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Chapter 224: John Wick 2 Storm Shakes the Globe [Please Subscribe]

It was around 8 pm on December 9th.

Liu Shishi and Liu Yifei selected an office that combined dining, living, and other amenities on the 9th floor of the Time Media Building.

I took a look around the house, which has a 10-square-meter bedroom and a small built-in bathroom.

Liu Shishi even complained, "Before I became famous, I lived in such a small house."

"It doesn't feel as spacious as a hotel's king-size bed room."

A typical hotel double room is around 20 square meters.

Liu Yifei waved her hand happily, "No way, there's also a 10-square-meter office space outside, which adds up to the size of a double room."

"There's also a 10-square-meter office for assistants."

"This 9th floor can accommodate 30 to 50 actresses for living and eating. It's much more luxurious than a dormitory, isn't it?"

The 2000-square-meter space includes a group of offices and some public buildings such as waiting rooms and meeting rooms.

The basement level is a large dining hall, where several chefs poached from five-star hotels are in charge.

There's also a dedicated internal supermarket, which is basically supplied by JD.com, which has been open for more than six months.

The most important thing is freedom.

How do you get in and out of this place, and how late do you come back at night?

They're not afraid of being photographed by paparazzi; they start with a picture and then make up the rest.

Liu Yifei laughed again, "Senior Sister, you earn so much from endorsements, you could really buy a big villa. 100 square meters would be too small for you."

Liu Shishi nodded, "That's right. You'll sign the contract soon, and then you can choose an office and renovate it yourself."

"By the time you finish your roadshow and film The Return of the Condor Heroes, the renovation will be complete."

Now, let alone (The Return of the Condor Heroes) not being finished filming, (The Hearing Girl) is not finished filming either.

It's just that a lot of people who have nothing to do with (John Wick 2) are doing promotional tours.

The Liu Shishi film crew also took a few days off to rest.

Xiao Shishi didn't do any roadshows; instead, she focused on learning from Lao Li.

I came to check it out today after learning that Liu Yifei was looking for an office.

Jiang Yiyan, who signed with Time Magazine earlier than Liu Yifei, is seen accompanying Huang Shengyi on a roadshow.

The two were still chatting and laughing when Liu Shishi's phone rang. When she pulled it out and looked at it, she laughed and said, "Let's go to the cafeteria downstairs. Zhang Ziyi is treating."

"I need to eat more of the best food and drinks."

"We can't afford to save money for Zhang Ziyi!"

Liu Yifei's eyes widened instantly. "This Sister Zhang has really become an international star. She's hit the jackpot."

In the second season of The Big Bang Theory.

Huang Xiaoming, a down-to-earth, cute, high-IQ nerdy scientist, falls in love with a female doctor.

In just 8, 9, and 10 episodes, the female doctor appears and disappears quickly.

Such roles, like Leonard's mother (played by Huang Xiaoming), were given to Rosamund Kwan.

They can all be assigned to actresses at will.

The final casting decision was made for Zhang Ziyi.

They assembled a powerful figure from the era of Speed ​​1, and started their roadshow there.

Aside from her supporting role in "The Wolf of Wall Street," it's easy for Zhang Ziyi to land minor roles in popular TV dramas, mainly because she's fluent in English.

The only impression I have of the female doctor in the original (The Big Bang Theory) is that she has a great conscience.

After three episodes, the actress disappeared from the public eye, so it didn't really help her career.

Because sitcoms have too many main characters in each episode, in addition to the "core main cast".

Even so, Liu Yifei was extremely envious.

That was a new protagonist in a single episode of a project that aired in the United States and had an audience of fourteen to fiveteen million.

Xiao Shishi said, both amused and exasperated, "What's this? The effect on her is very minor, and if there's no follow-up, then it's really over."

"The second and third female leads will reliably appear in the third and fourth seasons of The Big Bang Theory."

"These two roles could be filmed for the ninth or tenth season. Brother Li said that one of the two new female leads could be a Chinese actress."

