Chinese Entertainment: Academic Director

Chapter 432 The Positive Impact of a Box Office Boom

When The Dark Knight was officially released in North America, it was called The Dark Knight, and the suffix "Dark Knight" came later.

The reason for adding 6 is not just because this is the sixth Batman movie, but also to evoke nostalgia among fans of the original Batman films.

Furthermore, Warner Bros.' relentless hype surrounding Heath Ledger's death, combined with the gimmick of Cao Yang and Nolan joining forces, resulted in a very strong showing in theaters.

With a staggering 4366 theaters in North America, it became the film with the most theatrical premieres in history.

July 18th is a Friday, and it's also the premiere day of "The Dark Knight".

On this day, the whole of North America seemed to be going crazy for "Batman" and "Joker".

In some centrally located cinemas, there were even queues waiting for the next showing, which is rare in North America.

With such a popular run, the box office revenue is bound to be substantial.

Even with some preparation, the box office figures for "The Dark Knight" on its opening day still left countless people speechless.

$6970!
It was just $30 short of becoming the first film in Hollywood history to gross over $7000 million on its opening day.

Although it's a bit of a pity, this achievement is still record-breaking, making it the highest-grossing opening day and highest-grossing single-day film in history.

It achieved the highest opening weekend box office in history.

It also effortlessly captured the top spot for the year of 2008, the highest-grossing July premiere in film history, the highest-grossing summer premiere in film history, the highest-grossing Batman film in film history, the highest-grossing superhero film in film history, and the highest-grossing comic book adaptation in film history...

The series of remarkable achievements have dazzled industry professionals.

Nobody expected the sixth Batman movie to be so powerful.

Of course, as everyone knows, the reason why the box office is so amazing is also related to the fact that this is a sequel, especially since it is a sequel to "The Batman".

In particular, there are so many "helping" factors.

But even if you know all this, what can you do?
Box office revenue is box office revenue; it's a tangible thing. When comparing opening weekend box office revenue, first-week box office revenue, or even total box office revenue, it's impossible for a sequel to be excluded from these comparisons.

This is real money, in US dollars.

Cao Yang also did not expect that the film would achieve such a good box office on its opening day. Compared with the $3460 million opening day of "Pirates of the Caribbean", it was much higher.

Of course, as mentioned before, this is the result of various added benefits.

However, the performance of "Pirates of the Caribbean: New Horizons" seems to illustrate a certain point.

Pirates of the Caribbean grossed $3460 million on its opening day and $1.09 million over its opening weekend, bringing its total North American box office to nearly $4 million. It ranked third in global box office and was the third North American film to surpass $10 billion, eventually reaching $10.7 billion.

Generally speaking, comic book adaptations typically rake in the most box office revenue during their first week, after which they may experience a sharp drop.

This is related to the nature of movies.

Most comic book fans, or enthusiasts, choose to see the movie as soon as it's released, eager to know how the adaptation is done and whether it meets their expectations, rather than waiting for word-of-mouth.

However, if a comic book movie also receives very good reviews, it will attract ordinary viewers who are not fans, which will reduce the subsequent drop in viewership.

However, judging from the opening day box office of "The Dark Knight" and the overwhelming positive reviews online, especially the praise for Heath Ledger's portrayal of the Joker, the subsequent drop in box office revenue is unlikely to be as significant as that of a typical comic book adaptation.

Some professional websites and well-known media outlets have also revised their previous predictions and issued new ones.

Before the film's release, most predictions were that it would gross around $4000 million on its opening day and around $1 million in its opening week, with little fluctuation.

The newly given predictions are actually quite similar, since the first day's box office figures have been released, providing a basis for speculation based on established patterns.

They adjusted the opening weekend box office to around 1.4 million, and gave a super high figure of 9 million for the global total box office.

It's worth noting that Nolan's first "Batman" film only grossed a little over $3 million worldwide, less than $4 million. This film is more than twice as big.

However, with various added factors, especially the growing popularity in North America of the saying "There is no Joker after Heath," the nostalgia factor has increased even more.

The opening weekend box office of "The Dark Knight" once again gave industry insiders a big surprise. In its first three days, it grossed a record-breaking $1.68 million in North America, breaking records once again.

Consequently, media outlets and professional websites, adept at adapting to changing trends, once again raised their global box office predictions for "The Dark Knight."

This time, almost all of them proclaimed that this film would become the fourth film in the world to gross over $10 billion.

Besides North America, The Dark Knight is also raking in box office revenue in countries around the world where it was released, which is why they are confident in calling it their fourth film to surpass $10 billion at the box office.

Although China has not yet recovered from the grief of the disaster, the film's box office performance was quite good.

In its opening weekend in China, the film grossed over 100 million yuan, reaching 1.06 million yuan, surpassing the 88 million yuan grossed by "Assembly" in its first four days, but falling short of the 1.28 million yuan grossed by "Pirates of the Caribbean" directed by Cao Yang.

It's understandable that The Dark Knight is ranked lower than Pirates of the Caribbean.

