Huayu: Starting from Fahrenheit

Chapter 414 Ip Man 2 (Two chapters combined)

"Thank you, you're not bad either. Undisputed 3 has already been scheduled for release, right?"

You'll definitely be able to take your career to the next level with this film.

Boyka was invited by Wu Zhuo via phone. After answering the phone, Boyka agreed to star in the film without even asking about the fee.

Although I knew Boyka had other ideas.

For example, you might want to get to know this international singer, but he actually comes, that's a fact.

Regardless of his thoughts, Wu Zhuo should accept this favor.

"Haha, I also think this film will do well."

I did a good job there.

Boyka is also very confident about the upcoming Undisputed 3.

In fact, to a certain extent, the director and lead actors will have a good idea of ​​whether a film will be successful when the film is more than halfway through.

This is not some kind of prophetic ability.

Rather, it's about the director and the lead actor understanding what kind of thing they're creating.

I have a pretty good idea of ​​whether my acting was good or not, and how the director did it.

Of course, box office figures are a mysterious thing.

He considered not only the quality of the film, but also the cast, marketing, and other aspects.

All I can say is that the quality of a film is the bare minimum to guarantee box office success.

The better the quality, the easier it is to achieve high box office returns.

As the lead actor, Boyka knew that Undisputed 3 was of good quality, but he had no idea how much the film would ultimately gross.

"By the way, Undisputed 3 premieres in April, Abel, do you want to come and support me?"

Boyka looked on with anticipation.

Wu Zhuo's new album sold over 30 million copies worldwide, including digital albums.

But this data is still terrifying.

Wu Zhuo is now quite famous in Europe and America.

He's featured on various lists, awards, and television programs.

Time magazine even named Wu Zhuo one of the most influential singers of the first decade of the 21st century.

It's no exaggeration to say that if Wu Zhuo were in North America now, wherever he appeared would become a media hotspot.

In this situation, if Wu Zhuo were to appear at the premiere of "Undisputed 3", it would definitely bring the film to its highest level of attention.

"Sure, I'll definitely come when your movie is released."

Wu Zhuo readily agreed.

People are interconnected.

I can't help you and then not help me!

Boyka acted in "Ip Man 2" out of respect for him, so naturally he had to help promote his film; this is basic interpersonal communication.

Don't assume that foreigners don't understand interpersonal relationships. They're not stupid; they understand these basic relationships of mutual benefit very well.

Wu Zhuo chatted with Boyka for a while, and when he saw the director arrive, he went over to discuss the script.

Wu Zhuo's version of Ip Man 2 is actually quite similar to the previous version.

However, some modifications were made due to Wu Zhuo's own characteristics.

Then the scale became even larger.

The ending was slightly modified, changing the original ending where the story ended after defeating Boyka to one where the foreigners were still not satisfied and continued to cause trouble.

According to Raymond Wong, he plans to borrow the storyline of Huo Yuanjia for the next Ip Man film.

In order to deal with Ip Man, the foreigners were brought in from abroad to continue fighting with Ip Man, which laid the groundwork for the filming of the next movie.

Since filming hadn't officially started yet, Wu Zhuo and the others were able to leave that afternoon.

When Wu Zhuo left, Huang Baiming dragged him to eat something.

The two chose a decent-looking tea restaurant.

As for Raymond Wong, well... what can I say?

He is no longer the same person he was in the 80s and 90s; he has now risen to a position of wealth.

His capitalist mindset suggests he only visits temples when he needs something.

This time too.

After he had almost finished eating, he began to reveal his purpose for the day.

"Zhaozai, I heard that your company is planning a sequel to 'Lost in Thailand'?"

Upon hearing this, Wu Zhuo immediately understood what he wanted to do.

He wants to participate in the "Thai Drama" project.

"Lost on Journey" was released during the Lunar New Year holiday in February.

This low-budget comedy film was completely different from its predecessor because of Wu Zhuo's cameo appearance and his enthusiastic promotion at the time.

Although the movie made money in the previous life, the box office was only 3700 million.

In this installment, Wu Zhuo's involvement, coupled with increased promotional efforts, led to a significant breakthrough in the film's box office performance.

After a month and a half in theaters, the film grossed 9400 million yuan, becoming a dark horse in the Lunar New Year film season.

How much is the total investment in Lost in Journey?

Less than 1000 million.

The box office profit is nearly 10 times.

In addition, this film was independently produced and distributed by Legendary Pictures.

In other words, the company only shares profits with the cinemas.

Ultimately, with the addition of various copyright revenues, the profit exceeded 7000 million.

A film with an investment of less than 10 million yuan can generate a net profit of 70 million yuan, which naturally attracts the envy of many companies.

