Benji Cooper felt more than pumped to see Troy’s new film. While he had been in tact with Troy, it was difficult to talk to him regurly because they were in different time zones. It didn’t help that Troy was super busy most of the time and could hardly spare more than a few mio chat. Seeing Troy’s first non-Harry Potter movie in four years was a Benji couldn’t miss.

  It had been difficult for him to get the tickets, but he eventually succeeded. Reading ents oer, however, made it clear that not everyone had been as lucky.

  MovieBuffGeek: Did anyone else find it difficult to get tickets for Troy’s new movie? I asked around in three different movie theaters, but no show was avaible for the weekend.

  ArmitageArmy: I knht? I have been waiting so long for it. I thought it was a small indie film so no one will care about it. Now I regret not booking the tickets in advance.

  TroyFan_88: NOOOO!!!!! Why is this happening???!!!! Why is Warner doing this?! Critics are sh praise on the movie, so why ’t there be more shows as well?

  MovieBuffGeek: Probably some bts drama we are not aware of. I have a feeling this will bee Troy’s first film to earhan 100m, and all because of Warner Bros’ misma.

  icalScribe: Let’s start a new petition: #JusticeforPerks. They will have to listen to us if we do. Perks was my favorite book, but I ’t see the movie because it is not avaible in any theater in my town.

  LunaBliss: I saw it! It was legendary. Mark my words, Troy just earned himself another Osomination.

  SereneDreamer: Who cares about some fake awards? Did you see the se where he does the Rocky Horror Picture Show? Troy in those golden speedos was exactly what I o satiate my dy boner. I will see the film again, just for that se.

  LunaBliss: I will also rewatch it, but only to see Troy’s best performao date.

  MovieBuffGeek: At least let us first-time viewers watch the film and wait for a few weeks when the rush dies down. It’s a nightmare getting those tickets right now.

  ArmitageArmy: Exactly! We ’t get tickets because of hirls like you! (I’m not even sure if you are real girls or creepy old men.)

  SereneDreamer: Fuck you @ArmitageArmy! If you wanna watch the film so badly, get in line, just like hirls like us do.

  LunaBliss: By the way, did aice that Troy is donating all his profits from the film to a charity for kids? he get any more perfect?

  RedPillRevealer: Isn’t the charity set by him? Most celebs set up charities only for tax-saving purposes. It’s probably a marketing gimmick employed by Warner. And sihe film has a simir topic it makes sense for them to use that charity for promotions.

  TroyFan_88: Troy came to my school along with his team. This was months after GOF had released and he didn’t have anything to promote. He talked to us about his own childhood experiences and even about the woman who attacked him in his home. The charity ducts regur workshops in the UK, and they are very good. Troy was also so real and personal back then, that I know for sure that this is not a gimmick. He is very passionate about this cause for real.

  MovieBuffGeek: Woah! Didn’t know that. Now I’m even more pumped to see the film if some of the profits are going to a worthy cause.

  “What are you doing?” Ashley asked. Benji looked up from his ptop to see her sitting bored on the couch. His mother wouldn’t allow them to hang out in his room for obvious reasons, so they had to make do with the living room.

  “Nothing much,” he said before eborating. “Just reading some reviews of the film online. People are mad at Warner for not scheduling enough showings.”

  “We’re lucky we got the tickets when we did,” Ashley said. “But if yoing to read reviews, check out real critiot i trolls.”

  With that, she got up and turned oelevision, quickly switg to aertai news el.

  A man in his mid-to-te twenties appeared on s, standing in front of a movie theater with a mi his hand.

  “As you see behihere’s a huge crowd waiting to get tickets for the biggest movie of the week—Troy Armitage’s [The Perks of Being a Wallflower]. Fans are angry about the limited number of showings, most of which are already sold out. The film has received rave reviews from critid is especially popur with teenagers for its retability.”

  Benji turo Ashley. “See? I told you that already. The i’s pretty fast at getting these details out.”

  Ashley didn’t reply and just kept watg the TV.

  The reporter walked over to a teenage boy standing in line and asked, “Hi. What film are you here to see today?”

  “[The Perks of Being a Wallflower],” the boy replied eagerly. “I’ll take whatever ticket they have avaible. I just hope I won’t have to skip school week to see it.”

  The reporter turned back to the camera and said, “This situation is pying out in most major cities and even in some smaller ones across the try. Let’s take a look at some of the reviews that have made this film so popur with audiences.”

