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Chapter 890 Arrival in Hollywood
Hollywood has had a tough few years.
The epidemic has dealt a huge blow to the entertainment industry, especially the film industry. The impact of this global disaster is greater in developed regions.
In 2019, the North American film market released 910 films throughout the year, with a total box office of 114 billion US dollars.
By 2020, the first year of the epidemic, the number of film releases throughout the year had dropped sharply to 455, and the total box office had fallen to a pitiful US$11.1 billion.
It can be said that the movies released this year basically lost all their money.
The financial situation eased in 2021, with the total box office in North America rising to 44.8 billion for the whole year.
As the market thaws, Hollywood giants have gradually begun to arrange the release of their high-cost major films.
[Spider-Man: No Return] is a movie that will be released in December 2021.
"Marvel's Spider-Man" was a huge hit at the box office, earning $8 million in North America and $19 billion worldwide, instantly topping the global movie box office charts.
The huge success of "Spider-Man" also marks the complete recovery of the North American and even global film market. Therefore, in the first half of 2022, Hollywood has successively released many blockbusters that audiences are looking forward to.
比如3月上映的【新蝙蝠侠】,5月的【奇异博士2】和【壮志凌云2】,6月的【猫王】、【侏罗纪世界3】,以及上个月的【雷神4:爱与雷霆】和【小黄人大眼萌2】。
These movies all achieved good box office results, and the North American box office of "Top Gun 2" even exceeded 7 million.
In August, "DC Comics: Suicide Squad" was released first and won the box office championship of the week with a box office of 8 million.
Then in the second week, "John Wick 4" and "Bullet Train" were released on the same day.
In terms of investment amount, neither of these two films can be considered first-tier blockbusters.
The production cost of "Bullet Train" was 9000 million US dollars, and that of "John Wick 4" was a little more at 1.1 million US dollars, which is a lot less than some special effects blockbusters that cost to million US dollars.
However, both movies are very popular. "Bullet Train" is starring Brad Pitt and is adapted from Kotaro Isaka's highly rated novel "Ladybug".
[John Wick 4] is a popular IP in itself, and the "Pay Back My Life" series has already had a number of loyal fans after three films, and Keanu Reeves also has a good reputation among North American audiences.
Originally, many viewers and industry insiders thought that the two films were evenly matched and there would be a fierce battle. However, after they were released, "John Wick 4" won with an overwhelming advantage.
In fact, the box office performance of "Bullet Train" in its first week was also quite good, with a gross of 4025 million US dollars in the first three days.
Normally this would be a sure win for the week, but unfortunately "John Wick 4" did even better, with 9227 million in box office revenue in its first three days, second only to those top blockbusters.
In addition to its good box office performance, "John Wick 4" also has outstanding word of mouth.
The film has a 95% freshness rating on Rotten Tomatoes, a 95% popcorn index, an average audience rating of 4.7 stars (out of 5 stars), an IMDb rating of 8.5 points, and a CinemaScore audience reputation of A-level 12.
In addition, many film review organizations gave high scores, such as IGN, which gave a full score of 100.
The Hollywood Reporter gave it a high score of 90, saying that this is a textbook action film with dramatic tension and climax that makes people unable to stop watching.
Many reviews believe that the script, visual effects and action scenes of "John Wick 4" surpass the first three films and are shocking to watch.
Keanu Reeves' performance remains stable, and the newly joined Eastern superstar Gu Wei steals the spotlight!
[John Wick 4] was a huge hit, and other Hollywood film companies and some industry insiders were paying close attention to it.
It's not simply because the movie has high box office or good reputation.
Although [John Wick 4] has good box office performance, it is still some distance away from the "Marvel series" of superhero movies and other top-notch blockbusters.
But everyone found that in addition to performing well at the North American box office, the box office in other global markets, especially in China, was even better.
[John Wick 4] grossed $9227 million in North America in its first week, $1.23 million in China, and $6800 million in other countries.
The global box office total in the first week was 2.83 million US dollars!
Box office outside North America was twice that of its domestic counterpart.
China, as a single film market, has achieved box office results that are 3000 million more than North America. This is what amazed everyone in Hollywood who was paying attention to this movie.
