It's reasonable for me to be a three-time Golden Horse Award-winning director and an all-around

Chapter 149 Should we put back on the clothes we took off back then, one by one? (Seeking monthly votes)

The following morning, Lü Rui took Wen Ziren to Warner Bros.

The screening of "I Am Legend" was much bigger than that of "Paranormal Activity".

A massive investment of $1.5 million would rank it among the top ten of all big-budget films released in Hollywood throughout the year.

The most expensive Hollywood film released this year is "Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith," with a budget of $380 million, or approximately 31 billion RMB!
As a beautiful "national film", this blockbuster produced by 20th Century Fox grossed a total of $8.57 million worldwide.

It wasn't a resounding victory, but it was certainly a win-win situation.

Compared to big IPs, independent films like "I Am Legend" face much greater challenges in achieving profitability.

With a budget of $1.5 million, the global box office must reach at least $4.5 million, otherwise it will lose money.

The pressure is immense!
Representatives from Warner, Sony Columbia, and Lionsgate, the three investors, all came today.

Warner Bros., in particular, was represented by Lauren Megan and Warner Bros. Pictures President and Chief Operating Officer Alan Horn.

“Mr. Horn?” Lu Rui was somewhat surprised to see him.

After all, Warner Bros.' latest production, "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire," with an investment of $2.7 million, is currently being heavily promoted.

Logically, Alan Horn should be following up on this blockbuster.

"Lv, congratulations on the huge success of your new film." Alan Horn said with a smile, and the topic of conversation turned to "Taken".

"I also wish Warner Bros.' new film great success." Lu Rui's words had a double meaning.

Warner Bros. certainly made a lot of money this year.

Both "Batman Begins" and "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" were very successful.

Next up are "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire" and the upcoming "I Am Legend".

Barring any unforeseen circumstances, Warner Bros. will once again be the highest-grossing of the six major Hollywood studios this year.

After a few brief pleasantries, Alan Horn pointed to the screen and said, "Let's watch this masterpiece first. I'm really looking forward to its performance."

"it is good."

Lü Rui sat down beside him.

The lights in the screening room dimmed, and the movie began.

The story is set 12 years later, after a deadly virus has swept the globe, leaving New York City a ghost town.

Robert Neville (Denzel Washington), a former military virologist, is one of the few immune individuals.

He and his beloved dog Sam depend on each other for survival. During the day, he searches for supplies and survivors in the city. He also captures mutants and experiments on them repeatedly in the laboratory, trying to develop a serum that can cure the virus.

At night, he would hide in his reinforced home, with the doors and windows tightly closed, because mutants fear sunlight and usually go out to hunt at night. Once they discover him, he is likely to be in grave danger.

An accident caused Robert to lose his beloved dog, but he met Anna, a survivor with a child.

Their peaceful lives were suddenly disrupted, and crises followed one after another!

When the mutants followed the clues and besieged his residence, he was surprised to find that the serum he had developed was effective against the mutants!
In the end, he chose to sacrifice himself, allowing Anna to escape with the serum and the child, thus preserving hope for a cure for humanity...

This movie actually has two endings.

In the version currently being shown, Robert chooses to sacrifice himself, perishing together with the mutant leader, leaving the hope of a cure to Anna and her child.

Another version is that Robert chose to make a deal with the mutant leader, returning the female mutants he had used for experiments, and leaving New York with Anna and her son for a survivor settlement.

During filming, James Wan filmed both versions of the ending.

During post-production, after careful consideration, Lü Rui chose the first ending for public release.

This ending emphasizes the tragic grandeur of the hero's sacrifice and the bright theme of human survival, which aligns with the title of the film, "I Am Legend."

In the second ending, Robert abandons his obsession with saving the world as a legend. While this is more philosophical and offers a different perspective on the definition of "legend" and the relationship between humans and the supernatural, it does not align with the film's title or its core selling point.

It may cause controversy after its release, but that is unavoidable.

Moreover, there is no such thing as a movie that everyone likes.

Lü Rui could only choose the more commercialized and acceptable outcome for the public.

"Clap clap clap!"

