Director of Photography Department of Huayu

Chapter 307 Wu Chen Makes Money in Hollywood
On Friday, October 26th, the streets of New York were already filled with the festive spirit of Halloween.

Giant pumpkin lanterns hung at the subway station entrance, and orange-yellow decorative strings of lights and paper-cut skulls adorned the shop windows on the street corner, as the entire city geared up for the upcoming Halloween.

James Wan has been a bit restless these past few days.

"Insidious" is his highest-rated film, and with the failure of "Dead Silence" this year, he desperately needs a success to prove that he is still one of the best horror film directors in Hollywood.

"Wen, you've worked hard."

Wu Chen made the call, but since he was still filming in New York for the premiere and couldn't make it there, James Wan naturally had to be online the whole time.

"I hope fans will like it."

Wen Ziren was a little uneasy.

He, Wu Chen, and Lionsgate all watched the finished film and felt it was of high quality. However, horror films are niche genres with a fixed audience and similar competitors. Whether it can stand out is still unknown, but the probability is high.

"Relax."

James Wan was still a little worried, so he went to the cinema in the evening, took a cup of coffee, walked alone into a corner of the screening room, and found a seat.

On the screen, the film's opening theme was eerie, and as the plot unfolded, screams from the audience could be heard from time to time in the theater.

"Wow, that's scary!"

"I was so scared I almost jumped up!"

"The combination of Wen He and Wu is truly the best horror movie duo; it's so good!"

"I'm too scared to go to the toilet."

The chatter around him gradually eased James Wan's mind. This scene proved that "Insidious" was still very popular. He then looked at several other horror films released around the same time.

Many people complained after watching it that the plot was clichéd and lacked originality.

"Why not rewatch 'Lurking'?"

"Garbage movie, a waste of money!"

"."

The next day, on the set in New York, Wu Chen had just finished filming a scene and was reviewing the details of the shot with the script in hand.

Wu Chen's phone vibrated, and he picked it up and answered it.

Lionsgate's Michael Burns said in a loud voice, "Wu, congratulations! 'Lurking' did very well at the box office, over six million on its opening day."

Speaking of which, he envied Wu Chen and James Wan. They recouped their production costs of two or three million on the first day, and Halloween was just a few days away, which would bring another wave of box office success.

Even if it doesn't break $100 million in North America, it's a sure thing that it will break $100 million at the global box office, making it another big hit.

Moreover, this series seems to be taking off, with excellent ratings on IMDb and Rotten Tomatoes.

"Congratulations! Don't worry, we have plans for a second and third installment."

Upon hearing Wu Chen mention this, Michael Burns' face lit up with a bright smile, as if he could see dollars beckoning to him.

"Wu, do you have any new horror movies coming out lately?"

"A new one?" Wu Chen was slightly taken aback, subconsciously thinking of "Ghostly Records," but he couldn't let Lionsgate know that he had his eye on this one.

"I'll contact Lionsgate when I have it."

“Okay!” Michael Burns sighed.

The box office performance of "Lurking" was exceptionally strong in its opening weekend.

It grossed over 800 million on Saturday and around 700 million on Sunday, bringing its total gross over the three-day opening to over 2200 million.

Hollywood film media outlets are all reporting on "Insidious".

This horror film, which cost only two million dollars to make, grossed ten times its budget in just three days.

Major Hollywood media outlets have reported on this:
[The box office revenue of "Lurking" has soared tenfold, with James Wan and Wu Chen's collaboration creating a horror film legend!]

[Low-budget film achieves phenomenal success! "Insidious" boasts an astonishing $2200 million opening weekend, proving once again that director James Wan and producer Chen Wu have a keen eye for talent.]

[The golden combination of Wu Chen and James Wan made "Lurking" a tenfold return on investment in just three days.]

Many producers wanted to hire Wu Chen and James Wan to make a horror film, but when they saw Wu Chen's current salary in Hollywood, with his director fees reaching tens of millions of dollars and his screenwriting fees not low, they immediately gave up.

Not only that, but domestic portal websites were also flooded with this news. Although the film couldn't be shown in domestic theaters, the box office return was simply astonishing, even the headlines were filled with amazement: "Wu Chen's two million dollar investment yields ten times the return in three days."