Marvel Studios.
"Charles, have you paid attention to the recent Lionsgate movie?"
CEO Kevin Feige sat in a comfortable boss chair, holding a newspaper in his hand. He seemed to have seen something interesting, put it down and said to his subordinates beside him.
Kevin Feige is an absolute legend in Hollywood.
When he took over Marvel Studios, this once giant in the comics industry had reached its end and was heavily in debt and on the verge of bankruptcy.
Instead of seeking a solution in the comics field, Kevin planned to make his own superhero movie and seek a breakthrough in film.
However, making movies costs money, and Marvel has no money. Kevin had no choice but to use the copyrights of the Black Panther and Doctor Who characters as collateral and borrowed $5.25 million from Merrill Lynch.
At that time, Marvel was basically fighting a desperate battle!
As we all know, Iron Man was a huge success.
The global box office of $5.85 million saved Marvel and also saved Robert Downey's acting career.
From then on, Marvel Studios and Kevin Feige himself embarked on a path of success, creating the current environment in Hollywood where superhero movies are the mainstream.
"Are you talking about the movie John Wick 4 with Keanu Reeves?"
“That’s right. This series has evolved from a B-level film with an investment of 2000 million US dollars to an A-level production with an investment of hundreds of millions of dollars. Not only is the box office getting better and better, but the word of mouth has even set a new record for the series.
This is also extremely rare in a film series!"
“I watched the movie, it was really exciting, and the battle scenes were absolutely top-notch in action movies!
According to the current box office trend, the final box office of "John Wick 4" in North America will be close to 3 million.
This number is almost the same as the global total box office of the third film.
Lionsgate has developed a new treasure!"
What Charles said is very pertinent. For current Hollywood film companies, IP series films are the most important assets.
A popular series IP, the film company wishes it could continue filming.
The most typical example is "Fast and Furious", which has already filmed the 10th movie. The main character team has tried every possible means, and even one of the leading actors died, but it still cannot stop "Universal Pictures" from continuing filming.
There is no other reason. The series of movies has a stable fan base, low risk and high returns, so the film company will naturally not give up.
“Compared with the North American box office, I am more concerned about the film’s box office performance in overseas markets, especially the Chinese market.
According to the latest data disclosed by the media, the box office performance of "John Wick 4" in the Chinese market has reached nearly 3 million US dollars, and it will almost reach million by the end of this week.
This result is much higher than the North American box office!"
Charles nodded in agreement: "The huge sales in the Chinese market is probably due to that oriental superstar GU.
His appeal in the Chinese market is at a dominant level.
Didn’t we invite him to play “Shang-Chi” in the first place? Unfortunately, the collaboration was not successful in the end.
Now it seems very regrettable indeed! "
Charles is an executive of Marvel Studios and the producer of Iron Man 3, Doctor Strange, and Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. He also voted in favor of inviting Gu Wei to play Shang-Chi.
“It’s a pity indeed.
Judging from his performance in "John Wick 4", this GU has a very strong talent in action scenes and is completely comparable to Jackie Chan and Jet Li.
He is also very good-looking, far superior to his two predecessors, which is a great advantage in attracting young audiences.
Finally, there is the huge Chinese market that he brings with him.
If he came to Hollywood, he would soon become a top star! "
Kevin Feige has a very high opinion of Gu Wei.
When casting for the role of Shang-Chi, he went out of his way to get to know the other party, and was very regretful that they were unable to work together in the end.
Now that Gu Wei has joined Lionsgate's John Wick 4 and doubled the film's box office on his own, his regret is even stronger.
Anyone with a discerning eye can see that the box office success of John Wick 4 in the Chinese market was all thanks to Gu Wei.
Although this IP has some popularity, the first three films were not released in China. Now the fourth film is a big hit, and there is no other reason other than the protagonist Gu Wei.
“Now I think if GU could play Shang-Chi, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings might have a chance to be released in China.
In that case, relying on the Chinese market, this movie could easily hit a billion-dollar global box office and become another best-selling superhero series in the Marvel Universe!"
As the producer of "Shang-Chi", Charles felt very sorry about this movie.
