I'm just trying to ride the wave of popularity!

Chapter 261 Hollywood is targeting Zhou Yang!

Hollywood is arrogant.

Hollywood theaters, however, are a reality.

The moment the popularity of "The Distant Ones: Reboot" soared...

Executives at several North American cinema chains, including AMC Theatres, immediately recognized the film's incredible potential.

Almost two days after the premiere, a report appeared on the desks of every theater manager.

The report shows that the three additional screenings held overnight at AMC theaters for the premiere were all sold out, demonstrating an unprecedented level of enthusiasm from the market for the film!
A few weeks ago it was Saw, now it's The Reboot...

Familiar scenes are unfolding one after another in a frenzy!

....................................

DV Films.

Buster, the general manager of the copyright and marketing departments, silently stared at [Tiao Ren: Restart].

He was impressed by the movie.

In July 2003, DV Pictures' "Superman II" premiered globally, and they received a copyright infringement report from their Chinese partner company, Tianyu Media...

The infringement report was directed at this film, which Buster himself had taken over at the time.

During the review process, although he found the movie somewhat interesting, he didn't pay much attention to it.

Moreover, the other party seems to know a lot about the law...

In the market, they stated that Chen Jianfeng's "Superman" headgear was 6% darker than the red of their Superman logo, and that the suit material was labeled as "silk blend" instead of their "spandex." Furthermore, they claimed it was "Superman," while [DV] company produced "Superman." "Superman" is a completely new concept...

After repeated review by the legal department, they came to a regrettable conclusion: although the film was despicable, it perfectly circumvented all copyright restrictions.

Subsequently, it seems that due to the joint suppression of the film by China's five major film companies, the film did not show a particularly impressive impact at the Chinese box office, so [DV Films] temporarily gave up on the project...

They even dismissed it with a simple, "It's just a poor imitation!"
But, no one could have predicted it!
One day, this infringing film, "The Reboot," actually made it to the top of Hollywood's trending movie searches!
What surprised countless people even more was...

This film, which was released in China a year ago, has had an astonishing impact on the North American market!

In the screening room of [DV Films].

The projector froze the last frame of "The Reboot" at the moment Superman tears the Capitol Building apart.

Buster's pen drew a red dot on the evaluation report.

He stared at Chen Jianfeng's blood-stained face on the screen. When he truly began to analyze the film seriously, he had to admit that, thanks to the plot, this Eastern face seemed more impactful to North American audiences than the meticulously crafted "divine superman" of the DV film…

At this moment, he felt a slight sense of regret, but he still did not give up.

however……

"Sir, the Legal Department has just confirmed the copyright agreement for 'The Black Robe Alliance.'" The assistant handed over a laptop, which displayed the ten-year development agreement for the "Anti-Hero Universe" signed between [Warcraft Pictures] and [XuanShi Entertainment]: "They've even registered the 'TD Company' trademark, and they've already started planning for related merchandise..."

He frowned as he stared at the "TD Company" logo, his expression instantly turning to shock!
The TD company's trademark is extremely similar to their DV...

"God, these shameless bastards!"

"Copying Superman is one thing, but now they're even copying our company's trademark?"

"..."

After saying that, his expression gradually turned ugly.

Then, he closed his eyes.

A deathly silence fell over the screening room.

Then, he left the screening room step by step.

After returning to the office.

He picked up the phone and contacted the copyright department of Columbia Pictures, the company that distributed and produced Spider-Man.

The other party also seemed furious about the Black Robe Alliance's copyright infringement, their voice on the other end of the phone filled with angry curses...

After I finished the call, there was a knock on the office door.

Immediately afterwards, the secretary handed over the information about the "Black Robe Alliance"...

"gentlemen……"

"The Colombian side is extremely angry!"

"but……"

"The Black Robe Alliance's direct use of the Daily Horn and the upside-down 'Pad Pike' is a perfect example of copyright infringement by copying other works..."

"Of course, some parts of the plot seem to involve copyright infringement..."

"However, the copyright of Spider-Man is complicated. Marvel Comics licensed the copyright of Spider-Man to Columbia Pictures, but it is precisely the film and television rights and related merchandise rights of this movie... As long as The Black Robe Alliance does not film the original Spider-Man storyline, it does not seem to involve any copyright infringement issues..."

"The parts of 'Black Robe Alliance' that are suspected of copyright infringement, in a sense, originated from the comic book copyright, which happens to be controlled by [Warman]..."

"Unless [Warcraft] sues them, otherwise..."

"..."

After receiving the materials.

Buster fell silent instantly. [Warcraft Pictures] and [XuanShi Entertainment] signed a strategic agreement…

"Our 'Catwoman' movie was originally scheduled for release in October, right?"

"Yes!"

"Move it forward to September and keep an eye on the release date of 'The Black Robe Alliance' for me. Whenever they set a release date, that's when we'll release it!"

"what?"

"Snipe them!"

"..."

Buster closed his eyes.

