The King of Directors 2000

Chapter 407 Wu Jing, I will choose a path for you
At 2007:11 pm on November 15, 7, it was snowing in Yanjing, and the cold wind was blowing, but the common people were very excited. Many people ran out and opened their hands to welcome the first snow in Yanjing this year.

Fenghua Film City is extremely lively at this time.

At the entrance of the cinema gate, a long red carpet was laid out.

The mainland premiere of "Raid 2" is being held here, and many stars, directors, and producers in Beijing have come here.

Like Brother Xiaoming, Deng Chao, Li Lianhua, Feng Xiaogang, and Han Sanping and others.

Despite the cold weather, the guests dressed as if they were attending an awards show.

Wu Jing and Hong Jinbao were in charge of receiving friends from the entertainment industry, while Li Shengyao was sitting in the cinema hall.

Not long after, all the guests came.

Wu Jing and Hong Jinbao returned to the theater, and they sat next to Li Shengyao.

Wu Jing is wearing a suit and leather shoes, which looks very formal.

Hong Jinbao is wearing a thick down jacket. He is older and has stayed in the south all year round, so he is naturally more afraid of the cold.

At this time Hong Jinbao sat down, frowning, he relaxed, and then couldn't help but said: "Director Li, there are so many people here today."

"what's wrong?"

"I feel that there are too many celebrities, and I don't feel at ease."

There are indeed a lot of celebrities who came tonight, and these people naturally didn't come here for the sake of "Raid 2", or Hong Jinbao and Wu Jing.

They are mainly for Director Li.

Li Shengyao understands this very well, and Hong Jinbao's worries now should be because he is afraid that the movie will be too high-profile, which will arouse the resentment of mainland movie fans.

"Don't worry, there's nothing wrong with it. The end of the year is coming, and people in the entertainment industry are relatively free at this time."

Hearing this, Hong Jinbao felt a little less worried.

Li Shengyao smiled and didn't care too much.

In fact, the plot of "The Raid 2" is similar to the first one.

The story is very simple, and more than [-]% of the scenes are played.

Relatively speaking, mainland audiences are more accustomed to movies with rich and complete storylines.

Overall, "Raid 2" is not a movie suitable for mainland audiences.

He doesn't expect this movie to break through 6000 million, [-] to [-] million is not bad.

In addition to Hong Kong Island and the Southeast Asian market, the combined total box office of these three places should be able to return the cost.

This time "Raid 2" is handed over to Warner for distribution, and the box office in Europe and the United States is the key.

In his previous life, "Raid 2" had a box office of more than 1000 million US dollars in the beautiful country.

Now that Warner is releasing it, it will open in more theaters, and it will be released in European countries, so it should have more box office.

Li Shengyao hopes that the box office in the Mainland, Hong Kong Island, and Southeast Asia will return to the box office. If this is the case, the share of the box office in Europe and the United States will be profit.

Not long after, the film was officially screened, and the live screening was relatively boring. I don't know whether everyone watched it seriously or felt too boring.

After the movie ended, there was a lot of applause at the scene.

Then Wu Jing, Hong Jinbao and the others came to speak on stage, and Feng Xiaogang and Brother Xiao Ming were also asked to speak on stage. Naturally, the big guys all praised them.

But at the small celebration banquet that followed, Feng Xiaogang held his wine glass and said in a low voice: "Director Li, why is the story of "Raid 2" so simple?"

Both "Raid 1" and "Raid 2" are male protagonists who kill all the way, and the stories are very thin.

The only difference is probably that the place where the fight is fought is different.

Also, there are not so many strange opponents in the first film.

The second part sets up many thugs with different styles, which is a bit like "Kill Bill".

Mainland audiences like to look for themes and the spirit of movies in movies. Feng Xiaogang's question is actually quite normal.

"When I first wrote the script, I was actually mainly considering the beautiful country market, and the story structure is much simpler."