Companies including Huayi Brothers, Enlight Media, and even Oriental Film Company are envious.

I'd like to participate in the investment for the next installment.

"It's already in the works, but it might be 12 years before it's released."

Our company's key project this year is another action film.

Wu Zhuo had nothing to hide and spoke directly.

"An action movie?"

Raymond Wong was taken aback. "You starred in this yourself? I've never heard any related reports."

Logically speaking, given Wu Zhuo's current popularity, if he has a new project to perform in, even if the project is still in the planning stages, there will be news about it.

After all, given Wu Zhuo's current status, the projects he can act in can only be big projects.

As is well known, large projects are generally not invested in by a single company.

To share the risk, it is usually borne by multiple companies.

In addition, given Wu Zhuo's performance over the past two years, many companies are eyeing him, including Raymond Wong's Oriental Films.

He specifically arranged for someone to keep an eye on things, and as soon as Wu Zhuo decided which movie he wanted to star in, the company would immediately notify him.

Then he will try to get involved and get a share of the profits.

He hadn't heard a word about what movie Wu Zhuo was going to act in.

"It wasn't me, Wu Jing, you know him, right?"

Wu Zhuo leaned back in his chair. "I'm going to give him a push."

"Wu Jing? Of course I know him. Isn't he the one you poached from our company?"

Raymond Wong looked helpless.

When Wu Jing went to Hong Kong to develop his career, he signed with Oriental Film Company.

The films he starred in before were mostly Eastern films, including the one where he fought with Yu Zhoudan in an alley.

After Wu Jing went to film Painted Skin with Wu Zhuo, it's unclear what kind of brainwashing Wu Zhuo gave him, but after ending his contract with Oriental Films, Wu Jing went straight to Wu Zhuo's side.

However, upon closer reflection, Raymond Wong wondered why Wu Jing made such a decision.

Firstly, Wu Jing worked at Oriental Film Company for several years, and apart from the two leading roles he landed when he signed the contract.

In other plays, he was either a supporting character or a minor character.

His best role was in the 07 film "Men's True Colors," where he played the second male lead, the main villain.

Given Wu Jing's ambition, he probably wanted to leave a long time ago.

As for why Wu Zhuo's company was chosen again.

It's possible that Wu Zhuo promised to promote him. In fact, Wu Zhuo did promise to promote Wu Jing.

Wu Zhuo told him that he would be given at least two opportunities to play the lead role.

If that still doesn't work, Wu Zhuo won't hold him back from leaving by sticking to the contract.

If both films fail and Wu Zhuo's side stops supporting them, Wu Jing can simply leave.

Very lenient conditions.

It was precisely because of this condition, coupled with the fact that Wu Jing lost a lot of money with "Wolf Warrior" after going solo in 08, that he chose Wu Zhuo's company.

Wu Jing signed with Legendary Pictures early last year.

After signing the contract, he learned that the drama Wu Zhuo had prepared for him was a military-themed film, so he went directly to a military unit.

He only recently returned.

As soon as he returned, Wu Zhuo immediately launched the project.

Yes, Wu Zhuo is going to film "Wolf Warrior".

Regardless of how Wolf Warrior is ridiculed in later generations.

But these two films really did use all the logic of wish fulfillment stories.

It's precisely because it's so enjoyable to watch that it has such high box office numbers.

As for whether it will be criticized as a terrible drama in the future, Wu Zhuo doesn't care.

Anyway, he's just an investor; the main character is Wu Jing, the "Wolf Warrior."

"Wu Jing's appeal isn't that high. He's certainly popular with audiences, but his movies do poorly at the box office. You'd better think it over carefully."

After hesitating for a moment, Raymond Wong offered some words of advice to Ng Cheuk.

Although it was very unfair of him to say that.

If Wu Jing finds out, the other party will probably fight him to the death.

After all, he was essentially ruining the other party's chance.

But Raymond Wong felt it necessary to remind him, given his relationship with Ng Cheuk.

Despite being hailed as Jet Li's successor during this period and enjoying immense popularity in mainland China, with almost everyone knowing him, Wu Jing's reputation remains undeniable.

But everyone in the industry knows that Wu Jing really can't carry the box office.

Most of the movies he starred in flopped.

Even his self-directed and self-acted film "Wolf Warrior" only grossed HK$230,000 on its opening day in Hong Kong, and the total box office from mainland China and Hong Kong combined was only HK$7 million.

However, the movie didn't lose much money, because the investment was only 400 million.

Even so, Raymond Wong did not recommend that Wu Zhuo invest in Wu Jing.

"Thank you for the reminder, Mr. Huang, but I am confident."

Wu Zhuo expressed his gratitude for Huang Baiming's reminder.

