In this year's summer global film market, starting from July, the hottest movie is undoubtedly "Extraction".
An action blockbuster co-produced by China and the United States and starring Chinese actors has set off a wave of movie-watching craze around the world in the more than two weeks since the beginning of the summer vacation in 2023.
It wasn't until the release of "Oppenheimer" and "Barbie" in late July that "Extraction" was overshadowed by these two highly anticipated Hollywood blockbusters.
[Oppenheimer] was released on the 20th, with a box office of over 80 million in the first week, which is similar to the first week data of [The Rescue].
"Barbie," which was released a day later, performed even better, taking in $162 million in the North American market in its first three days of the weekend.
Affected by the two blockbusters, the box office of "Extraction" in its third week of release dropped a lot, but because it belongs to a different genre, it still took in 37.45 million in the North American market in the third week, ranking third on the weekly box office list.
Back in China, "Oppenheimer" and "Barbie" did not cause any stir, but the release of "Investiture of the Gods" and "The Amazing Family" also took away a large number of screenings.
At the end of July, the last film released, "Barbie", became the biggest winner in the North American market, with North American box office revenue of 366 million US dollars in ten days.
[Extreme Rescue] earned $240 million in North America, ranking second in the monthly box office list.
[Oppenheimer] ranked third with $188 million.
Mission: Impossible 7 has been released for more than three weeks, but its total North American box office is only $140 million, ranking sixth.
As of July 31, "Extraction" was released for 4 weeks and 26 days, with a total domestic box office of 4.25 billion yuan, a total box office of 586 million US dollars in other regions such as North America, Europe, Japan and South Korea, and a global total box office of 8.33 billion yuan.
#【Extreme Rescue】is a hit in North America, breaking box office records one after another! #
#Gu Wei's words came true, [Extreme Rescue] surpassed [Mission: Impossible 7] in North America! #
#【Extreme Rescue】Breaking box office records in Japan, Gu Wei's appearance at the roadshow caused a stir among fans, with one fan fainting from excitement! #
#【Extreme Rescue】The main cast arrived in Seoul, and tens of thousands of fans gathered, paralyzing airport traffic. #
#[Extreme Rescue] broke 8 billion RMB at the global box office, surpassing [Jurassic Park] to enter the top 40 in film history. #
#Domestic action blockbusters are a global hit, [Extreme Rescue] may once again set off a global kung fu craze! #
##
Since the release of "Extraction" in early July, domestic media of all sizes and various platforms have never stopped reporting on the movie.
Some of this was due to marketing money spent by Weiming Tianxia, but most of it was discussed and reported because the film achieved good results.
Especially in the later period, "Extraction" became a global hit and broke all kinds of records.
There was a burst of cheers on the Internet, and countless comments emerged.
Its current hot sales in North America and other countries around the world have aroused the pride of the Chinese people.
At that time, "John Wick 4" was also a big hit all over the world, but that movie was obviously a Hollywood blockbuster, it just asked Gu Wei to play the leading role.
"Extreme Rescue" is a co-production between China and the United States, and "Lionsgate" is also a producer, but it is obviously controlled by "Starlight", so there is no problem in saying it is a domestic film.
In addition to "Extraction", there are many other blockbuster films released in China during the summer vacation. Some of them have good box office results, but they are far less popular than "Extraction".
For example, "Fengshen" which was released in late July.
It took eight years to build the Wuershan sword, but it only broke 1 billion RMB at the box office after two weeks of release.
When [Fengshen] was first being prepared, it was claimed that the investment was 3 billion. Of course, this was the total investment of the trilogy. Even if the cost of the first part was 1 billion, it would take a box office of 3 billion to make a profit.
After deducting the extraneous publicity and cutting down the costs, the box office revenue would have to be at least 2 billion to break even.
Judging from the current box office trend of the film, it only took in 1 billion in the hottest two weeks, and there are many competitive new films to be released later. It is a question whether the final box office can break 2 billion.
