Unsurprisingly, Saw became a hit.
It unexpectedly went viral, even becoming a viral sensation outside its core audience. It directly generated buzz in the United States.
Many people who watched the on-site interviews said they didn't believe it. How could it be so scary? As Americans, we've seen all kinds of big scenes, so we're going to see just how scary it can be.
More and more people flocked to the cinemas, choosing to watch Saw.
Universal Pictures quickly capitalized on this trend, launching a challenge: anyone who watched the film without a blank expression would receive a $1,000 reward.
All cinemas have set up cameras to capture the facial expressions of the audience.
This challenge started with celebrities in the industry, and of course, Universal Pictures paid them to support it. As the popularity grew, more and more people participated, and more and more people failed.
The Saw craze swept across major media outlets, and seeing this momentum, Old Mike immediately added another 300 screens to screen Saw.
........
"Wen, congratulations Shen! Saw grossed a whopping $23 million in its opening week." Old Mike looked at Shen Fang and Wen Ziren with a beaming smile.
He hadn't expected such a low-budget R-rated film to generate such a buzz. Based on Universal Pictures' current market assessment, barring any unforeseen circumstances, the film is expected to gross over $100 million.
Keep in mind that this film cost a whopping $1.5 million! That's many times the profit. Universal, the distributor, gets a 10% cut. More importantly, as the distributor, releasing such a blockbuster proves Universal's foresight to the market. It also proves Mike's foresight.
"This is all thanks to Wen Ziren. Old Wen, here's a reward of 5 million US dollars." Shen Fang waved his hand and began to reward those who had contributed.
Five million!!! His heart pounded with excitement, his hands trembled. James Wan had never seen so much money in his life. With this much money, he'd call up a few close friends that night, go to a bar, find some strippers, and slurp... (What a pathetic guy! He's so unsophisticated! He's never seen anything like it!!!)
“Ivanka and Zhukova, as the producers of this film, each of you will also receive a $1 million bonus.”
Ivanka gave her a kiss: "Thank you, darling."
Zhukova gave Chen Fang a seductive look and said, "Let's fight tonight."
Talented men are truly more captivating.
Recently, she and Ivanka have both become famous overnight. Although they are both top socialites and receive a lot of media attention, it is mainly about their status and the glory brought by their parents.
Now, suddenly they've become dazzling top producers. That's status, that's prestige, that's a demonstration of ability. When they compare themselves to their female friends in the industry, those two will be completely different; they'll be social elites from now on. Renowned producers!
For them, fame is more important than money.
All of this was given to me by this man.
For them, increasing fame makes it incredibly easy to monetize later. Just look at the Kardashian family. Kim Kardashian was originally an unknown handbag carrier, but after her sex tape was released, she became an overnight sensation, famous worldwide. With subsequent marketing and promotion, the entire family became a household name in the United States, becoming the world's most famous influencer family, earning over a billion US dollars a year.
(I have the video; contact me if you want it.)
"Wen, when are you planning to start production on your next film? Do you have any ideas? I greatly admire your talent," Old Mike revealed his true intentions.
Shen Fang's lips curled up. "You're really something, trying to poach someone right in front of me."
Wen Ziren quickly glanced at his boss and immediately pledged his loyalty.
"The boss has given me several very good scripts, and we'll start production after Saw finishes its run."
Wen Ziren's words were ambiguous. First, he addressed Shen Fang as "boss," and then he mentioned that Shen Fang had provided him with several scripts, the implication being quite clear.
Old Mike's eyes gleamed: "Chen, could we collaborate with Universal?"
"Mike, haven't we always worked together?"
"Old Wen's upcoming projects are all low-budget productions, so we'll definitely need to trouble your Universal's professionals." Shen Fang looked at Old Mike with a smile.
Old Mike understood perfectly well; for a low-budget film to become a hit was already incredibly lucky. While he was very envious of these kinds of movies, he wondered, if you can have one hit, can you have a second and a third?
Even a truck driver couldn't do that!
He wasn't interested in small-scale productions; what interested him were the two projects he was about to collaborate on with Shen Fang on: Kung Fu Dream and John Wick.
"Chen, taking advantage of Jackie Chan's current reputation in the industry, the Kung Fu Dream project needs to be approved as soon as possible. The project funding has been secured, and I will immediately arrange the pre-production promotion for Kung Fu Dream. The filming locations and personnel arrangements are entrusted to you. As an official representative of the Chinese film and television industry, you need to provide as much assistance as possible."
“No problem, Mike. I will get DragonMedia to fully support this project, and I will provide assistance with all filming in China.”
"It's a pleasure to work with you."
"It's a pleasure to work with you."
After the dinner, Shen Fang returned to the Manhattan Hotel with two beautiful women in his arms.
As soon as she entered the door, Zhukova couldn't wait to rush into Chen Fang's arms.
"Sweetheart, I'm going to eat you up."
Having gone through the madness of the past few days, Ivanka was no longer bothered. She casually pulled down her skirt, revealing her stunning figure, and beckoned to Chen Fang.
Shen Fang slurped a mouthful of saliva as he looked at the two beauties. "Two demons want to drain my essence! I need your help to cultivate!" Great Mighty Heavenly Dragon...
......
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