December 4th.
The cast and crew of "Harry Potter" held a grand global premiere ceremony in London, UK.
On the day of the premiere, even though Kyle was not present, the enthusiasm on site was overwhelming.
Well-known male and female actors from the British Isles, and even veteran actors who rarely attended events, were all present. For a time, the entire premiere was star-studded.
J.K. Rowling, the author of the "Harry Potter" series, also personally attended the event.
Her arrival caused a burst of screams from numerous book fans at the scene.
Currently, "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" and "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets," as the first and second parts of the series, have already stirred up a storm of fantasy magic in the market under the promotion of Golden Dawn Entertainment Group.
Even before the live-action movie was released, the books were already incredibly popular!
Even though the popularity of book sales certainly pales in comparison to the frenzy after the movie's release, Kyle put in a considerable amount of effort.
The promotional funds spent were also not insignificant.
As of December 2020, "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone," a single book, had sold 12 million copies worldwide in 19 months since its release; "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets" had sold 10.3 million copies worldwide in 13 months since its release.
The first and second books of the entire series have cumulatively sold over 22 million copies. This data is enough to make it famous and list it among the best-selling books.
Especially in the British Isles, J.K. Rowling, as the author, now enjoys immense popularity.
Of course, the biggest beneficiary is Kyle.
The book "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" is priced at $19.50; the book "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets" is priced at $28.
In other words, book sales alone have already generated over $500 million in revenue.
After deducting various expenses, channel fees, listing fees for bookstores in various places, etc., in just over a year, Golden Dawn Publishing, under Kyle, received $290 million in revenue, with a net profit definitely exceeding $150 million.
Golden Dawn Publishing made a fortune!
All their peers in the publishing industry were almost mad with jealousy!
"Is this the revenue situation before the 'Harry Potter' live-action movie is even released? My goodness, once the live-action movie is released, I can't imagine how much they will earn?!" said Billy Kim, President of Random House, in an interview with the media...
December 8th.
Friday.
Shortly after the successful premiere of "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone," it officially opened in the entire UK on this day.
On opening day, the number of cinemas showing it reached 620.
"That's impressive!"
"I didn't expect that Page Pictures would now have such strong distribution capabilities in the British film market."
"The number of opening cinemas reached 620, which, while not comparable to the American film market, already accounted for over 35% of the day's screenings in the UK."
Many filmmakers were amazed!
There's no way around it; the UK is an island nation, and its film market is only so big.
Paramount Pictures.
President Sherry Lansing once again gave instructions to Vice President Jordan.
"Be sure to closely monitor the premiere of 'Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone' in the UK!"
She knew one thing: once the "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" movie achieved excellent box office results in the British film market, it would inevitably affect the American film market soon after, greatly impacting the screening schedule in the American film market.
"They're gambling!"
President Sherry Lansing said with a solemn expression, "If the box office performance of 'Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone' in the British film market fails to meet expectations, or even flops, then the more than 1,920 North American cinemas Page Pictures has secured will inevitably be cut."
"But, if it succeeds..."
"Then our interests will be greatly harmed."
At this moment, Sherry Lansing had the intention to cause trouble, even to play dirty tricks.
But, she couldn't!
Firstly, the British film market is, after all, not the American domestic market. As one of the Hollywood Big Six, Paramount's strength and influence are greatly reduced when operating overseas; secondly, Kyle is not someone to be trifled with!
...Paramount was monitoring the premiere of "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" in the UK, and similarly, Universal Pictures, Sony Columbia, Warner, 20th Century Fox, Disney, and other film companies were also monitoring its box office performance.
Touchstone Pictures, DreamWorks Pictures, Dimension Films, Artisan Entertainment... these film companies were also watching.
"Buddy, the Christmas holiday season has always been the exclusive territory of the Hollywood Big Six!"
"To this day, there have been countless rising stars who wanted to challenge the Big Six's hegemony during this period, but... all of them have failed. Can Kyle Page succeed?"
Many people couldn't help but ask themselves this question.
Some were looking forward to it.
Similarly, some were waiting to watch a good show.
The world is never short of "malicious" and "wicked" people; these types of people can never stand to see others doing better than them.
"Just wait to die!"
"The Hollywood Big Six are like emperors, reigning over the entire film market."
"That's right, even if Warner Bros. screwed themselves over this Christmas season due to internal struggles and was the first to be eliminated, the other members of the Hollywood Big Six are not to be trifled with."
"Heh heh, if Page Pictures wants to be stubborn this time, they might end up with a bloody nose!"
Shay, the owner of New Line Cinema, has repeatedly mocked Kyle and Page Pictures behind their backs.
"Just watch, just watch closely!"
Shay said, "This Christmas season will be the beginning of Page Pictures' decline."
As for Page Pictures' previous brilliant achievements, he consciously ignored them.
Especially the "Spider-Man" movie that was released not long ago.
As of now, the "Spider-Man" movie, which has been released for over 3 months, has earned over $320 million at the North American box office, and its global cumulative box office is as high as $810 million. Even if the final box office does not exceed $900 million, this achievement is outstanding enough to drive many filmmakers crazy.
Shay was naturally very displeased.
"Hmph!"
Shay snorted, "Next year! When my 'Lord of the Rings' movie comes out next year, I'll see who still says I'm not as good as that damn Kyle."
To be honest, there was no real conflict between Kyle and Shay; when they talked face-to-face, they even laughed and chatted. But... Shay just couldn't stand Kyle's high spirits.
The next day.
The UK box office results for "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" were released, and the entire British film industry erupted.
Major Hollywood film companies were also repeatedly shocked and collectively fell silent.
The movie box office exploded!