The Birth of the Best Director

Chapter 127: 10 days, 2 million US dollars! About to break the box office record for a Chinese director!
……

Following Apple's release of the first-generation Siri voice assistant, which ignited the market, Universal Pictures' media coverage also followed suit.

The authoritative media outlet Variety released the box office figures for the first week of "Upgrade".

—[The sci-fi film "Upgrade," with a budget of $30 million, grossed $77 million in its first week, matching the box office of the blockbuster "Avatar"!]

In fact, many people don't know that when Avatar was first released, its box office performance wasn't explosive. Instead, it swept the globe thanks to its super word-of-mouth and terrifying long-tail effect.

On its opening day, Avatar only grossed $27 million, which wasn't as impressive as many had imagined.

What's truly outrageous is the release of the super IP "Twilight: New Moon" in November.

As the highest-grossing film on its opening day in 2009, it earned a staggering $91 million on its first day of release.

so horrible!

Fan-made films are just that exaggerated!
The second place winner, "Transformers 2," also achieved a phenomenal result.

On its opening day, it grossed $62 million at the box office.

Compared to these fan-oriented films, Avatar's opening day box office of 2700 million is nothing, and it even looks like it's going to flop.

However, after the positive word-of-mouth for Avatar spread, the box office in the second week remained unchanged, still taking in $75 million.

This is extremely rare in North American box office history.

In most cases, it is normal for box office revenue in the second week to plummet by 40% compared to the first week.

Even a high-concept sci-fi blockbuster like "District 9," which received rave reviews, couldn't escape this pattern and still plummeted by 46%!

……

As expected, as a science fiction film, "Upgrade" will also encounter this situation.

The following week, the stock plummeted 40%, which was part of Universal Pictures' plans.

However, thanks to Apple's marketing and the popularity of Siri, the AI ​​voice assistant, "Upgrade" attracted a new batch of users.

This gave "Upgrade" a much-needed boost!
On December 28th, the North American box office for "Upgrade" not only did not decline but actually increased, and even briefly surpassed "Avatar", taking in $33 million!
On that day, "Upgrade" became the highest-grossing film in North America!

We reached the top!
For Lu Zhiyuan, it's not just about topping the box office.

This means he has received a guaranteed talent reward, but it's unclear whether it's an A-level or S-level talent!
Affected by the strong rebound of "Upgrade", "Avatar" was squeezed at the box office, plummeting by more than 50%, and earning less than 1800 million US dollars on the day, almost being killed by "Upgrade" by more than double!

Unfortunately, by Tuesday, Upgrade's box office had immediately plummeted to just 1000 million, while Avatar regained its advantage, rising back to 2500 million.

However, even though it only topped the North American box office for a single day, the promotional method of "Upgrade" caused a huge sensation!

As a science fiction film, it actually had a fantastic collaboration with a real-world science fiction company.

So imaginative!

Apple benefited on Tuesday, with its stock price rising another 3%.

Besides Apple, Nvidia, AMD, and Intel, all companies involved in AI-related computing chips, also saw their stock prices rise.

This benefits investors in technology-related stocks.

After get off work, going to the cinema and buying a ticket for "Upgrade" became a small act of support.

……

The publicity campaign is ongoing.

At least, even a super IP like Sherlock Holmes couldn't shake Avatar's top spot after the second week.

"Upgrade" has done it!

Even just one day is enough to make people feel incredible!

Universal Pictures, having finally caught a big fish, is eager to pour all its promotional resources into "Upgrade".

The media continues to bombard us with questions.

After all, Avatar, which had an investment of $3.1 million, was overtaken by Upgrade, which had an investment of only $3000 million.

Absolutely inspiring.

"I'm the genius who discovered the path!"

"I defied everyone's objections and stubbornly bet on this movie!"

"Under my leadership, Universal Pictures will surely reach new heights!"

The success of "Upgrade" made Adam Ferguson, the newly appointed chairman of Universal Pictures, feel very proud.

He wanted all the shareholders to know that he was the one who single-handedly brought about the "Upgrade".

The $2000 million investment was something he pushed through despite opposition from other board members.

Today, his judgment has been proven correct.

NBCUniversal made the right decision to appoint him as chairman of Universal Pictures!

He should get a raise!
He should receive a bonus at the end of the year!

—Entertainment Weekly: Exclusive cover story, an interview with Keanu Reeves.

—[Keanu: The entire crew can testify that Alita is a super language genius; she learned the local Bulgarian dialect in just three days.]

Keanu Reeves has a good image in the media; he's not the type to exaggerate for the sake of a movie.

He would never praise a young girl indiscriminately.

