"I heard that the villain in this movie is more powerful than the protagonist."
"Yeah, I heard that too. That's why I came for it."
"The villain is the Joker, who is said to have made Batman look really bad in the movie."
"Who won in the end?"
"Nonsense, it must be Batman, this is a superhero movie, idiot!"
"That's true, but if it were real life, I'd definitely beat Batman into a sieve."
"Shut your bragging. Whether you could even penetrate the Bat armor with that little gun in your waistband is another question."
Groups of black people were talking and walking toward the screening room.
These people didn't know what politeness or quality meant. They talked loudly, bumped fists with acquaintances, and exchanged words like "bro".
The entire theater was filled with all kinds of chaotic sounds.
This wasn't just happening in black neighborhoods.
Almost all ghettos in North America, including Colombians, Irish, Mexicans, and other gang members, chose to go out and watch this movie.
It was said that the villain in the movie was cooler than the protagonist!
This was something that the entire crew, including Martin, did not expect.
After more than two hours, the movie ended.
Black gang members walked out of the screening room in twos and threes, each with excited and thrilled faces.
"Frank, The Joker are the real gangsters, way cooler than the Bloods and Crips gangs!"
"Did you see the look on his face when he burned the pile of banknotes? I was so hyped watching that!"
"I still love the magic trick he did with the pencil. Watching it disappear, HAHAHA, Its so fucking funny!"
"Hey, what if we put on clown costumes and makeup the next time we go out on a job?"
"That's a fucking great idea!"
"Why bother with makeup? I saw some clown masks for sale at Old Donald's store. We can each buy one and wear it next time we go out to rob." (HAHAHA i'm ded)
"Hey, why spend money? We're clowns."
A little black boy, about fourteen or fifteen years old, waved his arms and shouted.
Then he was slapped on the back of the head by a big man.
"You idiot, did you go crazy watching a movie? Do you believe Old Donald could call your mom and have her drag you back for a beating?"
"Shit, I'm not scared of my mom, I'm an adult!"
The little boy retorted.
"Really? Then go try robbing Old Donald."
"Well, forget it, black people don't rob black people!"
The popularity of The Dark Knight exceeded Warner's expectations.
It seemed like theaters showing the movie throughout Los Angeles were queuing up, and the same was happening across North America.
Various media outlets caught wind of this rare phenomenon and sent reporters to cover it.
"Hi, everyone, I'm Lisa, a reporter from FOX News Channel. As time enters the 20th century, the number of theaters in North America is growing rapidly. Similar scenes haven't happened for a long time. The Dark Knight recreates for us the movie-watching spectacle of the 1980s and 1990s..."
"Today is Friday, not a day off, and we can see that most of the people in the theaters are young. Apparently, they took time off or switched shifts to watch the movie, further reflecting the excitement The Dark Knight has stirred."
At this moment, the main creative staff of The Dark Knight had already boarded a plane and embarked on a city promotion tour. They didn't yet know how big of an impact their film had made.
But in Burbank, the "media capital of the world," in the CEO office of the Warner Building, the president was excitedly holding the air and dancing.
Alan Horn had just received a summary of the information sent by his assistant.
Looking at it, all the news was good.
The attendance rate at most theaters in North America exceeded 80%, with some prime locations even being sold out. After entering the year 2000, such a hot situation had been rare.
Moreover, after watching the movie, the fans' reviews were all A+.
After dancing an unknown part of a swing dance, Alan Horn picked up the phone and said, "Tell the factory we need more copies. A thousand copies won't be enough."
Just as he hung up, a series of calls came in, all from representatives of the three major theater chains:
"Quick, quick, we need more copies!"
"Copy, give us a copy!"
"God, please send me a copy quickly. This movie is so popular!"
Then, the president's assistant rushed in again. "Sir, the box office data from yesterday's advance screening is in."
"More than $18.4 million."
"Haha, this calls for a drink!" Alan Horn couldn't suppress his excitement and laughed.
This was the result of only one screening.
It was clear that Batman: The Dark Knight was creating miracles!
If this trend continued, everyone knew that the box office per theater would exceed $10,000—a near certainty. The crew and creators who had just gotten off the plane in Miami also received this good news.
Jonathan Nolan whistled, patted his brother on the shoulder, and said, "Chris, you're going to be famous. When you get famous, remember to treat us."
Christopher Nolan's face turned red, and he was so excited that he didn't know what to say. He just kept repeating, "A treat, a treat! I'll treat you... I want to treat..."
Martin also came over, pressed Christopher Nolan's shoulder, and said, "If nothing else happens, The Dark Knight will dominate the entire Christmas season, everything!"
Christopher Nolan finally couldn't help but laugh out loud.
"Guys, cheer up! Promote it well, use your eloquence, acting skills, and personal charm to keep the popularity of The Dark Knight rising. You're all going to be famous!"
Martin turned around and shouted to the crew.
"Woohoo!" everyone cheered.
"Sorry, sir, the next screening of The Dark Knight won't be available until after four o'clock in the afternoon!"
The ticket sales staff apologized to the young white guy in front of her.
Her expression was somewhat numb because she had been repeating similar things all morning.
"What?!" The white boy was clearly caught off guard. He raised his wrist and looked at his watch. It was just before 10:00 a.m.
He bent down and begged at the ticket window, "Please, can you think of a way? I can't wait another six hours. Please, help me out! Come on, please!"
"I'm sorry, sir, I can't help it. The tickets have been sold out. You can buy tickets for the 4 p.m. show first, go back to work, and come back in the afternoon." The ticket conductor was also helpless. "The Dark Knight is just too popular."