Feng Xiaogang paused when he heard the words, and then said enviously, "It's still going to be shown in the beautiful country."

"Yes, this time it will not only be released in the beautiful country, but also in European countries at the same time."

Feng Xiaogang gave a thumbs up, "It's amazing, it's amazing."

He thought that a simple story like "Raid 1", where the whole film was fought and killed, would not like it in "Raid 2".

Now it seems that he was wrong. The audience in the beautiful country still likes such straightforward and simple action movies.

It is said that "Raid 1" has a box office of more than 1000 million US dollars in the beautiful country, and the income of the later DVDs is also more than 1000 million.

Now "Raid 2" should be able to go a step further, which is too enviable.

Feng Xiaogang then raised his glass, touched Li Shengyao, and then said: "Director Li, "Assembly" will be released at the end of next month, so we must come and join us."

"definitely."

Feng Xiaogang raised his wine glass, took a big sip, and then said: "I hope "Assembly" can exceed [-] million yuan. This year's mainland movies are very miserable, and few can make money. Many people are staring at "Assembly" and "Certificate of Honor". "."

Li Shengyao nodded, "Understood, are these the last two blockbusters this year?"

"Director Li, I'm under a lot of pressure here."

Li Shengyao smiled, but did not persuade Feng Xiaogang.

It's useless to say more, when the movie is released, it's clear at a glance how the box office is doing.

……

Three days after the premiere of "Raid 2", on November 2007, 11, the film was officially screened on a large scale in the Mainland, Hong Kong Island and Southeast Asia.

Similar to what Lee Shing Yew predicted, there were mixed reviews from the mainland.

Some people think that the movie is not exciting enough, and some people think that the story of the movie is too monotonous.

The positive point of view is mainly to praise that Wu Jing can still stand up and make action movies at this time, which is already very rare and worthy of support.

Because there are few new films during this period, the film's box office and popularity are not bad.

In the end, the box office reached 600 million in the first three days.

In the second week, the box office increased slightly, reaching 4000 million.

In this way, the total box office will be more than 7000 million.

However, new films will be released soon, such as "The Mist", "Enchanted Romance", "Flower Sorcerer/Police", "Fate Call Transfer", "My Name is Liu Yuejin" and other films.

According to the normal box office rules, the final box office of "Raid 2" in the Mainland is around 9000 million.

Similar to "Raid 1", there is no way to break through [-] million.

Both Hong Jinbao and Wu Jing had some regrets, but Li Shengyao was very happy, he was very satisfied with the box office.

Facts have proved that mainland audiences are relatively tolerant of action movies. As long as the quality of the movie is not too bad, even if it cannot be a big hit, many people are willing to support it.

The box office of more than 9000 million can already be ranked in the top ten of the year.

And other high-grossing movies this year are all blockbusters, such as "Transformers 1", "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix", "Spiderman 3", and "Lust/Caution".

The investment in these films is much higher than that of "Raid 2".

Unlike the mainland, the box office of Hong Kong Island and Southeast Asia is obviously stronger.

The viewing habits of Hong Kong Island and Southeast Asian audiences are similar to those of European and American audiences. They like sharp and bloody movies.

Although there have been many kung fu stars on Hong Kong Island, the Hong Kong media and audience did not dislike the action of "Raid 2", nor did they dislike the relatively thin storyline of "Raid 2".

They just thought it was fun to play.

Under such circumstances, the Hong Kong Island premiere got a box office of 370 million, and performed well in the next two weeks. At the end of the second week, the total box office has reached 3000 million, and it should be about 500 million in the end.

This result can also rank in the top ten of the year on Hong Kong Island.

In Southeast Asia, at the end of two weeks, the total box office was 4000 million.

Lee Sing Yew estimated that "Raid 2" will get a total of 6000 million box office in Mainland China, Hong Kong Island, and Southeast Asia.