The box office performance of "Fengshen" was not ideal, partly because the movie itself was not exciting enough.
Before I watched it, people said that this was the Eastern "Lord of the Rings", but after watching the movie, I found that it was over-hyped and did not live up to its reputation at all.
The content is not very innovative, and the camera language is not very impactful. In other words, it fails to ignite the hearts of the audience and cannot be actively promoted.
On the other hand, the competition in the summer season is too fierce.
I thought Gu Wei's movies would be very popular, but I didn't expect "Extraction" to be so popular. Even two weeks after its release, it still took away a lot of box office share from "Fengshen" in its first week of release.
As for "The Incredibles" released in the same week, it was a terrible movie under the banner of Chen Teng, and its reputation collapsed after its release.
Not only did the box office not work well, but even Chen Teng was criticized by many viewers.
After the box office of [Fengshen] failed to meet expectations, the producers tried every possible way to promote the film. The director took the crew and the main creative team on roadshows all over the country, promoting the film while playing the victim to gain sympathy.
The script was polished for five years and went through several revisions; the actors were selected from 15,000 people to enter the Fengshen training camp, and the training was very arduous; how much effort was put into restoring the historical records in the costumes and props, and so on.
In short, what I mean is that "Fengshen" was made with a lot of effort from many people. It is very good. I hope everyone can give it a chance to support domestic fantasy movies.
As for why the box office is not doing well now, what Wuershan meant was that the promotion of "Fengshen" was not done well, and it was not as good as other movies, but the quality was far superior.
A reporter asked Wuershan what he thought of "Extraction", which has grossed over 8 billion yuan worldwide.
Wuershan is very cunning.
He first affirmed the achievements of "Extraction" and praised the movie, then said that he had originally invited Gu Wei and wanted him to play "Ji Fa", but unfortunately they failed to reach an agreement.
Finally, Yin Yang said that "Fengshen" failed to invite superstars to join, and did not spend much on marketing, but we spent all the money on the movie, from the set, actors to the special effects of the movie, all of which were done to the extreme.
At the Wanda Plaza in Beijing, Jingtian and his good friend Ying Er were walking out after shopping.
“I didn’t expect Wang Baoqiang’s [In the Octagon] to be filmed so well!
I thought it was another movie on the same level as 'Buddha in India'."
The two of them came out very early, went shopping in the mall and then went to the movies.
Originally, Ying Er wanted to watch Wu Jingxin's "The Meg 2", but Jing Tian suggested watching "Octagon Cage".
"Haven't you read the relevant reviews recently? [In the Octagon] has been previewed for a long time and has received very good reviews.
And Gu Wei recommended this movie to me before."
Ying Er remembered something: "Gu Wei seems to be listed as the producer of the movie subtitles. Did he invest in Wang Baoqiang's movie?"
Jing Tian nodded and said, "I've heard him say before that when Bao Qiang was filming this movie, he didn't have enough funds, so he called him and Gu Wei invested tens of millions to make up for the remaining funding gap.
After 'Buddhist Journey to India', Wang Baoqiang's reputation was not very good, and many people were not optimistic about his next film, which he directed and acted in, and he was unable to attract investment."
Ying Er sighed: "Wang Baoqiang is really lucky. I feel that Gu Wei is his benefactor. He asked him to act in the "Detective Chinatown" series and he was able to lend a hand when he encountered difficulties.
I saw the news about him borrowing money to fight the lawsuit and pay taxes during his divorce, and it was Gu Wei who helped him at the time!"
Jingtian smiled and nodded.
"By the way, when will [Joy of Life 3] be filmed? Did [The Guardian] let you know?"
"It's tentatively scheduled for the second half of the year, around September or October, and we'll notify you about a month in advance.
Your husband didn’t receive the script?”
In [Joy of Life], Jingtian plays "Lin Wan'er" and Ying Er's husband Fu Xinbo plays the "Crown Prince".
"Not yet~"
"I see there's a role for him in the script, so I guess I'll get it later."
The two chatted about everything under the sun as they walked into the underground garage.
