Is something big happening?
Hearing Jin Qiqi's exclamation, Gao Fei, who had just finished his phone call, hurried to the sofa.
"What's the big deal?"
He asked curiously.
Jin Qiqi turned the laptop to face him and pointed to the news headline on the screen, telling him to read it himself.
At a glance, he saw a very prominent red headline at the top of the webpage.
"Shocking, a movie has caused tens of thousands of people to queue up overnight to see a psychologist! According to statistics, sixteen thousand people have sought treatment because of the movie."
The title was followed by "Hong Kong Daily."
Because it was a reputable media account, the titles were not like those of gossip media, creating eye-catching gimmicks.
Gao Fei scrolled down with his mouse.
The news content was presented in a combination of text and images.
The pictures were taken by reporters at a hospital, showing audiences going to see psychologists.
The text introduced the newly released movie "The Omen" at the beginning, followed by interviews with the audience seeking treatment.
The interviewed audience members had consistent statements, all saying they came for treatment after watching "The Omen" because they felt unwell.
Gao Fei briefly scanned the news content and scrolled to the comment section to see the remarks of netizens in Hong Kong.
["Watching a horror movie and going to the hospital overnight to see a doctor, is that ridiculous?"]
["I also feel it's nonsense. A movie that no one has heard of making people go to the hospital after watching it, a fantasy!"]
["It must be that the film company bribed the media and then staged a gimmick of watching a movie and seeking medical treatment to attract traffic and boost box office sales."]
["I think the film company is also hyping up the movie. Otherwise, a movie alone would cause psychological trauma, it's pure bragging."]
["Film companies nowadays will do anything to increase movie box office sales. Seeking medical treatment after watching a movie is also a pioneering method of hype."]
["Hong Kong Daily is at least our official media in Hong Kong, and now it's helping movies to hype up. It's becoming more and more unscrupulous!"]
The comment section was filled with nothing but netizens' doubts.
Watching a movie and then going to the hospital to see a psychologist overnight was unprecedented in Hong Kong.
Therefore, netizens who had not seen the film all felt that it was a marketing stunt by the film company.
The Hong Kong Daily, which was reporting the facts, was also ridiculed by netizens and called a tool for capital hype.
Forty minutes after the news was published, the number of comments had already exceeded one thousand.
But they were all netizens questioning the movie's hype.
The reporters of the Hong Kong Daily were truly helpless with the netizens' comments.
The news was by no means a hype or fake. There were indeed audiences who went to the hospital for treatment after watching the movie "The Omen," but netizens were not buying it.
It could only be said that the film companies' hype had made netizens maintain a skeptical attitude towards every piece of news related to movies.
After reading the news and comments, Gao Fei asked with some doubt, "Did some viewers really go to see a psychologist after watching the movie? Impossible!"
Even he couldn't help but doubt, finding it hard to believe the news report.
If he wasn't the big boss of the film company and had not promoted the movie at all, he would have also thought it was hype like the netizens.
Jin Qiqi was more direct. She found the hospital mentioned in the news and called directly to inquire.
She made five consecutive calls, but the line was always busy.
When the call was finally connected, the operator gave her no chance to ask any questions and directly stated that the news report was true, and there were indeed audiences who came for treatment because of the movie.
After saying that, the call was quickly hung up.
The reason the line was busy was probably related to the gossip media.
After confirming, Gao Fei was stunned for a moment.
Although "The Omen" was a banned film in the mainland in his previous life, there had never been a situation where tens of thousands of people sought medical treatment after watching a movie.
Seeing him spacing out, Jin Qiqi said with a wry smile, "Boss, no wonder this movie you produced couldn't pass the review in the mainland. With those eerie sound effects, the constantly appearing ghost faces, and those chilling scenes, if it were released in the mainland, it would definitely cause a huge stir.
If it were released in the mainland, tens of thousands seeking treatment would be a small matter; scaring people to death would be the big issue."
"That's a bit exaggerated!"
Hearing this explanation, Gao Fei replied with disbelief.
Jin Qiqi rolled her eyes at him and continued, "Let me put it this way, if you compare "The Omen" with all horror films, it is definitely the pinnacle of horror, an insurmountable one.
Fortunately, Hong Kong has a very lenient review process for movies. Otherwise, if it were placed in the mainland, this movie would be banned forever."
Since transmigrating, Gao Fei had rarely paid attention to the entertainment works in China in private.
Let alone the very niche horror film series.
He had mostly only heard the names and had never seriously watched any of the films.
In his opinion, the "The Omen" being filmed now was at most a classic work in the horror series.
Who would have thought that on its opening day, it would cause tens of thousands of people to seek psychological treatment?
Gao Fei asked with some trepidation, "Sister Jin, do you think this movie will become a banned film in Hong Kong?"
"Hong Kong doesn't have much regulation on this type of movie. As long as it doesn't scare people to death, it generally won't be banned."