Although Shang-Chi's North American box office reached $2 million, making it one of the highest-grossing films in North America last year, its global box office was only $3.67 million, far less than its $1.5 million production cost and $5000 million in publicity expenses, totaling an investment of approximately $2 million.
The inability to be released in China is one of the main reasons for its losses.
The Chinese market has always been an important source of box office revenue for Marvel movies, and the failure of "Shang-Chi" to be released in China directly affected its global box office revenue, resulting in serious losses.
“If we can invite Gu Wei, is it possible to restart the Shang-Chi project later?
Just like Spider-Man and the Hulk, they changed the main characters and re-shot the film."
Marvel's superheroes are not always the same. Spider-Man has changed three times, from Tobey Maguire to Tom Holland.
The Hulk was first filmed by Ang Lee and is completely different from the actors today.
"This is it~
That’s a possibility.”
Kevin Feige touched his chin and fell into deep thought.
[Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings] flopped at the box office and there will definitely not be a sequel.
As to whether this hero will appear in Avengers or other superhero movies in the future, there is no conclusion yet.
If we follow Charles' suggestion, it is not impossible to re-shoot a new version of Shang-Chi.
At this time, not only Marvel Studios, but also Hollywood film companies have turned their attention to the oriental superstar in the movie due to the impressive performance of John Wick 4 in overseas markets, especially the Chinese market.
Since 2020, the Chinese film market has surpassed North America to become the world's largest single film market.
Hollywood film companies have always been coveting that huge market.
And the Chinese superstar Gu Wei seems to be their best key to open the Chinese film market!
【Lionsgate Films】.
“.As of now, [John Wick 4] has been released in 4357 theaters in North America, with a total box office of 1.37 million US dollars.
The film's box office in the Chinese market has reached 2.13 million, and in other global markets it has reached 1.04 million.
"John Wick 4" has been released for 6 days and the total box office has exceeded 4.5 million US dollars!"
As his assistant reported, Jon Felme became happier.
He originally thought that "John Wick 4" would be a success, but he never thought it would be so successful.
According to the current box office trend of the movie, it is expected to hit $3 million in North America, and the global box office will far exceed North America, especially the Chinese market, which is likely to reach $4 million or even higher!
“When does GU’s flight arrive?”
The assistant flipped through the notebook in his hand and said, "We should land at Los Angeles Airport at noon. The pick-up personnel have been arranged before~"
Jon nodded, thought for a moment and said, "Contact Michael and ask him to pick us up at the airport to show our importance!"
Michael is his deputy and one of the producers of "John Wick 4".
"Understood sir, I'll go and inform them right away~" The assistant agreed and was about to walk out.
Jon waved to her again.
"No need, I will leave with the company's fleet in a moment, and I will go to the airport to pick him up personally."
As the president of Lionsgate, Jon knows very well that Gu Wei is not just a simple Chinese actor.
He is also the owner of a film company.
And in terms of investment, "John Wick 4" is a film co-produced by "Lionsgate" and "Suncity Group".
Its attribute of being a "Sino-US co-production" is also one of the reasons why the film was successfully released in the Chinese market and reaped super high box office.
As the boss of the partner, he could not attach enough importance to Gu Wei.
Moreover, a large part of the current box office performance of "John Wick 4" comes from Gu Wei. For him and "Lionsgate", Gu Wei is like the god of wealth.
August in Los Angeles is sunny and hot.
As soon as they got out of the private plane, Gu Wei and his companions felt the heat wave blowing towards them.
"It's so hot!"
Behind Gu Wei, Reba was wearing a sun hat, black sunglasses, and a thin brown dress, looking like she was going on vacation.
“It’s noon now, so it feels like it could get a little warmer.
Los Angeles has a Mediterranean climate and is close to the ocean, so it is much more comfortable than inland cities."
Reba looked around and took two quick steps to walk shoulder to shoulder with Gu Wei.
"I've been here before when I was shooting a commercial, but I didn't stay long. I left in a hurry after the work was done."
Gu Wei smiled and said, "We can stay for three days this time. Apart from the meeting, you can use the rest of the time as you like~"
"Then can you accompany me?" Reba turned her head and asked with a smile.
"Sure, I can go around with you if I have nothing to do." (End of this chapter)
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