"Let's have dinner together tonight. Come to my house. You know how good my husband is at cooking."
Ying Er invited.
Jingtian smiled and shook her head. She looked around and saw the black nanny car not far away, and her face lit up with joy.
"I have something else to do tonight. I have to leave now. See you next time."
After saying goodbye to Ying Er, Jing Tian walked over and got into the nanny car.
Ying Er, who was standing there, saw the car door open and a familiar figure vaguely appeared inside.
She blinked, a little surprised but not too surprised.
In the nanny car, Da Tiantian happily threw herself into Gu Wei's arms, lowered her head and breathed in him.
"Are you a puppy? You're sniffing all over me."
Gu Wei put his arm around Jing Tian's waist and said with some amusement.
Da Tiantian is wearing low-waist pants and a belly-baring shirt today. Her soft waist looks particularly slender against her plump upper body and perky buttocks.
Gu Wei put his big hand on her waist and could vaguely feel the vest line.
"I just like the smell of you, isn't that okay?"
When she is alone with Gu Wei, Da Tiantian's voice is always sweet.
"Of course, whatever you want.
What would you like to eat tonight?"
After being bored with Gu Wei for a while, Da Tiantian looked up and said: "I'm trying to lose weight recently, let's go eat Japanese food."
Gu Wei nodded, and then the nanny car started.
Before long, the two of them were sitting in a private room at a high-end Japanese restaurant in Beijing.
It was a Japanese-style cottage with a small wooden table in the middle of the tatami mat. Gu Wei and Jing Tian sat on either side of it. The table was filled with sushi, sashimi and other Japanese delicacies.
"Would you like to drink sake?" Gu Wei asked.
"Come a little less"
The two of them ate, drank and chatted, and Jingtian told Gu Wei about the interesting things that happened at work recently.
Talking about the movie Jingtian and her bestie watched today, Gu Wei asked, "How was it? Did [Octagonal Cage] not disappoint you?"
"Well, Ying Er told me after we finished watching it that she didn't expect Baoqiang's movie to be so good."
“He prepared thoroughly for this film and put in a lot of hard work and determination.
And Baoqiang is really talented in film and television."
Jingtian nodded in agreement.
Even though everyone has tried to become a director in recent years, it is actually quite difficult to make a good film.
If being a director was easy, there wouldn't be so many bad films in the industry.
"I've recently seen a lot of media and netizens online speculating whether 'Extreme Rescue' can break 10 billion.
Do you feel there is hope?"
Gu Wei picked up his glass and took a sip. "Extreme Rescue" has been released for over a month now, with a domestic box office of 4.58 billion yuan and a global total of 9.057 billion yuan.
The box office in other regions other than China, such as North America, Europe, Japan and South Korea, has actually stopped growing.
If we want to break 10 billion at the box office, we need to get nearly 1 billion in the domestic market.”
"The movie has been released for more than a month, it will be too difficult to get another 1 billion yuan at the box office."
Jingtian frowned slightly.
She is not worried about the release date of "Extraction". A blockbuster movie like this can be released for a long time as long as it applies, and it is normal to be released until the National Day holiday.
However, the longer the release time, the lower the daily box office will be, and later it may only have a few million in box office revenue a day.
“Can’t you do something?
This is the first domestic film expected to break 10 billion yuan at the box office. It would be a shame if it fell just a little short of that mark!"
Gu Wei smiled and said, "Didn't you say that you saw a lot of people online discussing whether Extreme Rescue could break 10 billion?
These are the actions taken by the company's publicity and promotion department.
Many of the online discussions about the movie breaking the 10 billion yuan box office record are driven by our spending money.
The first domestic film to break 10 billion yuan at the box office and hit the global box office charts, these trends will naturally lead audiences with a sense of national pride to spend money to buy tickets."
"Uh, you businessmen are too cunning." Jingtian blinked his innocent big eyes. He didn't expect that marketing and publicity could be played like this.
