Huayu Entertainment 1995 started with hijacking.

Chapter 386 Plan
"cheers!"

The crowd cheered. A small banquet was being held, and the people present, led by Warner Bros. executives and Wu Yuchen, were mostly related to "Batman." It was clear that they were celebrating.

Wu Yuchen expected "The Batman" to gross at least 6 million yuan, but it actually reached that figure on its 18th day of release. It grossed 2.86 million yuan in North America and over 6 million yuan worldwide.

This means that Warner Bros. has already made a profit just from the box office revenue of its films, not to mention other copyright revenues.

Wu Yuchen was all smiles. He was taking a share of the global box office. With the current box office of 6 million, 25% would be 1.5 million. And the final figure wouldn't be 6 million. Given the staying power of "The Batman," reaching 7 million is practically a certainty, and 8 million is definitely within reach. To celebrate, the "The Batman" crew held a celebratory banquet.

Both the male lead, Christian Bale, and the female lead, Kate Winslet, were overjoyed, as the box office success of over 6 million yuan has set a new record for both of them.

For Bale, this could propel him to become a Hollywood A-list star, while for Kate, who is over 30, being able to play the female lead in the Batman series at the end of her youth would provide enough exposure to boost her commercial value again, allowing her to make a lot of money in the next few years.

When Kate asked Wu Yuchen if "The Batman" could surpass "Spider-Man 3" at the box office, she was a little disappointed when she received a negative answer. However, she is no longer disappointed at all. Even if it doesn't surpass "Spider-Man 3", the box office of over 6 million is enough to excite her.

The actors were happy, and Warner Bros. was even happier. After all, the success of the first Batman film set a good precedent for the entire trilogy, which effectively revived Batman and led to a surge in sales of the rights and merchandise.

At that moment, Warner executive Jeffrey was chatting happily with Wu Yuchen: "Congratulations, Wu, you've succeeded again!"

Wu Yuchen smiled and clinked glasses with him: "Congratulations to you too! For Warner Bros., Batman's resurgence is of great significance!"

"Working with you was definitely the right decision!" Jeffrey exclaimed.

Wu Yuchen smiled upon hearing this. He knew that the other party was saying this because of the success of "The Batman" and also because the performance of "King Kong" released last year was not ideal.

In 2004, two directors simultaneously achieved extremely high ratings.

One is Peter Jackson, who partnered with Universal Pictures after the success of "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy, and it's rumored that he received 20% of the global box office revenue from "King Kong"; the other is Wu Yuchen, who topped the box office with "The Pirate King 2" which grossed 13.8 billion yuan, and also partnered with Warner Bros. for the "Batman" trilogy, signing a record-breaking 25% revenue share.

Therefore, Peter Jackson's and Wu Yuchen's box office performance must be compared.

At the end of last year, "King Kong" was released first, and with a production cost of 2 million, it grossed 5.19 million worldwide. To be honest, Universal was not very satisfied with this result. With a production cost of 2 million, plus publicity expenses and a 20% director's share, the 5.19 million box office was definitely not enough to recoup the costs. In the end, they could only rely on other copyright revenue to make up for the losses.

Now it's Wu Yuchen's turn for "The Batman". With a production cost of 1.4 million, it has already grossed over 6 million in just 18 days, and this is not the end. It is obviously better than "King Kong"!
Although Wu Yuchen's 25% share is 5% higher than Peter Jackson's, Warner now feels that the extra 5% is really worthwhile!

The production cost was $6000 million less than "King Kong," but the box office was hundreds of millions higher, and the word-of-mouth was also better! Moreover, "The Batman" didn't just make money from this one movie; there are two more to come!
Peter Jackson's *The Lord of the Rings* was essentially an adaptation based on existing books, while Wu Yuchen's *Batman* trilogy is largely his own original script. In this respect, Wu Yuchen has completely outshone Peter Jackson!

Thinking of this, Jeffrey's smile widened. Thankfully, he had chosen Wu Yuchen instead of Peter Jackson. If they had hesitated any longer, Wu Yuchen might have been signed by another major studio. In that case, even if there was a script, Wu Yuchen wouldn't have had time to film it.