In other words, this interview is most likely real!

"I knew it! Alita is a genius!"

"The Holy Maiden is invincible! A symbol of beauty and wisdom!"

"She looks very intelligent, with bright eyes and an elegant posture, just like an owl."

In North American culture, owls are a symbol of wisdom and knowledge.

This originates from Greek mythology.

In Greek mythology, the owl is the messenger of Athena.

In addition, owls represent wisdom, an image also seen in Harry Potter.

……

Meanwhile, influenced by the movie "Upgrade", many science fiction fans around the world flocked to Weizhou Island.

In just three days, the number of tourists visiting Weizhou Island has increased dozens of times!
Most of them come from North America.

Hotel room prices on the island tripled in a single day, yet demand still exceeded supply, leading many villagers to even vacate their homes to serve as temporary guesthouses.

They made a fortune off these foreigners.

These tech-savvy men traveled thousands of miles from North America on a pilgrimage to find the place where Alita, the battle angel, was martyred.

Most of these people are suffering from illnesses and experiencing physical pain, and they come here to seek a way out.

They want to find a way to transform themselves into data AI, like Alita in the movie, to achieve cyber immortality.

In just a few days, more than 10 people have committed suicide by jumping into the sea on Weizhou Island.

This threw some units on Weizhou Island into a panic.

Left with no other option, the authorities put up a sign next to the lighthouse and installed several surveillance cameras.

—【You have entered a monitored area; this area will be subject to electromagnetic interference.】

With electromagnetic interference, the AI ​​cult can't connect to the internet.

The data obviously cannot be uploaded.

The implication is that it's telling those extremists that they want physical liberation, but due to electromagnetic interference, they definitely won't succeed.

Cherish life, don't go to extremes!
Even so, there are still a few individuals who go to extremes.

The units on Weizhou Island are truly speechless.

They wish they could grab a megaphone and shout to the world, "You North American idiots, if you want to commit suicide, don't come to China. Hang yourself in your own backyard; it'll have the same effect!"

The more the authorities try to dissuade them, the more frantic they become.

Since the official slogan was posted, it quickly sparked a huge discussion online and attracted many science fiction fans to spread it spontaneously.

They all spoke with absolute certainty, saying that there really might be some problem on Weizhou Island. Otherwise, why would there be such peculiar slogans?

Every day, countless people want to go to the island in search of the legendary wonders.

These people are crazy; they're all extremists.

This can't go on; it could easily lead to international disputes.

Finally, Weizhou Island came up with a brilliant idea.

Reduce ferry services and carefully investigate the purpose of tourists' visits to the island. Only those who are traveling normally and not engaging in extreme activities will be allowed to go to the island.

This finally stopped those extremists.

……

The time soon came to April 1nd.

It was Sunday, and most people were resting at home.

Inside the Starlight Brilliant Company, however, there was an unusually lively atmosphere.

The Spring Festival hasn't arrived yet, it's just New Year's Day, but the company directly notified everyone to come to the company to receive red envelopes and celebrate with everyone in advance.

After working for so many years, this is the first time we've encountered something like this.

"Mr. Zhao, congratulations on your fortune!"

"Under President Zhao's leadership, the company is thriving and will soon surpass Huayi Brothers to become the number one private film and television company in China."

What is Huayi Brothers anyway?
Look at our dazzling stars.

The film "The Coffin in the Mountain" won the Palme d'Or.

The movie "Upgrade" swept the world, grossing nearly $2 million in just 10 days in North America and China.

Although the daily box office of "Upgrade" in North America has now fallen below $500 million, it should be able to achieve a steady stream of revenue and eventually reach $2 million thanks to its strong word-of-mouth.

As for global box office?

Barring any unforeseen circumstances, it will be no less than 4 million US dollars, and if we're lucky, it might even reach 6 million US dollars!
6 million US dollars, which is close to 40 billion yuan!
Huayi Brothers, how are you going to fight back?

I wonder if Huayi Brothers, since its inception, has grossed 40 billion yuan in total from all its films!
Unfortunately, Starlight Entertainment did not invest in the film "Upgrade," and only secured the publicity and distribution rights in China.

Of course, the name of the production company is listed alongside Universal Pictures.

It makes one look particularly prestigious.

In addition, the director of the movie "Upgrade," Lu Zhiyuan, is our CEO Zhao's future cousin-in-law.

Doesn't this equate to being one of our own?

Half of the crew members on the film "Upgrade" are illustrious stars.

If we round it up, doesn't that mean we filmed it ourselves?
Therefore, we should send out New Year's Day red envelopes!

We hope other companies in the industry will follow suit!
"Sister Shanshan, I'll post a few too."

