As soon as he came out of the airport, Gu Wei met Lionsgate President Jon Ferrer who came to pick him up.
"Gu, welcome to Hollywood!"
Seeing Gu Wei smiling, Jon was extremely enthusiastic.
"Thank you. I didn't expect you to come and pick me up in person~"
Gu Wei was also a little surprised to see him. He could imagine that Lionsgate would be very welcome to his arrival, but he did not expect that the president, Jon, would come to the airport to pick him up in person.
"That's nothing. You're Lionsgate's closest partner. You've come all the way to the United States to promote the movie. Of course, we have to meet as soon as possible."
After a few pleasantries, Gu Wei got on the most luxurious extended business car in the middle.
"[John Wick 4] has been very successful in North America since its release last week. It has not only achieved great box office success, but also achieved the best reputation in the series.
Both the media and film critics gave this film very high praise.
Your performance in the film has been praised by many media and audiences.
Everyone is very curious about you.
Your appearance at the roadshow press conference at this time can definitely generate a wave of hype, which will be very beneficial to the subsequent box office performance of the film."
On the way, Jon chatted with Gu Wei about some things related to this publicity work.
The John Wick series was originally a one-man show for Keanu Reeves, and the previous three films were all like this.
In the fourth film, Gu Wei, an oriental-looking man, joined the cast and became the protagonist on par with Keanu Reeves. Many old viewers found it difficult to accept this at first.
However, they really became popular after the movie was released.
Gu Wei’s character in the movie is a kung fu master and a master of gunmanship. He can be said to be the most powerful person in the entire movie.
From the moment he appeared in the first game, he exuded a sense of oppression, and had an aura that made others know at a glance that he was a master.
And his first battle with Keanu Reeves also showed his strength to the fullest. He completely dominated Keanu and almost killed him.
Keanu Reeves fought very hard, but he is old after all, already in his 50s, and his movements are obviously not as agile as when he was young.
Therefore, almost all the most beautiful and exciting fighting scenes in the entire movie were contributed by Gu Wei.
Handsome and cool, with a mysterious and dangerous temperament, Gu Wei's performance in the movie was loved by many American audiences.
Many people will search for information about him online after watching the movie.
It's like when "Titanic" was released in the country, everyone wanted to know who Leonardo DiCaprio was.
Gu Wei was already somewhat famous in North America, and was discussed by many netizens over the years because of several popular songs and scandals with female stars.
However, no album was released, and the rumors were just gossip with no follow-up. The little bit of heat that appeared at the time quickly cooled down.
It's different now. "John Wick 4" is a big hit in North America, and tens of millions of viewers have watched this movie. Gu Wei's figure has entered the sight and minds of these people through the movie. The fame that has grown in this way is much more solid and stable than other ways.
Haven’t you seen that Robert Downey Jr. is remembered by domestic audiences because of "Iron Man", and Keanu Reeves is also well-known because of "The Matrix".
[John Wick 4] will definitely not be able to catch up with those two movies, but with its current popularity, it can also make Gu Wei a little famous in North America.
The business car drove all the way to Beverly Hills.
Originally, Lionsgate arranged the best hotel for Gu Wei and his party, but he already had real estate in Los Angeles, and no matter how good the presidential suite was, it couldn't compare to the comfort of a luxurious villa.
Get off at your destination.
"Gu, you should take a rest first. There will be a special dinner to welcome you in the evening, and a car will come to pick you up then.
In addition to the main creators of "John Wick 4", there were also some people in the circle and celebrities present.
Hope you have fun!"
Before leaving, Jon and Gu Wei extended the invitation.
"Okay~"
"Then I won't disturb your rest. See you tonight!"
He smiled and waved to Reba who was beside Gu Wei, then turned and left.
"The president of Lionsgate is a bit too attentive. I can't believe he, a Hollywood movie company CEO, actually came to the airport to pick me up!"
Looking at Jon's departing back, Reba blinked and said in surprise.
Gu Wei laughed and said, "Americans are the most realistic. Whoever can bring them benefits is God.
Our film's global box office has now exceeded $400 million, half of which came from the domestic market, almost equal to the total of North America and other countries around the world.
Lionsgate knows exactly who brings in these box office revenues, so it's only natural they're being attentive to us!"
Reba nodded, turned around, hugged Gu Wei's arm and walked into the villa in front of them.
This villa in Beverly Hills was bought during the filming of "Detective Chinatown 2" and is located at 988 Angelo Parkway in the Santa Monica Mountains.