  The s then dispyed ents from some of the most notable criti the U.S.:

  Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: Troy Armitage shows once again that he ot be taken lightly as an actor. Emma Watson and Jonathan Groff are so fun to watch as siblings. Mi Kunis shines in all her ses as a retable older sister. I ’t help but reminisce about my own teenage days.Rating: 4/4

  Ian Buckwalter, The Atntic: [The Perks of Being a Wallflower] seems like the work of a much more experienced direaintaining fidelity to the source material without sacrifig ematic qualities. It triggers genuiimentality and nostalgia through the iion of sound and image. See this film for astounding performances and a story steeped in realism.Rating: 9/10

  John Anderson, Newsday: Regardless of the viewer's proximity to their own high school experiehe Perks of Being a Wallflets it right, precisely because it’s not about a specific time or pce. Charlie is such a likable character, eg with everyardless of age. It helps that Troy Armitage is the best casting decision for the film, making you want to root for him in every se.Rating: 3.5/4

  “See?” Now it was Ashley’s turn to be smug. “These are real reviews.”

  Benji just nodded. He had already read most of them, and in full detail, but he didn’t want to mention that to his girlfriend. Girls o win arguments now and then to feel good about themselves, or so he thought.

  The camera cut back to the male reporter, who said, “Unlike most films made today with a sole focus on earning profits, this one is a little special. Troy Armitage, the star of the film, not only fi entirely but has also pledged that all profits will be doo a charity—Frank Armitage’s Foundation. This foundatioablished by Troy, focuses on helping victims of child sex abuse. We decided to visit the foundation to see how it operates.”

  The se transitioo two women in their mid-twenties.

  “I’m Sacha Robinson, here with Allison Cox, the director of the Frank Armitage Foundation,” a young female reporter introduced herself, holding a mic. Turning to Allison, she said, “Allison, why don’t you tell us about the history of this foundation and Troy Armitage’s role in it?”

  “Sure,” Allison smiled at the camera. “We all know and love Troy Armitage for his movies. What many don’t know is that he’s an incredibly passionate person. He used to visit a children’s hospital where I volunteered, and we discovered we both had a shared passion for helping kids. Like most things in life, this required funding, and Troy has been instrumental in providing that. He regurly donates a signifit portion of his io the foundation. So far, we’ve been able to help over a thousand children in the UK. Now, we’re expanding to key cities in the US, starting with New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Houston.”

  “How exactly do you help the children?” Sacha asked.

  Allison’s voice took on a passioone as she expined, “First and foremost, we provide therapy sessions. The victims aren’t just kids—many are adults who couldn’t access help when they were younger and are only nnizing the abuse they endured. We also assist them in filing legal cases against their abusers. In some cases, we’ve had to remove children from harmful guardians and find alternative living arras. Each victim’s story is unique, and every one of them is heartbreaking.”

  The reporter was silent for a moment before asking, “How do you keep going, knowing all of this?”

  “The fact that we’re making a difference is what keeps me going,” Allison said with vi. “Would you like to meet some of the people we’ve helped?”

  “Absolutely,” Sacha replied, then turo the camera. “For privacy reasons, we’ll ceal the identities of all victims.”

  Benji and Ashley watched quietly as the two women spoke to individuals whose faces were blurred for anonymity. Hearing the positive feedback about the foundation—and Troy in particur—was heartening.

  “Did you know about this foundation?” Ashley asked.

  “Yeah,” Benji nodded. “I kroy had started it, but not much beyond that. Looks like they’ll be opening a bran New York soon.”

  “I would love to voluhere,” Ashley said. “It would help the victims and look so good on my college application. Do you think you ask Troy to put me at the top of the list? After this film, everyone will want to work with it.”

  “I ask, but we don’t really talk much,” Benji said unfortably. “He’s busy most of the time. It’s beewo months since we st talked, and even then, it was only for a few minutes.”

  “Oh,” Ashley nodded, her enthusiasm dimming slightly. She gnced down at her wristwatch. “I guess we should get going now. The movie will start soon.” She stood up and walked a few steps before notig Benji hadn’t moved. She shot him an impatient look.

  “It’s still over an hour before the show starts,” Benji defended himself. “The theater’s just fifteen minutes away. e o’s watething on TV until then.”

