Director of Photography Department of Huayu

Chapter 280 Officially Surpasses 100 Million
Shortly after Wu Chen and Jason Blum walked out of the Paramount building, Universal Pictures learned of the news.

"Damn it, did Paramount snatch it away again?"

David Lyndon frowned as he listened to the report from his subordinates, muttering to himself.

Paramount has done this kind of thing quite a lot.

Paramount has a history of doing similar things.

Spielberg was doing well with Universal back then, but DreamWorks' actions tied Spielberg and Paramount together, almost making them cough up blood.

Thinking of this, he immediately picked up his phone.

Many people are now eyeing Wu Chen, and Universal's release of "Get Out" can only be considered as taking the lead.

The other party is a hot commodity in Hollywood.

Traditionally, Hollywood projects, from project initiation, script development, director hiring, budget allocation to marketing strategies, are led by producers, with directors merely "hired directors."

But this is not absolute.

When some directors can win multiple international awards (the three major awards and the Oscars), and can independently drive box office revenue, and have a unique creative style and market popularity;
Then their projects will no longer be producer-centric, but director-centric or semi-director-centric.

Cameron and Spielberg are directors of this caliber; they are the ones who initiate projects, and producers revolve around them.

Wu Chen has now also crossed this threshold.

As Wu Chen opened the car door, he smiled and saw the caller ID on his phone, so he answered it without hesitation.

“Wu, I just heard you came out of Paramount,” David said jokingly.

"David, you're really quick with your information." He had no doubt about the source of the information from the Hollywood Big Seven; he guessed they were all secretly keeping an eye on each other.

"However, you'll need to prepare an evaluation team; I have a new project."

David Lyndon was visibly taken aback: "A new project?"

"A hard science fiction film."

night.

The Peninsula Hotel in Beverly Hills offers a tranquil view of neon lights and palm trees outside the window, while inside, a crystal vase filled with roses reflects the soft light.

However, amidst this tranquility, Liu Yifei's clear laughter could be heard coming from the phone.

"The box office for 'Black Peony' was 99.2 million yesterday. I don't know how much it will be today, but there were a lot of reports yesterday, and I saw many people saying they were going to see it a second time. It might break 100 million today!"

Liu Yifei's voice was filled with joy and barely concealed excitement.

"Then congratulations!" Wu Chen said with a soft laugh.

"Why are you only congratulating me? You got a congratulation too!" Liu Yifei said coquettishly, while Shu Chang, standing to the side, got goosebumps.

"No, Xixi, why has your voice become so sweet? Oh my, I can't stand it!" Shu Chang's teasing words reached Wu Chen's ears directly.

"Wu Chen, did you notice? Her voice isn't usually like this. It's so sweet and cheesy, it's giving me goosebumps."

"No, I'm used to it," Wu Chen replied with a smile.

"Are you looking for death? Sing, what are you saying!" Liu Yifei's voice came from the other end, pretending to scratch Shu Chang.

"Hey hey hey, did you hear that, Wu Chen? This is her usual voice, Tiger Might!" Shu Chang's voice seemed to have been caught, laughing and shouting at the same time.

"Alright, that's enough. I'll deal with her now," Liu Yifei said with a smile. Only the sounds of the girls playing and laughing remained in the room of the Beijing villa. However, around noon, the box office figures for "Black Peony" finally came out: 102 million yuan.

In an instant, media reports flooded in, appearing like snowflakes in the audience's view:

[A victory for domestic art films! "Black Peony" surpasses 100 million yuan at the box office!]

Director Wu Chen breaks box office records for art-house films; "Black Peony" will be recorded in the history of Chinese art-house cinema!

[Liu Yifei wins Best Actress award for "Black Peony," which grossed over 100 million yuan, achieving both box office and critical success!]

[The journey of "Black Peony" to surpass 100 million yuan has finally come to a successful conclusion]

【.】

Many art-house film directors who saw this report are wondering if they can replicate the box office success of "Black Peony," as it is simply too tempting.

They make money from copyright fees first, then from box office revenue, making even more money than blockbuster films.

"Why is 'Tuya's Marriage' not good enough? Although the release date was wrong, the difference is too big." Wang Quan'an looked at the report, completely puzzled.

Even though it was a release date error and the distributor made a mistake in their promotion, it shouldn't have only grossed a little over a million at the box office.

Even though "Peacock" didn't win the Golden Bear back then, it still grossed over ten million.

"Director Wu's art film's box office performance is truly outrageous."

Zhou Yun couldn't help but sigh at this moment, while Jiang Wen was full of interest.

His "The Sun Also Rises" is just an art film. Once he wins a Venice Film Festival award and replicates the success of "Black Peony," who will say he wastes money on making films?

Damn it, stand up!
“President Yang, I think we can follow the same promotional path as ‘Black Peony’,” Jiang Wen said confidently as he called Ying Huang.

Yinghuang felt that this path to success could be replicated, and in terms of the elements of success, "The Sun Also Rises" didn't seem to be much different.

"The Sun Also Rises" is scheduled for release on September 21st.

At the time, Chen Kaige, who was filming "Mei Lanfang" at Beijing Film Studio, smiled as he was interviewed: "This is good news. No art film has ever grossed 100 million yuan. This is a great benefit for the art film market."

As for Kunqu Opera and Peking Opera, they are national cultural treasures, and I will do my utmost to support them.

It has to be said that Chen Kai is better at shouting and promoting than Jiang Wen.

As a renowned director and the subject of a major film, its quality, whether good or bad, is always the focus of the media and the public.

After Chen Kaige's outburst, and especially after "The Promise," he became much more low-key, which garnered support from many film enthusiasts.

"With Director Chen having already made a great film like 'Farewell My Concubine,' we still have high expectations for 'Forever Enthralled'."

"Director Chen's ability to direct biographical films is undeniable. Now I'm worried about whether Leon Lai has the same ability as Leslie Cheung to carry this blockbuster!"

"."

As Chen Kai listened to Chen Hong recount the online comments, he breathed a sigh of relief, feeling much less pressure and regaining his confidence.

He was determined to redeem himself with this film. Art films were in his comfort zone, and now that the box office has proven that art films can also break 100 million, he has to prove to the audience that he, Chen Kaige, is still the same Chen Kaige from "Farewell My Concubine".

Thinking of this, he quickly arrived at the grand scene of "Red Cliff" and waved his hand:
"Hurry up, tear it down right now! My 'Auspicious Grand Theater' must be made of 'genuine materials'! Have someone hand-paint the murals on the main stage and the plaques from that era hanging inside the building!"

The massive project was launched under Chen Kaige's command.

(End of this chapter)