The Birth of the Best Director

Chapter 202 breaks the domestic single-day box office record! It even beats Tsui Hark into submission.
……

December 25th, Christmas Day, happens to be a Sunday.

On this day, most countries around the world are immersed in the festive atmosphere.

Christmas is not a traditional Chinese holiday.

But in recent years, the Christmas atmosphere has gradually emerged in China.

Although companies and schools don't close on Christmas Day, businesses will still hold various Christmas promotions to boost consumption.

Many companies also have Christmas trees.

Company leaders drew lots to select one person to play Santa Claus and randomly distribute gifts to employees.

Most importantly, any holiday is a good time for a date!

Dating costs money.

The scenarios for young couples' dates are varied and unpredictable, but for most people, if they don't want to put in too much effort, they can simply find a nearby movie theater and watch a movie they like.

Enjoying a warm, air-conditioned room, eating popcorn, and sitting next to someone you like... this is the most economical way for young couples to date.

However, even with such an economical dating method, the cost is still considerable.

A single date will cost at least several hundred dollars.

After all, two movie tickets, if it's an IMAX, would cost at least 200 yuan.

Besides, the two of them rarely go out together, so they should at least have a good meal, right?

Moreover, one should not be too stingy.

We need to feel a little bit of a sense of occasion. If it costs 100 yuan per person, we should at least eat at a restaurant, right? Otherwise, are we supposed to eat at a street stall?
This will definitely not work.

Besides these, there are taxi fares to and from the destination, milk tea expenses while shopping... You need to prepare at least 500 yuan for a date!
However, nothing else can be omitted from this list.

There's only one thing I must figure out before I set off!

Otherwise, even if you spend 500 yuan, you might not feel good.

That is, the movie has to be good!

"Brothers, I just got a girlfriend, and we're planning to go to the movies tomorrow. Now we've reached the final round."

"Flying Swords of Dragon Gate, The Flowers of War, Pacific Rim... Choose one of these three, give me a final answer."

"Hey guys, don't scam me! My new girlfriend is super pretty, she just joined the company."

Someone launched a 3-choice question and answer bounty on a social networking site.

This person is quite considerate; after asking the question, they even gave a reward of 18.8 yuan!

Whoever provides the best answer will win the prize.

……

As a media worker, Lao Ma has absolutely no time to rest; he spends all his time either writing articles or researching online.

Recently, he received a job to write a film review of "Pacific Rim" on Douban, which must be at least 1000 words long.

The price offered by the other party was very fair.

Old Ma finally managed to get this job, and last night, as soon as the movie was released, he rushed over to collect some materials.

After reading it, he was completely stunned.

He was absolutely certain that those mechs were either special effects or modified excavators.

That hydraulic transmission device is exactly the same as that of the Mantis excavator.

Especially in some of the finer details.

As a former civil engineer, Lao Ma was so familiar with the Mantis excavator that when he saw a small detail in the movie, he felt his DNA move.

Let's have a detailed discussion about the Chinese special effects team behind Pacific Rim!

"A 200-meter-tall Jaeger battles an apostle monster from the constellation Perseus. This film combines elements that appeal to both mecha and monster fans, making it a highly anticipated blockbuster."

"However, many people don't know that the vast majority of the special effects in this movie came from a Chinese special effects team."

As a science-oriented guy, Lao Ma doesn't like to talk about the visual effects of movies or plot holes.

He only talked about the heavy industry sector.

In particular, the development history of special effects in Chinese films!
Old Ma is an extremely prolific writer; in no time, a lengthy and eloquent article is freshly produced.

"knock off!"

After finishing the article and submitting it to my superior, they were very efficient and immediately transferred the money to Lao Ma.

After receiving the money, Lao Ma started browsing the internet and soon found the question and answer post at the beginning.

"Brother, I suggest you watch 'The Flowers of War' first..."

I just finished writing an article, and I still feel like I have more to say.

Right now, he felt an urge to write a long, detailed movie recommendation guide for the other party, even offering to do so for free.

His original intention was to tell the other person that they should watch "The Flowers of War" first, because this movie doesn't have any special effects and there's no need to fight for seats in a 3D theater.

Moreover, the ticket price is relatively cheap.

If you're a couple on a date and find the movie boring halfway through, you can do something that couples do in the dimly lit theater.

