Los Angeles, Malibu, at Robert Iger's home.
"Darling, still not resting at this hour?"
Robert Iger's wife walked into the study and saw him sitting silently at his desk, staring at the phone in a daze.
Robert Iger looked up at his wife and gave a helpless smile. "No choice, I just can't sleep!"
"Do you still need to worry about Gilbert's films? They always perform well," his wife asked curiously.
Robert Iger shook his head. "You don't understand. This is related to Disney's strategy."
"Alright! Shall I make you a cup of coffee?"
"Tea, please. Just the green tea Gilbert sent me."
His wife turned to prepare it, while still teasing: "I really don't get why you guys don't drink British tea. This tea from China is bitter and not tasty at all."
A cup of fragrant pre-rain Longjing tea was placed in front of Robert Iger. He first inhaled the aroma carefully, then sipped it.
The slight bitterness slid down his throat, followed by a lingering sweetness spreading from his mouth. Instantly, Robert Iger felt refreshed and alert, continuing to wait for the call.
Thanks to Gilbert, Chinese tea had become popular in Hollywood and eventually became a favored drink among North America's upper class.
This also led to the development of tea houses. Many tea houses in Chinatown gained a lot of new customers, and even tea houses from the Japan grew, in some cases becoming more popular than Chinatown's Chinese tea houses.
Japanese tea houses had more complex procedures and were extremely particular. The upper class never lacked anything, but they demanded refinement.
Another important factor was that coffee was already more popular in North America, consumed by everyone from wealthy elites to ordinary citizens, so it lacked exclusivity.
Chinese tea, however, was different. Ordinary people rarely had access to it, and those unaccustomed to it often didn't enjoy the taste.
Instantly, a social hierarchy emerged, with the upper class distinguishing themselves through tea drinking.
In one sentence: "You coarse people could never understand the wonders of this tea."
Of course, not all tea originated in China. Tea from nearby island Nation spread even more widely, and the Koreans shamelessly claimed advantages again.
Not only was tea originally from Korea, but even Lu Yu, the Tea Sage who wrote The Classic of Tea, was claimed to be Korean.
Additionally, British tea was also popular. Afternoon tea culture was widespread in the Western world. Indian and Ceylon teas represented British tea and were popular worldwide.
Regardless, Chinese tea's popularity had grown far beyond its reach in the previous era. Gilbert truly deserved the title of "old friend of the Chinese people," and he promoted it extensively.
Beyond tea, Hanfu and qipao fashion had also become popular. Today, New York Fashion Week features Hanfu and qipao as must-see segments, and even Paris and Milan Fashion Weeks have started including them.
Seeing Western women in qipao or Hanfu offered an exotic and intriguing aesthetic.
Several international luxury brands had entered China, collaborating with local manufacturers to develop Hanfu and qipao lines.
Nowadays, attending a banquet or formal party, one might even see upper-class women wearing Hanfu or qipao, which was truly surprising.
Those unaware might think Chinese culture had taken over the world.
But that's not the case. These people didn't necessarily know much about China, yet the pursuit of beauty is universal.
Though details may differ, human aesthetic appreciation is essentially convergent.
Simply through tea exports and clothing trade, especially entering the high-end market with Hanfu and qipao, significant profits were made annually.
Thus, Gilbert could feel justified in presenting Chinese gifts.
This also explained why his films, even with some scenes deemed sensitive by major censors, could generally release uncut in the Chinese market as long as they weren't excessive.
Old friends deserved special treatment; otherwise, who would want to be friends?
Originally, the Chinese film market didn't have the concept of midnight screenings. But after years of market-driven development, midnight screenings gradually became popular.
Due to time differences, Chinese audiences were lucky to see the Avengers midnight screenings before North American audiences.
At this time, Guo Fan, who had just finished filming and was busy with post-production, went to the theater with Liu Ji and Gong Ge'er as usual to watch the blockbuster.
After watching, the three came out and began discussing the film.
"This film is truly spectacular—the pacing, the scenes, everything is flawless. Even with so many main characters, the ensemble scenes never feel chaotic."
"Exactly. Each character's personality is portrayed vividly, driving the plot forward. The action sequences, explosive scenes, and visual effects are all executed at the highest level."
Gong Ge'er admired, "I wonder when we'll be able to make a film like this ourselves?"
Stepping out of the cinema and looking at the authentic merchandise store that had few customers, Guo Fan said, "That day will come."
The midnight box office performance in the Chinese mainland market was quite remarkable, reaching 50.24 million RMB, equivalent to 6.08 million USD.
When this midnight box office figure reached North America, it might not have shocked Hollywood outright, but it was certainly enough for film companies to study carefully.
Additionally, with the modernization of statistical data in the Chinese film market, every detail could now be meticulously recorded.
For this run, there were a total of 11,000 midnight screenings in mainland China, with 1.186 million attendees, averaging 108 people per screening, and ticket prices around 42 RMB.
The president of Disney China, in an email to headquarters, detailed how over the past few years, as the Chinese film market expanded, the most important factor was the growing number of viewers.
"The constantly emerging new audiences flock to cinemas in large numbers. They will be astonished by the spectacular scenes and visual effects of The Avengers.
With IMAX and 3D enhancements, these audiences feel like a poor kid from rural Texas entering New York for the first time."
The phrasing was very tactful, but the meaning was clear.
That is, don't hesitate—there's a huge influx of newcomers. Their money may be limited, but the sheer volume of people is significant. More importantly, these provincial folks haven't seen much of the world—they're very easy to impress.
However, calling it "impressing" isn't really deceitful, because The Avengers is also an outstanding commercial entertainment blockbuster for well-informed North American audiences.
By the time Chinese viewers began their daytime screenings, the North American midnight data had already reached Robert Iger.
"19.7 million USD, breaking the superhero midnight box office record previously held by The Dark Knight, and ranking fifth in film history."
Robert Iger looked at the midnight box office figures with great satisfaction. The IMAX 3D version contributed 5.3 million USD, with actual attendance slightly lower than the 2D version.
However, in terms of audience ratings, the IMAX 3D version had an average approval rating of 97%, while the other versions had 91%.
Countless data points confirmed that The Avengers possessed the qualities of a summer blockbuster, and perhaps even exceeded expectations.
After hanging up the phone, Robert Iger fell into deep thought.
Clearly, there were no exceptions—Gilbert had once again achieved outstanding results. However, unlike before, because The Avengers was fully owned by Marvel, Disney was only the distributor.
So aside from distribution commissions, Disney's profit margin on this project was not significant.
But Robert Iger was not concerned with that. He picked up the phone and dialed another number.
"Hello, Gilbert, what are your thoughts on Marvel being integrated into Disney's system?"
..
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