Batman is the most popular superhero in North America, but his actual fan base in China is not very large.

Furthermore, Cao Yang's directing, production, and screenwriting are quite different from the director-centric system prevalent in China.

However, the 1.06 million yuan box office in the first three days is still a very good box office result.

The box office performance of "The Dark Knight" in its opening weekend stunned not only the media and professional websites, but also many other people involved.

Warner Bros. president Jeff Robinoff and Warner Bros. CEO Barry Mayer must have been overjoyed.

From the day the movie premiered, they kept a close eye on the box office and word-of-mouth, as this was related to whether they could revitalize Warner Bros.' DC Comics Batman, a "golden goose" that could lay golden eggs, and also to the stock prices and rights of a series of related companies.

Before the box office figures for the opening weekend were even released, Warner Bros.' senior management quickly reached a series of agreements at an internal meeting:
We must continue to strengthen cooperation with Cao Yang;
The Batman 7 project should be put on the agenda as soon as possible. The chemistry between Cao Yang and Nolan is obviously amazing. We should try our best to make sure that the two continue to work together in the seventh film.
Continue to invest funds to establish Heath Ledger as an unprecedented classic Joker, praise his acting skills, and strive to win him the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor next year.

We will strive to establish a comprehensive cooperative relationship with Cao Yang and discuss cooperation on other films.
……

Besides Warner Bros. executives, Disney CEO Robert Iger is also considered a relevant person.

After The Dark Knight grossed $1.68 million in its opening weekend, Robert Iger didn't hesitate and immediately called Cao Yang, regardless of whether Cao Yang was working or busy.

The box office results are so amazing that Robert Iger can't help but pay attention.

Disney finally released a movie that grossed over $10 billion worldwide, and Warner Bros. followed suit immediately. As a professional, Robert Iger believes that barring unforeseen circumstances, "The Dark Knight" will most likely break the $10 billion mark at the global box office.

Robert Iger was a little unwilling to accept it.

He hadn't been happy for long after "Pirates of the Caribbean" broke the $10 billion mark at the box office when Warner Bros. released another one, and it was related to Cao Yang, which made him very upset.

Why?
What right do Warner Bros.' management team, who are seriously ill, have to own movies that gross over $10 billion?

Our competitors are idiots, they're all complete idiots!
But that idiot actually made a movie that grossed over 10 billion yuan, that's just too damn shocking.

"My dear director, what are you busy with?"

Robert Iger cleared his throat before speaking softly to Cao Yang.

"Oh, it's you, Robert. I'm working on the post-production of 'Joker.' The post-production for this movie is quite complicated and it's really giving me a headache..."

Cao Yang rubbed his head. He didn't say those words to Robert Iger on purpose; they were just said unconsciously.

The post-production of "Joker," especially the color tone, was incredibly difficult; almost every shot in the entire film needed to be processed.

His mind is now filled with the four basic colors: red, green, blue, and yellow.

"Congratulations. The opening weekend box office for 'The Batman' was phenomenal, breaking a series of records, including those set by your two films. Of course, 'The Batman' is also your film, so you probably won't care that much," Robert Iger said with a light laugh, his words carrying a deeper meaning.

When it comes to the study of "Yin and Yang," Robert Iger, as the CEO of Disney, is second to none.

Cao Yang was stunned for a moment. He himself did not know that he had set a record for film, or even what kind of record it was.

However, since it was broken by "Batman", there's no need to ask anymore.

If "The Dark Knight" becomes a huge hit, ordinary people in China will probably attribute it to director Christopher Nolan, but that's because of the director-centric system that leads people to think that way.

But in Hollywood, people don't see it that way.

In Hollywood, many films are made by producers who first identify the project and then take the lead in finding production studios, investors, directors, crew members, actors, and so on.

Therefore, the producer deserves much credit for the success of a film and is also one of the biggest beneficiaries of the film.

As Robert Iger said, industry insiders believe that the success of "The Batman" is inseparable from director Nolan, and even more so from producer and screenwriter Cao Yang.

If Cao Yang were to claim that "The Dark Knight" is his own film in China, he might be perceived by uninformed people as shameless for "stealing" someone else's work.

In Hollywood, if Cao Yang said this was his own film, everyone would agree and there would be no objections.

However, Cao Yang still sensed Robert Iger's instigation in his words.

"Robert, you're right. You know me. I'm only interested in art, and I'm only devoted to the art of film. As for box office and records, I never care about them and I'm not interested in them."

Cao Yang echoed Robert Iger's words.

Robert Iger opened his mouth, but for a moment he didn't know what to say.

I wanted to refute it, but Cao Yang's artistic achievements are there for all to see. Cao Yang says that he pursues cinematic art, and that is cinematic art. No one can refute it.

So he coughed lightly, changed the subject, and revealed the purpose of his call.

"My dear director, have you forgotten something? Our pirate captain is still at sea, eagerly awaiting his master of destiny, wondering when he can set sail again?"

Cao Yang understood what Robert Iger meant.

This is urging myself to start preparing for the sequel to "Pirates of the Caribbean" as soon as possible.

