The Birth of the Best Director

Chapter 243: First-day box office surpasses 9000 million US dollars! Germans are going crazy for art students once again!
……

There is no doubt that the movie "Real Steel 3: Perseus" was a huge success!

The excited expressions on the faces of the audience made it very clear!

They have been completely won over by Lu Zhiyuan!

On its own, this movie might just be an excellent sci-fi film with a score of around 80, not worth the audience's frenzy and excitement.

However, if we take the entire series together, and consider the groundwork laid by the previous three films... then this film, as the final installment of the series, absolutely deserves to be considered a masterpiece.

It deserves a score of 95 or higher, no problem at all!

……

"Xiao Lu, judging by this momentum, he's definitely going to break the record."

"I think it should be at least 20 billion!"

Lu Zhiyuan and Chen Kaige sat side by side.

It's already widely known in the industry that Lu Zhiyuan spent $3000 million on the promotion and distribution of this movie.

Huayi Brothers was so taken aback by Lu Zhiyuan's big spending that they moved up the release date of "CZ12," Hendrik Willem Van Loon's action film, by half a month.

"CZ12" and "Lost in Thailand" were released on December 12th, and each grossed around 5 million yuan in about half a month.

The two films are competing for screen time.

One tried to climb up, but the other immediately pulled it down, neither willing to give way.

This resulted in a significant impact on the box office performance of both films.

However, both films were profitable.

The production cost of "Chinese Zodiac" was just over 100 million yuan.

Needless to say, "Lost in Thailand" had a production cost of over 30 million yuan. Although the publicity expenses were high, the total cost should not exceed 100 million yuan.

In short, both movies made a lot of money.

Leaving aside "Chinese Zodiac" for now, Enlight Media, the producer of "Lost in Thailand," and director Xu Guangtou, never expected the film to be such a huge hit.

They just want to make some easy money.

With a budget of tens of millions, it grossed 5 million at the box office... This return on investment is quite terrifying.

They've already prepared a victory celebration banquet.

From beginning to end, they never considered going head-to-head with "Real Steel 3" or stealing much box office revenue from it.

This is simply impossible.

The crew of "Lost in Thailand" wanted to take advantage of the two weeks before the release of "Real Steel 3" to generate some box office revenue.

A person's name, the shadow of a tree.

The title of "King of Christmas" that Lu Zhiyuan created with three consecutive films is not going to be shaken anytime soon.

Even the renowned director Christopher Nolan told Lu Zhiyuan through James that his family's Christmas tradition was to watch Lu Zhiyuan's Jaeger movie.

This is certification from a peer!

Under these circumstances, who would dare to go head-to-head with Lu Zhiyuan during Christmas?
In the whole world, there's only Peter Jackson!
……

"No matter how many times I watch it, it's always so beautiful."

"My brother is so talented."

Dilraba sat to Lu Zhiyuan's left, occasionally turning her head to look at Lu Zhiyuan's profile, feeling as if Lu Zhiyuan's face was glowing.

He was so handsome that she couldn't take her eyes off him.

The seat to Lu Zhiyuan's left originally belonged to Jing Tian.

But at this moment, Jing Tian was no longer qualified to sit next to Lu Zhiyuan.

She sat one seat away from Dilraba.

At this moment, after the movie ended, Jing Tian looked at Dilraba with a complicated expression: "Dilraba, you acted so well. From now on, you should be the undisputed number one in the history of Chinese cinema."

If we're talking about female characters alone, Dilraba's Alita might have surpassed Lara Croft from Tomb Raider and Alice from Resident Evil.

At least in the minds of Chinese audiences, Dilraba is undoubtedly the greatest of all time.

The first leading lady in the history of world cinema!
Even Audrey Hepburn can't compare to Dilraba!

Dilraba's lead is absolutely dominant!

"Sister Tian Tian, ​​thank you."

Dilraba reached out and grasped Jing Tian's hand, expressing her sincere gratitude.

Thank you for letting me have your brother.

If you hadn't suddenly lost your mind, how could I have gotten such a great deal? Just thinking about it makes me laugh in my sleep every night!

"What are you thanking me for? It's not like I chose you."

Jing Tian smiled elegantly and gracefully.

Before watching this movie, she was thinking of snatching Lu Zhiyuan away from Dilraba.

But after watching the movie, she felt somewhat discouraged.

