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

Chapter 162 Screenwriter, Director, Producer, and Publicity Manager... An All-Round Talent! (Seeking Monthly Tickets)
734.6 million, 976.6 million, 650.6 million...

After landing in North America, Lü Rui, following Warner Bros.' arrangements, participated in various interviews and television programs non-stop.

The effects of this intensive publicity campaign were immediate!

Taken has grossed $2361.8 million (approximately 1.9 million RMB) in its first three days in North America.
When the news reached China, it immediately caused another sensation!
Zhang Weiping, in particular, was completely stunned by these results.

At this rate, won't Heroes' North American box office record be broken as well?

Meanwhile, Kung Fu Hustle suffered another unexpected disaster.

Since its release in North America in April, the film has only grossed $1710.8 million by July.

Stephen Chow's North American journey has now officially ended in failure.

It lost to "The Prestige" at the box office and was then crushed by "Taken".

In addition, the farce surrounding Huang Shengyi's contract termination continues to escalate, leaving Stephen Chow frustrated to the point of near madness, yet utterly helpless.

"Lv, according to predictions, 'Taken' will gross over $7000 million in North America, and once global distribution channels are expanded, its global box office will likely exceed $1.2 million..."

In Warner Bros.' producer office, Dennis Smith, who was in charge of the "Taken" project, was all smiles.

The project, with a total investment of $13 million, is projected to gross $70 million in North America and over $100 million worldwide…

Even though Warner invested no less than $500 million in promotional costs, it still made a fortune!
From Mystic River to The Prestige, and now Taken...

Lü Rui has repeatedly demonstrated his directorial talent to Warner Bros., proving the appeal of Sino-foreign co-productions!
Now we're just waiting for "I Am Legend" at the end of the year.

If this big-budget film is a box office success, Warner Bros. would be happy to collaborate with Ruixing Pictures on the sequel, "300".

"Is there anything else I need to do?"

Compared to Dennis's excitement, Lü Rui was remarkably calm.

The Taken series is a proven high-quality project from the past, so it would be strange if it didn't sell well at the box office.

“No need.” Dennis’s smile remained unchanged. “There will be a celebration party after the movie leaves theaters, and I will send you an invitation.”

"Haha, okay, I look forward to that day."

After the conversation, Lü Rui didn't linger at Warner. He went downstairs, got into his car, and headed straight to Brom House Publishing Company.

With less than two weeks until Halloween, he was eager to know the progress of the promotional campaign for "Paranormal Activity".

However, not long after I got in the car, a call came in from China.

"Brother Rui, 'Click' has grossed over 100 million yuan at the box office!"

It was the middle of the night in China, but Shen Ao was wide awake.

Upon receiving the news from the theater chain, he couldn't wait to call Lü Rui to share the good news.

"good, very good!"

A smile instantly bloomed on Lü Rui's face.

With the box office success of "Click" exceeding 100 million yuan, it means that Ruishijie now has two directors with box office earnings exceeding 100 million yuan!
Meanwhile, China has also produced its fifth director with a box office gross exceeding 100 million yuan!

If Ruishijie weren't still a publicly listed company, this news alone would have been enough to drive the stock price up for a week!
"You rest first. I'll contact President Han tonight to see if we can apply for a key extension so we can push the box office again and surpass Feng Xiaogang's record."

With "A World Without Thieves" grossing less than 1.1 million yuan, Lü Rui felt there was a high chance of success.

"Ok!"

After hanging up the phone, Shen Ao paced back and forth in the room excitedly.

Having a good boss makes all the difference; they'll never hesitate to help you get any benefits.

Looking back two years ago, he was just an ordinary student in the directing department of Beijing Film Academy.

But since following Lü Rui, he has been both an assistant director and a crew manager, and now he has become the fifth director in China to have a film with a box office of over 100 million yuan with "Remote Control".

He was originally made of clay, but Lü Rui gilded him with gold.

I will never forget this kindness!
……

Upon arriving at Brom House, Lü Rui took out his phone to call Jason as he walked inside.

To understand the current progress of the publicity campaign, you naturally need to contact the relevant person in charge.

Delegating authority appropriately is acceptable, but it should never mean completely detaching oneself from the work.

After all, the allure of money and power is too great, and there are quite a few company owners around the world whose management has sidelined them.

With a publishing budget of tens of millions of dollars, Paranormal Activity had to be strictly controlled to ensure that every penny was spent where it was needed.

