Entertainment: I am the peak

Chapter 665 is so fierce, I like it.

It is a hard fact to accept that domestic film companies often fail to gain the initiative that should belong to them when collaborating with major Hollywood studios.

They couldn't get Huayi Brothers at its peak, they couldn't get Wanda Pictures when it was the richest man in the world, they couldn't get Ali from Jack Ma, and they couldn't get Autumn Pictures either.

Pacific Rim 2 is not a co-production, but rather a revenue-sharing film imported to mainland China. As the global investor in the film, Qiu Tian bears the global profits and risks of the film, but does not receive any rights that belong to him or her.

Fall has no overseas distribution channels and can't get involved in overseas promotion, so it has to accept it reluctantly. But Universal is only letting Fall cooperate in the domestic promotion of the film, which is a bit too much.

Universal couldn't possibly be unaware that most of the box office revenue for "Ultraman 1" came from China, and that "Ultraman 2" was able to start filming smoothly thanks to the help of Chinese capital. Moreover, the female lead, Liu Yifei, is one of the most popular actresses in China. However, Universal still adhered to the so-called "Hollywood global practice" and only arranged two days of promotional activities in China.

This has particularly displeased domestic investors such as Qiutian, China Film Group, and Kimi.

Liu Yifei is the star of the promotion for "Pacific Rim 2" in China. Is two days enough? Do they even want to keep the box office?
Even Liu Yifei, who was overseas, found it strange to receive her own event schedule and took the initiative to suggest that Universal Music increase its promotional activities in China.

But Global Times remained unmoved.

On the 1st, the premiere of "Pacific Rim 2" was held in Mexico, the hometown of director Guillermo del Toro.

On the 2nd, the male and female leads of "Pacific Rim 2" visited "Chicken Feather Show" and chatted about fun things that happened during filming.

On the 3rd, "Thor: Ragnarok" was released simultaneously in China and the United States. It topped the box office in North America with $46.8 million on its opening day, and also achieved a good opening day in mainland China with 1.02 million yuan.

Pacific Rim 2's biggest competitor is not Thor: Ragnarok, but Warner Bros.' Justice League, which was released on the same day.

Although the six major Hollywood studios are competitors, they have developed a certain tacit understanding over nearly a century of competition. They generally avoid scheduling major blockbusters from two different studios to clash head-on, as such a clash would be detrimental to everyone involved.

But this year, the clash between "Pacific Rim 2" and "Justice League" has given the media plenty of room to maneuver.

The Pacific Rim IP has intricate connections with Universal, Legendary, and Warner Bros.

TMZ, a well-known Hollywood tabloid (similar to Fengxing Studio in the Chinese entertainment industry), never misses a good spectacle and took the lead in stirring up topics after both "Ultraman 2" and "Justice League" were officially scheduled for release.

The article thoroughly dissected the relationships between Universal, Warner Bros., Legendary Pictures, and the Pacific Rim IP, even bringing up the unrelated Lantern Entertainment. Regarding this clash of release dates, a TMZ contributor commented as follows:
"This is a provocation from Universal to Warner."

"Over the past three years, Universal Pictures, with Legendary Pictures and Lantern Entertainment, has become the most envied film company in the world. If it weren't for Marvel, Universal Pictures would undoubtedly have surpassed Disney to take the top spot in Hollywood. However, there have been reports that Legendary Pictures would end its cooperation with Universal early and switch to Warner Bros. again. The cooperation between Universal and Lantern Entertainment has also been at an impasse since last year, with Lantern Entertainment also intending to seek other opportunities. This has forced Universal to pay attention to the global work of 'Ultraman 2.' It must deliver a heavy blow to Warner Bros. to maintain its hard-won market position and to prove to Legendary Pictures and Lantern Entertainment that it is still very capable, in order to seek a stable cooperative environment."

"It is worth noting that Lantern Entertainment received a $7600 million investment from Skydance ten days ago. While this amount is not enough to get David Ellison onto Lantern Entertainment's board of directors, it is enough for Lantern Entertainment to treat him as a VIP. It seems that Lantern Entertainment also knows that it cannot rely entirely on Universal."

These tabloids actually make it sound quite convincing.

On another note, if the partnership with Lantern Entertainment is valued, why only arrange two days of promotional activities in China?

On the 7th, the crew of "Pacific Rim 2" arrived in New York for a grand global premiere.

Liu Yifei wore a black and gold long dress from Elie Saab's Fall/Winter 2017 Haute Couture collection, exuding elegance and a powerful aura.

Mechs have always had a good audience base overseas. Four years have passed since the first Pacific Rim movie, and the New York premiere still attracted many Mech fans, who may not recognize the actors and director.

Liu Yifei isn't a fan of mecha and monster movies and doesn't know much about them, but she still has a lot to say about them, including her experiences during filming and her relationships with the crew.

On the evening of the 8th, "Pacific Rim 2" premiered in Los Angeles. On the 11th, the crew flew to London.

Paris, France, on the 13th.

On the afternoon of the 14th, Universal Pictures President Donna Langley and the crew of "Pacific Rim 2" arrived in Beijing.

Knock knock knock, there’s a knock on the door.

Li Qiutang didn't even look up: "Come in." He was currently in his office watching the set construction of the space station for "The Wandering Earth" at the Oriental Movie Metropolis via live stream, and he assumed his assistant was coming in to deliver something to him.

The visitor quietly placed a glass of water next to Li Qiutang.

"came back?"

"How did you know it was me?" Liu Yifei asked with a smile, leaning against her desk.

"I can smell your scent," Li Qiutang said, then looked at the screen. "Take a picture of the top. Is it not properly installed yet? Is it going to fall off?"

After looking at the set design for a while, Li Qiutang said, "Okay, that's enough for now. You guys check it one more time. I'll be over in a couple of days. Okay, that's all for today." She then ended the connection.

"It'll be turned on in a couple of days?" Liu Yifei asked.

"Yes, after two months of pretending, Wu Jing's injury has healed, and we're going to continue filming. Were you tired during your month abroad?"

"The activities themselves weren't tiring, but the travel was exhausting. I was either on the bus or on my way to catch a bus every day."

After the small talk, let's get down to business. Liu Yifei said, "I'm here to invite Director Li to attend the Chinese premiere of 'Pacific Rim 2' tonight."

"I'll have to think about it. I'm very busy, and I might not have time."

Liu Yifei smiled and said, "Please do me the honor."

"What good would it do me to go? I don't do things that don't benefit me," Li Qiutang said, seizing the opportunity to demand a higher price.

"I have nothing to give you, come or not, it's up to you." Liu Yifei didn't take the bait at all. "If you don't come, I'll go to the media and expose you, saying that you didn't even go to your own wife's premiere. Then we'll see who gets embarrassed."

"So fierce! I like it. Say one more line."

"How can you be so shameless?" Liu Yifei said, ignoring him, and pushed open the door to the lounge behind the desk.

"I'm going to sleep for a while. Wake me up in two hours."

"Set an alarm."

"What use is an alarm clock if it can wake me up?" Such a perfectly reasonable reason, Li Qiutang was speechless.

Liu Yifei closed the door and went to sleep, while Li Qiutang remained working in the office.

(End of this chapter)