Dilraba's charm in the movie is truly powerful.

Who wouldn't love Alita like this?

Listen to the cheers from the entire audience.

They were all shouting Alita's name frantically... completely smitten with her.

"Sister Tian, ​​no matter what, I still want to thank you. You've always been there for my brother. Let's continue being best friends from now on, shall we?"

Although, given Lu Zhiyuan's current status in the industry and the various allies behind him, he could sweep through the entire Chinese film and television circle even without Jing Tian's assistance.

However, having more friends means having more options.

Lu Zhiyuan couldn't bring himself to do it, so Reba felt she had to do her job for him.

"Are you sure?"

Upon hearing this, Jing Tian's eyes flickered, and a smile appeared on her face.

She thought Dilraba was hinting at something.

After all, she knew from the beginning that she couldn't protect Lu Zhiyuan on her own, so she hinted to Dilraba that she could protect Lu Zhiyuan for her when she wasn't around.

Now, the situation has reversed?
If that's the case, I wouldn't find it unacceptable.

"No, no, no, Sister Tian Tian, ​​don't get the wrong idea. That's not what I meant."

Seeing the flicker in Jing Tian's eyes and the expectation in them, Dilraba immediately realized she had said the wrong thing and hurriedly tried to explain.

"The words have already been spoken, how can you go back on your word?"

Jing Tian grabbed Reba's hand and squeezed it tightly, a smile appearing on her face for the first time: "It's settled then! From now on, we'll still be best friends."

"That's...ok."

Dilraba pretended to be embarrassed and nodded.

Hey!
For my brother's sake, I have no choice but to suffer some injustice.

Anyway, given my brother's character, he would never be two-timing. If it's agreed that it will be me, then it definitely will be me.

……

After the premiere, the reporters and media went crazy.

They knew that this movie was likely to set a record.

The domestic box office record will definitely be broken.

In addition, Lu Zhiyuan is very likely to create a super box office record in the history of Chinese directors.

Every question and answer today will be recorded in history.

"Director Lu, I'd like to ask, was this ending something you planned four years ago when you filmed 'Upgrade'?"

One reporter frantically raised his hand, almost jumping up.

They eventually obtained the interview rights.

He asked the question that everyone wanted to know.

The scene in the movie's post-credits scene where Dilraba falls into the water is clearly a replica of the famous painting that was filmed four years ago on Weizhou Island.

Even today, tourists continue to flock to Weizhou Island, seeking the secret methods of physical liberation and mechanical ascension.

"No."

"It was something I suddenly thought of when I was conceiving Pacific Rim after I finished filming Real Steel."

At the celebration banquet for "Real Steel," Lu Zhiyuan spoke at length about the world-famous painting "The Last Judgment," and many people were present.

These people are all at the premiere today.

He doesn't need to brag about this.

Four years ago, he hadn't thought about all that.

"Director Lu, could you elaborate? How exactly did you conceive of this film? I think many viewers are curious about where the inspiration for this movie came from."

If Lu Zhiyuan's answer is that the ending was prepared four years ago.

Then, the reporter would start to fill in the gaps in his imagination, completely completing the characterization of Lu Zhiyuan as a genius artist.

But Lu Zhiyuan doesn't follow the usual pattern at all.

He actually said that he hadn't thought that much about it, and that the idea came to him on a whim.

How are these journalists supposed to write their articles?
At this moment, Reba noticed that Lu Zhiyuan didn't want to waste time and even wanted to wave and say "Next question," so she gestured for her to take the microphone.

“Brother, have you forgotten? When we were filming this scene on Weizhou Island, you specifically told me that it was foreshadowing.”

"This may become a very classic scene in the future."

This scene is, of course, a classic.

This is a glimmer of hope in the apocalypse, created by Lu Zhiyuan in imitation of the world-famous painting "The Raft of Medusa".

In the end, he did indeed use this foreshadowing.

They also used that glimmer of hope to its fullest extent, shocking the world.

"brush!"

Now, faced with Dilraba's reminder, all the reporters turned their gazes intently to Lu Zhiyuan.

They're all going crazy.

Brother, how could you forget such an important historical moment?

Fortunately, you have a capable wife who helps you fill in the gaps in your knowledge.

Otherwise, if you change your mind in a couple of days, our draft will already be out. What are we supposed to do then?
Do you want us to become those unprofessional, sensationalist paparazzi?