“Lv, you’ve arrived.”

Before the call was even over, Jason Brom rushed out of the company.

Lu Rui put away his phone and shook hands with him.

The two then took the elevator to the top-floor office.

Jason's assistant brought over two cups of coffee, then left the office, thoughtfully closing the door behind him.

"How's the issuance going?" Lu Rui didn't beat around the bush and went straight to the point.

“Excellent!” Jason replied energetically, turned on his computer, and brought up the data analysis page. “Lv, take a look. This is the popularity data from major social networking sites and horror movie forums.”

The discussion on Reddit has exceeded 10,000 posts, and fan-made analysis videos on YouTube have surpassed a million views. Even some bloggers specializing in urban legends are actively digging into the details of ghostly figures captured on home security cameras.

He paused, his tone filled with excitement: "The second phase of the publicity campaign far exceeded expectations; it was practically like a viral spread."

In North American horror film enthusiast circles, almost everyone knows the rumor that a couple used their home security camera to capture real paranormal events.

Lu Rui picked up his coffee cup, took a sip, and listened quietly.

Jason continued, "Of course, some people noticed something was off. After all, The Blair Witch Project used a similar mockumentary promotional tactic back then, and many netizens debated on forums whether this was another story made up by the film company."

Interestingly, even though people rationally know it might be fake, they still easily fall into our trap.

He then pulled up screenshots of several popular posts: "Look at these comments, some people say 'Even if it's made up, the details are too realistic, I'm afraid to sleep alone at night.'"

Some people even argued that "the movement speed of the shadow in the surveillance footage does not conform to the laws of physics, so it must be a real ghost."

Our online distribution of segmented videos about a couple being attacked by a ghost, along with various rumors circulating offline, created an almost unbelievable sense of realism, leading many to emotionally believe it was true.

Upon hearing this, Lü Rui finally nodded in satisfaction.

This kind of propaganda, woven from seemingly true lies, precisely targets people's curiosity and desire for exploration.

The more unsure whether it's true or false, the more I want to find out!
"What about the cinemas?" Lu Rui asked again, focusing on the core aspects of the final stage of the promotional campaign.

The promotional campaign has already started; the next step is to negotiate with commercial cinema chains to secure more screenings.

Jason replied, "I contacted dozens of independent theaters that I often work with, and they are all very interested in the film. As for chain theaters, they said they would make a decision after seeing the film."

"Then let's hold a preview event," Lu Rui decided immediately.

"That's what I was planning to do too, and we've already arranged to hold it tomorrow."

"What about the number of copies? How many have been prepared?"

"As you instructed, we have prepared 1000 copies. We still have plenty of time. If the screening is good, we can print more."

In Hollywood, developing copies is not a big deal.

Los Angeles has a lot of photo printing plants, and they can easily produce two or three thousand copies a day if they operate at full capacity.

Paranormal Activity clearly doesn't need that many.

"By the way, will you be attending the screening tomorrow?" Jason asked expectantly.

“Of course.” Lü Rui took another sip of his coffee. “I wrote the script and designed the distribution plan, so I definitely have to come.”

Jason breathed a sigh of relief.

Since its inception, Brom House has released many films, but this is the first time they have invested tens of millions of dollars to release a horror film.

Although he was very confident about the project, he was still quite unsure of himself.

With Lü Rui around, they finally had someone to rely on.

Looking at the Chinese director who was more than ten years younger than him, Jason was filled with emotion and doubt.

He couldn't understand how many wonderful ideas this young man had in his head.
She can write scripts, direct films, and easily handle production work... Now she's also showing top-notch marketing talent; she's practically an all-rounder!
……

It was already evening when we left the Blum House.

On the way back to the hotel, Lü Rui noticed that the headlines on all major domestic portal websites had been replaced with reports related to "Remote Control":

"The comedy film 'Remote Control,' produced by Rui Vision, directed by Shen Ao, produced and written by Lü Rui, and starring Ge You, Liu Tao, and Fu Biao, has successfully grossed over 100 million yuan in just 20 days since its release!"

"The fifth director in Chinese cinema to achieve a box office of over 100 million yuan has been officially born—Shen Ao! A graduate of the Directing Department of Beijing Film Academy, and a representative figure of the seventh generation of directors..."

"Movie Channel Exclusive Interview: The Rise of Director Shen Ao"

Lu Rui glanced at the interview with interest. But after reading only a few lines, he closed the interface with a mixture of amusement and exasperation.

