone who benefits from it? Why not just enjoy it all? Enjoy the fruits of success.
After all, this was his victory.
"My dear sister, would you like to see the revised movie?" Ethan nudged her.
"Now?" Evelyn pointed outside, utterly surprised.
"Yeah~ Right now~" Though it was a question, Ethan had already turned off the engine and stepped out of the car.
"Let's go feel the enthusiasm of the public together."
"Then you'll realize, this kind of adoration feels amazing."
Ethan opened the passenger door, offering his left hand to Evelyn.
Her understanding of this abnormal thought process made Evelyn gaze deeply at Ethan, then, with a resigned smile, she took his hand.
They joined the queue at five in the afternoon in Los Angeles but only managed to get tickets for the ten o'clock showing by six-thirty.
The wait was torturous, yet the cheers and screams brought joy.
They saw wave after wave of audience members rushing out of the theater, shouting lines from the movie. They witnessed an arcade machine enveloped by fans, the frenzy of emptying the coin box every three hours, and the awe-struck calls as the Millennium Falcon soared across the screen.
When they finally made their way out of the cinema, it was midnight.
Yet, the cinema entrance was still crowded with people wanting to play the game.
The duty manager, megaphone in hand, explained his predicament.
"Everyone! We've closed for the day! Please come back tomorrow!"
"I know you want to play the games, but we can't just place the arcade machines outside for now."
"Give me some time, and I promise to solve this problem by tomorrow!"
"I also promise you, we'll order more arcade machines from Destiny Game!"
"Please trust us, there'll soon be more machines at the cinema entrance!"
His voice hoarse from shouting, Evelyn couldn't help but laugh.
Having experienced North America's enthusiasm firsthand, she was no longer surprised.
Her laughter stemmed from the manager's promise.
As the chairwoman of Destiny Game, the company's major shareholder, she knew all too well that North American cinemas had initially thought six thousand arcade machines would suffice to meet public demand.
Now, in the aftermath of the market explosion, they wanted to place urgent orders?
Oh, that was truly—
Evelyn glanced at Ethan.
Understanding her, Ethan nodded and said, "We can fulfill the orders, but..."
He drew out his words.
Already influenced by him, Evelyn smiled and said.
In that moment, they both declared: "It'll cost extra."
"Ha ha ha—"
Their tacit agreement sparked laughter between them.
As they headed to the hotel to rest...
The neon-lit city continued to sing their legend.
Note: The real "Star Wars" indeed exploded in popularity upon its release, as documented, with photographs showing weekday cinema queues—a ludicrous sight. Its total viewership in North America was second only to "Gone with the Wind," reaching 1.8 billion.
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