Director of Photography Department of Huayu

Chapter 441 Celebrating the Double Five Hundred Million

"Visiting the set of 'The Founding of a Republic,' Wu Chen was invited to oversee operations on-site."

"When the director's lens encounters the nation's memory, the scene of the 'Xiyuan Airport military parade' is recreated."

On-set reports of "The Founding of a Republic" became another focus of cultural media that day.

After this scene, the film, a tribute to the nation, was nearing its finale.

At this moment, The Martian has been showing for 25 days, with its cumulative box office exceeding 5.38 million yuan;
Although the daily box office has lost its momentum from the previous two weeks due to rampant piracy, it is still clear to anyone with a discerning eye that the daily box office can still maintain several million, and it can also bounce back a bit on weekends. In addition, given the special subject matter of the film, the industry immediately understood and was waiting for a piece of news.

On the contrary, domestic films released in June are trembling a bit.

Not only is "The Martian" likely to be delayed, but a series of other Hollywood blockbusters are also on the way.

Transformers 2, Terminator Salvation.
The following day, China Film Group's official website released the latest announcement—

[Following a formal application from China Film Group and approval from the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television, the extended release date for "The Martian" has been approved, officially extending its theatrical run from May 25, 2009 to June 24.]

This brief line of text caused quite a stir in the industry.

The long-awaited extended key has been released again.

"With the release date extended by a month, they're aiming for 600 million yuan in box office revenue."

"Judging from this situation, the 600 million is almost certainly secured!"

"Can domestically produced films even survive? The release schedules are so unreasonable."

There are those in the industry who support it, and there are those who are envious and jealous, but the delay of "The Martian" is a foregone conclusion.

Lu Xun was extremely envious at this moment, and his emotions were running high. He even used foul language at home, but for the time being, he only dared to stay at home and did not dare to go out and talk nonsense to others.

Because Lu Tianming had already warned him to keep a low profile recently, otherwise no one could save him if he was banned from directing.

The celebration party for "The Martian" had actually been in the works for a while.

This celebration is not just about the box office in mainland China surpassing the 500 million mark; more importantly, news has already come from Universal that the global box office will break the 500 million dollar mark in just two or three days.

As expected, early on May 22nd, Universal Pictures officially released the latest global box office data:

The Martian has surpassed $500 million in global box office revenue, ranking 60th on the all-time global box office chart!

The news quickly shook the media circles both at home and abroad.

The slogan "Celebrating the 500 Million Yuan Victory" instantly resounded throughout the industry.

"Five hundred million dollars so quickly?"

"How much would this be in RMB?"

"The global market is still very strong. Relying solely on the mainland, it would take many more years to reach this figure."

The film industry is abuzz with discussion, and many companies are envious of these figures.

The overseas release was already a bit slower, and the statistics were also a week slower. In addition, many overseas regions have a strong awareness of copyright, so the film still has plenty of market space. The $700 million mark is almost a certainty, and it is not impossible for it to hit the $800 million mark.

David Lyndon of Universal Pictures was particularly excited about this, and when he received Han Sanping's invitation to a celebratory banquet, he accepted without hesitation:

"Han, absolutely! This is a huge victory!"

He also remarked:

"Your country's film market is developing so fast. If it weren't for the current limitation on the number of screens, I believe that China's box office alone would have had a chance to break 100 million US dollars this time."

At this point, David Lyndon was also a little shocked when he thought about it carefully. In just a few years, the box office capacity of a single film in China has increased so much.

Han Sanping laughed heartily upon hearing this, saying with pride, "If 'The Martian' is released next year, maybe it will happen."

The rapid development of the film industry has made him proud.

The celebration banquet was officially scheduled for the 25th, which coincided with the one-month anniversary of "The Martian's" release in mainland China and was also the start date of the delayed release.

Upon hearing the news, Ning Hao's film crew, who were filming "No Man's Land" in the western region, called immediately.

Ning Hao spoke urgently:

"A few seats will be reserved for our crew at the celebration banquet, so we can make it."

Damn it, I haven't had anything good to eat in two months. I'm getting tired of some of the dishes here. Can you please ask the hotel to prepare some better food instead of just plain drinks?

"Huh?" Wu Chen laughed and scolded, "You're not satisfied with eating by yourself, so you brought the whole crew to order food?"

As they were talking, Huang Bo joined in the fun, complaining, "Director Wu, you have no idea how desolate this place is, and Director Ning even threw me into a slaughterhouse, it was awful!"

"Alright, stop it, let's all come together, all of us together."

Wu Chen quickly called for a stop; he didn't want to know what Huang Bo had gone through in the slaughterhouse.