Jeffrey asked, "Wu, what are your plans for Batman 2?"

Clearly, the success of "The Batman" has made Warner Bros. very keen on its sequel.

Upon hearing this, Wu Yuchen smiled and asked in return, "Jeffrey, is Warner in a hurry?"

Jeffrey immediately said, "No, no, Wu, you misunderstand. We're not in a hurry, just showing necessary concern. Warner Bros. wants to understand more and cooperate as much as possible with the filming of the Batman sequel according to your plans."

Wu Yuchen smiled faintly: "That's good. I have no plans to film a sequel to 'Batman' in the short term, at least not this year. As you know, I am now the chief director of the 2008 Beijing Olympics, and I must focus my main energy on this for the next two years."

Jeffrey, who had just been smiling, couldn't hold back any longer: "Um, Wu, I understand you. But you don't want to film a sequel three years later, do you?"

"What? Is that not allowed? Wouldn't extending the Batman trilogy make it easier to prolong its run?"

Upon hearing Wu Yuchen's words, Jeffrey quickly advised, "Wu, you participated in the Pirate King trilogy and the Spider-Man trilogy, so you should know very well that according to Hollywood's pace, sequels should not take more than 3 years to develop, otherwise the audience's enthusiasm will be exhausted, even if our protagonist is Batman."

Warner Bros. envisions an ideal sequence of one film every two years, or three films every five years – the perfect rhythm for a Hollywood trilogy. If a sequel drags on for too long, regaining audience attention will require significantly more marketing spending. Major studios favor sequels not only for their profitability, but also because they offer substantial savings on promotional and distribution costs.

So Jeffrey continued, "There are still more than two years until the opening of your Olympics. Can't you spare six months?"

Wu Yuchen shook his head: "Jeffrey, the Olympics are very important to me, and to my country as well. It's hard for me to guarantee that I'll have the time; I can only see how things go."

"Four months?" Jeffrey asked again.

If it were just scattered moments, Wu Yuchen could probably manage to squeeze in four months over two years, but now filming requires continuous shooting. With 2007 approaching, a crucial year for Olympic preparations, he can't guarantee four consecutive months.

Wu Yuchen thought for a moment and said, "Jeffrey, I can only spare two months at most next year."

Jeffrey frowned immediately upon hearing this. The Batman sequel would definitely have a higher budget and a grander scale than the first film, and two months would certainly not be enough time to shoot it.

This presented Jeffrey with a rather tricky situation. If filming were to wait until after the Olympics, the film might be delayed for three or even four years before its release. However, Wu Yuchen's attitude was firm, and he had very legitimate reasons, so Jeffrey couldn't persuade him otherwise. Just as Jeffrey was fretting about how to communicate this matter with Warner Bros. after returning to the company, he heard Wu Yuchen say:
“Jeffrey, I do have a proposal, let’s see if you can accept it.”

Jeffrey immediately responded, "What plan? Wu, you tell me."

"You should know that a lot of the scenes in 'The Batman' were actually filmed in the studio. So if Warner Bros. is really in such a hurry, I can take two months next year to film the exterior scenes in Chicago and London, and the rest of the time will be spent filming in China."

Jeffrey was taken aback: "The rest of the scenes were filmed in China? You mean..."

Wu Yuchen smiled and said, "That's right. We'll build a film studio in China so I can handle both 'Batman' and the Olympics at the same time. We should be able to finish filming next year and release it the year after."

Jeffrey opened his mouth: "But, rebuilding the studio and filming in China? Wouldn't that significantly increase production costs?"

Wu Yuchen shrugged: "This is the only solution I can think of that satisfies both sides, although it might be quite tiring for me. Jeffrey, think about it, otherwise we'll have to wait until after the Olympics."

Jeffrey sighed: "Wu, I can't make a decision on this matter. I need to go back and report to the committee."

The advantage of this plan is that it will allow the film to be released as scheduled the year after next, but it will increase production costs. However, if it is delayed by one or two years, it may also consume more publicity and distribution expenses, which requires evaluation and discussion.

Seeing this, Wu Yuchen smiled and said, "Of course, but it would be best to give me an answer as soon as possible. We all need to plan for next year as early as possible."