However, netizens clearly didn't have the patience to read through Lao Ma's long-winded explanation.

"I believe you ghost!"

"You bald seal, you're really wicked!"

“I checked the ticket prices. Pacific Rim’s tickets are the most expensive. Even though it’s also in IMAX, it’s 20% more expensive than Flying Swords of Dragon Gate.”

"Under these circumstances, unless the theaters are planning to rip off idiots... Pacific Rim is definitely the best of the three!"

This person asked and answered his own question.

After fooling netizens, he used his alternate account to steal the 18.8 yuan reward.

Those netizens who had given lengthy answers to the question then realized that this scoundrel wanted to show off that he had found a beautiful girlfriend at Christmas.

It can only be said that people's hearts have changed, and they are all despicable.

……

"Brothers, Pacific Rim has once again proven my theory. [Contains Jingtian] + [Contains less than 5% Jingtian] = Classic Blockbuster!"

The netizen who first proposed this theory is now almost a social media influencer.

Every time a movie starring Jing Tian is released, he would buy a ticket immediately and go to the cinema to criticize Miss Jing Tian's performance.

After he returns, he will write a super paper to give netizens a detailed report on the film's "content".

He doesn't just spout nonsense.

Instead, it adds up all the time Miss Jing Tian appears on screen and divides that by the total length of the movie.

In the movie "Pacific Rim", apart from the post-credits scene, all of Miss Jing Tian's scenes add up to less than three minutes.

Although in some scenes, Miss Jing Tian was actually in the center position, if the director didn't give her any screen time, then it doesn't count.

After complex calculations, this netizen gave the final answer.

Pacific Rim has a mere 3% content!

"[Content value] is only 3%, Yuan Ge's GOAT director status is still improving. Brothers, I'm going first!"

"The one upstairs, remember to send back news from the front lines after you're killed in action."

"Don't spread rumors! Brother Yuan's movies have never disappointed me! I heard that at the premiere, a lot of people won Alita: Battle Angel figurines. I really regret it, Wanda Plaza is only 2 kilometers from my house! If I had known, I should have waited outside yesterday."

……

Pacific Rim immediately became a hot topic upon its release.

Prior to this, reporters and media outlets had been engaged in heated debates about "Flying Swords of Dragon Gate" and "The Flowers of War".

Online discussions also largely revolve around these two films.

Since yesterday afternoon, after the release of "Pacific Rim", all the media attention has been focused on "Pacific Rim".

This created a black hole in the discussion.

Once someone in the crowd starts talking about Pacific Rim, the topic can go on and on.

Starting with "Upgrade," then moving on to "Real Steel," and then discussing how humanity could possibly conquer the constellation Perseus, can current technology support such an expedition?
Could there really be life-bearing planets in the constellation Perseus, 3.2 million light-years away?

From movies to military affairs, and from military affairs to the universe, we can even talk about whether the origin of humankind was an accident or a masterpiece of God.

……

With such a high level of online discussion, the entire Pacific Rim project team was naturally delighted.

However, the production teams for "Flying Swords of Dragon Gate" and "The Flowers of War" were in for a tough time.

Without discussion, there is no buzz, and all promotional effects are greatly diminished.

The result was a sharp decrease in ticket sales and a sharp reduction in the number of screenings in theaters, creating a vicious cycle.

Barring any unforeseen circumstances, the movie is about to flop!

At this point, some people are eager to expose the fact that Zhang Yimou didn't register the marriage but let his daughter have a third child first, just to increase the film's popularity.

At least, black and red are still red.

I'm afraid no one will pay attention.

……

Besides the extremely high level of discussion among netizens.

A day later, Universal Pictures also started to ramp up its publicity efforts.

Hundreds of media outlets worldwide almost unanimously praised the visual effects of "Pacific Rim".

The battle scenes between the Jaeger Hunters and the Apostle Monsters in the movie have been hailed as the most immersive battle scenes in the last 10 years.

……

—The Hollywood Reporter: "This is the ultimate monster movie extravaganza! Palme d'Or winner Lu Zhiyuan has perfectly blended futuristic technology, Japanese tokusatsu, Chinese action films, and Hollywood heavy-industry visual effects, creating a historic milestone for science fiction robot movies!"

—Variety: "This is a movie made for special effects; every collision between mechs and monsters is full of power and poetry."

