As one of the lucky first audiences to watch The Avengers at the premiere, Yahoo Entertainment reporter Michelle Kennett, after attending the press conference, did not immediately rush back to write her article. Instead, she headed to the TCL Chinese Theatre in Hollywood, planning to interview some midnight show viewers to gather more material for tomorrow's piece.
The audience attending the midnight show were almost exclusively the film's or director Duke Rosenberg's and the actors' most devoted and seasoned fans, whose opinions would directly reflect the film's reception.
After waiting for over two hours at the TCL Chinese Theatre, Michelle Kennett finally encountered departing viewers. She immediately stopped the first fan leaving.
"Hello, I'm a reporter from Yahoo Entertainment…" she quickly introduced herself, then concisely asked, "Did you enjoy The Avengers?"
"Innovative, stunning, and extremely fun."
The fan, roughly twenty years old, did not hide their excitement. "Epic in scale, with more action-packed climax scenes than all previous Marvel films combined—truly spectacular!"
After this fan left, Michelle Kennett swiftly interviewed more than ten other people.
"Absolutely amazing, even better than expected!"
"Personally loved it, from start to finish it was thrilling."
"Duke has made Marvel Studios' best movie yet!"
After interviewing fans, Michelle Kennett spoke with the night manager of the TCL Chinese Theatre.
"The midnight show for The Avengers at the Chinese Theatre was sold out, and tickets had been on pre-sale for over a week. In the past few days, many fans have inquired about midnight tickets, so we had to add three additional shows, yet tickets still aren't enough. This will definitely be a phenomenon-level movie!"
Leaving the TCL Chinese Theatre, Michelle Kennett got into her car but did not immediately drive off. Instead, she pulled out her newly purchased iPhone and posted an instant share.
"Back from The Avengers premiere, animation and superhero fans, get ready for the feast! Director Duke Rosenberg almost perfectly executed a task that could easily have failed. The balance among the heroes is superb, dialogue consistently humorous, and the final showdown dazzling to the point of breathtaking. Duke's grand plan for Marvel earns endless praise."
After posting, she quickly browsed instant shares from her colleagues, many of whom had attended the premiere last night.
"Just saw it—so much action, humor, and surprises."
"If you love comic movies, you will definitely fall in love with this film!"
"My body is still shaking as I post this review—the movie is just too amazing!"
"All these Marvel misfits together seemed like chaos at first, but the roles were clear, personalities distinct. With nonstop dazzling action and well-timed humor and antics, the characters became even more lovable than in individual films."
Putting down her phone, Michelle Kennett could already imagine that Duke Rosenberg had likely produced yet another phenomenon-level movie.
What would the film's final box office be?
As a seasoned industry reporter, she knew such comic-book "fast-food" films could never match James Cameron's Avatar. But as a movie with a massive, dedicated audience, The Avengers could very well create a series of box office records in a short time.
Better to focus on the midnight and opening day box office.
With this in mind, Michelle Kennett started her car and drove straight to her office to write. For her, this would be a sleepless night.
Many others would also be awake tonight. Doug Walter, CEO of Warner Bros., was one of them. Whenever a Warner Bros. blockbuster premiered, he habitually lost sleep, and exceeding expected midnight box office numbers was the best kind of sleep aid.
He sat quietly in his study, waiting for the midnight box office numbers.
Meanwhile, at Marvel Studios headquarters in Burbank, the lights were bright, and Kevin Feige, Stan Lee, and many Marvel employees were still awake, also waiting.
Compared to Doug Walter, the Marvel staff appeared more relaxed, confident in a plan nearly ten years in the making. Duke Rosenberg consistently brought success to Marvel, leading the company from near bankruptcy to a Hollywood powerhouse.
Nowadays, who wouldn't want the rights to adapt Marvel's superheroes?
Not to mention, as far as they knew, 20th Century Fox also aimed to use the X-Men to create an independent universe and achieve their own "X-Men alliance" plan.
Duke Rosenberg masterminded this grand plan for Marvel, guiding them toward success.
