China Entertainment’s rescue plan is hard to come by

Chapter 814: Foreign and Domestic
North American time, June 6th.

After an extra-long screening time of 40 days, "Avengers 1" from Marvel Studios closed perfectly with a box office of 6.9 million US dollars in North America.

Overseas, although the film has not yet finished its screenings in some regions due to its release date, its global box office has exceeded $15 billion so far, making it a solid film of the year.

This superhero movie is a milestone in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and it can even be said to be a new era of superhero movies to a certain extent. It successfully brings together multiple heroic characters with different styles and pioneered a shared universe. It has not only achieved huge commercial success, but also had a profound impact on culture, greatly promoting the development of superhero movies.

Especially for North America.

"Avengers 1" uses high-tech elements and the growth stories of the heroes in the film to allow the audience to think about the relationship between technology and human nature while enjoying a visual feast.

In addition, the film's music and visual effects have reached industry benchmark levels, further enhancing the audience's viewing experience.

At the same time, it also triggered a global Marvel craze, which not only saved Marvel, which was on the verge of bankruptcy, but also greatly expanded the brand influence of the Marvel IP and even became a globally renowned cultural phenomenon.

Hollywood has begun to hype up the concept of a superhero movie universe.

Movie fans, media, and major film and television companies are all discussing the significance of superhero IP in the current film industry, while also seeking new breakthroughs.

In terms of special effects technology and investment alone, several major Hollywood companies are not bad.

For example, 20th Century Fox stepped up the development of the "X-Men" series and immediately launched the sequel to the "Wolverine" series. At the same time, it planned to launch the "Deadpool" series. The concept of the "X-Men" metaverse also began to be reconstructed.

Compared with 20th Century Fox, Warner obviously has more innate advantages.

Because only Warner and Marvel each own the number one and number two comic book companies in the United States.

Now that Marvel has made a name for itself with superhero movies, industry insiders and many movie fans have turned their attention to Warner, and are constantly speculating in their minds.

Will Warner follow this card, or how will it follow it?

Warner Bros.

Kevin Tsujihara, the new CEO who has just taken office for less than half a year, has finally taken control of this long-established film and television entertainment group through a series of personnel adjustments and has turned his attention to the group's most important film business.

"Mr. Horn, it seems that the group's performance in the film industry in the first two quarters is still mediocre and does not reflect the strength that Warner should have. Do you have any thoughts on this?"

Kevin Tsujihara gently placed the report in his hand on the table and looked at Alan Horn across from him.

He is not tall, but speaks slowly and calmly, always with a faint smile on his face. He looks somewhat elegant, like an Oriental. His style is completely different from his predecessor, the impetuous but bad-tempered Barry Meyer.

But if anyone dares to underestimate the methods of this Asian CEO, they will definitely be taught a good lesson.

In North America, discrimination is everywhere, both in life and in the workplace. It will not be brought to the public's attention, but its shadow can be seen in every aspect.

An Asian, who is almost at the bottom of the discrimination chain in North America, can gain the support of most shareholders and thus take control of Warner Bros. Pictures, which is ranked second among the six major Hollywood companies and has a market value of US$350 billion. This shows his outstanding ability.

It is definitely not something to be underestimated.

Of course, Alan Horn had no intention of looking down on him at all, and was even a little afraid.

After all, he was a remnant of the previous dynasty, and was only temporarily retained through his personal abilities.

But what about ability?

In the eyes of leaders.

If I say you have it, you have it, and if I say you don’t have it, you also have it.

If I say you don’t have it, then you don’t have it, even if you do.

Used worldwide.

Without anyone, the earth will still rotate.

"Mr. President, indeed, our performance in the first two quarters of this year was not good enough. The North American box office of Journey to the Center of the Earth 2 barely exceeded $1 million, and Wrath of the Titans didn't even reach $ million. Both of our main films failed to make a profit at the box office, which brought great losses to the group."

"This is my fault. Although movies are also a cyclical investment product, as the head of the production department, when I launched the project last year, I did not grasp the future direction of the film market in advance and did not make preparations to avoid market risks in advance. If you need me to, I will formally submit my resignation to you to take responsibility for damaging the interests of the company."

Alan Horn frankly admitted his mistake. He knew that it was meaningless to make excuses at this time. The man in front of him was the president who had already taken control of the overall situation of the group. The knife was always in his hand, and whether he would drop it or not depended on his mood.

Of course, he didn't just accept his fate.

