Outside the largest cinema in New York, reporters had been waiting for a long time.
About an hour into the movie, the reporters suddenly noticed a man hurriedly exiting the theater, holding the hand of a young boy. With their sharp instincts for news, they immediately sensed a story and rushed toward the man.
"Hello, may I ask why you left the theater in the middle of the movie?"
The man was startled by the aggressive approach of the reporters and was momentarily taken aback.
The reporters bombarded him with questions:
"Was it because the movie wasn't good?"
"Or did you find it too boring?"
They all looked expectantly at him for an answer. However, upon hearing their questions, the man quickly waved his hands and said, "No, no, no! It's not for any of the reasons you're suggesting."
"Then what is it? Were you angry about something in the movie? Or did it bring up something offensive to you?"
Journalists were always skilled at finding tricky angles to ask their questions.
But the man quickly refuted them: "None of that! Listen to me, hey!"
The reporters, chattering like a flock of sparrows, fell silent, waiting for his response.
The man took a deep breath and said quickly, "This movie is amazing—absolutely fantastic! I found it even more engaging than Avatar! The only reason I left was because my kid wasn't feeling well. But I'm going to buy another ticket and watch it again..."
Then he turned directly to the camera and said, "Listen, the story is great, the special effects are incredible—I love it! I can't wait to see the ending. Got it?"
After the man left, the reporters exchanged glances. Then they turned back to their cameras and reported, "Lucy has received an overwhelmingly positive reception! Moviegoers are saying it surpasses Avatar!"
Satisfied with their big scoop, the reporters continued to wait.
Two hours later, as the movie ended, the reporters gathered at the lobby and entrance of the theater, ready to interview the audience.
But before they could even ask questions, they were already hearing loud discussions about Lucy.
People were debating "Lucy's fate," "the truth about Earth," and the so-called "mysterious observer," leaving the reporters completely baffled.
And before they could even extend their microphones, excited moviegoers rushed toward the cameras, shouting:
"Amazing movie—everyone, go watch it!"
"Wow! I'm so pumped! The special effects were insane!"
"Totally worth it! Especially that mid-movie battle—absolutely mind-blowing!"
"I love the cybernetic enhancements! I want to get some for myself!"
"There has to be a sequel! Ethan, hurry up and make it!"
These were the raw, unfiltered reactions of the audience.
The reporters barely had any room to guide the interviews. They could only smile as moviegoers took over their microphones and expressed their excitement.
Meanwhile, more people were queuing up to enter the theater, eager to experience Lucy for themselves.
By Saturday, Lucy's opening-day box office numbers were finally in.
"Lucy has grossed over $86 million in North America on its first day, surpassing last year's I Am Legend ($77 million) and Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince ($77.83 million)! It has also beaten X-Men Origins: Wolverine ($85.05 million), making it one of the top three highest openings in the past two years."
This opening performance had already outdone Avatar's first-day box office, far exceeding expectations.
Of course, a strong opening wasn't everything. Many films had impressive first-day numbers but quickly dropped off. Twilight, for example, had a massive opening but saw a steep decline in the following days.
On the other hand, Avatar had incredible staying power, steadily climbing past $1 billion and even $2 billion.
Whether Lucy could achieve the same feat remained to be seen. Though its North American opening didn't surpass some major franchise films, it had a significant advantage worldwide. Thanks to Inception's stellar reputation and the title of "the best 3D film since Avatar," Lucy had a global opening of over $150 million.
On its first day alone, Lucy grossed $200 million worldwide!
As word-of-mouth spread and positive media coverage fueled curiosity, more and more casual moviegoers became interested, further driving ticket sales.
In China, at the Wanda Cinema in Shijingshan, huge crowds lined up early to buy tickets. The IMAX 3D version was the most sought-after, with some people even willing to pay an extra 20 yuan just to secure a ticket.
Some media outlets described the rush as "comparable to the Spring Festival travel season."
Other countries saw similar trends, with theaters packed as audiences flocked to experience Lucy in 3D.
This even led many who had initially watched the 2D version to return for a second viewing in IMAX, encouraged by others' recommendations.
With this momentum, Lucy's first-week box office results were soon released.
"North American box office surpasses $300 million. Global box office exceeds $800 million."
Jimmy looked at Ethan with excitement. "A billion! My God, it broke the $1 billion mark in just one week! This is absolutely thrilling!"
Sitting beside him was Paula Wagner, the biggest investor in United Artists. She was also glowing with satisfaction. After all, United Artists was the distributor of Lucy.
"It might even cross the $2 billion mark!" Paula Wagner speculated.
"I wouldn't be so sure about that," Ethan responded more conservatively. While Lucy had climbed the box office rankings thanks to strong branding, it was not a sequel and didn't carry James Cameron's legendary reputation.
Ethan estimated that the film's final box office would likely cap around $1.8 billion. By the following week, ticket sales would probably start to decline significantly.
Even so, Lucy had already cemented itself in cinematic history.
Not only had it shattered Ethan's own previous box office records, but it had also proven to everyone that Norton's Eye was capable of consistently delivering blockbuster hits.
This would undoubtedly give investors immense confidence in the studio's future.
As long as he announced that he would produce a film within the SuperSec universe every few years, no matter what unexpected events happened to Norton's Eye, even if it incurred losses, its stock price would no longer be affected.
Because everyone knew that as long as a sequel was released, Norton's Eye would set everything right.
"Come on, cheers! To our movie's success!" Paula Wagner raised her champagne glass, and Jimmy and Ethan followed suit.
"Ding!" The glasses clinked, and everyone drank in one go.
At that moment, Yuffie pushed the door open and walked over to Ethan, whispering a few words in his ear.
