I'm Not A Master, I'm A Director
Chapter 395: Selling Fate Stuff Is Just Printing Money!
After the premiere ended, Shinji held a small press conference as usual.
Calling it a "press conference" was a bit of a stretch, it was really just a Q&A session with reporters.
The ultimate goal was to promote the film, of course. Shinji revealed a few tidbits that fans were most curious about—just enough to stir excitement, but not enough to touch on any of the production team's core secrets. It was all to help Fate/Apocrypha spread even further among audiences.
The event went smoothly.
After all, there were no major issues with the Fate/Apocrypha movie itself. On such a celebratory occasion, no reporter was going to deliberately make things difficult for Shinji or Type-Moon.
Of course, that "consideration" only lasted during the conference. As for how they would write their reviews afterward, that was entirely up to them.
When the press conference concluded, Shinji didn't immediately leave the theater. Instead, he slipped into a nearby lounge to rest.
There were still a large number of reporters lingering outside. Walking out now would be like walking straight into a firing squad.
However, in order to build hype for the upcoming The Garden of Sinners project, he had sent Shiki out to face the media in his place.
Just as Shinji closed his eyes to relax, a soft knock sounded at the door.
His secretary, Ophelia, opened it—only to find Arturia and Jeanne walking in together.
"Master, you've worked hard tonight."
Jeanne gave Shinji a small nod in greeting.
Arturia, on the other hand, stepped forward and lightly patted his shoulder.
"Congratulations, Master. Another successful film is about to be born."
"This is only the premiere," Shinji replied modestly. "We'll have to see how the market reacts."
"Master, I've been with you for years now."
Arturia smiled faintly. "Judging by the audience's reaction tonight, this movie won't perform poorly. Of course, it'll still be a bit behind the ones I starred in."
"You really…" Shinji shook his head helplessly.
He couldn't tell if this was the King of Knights' pride speaking or if she genuinely believed it.
From Shinji's perspective, even with all his "enhancements," Fate/Apocrypha couldn't quite match Fate/Stay Night or Fate/Zero in terms of story depth.
But in terms of cinematic adaptation?
Since Fate/Apocrypha had been outlined as a film script from the very beginning, it flowed far more smoothly on the big screen. At the very least, the pacing didn't feel rushed.
As for which was truly superior… that depended on the individual fan's taste.
At that moment, Jeanne suddenly interjected.
"Master, you've given the Fate series new vitality. So, about Gil's matter…"
"Hey, at least let me rest for a bit…" Shinji complained.
"I'm just worried you'll forget~"
Jeanne whistled casually, pretending not to care, though her tone made it clear she cared very much. "You've got so many projects on your plate. If I don't remind you, who knows? You might just forget."
Shinji waved a hand dismissively. "Don't worry. I won't forget."
If he could forget about something as important as FGO, he might as well quit filmmaking altogether and go home to laze around writing web novels.
"Well~ at least this time your movie did really well."
Jeanne's cheeks flushed slightly. She pursed her lips before adding, "I was very satisfied with the final scene. So I won't do anything to you for now."
Shinji's mouth twitched. "You're still hung up on that?"
"But—!"
Jeanne suddenly clenched her fist.
"If Apocrypha doesn't win this year's box office championship, Master, you'd better be prepared!"
Prepared for what?
Even though she didn't spell it out, judging from the way she looked ready to throw a punch, Shinji seriously doubted she would reward him with a kiss like the Empress in the movie.
"I'll do my best…" Shinji said with a wry smile, wisely choosing not to press the matter further.
After all, the brutal competition of this summer season was right in front of him.
Shinji was full of confidence, but confidence wasn't the same as certainty.
As the global film market matured, other studios had begun stepping up their game. Audiences now had more choices than ever before. Box office results were influenced more and more by the market and the viewers themselves, not by his personal will.
"Alright then. No matter what, Master, you've basically reserved this year's annual box office crown once again," Arturia said, clapping her hands lightly. "That alone is worth you treating us."
"So your congratulations were fake, and making me pay was the real goal."
At that moment, Jeanne chimed in as well. "Not bad~ Given the current time… I suppose I can agree to have a cup of coffee with you, Master."
"Miss Jeanne, you calculated that I only have time for coffee right now, didn't you?"
"Of course. Unless you're willing to admit that you can finish your 'business' in the time it takes for a cup of coffee to cool down. In that case, I might consider—"
She narrowed her eyes mischievously.