When the film ended, enthusiastic applause filled the theater.

Lu Rui looked back and saw that everyone, including Alan Horn, was clearly satisfied.

This movie has very prominent selling points.

On the one hand, Denzel Washington's monologue is extremely moving, and he portrays the protagonist's loneliness, resilience and despair with subtlety and realism.

Especially the scenes with her beloved dog Sam, which really capitalized on the cross-species bond!
In Hollywood, there's a professional term for this: "human-animal emotional connection," which is somewhat similar to "political correctness."

On the other hand, the post-apocalyptic ghost town scene is also visually striking.

Abandoned streets, wild deer herds, and tall buildings covered in vines... the film uses realistic visuals to create a strong apocalyptic atmosphere.

There is also the portrayal of "loneliness," such as Neville talking to mannequins and recording experimental logs in videos, which allows people to truly feel the insignificance and struggle of individuals in the apocalypse.

The sense of hope that the film retains amidst despair adds a touch of warmth to the story.

"This movie is fantastic," Alan Horn said, giving it high praise.

"Thank you for your recognition," Lü Rui responded modestly.

The screening is over, and now we'll discuss the distribution arrangements.

Lü Rui couldn't make the decision on this part; it had to be discussed by Warner, Sony Columbia, and Lionsgate. He could only offer suggestions, and whether they were adopted depended on the distributor.

At times like these, he always feels a faint sense of powerlessness.

It's truly a fucking madhouse to have no control over how to sell the "products" you make, when to put them on the shelves, or how to promote them.

Paranormal Activity is much more enjoyable, as the marketing and distribution are entirely up to the company.

The entire afternoon was spent arguing about the release date and distribution arrangements among the various distributors.

Lu Rui suggested going to Christmas, but Warner Bros. rejected it because "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire" was targeting the Christmas season.

To avoid competition while allowing sufficient time for promotion, the release date had to be moved forward.

But we can't leave December either, because that's the golden month for North American box office.

Ultimately, the beginning of December, specifically the 2nd, became the best choice.

"Who are our competitors from the same period?" Lü Rui asked curiously.

Lauren Megan turned to look at him and replied, "Paramon's Aeons is also showing at the same time."

Lu Rui had never heard of this movie, so he figured it probably didn't do well at the box office.

Sony Columbia's representative, Matt Tolmacher, added, "A week later, there will be Walt Disney's 'The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Magic Wardrobe'."

I remember this movie, it was awesome!
With an investment of $1.8 million, it grossed nearly $3 million in North America and nearly $8 million worldwide!
Disney is really strong when it comes to animation IPs!
Fortunately, it's an animated live-action film, so it won't directly compete with "I Am Legend".

“There’s also King Kong on the 14th,” Sarah, who came from Lionsgate, added, emphasizing, “This is the opponent we need to face head-on.”

Lu Rui nodded slightly, secretly relieved.

The direct competitors are not very strong. As long as the publicity and distribution are in place, "I Am Legend" will definitely shine in the first weekend of December!
After the release dates were officially confirmed, the publicity teams of the three companies began to get busy.

As previously agreed, the North American distribution would be a joint effort by the three companies, while the distribution in other countries would be handled solely by Warner Bros.

Unfortunately, this film cannot be imported to China for the time being.

Even with investment from China Film Group and Shanghai Film Group, it still couldn't pass the censorship; we can only wait and see if there's a chance in the future.

At the same time, after confirming the release date of "I Am Legend", Lü Rui specifically inquired about the release schedule of "Taken".

This time, the person he was dealing with was Dennis Smith.

The department manager in charge of copyright sales, whom he had met at the three major film festivals, had been successfully promoted to the production department at the beginning of the year.

"Lv, it definitely won't make it this month, because we still have promotional arrangements to make. How about releasing it on the second weekend of next month?"

"Who are the competitors at the same time?" Lu Rui was very concerned about this.

"There's only one horror movie called 'The Fog'."

"Okay, no problem." If it's a horror movie, then he's not a scaredy-cat.

At this point, the work arrangements for this trip to Hollywood have been basically completed.

