Huayu: Starting from Fahrenheit

Chapter 415 Crazy North American Fans (Two chapters combined)

Filming for "Ip Man 2" has begun amidst the high enthusiasm of the cast and crew.

To ensure the quality of the film, Raymond Wong, the film's producer and investor, was practically a permanent fixture on set.

Every day, I followed the director to study and film good shots.

If they find the shot unsatisfactory, they will immediately request a reshoot.

Raymond Wong had very high standards for this film.

He hopes that the film will not only achieve good results domestically, but also be more competitive in overseas markets.

Especially in Europe and America.

The film's rights were sold to Warner Bros. last year for $1200 million.

This is already a very high price for a domestic film.

When he learned that the deal had been reached, Raymond Wong was so happy that he couldn't fall asleep for several days.

He originally thought that Warner Bros. might lose money if they sold it at this price, and he was already prepared to lower the price for the next film.

Who knew that this movie would not only gross over 30 million at the North American box office?

It also grossed several million to tens of millions of dollars in several other countries.

In total, the box office revenue in regions other than Southeast Asia reached more than 60 million US dollars.

In addition to the video rights from various countries, Warner Bros. earned tens of millions of dollars from this film.

Because Warner Bros. made a lot of money, Raymond Wong has already decided that the price of the second film must be increased.

If you want to raise prices, you naturally have to improve quality first.

Only if the quality is maintained can he negotiate a higher price.

In April, the film crew, who had been shooting for more than half a month, took a few days off.

The main reason is that Boyka is going back to North America to attend the premiere of "Undisputed 3".

At the same time, Wu Zhuo will also accompany him.

Of course, Wu Zhuo didn't actually go with him specifically.

However, Wu Zhuo himself had things to do over there.

He has been nominated for major awards in North America and Europe this year.

His main purpose in coming here was for these awards.

Wu Zhuo and Boyka left the film crew together, with Wu Zhuo going to Canada first.

After attending an awards ceremony here and winning the Best International Artist and Most Popular Song awards, he moved on to the UK.

She participated in the BRIT Awards in the UK.

The BRIT Awards were established by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI).

Known as the "British Grammys," it is the most influential music award in the UK.

In fact, this music award is the only one in the world that can compete with the Grammys.

In some ways, this award is even more open and international than the Grammys.

Don't be fooled by the fact that the Grammys are an international award.

However, it is also a very rigid and limited award.

The Grammys always know how to play their cards right.

The UK All Music Awards, however, are different; this award is truly open to the entire world.

If you have achieved something in the UK, you will be included in the selection.

Of course, in Wu Zhuo's mind, the BRIT Awards are better than the Grammy Awards.

The reason is that the BRIT Awards have given him the award for two consecutive years, including this year.

Last year, he won the Best International Newcomer award and a Best Asian Male Singer award created specifically for him.

This year, he achieved even better results, gained more fans, and achieved better sales.

As a result, the shortlisted awards are now more prestigious.

He was nominated for Best Album, Best International Male Artist, and International Song of the Year.

All three awards are highly influential among individual awards.

In contrast to the BRIT Awards, Wu Zhuo has achieved top-three sales in North America for two consecutive years at the Grammys.

At the same time, it held the champion position for the longest period of time on the bulletin board.

But the Grammys remained unmoved by him.

Even when Wu Zhuo won the Best New International Male Artist award at the BRIT Awards last year, the Grammys officials made a statement mocking him.

They're saying the BRIT Awards have declined and need an Asian singer to gain attention.

To be honest, Wu Zhuo never really cared about winning a Grammy.

The Grammys' actions naturally disgusted him.

So when the Grammys announced his nominations for Best Pop Album and Best Pop Male Vocal Performance in January of this year, he simply didn't attend the Grammys.

Although I may never win a Grammy again.

But for Wu Zhuo, this was just a minor regret.

Compared to this regret, Wu Zhuo cares more about what he represents.

He is now China's most influential singer internationally.

To put it bluntly, in terms of film, Jackie Chan is the face of China and a superstar who has brought China to the world stage.

In terms of music, he is the Jackie Chan of the music world.

When he goes out, he represents not only his personal image, but also the image of Chinese people and all Chinese people.