We're professionals!
"Now that you mention it, it has indeed been mentioned."

At this moment, facing everyone's questions, Lu Zhiyuan thought for a moment and nodded, saying, "But at that time, I didn't think that much about it."

That's it!
Four years ago, when filming the first movie, I already had an idea for the ending. The ending I envisioned after the success of the second movie was completely different from that of the first.

—[Four years of planning, ignited in an instant! The ultimate mystery of director Lu Zhiyuan's four-part saga is finally revealed!]

— [Fans rejoice! The epic foreshadowing in the Real Steel series is finally revealed!]

—"Spanning 3.2 million light-years! The most impactful and satisfying 'aha' moment in film history!"

In an instant, the reporters had already come up with several headlines.

Once I get back, I'll immediately write the article and post it online.

Otherwise, after watching the premiere today, the film reviews written by netizens might be faster and of higher quality than theirs.

This will result in a deduction from your bonus!
After receiving Lu Zhiyuan's answer, all the reporters were satisfied.

They asked Reba a few questions.

Dilraba is very experienced in interviews; her words were impeccable, consisting entirely of flattery.

Praise the film, praise Lu Zhiyuan, and praise the crew members behind the scenes.

It's all just clichés, completely devoid of any substance.

After making a few token notes, the reporters turned to Jing Tian and asked, "Tian Tian, ​​Ms. T ultimately lost to Alita. What are your thoughts?"

Who asked that?
Upon hearing this question, Jing Tian immediately clenched her fists.

Oops!

As if hearing a cracking sound, the rest of the crew looked over instantly, each one breaking out in a cold sweat for Lu Zhiyuan.

They kept praying silently: This is the premiere press conference, please don't let a fight break out. Otherwise, it will be very difficult to keep quiet.

Jing Tian took a few deep breaths, a calm smile appearing on her face, and said in a gentle tone, "I've known Dilraba for many years, we're best friends. There's no winning or losing. Don't write nonsense. Besides, it's all for the sake of the plot."

"In the end, it all comes down to what Brother Yuan chooses."

"Who she wants to be the leading lady, who she wants to be glamorous, who she wants to be the savior of mankind... it's all up to him."

OK OK.

Although there was a little anger involved, it was still under control.

Those present who knew the inside story breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing Jing Tian's reply.

Those reporters weren't good people either.

Knowing full well that Lu Zhiyuan broke up with Jing Tian and then got together with Dilraba, Jing Tian must have been unhappy, especially since she was outshone in the movie.

They deliberately brought up this issue; it's clear they wanted to stir up trouble.

Fortunately, Jing Tian was sensible enough not to fall for it.

……

Having failed to get the explosive news they wanted, the reporters all sighed and looked disappointed.

That concludes the interview segment.

Next, the star-studded event also arranged a banquet to invite the guests who attended the premiere to have a big meal and celebrate a little.

Although the box office figures haven't been released yet, Starlight Entertainment is already very certain that this movie will be a hit.

the most important is……

After this movie is released, it will revitalize the popularity of the previous three films.

This movie, as the finale, was so well made that it instantly evoked all the memories of the audience.

Even if the box office doesn't make money, the related merchandise will definitely sell like hotcakes.

……

Reba took Lu Zhiyuan's arm and walked away happily.

Jing Tian watched for a while, sighed silently, and did not participate in the rest of the banquet activities. She turned around and left with Zhao Shanshan.

Seeing Dilraba and Lu Zhiyuan showing affection, she couldn't stand it for even a second.

"Near miss."

“It’s really terrible!”

"Neither of the two queens was someone to be trifled with."

After Jing Tian left, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

The atmosphere just now was almost suffocating.

"Afi, what are you looking at?"

Xin Yukun approached Liu Yifei, wanting to boast a bit and ask her how she felt after watching the movie.

However, at this moment, he noticed that Liu Yifei was standing on tiptoe, like a waiting-for-husband stone, silently watching Lu Zhiyuan leave.

Xin Yukun was speechless. He waved his hand in front of Liu Yifei and said, "Yifei, snap out of it. Everyone's gone."

"My idol is so handsome."

Liu Yifei, in front of Xin Yukun, didn't bother to pretend to be a goddess anymore and showed the expression of a little fangirl.