Cao Yang smiled; he knew that Robert Iger was getting impatient.

He was afraid that he might take the opportunity to demand a higher share of the profits;

He was afraid he would be attracted by the higher revenue-sharing terms offered by other film companies.

If he only had one "Pirates of the Caribbean" film with a global box office of over $10 billion, he might not be in a hurry. But if "The Batman" film also surpasses $10 billion, then it will be a different story.

With only three Hollywood films currently exceeding $10 billion, if a fourth were to appear, especially one related to him, then without a doubt, his position in Hollywood, even without the added benefit of the novel's copyright, would be firmly established in the top 3.

Of course, no one dares to imagine it yet, including professionals and non-professionals. No one would think that "Joker," as an art film, could gross over $10 billion worldwide.

If anyone dared to say that, they would definitely be considered crazy.

"Robert, I know you're anxious, eager for the sequel to 'Pirates of the Caribbean' to be released to audiences as soon as possible..."

But don't rush me. I need to finish what I'm doing, and I need to allow enough time to develop the plot. You don't want Pirates of the Caribbean to be shelved because of poor box office performance after only one sequel, do you?

Cao Yang said with a smile.

If you're in a hurry, I'll be even less in a hurry.

Hmm, I can talk to Warner Bros. president Jeff Robinoff and Legendary Pictures founder Thomas Tull about The Hangover again.

We can keep the director a secret for now and just say that a collaboration has been reached. Robert Iger will probably be even more anxious then, right?

You can give a heads-up to Behrman, who's in charge of his studio, and tell him to make thorough preparations. Once news about "The Hangover" gets out, you can start a new round of negotiations with Disney.

He should also urge Disney to settle the revenue sharing for "Pirates of the Caribbean" as soon as possible.

If Cao Yang remembers correctly, there seems to be a seemingly "unattainable" agreement in the contract at the time: a box office revenue sharing agreement for "Pirates of the Caribbean" exceeding $10 billion in global box office revenue.

That's an astronomical figure, they raised it to 25%, going from 18% of the box office revenue when it was over $8 million to 25%.

At the time, Disney CEO Robert Iger generously stated, "Damn, if 'New Pirates of the Caribbean' grosses a billion dollars worldwide, I'm willing to give up 25% of the box office revenue."

I just don't know if he regrets it now.

Cao Yang recalled the several rallies Disney experienced in the stock market when "Pirates of the Caribbean" was released.

Especially after breaking the $10 billion mark worldwide and becoming the third highest-grossing film globally, Disney experienced a surge in its stock price...

Cao Yang couldn't help but sigh. It seemed that he had made a lot of money from this movie, but compared with Disney's revenue this time, it was nothing.

It's the second weekend of "The Dark Knight's" release.

This past weekend, "The Dark Knight" once again topped the weekend box office charts, grossing $8200 million.

Second place went to "Out of Blood," starring Will Ferrell, which grossed $3000 million in its opening weekend, a respectable achievement.

Will Ferrell has a strong box office appeal in North America, with films like "Austin Powers" and "Bewitched" performing well at the box office, making him one of Hollywood's most famous comedy stars.

Apart from "Unrelated Brothers" which did reasonably well at the box office, there weren't any other standout films on the weekend box office charts.

Films like "Hancock," "Wanted," and "Kung Fu Panda" all grossed less than 1000 million at the box office, and by the end of their run, they no longer posed a threat.

The Dark Knight grossed $3.31 million in ten days, including the weekend, four weekdays, and the first three days of its opening weekend.

American superhero comic book movies have a very large fan base in North America. As long as the word-of-mouth is good and the fans are satisfied, the basic box office will not be low.

The results of this second week disappointed many who were hoping for a dramatic drop in the box office for "The Dark Knight," and put Warner Bros. at ease.

So far, The Dark Knight has grossed over $5.5 million worldwide, and reaching $10 billion seems very possible.

Now that the box office has stabilized, Cao Yang has also taken the time to talk to Warner Bros. and Legendary Pictures about "The Hangover".

As the executive producer of "The Dark Knight," Ning Hao was nominated by Cao Yang to direct "The Hangover," and neither Warner Bros. president Jeff Robinoff nor Legendary Pictures founder Thomas Tull raised any objections.

After negotiations, The Hangover was budgeted at $3500 million and co-funded by Warner Bros. and Legendary Pictures.

Cao Yang is also the producer and screenwriter, and receives 20% of the box office revenue.

It's not that Cao Yang doesn't want to increase it further, but rather that under normal circumstances, that is, without a performance-based agreement, this revenue sharing is already the ceiling for the industry. Increasing it further would break industry norms.

For now, no one is willing to break the rules.

Cao Yang didn't insist.

I reckon once he gets one or two more calls about movies that gross over 10 billion, even if he doesn't mention it, someone will be willing to break Hollywood's rules.

Of course, there was another reason why Cao Yang didn't insist.

This film didn't break any industry rules, but if it's a box office hit and they want to turn it into a series, then they'll have to raise more money.

(End of this chapter)