Wu Yuchen proposed this plan with his own considerations. On the one hand, as he said, it does take into account both the Olympics and the filming of the movie. On the other hand, it is also for the benefit of Chinese cinema.

The advancement of filmmaking isn't just about strong directing skills and good acting; it's about the improvement of the entire system. The soundstage is a crucial part of the film industry; many Hollywood films are shot in soundstages. And in terms of soundstage utilization, frankly speaking, China lags behind Hollywood by 20 years.

The future development of Chinese films and the production of large-scale films will be inseparable from sound stages. Therefore, Wu Yuchen also wants to take this opportunity to build a super-large sound stage similar to Hollywood in China, and at the same time, let domestic practitioners learn from the advanced experience of Hollywood crews and contribute to the development of Chinese films.

After discussing this matter, Jeffrey immediately extended an invitation to Wu Yuchen: "Wu, you absolutely have to come to the premiere of 'Superman Returns' next week!"

Wu Yuchen smiled upon hearing this: "Of course, I will go and support it. I also want to see what surprises 'Superman Returns' will bring."

Jeffrey smiled and said, "Thank you for your kind words! To be honest, this 'Superman Returns' movie started planning ten years ago, and now that it's finally being released, I hope it will have a successful outcome!"

Wu Yuchen had heard about the "Superman Returns" project. It had been in the planning stages for ten years, with a script already in place. It had gone through several directors and actors before finally being finalized two years ago.

Warner Bros.' determination to reboot "Superman" is evident from their investment. Initially, they set a massive budget of $3.5 million, but due to the relatively unknown director and actors, the cost was eventually reduced to $2.6 million. Even so, it's still a huge budget in Hollywood, making it one of the most expensive films ever made.

In comparison, Wu Yuchen's first Batman film only grossed $1.4 million. Of course, if his director's share is included, it would definitely be higher than Superman Returns.

Wu Yuchen heard that "Superman" was also planned as a trilogy, and the script had already been written. However, if Warner Bros. wanted to make a sequel, the first "Superman Returns" would have to gross at least $6 million. Otherwise, forget about it, given how high the production costs were. Not to mention the marketing expenses.

Thinking about this, Wu Yuchen laughed. He wondered what Warner Bros. was thinking about "Superman Returns." They had invested so much, but they hadn't found a star with any appeal, nor a big-name director. It was safe to say that the box office success depended entirely on the "Superman" brand. It was truly a gamble on the quality of the film itself.

However, if it's filmed the same way as in the previous film, the less than $4 million global box office would probably shut down the Superman project altogether. Wu Yuchen estimated that Warner Bros. would have to use all the money they made from Batman to fill the hole left by Superman Returns.

That evening, the female lead, Kate, made a special trip to Wu Yuchen's manor to celebrate. Anne Hathaway happened to be there, and Wu Yuchen had a harmonious three-way exchange with the two women.

"Wu, why are you so cruel? Why do you have to kill me off in the sequel? What kind of superhero movie heroine gets killed off?" Kate asked, nestled in Wu Yuchen's arms during a break.

Wu Yuchen chuckled and patted Kate's shapely bottom: "This was a script that was written a long time ago. Didn't you know it from the beginning?"

"But... can't it be changed? I want to live to see the third installment~" Kate pleaded with Wu Yuchen.

With Batman currently enjoying immense popularity and its box office soaring, Kate naturally hopes that she, as the leading actress, can be more involved in the project.

However, Wu Yuchen shook his head: "Kate, you know that's impossible. Don't bring this up again."

Although Wu Yuchen's tone was calm, Kate could naturally hear the determination in it, and she could only sigh and give up.

Wu Yuchen wouldn't change the script just for a wildflower he'd played around with twice; he only chose her because she was a good fit.

In "The Dark Knight Rises," she could still be a female lead, but according to the script, she has to be killed off. This is an important step in the Joker's transformation of Batman and the turning of Officer Dent into "Two-Face," so it cannot be changed.

Moreover, Wu Yuchen glanced at his little Annie on the other side. He had planned to reserve the role of Catwoman for her in "Batman 3".

He patted Anne's head. This obedient little kitten he had raised for so long was not comparable to Kate.

(End of this chapter)