"If you act in a lot of shows, your pay can reach 200,000 or even 300,000 to 500,000 US dollars per episode."

This is also true.

Originally, the character played Howard's girlfriend (the second female lead) and Sheldon's girlfriend (the third female lead).

The tenth season saw the salary reach $45 per episode.

This is a regular sitcom, a privilege that new characters in ordinary episodes can only dream of.

Old Li himself still prefers to have a Chinese actress play Sheldon's girlfriend.

Filming was scheduled to begin in 2007, with one season per year.

Liu Yifei was shocked. "I heard from Sister Jenny that all the actresses in the show are eyeing the characters played by Brother Huang, Guo Jingfei, and Sister Qin Lan who are related to each other."

"Is the Big Bang Theory going to introduce a new female supporting character? This news..."

This news may seem insignificant, but it's actually a bombshell.

You said you were aiming for a $300,000 to $500,000 fee per episode.

Liu Shishi now looks down on such characters, finding them uninteresting.

After the Goblin, she easily amassed several endorsement deals, becoming a multi-millionaire.

But for actresses who haven't yet risen to fame, it's a goldmine.

Xiao Shishi said happily, "Xixi, your English is okay, but your acting skills are really lacking. If you compete based on acting skills, you still have a year or two to prepare."

“I think Tang Wei, Yang Mi, and Li Bingbing are all more ruthless than you.”

"Let's go downstairs for dinner. We can't miss out on the good stuff."

The news was released, even if the third season started filming in 06 and the fourth season in 07.

There's such a long preparation period; having acting skills isn't a problem, and having the hard work and confidence to learn English is also essential.

There are definitely more than one or two.

Liu Tao, who shows off his entire mouth of teeth when he opens his mouth, is quite ruthless.

When Liu Shishi and Liu Yifei arrived at the large cafeteria on the basement floor, it was already incredibly lively.

There's no need to go to a private room.

Many actors and celebrities still bring their assistants and order food one by one.

Several five-star hotels hired chefs who were all provided with special meals.

Then Liu Yifei realized, with a shiver running down her spine, that Liu Shishi was really eating it.

They can eat and drink to their heart's content without worrying about losing their figure.

She suddenly remembered that Jiang Yiyan had once complained about her in private.

He wanted to curry favor with Liu Shishi, the actress who became famous for her role in "Goblin."

This woman is always offering you snacks and pastries. I haven't seen her for months, and Jiang Yiyan's face has gotten noticeably rounder.

This woman is ruthless!

…………

Sunday, August 14.

At 11 a.m., Lao Li met with Rosamund Kwan, Joey Wong, and Cheung Po-chi in his office.

Then there are Tang Wei, Jiang Shuying, Yang Mi, Jiang Qinqin, Zeng Li, and He Qing.

He registered the copyright for the (Teddy Bear) script and was then selecting the lead actress and supporting actress for the project.

When Lao Li had Xiao Tong busy distributing scripts to everyone, he spoke up, "For this new project, I'm not sure yet whether to promote an international young actor or a big-name actress."

"Adjust the plan based on the progress."

“Those who are called in have a chance to compete for the lead or second lead role, and those who are not called in, such as Megan Fox and Blake Lively, also have a chance.”

"If we want to promote the young actor's international appeal, then the female lead should be a white woman."

"But if we promote a leading lady, it's easier to replicate the success of (The Hangover 1) globally. If we promote a leading man, we might lose $2 million in box office revenue."

"This script is very dirty, and the lines are very lewd. It won't pass censorship in mainland China."

"Take your time and see. Those who aren't good at English should study diligently, even if it means hanging their heads from the rafters or pricking their thighs with awls."

When he finished speaking and went to have tea.

Tang Wei and Yang Mi looked at each other in surprise. It was only after Yang Mi thanked Xiao Tong with a sweet smile that she pointed to herself and asked, "Senior brother, do I also have the opportunity to work on such a big project?"

She genuinely felt increasingly marginalized within the company. Compared to the other four beauties of the company, the gap between them was widening.

