Chapter 140140. You are the King of Sai
It is a new day again, and the cinema is filled with smoke.
Under the impact of "Finding Nemo", other movies are trembling. I'm afraid no one expected that they would be pinned to the ground and rubbed by a clownfish.
After two consecutive failures with "Cinderella" and "Treasure Planet", Disney seems to have finally found the right approach.
This Mickey Mouse is standing up again!
It is June and it is already the fourth week of "The Matrix 2". Even the savior cannot save the box office, and it will continue to decline.
Now the single-day box office of "The Matrix 2" has only reached the level of 4 to 5 million US dollars.
In just one month, its North American box office has reached 230 million US dollars, including 91 million US dollars in the first week.
The final forecast given by analysts was around US$250 million, while the original forecast was around US$280 million.
But "The Purge", which no one took seriously, suddenly emerged as a dark horse and took in $45 million in one week, causing "The Matrix 2" to fail to maintain its box office championship for the third week.
However, for a blockbuster of this level, overseas box office is the highlight.
Now the overseas box office of "The Matrix 2" has reached 260 million US dollars, surpassing North America. Analysts predict that it will reach 450 million US dollars, and it will have no problem breaking 700 million US dollars worldwide.
700 million is a critical red line. If it breaks 700 million, it will be considered a rare blockbuster movie of the year.
"The Purge" was also suppressed by Nemo the Clownfish, but its single-day box office was slightly higher than that of "The Matrix 2".
Overseas, the film has already been released in several European countries including the UK, Germany, and Italy, and will be released in France, Denmark, Sweden, and Australia next week.
Asia will be the last to release the film, with Hong Kong and Taiwan belonging to the third batch. After careful consideration, Eric decided not to release the film in mainland China.
With MGM's current connections and investments in mainland China, and with the endorsement of Lao Han and Director Wang, there will definitely be no pressure in introducing the film. Even if it is done without any cuts like "Titanic" back then, it can be done, but it will inevitably require favors and good words.
But interpersonal relationships are something that will become less and less the more you use them, so it’s better to waste them on minor characters like in “The Purge”.
It would be better to wait until "Transformers" comes out at the end of the year and let the optoelectronics department give you the green light to make an uncut version.
When Dynamite's "Transformers 1" was released in mainland China, a few minutes of scenes were actually deleted.
The reason is because it is too violent. Eric really doesn't understand why it is reasonable for robots to kill humans.
Two pieces of iron are fighting, and a few parts are falling off. What's the point of violence? It's like every little boy has smashed a few toys when he was a child.
The version shot by Eric this time has more grandiose war scenes, and more people will die. If he doesn't look for Lao Han and the others to have a drink, I'm afraid it will be difficult to pass the photoelectric test, and more than ten minutes of scenes will be deleted, which will not be conducive to selling peripheral products.
"Rolling in the Deep" has already jumped to No. 31 on the Billboard charts. This time, Michael changed his style to cater more to the tastes of young listeners.
In addition, celebrities on Facebook were working hard to promote his song, and it almost made it into the top 30 in just two days.
Now you can hear Michael's singing everywhere on the streets and on the radio. It is expected that after today's CD sales are released, it will not be a problem for him to make it into the top 20.
On the other hand, the more successful Michael Dunk is, the greater the backlash he suffers.
His Billboard ranking was originally 5th, and logically he should have continued to move forward, but the reality was that he dropped 3 places to 8th.
Perhaps sensing the crisis, this little gangster has been frequently appearing on various radio stations and in interviews over the past few days to promote his own songs.
He is also trying hard to call on his friends on Facebook, but since his debut, this guy has hardly spent a day without cursing people.
He has scolded everyone from the President of the United States to his own parents and wife, and even his peers.
In the end, only some rappers were willing to speak for him, but at the same time, there were still many rappers standing on MJ's side.
The number of new Facebook users has skyrocketed by millions, just like a raging fire that is burning more and more vigorously.
Following this trend, attracting 20 million users a month is not a dream.
On the set of "Blue Is the Warmest Color", everyone started clocking in for work one after another.
