Charles, a film critic who was passing by, was intrigued by the long queue outside the Sunshine Cinema. He bought a second-hand ticket from a Chinese old lady at the high price of 10 dollars and followed the line of Chinese people into the crowded hall.
He fixed his eyes on the screen right away.
Despite all the noise around him, as well as the poor projecting conditions, Charles was totally absorbed into the shooting skills of the director, the story and the main actor.
The film was a Triton among minnows compared to other messy independent films.
When the film ended, ignoring the strange looks other people were giving him, he ran along the streets as fast as possible. He wanted to express his feelings by writing a brilliant article.
At the last minute, the editor of "The New York Times" received a film review from Charles about an independent minority film. Luckily, it was a short one. The editor decided to add a paragraph to his column.
On the fourth day, thanks to the surging box office success of the film in New York, all 107 cinemas of the US paid attention to the film. There was also an article published in The New York Times.
"Review by Charles, a famous film critic: Without the main actor and the final climax, the film would have been a boring one. The shooting skills and narrative approach of the director added novelty to it though..."
That could be considered a direct approval of an indie film. Vivian forwarded the link to OMG without trouble, as well as the statistics of the rising box office success of "Elephant".
"I’m getting more and more interested in this film. I’m pleased to see it playing in my city."
"Qin Guan looked like an immortal on NYLON. The big screen is a decisive test for handsome men. I’ll go watch it."
It was strange. Generally speaking, the box office of the first day tended to be the highest. This was not true about "Elephant" though. The cinemas playing it increased from two to 107, and on the third day, the box office was double as much as on the first day.
Strange things were going on.
Han Zhujiu and his guys were sitting at the front row of a cinema. People from Chinatown had booked the entire theater. He had decided to help his lifesaver. What f*cking story does the film tell us though?
"F*ck! You bastards! Wake up!"
"Oh? Is it finished?"
"What a shame! I shouldn't have brought you guys. You are insulting art! Art!"
An elegant old couple came out of another hall, talking about the film, and saw the Chinese gangsters leaving the hall solemnly in a formidable, orderly array.
"China sure is a country with a long history and a splendid culture. Those boys watched a private screening."
"Yes. Education in America is very concerning. Even Chinese gangsters get together to watch an indie film."
As a result, the Chinese people in Chinatown were labeled as "art lovers".
A week later, the ranking box office list in North America was released. "Elephant" was 10th on the list of indie films with a total box office of 270,000 dollars.
Director Gus heard the news in Cannes. He was attending a publicity conference for his movie. When he was told, he thought something was wrong with his ears.
Actually, he had directed the movie only because it was his dream. He had wanted to realize his dream before his savings ran out. What was happening now?
He had gotten all his investment back without even getting any publicity. From the next week onwards, half of the box office would pour right into his pocket. According to the statistics, the box office was supposed to be rising.
His lips were quivering slightly. Judging by the Chinese audience, he knew that his lucky star was Qin Guan.
As he looked at the application form for best actor, he laughed happily. Being accepted by a mainstream audience was his lifelong goal. He was no longer fixated on the Cannes festival.
He didn't care whether he would win the award or not. He would rather be an independent director. His assistant noticed that he seemed to be relieved from all his burdens. He looked refreshed and confident.
Qu Xuemei had just finished a half-hour video call with the elegant Italian old man. From then on, Qin Guan would become one of the three exclusive models of Armani.
Not all Haute Couture of famous brands was accepted by fashion experts though. Firstly, couture had to be high-end. Secondly, the designer had to be well-known. Thirdly, one should have enough handwork masters working for their studio. Finally, the show and representative models were also important.
Billionaires did not like to wear the same clothes as a nobody.
Thanks to the popularity of "Elephant", the clever old man had selected Qin Guan as their exclusive model during the board meeting.
Qu let out a long breath of relief. Qin Guan had set one foot on the stage of top fashion. Whether he would also set the other foot would depend on his ability.