After a few words of reflection, Liu Yifei suddenly remembered something and looked at Xin Yukun, asking, "Brother Kun, you and he are classmates. Tell me honestly, how much better are you than him?"

"Then I'm definitely better than him!"

Xin Yukun felt like he had been through countless romances, from East Asia to Western Europe, from North America to South America, and what kind of girl hadn't he seen, except for the little black woman from Africa?

What does Lu Zhiyuan have to offer?
He only had two girlfriends from beginning to end.

This kind of life is better off without.

"I'm talking about filmmaking ability! Stop talking about all that nonsense!"

Liu Yifei rolled her eyes, not wanting to waste words with Xin Yukun.

"I don't know. I've never directed one. But I feel that anyone who works with him on a film would lose the confidence to become a director."

Lu Zhiyuan's talent is absolutely historic.

Moreover, it is constantly evolving.

What Xin Yukun did for Lu Zhiyuan was to help him get the script sorted out and help Lu Zhiyuan find that so-called "feeling".

Besides that, she did odd jobs for Lu Zhiyuan on the film set.

Doing odd jobs may seem easy, but if it's not someone you trust, Lu Zhiyuan definitely won't feel at ease.

After all, with so many people on set, there are all sorts of messy and chaotic things going on, and Lu Zhiyuan doesn't have the patience to deal with them.

He needs a trusted confidant to help him handle all of this.

"I agree with that."

Although Liu Yifei didn't know the director's skill level, she still knew how to appreciate the quality of a film.

Lu Zhiyuan's films combine artistry and commercial appeal, a rarity on a global scale.

Even in Hollywood, only Nolan can be compared to him.

As for the others, they have all passed away.

"Brother Kun, is the script for 'Your Name' finished?"

Liu Yifei chatted with Xin Yukun as they prepared to leave.

She had calculated it perfectly; once the nanny van arrived at the door, she could easily get rid of Xin Yukun.

"Not yet. I've been quite busy lately. I just got back from Colombia. Things there have been giving me a huge headache."

"Besides, no matter how much Inspector Chong wrote the script for 'Project Gutenberg,' it couldn't satisfy my brother's perverted demands."

"After a while, I plan to go to Hong Kong Island to find Inspector Chong and work with him to complete the final writing of this script."

Xin Yukun felt that he still had to take action himself.

Chong Man-keung's script is well-written, but it has too much of a Hong Kong flavor and lacks the feel of an art film.

"Oh."

Liu Yifei lowered her head in disappointment when she didn't hear from Lu Zhiyuan.

Just then, her nanny van arrived. Liu Yifei said goodbye to Xin Yukun and got into the van, lifting her skirt.

"It's freezing! Drive faster!"

"That's how my legs got so thick from being frozen."

Before Xin Yukun could say goodbye, Liu Yifei had already closed the door, urged the driver to turn the air conditioning to the warmest setting, and then drive home.

……

Lu Zhiyuan felt somewhat awkward attending the star-studded banquet.

However, from a certain perspective, this is also a form of endorsement.

He has to go.

Because Starlight is about to be launched, in just one week.

Whether this movie becomes a box office hit will directly determine how much money the shareholders of Starlight Entertainment can make.

Lu Zhiyuan didn't mind giving them some face.

In fact, as long as these people don't hinder his filmmaking or hold him back, Lu Zhiyuan doesn't care what methods they want to use to make money in the financial market.

"Director Lu, the movie is fantastic."

Mr. Li, the current general manager of Starlight Brilliant, came over and greeted Lu Zhiyuan.

He greatly admired Lu Zhiyuan.

After a while, Mr. Li asked in a low voice, "Director Lu, I wonder if our company could invest in your new movie 'Project Gutenberg'?"

"The money we raised after our company went public has been used to partner with Wanda to acquire AMC Theatres in North America."

"In the future, Wanda may become the world's largest cinema chain!"

YT Pictures has ended.

Mr. Li thought that Lu Zhiyuan might be feeling unhappy because he worked so hard but only received 20% of the salary.

Everyone can understand this.

Now, YD Pictures has been established, and it is a production company exclusively owned by Lu Zhiyuan.

From then on, apart from Universal Pictures, the distributor of his films, taking 30% of the profits, the remaining 70% or so would belong directly to him.

However, each film is an independent project. Since Lu Zhiyuan can collaborate with Universal Pictures and also absorb investment from Huayi Brothers, he most likely doesn't care about the investors.