Chen Xing and production director Julio were waiting by the side, while Eric crossed his legs and flipped through the project report in his hand.
The preparations for "The Hangover" are basically completed and filming is about to start.
The director chose Todd Phillips, a comedy director in his 30s who was young but had already achieved great success.
He produced "Hello Mr. Boys" and "The Club", both of which are comedies with good ratings.
"Singles Club" was released in February this year and took in nearly 90 million US dollars at the box office, making a fortune for DreamWorks.
Spielberg recommended him not long ago after MGM announced its production plan.
"Boss, Phillips is an excellent genre film director. For The Hangover, he turned down a film invitation from Warner Bros., and Warner's investment is even bigger."
"Really?" Eric was a little surprised.
Julio nodded confidently. "Obviously, the script of The Hangover attracted him more. I heard that Warner Bros.'s movie, Jesse Hutchison, cost 60 million U.S. dollars, twice as much as The Hangover."
"Yes, he is a man with vision. In the future, he will know that The Hangover will be much better than JJ & Hutch."
After looking at the three most important male protagonists, the handsome teacher Phil Winnek was given to Little Dead.
The role of the fat boy Alan Garner was played by Jack Black, whose roles that are more familiar to Chinese audiences include Po in "Kung Fu Panda" and Gulliver in "Gulliver's Travels".
He is one of those actors whose name you can’t remember but whose face you recognize when you see him.
The unlucky dentist Stu Price invited a big star, or a future big star, Adam Sandler, who is not yet popular.
This name is very familiar to movie fans around the world, so there is really no need to introduce it in detail.
Adam Sandler currently has considerable fame in the film industry. Although he has not yet become completely famous, he is still one of the top figures in the comedy world.
It’s just that most of the works he starred in were romantic comedies. One of the reasons for taking this role this time was to make a breakthrough and try a vulgar comedy about shit, piss and fart.
Adam Sandler is searching for the movie that will make him truly famous.
His salary is also the highest among the entire crew, just like comedians tend to be paid more than actors in other types of movies.
One person took away $5.5 million. It is a bit expensive, but for this team without the support of big stars, it is still worth it.
Ryan Reynolds' salary was $700,000. The gap is so big. Although "Sharknado" brought him some fame, his salary would not be high at least before "Transformers" was released.
Jack Black's salary was $1 million, which is slightly higher than Deadpool.
At this point, The Hangover trio is complete. It is completely different from the original version, as all three actors have been replaced, but it is clearly a change for the better.
After reading it, Eric nodded his approval: "Not bad, very good, the actors are well chosen, I never thought you would find Adam Sandler."
"From this perspective, the budget of $30 million may be a bit low. Let's change it to $35 million. I don't want the filming effect to be substandard due to budget issues."
Eric signed his name on the report, and Julio could take it to get money, and the filming of the movie officially started.
Sending him away, Eric turned his attention back to the scene.
After last night's nourishment, although the Olsen sisters were not full, their resentment had dissipated, and they looked at Eric with much kinder eyes.
The shooting went smoothly and we had been working for half a day without realizing it.
After lunch, there is an hour break as usual.
Eric left Studio 4 and walked towards Studio 6 which was not far away. "Monster" was stationed here today and was being filmed in Studio 6.
When I arrived at the studio, I saw Patty Jenkins from afar holding an apple, eating it while staring at the surveillance screen.
The two haven't seen each other for more than a month. The last time Eric asked me to approve money, he was confined to work on the script of "House of Cards" and made the final decision over the phone.
"Hi Patty, long time no see."
Hearing the familiar voice, Patty Jenkins raised her head, opened her arms and hugged Eric.
"Eric, why are you here?"
"Listen to what you are saying. I am filming in Studio 4. Don't you know?"
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"But hasn't Transformers been filmed yet? Are you not satisfied with something and are reshooting it?"
Eric frowned speechlessly. "After all, we worked together. I gave you $8 million. You are half a member of MGM. How could you not care about what happened at home?"
"Of course there is no reshoot for Transformers. I started another project and wanted you to continue to be the assistant director, but now the opportunity has been given to someone else."