More than 5000 million yuan was distributed to the producer, which has already made back the capital and made a small profit.

Subsequent box office share in Europe and America is pure profit.

That is, on November 2007, 11, "Raid 28" was released simultaneously in the beautiful country and European countries.

The beautiful country opened a thousand painting museum.

At this time, the main blockbusters in the beautiful country are "The Mist", which was released last week, and "The Golden Compass", which was released at the same time as "The Raid 2".

The cost of "The Mist" is only 600 million US dollars. It tells the story of a group of people who encounter monsters and are trapped in a supermarket.

The film investment is not high, but the word of mouth is excellent.

The "Dark Matter Trilogy: The Golden Compass" is the ambitious production of New Line Films. They invited Nicole Kidman, Daniel Craig, and Eva Green.

The most concerned one is naturally "The Golden Compass of Dark Matter Trilogy", but this movie has a mediocre reputation.

Finally, at the end of the first three days, "The Golden Compass of Dark Matter Trilogy" undoubtedly ranked first, with a box office of 500 million.

"Raid 2" became No.2 and got 500 million box office.

"Mist" No.3, which was released for a week, won a box office of 100 million.

In just three days, it surpassed the North American box office of "Raid 1".

Although "Raid 2" is not comparable to blockbusters, it is already considered good.

According to news from European countries, the results are also good.

Warner's statisticians predict that "Raid 2" can get a box office of 3000 million US dollars in the beautiful country, and it should be able to get about 500 million US dollars in European countries.

The total box office in Europe and America is $500 million.

And in the hands of the producer, there is almost 500 million US dollars, which is [-] million people/RMB/currency.

……

"Lee Shengyao can turn a stone into gold, and he can make a lot of money."

"Wu Jing is a new Kung Fu star, and he already has a certain influence in Europe and America."

"It's unbelievable, "Raid 2" ranked No.2 at the weekly box office in Magnesia."

"Believe it or not, Lee Sing Yew has never lost money on his movie investments."

"From 'The Hangover' to 'The Raid 2', Lee Sung Yew has achieved success again."

"We should learn from this successful experience, and mainland films should go global."

""Raid 2" is obviously not good-looking, why can it be sold in Europe and the United States?"

The news that "Raid 2" ranked second in the beautiful country's weekly box office chart quickly spread back to the mainland, and the mainland media naturally praised it.

Not only praise Lee Sung Yew, but also praise Wu Jing.

At this time, "Raid 2" is holding a large celebration banquet.

Compared with the premiere of "Raid 2" this time, more stars came to celebrate.

Wu Jing and Li Shengyao are undoubtedly the most shining people in the celebration banquet.

Even Cheng Long came back, he looked at Wu Jing with envy.

The people who came to congratulate were almost done chatting. Lee Shengyao, Wu Jing, and Hong Jinbao got together to discuss the situation of the next movie.

Li Shengyao's face was calm, Wu Jing and Hong Jinbao were very excited, both of them were looking forward to the upcoming movie.

They already know that Warner will participate in the investment of the next movie, and the movie will be released in Europe and the United States like "Raid 2".

Doesn't this mean that it can get a higher box office?

Li Shengyao then took out the script of "The Fall of Hong Kong Island" and handed it to Hong Jinbao.

"The Fall of Hong Kong Island" is adapted from "The Fall of Olympus". The latter was filmed in the country of Magnesia, where terrorists hijacked passenger planes, bombed the White House, and kidnapped the president of the country of Magnesia.

If the filming is done intact, the cost will rise steadily.

In Li Shengyao's previous life, the cost of "The Fall of Olympus" was 7000 million US dollars, and the final global box office was [-] million US dollars.

Only the box office share will definitely not return the cost. After the movie is released and the DVD is added, the TV streaming copyright will be profitable.

It is impossible for Lee Sing Yew to bet that Wu Jing's version of "Olympus Has Fallen" can have a total box office of [-] million US dollars.