With stars shining brightly, there are bound to be opportunities.

Those who caused trouble for Lu Zhiyuan before are all in jail now.

There is no enmity between President Li and Lu Zhiyuan.

"Sure. No problem."

Lu Zhiyuan didn't mind and was willing to make money with the others.

These people can protect him and solve many problems.

At his level, interpersonal relationships are basically maintained by mutual interests.

After all, there are only a handful of companies in the film industry and the entire market.

"Thank you, Director Lu. It's been a pleasure working with you."

Mr. Li had only asked casually, but to his surprise, Lu Zhiyuan agreed, which delighted him beyond measure.

In this way, after Starlight Splendor goes public, there will be another story to tell.

"Pleasant to work with."

Lu Zhiyuan shook hands with President Li.

He doesn't actually mind others investing in his films, as long as they don't interfere.

……

Lu Zhiyuan took Reba around the banquet, greeted the others, and then went straight home to rest.

After Lu Zhiyuan left, General Manager Li immediately reported to his superiors: "Mr. Jing, as you expected, he did not refuse to continue the cooperation."

On the other end of the phone was Jing Tian's uncle.

The eldest uncle sighed softly: "I knew he would agree. He has never cared about material things. Besides, arguing with us won't do him any good."

"On the contrary, he will benefit greatly from cooperating with us."

"However, there was some misunderstanding between the two of us before, and one of us needs to back down."

"Tian Tian will not back down, and neither will he. Only you can do this."

Mr. Li was not surprised by this situation.

He had met Lu Zhiyuan and had some basic understanding of him.

Lu Zhiyuan is a very pure person. He has some needs for money, but not too much. He just wants to make his own movies.

Anyone who stands in his way of making good movies is his enemy.

Whoever can help him make a good film and help him break box office records is his friend.

Those two brothers from Huayi have such bad reputations, yet Lu Zhiyuan doesn't care about cooperating with them... From this, President Li can tell that Lu Zhiyuan won't easily make enemies with them.

"Xiao Li, go and talk to Wanda and ask them to schedule all the IMAX theaters 24/7 for 'Real Steel 3'."

"Remember, it's all of them!"

"As for the 3D cinemas, let Wanda handle that."

Jing Tian's uncle knew very well what Lu Zhiyuan needed to cooperate with them.

Sometimes, intelligent people don't need to spell things out so clearly.

"Mr. Jing, I know what to do."

Mr. Li said respectfully.

……

Dongshan Villa.

At Lu Zhiyuan's home.

"Brother, have you forgiven them?"

After returning home, Reba couldn't help but look at Lu Zhiyuan with some confusion.

We just parted ways with Starlight Entertainment, how come we're collaborating with them again in the blink of an eye?

The adult world is too complicated.

"The 'them' you're talking about aren't the real them... They're divided into factions too. Those who had conflicts with us before are basically all in jail now."

"Furthermore, have you heard of a phenomenon called the 'abandoned cat effect'?"

Lu Zhiyuan and Starlight Brilliant had a very pleasant collaboration before.

However, perhaps because the cooperation was too pleasant, the other party lost their sense of propriety.

Once Lu Zhiyuan makes up his mind, he chooses to cut ties with them.

These people finally realized who they were able to rely on to make so much money.
Now, Lu Zhiyuan has managed to bring this relationship back together.

This situation is very similar to abandoning a cat and then picking it up again... The cat will most likely become more obedient and compliant.

They will never dare to act aggressively again.

"Dilraba, go change your clothes first, I'll take this call."

At this moment, Lu Zhiyuan received a phone call: "Wanda has reserved all of its IMAX theaters for our movie? And given 80% of the 3D theaters?"

"Okay, I know."

After hanging up the phone, Lu Zhiyuan smiled at Reba.

With such a high screening rate, if it doesn't break records, it would be a disservice to Starlight Entertainment's good intentions!

Dilraba seemed to understand something, her eyes flickered a few times, and her expression was somewhat complicated: "Brother, you knew this would happen all along?"

"Ah."

Lu Zhiyuan nodded, telling Reba not to overthink it: "I have no emotional connection with them anymore; all that's left is a relationship based on mutual interests."

"This kind of relationship will be purer."

Only by stepping out of the glitz and glamour could Lu Zhiyuan use his talent to leverage all vested interests.