—The Guardian: "Director Lu Zhiyuan elevates the sci-fi action film to an epic level with childlike passion. His love for monsters and machines runs throughout the entire film. I would call this movie the best Christmas gift for children!"

……

The media in Europe and America generally gave it positive reviews.

Of course, some media outlets believe that the film Pacific Rim relies too much on tokusatsu and mecha nostalgia, which may make ordinary viewers feel alienated.

Apart from that, only a very small number of media outlets believe that this film focuses on visual creation while neglecting humanistic care and art.

Of course, Starlight Entertainment simply doesn't bother to respond to such nitpicking media.

After all, movies aren't gold; not everyone will like them.

At least, the fact that Lu Zhiyuan's movies can be liked by 95% of people is already quite impressive!

……

As for the domestic media, there's no need to elaborate.

Faced with a domestic blockbuster, especially one that is breaking historical records, they naturally wouldn't pour cold water on it.

After all, if they want to pour cold water on things, they still need to get the article published!

If it won't send, how can I pour cold water on it?
All the articles that could be published were praising the movie "Pacific Rim" to the skies.

In this kind of public opinion environment, domestic articles are simply not of any reference value.

In addition to media outlets from Europe and America, this time, Starlight Entertainment paid special attention to media outlets from Japan and South Korea.

Because, after being nurtured by Lu Zhiyuan's two films, "Upgrade" and "Real Steel," these two countries already have a considerable number of fans.

Pacific Rim had a high screening rate and good attendance in both countries.

If nothing unexpected happens, the box office results should give them a pleasant surprise.

—Asahi Shimbun: "Director Lu Zhiyuan must have watched 'EVA' many times! The film's setting and art style perfectly inherit the genes of classic mecha works such as 'EVA'!"

The character of Dilraba, an AI cybernetic human, is not exactly the same as Rei Ayanami from "EVA," but they do share a great deal of similarity.

The scene where Dilraba's character changes bodies in the laboratory almost made EVA fans scream.

This is Rei Ayanami!

However, Rei Ayanami looks gentle and timid, while Dilraba is the kind of fighting angel who is incredibly fierce.

Their personalities were contrasting: one was as fiery as a flame, and the other as calm as ice and snow.

However, they are all incredibly popular!

"Alita is somewhat like a combination of Rei Ayanami and Asuka Langley Soryu."

"No, Asuka is a genius in disguise. In reality, she is very fragile. Alita is different. She is a true genius. Even Ms. T was conquered by her and had to share the power of the AI ​​Cyber ​​Legion with her."

"If I had to choose one of these three as my wife, I would choose Rei Ayanami. But I would like to have a daughter like Alita with Rei Ayanami. Besides that, it would be even better if Asuka could be my mistress."

Good guy!
You're dreaming!
Although this netizen's statement is somewhat outrageous, it also proves from another angle just how popular Dilraba's character is in the movie "Pacific Rim".

Alita may not be the most perfect girlfriend or wife in history.

But she must be the most perfect daughter in history!
With an off-the-charts IQ and formidable combat prowess, he was even able to outmaneuver a peerless genius like Miss T.

—Ms. T was not born with AI. Like Alita, she was a super genius who developed an AI chip and, after implanting it in her body, became a demigod.

Alita, who is like a god, has only one weakness.

That was her biological father.

If viewers can empathize with Keanu Reeves' character while watching the movie, they will have a very enjoyable experience.

Considering this is a teen movie, it might also be a children's movie.

If a father accompanies his child to see this movie, he can fully empathize with Keanu Reeves' character, which will greatly increase his enjoyment of the film.

To boost box office revenue, Lu Zhiyuan put a lot of thought into his character design.

……

soon.

The weekend was over in two days.

The stars were shining brightly in a huge conference room.

Many people came today, and the meeting room, which has dozens of seats, couldn't accommodate everyone.

Many people weren't even qualified to sit at the table.

They could only sit behind the conference table.

The secretary had placed many chairs on both sides of the table.

When Lu Zhiyuan entered, he felt that the air conditioning in the conference room was particularly warm, as if it had created a greenhouse effect.

"Ah Yuan, sit next to me!"

Miss Jing Tian found Lu Zhiyuan's cheeks flushed slightly from the heat particularly adorable.

She laughed and took the initiative to pull Lu Zhiyuan over to sit next to her.

In an instant, countless eyes in the conference room turned to look at us.