Patty Jenkins was a little confused: "What about Transformers?"
“All that’s left is post-production special effects and soundtrack.”
"What! Is the editing already done?"
But she reacted immediately: "Oh, I almost got confused. You are not an ordinary director. You shoot for the sake of a finished film, so the editing is naturally fast."
"Yeah, it was done in less than a week." Eric smiled and held up a finger.
Patty Jenkins shook her head: "After working with you, I feel like I was influenced by you and unconsciously used your shooting mode."
"It's like building a complete plot in your mind first, then dividing the scene into shots one by one, and finally shooting it in one go."
As she spoke, she took out a thick script and said, "Let me show you. This is my preparation."
Eric took a look at the script of several hundred pages and found that most of it was storyboards.
He couldn't help but laugh: "It seems that you have grasped the essence, Patty! In fact, many directors use this shooting technique, such as Chris Columbus in the United States, Zhang Yimou in China, and Bong Joon-ho in South Korea."
"Hey, what are you guys talking about? Can I join in?"
Not far away, the door of the dressing room opened, and a woman with a ferocious face and a fierce look walked over.
She was tatteredly dressed, had a vulgar voice, and even had no eyebrows, which made her look untouchable and scary.
But Eric knew very well that this was just the result of makeup technology. When the makeup was washed off, she would become the most beautiful South African diamond.
Even in Hollywood, where there are so many beautiful women, she is still the one at the top in terms of appearance.
Not only today, but 20 years later, she still outshines all others.
Charlize Theron, you queen!
Mandela said she was the one who truly put the name South Africa on the map.
Hawking commented on her: Even in the infinite parallel universes, you would never be able to date Charlize Theron.
"Hello, Theron."
Eric offered his hand.
Theron pointed at her face and looked at Eric in surprise: "No way, you can still recognize me in this state of honor?"
"Of course, you are Charlize Theron, the dream of countless men."
"Hahahaha, Mr. Cooper, you're really good at talking. Nice to meet you, Charlize Theron!"
Their hands intertwined briefly, and although the makeup made her face look menacing, the skin on her hands was still as soft as silk.
"Theron, how do you accept your current face? Don't you have nightmares?"
"Of course I do. I can't even look in the mirror after putting makeup on. I'm like, where is Charlize Theron?"
"Then why did you take this role? Seeing how you look now, this sacrifice is indeed a bit too much."
Charlize Theron looked at Patty Jenkins: "On the one hand, I like challenges, and this role is complex and profound; on the other hand, the director kept harassing me and persuading me that I could handle this role. Maybe she poured me some magic potion, but anyway, I was convinced."
The three of them laughed together.
Eric said, "You will never regret watching Monster. I have a feeling you will win an Oscar for this role."
"Really?" Theron's eyes widened in surprise.
Then he waved his hands and said, "It's impossible. Although I will be favored by the Academy if I act ugly, I haven't even received a nomination from a trade union since my debut, let alone an Oscar. They don't like me."
"No, believe me, you will definitely win the Oscar for Best Actress. I'm not talking about the nomination, but the award!" Eric said very confidently.
Seeing that he looked so serious and didn't seem to be joking, the two women were a little surprised.
Because everyone knows that if you want to win several Oscar awards, it is impossible without public relations. There are more than one good work every year and many excellent actors.
A one-sided crushing victory rarely happens. As long as you are nominated, it means you have strong strength.
So how do you ensure you win the prize when everyone is so close? Of course, you have to spend money on public relations.
It is normal to spend tens of millions of dollars to win a big prize, and Weinstein is most familiar with this.
Once Eric is certain that "Monster" will win an award, he will inevitably have to pay a large amount of public relations fees, which are all real US dollars, more expensive than the cost of producing the film.
Theron also said solemnly: "Mr. Cooper, since you said so, it seems that I must go all out."
Patty also spoke up, "Then I must also strive for excellence. Boss, if the $8 million is spent, can we get more?"
Eric chuckled and answered in front of Patty Jenkins's hopeful eyes: "You wish!"
(End of this chapter)