The villa is built on the mountainside, located in a relatively protruding place on the mountainside. It has three floors, five bedrooms, seven bathrooms, a gym, a wine cellar, a yoga room, a private cinema and other functional rooms.
The outermost edge of the courtyard on the first floor is a landscaped swimming pool, which feels like an infinity pool on a high-rise building, except that it is on a high mountain.
Reba walked in, put down her luggage, walked around the villa, and stood on the balcony on the third floor looking down. Half of Los Angeles was in sight. Looking into the distance, she could also see Santa Monica Beach and the Pacific Ocean. The scenery was very beautiful.
“So beautiful!”
Reba leaned on the railing and admired the beautiful scenery below the mountain.
Gu Wei hugged her from behind without saying a word, his arms around Reba's slender waist, and lowered his head to sniff her neck gently.
“When did you buy the house in Hollywood?”
“It’s been several years. I bought it when I came to the United States.
I seldom come here in recent years because I’m busy with work.”
Reba turned around and glanced at Gu Wei behind her: "Conveniently?
Why does it feel like buying a villa in your eyes is as casual as buying cabbages at the market?"
Gu Wei smiled and said, "There's nothing wrong with what you said~"
"What a Versailles statement!" Reba curled her lips.
"How big is this villa?"
"It seems to be more than 1,000 square meters, but I can't remember the exact number."
"A villa in Beverly Hills, and with such a great view, it must be expensive, right?"
Gu Wei touched his chin and said, "I probably spent less than 20 million US dollars when I bought this villa, but the housing prices in Beverly have been rising over the years. The current listing price is definitely more than 20 million."
Reba's eyes widened slightly after hearing his words: "A house worth over 100 million! The life of you rich people is really incomprehensible!"
"What do you think of this?"
"It's great! The house is large and beautifully decorated. It's located in the famous Beverly Hills and has such a beautiful view. It meets all my requirements for a house!"
It can be seen that Reba likes this villa very much.
"That's fine, as long as I like living comfortably, I don't care about the price."
Reba was speechless after hearing Gu Wei's Versailles remarks.
As a top female star in China, her income is also very high, but it is far less than that of Gu Wei.
Last year, her total income from film fees, advertising endorsements, variety show work, etc. was 80 million. After deducting the company's share and taxes, she received about 30 million.
The income tax rate for celebrities is very high, almost 40%. If they set up a studio, they will pay personal income tax according to the "production and business income of individual industrial and commercial households", and the tax rate is usually between 20% and 25%.
Based on this income, all her income for five years would have to be enough to buy this villa.
Of course, due to the epidemic and the salary cap in the past two years, the income of celebrities has decreased. Reba’s career is still on the rise, and she will definitely earn more in the future.
“The view is really nice here, and because it’s in Beverly Hills, it’s also very private.
If you want, you can come and live here anytime, for vacation or for fun.
And you can bring your uncles and aunts along."
Seeing that Reba liked him, Gu Wei put his arm around her slender waist and promised with a smile.
Reba was a little moved when she heard his words, but after thinking about it, her face became a little depressed.
“That’s a good idea, but I probably don’t have the time.
I’ve been very busy with work these past few years and have had very little time to rest, let alone travel.”
Gu Wei patted her head and said, "It's a good thing that you're ambitious, but it's also important to balance work and rest. Don't put too much pressure on yourself!"
As female stars on the fringe of the entertainment industry, Reba and Nazha are at completely two extremes in their approach to their careers.
Reba is a bit like her boss Yang Mi. She is very ambitious and works very hard in her career.
Nazha, on the other hand, just lives from day to day. As long as there are movies to film and work to do, she is happy. She doesn't particularly care about how successful she is in her career.
"I know, but these few years are the rising period of my career. After this period, I will slow down the pace appropriately."
In the evening, Gu Wei took Reba to attend the welcome banquet prepared for him by Lionsgate, and met Keanu Reeves again.
"Are you not interested in any of the ladies at today's party?
I’ve seen many beautiful women who approach you get dismissed by you before they even have a chance to talk to you~”
Keanu Reeves said as he stood next to Gu Wei holding a glass of wine.
At tonight's banquet, Gu Wei is undoubtedly the absolute protagonist.
"John Wick 4" is currently in theaters, and he has gained considerable fame in Hollywood.
In addition, Gu Wei's tall and straight figure, handsome appearance, and unique oriental mysterious temperament deeply attracted the women present.