  “Benjamin Cooper,” Ashley said with mock seriousness. “You saw how packed all the shows are. If we don’t get there early, we’ll miss the good seats. And if we do, I definitely won’t make out with you during the film.”

  Benji leapt to his feet, grabbing his jacket. “Why are you wasting time, woman? We will miss all the good seats!”

  Ashley smirked. “Good boy.”

  It turned out they’d e at the perfect time. The theater acked by the time the movie began but thankfully they snagged some of the best seats for couples—er seats in the very st row.

  And what a movie it was! From start to finish, every moment was captivating. Benji couldn’t find a single fault. Troy, Emma, and the rest of the cast were exceptional. Then came the se he knew he’d never fet: Charlie’s first kiss.

  “I just want to make sure that the first person who kisses you, loves you,” Emma Watson, as Sam, said to Troy’s Charlie before stepping closer and giving him one of the most heartfelt kisses in film history.

  Benji g Ashley, who was quietly shedding tears at the tender moment.

  “Hey,” Benji said softly, wipiears away before pulling her into a side hug.

  To his surprise, Ashley leaned in and kissed him, mirr the se pying on-s. Benji missed the few minutes of the film because he was otherwise preoccupied, but in his opinion, it was pletely worth it. And since Ashley was the first and only girl he had ever kissed, the se took on even more significe for the two of them.

  When the film ehe couple walked out hand-in-hand, their hearts full. They were stopped in the lobby by a man dug interviews about the movie.

  “I loved it!” Ashley procimed excitedly. “Every sed of it. Troy and Emma were amazing. I ’t wait to see it again!”

  “On a scale from A+ to F, how would you rate it?” the man asked.

  “A+ for sure,” Ashley said fidently.

  Benji nodded in agreement, wholeheartedly eg her se.

  (Break)

  While the general audience may not have realized it, the hype surrounding the ck of shows and the use of the Frank Armitage Foundation in promotional efforts stemmed from Warner Bros.' strategic allocation of an increased marketing budget for the film. This approach also expined why only positive reviews were highlighted during the promotional campaign, vely ign aive feedback.

  It certainly helped that [The Perks of Being a Wallflower] was a crowd-pleaser, resonating deeply with its audience. Most viewers shed tears at some point during the film—sometimes from joy and nostalgia, other times from heartbreak over the protagonists’ struggles and triumphs. The emotional e ehat the majority of the audience left the theater satisfied and moved.

  Key moments that struck a chord with viewers included the se where Charlie helps his sister get an abortion and the shog revetion about his aunt, leading to his sister’s immediate call to the police for Charlie’s well-being. Emma Watson’s first on-s kiss with Troy Armitage was anhlight, receiving wide accim. Meanwhile, the Rocky Horror Picture Show sequences delighted fans for entirely different reasons.

  From start to finish, the film had something for everyone, a feature Warner Bros. leveraged heavily in their marketing campaign.

  This strategy proved successful, as the film's box offiumbers reflected a rare trend in the movie industry. The first weekend brought in 28.4 million, but instead of deing, colles grew to 32.6 million in the sed weekend—a remarkable feat. The third weekend saw a slight dip to 25.2 million, followed by a signifit dee to 10.4 million in the fourth weekend. By the end of its theatrical run, [The Perks of Being a Wallflower] had earned 156.7 million in North Amerid 182.3 million iionally, bringing its worldwide total to an impressive 339 million—more than 30 times its produ budget.

  For Warner Bros., the iment had already paid off spectacurly. The studio had acquired a three-film deal with Troy Armitage, and even if the wo films underperformed, the massive success of Perks had secured their profits.

  After dedug the theaters’ share from the gross revenue, Warner’s earnings stood at approximately 150 million. Of this, 25 million was attributed to the acquisition cost for Perks (bundled with Brick), leaving a gross profit of 125 million, excluding marketing and distribution experoy, as the film’s producer, received 25% of the gross profit, amounting to 31 million, all of which would go to charity. After ating for Troy’s share and marketing expenses, Warner Bros. was left with a solid profit of approximately 75 million—a return of 300% on its initial iment. That too when the price of Brick is already added to the acquisition cost.

  Moreover, the additional revenue from TV broadcasting rights and home video sales in the years to e would only bolster the studio’s earnings, making [The Perks of Being a Wallflower] a resounding financial success for everyone involved.

  ________________________________________

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