There were many people here, and Lu Zhiyuan was meeting them for the first time.

He knew without even thinking that these people were most likely the behind-the-scenes shareholders of Starlight Brilliant, some of the holders in that private equity fund.

Now, the box office figures for Pacific Rim's opening weekend are out.

Barring any unforeseen circumstances, this movie should be able to add a golden touch to Starlight Entertainment's financial report this year.

For three consecutive years, Lu Zhiyuan directed three commercial blockbusters, which brought Starlight Brilliant a profit of billions of RMB.

With such excellent performance, it's perfectly capable of going public.

Before the IPO, these private equity fund holders, who are unable to appear in public, will cash out their shares on a large scale.

As for the person who takes over...

This is something Lu Zhiyuan doesn't need to worry about.

People from the capital market will naturally step in.

This is a very mature process.

Although Lu Zhiyuan had never met him, he had heard many people mention him.

Being in the thick of it all, he felt a little out of place, but that was the rule.

If he wants to play this game, he has to follow these rules.

However, it was precisely because of these people that he encountered almost no obstacles during the filming process.

In this game of rules, he is the beneficiary.

……

Zhao Shanshan had her secretary distribute a stack of documents to everyone present, and at the same time, she turned on the projector and described a beautiful dream with starlight to everyone.

"Distinguished guests, esteemed shareholders."

"It is an honor to stand here today and bring you great news."

Zhao Shanshan stopped there.

Everyone looked up, their eyes filled with anticipation.

Everyone was just waiting for Zhao Shanshan to reveal some explosive data so that they could all applaud and cheer.

"I specifically chose to hold this meeting in the afternoon so that I could wait until I have all the box office data from all countries and regions around the world before announcing specific figures to everyone."

“And just five minutes ago, I got this data.”

"Guess how much our 'Pacific Rim' grossed over its opening weekend?"

Can anyone guess?

Zhao Shanshan now particularly enjoys playing these kinds of guessing games.

Because this is all money that's about to go into their own pockets.

However, it is obvious that in such a formal setting, not in private, people would not speak up easily.

Zhao Shanshan smiled, a hint of regret on her face: "No one can guess? Then I'll just reveal the correct answer."

"$2.3 million in the first two days!"

After the figure of 2.3 million US dollars was announced, the entire audience was stunned for a moment before cheering and applauding.

"2.3 million US dollars! That's 15 billion yuan!"

"My goodness, I remember the domestic box office record was just over 14 billion yuan, set by Avatar. Our great director broke the domestic box office record in just two days."

"That's why everyone wants to make blockbusters. The money these mega-blockbusters make is truly exhilarating!"

"I remember our movie's production cost was around 1.5 million US dollars, right? So, we broke even immediately, didn't we?"

"No, that's not right. I suddenly remembered that the copyrights we sold during the movie's preview screening in October have almost broken even."

"So, all of these box office earnings are pure profit for us? Even if we have to give half to Universal Pictures, we'll still make a lot of money."

These people, as shareholders of Starlight Entertainment, know far more about the data regarding the company's released films than netizens do.

They remember clearly that at this time last year, Real Steel grossed approximately $1.7 million in its opening weekend.

This year, Pacific Rim has reached new heights.

Simply great.

I have to say, a super IP is awesome.

No wonder Hollywood's big studios love making sequels.

As long as the sequel doesn't mess things up, the chances of it flopping are very low, and making money is a very stable business.

"Mr. Zhao, could you break down this box office performance in more detail? Let's see which markets we can further explore?"

Someone raised their hand and asked a question impatiently.

"Mr. Li is right. The box office figures for several major countries and regions should be analyzed in detail. We also have some partners overseas, and we can conduct some in-depth cooperation."

If it's a blockbuster movie, the industry chain can be very long.

Games, toys.

These are just a few of the most basic derivative products.

They can even license the likenesses of movie characters to create prints on stationery and T-shirts.

It could also be used to build a theme park.

In short, as long as you are willing to spend time developing, you can do any kind of business.

However, in this era, the domestic piracy market was too serious. As soon as such cultural IPs were launched, the genuine versions simply couldn't sell and would be instantly overwhelmed by piracy.

But they can do this business in Europe.

"Okay. Since everyone has this need, I'll break it down in detail."

Zhao Shanshan really liked this feeling.

