I'm Not A Master, I'm A Director (Type-Moon Fanfiction)

Chapter 41: Toho Cinemas

The 56th Cannes Film Festival concluded successfully, and Shinji had returned to Japan, but the storm created by Fate/Stay Night had only just begun in Europe and the Americas.

Despite the mixed critical reception of Fate/Stay Night, it ignited a viewing frenzy that overshadowed the award-winning films during the festival.

In a few years, when looking back on this film festival, people might not remember which movie won the Palme d'Or, or who took home the Best Actor and Actress awards.

But Fate/Stay Night's debut would be a topic of conversation for countless people.

As a qualified entertainment manager, Cloris had a strong instinct for promotion, even though she couldn't quite match Shinji's abilities. She was among the best in the industry.

Leveraging the positive audience reception Fate/Stay Night had received at Cannes, Cloris initiated a rather aggressive marketing plan.

The film would debut in major film markets in Europe and the Americas in early June, not as limited releases but with large-scale screenings.

Cloris knew the importance of striking while the iron was hot, and she was determined to give this grand gift to the curious European and American audiences at the right moment.

To align with the release plan of the Time Group, Shinji didn't waste any time upon his return to Japan. He, along with the main actors of Fate/Stay Night, actively participated in producing various promotional materials, from shooting movie posters to recording film interviews, to prepare for the upcoming global screenings of Fate/Stay Night.

Meanwhile, in Japan, the film industry was thriving.

The box office numbers continued to soar, and even Toho Cinemas, which had initially refused to screen Fate/Stay Night, had to "surrender" and began showing the film under its banner.

It wasn't because Toho Cinemas put on a "Kingdom of Zer" act.

Instead, the executive manager of Toho Cinemas, faced with Fate/Stay Night's mouthwatering box office, as well as the overwhelming public demand from his staff, had no choice but to compromise.

In the eyes of the staff in Toho's cinema department, they questioned why they should bear the burden of the underperformance when the promotion department had been cozying up to film critics.

If the promotion department didn't meet its sales targets, would they cover the cost?

"The promotion department is ridiculous! Why should we, the cinema department, take the fall for you when we're responsible for managing the theaters?"

The executive manager of Toho Cinemas knew the Japanese film market very well.

The total box office in Japan hadn't had any room for growth for years.

Every film shown in Japan was essentially vying for a share of the pie.

Despite the yearly occurrence of billion-yen box office films in Japan, when looked at individually, each movie had to contend in an intensely competitive environment.

So, for movie theaters, any film with the potential to become a billion-yen hit shouldn't be missed.

Yet, for the cinema department to screen Fate/Stay Night after declaring to the film critics that "Toho Corporation wouldn't show that garbage film even if it went bankrupt," was a slap in the face.

However, when the executive manager of the promotion department approached the cinema manager, requesting that the film be taken off the screens as soon as possible, he received a negative response.