Director of Photography Department of Huayu

Chapter 392 A Clash of Titans, Picking on the Weak

Blumhouse Film Studios, Los Angeles.

Upon entering, the first thing that catches the eye is a wall painted with a matte gray-blue, covered with various posters and paper-cut designs, clearly a visual draft for a recent project;

On the wooden workbench by the window, there were two red and white mugs and a large stack of printed scripts.

The warm afternoon sunlight streamed through the floor-to-ceiling windows. James Wan gently closed the cover of the script in his hand, his gaze lingering on the words "Insidious 2".

The opening of Insidious 2 perfectly mirrors the first film, returning to 1986, when the protagonist Josh was still a child and being harassed by Black Widow.
"Director Wu, you're amazing! You've nailed all the foreshadowing and setup from the first film; the logic is impeccable."

James Wan's tone was full of genuine admiration, which explains his deep understanding of horror films. His choice of a DV horror film has caused quite a stir in the United States.

While "Paranormal Activity" didn't perform as well as it did on Saturday, it still grossed over $600 million on Sunday, bringing its opening weekend total to over $2200 million.

For a film with a production budget of just over $1, it's not just outrageous, it's simply amazing.

Even Hollywood media outlets described the film as a miracle and a wonder.

"Then we'll leave it to Director Wen," Wu Chen said with a smile.

Horror films are among the easiest screenplays to write; they are much less difficult than other drama films.

Wen Ziren clenched his fist and bumped it with Wu Chen's: "Don't worry, I guarantee you'll be satisfied."

A well-written horror film is also a huge asset to him as a horror film director.

The news that "Paranormal Activity" grossed over $2200 million in three days was not only widely circulated in Hollywood, but was also quickly picked up and announced in China.

Many production companies are eyeing the market and are even more eager to enter North America, the world's largest box office market.

Meanwhile, various capital sources place greater emphasis on domestic film and television companies, all hoping to leverage these companies to enter the global film and television industry and make money.

Starry Sky currently has no capital plans, which will naturally benefit companies like Huayi.

At this moment, Wang Zhonglei and others from Huayi were filled with emotion, but also a bit conflicted.

Huayi Brothers Vice President Xu Lizheng reported: "President Wang, Director Feng, Enlight Media has announced that Ning Hao's film 'Bad Genius' is scheduled for release on January 1st next year."

This unexpected release date gave Wang Zhonglei and Feng Xiaogang a bit of a headache.

They originally planned to schedule "If You Are the One" around December 22nd, so they could capitalize on both the Christmas and New Year's holiday seasons. However, Starry Night and Enlight Media seem determined to take over the January slot.

"I think we can stand our ground, otherwise the industry will think I'm scared."

Feng Xiaogang said quietly that he believed in the quality of the film.

Upon hearing this, Xu Li had no choice but to turn his gaze to Wang Zhonglei.

He had absolutely no desire to go head-to-head with "Bad Genius" at its peak. Putting aside whether it would please anyone, if problems arose, Wang Zhonglei would definitely refuse to take the blame, while Feng Xiaogang would definitely shift the responsibility, leaving him, the vice president, to take the fall.

Wang Zhonglei certainly didn't want to act impulsively, so he gently tapped the table, his tone slow but measured:
"Xiao Gang, harmony brings wealth, harmony brings wealth. We make movies to make money. The release date for 'If You Are the One' hasn't been set yet. If it had been set, I would definitely support you to fight Ning Hao."

He paused, then suggested, "I suggest we move it up a few days, how about setting it for the 18th?"

Feng Xiaogang wasn't stupid; seeing that Wang Zhonglei had offered a way out, he readily agreed.
Upon seeing this, Wang Zhonglei immediately asked Xu Li, "Which movie does the date of the 18th conflict with?"

"The collaboration between Timeless Classics and Oriental Cinema, 'Ip Man,' will be released on the 12th!"

“Okay, then let’s choose them.” Wang Zhonglei said without hesitation.

The saying "better to sacrifice a friend than yourself" applies here. Compared to "Bad Genius," "Ip Man" seems like an easy target, easily manipulated. Huayi Brothers' move immediately drew criticism from those who champion classic films and Eastern cinema.

"Damn, if you don't want to compete with Starry Night and Enlight Media, so you're picking us?"

"We clearly picked number 12 first, but Huayi immediately set number 18. What does that mean?"

"."

The people from both companies looked grim, but they were at a loss for what to do. Further ahead was Chen Kaige's "Mei Lanfang," and if they went any further, Han Sanping's side would not let them off the hook.

Then comes "If You Are the One," followed by "Bad Genius" in January.
Companies that didn't choose to release the film during the Lunar New Year holiday season were relieved.

"I never imagined that just a few years later, the competition for release slots would be so fierce."

"Things have changed. Without big-budget films, it's best not to rush into popular release windows!"
"Luckily, things stabilized a bit; otherwise, it would have been too embarrassing to have it confirmed and then withdrawn!"

"."

Universal Pictures headquarters, distribution department meeting room.

The latest box office curve for "Paranormal Activity" was displayed on the projection screen.

Although the curve dropped significantly after entering the work week, from 630 million on Sunday to more than 270 million on Monday, this is rare in horror movies, and it is really gratifying to have this data on a work week.

It's worth noting that this kind of thing is really appealing on weekends, and this consistency has truly given Universal hope that the film will break $100 million.

David Lyndon was overjoyed. Securing the distribution rights was an exceptionally wise decision, and his trip to Beijing for casting had not been in vain.

Now we'll have to wait and see with "The Martian".

Thinking of this, he looked up at the time and quickly called his secretary.

"Based on the content of this morning's meeting, send an email to China Film Group and also send a fax, making sure they receive it."

"Understood, Mr. Lyndon."

Beijing, China Film Group.

The sky was gray in the early morning, and the red flag in front of the building fluttered in the breeze.

As soon as Han Sanping entered the office, he saw his secretary gently place a stack of documents and faxes on the table: "Chairman Han, the emails and faxes sent by Universal in the early hours of the morning have arrived, along with the accounting report for 'Mei Lanfang'."

"Just leave it there." He sat down and casually flipped open the accounting sheet.

The budget for all aspects of "Mei Lanfang" was clear. Compared with Hong Kong and Taiwan directors like Wu Yusen, he felt that mainland directors like Wu Chen and Chen Kaige were much better in terms of crew expenses.

Moreover, even Chen Kaige never made China Film Group lose a single penny.

Putting down the materials on "Mei Lanfang," Han Sanping opened the fax sent by Universal Music and his eyes lit up instantly.

Because The Martian is finally getting a release date, but when he looked at the North American time, it was May 2nd. He couldn't help but think for a moment that this release date seemed to be almost the same as Iron Man this year, which grossed nearly $5 million worldwide.

It's a good day.

However, after checking the suggested release date in China, it appears to be April 26th.
Han Sanping's brows twitched slightly, and he couldn't help but rub his head, his expression strange.

If he remembered correctly, Qin Hong came to see him a few days ago. "Nanjing! Nanjing!" was scheduled for release on April 22nd, which meant that the two films were only four days apart.
(End of this chapter)