Gu Wei smiled. Although this kind of marketing did exploit the audience's sense of national pride, the achievements of "Extreme Rescue" were also real.
The movie was a global hit, and Gu Wei became a global sensation, which to a certain extent also increased his popularity among Chinese people.
So Gu Wei felt no guilt at all about making this money.
The two chatted for a while, and Gu Wei's phone suddenly rang.
He took it out and took a look. It was Reba calling.
I answered the phone without hesitation.
"Hello……
No, I'm eating."
When the call was connected, Reba didn't act like a spoiled child like she usually did when she called him, but instead communicated normally. Gu Wei immediately realized that they were probably recording a show.
Variety shows often feature celebrities calling their friends, and Gu Wei has received several such calls.
"Is that so? No problem, leave it to me, it's a piece of cake.
Where are you now?
Don't move, I'll have someone contact you."
After saying that, Gu Wei hung up the phone.
Da Tiantian on the opposite side looked curious, but she didn't say anything because she saw Gu Wei was still fiddling with his phone.
Gu Wei thought for a few seconds and made a phone call.
This time the whole conversation was in English. After he made things clear, the other party agreed readily. Gu Wei finally said thank you and hung up the phone.
Jingtian speaks very good English, so she asked curiously after Gu Wei hung up the phone.
"Is your friend recording a show abroad?"
Gu Wei nodded and explained to her, "Reba was recording [Flowers and Youth 5], and the production team gave them a difficult problem, so she asked me for help in order to save travel expenses.
Of course, this is allowed by the rules.
I happened to have some connections in Riyadh, so it was easily resolved."
“Riyadh? That’s not the capital of Saudi Arabia.
Do you know anyone there?"
Jingtian was not surprised that Reba asked Gu Wei for help. Instead, he was curious that he also had friends in the Middle East.
Gu Wei picked up a piece of tuna sashimi and put it in his mouth, saying nonchalantly, “Amantu, an ordinary Arab guy.
Some time ago, when [Extreme Rescue] became a big hit and was on its global roadshow, he even invited me to Riyadh.
Unfortunately, the Middle East is not part of the plan."
"How's it going? Is everything okay?"
At this time, in a homestay in Riyadh, Middle East, after Reba finished her call, Qin Lan beside her asked in a hoarse voice.
She had a problem with her throat before and had been undergoing treatment, so her voice sounded a little shrill.
There is a 5-hour time difference between Riyadh and Beijing. It is night there, but it is just past noon here.
"No problem, Gu Wei asked us to just wait.
I have sent him my phone number and address, and he said someone will contact me later to pick us up."
Reba explained to the friends around her.
"What else is there to say? Gu Weirang wants us to wait, so let's just wait. There's nothing he can't do."
On the other side, Xin Zhilei, who had worked with Gu Wei before, sat down on the sofa carelessly, took out a banana from the fruit basket beside her and ate it, no longer worrying about this matter.
[Flowers and Youth 5] invited a total of 7 guests, the 5 flowers are the eldest sister Qin Hailu, the second sister Qin Lan, the third sister Xin Zhilei, the fourth sister Di Lieba and the youngest sister Zhao Zhaoyi, and the two younger brothers Wang Anyu and Hu Xianxu.
Riyadh is the first stop of this trip. As for why Reba asked for help, it was because of the program crew's bold move.
The old rule of "Flowers and Youth" is that the production team will give travel expenses before going to a place, but this money is usually very tight, in order to see how the guests arrange their itinerary under such circumstances and how to deal with conflicts.
After all, if you have less money, you have more things to do. If you spend money casually when you go out, you will miss a lot of things to see.
When Reba and her friends flew here from China, they spent a lot of money because of overweight luggage. Today, the program team arranged for the "Divas Hit the Road" team to visit a local family in Riyadh to experience the unique Arab culture and taste the local food.
Of course, all of these will need to be deducted from their travel expenses.
The director team told them that if the "Flowers" team could use their personal connections to contact local Arabs and solve the problem, they would not have to spend any money.