Otherwise, in the past, would Uncle Jingtian have personally asked to help mobilize these resources?
Given Jing Tian's uncle's status, he probably wouldn't bother with such trivial matters.

Look at now?
It just goes to show how effective the "abandoned cat effect" really is!
"Brother, your cold, ruthless, and scheming demeanor is just too cool!"

Dilraba, who had been looking a little down, suddenly jumped up, hugged Lu Zhiyuan, and kissed his cheek hard.

Dilraba felt that her acting skills were far too amateurish compared to Lu Zhiyuan's.

She also needs cameras, a director, and a sense of atmosphere.

But Lu Zhiyuan has absolutely no need for these things.

He exudes an aura at all times.

That feeling of being in control of everything, that feeling of not caring about anything, that awesome feeling.

So charming!
No wonder women like successful men; they love the confidence they exude.

……

Tonight will be a sleepless night.

A mountain from Altay completely crushed him.

Lu Zhiyuan was already used to it.

Whenever a movie premiere ends, the women in the family get especially excited. It used to be Jing Tian, ​​but now it's Dilraba.

The only difference is that Dilraba has better stamina.

As expected of a professional dancer, even with Zhang Yimou's super energy, Lu Zhiyuan sometimes struggles to keep up.

"Brother, I've calculated the dates, and these few days are my ovulation period. Let's do it a few more times and bring a new Michelangelo to this world!"

Dilraba has completely fallen in love with Michelangelo.

They insisted on giving birth to a child for Lu Zhiyuan.

……

After midnight, Lu Zhiyuan did not receive a call.

It made him feel a little uncomfortable.

On the afternoon of the second day, after Lu Zhiyuan finished lunch, he finally received a phone call with good news.

"Boss, I just got the data and am reporting it to you immediately. I hope I haven't bothered you."

It's afternoon in China, but just past midnight in North America.

James got the box office data and immediately came to report to Lu Zhiyuan.

"Wait a minute."

"James, tell me about The Hobbit: The First Hobbit so I can make a comparison with my expectations."

The Hobbit was released half a month earlier than Real Steel 3.

Lu Zhiyuan could analyze the box office trends of the other party and predict the final box office of "Real Steel 3" with a high probability.

"Boss, of course, no problem."

"The Hobbit: The First Hobbit" is Lu Zhiyuan's biggest competitor during the Christmas season.

The others are completely insignificant.

Lu Zhiyuan didn't take other movies seriously at all.

At this moment, James quickly flipped through the document and then reported to Lu Zhiyuan: "Boss, The Hobbit: The First Hobbit's opening weekend box office is about $85 million in North America and $220 million worldwide."

"Currently, it appears to be a typical Hollywood blockbuster, with approximately 70% of its box office revenue coming from overseas."

It grossed $2.2 million worldwide in its opening weekend.
That sounds like a good result.

Lu Zhiyuan thought for a moment and then asked, "What about next week?"

The second week is also quite important for The Hobbit: The First Hobbit.

However, considering that this week is just before Christmas, just like the Chinese New Year.

Most people are working overtime like crazy.

The box office performance is not expected to be good.

Box office revenue will only begin to rebound significantly once the actual holiday season begins.

Before the holidays, it's just a matter of building up reputation, and then it all comes together for Christmas and New Year's Day.

"The box office in the second week was similar to other Hollywood blockbusters, dropping by more than 50%, probably to a little over 100 million US dollars. The global total was about 1.87 million US dollars."

"I checked, and as of yesterday, after 10 days of release, The Hobbit: The First Hobbit has grossed approximately $400 million."

James took a closer look. Although the box office figures were quite impressive, he was somewhat unmoved.

Because the data for Real Steel 3 is even more explosive.

When he received the news, he jumped up and down several times in his office with excitement.

"Boss, why haven't you asked me yet?"

Seeing Lu Zhiyuan fall silent, James became anxious first.

He couldn't wait to announce the final answer: "Boss, Real Steel 3's box office in North America yesterday was $2000 million!"

"Boss, I know this number is a bit low."

"But there's nothing we can do. It's the Christmas season, and the competition is fierce. Plus, there's the formidable competitor, The Hobbit: The First Hobbit, which is taking away our IMAX screen time."

"However, the real surprise comes from Europe!"

"You would never guess how incredible the box office was in Europe... a whopping $3500 million... The biggest surprise came from Germany."