Many of the young stars and models who came tonight were proud of their looks and took the initiative to approach Gu Wei and talk to him.
This made Reba, who was watching from the side, almost bite her teeth to pieces.
"I'm really not interested, and I came with a female companion."
As he spoke, Gu Wei glanced at Reba who was not far away. She noticed that Gu Wei and Keanu Reeves were looking at her and smiled sweetly.
In Gu Wei's opinion, Hollywood's aesthetic standards have also declined in recent years.
There weren't many so-called beauties here tonight that he could catch his eye.
Many of them looked very ordinary, and there were a few black girls. Looking at their dark skin, thick lips and dreadlocks, he really had no interest in them at all.
Gu Wei has a few good friends in North America, but unfortunately Olsen is filming the TV series "Love and Death", Black Widow is also filming, and Taylor is having a concert.
Everyone was busy, and he was with Reba, so he didn't want to meet them.
"It seems you really are a gentleman!"
Keanu Reeves took a sip of his drink.
"Haha, I guess so~"
The two chatted for a while, and Keanu Reeves' expression suddenly became serious: "Gu, I should thank you for John Wick 4!"
Gu Wei looked at him in surprise, and Keanu continued, "I've made three films in this series, with global box office revenues of 86 million, 170 million, and 320 million respectively.
Originally everyone thought that the box office of the fourth film would increase, but no one expected it to increase so much.
It’s obvious that the Chinese market is the absolute main force behind the box office growth of the fourth film, and all of this box office revenue comes from you.”
Gu Wei waved his hand: "Keanu, don't underestimate your fame around the world, even in China, you are the "savior"!
And the relationship between Lionsgate and me is mutually beneficial. We each have something that the other wants.
This collaboration [John Wick 4] is a complete win-win situation! "
"I know, regardless of the money, I am thanking you purely from the perspective of the film.
From the first to the fourth film, the John Wick series has become an important work in my acting career.
I hope more than anyone else that this series will get better and better, and that more audiences can see the story of John Wick!
A few days ago, Jon told me that Lionsgate is already preparing to write the script for the fifth film, and he hopes that we can work together again."
Gu Wei's expression turned serious, and after thinking for a moment, he said sincerely, "Keanu, I'm not sure if I can participate in the next one.
It mainly depends on the schedule and the script."
In his opinion, although "John Wick" is good, it ultimately belongs to "John Wick".
In comparison, he was more concerned about the film "Extraction" that he was about to shoot.
"Jon will have to talk to you about this. I believe he wants you to continue participating in this series more than anyone else!"
After chatting with Keanu Reeves for a while, Jon Ferrer, the host, came to Gu Wei again.
He first asked him what he thought of tonight's banquet. After all, it was prepared for him, and Jon hoped that Gu Wei could have the best experience.
After receiving a positive answer, Jon was delighted and continued to praise Gu Wei. Finally, he brought up what Keanu Reeves had just said and invited him to star in "John Wick 5".
".We can definitely maintain this current mode of cooperation and introduce some new characters in the fifth film if possible.
I have the confidence to make the John Wick series a super IP like The Fast and the Furious!"
Jon looked excited, as if he saw a bright future for this film series.
The "Fast & Furious" series is Hollywood's super IP second only to superhero movies. "Fast & Furious 8" has a global box office of 1.23 billion, and "Fast & Furious 7" has exceeded 1.5 billion US dollars.
Of course, most of this is due to the death of Paul Walker, and the producers made money from the death.
But no matter what, the value of this IP is far beyond the comparison of "John Wick".
Gu Wei was not influenced by Jon at all, and he just said the same thing to Keanu Reeves: read the script first.
At the end of their conversation, he mentioned the "Extreme Rescue" that he had once told Jon.
"No problem, Lionsgate has invested in your film, and we'll also cover the promotion and distribution in North America and other global markets!"
The last time Gu Wei mentioned this to him, Jon was still procrastinating. This time, he made the decision without any hesitation and without any problem.
He has already seen Gu Wei's box office appeal from the box office of "John Wick 4".
He had heard of "Extreme Rescue" before, and it was just a B-movie with a production cost of 30 million US dollars.
This kind of low-budget movie, even if it fails at the North American box office, can still make a lot of money relying on the Chinese box office. He has no reason to refuse.
Jon also knew that Gu Wei brought him into the team for Lionsgate's global distribution channels.
On this point, he can completely satisfy Gu Wei! (End of this chapter)
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