There's a kind of joy in making a lot of money and everyone getting together to count it. "First and foremost, it's the domestic market."

"Pacific Rim's box office performance on its first day was mediocre, only around 80 million, because it was released at 6 pm."

"But yesterday, Christmas Day, which was Sunday, thanks to the cooperation of the theaters, the screening rate of 3D theaters was pushed to the extreme, and Pacific Rim broke the previous single-day box office record of 1.45 million held by Transformers 3."

"It has raised the domestic single-day box office record to 1.6 million!"

"That means Pacific Rim grossed 2.4 million yuan in China during its opening weekend, which is about 3600 million US dollars!"

Depend on!
2.4 billion!
"The Flowers of War" and "Flying Swords of Dragon Gate" were released on December 15th. As of today, they have been in theaters for 10 days, and their box office revenue is only 240 million yuan.

Barring any unforeseen circumstances, the box office performance of "Flying Swords of Dragon Gate" will plummet, squeezed into a corner by "Pacific Rim".

Both are visually stunning blockbusters and require screenings in 3D and IMAX theaters.

The screening rate is determined by a combination of occupancy rate and average ticket price per person.

Given that "Flying Swords of Dragon Gate" is weaker than "Pacific Rim" in terms of both occupancy rate and average ticket price, how could theaters possibly give it a large number of screenings?
People will do anything that could cost them their lives, but nobody will do anything that loses money!

In this situation, "Flying Swords of Dragon Gate" is doomed.

On the contrary, "The Flowers of War," because it did not pursue the ultimate visuals and did not have 3D effects, may have been less affected as a historical art film.

Zhang Yimou has turned misfortune into blessing.

I dodged a bullet by not filming 3D.

"2.4 million, how much of that will we get? I remember the current revenue share is 43%. No, we negotiated a 45% revenue share with the theaters!"

"Publicity companies are all glamorous, but our own company doesn't need to share profits with others."

“除此之外，我记得从去年开始，有一个技术补贴。每张3D电影票补贴1-2元。票房超过5000万元的国产3D电影，可以获得1000万元奖励。”

Everyone present had their own calculations regarding how much money they could earn.

It's all calculated perfectly.

After all, this is their own business.

How much money the movie makes directly affects how much their shares can fetch in the capital market.

"Ladies and gentlemen, let's not do the accounting yet. After I've finished explaining the box office figures for other regions, we'll have a professional accountant do the math."

"You're not professionals, you can't figure it out."

"Otherwise, the company wouldn't need to hire so many accountants."

Everyone was excited to have made money.

After all, the initial investment for Pacific Rim was around $1 million, but Lu Zhiyuan kept exceeding the budget, bringing it to around $1.5 million.

Including marketing and promotion costs, it will likely cost around 1 million US dollars.

The total cost of the film was around 2.5 million US dollars.

This money all came from the pockets of these shareholders.

Fortunately, they had made a considerable amount of money in the previous two years. Otherwise, it would have been quite difficult to get so much money out of them all at once.

"Okay, stop talking."

At that moment, an old man with gray hair slammed his hand on the table.

This person's status is clearly very high.

After he spoke, everyone else politely shut up and sat down obediently.

"Xiao Zhao, please continue."

The old man gave an instruction, and Zhao Shanshan continued.

"The box office performance in North America was mediocre in the first two days, due to pressure from Mission: Impossible 4 and Sherlock Holmes 2, and was similar to that of Real Steel last year."

"The opening day box office was around $3000 million, and the second day was slightly higher, around $4000 million. The total for the opening weekend was $7000 million."

When Real Steel was released last year, it didn't encounter any decent competitors, and its opening weekend box office was $1.2 million!
It's even better than Pacific Rim.

However, the opportunity to dominate the Christmas season without any competitors, like last year, is something that can only be encountered once in a lifetime.

This year's situation is the normal state.

But that's okay.

Zhao Shanshan has full confidence in Lu Zhiyuan.

Barring any unforeseen circumstances, it won't be long before Pacific Rim's box office surpasses that of Mission: Impossible 4 and Sherlock Holmes 2.

When North American theaters see this situation, they will naturally adjust their screening schedules immediately.

Try to get Pacific Rim screened as much as possible during prime time slots in the afternoon and evening at 8 pm.

As a result, starting next week, Pacific Rim's advantage will become even more apparent.

"The global box office reached $2.3 million in its opening weekend."

