Chapter 20: Promotion and Hype

"Hey, Link, I heard your movie is out. How's the box office doing?"

In West Hollywood, Link was having a late-night snack at a restaurant when he ran into a few familiar men and women. As soon as they saw him, they gathered around.

"Not bad," he replied.

"Don't lie. We went to The Grove yesterday to watch a movie. When we got to the theater, there were less than twenty people in the audience. Two of them even left halfway through. It felt like a private screening—VIP treatment."

"There was no promotion yesterday, so the turnout was low. Today, it's better."

"No way. Your movie only has one actor—you. The entire film takes place in a small wooden box. It’s basically a recipe for falling asleep. Who would actually buy a ticket for something like that?"

"Alright, you got me," Link admitted.

After finishing his barbecue, he paid the bill and left.

Back at his apartment, Chris Bauer came by to update him on the box office performance at The Grove theater. It was slightly better than the previous day but still unimpressive.

Chris also tried to persuade him to stop self-funding Buried Alive, saying it wasn’t worth it. He suggested that instead of wasting money, Link should buy a car—it would at least make delivering food more convenient.

Link simply responded that the money had already been spent, and there was no turning back.

Chris sighed, feeling sorry for him.

The next morning, after finishing his part-time shift at Burger King, Link went to The Grove to check the previous day’s box office numbers.

Buried Alive had sold a total of 719 tickets, bringing in $4,812—just over a hundred dollars short of breaking even. Clearly, the situation wasn’t as dire as Chris had made it seem.

However, Jerome Preston warned him not to celebrate too soon.

The slight increase in ticket sales was due to two factors: media coverage and the fact that it was Saturday, when shopping malls naturally saw higher foot traffic.

Once Monday hit and people returned to work, all movie box office numbers would drop. Buried Alive could very well dip below $1,000 per day, so Jerome advised him to brace for financial losses.

"I understand. But if I was afraid of losing money, I wouldn't have self-funded this film in the first place. If I run out of money, I’ll just earn more later," Link replied.

"You've got guts. Since you've made up your mind, I won’t nag you anymore. Just don’t say I didn’t warn you when your deposit is gone," Jerome said, pointing at him.

Jerome had seen many struggling artists, but he had never met someone like Link—broke, stubborn, and completely indifferent to money.

After leaving Jerome’s office, Link found a newspaper stand on the street and flipped through the papers.

There were plenty of reviews for Chaplin, most of them glowing. Critics praised Robert Downey Jr.'s exceptional performance, calling him a strong contender for the Best Actor Oscar. They noted how he had transitioned from a teen idol to a serious actor.

After searching through The Hollywood Reporter, Film Variety, Entertainment Today, and other newspapers for nearly half an hour, Link finally found four reviews of Buried Alive.

Two were positive, one was mixed, and one was negative.

The positive reviews echoed what Will Rogers had said, praising the film's high quality and its consistent suspenseful atmosphere. They described it as an outstanding entry in the thriller genre.

The mixed review acknowledged Buried Alive as an innovative, experimental film. It commended the director’s skill in maintaining a tightly woven narrative with minimal resources, creating an intense atmosphere with limited tools and settings. The critic deemed it a worthwhile watch.

The negative review slammed the film’s rough production quality, criticizing the unclear visuals and poor soundtrack, which failed to enhance the thriller elements. The reviewer argued that Buried Alive paled in comparison to Chaplin.

While scanning The Los Angeles Times, Link stumbled upon a syndicated article from The New York Post—a report on Sean "Diddy" Combs that had a minor connection to him.

The article mentioned that after the recent Grammy Awards, rapper Diddy and his entourage had flown back to New York.

During the flight, one of Diddy’s signed artists, The Notorious B.I.G., got into a physical altercation with an passenger. B.I.G. allegedly hurled racial slurs at the man.

In response, the passenger quoted Martin Luther King Jr.’s I Have a Dream speech and demanded an apology.

B.I.G. refused, but Diddy stepped in and apologized on his behalf.

The article included a photo featuring Biggie, Diddy, rapper Jay-Z with his signature dreadlocks, and Link.

Although Link was facing away from the camera, his side profile was visible. Anyone who knew him well could recognize him.

Another article on Diddy recounted a tragic incident from December 28th of the previous year.

Diddy had organized a celebrity charity basketball game at City College of New York, featuring stars like Big Daddy Kane, LL Cool J, and Mike Tyson.

However, due to poor planning, the event resulted in a deadly stampede that left nine people dead and twenty-nine injured.

Following the tragedy, survivors and victims' families sued Diddy, who ended up settling for $750,000.

The media heavily criticized him, with The New York Post outright calling him a "clout-chasing idiot."

Right now, Diddy was a hot topic in the news.

This was probably why even a minor altercation on the plane had made headlines.

After finishing the paper, Link went to a phone booth and dialed The Los Angeles Times' tip line.

When the call connected, Link told the operator that he knew the passenger who had clashed with Diddy’s crew—his name was Link, and he was the lead actor in Buried Alive.

"A movie? Buried Alive? What kind of movie is that?"