How could Miss Jing Tian be absent from the whole red envelope giveaway?

These crew members will have to continue following Lu Zhiyuan to traverse mountains and valleys, to the most dangerous places in the world, to film those world-famous paintings.

She needs to recruit a few undercover agents beforehand.

……

After handing out the red envelopes, the employees left happily.

Several senior executives of the company, along with Lu Zhiyuan and Xin Yukun, gathered together for a large meeting.

"This movie was a huge success!"

"In just 10 days, it grossed $1.5 million in North America and nearly $3 million in China. It will also be released in Europe, Japan and Brazil next week, and barring any unforeseen circumstances, it should be able to take in $1 million."

"In addition, Universal Pictures has reported that DVD sales are very good, and the estimated sales revenue for the entire period should exceed 8000 million US dollars!"

All things considered, the total revenue of the entire film definitely exceeds 5 million US dollars!
What kind of rate of return is that?
The film cost $3000 million to make, and $1500 million was spent on subsequent marketing and distribution.

On the surface, the return on investment has already exceeded 10 times!
Of course, if you really calculate the profit sharing income, the after-tax income is not that much, but it is definitely more than three times!
Most importantly, the risk of Starlight Brilliant is extremely low because Lu Zhiyuan did not ask them to invest in the early stages, but entrusted them with all the publicity and promotion work.

This allows them to make money without any risk.

In addition, Starlight Entertainment and Universal Pictures were listed together as the production companies of "Upgrade".

No matter where in the world, you can see the star-studded names whenever a movie is released.

This has subtly elevated the status of Starlight Entertainment by a significant amount.
Making money is important, but saving face is also important!

Isn't this the kind of glory we seek in life?

"Ah Yuan, how about it? Let's have a celebration banquet tomorrow!"

Zhao Shanshan looked at the silent Lu Zhiyuan. Tomorrow, "Avatar" will be released in China, and barring any unforeseen circumstances, it will definitely be a smash hit.

"Upgrade" should also suffer a bitter defeat.

After all, the movie has been in theaters for 10 days, and most of the audiences have already seen it. The remaining people are probably waiting for a high-definition pirated version to be released.

We can't count on it.

Before getting blown away by Avatar, let's have a celebration party first, so as not to ruin our good mood.

"Brother, let's have a celebration banquet. After that, I'm looking forward to returning home in glory and buying up all the mines around our village."

Xin Yukun also urged Lu Zhiyuan to hold a celebration banquet.

Most importantly, he had promised his younger brother Su Lun that he would introduce the other party to Lu Zhiyuan, and of course, he had to do it when Lu Zhiyuan was in a good mood.

When Avatar is released in China and blows Upgrade out of the market, Lu Zhiyuan will definitely be unhappy, even if he doesn't say it.

"Alright. Let's have a celebration banquet then."

Since it was something everyone was looking forward to, Lu Zhiyuan certainly wouldn't be a spoilsport, so he smiled and nodded in agreement.

"Okay, I'll book a hotel right now."

"Same old place, Aman Summer Palace. Tell them to prepare more Northwest-style food. What did they serve at Huayi Brothers' IPO?"

Zhao Shanshan laughed and made a few sarcastic remarks.

They were all from the Northwest region. Although Lu Zhiyuan was from Jiangsu and Zhejiang, he grew up in Xi'an, so his tastes naturally leaned towards the Northwest.

"Make more naan or something, to cater to Reba's taste."

Lu Zhiyuan suddenly remembered something and casually mentioned it.

"No problem. We won't forget our little princess."

Zhao Shanshan didn't think much of it; she just added a few notes when placing the order, it wasn't a big deal.

Only Xin Yukun's eyes flickered a few times upon hearing this, and he chuckled inwardly.

I knew it.

Dilraba is your little cutie.

Brother, I'll give you a big gift at the celebration banquet tomorrow night!

……

Huayi Brothers.

Inside the chairman's office.

"Brother, Xiao Lu is awesome!"

"Media outlets predict that the movie 'Upgrade' could gross $5 million worldwide! That's a whopping $5 million!"

"And the DVD copyright revenue is probably tens of millions of US dollars!"

"One movie grossed a total of 6 million US dollars. At the current exchange rate of 6.8, that's equivalent to 40 billion RMB!"

"so horrible!"

"40 billion RMB, my goodness. The entire Huayi Brothers is only worth a little over 100 billion RMB."

"Last year, the total box office revenue of Chinese films was only 62 billion yuan. He alone accounted for 70% of the total revenue!"

"If any of the trash under our command could ever reach that level, I'd sell my ass to them!"

