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Chapter 102: Titan Pictures Massive Flop

Curiosity drove many to the theaters, intrigued by the film\'s success in Horn Kingdom and its infamous demon ex-prince creator. While audiences expected a decent film, they doubted they\'d truly enjoy a "western style" movie that didn\'t align with their tastes.

To their surprise, the majority who watched it fell in love with the story and found the characters captivating.

However, not everyone was impressed. In Morningstar Kingdom, a group exiting the theater shared their criticisms:

"Meh. \'Lord of the Rings\' is better."

"The story\'s good, but I don\'t like that it\'s all about Empirica."

"The ex-prince should make a martial arts movie instead. It would represent demons better."

One demon, caught in a fantasy, mused, "Or better, he should make a movie about demons slaughtering humans when we ruled the world four hundred years ago."

"Humans were our slaves back then."

"All races were our slaves!"

Meanwhile, Hellfire Stores, a partnership between Arthur and the Lava Brothers, began selling wild west clothes alongside "Lord of the Rings" merchandise. These stores, scattered throughout Ferland city, capitalized on the film\'s popularity.

The figurines of Imkrag, Kurt, and other actors in their "Lord of the Rings" roles were selling rapidly, with Gollum leading sales, closely followed by Aragorn and Arwen.

At the store counter, a thirty-year-old demon approached the cashier. "I\'m here to buy Blondie\'s clothes," he said, reflecting the growing demand for "The Good, The Bad and The Ugly" merchandise.

Blondie\'s attire became popular among adult and young adult demons. Elves showed a particular fondness for Angel Eyes\' outfits, while dwarves gravitated towards Tuco\'s style.

Just twelve days after the premiere of "The Good, The Bad and The Ugly," its influence was visible throughout Anatolia. From Horn Kingdom to Morningstar Kingdom, people began adopting wild west fashion inspired by the film.

Children, especially, embraced the trend wholeheartedly. Donning hats and other western accessories, they playacted as Blondie, Angel Eyes, or Tuco.

At the Horn City playground, a group of children donned costumes mimicking characters from "The Good, The Bad and The Ugly."

"Ready, Delki?" a demon child called out.

Delki, an incubus demon wearing Blondie\'s outfit, nodded firmly. "Hmm!"

"The standoff begins!" the child announced dramatically.

Three children, decked out in western wear, embodied Blondie, Angel Eyes, and Tuco. In the background, their friends provided a makeshift soundtrack.

A feline demon child attempted to mimic the film\'s theme: "Ooh-ooh-ooh, Wah-wah-wah."

A monkey demon boy joined in: "Ahh-ahh... Ahh-ahh..."

Delki and his counterparts eyed each other warily, hands hovering over their toy guns.

"Pah!" Delki exclaimed.

The others followed suit with their own sound effects: "Pow!" "Bang!"

The half-demon, half-elf boy playing Angel Eyes dramatically fell, struggling to get up.

"Pow!" Delki fired his water gun, and Angel Eyes collapsed, playing dead.

"Yes!" The children cheered enthusiastically.

As the game ended, the defeated Angel Eyes stood up, brushing sand off his clothes. "This time, I\'ll be Blondie!" he declared.

"No way! I\'m playing Blondie!" the demon who had been Tuco protested.

This playful reenactment showcased the film\'s profound impact on young audiences.

The children\'s enthusiasm and attention to detail in their roleplay demonstrated how deeply the characters and scenes had resonated with them.

***

As "The Good, The Bad and The Ugly" prepared for its Empirican debut, Titan Pictures\' "The Desired Crown" abruptly ceased screening in Horn Kingdom and Morningstar Kingdom.

Titan\'s failure didn\'t go unnoticed by industry rivals. Science Pictures\' newspaper, Science Daily, mocked: "Titan Pictures\' epic failure - they boasted their new film would surpass \'Lord of the Rings\'. Look how that turned out!"

Underground Films\' CEO weighed in during an interview: "It\'s a massive flop. Titan spent millions but only recouped half before the film tanked. It\'s particularly embarrassing considering they were trying to compete with a small demon studio."