"Boss, the Germans have gone mad!"

"I have never seen any Hollywood blockbuster achieve such high box office results in Germany."

"This movie grossed $950 million on its opening day in Germany!"

"This box office performance is almost the same as when Avatar was released in Germany in 2009."

Avatar was released in Germany and ultimately grossed $1.6 million at the box office.

Of Germany's 8300 million people, a full 1400 million have been to the cinema to see the movie "Avatar".

James originally thought that this kind of miracle could never be replicated.

Who would have thought that Lu Zhiyuan's film would sweep across Germany and be hailed as a sensation throughout the country.

"Boss, I love Friedrich!"

"From this moment forward, Frederick is the greatest painter in history in my mind!"

Why do Germans love the movie "Real Steel 3" so much?
James knew perfectly well what was going on.

That's because Universal Pictures changed its promotional slogan in Germany.

They launched a massive propaganda campaign in German newspapers and media, calling Lu Zhiyuan the Frederick of the new era!
He himself is the embodiment of romanticism.

In Real Steel 3, Lu Zhiyuan did indeed employ a great deal of Friedrich-esque romanticism.

Universal Pictures is not lying.

After all, Germans only need to go into the cinema and take a look to quickly realize that it's all real.

the most important is……

Lu Zhiyuan is an art student who failed his college entrance exam!

The Germans forbid any discussion of this matter.

However, they were also very curious about what the film he would make using Friedrich's paintings would be like, as the second world-famous art student who failed the college entrance exam.
After all, the art student who failed the exam before also really liked Friedrich!
Friedrich, though not well-known globally, is considered one of the greatest Romantic painters in German history.

Now, someone has incorporated his paintings into a super science fiction movie.

For Germans, Lu Zhiyuan is definitely a die-hard fan of Germany!

At the very least, he was a huge fan of Friedrich!
Germans are very powerful in industry. However, in the arts, they have always been regarded as barbaric Germans by other European countries.

Now, a world-renowned director has incorporated the style of Germany's greatest romantic painter into a blockbuster film.

As a German, who wouldn't want to see this?
If you don't watch this, you're not German!
"Boss, besides Germany, the box office in Italy is also a huge hit!"

"A whopping $500 million!"

"Boss, don't worry... The situation in Italy is a bit special. On Christmas Eve, their cinemas are only open for half a day."

"If it runs all day, the box office revenue will be staggering."

"I can say with absolute certainty that the box office performance of 'Real Steel 3' in Italy will not be much lower than that of 'Avatar.' The total box office will reach at least $9000 million!"

The box office success in Italy was a complete surprise.

No one had anticipated this.

It's normal for the UK, France, and Germany, as major box office markets in Europe, to have seen such a box office boom.

However, Italy has a small population and its economy is not particularly good, so how did the box office suddenly explode?
James, filled with curiosity, asked around.

He soon learned the truth.

Lu Zhiyuan and Reba were photographed by an Italian reporter while they were traveling in Florence a while ago.

In the square in front of the Church of the Holy Cross, Reba jumped onto Lu Zhiyuan's back, and the two laughed happily.

The flock of pigeons took off beside them.

As dusk filtered through the sculptures in front of the Church of the Holy Cross, its light slanted across the two figures' faces, making them appear exceptionally beautiful.

Then, a few days later, the reporter took another set of photos of Lu Zhiyuan.

He carried a cheap easel and wandered casually through the alleys in front of the Florence Cathedral, even acting as a street artist for a while.

I earned some pocket money from the tourists.

Immediately afterwards, the reporter followed Lu Zhiyuan and took a happy photo of Dilraba coming out to greet him in front of a hotel and sharing a sweet kiss with him.

then……

The news that "Super director Lu Zhiyuan, accompanied by his girlfriend Alita, appeared in Florence as a street painter" has been widely circulated in Italy.

Many people traveled to Florence hoping to bump into Lu Zhiyuan and Alita, the Angel of War.

Although it was not found.

But they unearthed a lot of useful information.

Upon learning of this, Universal Pictures' publicity department immediately amplified the announcement with a brand new, major piece of news.

Lu Zhiyuan is going to film a blockbuster movie about painters in Florence.

He will personally direct and star in the film!

Although the news didn't cause a sensation in Italy, it did pique the interest of Italian audiences in Lu Zhiyuan and Dilraba's film.

