Of course, aside from the mainstream movies, there are still many other types being shown.
Speaking of those, Jiang Hai had to admit—when it comes to filming romance, art house, and action dramas with a touch of sensuality, no one does it quite like the island country. They're the undisputed masters in this genre. Europe and the U.S. simply can't compare; Japan is the darling of that corner of the film industry.
That said, South Korea has also released a few decent films recently. They're not as explicit, but still quite captivating.
More importantly, the actresses have incredible figures and striking looks. According to Prawalton, "Who cares if they've had plastic surgery? You're not marrying them—you're just watching a movie." Even if the content is subtler, the effect is powerful, even surpassing the heyday of Hong Kong cinema. These kinds of films sometimes make it to theaters too—albeit in the smaller screening rooms.
Jiang Hai had seen some of them on premium channels at home. His personal favorite? Forbidden Love: The Kind Sister-in-Law.
Titles like Women's Struggle, Tempting Neighbor, Delicious Stewardess, and Charming Nanny—ahem. As an experienced "driver," it was natural for Jiang Hai to occasionally take the wheel, just like now, as he drove himself to the cinema.
In the theater parking lot, after parking, he stepped out and headed inside.
The moment he walked in, nearly everyone who saw him greeted him warmly.
"Hey, Jiang! Here to catch a movie?"
"Hi, Jiang—is that your girlfriend?"
"Hey, Jiang! How've you been lately?"
Smiling, Jiang Hai greeted each person in return.
Any time someone mentioned a "girlfriend," he'd laugh it off, saying, "No, just a friend."
Still, Bernice couldn't help but notice how popular Jiang Hai was here.
In Winthrop, Jiang Hai's reputation was practically golden. That was no exaggeration. As the two of them chatted in line, they quickly made their way to the front. Since they hadn't picked a movie in advance, they didn't buy tickets online—they decided to choose something at the counter.
While waiting, they scanned the schedule. Honestly, there weren't many great options.
The theater itself wasn't small, so the selection was decent, but very few of the films were actually appealing.
Twenty movies were listed under "North American Box Office Rankings."
The top one was War Room, which had been doing well recently. But Jiang Hai and Bernice weren't interested—it was about a struggling family that receives wisdom from an elderly woman and overcomes adversity. It resonated with many struggling families across the U.S., but neither Jiang Hai nor his friends saw themselves in that narrative.
Second was Straight Outta Compton, a musical drama. Third was A Walk in the Woods, the tale of an elderly man attempting to hike across America. Fourth was The Transporter 4—Jiang Hai hadn't even seen the second or third, so he had no interest.
Fifth was Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation. Jiang Hai felt the same about that. While the franchise was undeniably popular, he'd never gotten into it, or even into the 007 films. At most, he'd watched a few highlight clips. It just wasn't his thing.
Other movies like No Escape, The Man from U.N.C.L.E., Sinister 2, or The Rooster with Many Eggs didn't pique his interest either.
The only ones that caught his eye were Ant-Man—which had been out for eight weeks—and Jurassic World, already in its thirteenth week. But if you were taking a girl to see either of those at this point, you had to really love them.
"Ant-Man, Jurassic World, Inside Out, and Minions. Which one do you want to watch?" Bernice asked before Jiang Hai could even speak. Hearing that her preferences matched his, he couldn't help but laugh.
"I'm not really into animated films. So, one of the first two—what do you think?"
Ant-Man was part of the Marvel universe. Jiang Hai had seen Avengers before—what he jokingly called "The League of Billionaires." He was mildly interested, especially since these solo Marvel films usually tied into the larger Avengers plotlines.
Then again, he'd loved dinosaurs since he was a kid. Even now, in his twenties, that fascination hadn't gone away. He'd seen Jurassic Park, its sequels, and even though the second and third entries weren't great—especially the third, which was mostly nonsense until the T-Rex and Spinosaurus showed up—it still had its moments.
He'd been meaning to watch Jurassic World, but hadn't had the time until now.
"Let's go with Jurassic World," Bernice decided after a moment. Despite being out for thirteen weeks, the movie wasn't available online, so she hadn't seen it either.
Jiang Hai shrugged and nodded in agreement.
They bought two tickets, along with two large sodas and a big bucket of popcorn. After a short wait, they entered the theater.
But once inside, they felt a little... cheated.
Typically, a movie makes most of its box office revenue in the first month. The next month is just reaping leftovers. For most films, eight weeks is the cutoff.
But Jurassic World was still screening after thirteen weeks, thanks to its strong performance and fans returning for second viewings.
That said, they were in the minority. When Jiang Hai and Bernice walked in, the theater was nearly empty.
They picked seats in the middle of the sixth row, settled in, and put on the 3D glasses handed to them at the entrance.
"Feels like we reserved the whole place," Jiang Hai joked, glancing around the deserted theater.
Of course, cinemas don't schedule shows for just two people. As soon as he finished speaking, more moviegoers trickled in—mostly couples who settled in the back rows or remote corners.
Jiang Hai didn't mind. Not everyone liked sitting dead-center. But for a 3D film, the middle truly was the best spot.
Eventually, ten or so people arrived. Then, no one else came in.
The lights dimmed. The movie started. First came a hatching dinosaur egg, then a couple on the brink of divorce, who sent their kids to stay with their aunt. The story unfolded from there.
Jiang Hai hadn't seen the movie before, so he watched intently. So did Bernice. Although she'd invited him mainly to stop him from picking fights in the bathroom earlier, now that they were seated, she took it seriously too.
They shared the popcorn. Occasionally, their hands brushed, but neither paid it any mind—it was just casual contact.
Then, just as the protagonist started training the velociraptors, Jiang Hai heard an odd sound—almost like someone playing with their saliva. He frowned and turned toward the source of the noise.
What he saw nearly gave him a heart attack.
In the back row, a woman was lying across a man's lap, her head moving rhythmically. The strange, wet sound had clearly come from there.
Jiang Hai was no innocent. He'd heard such sounds before—especially last night. But this? This was next-level.
Sure, Americans were bold, but this was outrageous. It was completely shameless.
He stared in disbelief, forgetting all about the movie. Then another sound—a low moan—from further back caught his attention. Turning to look, he saw a figure moving rhythmically.
He didn't need to guess. The couple had moved beyond foreplay and were fully... engaged.
No wonder they chose the corners. So this was their plan.
"What are you staring at? Focus on the movie," Bernice said, turning toward him and glancing back as well.
Her eyesight wasn't quite as sharp as Jiang Hai's, but she could still see what was going on. At first, she didn't understand what she was seeing—until realization dawned. Her face turned beet red.
"Ahem, let's just watch the movie, shall we?" Jiang Hai coughed awkwardly and quickly turned back to the screen. Bernice did the same.
But it was hard to concentrate again. Those embarrassing sounds lingered in their ears, louder than the movie itself.
Almost in sync, they both tried to distract themselves. One way to do that? Eat.
So they both reached for the popcorn at the same time, accidentally touching hands. Instinctively, they pulled away, as if shocked.
To be continued...