Old Li nodded speechlessly, "You've gone to such great lengths with your plastic surgery, inflating your conscience. Your on-screen charm has certainly increased, but leading ladies need pretty faces."

"It's written in the script that a rich, handsome, and successful man is pursuing the female lead."

"The chair that the female lead sat in in his office, after she left, all the rich and handsome guys would run to lick the chair she sat in."

"If you're going to promote a leading lady, it's not convincing if she's not pretty enough."

At that, many people in the room burst out laughing.

Wang Zuxian sighed, "Boss, your setting is too... I didn't have that charm even at my peak. You have to look at Sister Lin at her peak, and Sister Qing also has it."

As she spoke, she glanced at Yang Mi, who gave an awkward, forced smile.

When Wang Zuxian looked at Tang Wei?
Tang Wei began to question his existence: Who am I? Where am I? What am I doing?
More and more people are looking at Tang Wei.

Old Li waved his hand and said, "Tang Wei is only competing for the second female lead. If we're going to promote a young male lead, the female lead will be a white woman, and the second female lead will be a Chinese woman."

"To play the female lead in a series like The Hangover, even if it's just the second female lead."

"After the performance, the salary can increase to $50 or $100 million, which is also the standard salary in Hollywood."

Tang Wei breathed a sigh of relief. Forget bowing deeply, she wanted to kneel down and thank Old Li.

Tong Liya asked curiously, "If they promote a young male actor, they'll lose 2 million US dollars in box office revenue? That's such a loss!"

Under the watchful eyes of the crowd.

Li Wenyu nodded decisively, "It's a huge loss, and the female lead's character in this movie is quite good."

The female lead in Teddy Bear is someone who, despite being pursued by a rich and handsome young man, refuses to be moved.

I like men who are in their thirties or forties and are still useless and pathetic. I don't mind that they have nothing, as long as there is love between them.

I want to marry for love.

Moreover, this human male protagonist often gets into trouble.

It's so bizarre that a teddy bear asked him to go out and play during work hours.

The human protagonist can lie to his boss and say that his girlfriend saw stray dogs fighting and tried to break up the fight, but she was bitten by the dogs and was badly bitten.

They urgently need my help.

Then, the female lead finally gets home, thinking about spending some time alone with her boyfriend.

As soon as the door opened, Teddy Bear had invited four or five prostitutes to a party.

Some people even poop on the living room floor, which is really bad.

The male protagonist is in a state of collapse, and the female protagonist still has to clean up the mess.

All things considered, if it weren't for love, and an extremely love-struck mindset, the female protagonist couldn't possibly end up with the human male protagonist.

But then Teddy Bear got into trouble and was kidnapped by a pervert.

The female lead, like Megan Fox in Transformers 1, physically intervenes to rescue the teddy bear.

Not a bad teammate at all.

What kind of big-screen image would male viewers have?

This is the kind of girlfriend who meets all your fantasies.

Only after Teddy Bear was released would the US media claim that if you invested one dollar in her, she could earn you a profit of 68 dollars.

Old Li took a sip of tea and smiled, "Once the project starts filming, we still need to discuss co-production and revenue sharing with Warner Bros. Pictures."

"At the earliest, filming will begin after October, so you all still have time."

"If you factor in the time spent on special effects production, it might not even have made it into the 06 summer blockbuster season."

"And Sister Xian, you also need time to continue your skincare and whitening routine."

He started treating Wang Zuxian with traditional Chinese medicine and has been doing beauty and cosmetic procedures for almost a year now.

Personal moxibustion is only effective in the initial stages.

Now 38 years old, Joey Wong looks almost the same as she did in "Peking Man" in 1997, or even slightly better.

She has been practicing individualized versions of Tai Chi and Wu Qin Xi (Five Animal Frolics) for more than three months.

Rosamund Kwan is still a step behind.

He Qing is even further behind. Only after waiting several months for the most expensive, most comfortable, and personalized full-body medical treatment can He Qing return to the state of Xiao Qiao from the Three Kingdoms period.