"—consider telling everyone just how fast you are."
"…."
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After waiting in the lounge for over half an hour, Shinji finally left the theater with the others.
However, under the overwhelming pressure of Arturia's royal appetite, he was forced to treat them to a late-night meal before tonight's schedule could truly come to an end.
The good news was that Arturia didn't completely unleash her legendary King's Stomach this time.
She only ate about three times the portion of a normal person before calling it quits.
The bad news was that Jeanne kept her promise strictly to the letter—she drank exactly one cup of coffee to fulfill her "coffee date" with Shinji.
It seemed Shinji's conquest of the Holy Maiden was still far from reaching the required standard. He would have to work harder.
For Shinji, returning to the Matou residence after the late-night meal, watching the sunrise from his room before finally going to bed—that was the true sign that the premiere had completely ended.
But for most moviegoers—especially those in regions with large time differences from Japan—their movie night was only just beginning.
The bright moonlight spilled over Times Square in New York. Even in one of the most bustling districts in the world, the city had grown quiet after 3 a.m.
The only exceptions were the cinemas scattered around Times Square.
Audiences who had just finished the midnight premiere were walking out in small groups, animatedly discussing the film they had just seen. At the same time, they compared notes with others who had chosen a different movie, each eager to determine whose pick had been the better one.
Humans had an instinct for comparison, especially when there was a convenient target.
Tonight, two films had premiered at midnight: Fate/Apocrypha and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
And audiences could only choose one.
That meant anyone who watched one film had no way of seeing the other immediately.
For most people, it was no big deal.
But to hardcore movie buffs, it was a different story. In their eyes, if they hadn't watched the better of the two films, then they had suffered a loss!
From sheer headcount alone, it was obvious that Fate/Apocrypha had drawn the larger crowd.
After all, Shinji Matou had been building his brand for years.
To most movie fans, a film directed by Shinji Matou guaranteed one thing, even if opinions differed on quality, it would absolutely be thrilling.
In contrast, Paramount's Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles simply couldn't match Fate/Apocrypha in terms of production buzz and team recognition.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles was undeniably a high-quality IP.
But aside from the IP itself, this particular film had almost no standout elements among its creative team.
A movie like that was basically a blind box, you didn't know what you were going to get. Outside of die-hard Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles fans, most general audiences would naturally prioritize Fate/Apocrypha.
Even so, the number of viewers choosing Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles still reached about one-third of Fate/Apocrypha's crowd. That alone showed just how influential the franchise was in North America.
But those who chose Fate/Apocrypha had no regrets.
The film's quality proved their decision was the right one.
True, the plot of Fate/Apocrypha wasn't as breathtaking as the Fate/Stay Night trilogy or Fate/Zero as they had imagined, but it was absolutely worth the ticket price.
Freed from the shackles of Super 8-style traditional tokusatsu stage-like combat, the action scenes in Fate/Apocrypha, enhanced by glasses-free 3D, were a refreshing spectacle.
Even compared to Shinji's previous films—sometimes criticized for excessive "light pollution" and flashy overkill—Fate/Apocrypha placed greater emphasis on weight and realism. The audience felt the force behind every clash, their blood heating with each strike.
It wasn't just the fights.
The dramatic scenes felt more authentic as well.
For reasons that were difficult to explain scientifically, Shinji had never publicly disclosed the emotional transmission technique he employed during the filming of Fate/Apocrypha.
But audiences undeniably benefited from it.
As they watched, they found themselves deeply moved by Jeanne on the screen, so much so that many walked away with the impression that the drama was exceptionally well-written and the acting absolutely top-tier.
And then there was the floating castle in the sky.
It was, quite simply, the house of everyone's dreams.
All these strengths combined to create a peculiar phenomenon: when viewers walked out of the Fate/Apocrypha theater, they did so with pride written all over their faces, almost as if they themselves had survived a Holy Grail War.
In contrast, the crowd emerging from the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles screening was far less "unified."
"Only hardcore Turtles fans could sit through that. The suit actors were so stiff they looked practically expressionless. There was nothing special about it."
"It wasn't that bad! Aside from the weaker fight scenes, it nailed the nostalgia. Seeing those classic animated storylines recreated almost made me cry."
"But the pacing was way too slow. The battles didn't get my blood pumping at all. Don't even compare it to a Fate movie, it doesn't even measure up to the TV version."