When Huayi Brothers went public last time, they held a celebration banquet, and Xiao Wang and Lu Zhiyuan chatted for a long time.

Others say that Lu Zhiyuan is arrogant and aloof, but he doesn't think so at all; he's just a shy young man.

Now, this shy young man suddenly seemed somewhat unfamiliar to him.

He single-handedly generated 40 billion RMB in box office revenue!

The plot and visuals of the movie were all conceived by Lu Zhiyuan himself.

The AI ​​concept in the movie collaborates with Apple's Siri voice assistant project, creating a dreamlike synergy... This stroke of genius was also proposed by Lu Zhiyuan.

In addition, James, the CEO of Focus Features, met Lu Zhiyuan only once in Cannes and chatted with him for a few minutes. After that, he went crazy helping him with public relations and helped him win the Palme d'Or.

Subsequently, as James saw that the investment in "Upgrade" was getting bigger and bigger and Focus Features couldn't support it, he not only did not give up, but went back to Adam Ferguson, the current chairman of Universal Pictures.

What exactly is it about Lu Zhiyuan that makes him so charming?
Why is it that everyone who meets him goes crazy, desperately wanting to help him realize his cyber robot dream?

Before the release of "Upgrade", Xiao Wang didn't understand.

Since the release of "Upgrade," Xiao Wang really wants to say, "Brother, let's play together! I'm going to suffocate for your dream too!"
"Big brother, do we have any pretty young female celebrities under our management right now? Preferably around seventeen or eighteen years old."

Xiao Wang thought and thought, but he couldn't come up with an answer.

He had no choice but to ask his older brother, since his older brother was in charge of the company's normal operations.

"No."

Mr. Wang shook his head, speechless: "The female celebrities under our company are all big names, where would we find a seventeen or eighteen-year-old girl?"

Newcomers who are seventeen or eighteen years old don't know anything and need to be trained slowly.

Huayi Brothers wouldn't bother cultivating talent.

Most importantly, nobody knows how to train these new actors.

Are you suggesting we put Feng Xiaogang in charge? That's a joke!
"Brother, do you really love those old fogies that much? Aren't the young ladies better? How do you usually manage the company? Do you even know what a reserve force is?"

"Hey."

“I already told Xiaolu that I would prepare a big gift for him next time we meet. Aren’t you making me break my promise? I’m so embarrassed.”

Mr. Wang looked speechless, shook his head, and left.

Sitting in his boss's chair, Boss Wang clenched his fists repeatedly, silently reminding himself, "This is my younger brother, I should just bear with it."

Otherwise, it would be difficult to explain to my parents.

However, my silly younger brother is right; we should cultivate some promising young talents as backup options.

Relying on the same old tricks all the time won't work.

Old-fashioned cabbage has become too cunning, turning into hollow cabbage.

Not only does it taste bad, it also runs away from its own land.

……

In just 10 days since its release, "Upgrade" has grossed over $2 million worldwide, which is close to 14 billion yuan!
This has shocked the entire domestic entertainment industry!
Currently, the highest-grossing film by a Chinese director is "Mission: Impossible 2" directed by John Woo, which grossed $5.46 million worldwide!
Next, in second place is Li An's "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon", with a budget of 2.13 million US dollars!
Considering that Mission: Impossible 2 was the first Hollywood A-list blockbuster directed by a Chinese director and topped the global box office for the year.

The historical significance of this film is extraordinary.

This is why, after failing to make it in Hollywood, John Woo was still able to raise so much money back in China to film "Red Cliff".

Because, from a historical perspective, he is the first Chinese director to make a commercial film!
If Lu Zhiyuan can break the box office record of Mission: Impossible 2 with Upgrade, then Wu Yusen's undefeated record will be gone from now on.

At such times, some untimely voices have also emerged.

Sima Nan: Where Has the Cultural Confidence of the Chinese People Gone? Shanghai Disneyland May Be the Sucker!

This news seems to have nothing to do with Lu Zhiyuan.

But after clicking in and taking a few glances, I suddenly realized that after talking about Disney, this person changed the subject and started talking about Lu Zhiyuan's "Upgrade," which was entirely promoting Apple, clearly showing a lack of cultural confidence.

He used a combination of threats and insults to berate Lu Zhiyuan.

"A person who doesn't attract envy is mediocre."

Lu Zhiyuan remained very calm when he saw this news.

A movie that becomes a box office hit and takes up screenings from other movies is bound to attract resentment.

The emergence of this kind of news at this time strongly suggests that those involved behind the film "Bodyguards and Assassins" are highly suspicious.

But they are just a bunch of defeated opponents, not worth worrying about.