After all, he had heard Ning Hao mention before that Huang Bo almost vomited his stomach after coming out of the slaughterhouse, and there was a murderous look in his eyes.
Even far away in the Western Regions, Huang Bo's eyes still held a hint of resentment, which made Ning Hao's heart tremble.

Evening of the 25th.

As early summer approaches, the warm afterglow of the setting sun shines into the room.

Liu Yifei tidied herself up in front of the mirror. She wore a simple white T-shirt with tiny silver studs on the chest, her black hair was tied up high in a ponytail that fell over her shoulders, with a few wisps of hair hanging down beside her ears, making her look fresh and charming.

"Let's go." She gently took Wu Chen's hand, a sweet smile on her face.

As if suddenly remembering something, she looked up at him and whispered, "The email about the start of filming for Nolan's 'Inception' has arrived; it's on June 5th."

Seeing the expectation in Liu Yifei's eyes, Wu Chen understood and nodded with a smile: "Yes, I'll go with you then."

"Hehe, that's exactly what I was waiting for you to say."

China World Hotel, Zijin Hall.

A huge red banner proclaiming "Celebrating the Double 500 Million" had already been hung in the banquet hall, and guests and media arrived in an endless stream.

At 7 p.m., just as the media gathered, a commotion arose at the entrance.

Wu Chen, Liu Yifei, Han Sanping, David Lyndon, Jiang Wen, and their group stepped into the hall, instantly eliciting cheers from the audience.

Ning Hao, along with Huang Bo, Yu Nan, and others, followed closely behind, leaving the media somewhat stunned before they quickly began their interviews.

"Hehe, 'No Man's Land' is shut down. I just came here to freeload a meal."

Ning Hao waved to the media, who, while discussing the matter, noticed the dark skin and tired expressions of Ning Hao's crew and his group, and it seemed they really did look like they were there to freeload.

"What happened?"

"Judging from the title of his film, 'No Man's Land,' he probably really went to the no man's land to film it."

"."

"Chairman Han, can I go directly to the main table tomorrow to ask about the later stages of the land acquisition?" Ning Hao asked this question as he prepared to return to his own table.

"I already made room for you, just go straight there."

Han Sanping waved his hand, while Ren Zhonglun smiled and nodded to Ning Hao: "Director Ning, thank you for your hard work."

"Hi!"

Ning Hao waved his hand. Han Sanping was quite frustrated. He still didn't know how Ren Zhonglun had managed to snatch 10% of the share from him.

"Old Ren has quite a few underhanded tricks up his sleeve; we'll have to be more careful in the future."

Ren Zhonglun was unaware that he had entered Han Sanping's key vigilance range, and he was still smiling.

The banquet officially began at 7 p.m. sharp.

Ning Hao's table only pretended to eat at the beginning, but when no one was looking over, they stopped holding back and started eating rice in big mouthfuls.

The media were particularly lively:
"Director Wu, the global box office has already exceeded $500 million, and the overseas box office is still accumulating rapidly. What is your expected box office target?"

“Personally, I hope to break the $800 million mark,” Wu Chen said softly.

A soft gasp rippled through the hall.

When Huang Bo, who was at Ning Hao's table, heard the number, he almost choked. He had to gulp down several mouthfuls of water before he could recover.

"Eight hundred million US dollars! Director Wu, is that even possible?"

Yu Nan whispered in response, "Many people in the industry say that seven hundred million US dollars is a sure thing, and eight hundred million depends on the performance of overseas markets."

"."

People at each table were talking quietly.

"Mr. David, Mr. Jason, do you think $800 million for 'The Martian' is a realistic possibility?"

"Of course, that's very possible."

"We support it."

David Lyndon and Jason Blum responded with bright smiles, their responses mirroring each other.

"Global revenue is $800 million, and mainland China hopes to break the $600 million mark."

With the expectations of Han Sanping and Ren Zhonglun, it brought domestic box office success.

There's little doubt that the domestic box office will surpass 600 million; given the current downward trend in daily box office revenue, it seems like a certainty.

"Director Wu, will you make any more science fiction films, or will there be a sequel to 'The Martian'?"

As soon as the media made this statement, the room fell silent, and almost everyone's eyes turned to Wu Chen.

There will be no sequel.

As soon as Wu Chen finished speaking, a few sighs rippled through the hall. But thinking about the plot of "The Martian," it seemed to make sense.

Now that the rescue operation is complete, what will the sequel be about?

A moment later, Wu Chen added, "But I will continue to make science fiction films in the future."

"They'll be making sci-fi movies later."

(End of this chapter)