《飓风营救》定档10月14日，《灵动：鬼影实录》定档10月31日，《我是传奇》定档12月2日。

As for "The Pursuit of Happyness (US version)," Sony Columbia has not yet made any arrangements.

Lu Rui was unsure of their plans, so he specifically asked Matt Thormach, but the latter was also acting mysteriously, as if he was brewing some big move.

Since he couldn't get any answers, he had no choice but to give up.

After leaving Warner Bros., Lü Rui didn't rush back to the company; instead, he went to the movie theater first.

Li An's "Brokeback Mountain" is currently competing for awards at the Venice Film Festival.

In addition, to meet the eligibility criteria for the Oscars, it was also screened on a small scale in New York and Los Angeles.

Dennis happened to have a few preview screening tickets, so Lü Rui asked for one and planned to go see it.

This film wasn't released in China in my previous life, so there were no platforms where I could watch it.

In his memory, many people said that it was filmed very "daringly", so he was always quite curious.

Inside the theater, as the lights dimmed, the movie began.

In 1963, young cowboy Ennis and Jack met in Brokeback Mountain, Wyoming, and were hired to herd sheep together.

In the secluded mountains, they gradually developed feelings that went beyond friendship...

After the herding season ended, they returned to their "normal" lives, got married and had children, seemingly following the path of life accepted by society.

But the memory of Brokeback Mountain lingered in their hearts, so they began to meet secretly every day, maintaining their relationship, which was not accepted by society at the time, amidst repression and struggle...

"My darn thing!"

Lu Rui felt that he had been deceived by those rainbow parties and the "mainstream" media in Europe and America!
What the hell? Through its delicate narrative, the film portrays love and pain against the backdrop of the times, exploring the conflict between emotions, identity, and social norms.
This guy clearly has a problem with his sexual orientation!

Even if there is some "love" that transcends friendship in the film, it's still not to his taste.

He even wondered if Li An had gone mad? Why was he always doing such vulgar things?

Are they really willing to disregard everything else just for awards and fame? Are they treating actors as expendable resources and sacrifices?
Even when it comes to breeding livestock, shouldn't you consider whether they are male or female?
What can you mate with two males?
However, thinking about the various "magical operations" in Hollywood, Lü Rui suddenly felt that Li An's unique artistic talent might actually be quite to the liking of some people in Hollywood.

As he left the movie theater, Lü Rui made up his mind.

It's best to never have anything to do with Li An in this lifetime!

This thing is too weird.

What he didn't know was that Li An, who was at the Venice Film Festival at the time, was not only promoting "Brokeback Mountain" but also preparing his new script "Lust, Caution".

While preparing for the role, he was also selecting a suitable actress for the female lead, "Wang Jiazhi".

"College students are pure and innocent, possess a patriotic spirit, and are willing to dedicate themselves to art..."

He muttered to himself as he flipped through the list of domestic actresses.

He carefully reviewed the resumes of the four actresses and two ice creams one by one...

Actors from Taiwan and Hong Kong are also within his target range.

Unfortunately, the one who was willing to take off his clothes back then is now wearing them and refuses to take them off again. He even said he wants to put them back on one by one. Otherwise, he would really like to try collaborating with the other party.

Suddenly, his gaze fell on a pure and clean face, and his eyes involuntarily lit up.

……

After returning from Warner Bros., Lu Rui devoted himself to two jobs that required his full attention.

The Chinese localization of Dallas Buyers Club and the promotion of Paranormal Activity.

He didn't need to worry about the marketing and distribution of "I Am Legend," nor did he focus on the early marketing and distribution of "Taken."

All those Hollywood actors we found before are now coming in handy.

Clint Eastwood's cameo appearance is a major publicity stunt.

Andy Serkis, who plays "King Kong" in the upcoming action blockbuster "King Kong," will make a cameo appearance, which is another promotional highlight.

Christian Bale's cameo as the new Batman in DC's "The Batman: Shadow of Mystery" is also a major promotional highlight.

Compared to the cameo appearances of these three, the main cast, including Jiang Wen, Liu Yifei, and Zhou Yun, received almost no attention.