At this moment, Lu Zhiyuan was waiting for his system to settle his account.

It topped the North American box office charts in a single day!
Although it was only a short day, it should still show a super talent.

I just don't know whose it is.

However, while Lu Zhiyuan remained calm, Miss Jing Tian would not allow anyone to provoke her precious robot.

"Hey, Uncle, could you help me find out something about this guy named Sima Nan? What's his background? Where did he come from? I want to know his history!"

Miss Jing Tian made a phone call to a certain department.

Two hours later, all the information about Sima Nan was sent to Miss Jing Tian.

"Someone who writes articles in China, making veiled attacks, even dares to criticize our domestic robots. I thought he was some kind of righteous person?"

"So he's just a fame-seeker!"

Who is Sima Nan?
He claims he has no regrets about being born in China, but in reality, he buys a house in California!
"Sister Shanshan, I want to ruin this person's reputation!"

"First of all, how did he get the money out of the country? Did he evade taxes? Find out for me! If he has even a shred of dirt on his ass, I'll make him regret it!"

"Secondly, investigate who paid this person's MCN company to dare to hack our robot?"

"After the investigation, we followed the tax authorities all the way up. I just don't believe that these people would do business honestly without a single stain on their record."

Miss Jing Tian is usually a gentle and intellectual beauty with a particularly sweet smile and a very good personality; she almost never gets angry with anyone.

If others joke about her or ridicule her acting skills online, she can laugh it off generously, indicating that she is happy to bring some joy to the audience.

But at some point, she also developed a sore spot!

Anyway, if anyone says a bad word about Lu Zhiyuan, she will make sure they suffer a lot, even if they don't die!

"You clown, watch how I kill him!"

Not only was Jing Tian very angry, but Zhao Shanshan was also very angry.

Lu Zhiyuan is so well-behaved. Apart from filming movies, he stays at home, spending his days either drawing or researching how to play with robots.

So unmoved by fame and fortune, still sticking to himself, it's as if he's not the one breaking all kinds of box office records.

Zhao Shanshan swears to God, you won't find another one like her in the entire entertainment industry.

It is estimated that Chen Kaige, who is only 58 years old, is willing but unable to maintain his composure, and can only stay at home drinking goji berry tea.

These people should be grateful that Lu Zhiyuan doesn't go out and cause trouble. Who knew that someone would defy fate and come up to them to show off their presence?
How can this behavior be described?
It's like sticking a straw into a cesspool and risking your life to suck up shit (courting death)!
……

It's located in an old residential area opposite the Beijing Film Academy.

This is the place where Lu Zhiyuan and Xin Yukun used to rent together.

Both of them moved out, but they didn't return the house.

Because Xin Yukun renewed his lease. This place is in a prime location, perfect for him to come and bump into a female student from the Beijing Film Academy when he has free time.

"Nazha, make your eyes look more innocent, like a quail, delicate and pitiful, innocent and naive, understand?"

"I give up. I told you to look more innocent, not to squint. Do you even understand? Is this how you model? Has no one ever taught you how to control your expressions?"

"If you don't understand, watch 'King of Comedy' again and see how Cecilia Cheung acted! She's such a lousy person in real life, yet she can still act so innocent."

"Nazha, don't be all smiles and jokes when I'm talking to you. If you don't act well, I'll send you back. Do you know what the consequences will be?"

"Putting everything else aside, your 30 model girlfriends will definitely kill you! Your silly grin ruined their chances of making Hollywood movies!"

Xin Yukun focused on telling Nazha how to attract Lu Zhiyuan's attention, but Nazha didn't take it seriously at all and just kept giggling.

This caused Xin Yukun to have a mental breakdown.

He had absolutely no idea whether this girl was genuinely stupid or just pretending.
Is it really that hard to play a charming, naive, innocent, and kind-hearted young girl who hasn't seen much of the world?

"Brother Kun, am I really stupid? I can't do anything right?"

Naza immediately felt a little wronged.

She tried her best to perform according to Xin Yukun's requirements, but it just didn't work.

"Correct."

"Her eyes were slightly red, her lips were pouting, and she looked so pitiful... Yes, look at me with a bit of pain in your eyes, yes, a bit of pain, that's the feeling."

"You remember it!"

"Give it your all tonight!"

"If you mess up your performance, you know what the consequences will be. You'll be beaten up by 30 girls in turns. Just imagine that scene."

Xin Yukun gave Nazha a good scolding and threatened her severely, which finally had some effect.

Indeed, traditional Chinese education is very effective.

For unruly children, you have to beat them and scold them!

Otherwise, she won't learn her lesson.

(End of this chapter)