"If it's a normal Friday release, with a three-day opening weekend, wouldn't it have grossed $3 million?"

"In addition, the Chinese box office is getting higher and higher, and the total box office of our movies will definitely continue to break records in the future."

These people were silently calculating in their minds.

Before they came, they all compared Pacific Rim to Transformers 3.

Based on current box office figures, they are indeed about the same.

Transformers 3 grossed $3.3 million worldwide in its opening weekend!
Pacific Rim grossed $2.3 million worldwide in its opening weekend.

Almost the same.

It's worth noting that the Transformers IP has been built up over countless years, while Lu Zhiyuan's robot series has only been around for two or three years.

Looking at it from another angle, Lu Zhiyuan only took two or three years to catch up with Hasbro's decades of accumulated popularity!
This shows just how profitable Lu Zhiyuan's robot series is.

"Besides China and the US, the third largest box office market is the UK, which grossed about $12 million in its opening weekend."

"Japan is the fourth largest box office market. It grossed $10 million in its opening weekend."

"The fifth largest box office market is South Korea. It grossed $9 million in its opening weekend."

"The sixth largest voting bloc...you'd never guess. Okay, I'm not playing this guessing game. I'll just reveal the answer: Russia! Surprised?"

"Russia contributed $700 million to the box office over the opening weekend!"

At this point, Zhao Shanshan looked at Lu Zhiyuan: "Yuan, for the next sequel, how about we find a Russian actor? And design a rugged Russian-style mecha?"

"Can consider it."

Lu Zhiyuan nodded.

Everything is for the sake of box office revenue.

Since this movie performed so well in Russia, designing a mecha for Russia is certainly not a problem.

At this moment, Lu Zhiyuan was actually a little puzzled. Why was France not among the top six vote-getters?
This is his lucky place.

He wouldn't have been able to make a blockbuster commercial film if he hadn't won the Palme d'Or in France.

He even created the Templar armor for France.

When "Real Steel" was released, it performed well at the French box office.

What happened this time?
Seeing Lu Zhiyuan's confusion, Zhao Shanshan explained, "In Europe, a debt crisis has recently broken out, and many countries have been affected."

"In France, in particular, fiscal austerity has triggered widespread social discontent and led to numerous demonstrations. Under such circumstances, our film box office is naturally affected."

Upon hearing this explanation, Lu Zhiyuan instantly understood.

There are demonstrations and protests every day in France; it's really unreliable.

His next focus, besides the North American market, should be on the Northeast Asian market and the Russian market.

If all of these emerging markets can be developed, box office revenue could increase by at least $1 million.

Hollywood has been employing the same strategy in recent years.

Hollywood blockbusters like "Kung Fu Panda" and "Transformers" have incorporated a significant amount of Chinese elements.

This is because Europe was greatly affected by the economic crisis, resulting in sluggish economic growth.

Hollywood is also hoping that emerging markets like China and Russia can make up for box office losses in Europe.

However, this will definitely put enormous pressure on the domestic films of these two countries.

At this moment, Lu Zhiyuan suddenly remembered something.

In 2012, next year, China and the United States will sign a new film agreement.

The main content of the agreement is that, in addition to the 20 regular revenue-sharing films that Hollywood imports each year, China will add 14 3D or IMAX films, bringing the total to 34.

In addition, the box office revenue share for American producers will increase from 13% to 25%!

This agreement came about at this point in time.

It's easy to imagine that the economic situation in Europe is far from optimistic.

Although Lu Zhiyuan was not an economist, he had heard that economic development in Europe seemed to be in a bad state since the 2008 subprime mortgage crisis.

Most countries are mired in debt crises and are finding it difficult to extricate themselves from the mire.

"Besides the countries mentioned above, there are many other scattered data points, which I will not list one by one."

"Finally, I'll emphasize again: Pacific Rim's global box office figures for its opening weekend are... $2.3 million!"

"Everyone, remember this data, and don't say the wrong thing when you're interviewed by reporters."

$2.3 million, in US dollars, doesn't seem like a lot.

However, if converted to RMB, it's a whopping 15 billion!
This has only been two days.

If it were a normal first three-day weekend, this figure could increase to $3 million.

I can't even imagine what the box office of this movie will be like a month from now.
This should be the best opening performance of all of Lu Zhiyuan's films!