Why did Wu Zhuo become so popular overseas?

The main reason is the support from the Chinese community.

It was the initial support from the Chinese community that led to his record sales soaring.

Only later did they begin to rapidly expand their influence to white and black people.

You can't forget your roots as a human being.

Wu Zhuo now represents the image of Chinese people, and naturally, he must also respond to any acts that smear or discriminate against Chinese people or people of Chinese descent.

The Grammys' actions last year were nothing short of discrimination.

If Wu Zhuo doesn't respond to their behavior, countless people will criticize him behind his back in the future.

Therefore, he chose to go head-to-head with the Grammys.

When the Grammys announced his nominations for multiple awards and subtly hinted that he was likely to win, he chose to decline the invitation to attend.

Wu Zhuo's refusal to attend the Grammy Awards caused quite a stir in North America.

The Grammys had secretly spread rumors that Wu Zhuo was arrogant and that some companies, intentionally or unintentionally, pressured him not to release his records.

Unfortunately, their pressure tactics are destined to be ineffective.

For these companies and capital.

Making money is their primary goal.

The Grammys are indeed authoritative and influential.

But it can't stop me from making money!

Wu Zhuo's new album is incredibly popular worldwide.

The companies involved have all made a fortune; only a fool would choose to give up.

Then, the Grammys discovered that despite their constant pressure, Wu Zhuo's record sales were not only high, but were actually increasing.

The new album even broke records, becoming a phenomenon worldwide.

Wu Zhuo's album appears in the top three of the charts in almost every country.

On the Billboard charts, seven songs from Wu Zhuo's album made it onto the list.

Besides the two highest-ranking English songs, even several Chinese songs from the album made it onto the charts.

"A Bridge of Fate" even reached Billboard 46, breaking historical records and becoming the first Chinese song to break into the Billboard Top 50.

Wu Zhuo's popularity can be said to have given the Grammys a hard slap in the face.

What angered the Grammys even more was the behavior of the other awards.

Wu Zhuo swept most of the awards in countries such as the UK, Canada, and Australia, thanks to the phenomenal sales of his new album.

This also includes the BRIT Awards.

Upon arriving at the event, Wu Zhuo immediately won Best Album, Best International Male Singer, and Best International Song.

Speaking of which, the BRIT Awards are quite interesting.

This year marks the fourth consecutive year that they have selected the Billboard number one song as the best international song.

They're practically telling outsiders that this award is for the most popular song, regardless of its artistic merit.

Because of the tight schedule, Wu Zhuo went to the United States immediately after attending the awards ceremony in London. To be honest, for Wu Zhuo, winning the Grammys was really optional.

It was a gimmick that won the most trophies.

As for sensationalism, Wu Zhuo has no shortage of it.

With just this album alone, which has sold 3600 million copies, he has enough to occupy a certain place in music history.

In addition, he has passed the stage where he needed the Grammys to promote himself.

Thanks to this album, who among foreigners doesn't know Abel Wu?

This can be seen from the fact that tickets for his previous concerts in North America were extremely difficult to obtain, as well as the situation of people picking him up at the airport today.

In Los Angeles, when Wu Zhuo landed on the plane and walked out of the airport, he was greeted by a dense crowd of people.

"Ahhh, Abel!"

"Abel, I love you!"

"Ah ah ah..."

The dense crowd of fans went wild upon seeing Wu Zhuo.

Screams and cheers echoed throughout the airport.

"Fuck, fans these days are fucking insane. It's just a celebrity, why are they acting like this?"

In the airport parking lot, Allen and his friend stared speechlessly at the densely packed crowd before them, which looked like ants.

They're still busy catching their flights.

Who would have thought that this horrific scene would be witnessed upon arriving here?

The parking lot was completely occupied by a dense crowd of fans, blocking all the vehicles on the road, and police sirens were blaring incessantly.

Police cars escorted a nanny van as it struggled to navigate the road.

The fans chased after the van, crying and shouting wildly.

"Who is this?"

Allen asked his friend.

"It seems to be that Chinese singer, Abel."

"Who?" Allen's eyes widened immediately. He looked toward the van and saw a handsome Chinese man waving to the fans around him through the van window.

