1979: The child's mother is a celestial being.

Chapter 245 $1129 Million (Please Subscribe!)

March 1st was an ordinary Tuesday.

Outside a New York movie theater, Spike Lee, a 25-year-old film student, squeezed into the queue for "Die Hard" and remarked to his classmates who were also there to see the movie: "I really like all of Chen Dongfang's suspense films, whether it's 'Andhadhun' or 'The Devotion of Suspect X,' but I found his last soft sci-fi film a bit boring. I hope this so-called action blockbuster won't disappoint me."

His classmate chimed in, "The Man from Earth is indeed a bit boring, but I heard it sold very well on videotape."

"Category III films also sell very well on videotape..."

This young man named Spike Lee will become a flag bearer for African American and independent films in the future. He has made masterpieces such as "Do the Right Thing" and "BlacKkKlansman" and has received an Academy Award for Lifetime Achievement.

When he and his classmates bought tickets and entered the theater, they were soon captivated by the story.

"Oh my God! This Chinese guy's action scenes are beautiful, clean and crisp, he's like the next Bruce Lee."

In a Los Angeles movie theater, a 19-year-old initially thought Cheng Long's skills were pretty good. Although they still looked somewhat formulaic, they were undoubtedly a 'lower dimension' attack compared to the simple punch-and-kick moves in American movies. But when he saw Li Lianjie make his move, his eyes lit up even more.

He murmured excitedly:

"Kung Fu, Chinese Kung Fu..."

This young man is Quentin Tarantino. He is currently working in a video store, but in history, he shocked the world in 1992 with a film called Pulp Fiction. Afterwards, with his unique dialogue, non-linear narrative and subversive interpretation of violent aesthetics, he became a godfather of American independent films and also made a name for himself in the Western world that is the same as Chen Fusheng in China today—a genius director!
In a drive-in theater in Chicago, 40-year-old Robert De Niro watched as Cheng Long, hiding in a fire duct, was riddled with bullets in the abdomen. The close-up shots were incredibly realistic, not only in the actors' performances but also in the minute detail of every expression. You could even see the bulging veins on the protagonist's face and the pores on his skin. This made him lean forward slightly and exclaim, "Such a realistic cinematic quality! And the best part is that it was filmed in a closed environment, not in sunlight. It seems that the Chinese director wasn't lying; his invention of the softbox for film must really work."

This is a top-tier actor currently enjoying great popularity in the United States. His representative works include "The Godfather Part II" and "Raging Bull." The former earned him the Best Supporting Actor award at the 47th Academy Awards, while the latter won him the Best Actor award at the 50th Academy Awards.

His most recent film, "King of Comedy," was released on February 18th and was the box office champion in the third week of February. However, after being dethroned by "Gandhi," his recent box office performance has been less than ideal.

Historically, the last film grossed a total of $2100 million in North America.

In an old movie theater in Cleveland, 14-year-old Hugh Jackman secretly imitated Jackie Chan's punching motion at the end of the movie. However, his older sister teased him for it. Remembering how his sister often bullied him, the boy became enraged and, with a fit of rage, used the Chinese kung fu he had just learned to punch his sister in the nose.

slap~
He finally defeated his sister, but little did he know that his kung fu dream would be cut short by his father's seven wolves.

In San Francisco, 31-year-old Tom Hanks, adjusting his glasses, told his wife, "The film's narrative pacing is excellent. Every crisis is timed perfectly to give the audience a moment to catch their breath. It's no wonder it's directed by the same director as 'Andhadhun'."

His wife exclaimed in shock, "Honey, was 'Andhadhun' also directed by this director?"

"That's right. Not only that, but 'The Devotion of Suspect X' and 'The Man from Earth,' which we watched at home last year, were both directed by this director."

"Wow, he's amazing! Maybe you could consider collaborating with him, honey."

"..."

Thanks to Warner Bros.' pre-release promotion of the film, and the fact that Chen Fusheng had already released three films in North America, he still had some appeal. So today, after the release of "Die Hard," it still attracted many viewers who went to the cinema with curiosity and anticipation.

Meanwhile, Chen Fusheng and the film's creative team didn't rest today either, spending the whole day touring various theaters in Los Angeles for a promotional tour.

Although we were a little tired, seeing that the average attendance rate was over 50% on the first day and that the audience's feedback during the roadshow was mostly positive, everyone was in a good mood by the afternoon.

Furthermore, since there was no overtime work in the US, Chen Fusheng and his team were running promotional tours in New York until noon on the second day before they received the opening day box office figures for "Die Hard." The opening day box office was $159 million.

This is a figure that exceeded everyone's expectations.

It was even 50% higher than the figures predicted by Warner Bros.' internal analysts.

It also surpassed the film's opening day box office in history.

When Chen Fusheng relayed this good news to everyone, the fatigue on their faces vanished, replaced by excitement and exhilaration.

“159 million, that’s US dollars. If converted to Hong Kong dollars, that’s equivalent to… about ten million a day.”

Chenglong couldn't figure it out, but he got more and more excited as he talked: "My goodness, Director Chen, our movie is going to be a hit."

"Hasn't it already exploded?" Zhu Lin corrected Cheng Long's choice of words, her face flushed with excitement, as if she had just applied blush.

"Sister Lin is right, our movie has become a hit, and maybe we will soon be famous in the United States as well."

Li Lianjie thought about how many audience members would shout his name during each promotional tour. Although it was the name of a character in the movie, it at least showed that the character he played was remembered by everyone, which made him feel very happy.

Others were equally excited and happy about the news...

Looking at everyone, Chen Fusheng felt not only the same as them, but also relieved of some pressure.

Yes, as a director, he naturally felt some pressure.

Although Die Hard achieved good box office results in the past, even if it was copied one-to-one, it still had problems adapting to local conditions, not to mention that it also underwent some creative changes.

Fortunately, the results did not disappoint him. In fact, judging from the box office data on the first day, his version of "Die Hard" may even surpass the original and achieve higher box office results.

They were then more motivated when they went on roadshows.

With the strong box office performance of "Die Hard," Warner Bros. has been increasing its promotional efforts, and even some cinemas have been voluntarily increasing the number of screenings of the film, resulting in daily box office revenue exceeding that of the previous day.

The number was 166 million on March 3rd.

The number was 175 million on March 3rd.

……

On March 6, it reached 229 million.

Thus, after six days of release, "Die Hard" took the top spot at the March box office with $1129 million.

It surpassed the second-place film, "Gandhi," by a full $300 million in this week's box office.

(End of this chapter)