The voice was filled with a chilling aura!

The secretary was stunned when she heard this.

Then, looking down at the information about the movie "Catwoman," his expression gradually became complicated.

In 2003, the box office flop of "Superman II" was like a heavy blow, plunging DV Films into a deep freeze.

This film, which DV Pictures had high hopes for, barely broke $2000 million at the box office in its opening weekend, far below the expected $6000 million opening weekend...

After its first week, the film's Rotten Tomatoes score plummeted to 33%, and a flood of negative reviews poured in, with countless critics condemning it as "stale heroism that makes you sleepy."

This blockbuster, which cost $1.8 million to produce, ultimately only grossed $3.2 million worldwide, failing to even recoup its marketing costs.

With both box office and critical failures, Warner Bros.' total stock price also plummeted by nearly 18%, severely damaging the confidence of countless investors...

In an effort to reverse the market downturn caused by the failure of "Superman 2", Warner Bros. executives, the parent company of DV Pictures, bet everything on the superhero film "Catwoman".

Catwoman, created in 1940, is a classic DV superhero IP in Hollywood, on par with Batman.

Warner Bros. has ambitious plans for this film; it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say they're going all in!

They spent nearly $2000 million to invite Oscar-winning actress Anne Dessereau to play the lead role of Catwoman. When the salary was revealed last year, it caused a sensation in the industry. This salary broke the record for the salary of female superhero actors and even far exceeded the asking price of male superhero lead actors at the same time!

The resources invested in this film are astonishing. In order to present better fight scenes, Descartes underwent six months of special effects training. The production team specially hired the martial arts instructor from the team of international superstar Hendrik Willem Van Loon from Hong Kong Island. Her custom-made battle suit alone cost $30!
Even more astonishingly, the film set built a 1:1 scale replica of Gotham City's commercial district, with the gold leaf decoration on the City Hall dome alone costing $200 million, all to recreate the classic scene from the comics where Catwoman leaps and bounds across rooftops...

……

It's no exaggeration to say that *Catwoman* not only carries the ambitions of Warner Bros. and DV Films to open up the female superhero market, but also bears the heavy responsibility of revitalizing the superhero film industry after the failure of *Superman II*...

And now...

Release this movie ahead of schedule...

“Mr. Buster, I’m afraid this will disrupt Warner’s rhythm…” the secretary said softly after a long silence.

Buster narrowed his eyes, staring at Zhou Yang's information on the table.

He picked up the box office report for "Saw" from his desk and placed it in front of his secretary.

"First horror movies, now superhero films. This Chinese guy is like a shark that smells blood; he always manages to precisely tear open gaps in the market!"

"We need to take this ambitious Chinese man seriously..."

"What he represents is not just the success of a single film, but also a turning point for Marvel Studios, from near death to rebirth, and may even overturn the entire ecosystem of superhero movies!"

"Therefore, we must nip all of this in the bud!"

After saying that, Buster stared at the movie "Catwoman" on the table.

At this moment, the secretary looked at Buster: "But, releasing 'Catwoman' ahead of schedule might result in a loss of thirty million..."

"Losing 30 million now is better than spending 1 billion in the future to reshape market perception and get a bargain! We must warn Warner executives that the superhero pie must not be taken away from us again!"

"I see!"

....................................

Inside the Copyright and Marketing Department office of Columbia Pictures.

Tom Smith broke the DVD of "The League of Black" into pieces and threw it into the trash can.

On the other end of the phone, [Weiman]'s evasive attitude regarding the copyright infringement caused the veins on his forehead to bulge and his whole body to tremble.

"Those traitors from Marvel Comics! They sold the copyright for a paltry 700 million back then, and now they're condoning Chinese people using such despicable means to humiliate us! They deserve to die! FUCK!"

After he finished cursing, he remained silent for a long time, and then his eyes gradually turned cold.

A moment later, he picked up the red hotline: "Mr. Buster, this is Tom Smith. The Superman series has been plagiarized by Spider-Man, and the debt must be settled! Marvel Comics not only condones this behavior, but also dismantles our Spider-Man into vulgar jokes, even writing Jonah Jameson's name backwards. This is blatant insult, it has crossed the line, and it will destroy the entire industry!"

"Listen, 'The Black Robe Alliance' is going to be released in three days, and Carl from the Marvel movies only has twenty-two days left on his betting agreement!"

"We need a movie to take him down!"

After a moment of silence on the other end of the phone, the plan to release "Catwoman" ahead of schedule was mentioned, followed by a tentative question...

Tom Smith paused for a moment, then responded decisively: "Columbia will fully cooperate with the publicity! Asian theater resources can be fully shared. We must show that Chinese director the true weight of a superhero movie. As for the Chinese domestic market, I will personally coordinate the joint operation of the five major distribution companies to launch a comprehensive attack from publicity to screening schedules!"

"it is good!"

(I'm in terrible shape today, I can't write the third chapter, but I'll guarantee at least two more chapters...)
(End of this chapter)