Huayu: I rely on hit-movie tactics to interweave...

Chapter 86 Big Explosion

On October 8th, the global box office figures for "The Witch" spread like ripples from a stone thrown into a pool, faster than anyone anticipated.

Liu Yu saw the first box office news on his flight from New York back to Beijing.

Just after the flight attendant finished serving the drinks, he opened his email on his phone and saw an email from Zhong Lifang with only two words in the title: "Exploded."

He opened the email, which contained a short message: "Millions in North America in the first weekend, equivalent to US$6.5 million in China in the first weekend, and a total of US$54 million globally in the first week. Lionsgate has already increased the advertising budget by US$10 million, and the additional plan is attached."

Liu Yu stared at the line of numbers, his finger hovering over the edge of the screen for a moment before locking the phone and putting it back in the mesh pocket in front of his seat.

Luo Jing, who was reading an aviation magazine next to him, noticed him locking his screen and turned to ask, "Director Liu, how's the box office?"

Liu Yu smiled and said, "It's alright."

Luo Jing then asked, "How much is 'okay'?"

Liu Yu thought for a moment, "Fifty-four million."

Luo Jing slammed the magazine shut. "Fifty-four million? In RMB?"

"Dollar."

Luo Jing was silent for two seconds. "Director Liu, I think I can't sit in the same row as you on airplanes anymore. My blood pressure goes up whenever you talk."

Yu Nan was sitting in the front row, wearing headphones, and didn't hear their conversation.

She probably doesn't know that the movie she's in has already grossed more at the box office in a week than all her previous works combined.

Liu Yu glanced at her but didn't wake her.

Whether you find out about this early or late doesn't make much difference; the outcome is already decided, and there's no escaping it.

When the plane landed in Beijing, it was evening on October 9th. It was already dark, and the lights on the airport runway were lined up on both sides, like a string of straightened beads.

When Liu Yu walked out of the covered bridge, his phone was flooded with signal, and there were so many unread messages on the screen that he had to scroll through several pages to reach the bottom.

Zhong Lifang sent seven or eight messages, Ning Hao sent three, Han Sanping sent one, Sammo Hung sent one, and there were a few other numbers whose names he had saved but couldn't remember exactly, probably to congratulate him.

He stood in a corner of the arrival hall, looking at each line one by one.

Zhong Lifang's main points were: "The number of screenings in the North American market has increased by 10%", "The domestic Maoyan rating is stable at 8.8", and "Several overseas distributors have inquired about the copyright of the sequel".

Liu Yu put his phone back in his pocket and dragged his suitcase toward the parking lot.

Many thoughts flashed through his mind: the box office was still rising, Lionsgate's additional budget meant they were very confident in the film's future, and people were already asking about the possibility of a sequel. He could leave these questions for tomorrow; he'd go home and get some sleep tonight and think about them when his mind was clearer.

In the following days, the box office performance of "The Witch" resembled a bicycle with malfunctioning brakes, rushing faster and faster downhill.

The North American box office did not decline as expected in its second week. Instead, it only dropped by about 10% due to positive word-of-mouth, a phenomenon that is extremely rare for action films.

Lionsgate's marketing department held an emergency meeting overnight and concluded that "this is a movie that audiences would be willing to watch two or three times." They then quickly adjusted their subsequent promotional strategy, increasing social media engagement and the number of offline fan screenings.

China's box office performance is also strong.

"The Witch" was released at the tail end of the National Day holiday. On the first day, its screening share was not high. After the occupancy rate exploded, theaters increased the number of screenings from the third day onwards. By October 8, it had occupied 35% of the screenings nationwide.

The Douban rating has remained stable between 8.6 and 8.8, with the most frequent comments in the short review section being "Scarlett is so cool" and "Yu..."

"How can a man act so well?"

In mid-October, the global box office surpassed $200 million.

Lionsgate released a press release with the word "milestone" in the title and mentioned in the text that this is one of the action films with the highest return on investment in Lionsgate's history.

In the hour following the release of the press release, Liu Yu's phone was flooded with messages again. This time, the sources were wider than before, and several Hollywood producers he had never contacted before also expressed their interest in cooperation via email.

Zhong Lifang compiled a few of the more representative emails and sent them to Liu Yu, adding a personal comment at the end: "Boss, your net worth is not what it was last year."

Liu Yu sat at his desk, sipping his now-cold tea, staring at the emails on the screen for a while before replying, "So, what was your net worth last year?"

Chung Lai-fang replied instantly, laughing and joking: "Last year, I could ask a director out for dinner, but this year, you can't even get a date with a director if you don't book a month in advance."

The domestic media coverage was even more extensive than Liu Yu had anticipated.

On October 15th, he turned on his computer and saw that the entertainment section of the portal website was almost entirely filled with news related to "The Witch".