"Wait, Mr. Zhao, could you tell me the freshness rating of the rotten tomato?"

Amid the cheers, a calm voice suddenly asked a question.

With such a good start, I'm afraid it might suddenly collapse.

In North America, a more mature market, audiences place great importance on a film's reputation. If the reviews are bad, the film can quickly flop.

Let everyone see what it means to have a gushing out.

Conversely, if a movie receives good reviews, it will create a very strong long-tail effect.

Faced with this question, Zhao Shanshan was prepared and replied with a smile, "95% freshness! Don't worry. A Yuan's movies never disappoint the audience."

Miss Jing Tian is about to embark on an expedition to Perseus!
Reba, the battle angel Alita, has even started raising a [Hybrid T1].

The two Easter eggs alone captivated the audience.

Zhao Shanshan is certain that any audience member who has seen these two Easter eggs will definitely buy tickets to see the movie again next Christmas.

no way.

Of all the commercial film directors in the world, only Lu Zhiyuan has top-notch visual effects, top-notch imagination, top-notch plot, and top-notch character design.

Even their suspense-building skills are top-notch!
Although he is not the most talented director in the world, he is gradually becoming the most versatile director in the world.

The destructive aesthetics of Roland Emmerich.

The violent ritualistic feel of Quentin Tarantino's films.

It is very close to the romantic splendor and epic feel of Peter Jackson.

In some scenes, he even manages to imitate Spielberg, evoking a childlike fantasy in the audience.

Lu Zhiyuan is truly a very special director!

He is so special that you can see the shadows of many world-class directors in him.

In addition to that, he has his own unique skills.

Every film creates a world-famous painting.

Staying true to our original aspirations, and full of artistic flair!

He is probably the world's best art-house director who is also the best at making commercial films.

……

Yanjing.

Since 2007, Tsui Hark has shifted his focus to work in mainland China.

He bought a house in Yanjing.

Most importantly, he found a mistress.

This mistress was his former personal assistant.

Although he has not yet divorced Ms. Shi, Xu Laoguai knows that his marriage has come to an end.

However, it will take some time for both sides to calm down and consider the future.

"Director Xu, our film is probably in trouble."

Over there, under the bright stars, a shareholders' meeting is being held in high spirits today.

On Xu Laoguai's side, everyone was dejected.

After two days of release, the box office performance of "Flying Swords of Dragon Gate" visibly declined.

The main problem lies in the screening rate.

The screening schedule data provided by cinemas may seem uncompressed, but a closer look reveals that all screenings have been rescheduled to midnight or early morning.

This is the worst time of year; who would go to see a movie at this hour?

The creators of "Flying Swords of Dragon Gate" were all unwilling to accept defeat.

"If you are not as skilled as others, you have nothing to say."

Old Master Xu's expression also turned somewhat unpleasant.

However, he had to admit that Lu Zhiyuan's movies were really awesome.

Although "Flying Swords of Dragon Gate" is touted as the first Chinese-language 3D IMAX martial arts film, its special effects are on par with Hollywood.

But what's the point?
The special effects in the neighboring film, Pacific Rim, are top-notch, even by Hollywood standards.

It's on par with Transformers 3.

In terms of realism, it even surpasses "Transformers 3".

However, as an animated live-action film, Transformers 3 is incredibly cool, with spectacular fight scenes and all sorts of bizarre and unusual moves.

This is completely opposite to the clumsy Jaeger-Giants in Pacific Rim, which exude a sense of overwhelming power.

Each has its own audience.

Film critics generally agree that, in terms of special effects, these two films are in the same league.

After all, everyone spent about the same amount of money, hired special effects experts from the same company, and used similar software engines.

How much difference could there be?

It's just that the directors have different styles.

In China, however, Pacific Rim completely outclassed other 3D films.

To boast about one's special effects in front of "Pacific Rim" is like showing off one's limited skills before an expert, only to humiliate oneself.

"Xiao Zhou, you and Director Lu have a pretty good relationship, right?"

Xu Laoguai suddenly remembered something and looked at Zhou Xun.

He vaguely remembered that a couple of years ago, Zhou Xun and Lu Zhiyuan were rumored to be living together. Although it was later clarified, Zhou Xun did stay at Lu Zhiyuan's house for a few days.

Being able to stay at each other's homes indicates a relationship that goes beyond ordinary friendship.