Just like when he was writing his thesis, Shen Ao mentioned his name on average every three sentences during the interview, acting like a devoted follower.

Fortunately, Lü Rui had no intention of starting his own sect, otherwise Shen Ao would definitely be his most devout follower!
After shutting down his computer, he immediately called Han Sanping to inquire about the application rules for key extension.

Meanwhile, Feng Xiaogang, who was on set with "The Banquet," was furious!

Those damned media outlets, while promoting "Click," didn't forget to disparage his film "A World Without Thieves," saying things like, "The younger generation will surpass the older generation and leave him stranded on the beach..."

Lu Rui had slapped him once before, stepping on his head to jump really high.

Now look what's happened! Some clueless kid who just popped up out of nowhere is trying to climb over his head to get ahead.

The worst part is that he can't do anything about it and can only watch helplessly, which is incredibly frustrating.

"Just you wait. When my 'The Banquet' is released, I'll show you what a political intrigue-themed period martial arts epic really is! What you've lost now, I will personally take away..."

"Director Feng, there's a phone call. It's from Mr. Wang."

The assistant suddenly came over with his phone, interrupting Feng Xiaogang's ambitious plans.

He reached out and took it, pressed the answer button, and brought it to his ear, but after a moment his face suddenly darkened: "No! It can't be changed! My script has been polished to its best, how can it be changed?"
Even Zhang Ziyi didn't ask for script changes, so who does Zhou Xun think she is? She's not worthy of me changing the script for her. This matter ends here..."

In a fit of anger, Feng Xiaogang gave Wang Zhonglei a severe dressing-down.

"Hey? What's wrong with this Feng Kuzi? Is he out of his mind or something?"

Wang Zhonglei shook his head helplessly as he looked at the ended call. He could only promise Zhou Xun some other resources: "Huayi and Ruishijie are partners. Next time they have a good project, I will recommend you to audition."

On the other end of the phone, Zhou Xun couldn't help but feel a little embarrassed listening to these promises.

What are the projects of Ruishijie?

With her relationship with Liu Yifei so strained, does she still have a chance to be selected?
……

At 9:00 a.m. the following morning, Lü Rui arrived at the Blum House ahead of schedule.

The agreed-upon screening time was 9:30, and he arrived half an hour early to prepare in advance.

But to his surprise, just as he pushed open the door to the screening room, he heard a murmur of conversation nearby:

"What ghost stories? Only Americans buy into that. If it were back home, Uncle Nine wouldn't even need to get involved; any Taoist priest could handle it."

"Speaking of Uncle Nine, I'm quite curious. If a zombie dressed in a Taoist celestial master's purple robe, wearing a twelve-tassel crown, and carrying a thousand-year-old lightning-struck peach wood sword suddenly appeared, even Uncle Nine would be dumbfounded, right?"

"Um... I guess even if the senior brother came, there would be no way to solve it."

Lu Rui's lips curled up upon hearing this, and he followed up with, "In this situation, I'm afraid we'll have to ask the Three Pure Ones to descend to the mortal realm."

The chatter in the screening room stopped instantly, and the two people who were talking subconsciously turned to look.

Upon seeing that it was Lü Rui, the two quickly stood up and greeted him: "Director Lü..."

"Which cinema chain are you representing?"

Lu Rui was somewhat surprised; he hadn't expected to see people from domestic cinemas here.

One of them quickly chimed in, "I'm from Broadway Theatres."

Another person added, "I'm from Vieshow Cinemas."

"Oh!" Lu Rui suddenly realized.

No wonder, they're representatives from cinema chains in Hong Kong and Taiwan.

Unlike mainland China, Hong Kong and Taiwan allow the screening of Hollywood horror films, although these films usually don't perform well at the box office.

He didn't neglect the two of them.

It's rare to meet representatives from domestic cinema chains here, so I can take this opportunity to ask about the procedures and details of opening a cinema chain and theaters, and learn more about the industry.

Half an hour passed in the blink of an eye.

At 9:30, the screening room door was pushed open again, and Jason led in representatives from various theater chains.

AMC, Regal, Cinemark... these are all well-known large-scale movie theater chains in the United States, and they are currently at the peak of their development.

Lu Rui wasn't very familiar with the latter two companies, but he knew that one day in the future, Wanda Group would acquire 100% of AMC Entertainment for $26 billion and assume all of its debts.

During the period when the real estate market was booming, Lao Wang's success was evident to all.