After all, Gerald Butler, the leading actor in "The Fall of Olympus", is also considered a second-tier Hollywood star and has acted in many blockbuster films.

They also invited old actors like Morgan Freeman.

This is where Wu Jing has no way to compare.

It is impossible for him to invest tens of millions of dollars.

He plans to shoot on Hong Kong Island, and the movie is called "The Fall of Hong Kong Island".

The president/president became the chief executive, and the setting of terror/terrorism/democracy remained unchanged, but it did not come from Korea, but from Hong Kong/British remnants.

Hong Jinbao and Wu Jing sat together to read the script.

Li Shengyao was drinking tea while telling the story of the script.

The three of them sat inside, and many people outside looked over with curious eyes.

An hour later, Hong Jinbao frowned slightly, and couldn't help but said, "Director Li, this movie seems to be different, it's not a movie like "Raid."

Olympus Has Fallen is certainly not the same as The Raid.

First of all, the story of "The Fall of Olympus" is more complete and the characters are fuller.

The second is that "The Raid" is a pure action film, while "The Fall of Olympus" is a military action film.

Lee Sing Yew explained the difference between the two films, and he then patted Wu Jing on the shoulder.

"I watched "The Raid 12" carefully. I think you are not very suitable for shooting such pure action movies. Compared with Cheng Long and Li Lianjie, you have less personal characteristics."

"This time is my new attempt. This is a military action movie. Do you want to try it?"

In Li Shengyao's previous life, Wu Jing's "Wolf Warrior" series was a military action movie.

At that time, Wu Jing had trained in the Jinling Military Region, and already had a military temperament.

Hearing this, Wu Jing hesitated for a while.

Li Shengyao then said flickeringly: "If you succeed, then you have found your own path, and your development will be limitless."

"Cheng Long is a kung fu comedy, which is funny and interesting. Li Lianjie is a traditional action movie. He plays smoothly and is very chic."

"Have you ever thought about making these two kinds of movies, you will never be able to compare with them?"

"If you want to stand out, you must have your own characteristics."

Upon hearing this, Wu Jing turned around and asked Li Shengyao, "Director Li, do you like me acting in military action movies?"

Director Li's touch turns stone into gold, and China Entertainment has unrivaled market vision.

Wu Jing believed in Director Li's judgment.

Li Shengyao smiled, "About your movie style, I actually thought about it for a long time, and finally I ruled out one by one, leaving military action movies. I am very optimistic about your acting as a soldier and a tough guy. Of course, you'd better go to the military area to experience it first." Put, tan your face a little bit."

He ordered the table, and then said: "I plan to invest 7000 million yuan to shoot this movie, and your salary is 2000 million yuan/RMB/yuan. If the movie is successful, there will be several sequels in the future, and I will give you 3000 million yuan at that time." top pay."

"Wu Jing, I'm very optimistic about you. You have a wide range of nationalities, and the ratings of the TV series you acted in the past were very good."

"If you can find a movie style that suits you, you will definitely have box office appeal like Andy Lau."

Hearing this, Wu Jing looked at Li Shengyao in a daze.

He didn't expect Director Li to be so optimistic about him.

At this time, the box office appeal in the Mainland is estimated to be only Zhou Xingxing, Li Lianjie, Cheng Long can beat Andy Lau, and everyone else is not as good as Hua Tsai.

He thought that after so many years of hard work, he was still a supporting role in Hong Kong Island, and after filming "Raid 12", his status rose rapidly.

Director Li took good care of him.

After a moment of silence, Wu Jing nodded, "Okay, Director Li, I'll accept this movie and go to the military region to experience life after a while."

Hong Jinbao asked at this time: "When will the filming start?"

"Next July."

After saying that, Li Shengyao raised his teacup and clinked with Wu Jing and Hong Jinbao, "Wu Jing, study hard in the military area, you will definitely not regret your choice today."

(End of this chapter)