"At least there weren't any major plot holes. It's passable. After all, not every director is as good as Shinji Matou."
"I just think it didn't know what it wanted to be!"
…
It was obvious—the difference in evaluation between fans and non-fans was huge.
That was understandable. Fans generally had a higher tolerance. As long as the adaptation didn't completely mess things up, they were willing to focus on the positives.
But the stark contrast in reactions only made the Fate/Apocrypha audience feel even more relieved.
Not choosing Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles had clearly been the correct decision.
After all, if someone were a die-hard Turtles fan, they wouldn't have chosen to watch Fate/Apocrypha at midnight in the first place. And if they weren't a die-hard fan, then skipping a fan-service-heavy film in favor of something else was simply the logical move.
"See? Fate/Apocrypha really is the best."
One moviegoer chuckled after overhearing the nearby argument, unable to resist making the playful remark.
"I still think Arturia's face is the best part. Seriously, where did Shinji even find an actress who looks that much like her? Don't tell me she had plastic surgery?"
"If there's plastic surgery good enough to turn someone into Arturia, I'd sign my girlfriend up in a heartbeat."
The man grinned knowingly at his friends, and the group burst into laughter as they strolled into a gift shop right next to the theater.
Then the looting began.
The store was stocked to the brim with movie merchandise—both Fate/Apocrypha and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles goods filled the shelves. Unsurprisingly, these were the two hottest products of the night.
Well… technically.
Anyone with eyes could tell that Fate/Apocrypha merchandise was clearly outselling the Turtles.
After just the first wave of moviegoers swept through, nearly one-third of the Fate/Apocrypha stock had already vanished from the shelves.
That said, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles had its own advantage.
There were four turtles.
Many fans bought them in full sets of four, grabbing one of each without hesitation.
By comparison, Fate/Apocrypha had a large cast of characters. Outside of hardcore completionists, most fans only picked up merchandise for one or two characters—rarely more than three.
However, even if the per-customer quantity was smaller, it couldn't compete with sheer numbers.
There were simply far more people buying Fate/Apocrypha goods.
The checkout counters were swamped. Customers lined up nonstop, and the store manager—watching everything unfold through the glass window of his office—felt a swell of pride as item after item disappeared from the racks.
When he first learned that Fate/Apocrypha and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles would premiere in the same week, he had made a bold stocking decision: a 2:1 shelf ratio in favor of Fate.
Now it seemed that choice had been absolutely correct.
'Actually… maybe I gave the Turtles too much space.'
The manager narrowed his eyes, mentally recalculating.
'I'll give them half a day tomorrow. If sales still look like this, I'll adjust the shelves to a 3:1 ratio.'
What truly surprised him, however, was something else.
Aside from the heroine Jeanne, the best-selling character wasn't Amakusa, who had far more screen time.
It was Astolfo.
"Did Type-Moon predict this in advance?"
When placing the order, he had been required to bundle Astolfo merchandise in the same quantity as Jeanne's.
He had seen this kind of forced bundling tactic plenty of times before. Distributors often used it to shove slow-moving junk together with popular products.
For example, that certain "evil" Bandai loved stuffing unsellable SHF figures into shipments of hot items, like pairing a wildly popular Kamen Rider SHF True Bone Sculpt with something like an Eternals SHF that would never move off the shelf.
So when he learned he had to take equal quantities of Astolfo, he assumed Type-Moon expected the character to sell poorly and was preemptively dumping inventory onto retailers.
Who could have imagined that this pink-haired "girl" would become such a hit?
The stock sold out before he even noticed.
"Wait… is this a little girl? I swear I heard someone say it's actually a guy? Eh, whatever."
The manager, who hadn't even watched the movie yet, decided the gender issue wasn't worth the brainpower.
Instead, he shifted his focus to praising Director Shinji Matou.
"Director Matou is insane. He actually predicted this character would be a bestseller."
In a single night, Fate/Apocrypha merchandise sales in his store alone had reached 120,000 dollars, far beyond what they would normally make in an entire week.
And this was just one gift shop among countless others scattered across New York City.
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Tn: I updated the story once every 2 days, but if you want to see more chapter of this story ahead of time, please go to my Patreon.
Latest Chapter: Chapter 429: Another Poor Kid Who Gets Sold and Still Says Thanks[1]
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