"Sorry, I have some matters to attend to." Ethan nodded to the two of them before turning and heading into a private meeting room.
Inside, Harry and board member Sully were seated.
"Ethan, congratulations." Sully stood up and took the initiative to congratulate him.
"This is Sully Tolev, a major board member of MGM," Harry introduced him to Ethan.
Ethan deliberately put on a flattered expression. "Welcome, I can't believe you came in person."
He knew very well that this was the representative director of Pacific Capital Fund, MGM's largest shareholder at the moment.
Sully laughed heartily. "Because I really love your movie Lucy—it's absolutely amazing!"
To understand Norton's Eye, he had even gone to the theater to watch the film. He had to admit, it was brilliantly shot. Now, he understood why Ethan had the confidence to demand ten percent of the shares.
If every future film he made was like this, then soon, the title of Hollywood's most profitable director would belong to him.
"Thank you so much." Ethan remained poised and elegant, engaging in lively conversation with Sully and Parent.
Until the topic shifted to business interests.
"Ethan, MGM needs you." Sully was blunt about his high regard for Ethan. "We need a genius like you to help MGM climb out of its slump."
"As for your previous demands, after discussion, we have basically agreed, except for the shares." Sully held up seven fingers. "This is the maximum I can offer. Many shareholders disagree, but I believe you're worth it."
Ethan tapped his fingers on the table, understanding that MGM truly couldn't offer more shares.
So he was willing to accept this percentage, but in exchange, MGM would have to make some concessions in other contractual terms.
Two hours later, Sully and Harry exited the meeting room.
Walking behind Sully, Harry even had a slight sheen of sweat on his forehead. The terms Ethan proposed during the negotiations had truly hit MGM's bottom line—such as film rights and intellectual property.
The discussions had gone back and forth for a long time until Sully finally made a compromise, allowing the deal to be finalized.
MGM should be able to escape its crisis now, Harry thought. As for whether Ethan's terms would hurt MGM's interests, he didn't care.
If he had been the only one in the meeting, he would have happily agreed to every single demand.
After all, if the board ultimately chose Telescope Entertainment instead, he would be out of a job anyway.
The next day, MGM and Norton's Eye quickly completed the signing of all relevant agreements.
A week later, they publicly announced:
"MGM will soon merge with a subsidiary of Norton's Eye to form the new MGM Entertainment, with Ethan leading the company into the future."
As soon as this news broke, the investment market showed renewed confidence in MGM. Even banks proactively approached MGM, offering to defer some of their debt repayments.
The reason was simple—Lucy had officially surpassed 1.5 billion dollars in box office revenue within two weeks and was now charging toward the 2-billion-dollar milestone.
On the internet, analyses of Lucy sprang up like mushrooms after the rain, countless in number. Many video bloggers and critics shared their thoughts on the film.
Film reviewers also gave the movie overwhelmingly positive feedback, believing it continued Ethan's ambitious storytelling approach. They praised it as a rare sci-fi blockbuster that successfully explored deep artistic themes.
In stark contrast to these praises was Victor's previous criticism.
Although he had already been imprisoned for bribery, deliberate defamation, and several other charges, his past articles had now become a must-visit place for Lucy fans online.
Every viewer, after watching Lucy, would visit his blog, curse at him, and then leave.
Amid all the excitement, some people weren't focusing on the box office numbers but rather on the film's ending.
"Why did Lucy say that humanity has always been watched? Did she see that planet-devouring creature during her time-travel sequence? Could that creature be lurking outside Earth, waiting for the right moment?"
"Also, Officer Peel was exposed to CPH4 during the battle, even if only a little. What will happen to him? Will he undergo evolution as well?"
"Lucy first transformed into a super biocomputer, then dissolved into dust, and finally turned into a USB drive. What exactly is stored on that USB? Could she still exist within the digital network?"
Vincenzo listed these questions in his video and attempted to answer them one by one, but he couldn't find any definitive conclusions.
As audiences puzzled over these mysteries, Norton's Eye suddenly announced a collaboration with Valiant Comics—Superbody's first comic book volume was about to be released.
The comic would expand on the CPH4 lore, fully reveal Lucy's backstory, and cover the events leading up to the movie's ending.
Moreover, writer Ethan had hidden a special easter egg in the final pages, which would help fans better understand the Lucy universe.
This announcement shook the industry, and Vincenzo was thrilled.
"Oh my god, it's getting a comic adaptation!"
Usually, comics are released first, and movies are adapted from them.
But Lucy had done it the other way around—first the movie, then the comic.
Thanks to the film's massive popularity, the comic's sales were guaranteed.
However, this strategy wasn't something most people could replicate. After all, not everyone had such confidence in their work. If Lucy had flopped, all the money invested in the comic would have gone to waste.
Additionally, comics were a different medium from movies, allowing for more extreme storytelling.
To win over comic book fans, they needed either an exciting or innovative story, as well as a vast and immersive world.
So when news of Norton's Eye launching Lucy comics spread, industry professionals immediately commented:
"Ethan's movies are fantastic and have a distinct style. But I'm not optimistic about his move into the superhero comic space. Marvel and DC already dominate over 80% of the market."
"This means that comic book fans will inevitably compare Valiant Comics to these two giants. When it comes to hero concepts, world-building, and superpowers, those are the things comic fans care about the most. And I don't believe Valiant Comics has the capability to create a large-scale, ever-expanding universe of superheroes."
This was an undeniable reality. The best comic artists and writers all aspired to work at Marvel or DC, leaving other publishers with a much smaller talent pool. The gap between them and the two industry giants was significant.
But Valiant Comics remained confident, believing in the strength of the SuperCec universe.
At the very least, when the Earth's True History arc was released, they were certain they would deliver an experience that would truly shock audiences.
...
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