Raymond Wong is the type of person who usually doesn't meddle in other people's business. The fact that he offered this reminder already shows that the two sides have a good relationship.

There's a saying: "If it's not that person, even if you die, no one will care about you."

Generally speaking, people who are willing to remind you are at least well-intentioned.

Only those who don't want you to suffer losses will remind you.

Seeing that Wu Zhuo was still insistent, Huang Baiming did not continue to speak.

They are all adults, and Wu Zhuo must take responsibility for his decisions.

Moreover, given Wu Zhuo's abilities, it's impossible for him to fall from grace just because of Wu Jing.

If you lose money on Wu Jing, you can make it back in other ways.

Given Wu Zhuo's earning power, as long as he doesn't lose hundreds of millions, it won't have a significant impact on him.

"I will probably still invest independently in 'Lost in Thailand,' but I wonder if Mr. Huang would like to invest in Wu Jing's film?"

If you'd like to invest, I can allocate a portion of my shares.

As a token of gratitude for Raymond Wong's reminder, Ng Cheuk was willing to give up some of his share.

However, Raymond Wong shook his head.

"Let's forget about Wu Jing. If it's that movie 'Lost in Thailand,' or one of your films, I'm willing to invest whatever it takes. As for Wu Jing..."

Raymond Wong still doesn't quite believe that Wu Jing's movies can make much money.

Choose to refuse.

Wu Zhuo didn't mind.

He also knew that Wu Jing was not a good choice for the film company.

Most companies would think twice before casting him as the lead actor.

Stop talking about him.

Even if Wu Zhuo weren't a time traveler, he wouldn't believe that Wu Zhuo could carry the box office.

Wu Jing is actually the same as Zhao Wenzhuo.

The two actors' popularity with audiences actually comes mostly from their TV dramas.

TV drama fans won't go to the cinema to buy tickets for their movies.

After the failure of "Wolf Warrior" in his previous life, Wu Jing did not receive any film offers for a long time.

There are several reasons.

First, he was in an awkward situation. He was from the mainland, but he was involved in the Hong Kong entertainment circle.

After returning from Hong Kong, he was not well-received by mainland companies.

Another issue is his lack of box office appeal. He's fine for supporting roles, but nobody wants to cast him as a lead.

In the end, the reason he was able to make Wolf Warrior a success was because he gambled everything he had.

After learning that Wu Zhuo's company was focused on "Wolf Warrior," Raymond Wong stopped discussing investment.

Instead, he chatted with Wu Zhuo about other things.

……

The crew for "Ip Man 2" was assembled very quickly, within just a few days.

On March 16, the production team held a press conference to mark the start of filming.

All the main actors, including Wu Zhuo, attended the event.

Compared to the first film, the press conference for the second film attracted a large number of reporters even though the production team did not specifically invite them.

As soon as the press conference began, reporters surrounded Wu Zhuo, pointing their cameras and microphones at him, and bombarding him with questions.

"Abel, your new album has sold over 3500 million copies, breaking the sales record in the Chinese music scene and ranking among the top albums globally. What do you have to say about this?"

"Wu Zhuo, the previous Ip Man film grossed over 3 million yuan. How much do you think the second one will gross?"

"I heard that Ip Man 2 is considering a release in Europe and America. Do you think it will surpass the box office performance of the first film?"

The reporters were genuinely eager to get some news from Wu Zhuo.

Since the second half of last year, Wu Zhuo has gradually kept a low profile and generally does not appear in front of reporters.

Therefore, having finally gotten a chance to see Wu Zhuo, these reporters wanted to get to the bottom of things and ask as many questions as possible.

"It is an honor for the record to achieve this result."

"The script for Ip Man 2 is excellent, and I think the box office results will definitely be good."

Wu Zhuo was chased and interviewed by reporters for about an hour.

If the film crew hadn't come to kick them out, they probably wouldn't have wanted to leave.

In the end, even though the film crew asked them to leave, many reporters were still unwilling to go.

In the end, the staff had no choice but to forcibly pull him away.

"Ladies and gentlemen, you all know how much attention we're getting right now. With the success of the last film, everyone's eyes are on us."

"Our film absolutely cannot fail."

After driving away the irrelevant people, Ye Weixin began to loudly boost morale.

To be honest, everyone on the crew was in high spirits.

Whether it's the original cast from the previous film or the actors in this one.

Everyone is full of anticipation for this film.

High-grossing movies benefit everyone, and no one wants to miss them.

Even if you're not the main character, being a supporting character can still bring you great benefits.

Like Fan Siu-wong, who was almost unable to make it in the entertainment industry, he successfully turned his life around because of Ip Man and gained considerable fame in mainland China.

Others like Lynn Hung are even more obvious examples.

(End of this chapter)