He also mentioned his helplessness in his words, but it was more obscure.

As we all know, movies are not something that can be shot today and released tomorrow. It takes a cycle. A subject that is very popular at the moment may be outdated by the time you shoot it and release it after a year or two, and movie fans will no longer like it.

Therefore, whoever can grasp the future trend of movie fans will be the ultimate winner.

In fact, Alan is very sensitive to the fans' trend. When Marvel just released "Iron Man 1", he reported to the company and expressed his intention to restart the superhero movie.

But the problem is that he can give suggestions, but he is not the one who makes the final decision on how to implement it.

His former boss was not only bad-tempered, but also stubborn and had a strong desire for control. Although he agreed to the filming of a superhero movie, he appointed all the most important people in the movie, including the producer and director, without conducting any detailed market research.

Both of them had no experience with superhero movies, which directly caused Warner's biggest loss last year, the $2 million "Green Lantern", and also indirectly brought themselves back home.

As the head of the production department, he is still short of the responsibility for this big pot even if he wants to.

Even the films in the first two quarters of this year were decided by his former boss, and he was just the person in charge of execution.

Kevin Tsujihara did not comment on Alan Horn's response of accepting responsibility by submitting his resignation. He neither agreed nor disagreed, but instead changed the subject.

"Mr. Horn, I would like to know what are the company's key projects for the last two quarters of this year?"

"Well, Mr. President, there are Sherlock Holmes 2: A Game of Shadows and Batman 3: The Dark Knight Rises, which are two IP sequels, and a new IP movie, Edge of Tomorrow."

Alan Horn sat upright, and after answering the president's questions, he waited obediently, as if awaiting a verdict.

Kevin Tsujihara, on the other hand, leaned back slightly and adjusted his sitting posture to be a little more relaxed. His hands were not idle either, as he picked up the lighter on the table and began to fiddle with it.

"Unlike Mr. Barry, I am not from the film and television industry, but I have paid attention to the group's main business before. I heard that the Sherlock Holmes series and the new Batman series were both filmed under your promotion, especially Director Nolan. Is that true?"

Alan Horn knew that the new president was a professional manager. He previously served as president of another subsidiary of Time Warner Group and had achieved remarkable results over the years. Otherwise, he would not have been appointed by the board of directors to take charge of Warner.

"Uh, yes, Mr. President, that was many years ago."

Alan is still capable. He was the first one to see the potential in director Nolan and strongly recommended him to Barry Meyer. At that time, Barry Meyer was not as conceited as he is now, and his vision was still very sharp.

After all, anyone who has been in charge of Warner, one of the six major Hollywood studios for so many years must not be a fool and must have some skills. It's just that in recent years, his past glory has blinded his eyes.

The lighter flipped in Kevin Tsujihara's hand, hitting the table again and again, making a "click" and "click" sound.

Alan Horn was becoming more and more nervous. He really couldn't figure out what the new president was thinking. He kept talking about one topic after another without any beginning or end. He really had no idea what the new president was going to do.

"Mr. Horn, I heard that you highly recommend that oriental director?"

"Indeed, Mr. President, although Director Sun Yi has not independently directed an A-level production with top Hollywood investment, his achievements since his debut are unquestionable. Whether in the East or in Hollywood, the films he directed have a perfect profit ratio. I think cooperating with such a successful director will benefit the company greatly."

"Mr. Horn, do you think Warner Bros. is suitable for restarting superhero movies?"

Alan was almost going crazy. The new president changed the subject again, and was still incoherent.

But he had no choice but to answer.

"Mr. President, I personally think it is suitable. Marvel's superhero movies have greatly opened up the market for this type of subject matter. At the same time, their superhero universe plan is also an excellent idea. Our Warner Group has DC Comics as a franchise, so it is very suitable to go this route. Of course, the prerequisite is that there must be a strong and professional team and leader to make accurate and detailed plans."

Alan had already thought about superhero movies and even the universe, and even made a general plan, but the problem still existed: he couldn't make the decision.

The lighter was still flipping on the table, making a "click" and "click" sound, and suddenly stopped at some point.

"Mr. Horn, I have always advocated that professional matters should be left to professionals, but I need to see tangible results. I am not satisfied with the company's performance in the first two quarters, but I still have patience. As for superhero movies, I think Warner cannot fall behind, and all companies can prepare in advance. But at the same time, my patience is running out. Do you understand what I mean?"