Jin Qiqi replied casually, but thinking of the news about tens of thousands of people seeking treatment, she said worriedly, "However, we should also prepare for the worst. If this incident of seeking treatment attracts other audiences to watch it, and then some bad news occurs, it will most likely be withdrawn from release prematurely and banned!"
"Alright!"
Gao Fei pondered for a moment and started to contact Liu Weiqiang, who was staying in Kyoto, to inquire about the progress of other movies.
After finally using the news of tens of thousands of people seeking treatment to push the movie to the trending list, if it were truly banned, he must seize this opportunity to quickly make money.
Moreover, given the review mechanism in the mainland, the movie "God of Gamblers" would likely not be released.
At most, it would be an online movie.
Therefore, he had to make thorough preparations.
Actually, Gao Fei did not need to worry about being banned at all.
Because after the news of "The Omen" causing audiences to seek treatment was released, the internet was filled with doubts.
Everyone thought it was a marketing tactic by the film company.
Some viewers also helped clarify, saying it was definitely not a movie company hype, but a real event.
However, these clarifying comments did not stir up any waves, and after being posted, they were drowned out by the comments of other netizens, disappearing without a trace.
For a time, with the deliberate efforts of some people, a movement to boycott the movie was even stirred up online.
By evening, the public opinion online slowly began to change.
Hong Kong Horror Forum.
After the storm surrounding "The Omen" broke out during the day, some horror enthusiasts had already started discussing it on the forum.
Opening the forum, most of the posts were related to the movie.
The post with the highest number of replies was one asking viewers to share their feelings after watching the movie.
Clicking on the post, there were already nearly ten thousand replies.
Some were the genuine feelings of viewers, and some were posted on behalf of their friends.
["I was one of the first batch of viewers who saw the premiere last night. To be specific, it was very scary, a terrifying experience beyond its time. After watching it, I always feel like someone is following me. (Attached is a ghost face image from The Omen)"]
["Let me tell you, the essence of this movie is that when you think a character in the film is dead, they are actually still alive. When you think they are still alive, they are actually long dead!"]
["Yes, with all the plot twists in the movie, coupled with Sister Chu's terrifying appearance, as well as the sound effects and camera transitions, even I, a brave king, was almost scared to death."]
["After watching "The Omen," all I want to say is, I will never watch horror movies again. Damn it, I've already developed psychological trauma, what a failure!"]
["Posting on behalf of a friend, he is now afraid to look at his computer. According to him, after watching "The Omen," he is afraid to look at his computer or TV, fearing Sister Chu will appear."]
["Your friend is lucky. My friend has covered anything in his house that can reflect a person with black cloth. He has been acting erratically all day today, telling me that Sister Chu is in there."]
["Damn it, my friend is the same as your friends. But he feels even worse. He's afraid to drink water now, saying that if he drinks water, he'll see Sister Chu, so he's been drinking beverages all day."]
On the forum, viewers and their friends were describing the terrifying aspects of the movie.
Some viewers and horror enthusiasts who had not seen the movie were amazed by this, was a movie really that scary?
["Brothers, it's all actors acting, do you really need to be this scared?"]
["Exactly, going to the hospital after watching a movie? Don't call yourselves horror enthusiasts, it's embarrassing!"]
["After reading so many replies, I've summarized a principle: the horror of the movie lies in the camera transitions and sound effects."]
As soon as these doubts emerged, they immediately provoked mockery from the viewers who had seen the movie.
They even resorted to taunts, daring those who doubted to go to the cinema to watch it tonight if they had the guts.
It must be said that taunts are indeed effective on young people.
As soon as this method was used, many people immediately organized group viewings on the forum.
In just a few hours, more than 100,000 people had formed viewing groups, planning to go to the cinema to watch the movie tonight.
.....
One forty in the morning.
At the seven cinema chains where "The Omen" was released.
The staff at each cinema had noticed the news online during the day.
The reviews of the movie were one-sided, and everyone thought that no one would come to watch the movie tonight.
But twenty minutes before the screening.
Just as the staff were preparing to slack off and go for a late-night snack, a large crowd of people swarmed outside the cinema.
Everyone's target was the same, they all uniformly bought tickets for "The Omen."
After buying the tickets, the audience who came in groups did not buy anything else.
They came to watch with a critical mindset, so they did not want to spend any more money.
Two in the morning.
The lights in the cinema hall went out, the screen lit up with fluorescence, and the movie was about to begin.
The beginning of the film was still the same old routine.
But soon, the screen went black, and the sound of keyboard typing was heard.
"Have you ever played the summoning game? Have you ever summoned a spirit that died tragically? Have you, ever seen, a ghost?"
As this sentence appeared, accompanied by eerie sound effects that could create psychological suggestions.
The next second, the audience watching the movie instantly felt a chilling sensation.
Three forty in the morning.
The first batch of viewers who came to watch the movie with doubts left the cinema.
But at this moment, they no longer had the sneering expressions towards this horror movie as they did before entering the cinema.
"Um... can someone kind enough give me a ride to the hospital? My heart feels like it can't take it anymore!"