"Buried Alive is a new film currently showing at United Artists Theaters, The Grove, and other locations. Acclaimed critic Will Rogers strongly recommended it yesterday in The Hollywood Reporter. You should check it out."

"Alright, sir. This is valuable information. Please leave your contact details, and if we verify this lead, you’ll be eligible for a reward."

"No need. I’m a loyal reader of The Los Angeles Times, and providing leads is my pleasure. I hope this tip is useful to you."

"Understood, sir. Thank you again for supporting our work."

"You're welcome."

After hanging up, Link returned to the theater to monitor the movie's performance.

Since it was the weekend, the mall had heavier foot traffic, and more people were coming to watch movies. However, the increase was modest—about 50 to 60 viewers per hour.

By the next afternoon, the third day's box office numbers were in.

At the United Artists Theater in Burbank, Buried Alive had sold 704 tickets, bringing in $5,632—just above the break-even threshold.

In its first three days, the film had sold a total of 1,506 tickets, generating a box office revenue of $12,100.

The daily box office average was still below the standard for indie films.

Premiere Performance of Buried Alive at The Grove Shopping Center Theater

Over the first three days of its premiere at The Grove Shopping Center theater, Buried Alive sold a total of 1,821 tickets, generating a box office revenue of $14,500.

Among the films released during the same period, this performance ranked third from the bottom.

Jerome Preston and Old Mason asked Link whether he wanted to continue the screening. They warned that once the weekdays began, ticket sales would plummet even further, making it even harder to keep going.

"If you pull out now, you can still recover some of your investment," they advised.

Link shook his head. He had already gone all in—there was no turning back so easily.

### Monday: A Drop in Foot Traffic

On Monday, foot traffic at the shopping center dropped significantly, and the number of people coming to the theater also decreased sharply.

For the major commercial films released during the same period, this decline was devastating, with revenue dropping by over 60%. Before 4 p.m., the theater was nearly empty.

However, Buried Alive was not affected as much.

The reason? Over the past three days, Buried Alive had a low occupancy rate, with less than 40% of the seats filled.

But as the movie continued screening, word of mouth began to spread. More and more people started watching it, and media coverage, including reviews and discussions about Buried Alive, gradually increased.

On Tuesday morning, the Los Angeles Times mentioned Link and Buried Alive in an article about Sean "Diddy" Combs. This brief mention provided the film with additional exposure.

Box Office Performance Improves

On Monday, Buried Alive sold 512 tickets at the United Theater, generating $4,096 in revenue. Although this was lower than the weekend numbers, it far exceeded expectations and even outperformed the daily box office earnings of other independent films released at the same time.

Meanwhile, at The Grove Shopping Center theater, Buried Alive ended its run as scheduled after three days to make way for other films.

Jerome Preston handed Link 65% of the premiere’s total box office earnings, keeping 35% for theater operation costs.

Link pocketed nearly $10,000.

With the money in hand, he bought a small advertisement in The Hollywood Reporter’s film section to continue promoting Buried Alive.

Media Influence and Rising Ticket Sales

On Tuesday, thanks to increased media attention, Buried Alive sold 749 tickets at the United Theater.

That afternoon, a Los Angeles Times reporter came to the theater to interview Link, asking about his past altercation with Sean "Diddy" Combs.

Link claimed he knew nothing about rap music at the time and had no idea that the individuals involved were celebrities. He only learned about it later through the news. He also expressed regret over The Notorious B.I.G.'s discriminatory remarks but appreciated Diddy’s willingness to apologize on B.I.G.'s behalf.

During the interview, Link also took the opportunity to talk about Buried Alive.

He said a lot about the film, but when the article was published the next day, the Los Angeles Times only included a brief mention of Buried Alive—most of the coverage focused on his responses to the reporter's questions.

### Wednesday: A Surprising Box Office Boost

On Wednesday, Buried Alive sold 806 tickets at the United Theater, bringing in over $6,400. For the first time, its daily revenue surpassed $6,000, securely crossing the minimum threshold of $5,000.

“How is this possible? How can Buried Alive’s box office increase on a weekday instead of declining?”

William Mason stared at the sales figures in disbelief, his gaunt face reflecting his surprise.

“It’s simple—this movie is high quality. Many people who watch it recommend it to others, and as word-of-mouth spreads, more and more people come to see it,” Link explained confidently.

“That still doesn’t make sense. Your movie is pretty niche, the plot is a bit slow-paced, and let’s be honest—your face doesn’t exactly attract mainstream audiences. Most of your viewers are probably film buffs, and younger audiences don’t have the patience for this kind of movie.”

"Not necessarily. Maybe I just have a natural connection with the audience," Link replied with a smirk.

William took a deep breath. “If Buried Alive can continue making over $6,000 per day for the next two days, I can apply to extend its screening at the theater chain’s headquarters.”

"William, that would be amazing. Thank you!"

“I said if—only if Thursday and Friday’s box office stays above $6,000. If the numbers drop below that, the request won’t be approved. So, you’d better pray that the box office doesn’t crash over the next two days.”

"Alright, may God bless us," Link said, crossing himself.

(End of Chapter)