Kevin Tsujihara's words were neither too loud nor too soft, and his pronunciation was still clear, but to Alan they undoubtedly sounded like God's will.

At this moment, he finally breathed a sigh of relief. After just half an hour of meeting, he felt his entire back was wet. After many years in the workplace, he was not a fool. At this moment, he finally understood what the new president meant.

He passed, but only temporarily. He can make decisions on professional matters, but he must produce outstanding results within a period of time, otherwise everything will be in vain. After all, the president's patience is running out.

After leaving the president's office, he quickly got the progress charts of various projects from his subordinates.

"Sherlock Holmes" and "Batman" have been filmed and are being prepared for promotion and release, so he doesn't have to worry about that. "Edge of Tomorrow" is currently filming exterior scenes in RB.

Well, I have to go to the "Edge of Tomorrow" crew to take a look at the interim results and also urge them to make progress.

Sun Yi definitely doesn't know what's happening in North America. Not to mention North America, as long as he joins the crew, he doesn't even care about what's happening in the domestic circle.

Just like the crew of the movie "Special Identity" a few days ago, the two main actors Zhen Zidan and Zhao Wenzhuo publicly quarreled online, and for a while they even talked about the factional differences between the mainland and Hong Kong Island.

People in the mainland all support Zhao Wenzhuo, while people in Hong Kong and Taiwan blindly support Zhen Zidan.

Sun Yi's relationship with the two was just casual acquaintances, so he did not say anything and also ordered the artists under Star Sky not to get involved in such incidents.

Originally, Sun Yi was leading the crew to film the movie with peace of mind, but Liu Yifei was uneasy.

To be honest, this matter has nothing to do with her directly, it can barely be considered indirect.

The reason is that after the two started their war of words, friends behind both sides began to support them in various ways. Those from the mainland supported Zhao Wenzhuo, and those from Hong Kong and Taiwan supported Zhen Zidan.

There's nothing wrong with that. Just like when you have a fight, you have to call your friends.

The problem lies with mainland netizens. There are so many of them, and cyberbullying doesn't care whether you are a star or not. Su Qi has a good relationship with Zhen Zidan, and when she asked for support on Weibo, she was immediately blasted by netizens, who even brought up her old stories, which almost escalated to personal attacks. She even announced her retirement from the Internet.

This person is Liu Yifei’s good sister. She was impulsive and wanted to speak up for her good sister on Weibo. Fortunately, she was careful and asked Sun Yi in advance.

Otherwise, she might be criticized as well.

If he was not allowed to post a message in support, Liu.Chigua.Yifei would definitely not be able to suppress her already aroused curiosity, and would surround Sun Yi and ask him questions, even specifically choosing the evening time when he was resting, to use his eloquence.

Sun Yi was still wondering what day it was tonight and how he could have such a blessing.

"Don't play tricks on me, tell me now, otherwise, there will be nothing left for me in the future."

"Okay, okay, I said, I said."

Sun Yi nodded repeatedly. He couldn't lose it. What if he got a headache in the future?

When Liu Yifei heard Sun Yi's agreement, her eyes lit up. She simply rinsed her mouth and then came over to eat the melon like a curious baby.

"This matter is complicated and simple at the same time. It is nothing more than something that happens in the circle."

"First of all, this movie project was a scam from the beginning. The original director and producer worked together to sign a fake contract, saying that Cheng Long would join, and then deceived Jing Tian and Zhen Zidan to come. Zhen Zidan, like Tou Tiewa, found a few partners to bring in funds, and also invited Zhao Wenzhuo. This circle of people got something for nothing and set up the project."

"Then, isn't this the same as when Director Jiang Wen filmed Let the Bullets Fly, using Zhou Runfa to trick Ge Da Ye, and then using Ge Da Ye to trick Zhou Runfa?"

Liu Yifei asked curiously.

Sun Yi smiled and nodded, "That's the thing, but it depends on who uses this trick. For example, your husband." After saying that, Sun Yi shamelessly raised his finger and pointed at himself, "If I were the director, this trick would work, but the director of "Special Identity" is unknown, so he can't grasp it."

"Tsk, you shameless bastard, you just want to show off your prowess." Liu Yifei spat, then asked, "And then, what if you can't control yourself?"

"If you can't control it, the project will fail. Others will be fine and just treat it as disgusting, but Zhen Zidan can't do that. He has invested all the money, especially he is not the only one who brings partners, so he can only take over the project himself, so he became the producer."

