Director of Photography Department of Huayu

Chapter 710 The Expanding Guevara, A Slap in the Face; Recreating History
Because of Wu Chen's "Interstellar", Martin Scorsese's "Hugo" and Li An's "Life of Pi" were also brought up by the media and repeatedly discussed under the spotlight.

Three Oscar-winning directors, three original 3D masterpieces.

Undoubtedly, the success of Interstellar has raised everyone's expectations.

Posts predicting global box office figures have sprung up like mushrooms after rain on various forums and social media platforms.

A billion US dollars is just the starting price.

1.5 billion seems within reach.

Even more outrageous, some have already made bold pronouncements about challenging the box office records of "Titanic" and "Avatar," aiming for a profit of 2 billion.

The pressure was instantly placed on the two films that hadn't even been released yet.

Meanwhile, in the domestic market, after Friday's shock, Saturday's box office figures once again showed everyone what "madness" truly meant.

1.58 billion!
Interstellar's daily box office hit a new record, reaching 1.58 million yuan, surpassing the 1.5 million yuan mark and marking another milestone in Chinese film history.

When the report came out, the entire industry felt an absurd sense of powerlessness.

"Damn, seeing this number, I actually think it's normal. I'm wondering if I've lost my mind."

"It's absurd, I actually feel that way too! As if it deserves this amount!"

"Yesterday it was 1.35 million, today it's 1.58 million, an increase of over 20 million, and this is all within the 169-minute time limit! If the time limit were normal, I can't even imagine."

"."

The atmosphere in Huayi Brothers' office was somewhat oppressive.

The Wang brothers, Zhongjun and Zhonglei, stared at each other, unsure whether to release the newly finalized press release.

Just yesterday, Huayi Brothers reached a collaboration agreement with Adrien Brody, the "Pianist," and Tim Robbins, the "Shawshank Redemption."

These two top Hollywood stars are confirmed to join Feng Xiaogang's new film "Back to 1942".

One is the youngest Best Actor winner in Oscar history, and the other is a double Best Actor winner at Cannes and the Golden Globe.

In the past, Huayi would have immediately shown off this amazing move, with great fanfare and firecrackers, wanting the whole world to know.

but now
At a time when all media outlets and audiences are going crazy for Interstellar, will releasing this news be like throwing a stone into the sea?

"Xiao Gang, tell me, do you want to take it slow?"

Wang Zhonglei called Feng Xiaogang, who was on set, and passed the problem on to him.

Feng Xiaogang, on the other end of the phone, felt like he was about to burst from holding it in.

Damn it, why?

Zhang Yimou hired Christian Bale, and the entire media in the industry treated it like a holiday, promoting "The Flowers of War" every day.

Why is it that when I invited two big names, there are so many damn problems?

"Let's wait a few more days."

Feng Xiaogang squeezed out those words through gritted teeth, then hung up the phone, looking constipated.

On the set of "Back to 1942".

In the film crew, veteran actors Zhang Guoli, Chen Daoming, Zhang Hanyu, and Feng Yuanzheng looked at Feng Xiaogang's face, which was as black as the bottom of a pot, with some confusion.

"What's wrong with Director Feng?"

Feng Xiaogang did not explain.

He could only hear a few stagehands nearby whispering among themselves.

"Have you seen it? Interstellar! The box office went up again yesterday! Almost 160 million!"

"That's insane! My wife tried to get IMAX tickets for two days and couldn't."

Feng Xiaogang's face darkened even more.

It's that thing again!

"What are you all talking about! You're all just bored, aren't you?!" Feng Xiaogang yelled at the top of his lungs. "Hurry up and film! Nobody's going to call it a day until we're done filming!"

new York.

Wu Chen was leaning back on the hotel sofa, talking on the phone with Xiang Zhuo.

Meanwhile, Xiang Zhuo was communicating with Wu Chen.

"You mean Wang Xing from Meituan invited me out?"

"Yes, Brother Chen. The company has received a message that they want to arrange a meeting with you after you return to China."

"Okay, got it."

Wu Chen nodded.

Wang Xing Fanfou
The name flashed through Wu Chen's mind.

It has to be said, this guy is ruthless.

From Renren.com to Fanfou.com, and now Meituan.com, each time they have accurately caught the wave of the times.

This kind of vision is not something that ordinary people can possess.

Moreover, just as he was about to reach his peak, he also betrayed Ma Yun, becoming a thorn in the latter's side that she could never forget.

In fact, if Fanfou hadn't been forced to shut down for more than 500 days in 09 due to some unavoidable content censorship issues, directly handing over users and market share to the newly emerging Sina Weibo, Weibo probably wouldn't exist now.

"Isn't it a little too early?"

Wu Chen frowned and began to ponder the next move in the game.

However, before he could even think for two minutes, a call came in from Liu Yong, the CEO of Gewara.

Just by listening to the strong voice on the phone, Wu Chen knew that Guevara was riding high on his victory.

Liu Yong first offered his enthusiastic congratulations, and then began to report on Guevara's current impressive statistics.

"By the way, Mr. Wu, a couple of days ago a fan even brought a banner to the company. Guess what he gave me?" Liu Yong continued, seemingly to himself, "Robbing the rich to help the poor, with a heart full of fans."