The theater representatives weren't particularly interested in Jason Brom, but they were exceptionally polite to Lü Rui.

Successful people earn respect wherever they go.

"Taken" is currently showing in theaters, and "I Am Legend" will take its place in two months. Strictly speaking, the two sides already have a basis for cooperation.

Furthermore, the previous success of Ruixing Pictures' "Lurking" gave them great confidence in the quality of "Paranormal Activity".

At the same time, their unique publicity and marketing methods also made them very optimistic about the film's prospects.

After everyone was seated, the movie began.

The screen lights up, without any fancy intro, only a "Home Surveillance" timestamp jumping in the dark background.

2004.10.12 23:07……

The realism is instantly maximized!
In the video, Katie and Mick's apartment is simply furnished, and in the quiet of the night, the only sound is the faint hum of the air conditioner's outdoor unit.

At first, there were only minor anomalies: Katie unconsciously sat up while she was asleep, and the camera captured her staring blankly into a dark corner... Mick's key on the bedside table suddenly slid, and the sound of it hitting the ground was particularly jarring in the silence.

As the plot unfolds, the sense of horror builds up layer by layer!

The greyish-white shadows flashing through the corridor in the dead of night, the blankets being pulled back by an unseen force, Katie's screams as she was dragged and slammed against the wall... the choppy surveillance footage and the occasional static amplified the suffocating feeling...

The ending is the most terrifying part.

Mick tries to look for Katie outside the bedroom, but suddenly a withered black hand reaches out from the camera and drags him into the darkness!
The screen suddenly went black, leaving only Katie's muffled cries and the continuous buzzing of the monitor. However, viewers had no chance to catch their breath, and a sense of lingering fear rushed to their heads!

After being revised by Lü Rui, this version of "The Haunted House" has an excellent screening effect.

Representatives from several cinema chains nodded to each other after watching the film, their appreciation evident.

The only regret is that this movie clashed with Lionsgate's "Saw 2".

Compared to Lionsgate's distribution capabilities, Brom House is far behind.

Therefore, major theater chains such as AMC, Regal, and Cinemark cannot offer a large number of screens.

In total, that's 1300 screens.

However, Landmark Cinemas, founded in 1974 and focused on screening niche films such as art films and independent films, gave this film a great deal of respect.

After some consideration, the latter's representatives ultimately decided to provide 650 screens.

With the addition of 270 screens secured from independent cinemas, the total number of openings reached 2220.

Compared to the 2949 screens reported for "Saw II", "Paranormal Activity" is undoubtedly much less prominent.

But Lü Rui was full of confidence!

Because he clearly remembered that in his previous life, this movie was only released in 12 theaters, but it eventually created a box office miracle!
Great, if 12 theaters can be hits, then the number of theaters opening for screenings with 2220 screens must be skyrocketing!

After seeing off the theater representatives, he immediately instructed Jason to print more copies, ensuring they were delivered to every theater before the film's release.

"The third phase of the plan is officially underway." Lü Rui then issued the final order.

"Yes!" Jason nodded in agreement and hurriedly went to make the arrangements.

In the days that followed, more information gradually emerged online.

The home videotapes that were previously claimed to have been "damaged by a paranormal event" have been restored... The Brom House, in conjunction with the cinema chain, has purchased the screening rights and scheduled a full release on Halloween, allowing all viewers to unravel the complete recording of the "ghostly" events in theaters.

The news caused an instant uproar among horror movie enthusiasts!
Many people start waiting a week in advance, just to be able to snag tickets for the Halloween night show.

Domestically, "Click" successfully secured a one-month extension of its release key, and its box office is still slowly climbing.

In contrast, "The Myth" unfortunately ended with a box office of 91 million yuan, failing to reach the 100 million yuan mark.

Even worse is Bona's newly released film, "Say I Love You Again".

Despite starring Liu Dehua, Cai Zhuoyan, and Yang Caini, the film failed to make any impact at the box office.

Yu Dong was filled with remorse!
If I had known this would happen, I should have poured all the publicity resources into "Click" instead of betting on this romance film and "The Myth".

He tried to contact Lü Rui several times, but either missed the opportunity due to the time difference or Lü Rui was busy with promotions, and he was never able to exchange more than a few words with her...

Before we knew it, October had come to its last day.

"Paranormal Activity" was released in 2220 theaters across the United States as scheduled.

The terrifying revelry of Halloween night has officially begun!

(End of this chapter)