"Liu Yu's 'The Witch' has grossed over $200 million worldwide, setting a new record for the best performance by a Chinese director in Hollywood."

Scarlett Janssen reignites action fever, Liu Yu becomes Hollywood's new darling.

"The Witch's Special Effects Revealed: How Industrial Light & Magic Created the Post-Apocalyptic World"

Another media outlet published a feature article titled "Liu Yu: From Hunan Rice Noodles to Hollywood Hall of Fame".

The article concludes with a quote from an interview with him: "He said he makes movies not to prove anything, but simply because he enjoys it. If one day he doesn't enjoy it anymore, he might go back to his hometown and open a noodle shop."

Liu Yu stared blankly at the last sentence. He couldn't remember when he had said he wanted to go back to his hometown to open a noodle shop. Then he thought about it and realized that it was probably during an interview when a reporter wrote a joke about it.

He gave a wry smile, thinking to himself, "Now the whole country knows he wants to open a noodle shop."

He opened the comments section and read for a while; the comments below were all over the place.

"Director Liu, when you open your noodle shop, tell me the address, and I'll fly from Beijing to eat there."

"If you're opening a noodle shop, could you also make a movie about it?"

Someone even wrote, "Director Liu, stop opening the noodle shop. You should continue making movies, and I'll help you sell the noodle shop's merchandise."

He closed the page, leaned back in his chair, and poured himself another cup of hot water.

The netizens' reactions were more lively, more direct, and less illogical than those of the media.

On October 11th, a super-tall thread appeared on the entertainment section of Tianya Forum, titled "The Witch is a global hit, what level of director is Liu Yu now?"

The original poster listed several options in the main post: top-tier domestic brands, second-tier Hollywood brands, and special entities in between.

The comments section was filled with heated arguments. Some insisted that Liu Yu was already a top-tier Hollywood director because of his box office numbers. Others argued that being a top-tier Hollywood director required experience, and that one or two blockbusters didn't prove anything; he needed to solidify his position for at least another three years.

Some people joked, "No matter what level he is, he earns more than my boss now, and I'm losing my mind."

The discussions on Douban tend to focus more on the characters and their emotions.

A film critic wrote a review of more than 4,000 words titled: "The Construction of Female Characters in 'The Witch': From Scarlett Johansson to Yu Nan".

The article analyzes the differences between Liu Yu's portrayal of female characters and traditional Hollywood action films by examining the character settings, behavioral logic, and emotional transitions of the two female protagonists in the movie.

The article ended with a paragraph that was later widely reposted: "When Liu Yu films female characters, he never treats them as men."

Women are either appendages of others or objects in need of protection. In his films, women may be hurt or confused, but they always make their own choices and bear the consequences themselves.

The response from overseas media was slower and more systematic than that from domestic media.

The New York Times' entertainment section published a film review on October 12th titled "A New Beacon for Chinese Directors in Hollywood: A Review of 'The Witch'".

The article gives the film itself a good review, especially praising the action design and Scarlett Janssen's performance. At the end, it adds a subtle comment: "Liu Yu's directing style is skillful and efficient. The film's reliance on genre framework also limits its potential to move towards a higher artistic dimension. It is an outstanding commercial film, rather than a revolutionary work of art."

The Los Angeles Times' review was more direct, titled "The Witch: An Asian Action Film That Will Change the Game in Hollywood."

The article compares "The Witch" and "The Man from Nowhere," arguing that Liu Yu showed significant growth in both films. "If 'The Man from Nowhere' was a brilliant debut for a new director, then 'The Witch' is a comprehensive declaration of a mature director."

The article also mentioned that Liu Yu's next film, "Lucy," has finished filming and is currently in post-production, "We have reason to be optimistic about this young man's future."

Variety magazine published a personal interview with the reporter, conducted the day after the New York premiere. The reporter was...

A middle-aged man with graying hair, speaking slowly and deliberately.

He asked Liu Yu about twelve questions, ranging from his creative philosophy to his views on the Hollywood system. Finally, he asked, "What do you think is the biggest difference between Chinese and American films?"

Liu Yu thought for a moment and said, "Chinese films focus more on emotions, while American films focus more on rules. But good films ultimately come back to people, whether Chinese or American, they all face the same joys and sorrows."

That interview was later translated into Chinese and circulated back to China, sparking some discussion in the film and television industry.

The reactions from major Hollywood studios were more practical and direct than those from the media.

On October 18th, Zhong Lifang sat in Liu Yu's office, holding a tablet computer with a list on it. She read it to Liu Yu word by word: "Warner Bros. sent an email saying they want to talk to you about possible future collaborations. The wording was very polite, but the gist was that if you have a suitable script, they are willing to give priority to investment and distribution."