Reba and the other seven are all celebrities in the country, but they are basically not famous abroad.
Not to mention countries like Saudi Arabia in the Middle East.
At this time, Reba remembered what Gu Wei had said to her before, so she decided to give him a call.
"I didn't expect that Brother Wei also knows people in a place like this. He is worthy of being my idol and the number one superstar in the domestic entertainment industry!" The youngest sister Zhao Zhaoyi is the least famous among the members of "Flowers in Youth", but she has a very cheerful personality and gets along well with these sisters.
"Sister Lei, isn't Brother Wei super handsome?" Xin Zhilei has a carefree personality, and Zhao Zhaoyi is closest to her.
"You haven't met Gu Wei offline?"
“No, I’ve watched both the movie and the TV series.
Before we came here, I went to the cinema to watch "Extraction".
I just haven't seen him in person." Zhao Zhaoyi had a fangirl look on her face.
"Didn't you film Joy of Life with Brother Wei?"
"He is definitely very handsome, but it's hard to describe to what extent.
Anyway, the real person is more perfect than the one on camera."
"I wonder when I can meet my idol." Zhao Zhaoyi looked longingly.
Hu Xianxu smiled and said, "That's easy. You work hard and attend more parties or award ceremonies. Maybe you'll see Brother Wei in person someday."
Wang Anyu also chimed in: "For example, at this year's Weibo Night, I sat in the back row and watched Wei Ge win the King Award, and also watched Liu Yifei, whom I really like."
While a few young people were chatting, Reba's phone rang.
After she answered the phone, she said a few words and then asked everyone to go out.
When the group came out of the B&B, they were surprised to see the car coming to pick them up outside.
"Oh my god, this is an extended version of Rolls-Royce!"
After Wang Anyu finished speaking, Hu Xianxu had already circled around the black luxury car.
“To be precise, it’s a stretched Rolls-Royce Phantom.
This car should be a new model from last year, and the base version costs around 10 million yuan.”
The person who met Reba was a middle-aged white man dressed as a butler. He communicated with Reba and the program staff for a few words, then opened the car door and invited them in.
"Starry sky roof, welcome pedals, rear aviation seats, refrigerator, wine cabinet." Hu Xianxu, who knows cars very well, looked at the accessories inside and said, "With all these, it's more than 10 million."
After everyone got in the car, the Phantom started slowly, and the crew's car followed behind.
The Rolls-Royce drove through the city and slowly entered a huge manor with a very Arabian style.
The group of people in the car looked at the scenery and buildings outside and speculated about what Gu Wei's friend was doing in the local area and how he could live in such a place that obviously showed that he was either rich or noble.
The Rolls-Royce stopped in front of a building as luxurious as a palace.
After opening the door, several people got out of the car and entered the house under the guidance of the housekeeper.
The decoration inside the building is very luxurious, which is very consistent with the Arabs' wealthy temperament. Several people were led in like Granny Liu entering the Grand View Garden.
After passing through a white corridor, a door opened and a young man wearing local style clothes stood inside.
It's like the one on TV, with a piece of cloth on my head saying I'm the richest person in the world.
"Hello everyone, I'm Gu Wei's friend, Amantu. He asked me to take care of everyone. If you need anything, please let me know."
"Hello, my name is Dilireba~"
Because it was Reba who found Gu Wei, she was the first to respond.
"You are Reba. Gu Wei told me that you are as beautiful in person as he described.
I know you are recording a show, I can arrange anything you need."
The Arab boy spoke in a very arrogant tone. After he finished speaking, the butler beside him explained in time: "This is Prince Amantu, the son of King Abdul.
In Riyadh, any of your needs are not a problem for him."
After he finished speaking, everyone was in an uproar.
Before coming here, I knew that Gu Wei’s friend must be a rich man, but I didn’t expect that he was actually a Saudi prince.
At this time, the program director who followed in also became excited. Experiencing the local customs and culture at Prince's home was the highlight of this episode of "Flowers and Youth". (End of this chapter)
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