In particular, they actually wanted to make a movie about a painter?

Italy may not have many other things, but its artistic atmosphere is second to none in the world.

Italians are quite proud in this regard, but no matter how proud they are, they also highly recognize Lu Zhiyuan's achievements in film art.

Lu Zhiyuan, an art student who failed his college entrance exams, wants to make a film about painters in Italy... It sounds like a really cool thing!
"US$2000 million at the North American box office and US$3500 million at the European box office."

"Now, it all depends on how many are in China?"

Lu Zhiyuan thought to himself that the domestic box office shouldn't be too bad either.

The previous movie, Pacific Rim, was a huge hit in North America, but its box office revenue in Europe was significantly lower due to protests.

But this time, the situation is reversed.

In North America, the unprecedentedly fierce competition during the Christmas season has severely squeezed Lu Zhiyuan's screen time, resulting in disappointing box office performance.

However, in Europe, Lu Zhiyuan's special identity and the film's art style generated a huge buzz.

The box office nearly doubled, outperforming North America!

All I can say is that the older generation of Europeans are indeed more cultured and appreciate his films that combine art and commerce.

……

About an hour later.

Over at Starlight Brilliant, President Li arrived late and finally reported the results to Lu Zhiyuan: "Director Lu, the box office figures are in. Domestic box office: 9000 million!"

9000 million!
At first glance, this data doesn't seem very good.

But actually, it's very good.

Because December 24th is a Monday.

In addition, it doesn't start showing until 6 p.m.

In other words, this movie grossed 9000 million yuan in just half a day yesterday.

If the box office is this high on a weekday, it would definitely break 1.5 million if it were on a Friday or Saturday!
In December 2012, China's box office revenue surpassed 2 billion yuan for the first time, reaching 26 billion yuan.

On average, the daily box office is around 9000 million.

Excluding the weekend peak, on a typical weekday, the overall market turnover would be around 70 million.

Lu Zhiyuan single-handedly boosted the box office on a regular weekday by 2000 million.

The extra box office revenue is most likely due to the strong performance of IMAX theaters!
The number of IMAX theaters is increasing very slowly because the investment is too large. Nationwide, there were approximately 78 IMAX theaters at the end of 2011.

This year, the number reached 128!
On average, each IMAX theater can generate about 8.5 yuan in box office revenue per day.

However, Real Steel 3 forcibly doubled this number.

Since its release yesterday, even screenings after 10 pm have been sold out, with everyone eager to see it!
……

"US$2000 million in North America, US$3500 million in Europe, and nearly US$1500 million in China... That adds up to nearly US$7000 million."

"Including Japan, South Korea, and Russia, these three places combined should amount to close to 2000 million US dollars."

South Korea has a very high demand for special effects blockbusters; almost any special effects blockbuster will be a bestseller in South Korea.

As for Japan...

With Keiko Kitagawa as a product promoter, Lu Zhiyuan believes this movie won't be too bad.

As for Russia, in Real Steel 3, Lu Zhiyuan selected three Jaegers full of the style of the former Soviet Union's heavy industry from among the 30 Jaegers.

And two Russian extras.

He believes that the box office performance in Russia will not disappoint him.

The entire Real Steel series has consistently performed very well at the Russian box office.

Besides the subject matter itself, which interests Russians, Lu Zhiyuan speculates that Reba and Hanikezi's appearances are also likely to be popular with Russians.

"Based on this calculation, the opening day box office is $9000 million!"

"This is almost the same as the $9100 million box office on the opening day of 'Harry Potter 7' last year."

"While the overall box office for The Avengers was high, considering the opening day's box office, it seems to have only reached $8070 million."

If you do the math, "Real Steel 3" has already earned Lu Zhiyuan a record for the highest single-day box office worldwide!
This earned him a guaranteed A-level reward!
Harry Potter 7 started strong but ended weak, ultimately grossing over $13 billion.

Lu Zhiyuan believes that "Real Steel 3" will not repeat the same mistakes.

As word-of-mouth continues to spread, "Real Steel 3" might break the 15 billion yuan box office record of "The Avengers" this year and become the box office champion of 2012!

Here, he must give special thanks to the Germans!

That's incredibly kind of you!
A country with 8000 million people contributes nearly 1000 million US dollars in box office revenue every day!

(End of this chapter)