Their fame in China is undeniable, but abroad, not only are they not very successful, even director Lü Rui is not very popular.

Unfortunately, many foreigners have trouble recognizing Chinese people.

Unless he can define himself with a label like "kung fu," which foreigners find fascinating, like Jackie Chan or Li Lianjie, it will be difficult for him to achieve box office success based on his personal fame, just like Steven Spielberg.

However, Lü Rui was not in a hurry.

Spielberg is 59 years old, while he is only 23. The two are three cycles apart in age!
He has plenty of time to catch up; his youth is his greatest asset!

So he has now entered a rhythm of busy publicity during the day and revising the script at night.

Under his coordination and with the efforts of Jason Brom, they collected a number of stories and legends about "ghosts" during this period.

Some of these stories are widely circulated and told with great detail, while others are pure fabrications.

But that's not important; the key is that the story itself has "viral appeal"!
After collecting the content, Lü Rui arranged for personnel to release it using a "remote dissemination" method.

For example, stories collected in downtown areas can be disseminated in seaside areas, and vice versa...

At the same time, he also had multiple "regular user" accounts registered and posted a lot of vague information on city community forums, horror enthusiast forums, and various social media platforms:
“I stayed at a friend’s house in the San Fernando Valley last week. I heard noises coming from the attic in the middle of the night. He said something had been wrong with the house lately and he had been filming with a DV camera for several nights. He said he had filmed ‘moving shadows’, but I didn’t dare to watch it. Do you believe in this?”

"I heard there was a couple whose house was haunted after they moved in. The guy was pointing a video camera at their bedroom every day, and it seems like he actually filmed something. Has anyone seen the video?"

"A friend showed me a really scary video! Wow! I never thought ghosts actually existed..."

The accounts that posted were all ordinary accounts that had posted daily updates, so the content they posted naturally evoked a sense of immersion.

However, the information is unclear, not mentioning specific addresses or names, leaving only a strong hook of suspense.

After netizens raised questions, the account would occasionally reply, but only with things like "my friend told me not to share it, for fear of causing trouble," reinforcing the feeling that the "information is sensitive and true."

As soon as this was done, news of "ghostly figures being seen" spread throughout Los Angeles.

Especially on major horror movie forums, it's being spread like wildfire!

Of course, this requires continuous financial investment.

Just like buying and suppressing trending topics both require money, making a message circulate also requires costs.

However, all of these are within Lü Rui's tolerance range.

By mid-September, the first phase of promotional activities had ended.

Jason Blum arrived at Ruixing Film Studio and obtained a video from Lü Rui.

It was a video so crude it looked like a private recording. The scene was a bedroom at night, with shaky camera work, blurry image quality, and the static characteristic of surveillance equipment.

The first half of the video was normal, but a few seconds later, a semi-transparent, blurred, and indistinct black shadow flashed by at the foot of the bed, and then the screen went black, accompanied by a very faint dragging sound.

"Jason, I'm going back to the US tomorrow. Keep this video safe and send it anonymously to a few small horror culture blogs or websites, understand?"

"Ok."

Having seen the promotional plan, Jason Blum naturally understood Lu Rui's intentions.

The video aims to spark discussion about whether it's a real recording or a prank, further reinforcing the concept of "ghosts".

However, after watching the video, he couldn't help but ask, "Lv, is this really footage from a movie? Or is it actual footage?"

Lu Rui couldn't help but laugh and patted him on the shoulder: "That's the effect we want, to make more people guess whether this is real surveillance footage or a prank."

Seeing Jason Brom's current state, Lü Rui became even more hopeful for the film's box office performance.

In 1999, "The Blair Witch Project" grossed $2.48 million worldwide with a budget of $6 and achieved this through "viral marketing".

He doesn't aspire to earn that much.

He was just thinking that even though "The Blair Witch Project" was terrible and fake, it still made a lot of money.

Now he has raised the budget of "Paranormal Activity" to $200 million and "thoughtfully" added special effects to increase realism. It shouldn't be too much to ask for a box office of $1 million, right?
(End of this chapter)