Director of Photography Department of Huayu

Chapter 391 Explosion, the First Shot of 09

In the early morning in Beijing, the early autumn sun had not yet fully emerged between the buildings, and a light mist drifted through the gaps in the window frames.

In the bedroom, the air conditioner was set to a constant temperature, and sunlight streamed through the gaps in the off-white curtains, falling on the edge of the bed.

Liu Yifei lay in the middle of the big bed, wearing a panda-patterned hooded loungewear. The loose cotton fabric clung to her slender shoulders and neck, and the two black and white round ears on the hood drooped limply to either side.

Her fair and soft little feet swayed in the air.

"Sisi, come downstairs and have breakfast!"

Liu Xiaoli's gentle yet slightly urging voice came from outside the door.

"Know it!"

Liu Yifei gave a lazy reply, then asked curiously over the phone, "You really bought it? You've already made the purchase?"

"Okay, consider it an investment," Wu Chen replied with a laugh on the other end of the phone. "You won't need to stay in hotels anymore. By the way, I hired a designer. She'll send you a few designs later. Take a look and see which one you like."

"Hehe, actually I can design too."

"Oh? Then if there's a chance in the future, you can be the designer." Wu Chen said in a doting tone.

Liu Yifei smiled sweetly upon hearing this: "Then when will you be back?"

"Soon, we'll be done discussing the second season of 'Insidious' with James Wan."

"Mmm." She rolled over, kicking her legs in the air, then suddenly remembered something. "Oh right, how much did your horror movie do at the box office? I don't think it's been reported in China yet. I was too sleepy last night and forgot to ask."

"Currently $1600 million."

"what"

Upon hearing this, Liu Yifei instantly sobered up and stood frozen at the head of the bed.

If she remembered correctly, Wu Chen had told her that the film's production cost was only $1.1!
Meanwhile, in the Beijing Internet news editing room, an editor who was preparing to move news from foreign websites was stunned in front of his computer and couldn't help but shout:
"Holy crap, is Wu Chen going to Hollywood to rob us of money?"

Upon hearing this, everyone else immediately looked over.

"What do you say?"

"Come and see, seriously, it's outrageous! This movie only cost $1.1 to make, and it's already grossed over $1600 million!"

"A cost of $1.1? Are you fucking serious?"

"Seriously, it's not over yet. Sunday's box office hasn't even been added in. The opening weekend will be at least $20 million."

After a few muttered complaints, everyone crowded around, and what followed was a feast of traditional Chinese cuisine:
"I wipe!"

"Brilliant!"

"This is even faster than robbing money, and it's in US dollars!"

"."

Early this morning, countless netizens noticed that the headlines on entertainment portal websites had changed.

[Wu Chen's Hollywood thriller: $10,000 budget, box office surpasses $15 million in two days!]

[Wu Chen, the master scissor-taker! His DV horror film "Lingdong" grosses over $20 million in its opening weekend, a huge success in North America!]

[Harvesting dollars during the financial winter, Wu Chen crushes Hollywood with horror films!]

[Shocking! A film with a budget of 7 RMB raked in 1 million RMB in North America in just two days!]

It has to be said that the title is always the key to attracting readers to click. Countless netizens clicked on the title to see how Wu Chen made 100 million in two days, and then left two words in the comments section: Awesome!
Ning Hao, who went to Huairou early in the morning to continue editing "Bad Genius," overheard the staff's discussion and quickly saw the report, looking on with disbelief.

"Damn, what did you do in Hollywood? It's so outrageous!" Ning Hao's voice rose several notches on the phone.

Wu Chen yawned: "That's how horror movies are. I'm sleepy. Anything else?"

"Damn, to be honest, I'm jealous. Are there any similar movies? I'd like to invest in one too. What kind of horror movie is this? It's outrageous!"

Ning Hao couldn't help but do the math. With these opening results, wouldn't it be possible for the box office to break $100 million in North America, and with the global box office, reaching $200 million wasn't out of the question?

"Actually, it's not complicated. It's just a DV movie. The overall quality is acceptable. If you get the rhythm and music right, it'll be pretty much done. Of course, it won't make as much money as you think. The marketing and distribution costs are not low." Wu Chen chuckled upon hearing this.

"You make it sound so easy."

Ning Hao couldn't help but sigh, this movie, which cost only tens of thousands of yuan to make, grossed more than 100 million yuan in two days, which really spurred him on.

"By the way, Chairman Wang asked me about the schedule a couple of days ago. According to the plan made by Enlight Media, if we don't participate in this year's Lunar New Year film season, then next year's main film seasons will be the New Year's Day film season and the summer film season."

Going for the National Day holiday is definitely out of the question, and waiting until the December Lunar New Year season is too late. How about we choose New Year's Day? Let them compete for the Lunar New Year slot, and we'll fire the first shot of 09. What do you say?

Wu Chen thought about it carefully. Summer movie season wasn't a bad idea, but the domestic summer movie season hadn't been fully developed yet, so it wasn't as good as the New Year's Day movie season, which was at the end of the Lunar New Year.

Because this is the end of the Lunar New Year season, before the Spring Festival season has begun, it is a better period for box office revenue.

"Judging from your expression, you want to be the first shot of 09," Wu Chen chuckled.

"Hehe, you know me best."

“Then you should talk to Chairman Wang and tell him to focus on the New Year’s Day slot on January 1st. We want the slots in January,” Wu Chen said confidently.

"Bad Genius" has the potential to dominate the entire month of January.

"Okay!" Ning Hao replied cheerfully.

Meanwhile, at China Film Group, Han Sanping, looking at the report, was also somewhat incredulous and asked repeatedly, "Is 'Ling Dong' a film under Director Wu's company?"

"Yes, according to Hollywood media reports, it was Director Wu who took a liking to it, bought it, and then got Universal to handle the distribution."

Upon hearing this, Han Sanping suddenly felt that the returns on his previously released films were nothing compared to Wu Chen's film.

"Okay, let's go out."

Upon hearing this, the secretary had just closed the door when she quickly took two steps forward. "Chairman Han, Ms. Qin from Xingmei is here."

Upon hearing who it was, Han Sanping knew why they had come—it was nothing more than about Lu Xun's film. He immediately stood up and said, "Please let him in."

Sure enough, Qin Honggang had barely sat down and exchanged a few words when the topic of the release date for "Nanjing! Nanjing!" came up.

When Han Sanping heard the date Qin Hong wanted to choose, he couldn't help but nod: "April 22nd, Nanjing's anniversary, this date is good."

"By the way, when will the movie be finished editing so Lu Xun can hold a preview screening?"

"I should be able to come back after the New Year. By the way, Mr. Han, there should be quite a few Hollywood blockbusters coming out during the May Day holiday this year, right?"

Qin Hong asked tentatively. He wasn't stupid; if he told Han Sanping in front of him not to schedule Hollywood blockbusters for May Day, wouldn't that be like putting someone in a bad light?

"Hehe, we'll see when the time comes."

Han Sanping understood what the other party meant, but did not respond directly. No one could tell him what to do regarding the release schedule of imported films.
(End of this chapter)