Chinese Entertainment: Academic Director

Chapter 393 Big Explosion
In its second week of release, "National Treasure: The Secret to the Treasure Hunt" grossed another 2820 million yuan over the weekend, a drop of only 30% compared to the previous week, which was somewhat unexpected.

The box office performance looks surprisingly good.

The film has been in theaters for ten days, with a total box office of $7880 million in its first seven days. Adding the $2820 million from this weekend's three days, the total has reached $1.07 million.

Not only was Hollywood's top producer Jerry Bruckheimer thrilled, but even Disney CEO Robert Iger was somewhat surprised.

While the film's reputation wasn't great and its opening week box office performance fell short of expectations, the drop in box office revenue was remarkably healthy.

Robert Iger shifted his main focus away from promoting "Pirates of the Caribbean".

If this healthy decline continues, the final North American box office for "National Treasure: The Lost Tomb" will not be the $1.5 million he estimated.

The box office revenue in the first seven days was nearly 20 million more than the 60 million he had expected.

“Robert, I’ve said it before, Nicholas has tremendous box office appeal. This is also a sequel with great potential; its box office performance will be astonishing, far surpassing those reboot films with too much uncertainty…”

As a top Hollywood producer, Jerry Bruckheimer holds a very high position and influence, and is a frequent guest of the top executives of all major Hollywood studios.

Right now, he's sitting in Robert Iger's office, repeating the same things he'd said countless times before in order to secure the release date for "Pirates of the Caribbean."

In the past, whenever he said these things, Robert Iger would always shut him down with "because the director of 'Pirates of the Caribbean' is Cao Yang," leaving him with nothing to say.

A director who has never failed is someone who can shut everyone up, including renowned film producer Jerry Bruckheimer.

But now, sitting in Robert Iger's office, Jerry has enough confidence.

As he said those words, all Robert Iger could do was pour him a cup of coffee and thoughtfully ask, "Jerry, would you like some milk?"

"No, I like the mellow aroma that comes after bitterness."

Jerry Bruckheimer was making a pointed remark.

Before the box office results came out, I tolerated your claim that Cao Yang was the director of "New Pirates of the Caribbean." After all, he's one of Hollywood's biggest directors and has never failed, which is undeniable.

The box office figures are out now. Although they don't seem as good as expected, they're stable. Based on the current drop, $2 million in North America shouldn't be a problem, and at least $4 million globally.

Box office revenue is the source of confidence!
With that confidence backing, would I, a top Hollywood producer with immense influence, still tolerate this? Would I still tolerate it?
Then all my box office success was for nothing.

"cough!"

Robert Iger placed the coffee in front of Jerry Bruckheimer and said softly, "That's Cao Yang, after all."

He was reminding Jerry Bruckheimer that although his "National Treasure: The Secret to Success" seemed to be another success, Cao Yang had never failed before, so he should stop now and not go too far.

"what!"

Jerry Bruckheimer laughed.

"Jerry, where does National Treasure: The Lost Tomb 2820 million dollars over the weekend rank? Not first, not even second, but third!"

He picked up his coffee, took a sip, and continued, "I think you understand what I mean. The second-place film, 'Alvin and the Chipmunks,' earned $4500 million, while the number one film, Will Smith's 'I Am Legend,' earned a whopping $7650 million!"
There is no doubt that the competition this Christmas season is exceptionally fierce, and it is now certain that "I Am Legend" has become a huge hit.

Robert, it's not that I'm pessimistic about *Pirates of the Caribbean*, but with a huge hit like *I Am Legend* coming out a week before its release, how can a reboot film possibly turn things around?

Jerry Bruckheimer put down his coffee, chuckled, stood up, and said as he walked out:
"Robert, the Christmas season isn't like the summer season; it doesn't have that much scale. What you need to do now is shift resources, transferring the promotional resources allocated to 'Pirates of the Caribbean' to 'National Treasure: The Lost Tomb'."

After saying that, he pushed open the door and walked out without hesitation.

Jerry Bruckheimer believes that as Disney's CEO, Robert Iger is unlikely to act on emotion and will make the right choice.

Robert Iger was not angry about Jerry Bruckheimer's rudeness.

He'd love for more "Jerry Bruckheimer"s to rudely disrespect him.

For Robert Iger, this wasn't disrespectful or a challenge to his authority, but rather a display of personality.

Of course, if you don't have Jerry Bruckheimer's ability to make money movies, then doing this isn't about being individualistic, but rather being rude, unreasonable, and challenging authority.

Robert Iger wouldn't mind letting you experience the power and authority of a Disney CEO.