"Ah...Abel!"

Upon seeing the man's face, Allen gasped, shoved open the car door, and rushed towards him.

He shouted as he ran.

"Abel, ahhh..."

"Fuck!" Allen's friend, who was still in the car, was stunned by what he did.

Who was just calling these fans crazy?
How dare you!

“Abel, you need to close the car windows. You can’t provoke them any further.”

The nanny van was driving very slowly, and a group of traffic police were escorting Wu Zhuo outside.

When Wu Zhuo opened the car window, the surrounding crowd went even crazier.

Sheriff Andy had no choice but to make a request to Wu Zhuo.

"I'm sorry for causing you trouble."

"It's our duty. We just hope that you'll let us know next time you're in Los Angeles so we can send more officers."

Of course, it would be better if you didn't announce your itinerary.

This will save us a lot of trouble.

Andy really wanted to curse.

He hated being a celebrity's bodyguard.

But the words stuck in his throat and he swallowed them back, turning into words of advice.

There was nothing they could do; Wu Zhuo's company had given them too much money.

Because there were so many people maintaining order, the company donated hundreds of thousands of US dollars to the police station as a token of gratitude.

Each officer on duty can also receive several thousand US dollars.

"Thanks again!"

Wu Zhuo nodded and closed the car window.

That's how it is in America; if you have money, you can call in police cars to act as bodyguards.

There's a reason why those who idolize the US in China want to come here.

Because here, the privileges of the rich are really significant.

Of course, the poor are not just ordinary people.

After all, there's always the risk of gunfights.

……

There were so many fans at the airport to pick us up.

To be honest, this was the first time Wu Zhuo had encountered such a situation.

He knew his new album was a hit in North America.

But he never expected it to become this popular.

The crowds were so large that thousands of people came to greet them at the airport.

"This is insane. I always thought that foreign fans were more rational in their pursuit of celebrities, but I never expected them to be this crazy."

Xiao An stuck out her tongue; she was startled too.

As soon as they got off the plane and left the exit, they were surrounded by fans, and the original bodyguards were simply not enough.

There was no other way but to call the police station and ask them to send someone over.

"We'll probably need to replan our security personnel for the next few events."

Chen Huiying also came with Wu Zhuo this time. She looked at the crazy crowd outside with amazement.

Suddenly, she thought of something and looked at Wu Zhuo, "Remember to wear your bulletproof vest for the next few days. The situation here is complicated. You're so popular now, there's no guarantee that no one will cause trouble."

"I know!"

Wu Zhuo nodded.

In fact, he always attaches great importance to security when he comes here to attend events.

For some events inside the venue, his own team will personally participate in the inspection to ensure that dangerous items are not brought in.

However, some off-site activities are a bit troublesome.

To avoid trouble with competitors, he wears a bulletproof vest when he goes out for such activities.

Don't think Wu Zhuo is making a fuss over nothing.

In fact, this is his standard procedure.

North America is a place where freedom is every day, and with so many competitors, it's hard to guarantee that no one will take the risk.

It's not impossible.

It's important to know that his popularity in North America over the past two years has genuinely impacted the lives of many people.

Many top North American singers have seen their record sales severely squeezed due to his influence.

Besides sales competition.

There is also competition for resources.

Some people believe that competition in the entertainment industry is mainly concentrated at the bottom.

In fact, the competition among the top players is the most intense.

The competition among top artists is no longer the small-scale battles of the lower ranks.

Instead, the competition is often for large projects worth tens of millions.

The people, teams, and companies involved are beyond what others can even imagine.

Take Wu Zhuo for example, he now earns Sony hundreds of millions of US dollars a year.

With such a large sum of money at stake, Sony would truly retaliate by cutting off the life of anyone who tries to interfere.

At the same time, others are the same.

The company could have made a profit of over ten million, but because of Wu Zhuo's influence, the revenue will plummet or even disappear. Do you think someone might take the risk?

Therefore, for safety reasons, Wu Zhuo had to do this.

Even if he doesn't want to wear a bulletproof vest, his company will require him to.

Because he really can't afford to get into trouble.

If something goes wrong, the losses will be much more than just a few hundred dollars.

(End of this chapter)