Chapter 36: Two Scripts
Monday morning.
Geonwoo checked the final weekend numbers Yoon Jihye had sent him.
[Cumulative Audience: 849,031]
Two major films had opened on Thursday, sharply reducing the number of screenings for Before the Light Reaches.
Even so, more than 170,000 people had gone to see it between Friday and Sunday.
The new release that had received poor reactions dropped another place at the Sunday box office.
Before the Light Reaches stayed close behind despite having fewer screenings.
While Geonwoo was checking the message, Yoon Jihye called.
"Yes, Team Leader."
"Director, the schedule from Thursday onward is out."
"How does it look?"
"Starting Thursday, we're getting more evening screenings at the major branches again. There are also more weekend screenings than last week."
Geonwoo opened the schedule she had sent.
Some of the time slots they'd lost to the two new releases the previous week had returned.
It hadn't fully recovered to the previous level.
Instead, theaters where the movie had maintained a high seat sell-through rate received additional evening screenings.
"The weekend numbers were reflected."
"Yes. The fact that audience numbers didn't fall much even after our screenings were cut helped a lot."
"What about the new movie that got bad reactions?"
"Its first-week schedule stayed as planned. Starting Thursday, it's losing a lot of its large auditoriums."
"Are we taking some of those slots?"
"Some of them. There are other movies too, so we couldn't take everything."
"This is enough."
"If we maintain our seat sell-through rate this week too, I think we can remain in theaters through the end of the year."
Wednesday afternoon.
TS ENM Investment and Production Division meeting room.
In front of Park Dojin were the screenplay evaluation report for The Night the King Died and the production-cost review.
Cha Sookyung and an employee from the screenplay evaluation team sat across from him.
Park Dojin slowly turned through the evaluation pages.
The scores were consistently high in character writing, structure, commercial potential, and practical scene execution.
"Where did opinions differ?"
"Mostly personal preference regarding the ending."
"Did anyone say it required revision?"
"No."
The employee shook his head.
"No one considered it a completeness issue."
Park Dojin placed down the evaluation.
"What about production costs?"
Cha Sookyung slid the material beside her forward.
"Based on the current screenplay, it doesn't differ greatly from the budget the director submitted."
"It may change slightly once we determine actual locations and set scale."
"Production period?"
"There's a possibility it'll be longer than the current plan."
Park Dojin opened the production proposal.
"Then let's have the production studio check whether it can realistically be made."
"We should receive their first opinion by Friday."
"Let's call Director Baek back then."
"Understood."
Thursday morning.
Geonwoo checked the cumulative audience count through the previous day.
[Cumulative Audience: 924,871]
Only around seventy-five thousand remained before they reached one million.
Reservations for the additional screenings that started Thursday were also strong.
Most evening screenings on Yoon Jihye's Friday schedule had been assigned good time slots.
A message arrived from Jung Hyunsoo.
[Hyung, aren't we going to pass one million tomorrow?]
Geonwoo checked Friday's reservation page.
The center seats for evening screenings were filling rapidly.
[We'll know after tomorrow's numbers come out.]
Hyunsoo replied immediately.
[At this rate, we'll definitely pass it.]
[Should I buy another cake?]
Geonwoo smiled.
He remembered the small cake with the number three candle.
[Are you planning to put one million candles on it this time?]
Hyunsoo immediately replied.
[Whoa... Hyung, you're greedy.]
A laughing emoji followed.
Just as Geonwoo was about to put down his phone, it rang.
Park Dojin's name appeared.
"Yes, Team Leader."
"Director Baek. The review results are out."
"How did it go?"
"I'd like to explain it in person tomorrow."
"Are you available in the afternoon?"
"I am."
"Then come to the same meeting room at three."
"Understood."
Friday afternoon.
TS ENM Investment and Production Division.
When Geonwoo entered the meeting room, Park Dojin stood.
A man Geonwoo hadn't met before was sitting beside him.
On the table lay The Night the King Died screenplay and the production proposal Geonwoo had submitted.
Park Dojin introduced the man.
"He's a producer from our production studio. He participated in the production review."
Geonwoo exchanged business cards with the producer before sitting down.
Park Dojin pushed the screenplay evaluation report toward him.
"The screenplay passed evaluation."
Geonwoo accepted it.
The first page listed scores by category and short comments.
"Are there any areas that need revision?"
"There are reference comments, but none are mandatory revision requests."
"I'll review them."
Park Dojin looked at the producer.
"The production-cost review also concluded that your current estimate is realistic."
"And the production studio has agreed to participate in development."
Geonwoo looked toward the producer.
"What do we check next?"
The producer opened the production proposal.
"Locations and sets first."
"The cost difference can be significant depending on how the same scene is realized."
"Understood."
"We'll avoid touching the screenplay as much as possible."
"But we do need to decide which scenes use real locations, which need sets, and which can be handled in post-production."
"As long as the scenes in the screenplay can be preserved, I'm fine with that."
Park Dojin said,
"We'll schedule the first production review meeting next week."
"After organizing the production method and budget there, we'll submit it to the investment committee."
"Is there anything I need to prepare?"
"What you've already submitted is enough."
The producer closed the production proposal.
"We'll contact you if anything else is needed."
"Understood."
Geonwoo placed the screenplay evaluation into his bag.
He stood and greeted the two men.
Once outside, he pressed the elevator button.
The doors opened and he stepped inside.
A message from Yoon Jihye had arrived.
[Most evening screenings today are sold out.]
Geonwoo replied.
[Understood.]
The elevator doors closed.
Inside the meeting room.
Park Dojin placed the screenplay evaluation report on top of The Night the King Died.
A knock came from the door.
Cha Sookyung entered carrying another screenplay.
"Director Kwon's revised draft."
Park Dojin held out his hand.
She passed it to him.
"Did it come in today?"
"Yes. He says he revised the middle section heavily."
"What did he say?"
"He said it's finally good enough to show other people."