He sat in his office chair for a moment, then opened the famous film review website Rotten Tomatoes. Instead of checking the freshness index of "National Treasure: The Secret of the Treasure Hunt," he went to read the reviews first.

Rotten Tomatoes scores are divided into two types: reviews from general film critics and reviews from professional film critics. Robert Iger did not read the reviews from professional film critics, but rather the reviews from general film critics who represent the general audience.

"This is a suspenseful, humorous, and intellectually challenging family film suitable for the whole family to watch together."

"The plot unfolds cleverly step by step amidst suspense, yet humor eases the tension, making it perfect for solving the mystery with children."

"This is an adventure, where a family with children follows the main characters in the film on this adventurous journey."

……

Robert Iger stroked his chin and muttered to himself, "Has it become a family-friendly adventure?"

This movie wasn't originally intended to be a family-friendly film, but rather an adventure blockbuster. However, by a twist of fate, the humor softened the tense atmosphere of the adventure, making it a family-friendly movie.

He now understands why the price drop for "National Treasure: The Secret to Success" was so small.

What movies are most popular during the Christmas season?
The first type is big-budget, interesting commercial blockbusters; the second type is family-friendly movies.

The Christmas season in North America is similar to the Spring Festival season in China; it's a time for family reunions, so naturally, people watch interesting blockbusters and family-friendly movies.

Robert Iger picked up the phone, intending to instruct the marketing department to transfer some of the promotional resources allocated to "Pirates of the Caribbean: New Chapter" to "National Treasure: The Lost Tomb".

But he hesitated for a moment before he could finish speaking.

Considering that Cao Yang has never failed before—even if "New Pirates of the Caribbean" isn't a huge hit, as long as it doesn't lose money, it's considered a success.

The sudden transfer of resources is something that cannot be concealed, and that would offend Cao Yang, wouldn't it?
Robert Iger paused for a moment, then made up his mind and ordered, "Add... 600 million to the promotion of 'National Treasure: The Secrets of the Treasure Hunt'."

Then, recalling the phenomenal box office of "I Am Legend" which grossed a whopping $7650 million over the weekend, he decisively ordered, "Give "Pirates of the Caribbean" an additional $1000 million in promotional resources, and inform China Film Group and Qingdao Film Studio."

Since "I Am Legend" has become such a huge hit, the original promotion plan is definitely not going to work, so we need to increase the budget!

Robert Iger is betting.

A director who has never failed is worth taking a gamble on.

He simply refused to believe that a director who had never failed before would fail with him.

Robert Iger no longer expects "Pirates of the Caribbean" to be a huge hit; he would be content if the film's box office performance were similar to that of "National Treasure: The Secret Life of a Hero".

Actually, for a typical director, this is considered a very high requirement.

For a reboot film that failed in its first installment, with a similar budget, to achieve the same box office success as a sequel that was a huge hit is no small feat. But what can you expect when the director is Cao Yang?

A big-budget production by a famous director—that's a basic requirement; failing to meet that is a failure.

On December 20, the global premiere of "Pirates of the Caribbean" was held.

To show its importance and to create hype, Disney held the premiere at Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California.

Anaheim is about 40 kilometers from downtown Los Angeles. It is most famous for Disneyland, which opened on July 17, 1955 and was the world's first Disney theme park.

Within Treasure Cove at this Disney park, there is the world's first pirate-themed live-action adventure attraction called "Pirates of the Caribbean: Battle for the Sunken Treasure".

Robert Iger has been under a lot of pressure lately. Negotiations with the Writers Guild haven't made much progress, and the huge success of "I Am Legend" has cast a shadow over "Pirates of the Caribbean."

Robert Iger went to great lengths to promote "Pirates of the Caribbean" and create buzz.

The premiere was quite a lively event, with a star-studded lineup.

Johnny Depp was with his French girlfriend Vanessa Paradis, Jude Law was with Samantha Burke, who is said to be a friend, and Eva Green was with her boyfriend Marden Cocks, among others.

There were also Leonardo DiCaprio, Charlize Theron, Anne Hathaway, Mark Ruffalo, and others who came because of Cao Yang's influence.

There are also many stars who have collaborated with Disney and were invited to participate.

Since the writers' strike, there hasn't been such a large-scale gathering of stars, except for marches, so this premiere became the focus of media news.

This can be considered as achieving Robert Iger's goal.

After the premiere, Cao Yang did not return to Arcadia Hills, but instead followed Theron to her mansion on Bird Street in Hollywood, which boasts a prime location overlooking the entire city of Los Angeles.