Paramount also sent a letter, its tone more enthusiastic than Warner's. Universal Pictures made a call to Lionsgate, conveying their interest in cooperation through Michael. Several other independent production companies are also in contact; they are small in scale but very proactive.

Liu Yu sat behind his desk, twirling a pen in his hand. "What's Lionsgate's attitude?"

"Lionsgate's reaction is quite interesting." Chung Lai-fong turned the tablet to the next page. "Michael specifically called me and said that Liu is a long-term partner of Lionsgate, and we hope he can continue to develop within Lionsgate's system, but if he has other options, we respect his decision." He said he respected it, but the subtext was, "You'd better not leave."

Liu Yu put down his pen, picked up his water glass, and took a sip. "So, what did you reply?"

"I told him that Director Liu is currently focused on post-production of 'Lucy' and doesn't have any new collaboration plans for the time being. We can talk again after he's finished with this busy period." Chung Lai-fong closed her laptop. "Boss, do you think what I said is okay?"

"Okay. Let's put it off for now, no rush," Liu Yu said. "We'll talk about it after 'Lucy' is released."

Domestic film companies react more directly and frequently than Hollywood companies.

On October 15th, Wang Zhonglei of Huayi made a phone call, not to Liu Yu, but to Zhong Lifang. "Does Director Liu have time now? Huayi has a project we'd like to discuss with him. It's not a very large project, but if he takes it on, we can scale it up."

Zhong Lifang used the excuse that Liu Yu was busy with post-production to decline the offer. Wang Zhonglei called again, his tone more serious than before, "Then when he's done with this, we should at least have a meal together."

Bona's Yu Dong is more direct.

On October 16th, Liu Yu was in the editing room watching footage from "Lucy" when his phone rang. It was a number he had saved by name but rarely answered.

After the call connected, Yu Dong's voice came through the receiver, carrying his characteristic crispness, "Director Liu, congratulations, you did a great job with 'The Witch' in the North American market. You don't need to tell me if you have time right now, I'll just tell you directly: Bona wants to work with you on a framework for in-depth cooperation, a long-term agreement, you name the terms."

"Mr. Yu, I'm still busy with the post-production of 'Lucy,' so it might be too early to talk about these things now."

Yu Dong chuckled. "It's not too early. Given your current position, it's never too early to talk. Think it over, and call me back when you've made up your mind."

After hanging up the phone, Liu Yu leaned back in the chair in the editing room and stared at the frozen image on the screen for a long time.

It was a still shot of an empty street after the rain, the wet asphalt reflecting the light of the streetlights, like a mirror that had been shattered and pieced back together.

He suddenly realized that this movie, these numbers, these phone calls, were all the result of his hard work step by step.

Outsiders see the results that appeared overnight, but only he knows when he started down that path and how long it took.

On October 20th, "The Witch" officially surpassed $250 million in global box office revenue.

Major film media outlets have all done special reports on the topic, with one outlet using a full-page image with the headline: "Chinese Directors Conquer Hollywood."

The article states, "A month ago, when Liu Yu announced the figure of '300 million worldwide' at the New York premiere of 'The Witch,' many people thought it was the arrogance of a young director. Now it seems he was being conservative."

That evening, Liu Yu left the company early, which was unusual for him.

He drove around the Fourth Ring Road without a specific destination; he just wanted to get some fresh air.

The night outside the car window in Beijing was cooler than in autumn. The ginkgo leaves along the roadside were almost half yellow, gleaming with a thin layer of gold under the streetlights.

When he drove near the Beijing Film Academy, he slowed down and looked at the familiar street in front of the school gate. Several students with backpacks walked out of the gate, chatting and laughing as they went. Their laughter drifted in and out of the car window.

He turned into the alley next to the school and stopped in front of a small shop selling spicy hot pot.

He used to come to this shop often when he was a sophomore in college. Back then, a serving of spicy hot pot and a bottle of Beibingyang soda cost less than ten yuan in total.

He pushed open the door and went inside. The shop was the same as always, with a few plastic tables and chairs, menus on the wall, and various skewered ingredients in the freezer in the corner.

The owner, a woman in her fifties, was looking down at her phone when she heard someone look up. She glanced at him for a couple of seconds and said, "Oh, aren't you that—that Liu Yu who makes movies? It's been a while since you've been here."

Liu Yu picked up a plate from in front of the freezer. "Sis, do you still remember me?"

"Of course I remember. When you were a sophomore in college, you came two or three times a week. Once you brought four classmates, and the five of you ate a hundred skewers of my food. Later you went to film a movie and didn't come much anymore. I saw you on TV and even told my son, 'This person used to eat spicy hot pot here.'"

She took the plate from his hand and said, "The usual? Extra spicy?"

"The usual rules."

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