Netizens and industry insiders were stunned, marveling at the spectacle while simultaneously calculating the costs and benefits.

"Are Hollywood horror movies that profitable?"

"Wu Chen must have made a fortune."

"Holy crap, ten times the profit in three days! Only a truly phenomenal movie in China could achieve that!"

"."

Both netizens and industry insiders were stunned.

"Chairman Lu, Director Wu, we also need to contact Wanda for cooperation. We are now fully expanding our cinema chain, and in the future, we will be no worse than state-owned cinema chains."

Ye Ning was chatting with Lu Zheng.

Everyone is verifying the news that Wu Chen is "making money" in Hollywood.

He had already asked around and found out that making movies in Hollywood was indeed more profitable than they had imagined.

"Director Wu," Lu Zheng was also at a loss for words. The main problem was that his relationship with Wu Chen was currently one of mutual benefit, though it was much better than what people in the industry were talking about.

"By the way, I heard that Director Wu values ​​cinema chains quite a bit." Lu Zheng pondered for a moment. "His Xingchen Cinema Chain is expanding in first-tier cities; its development is not slow, but not fast either."

Lu Zheng's reminder made Ye Ning's eyes brighten slightly.

On the other side, Shu Chang held the steering wheel as the car drove on the highway to the airport. She couldn't help but pout and say, "You promised to come with me when I go to shoot the advertising magazine."

"Oh dear, it was just an accident. Next time, I promise I won't break my word!" Liu Yifei chuckled, feeling somewhat guilty.

It seems she's stood Shu Chang up several times.

"Hmph, you better be."

Shu Chang gave a haughty snort, then, as if she had thought of something, said, "Sissi, you know horror movies are so profitable in Hollywood, what do you think about me making horror movies?"

Liu Yifei glanced at Shu Chang, suppressing a laugh: "What's so scary about you? You can't scare anyone at all."

"That's all about creating the atmosphere," Shu Chang said confidently.

“Wu, I think we can start preparing for the next film, to get ready for next year’s Halloween.” James Wan was full of energy at this moment. He could make money and gain fame at the same time, so it would be good to make more films while he had some free time.

Wu Chen nodded with a smile: "Okay, later, after I finish filming 'Black Swan'!"

In the evening, Wu Chen stood on the street, directing the wrap-up of the last scene of the day.

A simple street scene: a character walks alone past a fallen leaf, the camera pulls back, and the scent of autumn wafts out with the sound of the wind and the city's breath.
At that moment, at the other end of the street, dim streetlights lit up, their soft glow filtering through the gaps in the leaves, like tiny wisps of starlight, quietly spreading across the streets of New York.

The neon lights and orange streetlights intertwined to create a dazzling spectacle, illuminating the wet streets and reflecting in Wu Chen's pupils.

"Director, that girl across the way seems to be waving at you," a crew member suddenly leaned over and whispered a reminder.

Wu Chen subconsciously turned his head and saw that familiar figure across the narrow street.

The orange-yellow lights spilled onto both sides of the street, like a gentle filter, reflecting Liu Yifei, who was wearing a light beige trench coat.

Her long, black, and smooth hair swayed gently in the wind, shimmering with a silky texture in the soft light;

The trench coat accentuated her slender and tall figure, with the belt loosely cinched at the waist. The delicate fabric draped softly to her knees, creating a scene reminiscent of a still frame in a movie.

"Junior brother."

Seeing this, Keira Knightley and the others couldn't help but ask, "Wu, is that your girlfriend?"

Wu Chen was taken aback. Before he could answer, Liu Yifei couldn't help but laugh and ran over to him, rushing towards him like the wind.

In that instant, her smile was like a ray of light, dispelling the chill of the night.

Wu Chen subconsciously took two steps forward and steadily caught her in his arms, but his body involuntarily leaned back slightly, and he was immediately surrounded by her scent.

She raised her face and looked at Wu Chen, her bright eyes reflecting the light of the street lamp:

"Hehe, are you surprised? Unexpected?"

(End of this chapter)