Definitely a true buddy.

"Director Xu, to be honest, I broke off all contact with him a long time ago."

Zhou Xun was making a joke.

Her relationship with Lu Zhiyuan was just so-so, but she taught Hanikezi acting for a few days, which led to misunderstandings among outsiders.

"No. He has a truly promising future. You want to break off all ties with him? Unless, there's something wrong with you."

Xu Laoguai pointed to his head, telling Zhou Xun not to joke around.

"Director Xu, just say what you want to say. Although I haven't been in contact with him for a long time, I can make a call for you without any problem."

Zhou Xun also realized that Xu Laoguai might want to beg for mercy and surrender.

It's just that I can't let go of my pride.

If things continue like this, "Flying Swords of Dragon Gate" will most likely lose money.

The production cost of this movie was 2 million.

Among them, Jet Li's salary was 9000 million, which is simply outrageous.

If it weren't for Jet Li's exorbitant salary, this movie would have already broken even.

"Forget it, let Bona worry about it."

Tsui Hark thought about it for a moment. He was just a director. Why should he help capitalists?

This movie is unlikely to flop, but its box office performance is poor, and it may not even surpass 5 million.

It's worth noting that he initially aimed for a box office of 10 billion.

Who knew that he would first encounter "The Flowers of War" and be competing against it?

The two films were evenly matched, each grossing 2.4 million yuan in 10 days.

Without "The Flowers of War," he was confident that he could have grossed 3.5 million yuan or more in the past 10 days.

In this way, they could earn around 6 to 7 million yuan in box office revenue within a month.

Then, the copyright is sold to Southeast Asia, Japan, and South Korea.

The global box office will definitely exceed 10 billion.

Unfortunately, although he had calculated things very well in his mind, reality slapped him hard in the face.

Xu Laoguai doesn't speak his mind, but Zhou Xun and Chen Kun actually know what he's thinking.

……

The two remained silent at Tsui Hark's house.

But after stepping out of that door, he started muttering to himself.

"Mr. Zhou, guess what Director Xu was trying to say just now?"

Faced with Chen Kun's question, Zhou Xun smiled and said nonchalantly, "What else can I say? He just feels that the theaters cheated him by not giving him screen time?"

"However, this is the mainland, and he doesn't have that kind of face."

"Besides, our film is produced by Bona Film Group. Bona must have already finalized the theater screening schedule."

"However, circumstances are beyond our control. Nobody expected the visual effects of Pacific Rim to be so amazing!"

"Especially the ending theme song, 'Believer,' when it plays, blends with the battle between the Jaeger and the monster, which really gets your blood pumping."

"I watched it in the movie theater, and the aftereffects were really strong."

At this point, Zhou Xun sighed: "To put it bluntly, if I were a viewer and had to choose between the two, I would choose Pacific Rim 95% of the time."

"The remaining 5% probability is that I suddenly feel a bit sentimental and want to see Tsui Hark and Jet Li. But that probability is obviously not high."

After Zhou Xun finished speaking, Chen Kun remained silent for a while.

This is undeniably true.

However, he and Lu Zhiyuan had little interaction, and even if he wanted to make a movie about mecha hunters fighting monsters, Lu Zhiyuan would never approach him.

However, Zhou Xun still has a chance.

“Boss Zhou, you could actually use this opportunity to get closer to Director Lu.”

Lu Zhiyuan had originally planned to have Yang Mi film a sequel. However, he suddenly changed his mind. Because the reason was unclear, everyone was speculating.

However, many people also believe that Yang Mi may have been abandoned by Lu Zhiyuan because of her poor acting skills.

There are actually quite a few actors in the entertainment industry who are good-looking and have decent acting skills.

It's not necessary to choose the small flower.

At this time, many people were eager to try their luck, waiting for the celebration banquet of "Pacific Rim" so they could go and recommend themselves.

This year's celebration party for "Pacific Rim" is sure to be especially spectacular.

You don't understand him.

Zhou Xun shook her head, thinking of a friend in the industry, and chuckled: "Trying to get close to him is useless. It might even humiliate you."

"He's usually a very nice person. But when it comes to making movies, he becomes ruthless, showing no mercy to anyone."

Zhou Xun had a sentence she didn't say aloud.

He rejected Yang Mi, but Gao Yuanyuan is still waiting.

Who do I think I am?
(End of this chapter)