"Then, the movie has to be filmed, so the actors who can stay have to stay, including Zhao Wenzhuo."

"After we got the actors, the project was almost ready and we could start filming, but Zhen Zidan was feeling uneasy again."

"Why is it so boring? Didn't he get the project started again?"

Liu Yifei became even more curious.

Sun Yi put his hands together and said with great emotion: "Think about it, I have brought money into the group, I am the financial sponsor, and I am also the leading actor, so I have to add more drama to my role and add some great and glorious halos to it."

"If the protagonist wants to have more scenes and more halos, then he has to find them from the villains and supporting roles. So, Zhao Wenzhuo is not happy about it."

Liu Yifei nodded as if she had suddenly realized something, and then she said, "According to what you said, it's Zhen Zidan who is wrong. Even if you bring money into the crew, you can't change the play at will. The other actors have already joined the crew. At least, at least you have to get everyone's consent."

Sun Yi shook his head and said with a smile: "Xixi, you are too superficial. Zhao Wenzhuo can't make much sense in this matter."

Liu Yifei was a little confused and asked quickly, "Why?"

"I have to talk about this, the unspoken rules in our circle."

"First of all, since you brought money into the group, you definitely have the most say, especially since Zhen Zidan is a bit of a drama tyrant. It's not nice to say that he wants to change the play, but he paid you. You have to accept it since you took the money."

"Zhao Wenzhuo took the money and didn't want to admit the crime, so it turned out like this."

"Xixi, do you know how many people Zhao Wenzhuo brought with him into the group?"

"How many people?"

"Including assistants, service staff, relatives and friends, there are nine people in total. The crew has to pay for all the daily expenses of these nine people during their time on the set. I heard that it costs nearly 9 yuan a day. A play takes at least 9 days, which is close to 6 million yuan."

At this time in 12, although the pay of stars had begun to rise sharply, with a single drama easily earning 200 million yuan, for someone of Zhao Wenzhuo's status, million was not a small amount.

"Nine people? That's so many?"

This time Liu Yifei was really scared. No matter she was filming on the set or attending a business event, there were no more than five people around her, including an assistant, a makeup artist, a driver, a bodyguard, and an extra staff member from Star Sky. And there were only assistants among them. The makeup was done by the crew and the event organizer, and the rest was paid for by herself.

Zhao Wenzhuo actually brought 9 people with him. He must have brought all his aunts and uncles to play.

Sun Yi shrugged. "So, since the crew has paid the money, it's a tacit understanding that we won't talk about it. We should be prepared for changes to the plot. If you want to get more money but don't want to change the plot, that's a bit unreasonable."

"Of course, the online quarrel must have been caused by Zhen Zidan going too far. She didn't give Zhao Wenzhuo any face in the role arrangement, otherwise it wouldn't have gotten to this extent. Even a clay figure can still get angry. The changes to the play should be more appropriate. After all, he is a veteran kung fu star."

Sun Yi saw that Liu Yifei was curious, so he talked a little more. This is actually an unspoken rule in the industry. Everyone gives each other face and doesn't say anything about it.

Liu Yifei thought for a moment and said, "Looking at it this way, it seems that Zhen Zidan went a little too far."

Sun Yi chuckled and replied:

"That's true, but it takes two to tango. Our eldest brother, let alone the second brother, is not a good person on both sides, so I don't let anyone from our Starry Sky get involved."

"Oh, I see. That's right."

Liu Yifei nodded in understanding. She had heard a lot of disputes between crews over roles and treatment, and had even seen it with her own eyes. From their respective standpoints, everyone felt that they were right, and outsiders were very slow to distinguish the difference.

However, I do feel a little sorry for Sister Su Qi.

Liu Yifei curled her lips and sighed softly.

"Although neither side can justify this, those people on the Internet are too harsh on Sister Su Qi. Although she expressed her support, you can't say that about her. It happened so many years ago."

Liu Yifei has always been kind-hearted. She has no stance on this matter. She is just concerned about her friend and wants to stand up for Su Qi.

Sun Yi thought about it and guessed that the girl was still recalling the time when she was hacked and was feeling emotional.

"Then you can use your influence on Weibo, but don't mention the matter of these two people. Just say that online violence against Sister Su Qi is unacceptable, and then let Xiaowei polish it for you and send it out. This way, you can avoid participating in the debate between the two sides, and you can also speak for your good sister."

"Really?"

"Um."

"Mua, thank you brother."

(End of this chapter)