Of course, they also knew that Duke controlled Marvel Comics, which had now effectively changed its corporate surname to Rosenberg.
Marvel staff waited, while the actual boss slept soundly, holding a beautiful woman in his arms.
Feeling the steady breathing above, Scarlett glanced at the phone beside her pillow, smiled contentedly, gently touched Duke's forehead, and nestled into his warm embrace, trying to gather some sleep.
No wonder he slept so deeply—he must have anticipated the midnight box office numbers.
With this thought, Scarlett also drifted off to sleep.
The study door was softly knocked on, and Doug Walter's wife entered carrying coffee, her gaze inquiring.
"They're in!"
Doug Walter refreshed his emails and let out a long sigh of relief.
"How much?" his wife asked, concerned.
"4,280 theaters, $33.8 million in box office!"
Even as a composed CEO, Doug Walter could not hide his excitement.
"This…" His wife, familiar with the film industry, asked, "Is this real?"
"Of course!"
Pushing the coffee aside, Doug Walter grabbed a bottle of champagne and two glasses. "We can celebrate a little."
This was Doug Walter's reserved celebration—they had children, so it had to be discreet.
Compared to the Walter household, Marvel Studios in Burbank was already in full celebration. This group, always full of imagination and unrestrained energy, erupted in ecstatic shouts, gathering in the main hall. The champagne was opened, and streams of liquid mixed with confetti from the ceiling, flying everywhere…
For Marvel Studios, this was a moment of sheer excitement.
"$33.8 million!" shouts of exhilaration echoed. "What a wonderful number!"
It was a truly insane figure!
Such an outstanding midnight show performance almost guaranteed that The Avengers would be a blockbuster in its opening week!
The only thing that could prevent the film from achieving massive success was whether the audience would actually embrace it.
After breakfast, while strolling through the garden, Scarlett kept fiddling with her phone, browsing instant shares, Twitter, and other community sites to see the latest audience opinions on The Avengers, occasionally reading some aloud to Duke beside her.
"The Avengers truly has it all, with something different in every part. One ticket lets you watch six superheroes at once. If I wanted to see an amazing movie that brings together idols from across the Marvel universe, this film is the most successful and sensational I can remember. It's more entertaining than Transformers 3—Michael Bay pales in comparison."
Hearing Scarlett, Duke shook his head and smiled. "Poor Michael."
Scarlett ignored Duke and continued reading a new post.
"Just finished watching The Avengers, better than all the previous superhero films! Every character shines, and many lines and plot points are very humorous. The final battle is grand and exhilarating. Captain America's line—'Hulk, smash!'—triggered cheers and applause in the theater! This is a highly entertaining summer blockbuster, and the 3D effects are excellent. Everyone, get ready to watch The Avengers on the big screen!"
"Definitely not the best movie I've ever seen, but absolutely the most thrilling! Great technical work, pacing, action, and sound effects. Each superhero is distinctive and perfectly portrayed! Every audience member was completely hyped! Highlights of humor: when Stark called Hawkeye 'Legolas,' as a die-hard Lord of the Rings fan, I was already dead!"
"Never expected The Avengers to be this good! Iron Man versus Captain America, Hulk taking on Thor… honestly, these superheroes fighting each other is much more fun than them teaming up! Iron Man plays the clown, Cap plays the hero, Black Widow flirts, Hulk is cute, and then there's the mischievous yet lovable villain Loki—a dream team, perfectly executed!"
"More?"
Reaching a bench, Scarlett tugged Duke, and they sat down together. She shook her phone and said, "I have an even more interesting one."
"Better not." Duke shook his head, leaning back on the bench. "Let's wait to welcome a new record."
"Opening day box office record?" Scarlett clearly understood what Duke meant.
"First day, first week…" Duke nodded. "Strictly speaking, this is a fan-driven film, so the opening week box office is crucial for The Avengers."
Comic-book movies may feel thrilling, but it's undeniable that their theatrical longevity is relatively short. They cannot sustain extremely stable box office performance over a long period. For this type of film, the opening week is critical.
Perhaps this kind of movie, which always explodes in the first week, will set a brand-new record.