However, after Theron's car drove into the garage, Cao Yang did not get out immediately. Instead, he hesitated for a moment and asked again, "Are you sure... everything's alright?"

Theron laughed and said:
"I suddenly thought of something very interesting. Before marrying Tyson, his ex-wife Robin had a relationship with Brad Pitt. Who knew that after she got married, she maintained a more than friendly relationship with Brad Pitt?"

One time, the two were having an affair at home when Tyson happened to return and caught them in the act. It's said that Pete was so frightened he turned pale and was trembling so much he couldn't even put his clothes on.

At this point, she gave Cao Yang a provocative look, then whispered in his ear:

"Don't you like to ask me if I have a boyfriend during 'that' time? I know what you're thinking. Now I've brought you here. There's even a photo of me and him in the bedroom. You won't turn pale and be unable to take your clothes off either, will you?"

Too much!
This is blatant provocation.

Why was Pitt pale and trembling, unable to put on his clothes?
Was it because he was caught cheating?
It's because that's Tyson, the boxing champion Tyson!

If it weren't for Tyson, why would Pete be pale and trembling?

No, how could I possibly be pale and unable to take my clothes off? Who do you think you are?
You're not married, and your boyfriend isn't a boxing champion.

The best way to deal with such behavior is, of course, to take concrete action.

After a short while, the car began to sway rhythmically.

It took about half an hour for the car's swaying rhythm to slow down.

I could vaguely hear voices coming from inside the car: "Let's go, you coward. He's gone to Australia to film a movie and won't be back until Christmas. He'll be there until at least February."

I really wasn't lying to you just now, there really is a photo of the two of us hanging in the bedroom... Haha, I can feel the change, it seems like I've become more resilient..."

On December 21, "Pirates of the Caribbean" was released in 4076 theaters across North America, surpassing "National Treasure: The Lost Tomb" (3812 theaters) and "I Am Legend" (3864 theaters).

With the combined influence of Cao Yang and Depp, they will definitely enjoy top-tier support from cinemas.

In the evening, Cao Yang, who had spent the whole day promoting the film with the crew, returned to... Theron's house. It was already past 11 p.m.

As usual, to show that he wasn't a coward, he discussed the issue closely with Theron in Theron's bedroom.

Charlize Theron has also developed a wicked sense of humor.

She placed a large photo of herself and her boyfriend on the bedside table.

Sure enough, the two of them had a unique feeling when they started discussing it.

The two engaged in a rather in-depth academic exchange, losing track of time until Cao Yang's phone rang.

Cao Yang originally didn't want to accept the offer.

However, Theron, who was kneeling by the bedside studying vocal techniques, was quite close to the phone. She glanced at it briefly and quickly said:
"Wait, wait a minute, it's Mr. Robert Iger from Disney. Something must have happened. You, you should answer it right away."

Cao Yang took the phone, pausing his in-depth discussion with Theron.

At this hour, Robert Iger's call must be for something, most likely about "Pirates of the Caribbean."

"My dearest brother, I know you must be just as awake as I am, and just as nervous as I am, right? Now, right now, my brother, you can finally rest easy, you can finally get a good night's sleep, haha..."

As soon as Cao Yang answered the phone, he heard Robert Iger's voice coming through the receiver. It was clear that Robert Iger was extremely excited.

Theron turned her head and stared at Cao Yang with wide eyes. She had also heard Robert Iger's words and could guess why he had said that.

"How many?"

Theron opened his mouth, then asked silently.

"Robert, have the box office figures for 'Pirates of the Caribbean' come out yet? How much did it make?"

Cao Yang asked.

"3460 million! That's 3460 million US dollars, the North American box office, the first day, not the weekend, it's early morning now, just Saturday, haha, this is the box office for the first day!"

Robert Iger was very agitated. As the CEO of Disney, he shouldn't have lost his composure like this, but he had been under immense pressure lately.

So much so that when the box office results for "Pirates of the Caribbean 2" came out on its opening day, the results, which were absolutely beyond his expectations, made him so happy that he was almost dancing with joy and talking incoherently.

Based on this box office performance, it will most likely break 100 million over the weekend!
After Cao Yang hung up the phone with Robert Iger, Theron looked at him with somewhat dazed eyes.

"Honey, congratulations! You've succeeded again. I bet your new movie will do just as well at the box office as Inception."

"So, shall we continue our discussion on that topic?"

"Then what are you waiting for?"

As she spoke, Theron carefully put away the photo of herself and her boyfriend that had fallen over due to the tremors, placing it where Cao Yang could see it when he looked up.

(End of this chapter)