As ridiculous as it all sounded, the moment Old Henry told him that his script had passed review, Alex broke into such a wide smile that he could barely contain it.
He was even happier than he had been more than a decade ago, when he had first arrived in this world and finally left his old virginity behind.
After all, if the film could officially premiere in the main theatrical market, that would mean at least an extra four billion at the box office. With a bit of luck, even five billion might not be impossible to challenge.
Unfortunately, Old Henry's next sentence came down on him like a bucket of ice water.
"Don't celebrate too early, kid. I said it passed review in the island market."
So this was what people meant by a "surprise."
Alex's face, which had been glowing a second earlier as if he had received the blessing of the gods of fortune, collapsed instantly. If this scene had happened inside an anime, a dark aura would probably already be visible around him, crawling over his shoulders like pure negative energy.
The joy evaporated.
The rating system on that island was very different from the main market. To put it in the simplest terms possible, the limits were far looser.
Certain films packed with explicit sensuality would never get a wide cinema release in the main market, but over there, they could pass without much trouble. Even that adult superhero film from a few years back, the kind that had to survive elsewhere through alternative channels and shared files, had been released normally in that market.
Death Note was basically in the same situation.
"Henry, you know how complicated the people over there are, right? I'm really not that eager to fly all the way there just to do promotion…"
Alex could not resist exaggerating the drawn-out accent he had once picked up from a local pop star.
On the other end of the line, Old Henry immediately lost his patience.
"Speak normally, brat!" he snapped. "Do you think this was easy? I had to pull a lot of strings just to get your movie approved over there. So for your next project, you'd better put in some real effort!"
After the call ended, Alex sat there for a few seconds, scratching his head as his expression grew increasingly complicated.
Should he be happy?
His impression of that market came mostly from old viral scandals, bizarre gossip, and entertainers who still behaved as if they were living twenty years in the past, back when their entertainment industry seemed to look down on the rest of the region. Some of them spoke with such empty arrogance, so detached from reality, that they sounded like television experts trying to appear profound while saying the dumbest things imaginable.
And more importantly, the purchasing power of that place was honestly depressing.
Its all-time box office record barely exceeded one hundred and eighteen million.
It probably could not even compare to what a single top-tier city in the main market could generate in one day.
Alex's original plan for the release of the second half of Death Note had been simple: when the time came, he would focus the promotional roadshow mainly on major developed cities across Europe. That route was more efficient, more profitable, and much better aligned with the project's international expansion.
But now, for the sake of such a tiny slice of box office revenue, he would have to fly all the way back to Asia just to fulfill the promotional schedule.
The more he thought about it, the more he felt like he was taking a loss.
"Ah… exhausting."
Alex massaged his temples and let out a low sigh, speaking to himself in the silence of the room.
Summer was nearing its end.
And at the same time, the countdown to the final season of Bleach, The Thousand-Year Blood War, had finally begun.
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