Mouse Entertainment from Empirica joined the fray. A prominent executive stated, "The Desired Crown was nothing but a shameless copy. It brought nothing new to the entertainment world." He added, "They\'re a joke. But of course, Mouse Entertainment Pictures recognizes the profitability of films like \'Lord of the Rings\' - and we\'re proud to announce that our VFX Studio, equipped with dwarven technologies, is now complete."

This unexpected announcement from Mouse Entertainment shocked the media. Known primarily for cartoons, their venture into films marked a significant shift in the industry landscape.

Cartoon animation, while not yet a global phenomenon, was gaining significant traction in western kingdoms and countries. Its origins could be traced back to Empirica eight years ago, with Mouse Entertainment positioning itself as a leader in this emerging industry.

Over the years, Mouse Entertainment had firmly established its dominance. Their flagship cartoon, "Mr. Mouse," created five years prior, was generating tens of millions of dollars in Empirica alone.

Initially, Mouse Entertainment believed cartoons were the future of entertainment. However, the emergence of films like "Demonfather" and "Lord of the Rings" shifted their perspective.

The CEO and founder of Mouse Entertainment was particularly impressed by "Lord of the Rings\'" box office performance. Learning about the crucial role of VFX Studios in creating such spectacles, he decided his studio should also invest in this technology.

It became clear that Titan Pictures wasn\'t the only company eyeing domination of the entertainment industry. Mouse Entertainment, with its strong foundation in cartoons and newfound interest in VFX-heavy films, was also positioning itself as a major player.

***

(Arthur POV)

The entertainment industry\'s been buzzing lately, partly thanks to "The Good, The Bad and The Ugly," and partly due to Titan Pictures\' massive flop.

It\'s particularly intriguing to see Mouse Entertainment, previously laser-focused on cartoons, eyeing VFX-driven filmmaking.

"Looks like this world\'s Mr. Mouse is venturing into effects-heavy films much earlier," I mused, chuckling to myself.

To me, Mouse Entertainment was clearly this world\'s Walt Disney. They\'re following a similar path, but there\'s one key difference: while they\'re genuinely trying to innovate with their cartoons, that Disney-esque greed for profit is still evident.

Still, I\'m hoping they\'ll produce their own set of hits. They might be future rivals, but I\'m curious to see what this world\'s entertainment industry can create beyond my "Entertainment System"-aided productions.

Speaking of creation, June 21 is approaching fast - time for the Electronics Expo in Apple City. We\'re showcasing our computer there, and I\'m banking on attracting talent to speed up its development. Maybe we\'ll finally be able to build an arcade machine for video games!

I\'m itching to play something, anything really. It\'s been too long since I\'ve had a good gaming session.

This world was mind-numbingly dull without video games! Memories of my past life flooded back - skipping school to play God of War 2, GTA San Andreas, Mario, and Counter-Strike at the computer café. The nostalgia hit hard.

For a moment, I wished I could go back, just for a bit. But then again, I\'m pretty content with how this life\'s turning out.

"Boss! You need to see this!" Klein\'s voice shattered my reverie as he burst into my office, waving a newspaper frantically.

"What\'s got you so worked up?" I asked, snapping back to reality.

"This headline - it\'s about our film!" He thrust the paper into my hands.

The headline jumped out at me: "Blasphemy or Art? Solarus Church Rails Against \'The Good, The Bad and The Ugly\'"

Frowning, I scanned the article. Apparently, the Solarus Church took offense at Tuco\'s overuse of their circle sign. For a moment, I worried the Solarus Pope might block my film in their dominated kingdoms and countries. But reading further, I felt relief wash over me - it was just some Solarus followers complaining.

"Boss, do you think they\'ll try to shut us down?" Klein asked, his voice tight with concern.

I leaned back, letting out a breath I didn\'t realize I\'d been holding. "Relax, Klein. It\'s just hot air. The Solarus higher-ups aren\'t going to waste their time on this. Our film\'s release is safe."