A group of actresses thanked them excitedly, then politely exchanged pleasantries before leaving.

Tong Liya asked curiously, "If it's about supporting the female lead, even if it's A-Zhi, Zeng Li, or Jiang Qinqin..."

"These three are no match for Sister Qing and Sister Xian, who are getting better and better."

Old Li nodded, "Isn't it still uncertain? It can't be released in mainland China, so there's no revenue sharing from mainland box office."

"If Warner Bros. or Columbia Pictures don't share revenue with us in Europe and America, and only give us a small share, or a small share, then even more than $5 million worldwide won't mean much."

"But if we promote a young actor, even if it only costs 3 million US dollars globally."

"This will increase the value of ordinary commercial endorsements, which is 100 million yuan a year, to over 1000 million yuan for those who meet Deng Chao's standards."

Xiao Tong suddenly realized, "If the first one is a success, we can use the filming rights for the second one to ask the US for a share of the profits?"

After all, she had also witnessed a bit of the negotiations during the hangover.

Despite the global box office success, both theater chains and Warner Bros. are trying to delay payments.

Then The Hangover Part II didn't start smoothly, as did other collaborative projects.

Old Li nodded, "If Sister Xian and Sister Qing become big stars, their advertising endorsements should be worth 1000 million RMB."

Huang Xiaoming and Deng Chao's advertising revenue rivals that of Jackie Chan, placing them in a unique tier among Chinese celebrities.

Gong Li's film salary was at its highest point at that time; now it's $800 million per film.

However, Gong Li's advertising endorsement fee is not as high as that of Chow Yun-fat and Andy Lau.

Currently, it's Fan Bingbing, Li Jiaxin, Quan Zhixian, and Da Meiyuan who dominate the tens of millions of RMB or HKD level.

Xiao Tong almost burst out laughing, "If that's true, Rosamund Kwan's money-making model of churning out 10 or 20 ads a year will collapse."

Old Li shrugged. It didn't matter.

It simply means taking fewer orders when prices are high, focusing on quality over quantity.

If prices are lowered, more orders will be placed and more sales will be made.

When he carried Tong Liya to the lounge, Tong complained, "Should we order some hearty dishes from the cafeteria downstairs first?"

She didn't run around promoting (John Wick 2).

They can eat and drink to their heart's content every day, satisfying their appetites while maintaining a perfect figure.

It's all Old Li's fault.

…………

Two more days passed in the blink of an eye.

On August 16, The Hangover and John Wick 2 were released in mainland China for their third and second weeks, respectively.

The Hangover grossed 63 million RMB in a single week, while Fast & Furious 2 cut it down to 96 million RMB.

There's basically no data available for other summer blockbusters.

Even more surprisingly, (John Wick 2) also grossed $2800 million in the US in a single week, bringing its total to $4900 million.

4900 million in ten days!
The basic indication is that (Fast & Furious 2) has easily surpassed 8000 million views in the US.

This achievement was made despite the pressure from a plethora of Hollywood blockbusters.

Not to mention that Da Meiyuan is a legend among female celebrities, she's far superior to Li Lianjie.

Jet Li ventured into Hollywood.

From Romeo Must Die, The Pursuit of the Cosmic, Kiss of the Dragon, to Cradle of Fatality and Danny the Dog.

None of them have broken $5000 million in the United States.

None of them have grossed over $100 million worldwide.

The Forbidden Kingdom, released in 2008, grossed $5200 million in the United States and $1.28 million worldwide.

The film "Big Beauty" is a direct competitor to Jackie Chan's "Rush Hour" series.

Hollywood studios are shameless with their marketing; this time they're touting that Li Wenyu has built up $60 billion in assets in four years.

The person in charge of publicity, Lao Li, is the male lead!!

Old Li only lives on in Da Meiyuan's memories.

Moviegoers who were fooled once are still going to enjoy watching John Wick 2.

After all, this was an era before (Taken) came along.

(End of this chapter)