"Hehe, that's a good thing. It seems things are going very smoothly." Wu Chen smiled, neither confirming nor denying.

"Hey! It's mainly because we were well prepared!" Liu Yong's voice rose eight octaves.

"Before this major battle, we made very tight preparations, and the servers were expanded several times overnight! The technical team worked in shifts for 72 hours to withstand this surge in traffic!"

The facts prove that our team is capable of fighting tough battles!

Upon hearing this, Wu Chen's lips curled down slightly, indicating displeasure.

It became.

After it was accomplished, they started to reward those who had contributed, feeling that it was all their own achievement.

This kind of mentality is normal; when a company is thriving, it's inevitable that everyone will become a little arrogant.

However, Liu Yong subconsciously overlooked the fact that Starry Night Pictures and the exclusive resource of "Interstellar" were their only bargaining chip to stand at the table.

Wu Chen picked up his coffee, took a sip, and casually remarked as if in a casual conversation.

"Data expansion is a good thing. But don't forget, there are still competitors. Oh, by the way, it seems that Meituan has arranged to meet with someone from Xingchen."

He didn't say directly that Meituan had invited him.

But such a casual remark left Liu Yong, on the other end of the phone, completely stunned.

His mind, which had been feverish with the heat of victory, seemed to be doused with a bucket of ice water, instantly sobering him up.

He shook his feverish head and suddenly remembered that the reason they were able to fight this battle was because of "Interstellar".

Ultimately, the reason he was able to possess this irreplaceable trump card was because of Wu Chen on the other end of the phone.

"Mr. Wu, what are your plans?"

He couldn't possibly be indifferent, given that Meituan Movies is now coming on strong.

"Let me take another look."

On the one hand, he needed to give Liu Yong and his ilk a warning, lest they get carried away and think they were invincible.

Stories of losing everything due to carelessness when things are going well have been common on the internet in recent years.

On the other hand, he needs Guevara to have a few battles with Meituan Cinema to some extent in order to advance his online ticketing plan ahead of time;

Otherwise, if Che Guevara breaks at the slightest touch, like in the original history, how can we even play the game?
If he wants to restructure the online ticketing business in the future, the amount of money he will have to spend will be much larger than it is now.

Whether they can take the lead remains to be seen.

Now is the time to spend a little money and accomplish great things for the future.

In North America, Saturday's box office figures have also been released.

As expected, just as the industry predicted, with the support of good word-of-mouth, the box office not only did not decline but rose, directly breaking through the $6000 million mark, and raking in a whopping $6880 million in a single day!
Once this number was released, everyone knew that a film history record was about to be broken.

As long as Sunday's drop isn't catastrophic, Interstellar's opening weekend box office of $1.7 million is a foregone conclusion.

Forbes, on the other hand, was overjoyed, launching a relentless barrage of mockery at Variety. It's unclear whether this is because Variety is the most well-known media outlet criticizing it.

The latest article title is full of sarcasm.

[@Variety, I heard that all your editors who didn't study math went to extra classes this weekend?]

Now everyone was watching Variety, this century-old publication, to see how they would respond to this challenge.

Is it to play dead, or to bite the bullet and admit defeat?
As a result, Variety reacted quickly, publishing an "editor's note" in a very inconspicuous position at the very bottom of the front page of the report.

The title itself is very much like a variety show.

[An Errata Regarding Calculators]

“We used an old-fashioned Hollywood calculator. Those calculators can only calculate cold, quantifiable data such as release dates, screening rates, and attendance.”

We've forgotten that there's something that can't be calculated.

That's the attraction of a masterpiece.

So yes, Forbes friends, you've won the debate about the numbers. Congratulations! After all, your job is to tally box office numbers.

Our job is to witness history. We are willing to make a mistake for the sake of history's birth.

This "correction" is written with such exquisite skill that it's like a master of "tea art."

The entire piece is about "admitting mistakes," but between the lines, there is an air of arrogance typical of old-fashioned aristocrats.

The subtext was practically pointing a finger at Forbes and saying:
“You guys in finance are only good at counting money. We, on the other hand, stand with art.”

This short essay not only made people in Hollywood laugh hysterically, but also amused Wu Chen, Liu Yifei, Matthew, and others who were on their way to promote the event when they saw the report.

"Haha, Variety is such a sarcastic person."

Matthew understood the joke and laughed heartily, even introducing Wu Chen to the history of the old silver coin company, "Variety."
Amidst the commotion, the box office figures for the third day in China were released.

On Sunday, it closed at 1.63 million!
At China Film Group, Han Sanping looked at the total results for the first three days of the weekend compiled by his secretary, and his hand holding the teacup trembled slightly.

4.56 million in the first weekend!
Once upon a time, this number was the ultimate goal that every blockbuster film dreamed of from its premiere to its end.

Now, Wu Chen only took three days.

The media coverage has been overwhelming.

[4.56 million! Interstellar sets a new box office record in its opening weekend! A new era for box office!]

[Three days! Interstellar covered the distance other films took a lifetime to complete in just three days!]

[A phenomenal success! Interstellar ignites a nationwide movie-going frenzy, with a billion-dollar box office already a certainty!]

【.】

(End of this chapter)