China Entertainment: Great directors start by winning actresses

Chapter 226 Su Zhe x Anne Hathaway

Overall, the success of "Inception" can be described as a perfect combination of many factors.

Its unique publicity strategy, excellent word-of-mouth marketing and the audience's enthusiastic pursuit of the film jointly created the glory of this film.

The film not only brought an unprecedented audio-visual feast to the audience, but also triggered people's in-depth thinking and heated discussions on film art and narrative techniques.

Globally, "Inception" also demonstrated strong box office appeal.

In the UK, it earned more than $1600 million in the first week.

In France, more than $1200 million was harvested.

Germany and Australia also had good results of nearly 1500 million US dollars and more than 900 million US dollars respectively.

What is remarkable is that in the first week of its overseas screening, the total box office of "Inception" was as high as nearly 1 million US dollars!
In North America, "Inception" has maintained a strong enough box office trend as expected.

In the luxurious Beverly Hills in Los Angeles, Angelina Jolie sat alone on the sofa after dinner, holding a newspaper tightly in her hand and frowning.

The dolls of Qi Chai naturally became a hot commodity. At that time, vendors selling pirated copies of Qi Zai even set up their stalls in front of the China Film Group, the studio behind "Yangtze River No. 7", which made many film crews laugh and cry.

The other party is Director Su Zhe!
What the "Los Angeles Times" said is not unreasonable, but there is one thing Angelina Jolie won't agree with.

In the mature film market of North America, the complete copyright protection system provides a solid foundation for the hot sales of film derivatives.

Whenever her eyes met Brad Pitt's, her face became more and more gloomy.

The small number of commemorative tops distributed by Columbia to theaters were sold for $10 each and were sold out on the day the film was released.

Consider that "Inception" grossed more than $7000 million at the North American box office the following weekend.

The development of the film industry in the past ten years also proves this point.

Not only the box office, but also the peripheral products of "Inception" are also popular. For example, the top, a small prop used by Leonardo to distinguish reality from dreams in the film, is also selling well.

She knows very well that in this highly competitive entertainment industry, box office and reputation are the real criteria for measuring the value of an actor.

Angelina Jolie flipped through the "Los Angeles Times" in her hand and quickly found last weekend's box office bulletin.

But in the face of the heated discussion and attention caused by "Inception", "Agent Shot" seems destined to be difficult to turn around.

The box office performance of the movie "Shot" starring Jolie did not meet expectations, which undoubtedly cast a shadow on her mood.

Apparently, the Hollywood star wasn't in a pretty mood.

When such news was fed back to Director Su Zhe, he did not show too much concern.

Under such a double blow, her mood hit rock bottom.

Thinking about the fact that the box office of "Shot" in which she starred has dropped to 1000 million US dollars in the same period, Angelina Jolie's mood became even more gloomy.

However, faced with the predicament before her, what can she do?

Angelina Jolie was very unhappy, but she would only keep this feeling in her heart and would not tell anyone, not even Brad Pitt, who lived under the same roof.

It will only become more and more declining, and adaptation is the mainstream in this circle.

However, the past ten years had been extremely difficult and uneasy for her, and her wanton behavior in her youth had cost her a heavy price, starting from her awakening a few years ago.

What made her even more uneasy was that her boyfriend actually attended the premiere of the competitor "Inception".

Su Zhe remembers clearly the time period when he lived there. After Zhou Xingxing's "Yangtze River No. 7" was released, Qizai became very popular.

What's more, she never really thought that "Agent Short" could surpass "Inception" at the box office.

At the same time, in the Chinese market, Tai'a Media's "Inception Beyblade" has also achieved good sales results.

Su Zhe naturally knows that any market is constantly developing and improving.

And compared to the treatment of the other party's domestic films, the derivatives of his films are pretty good.

Under the strong offensive of "Inception", "Shot" only collected more than 1300 million US dollars at the North American box office in its first weekend.

The prices of commemorative tops sold in stores and online range from US$80 to US$150, and hundreds of thousands of them were sold in just one week.

What can't be done, such as messing with the real heavyweights in the industry..."Shot" was completely defeated by "Inception".

At this moment, Julie was filled with frustration.

Before the filming of the movie started, the Columbia company where directors like Su Zhe worked had already begun planning the production and marketing of derivatives.

Although its price is only RMB 10, this friendly price strategy has obviously attracted a large number of consumers.

This also allows Colombian companies to feel more confident when launching derivatives without having to worry about the impact of piracy and infringement on sales.

In fact, in today's Hollywood, the revenue from large-scale commercial film derivatives can be as high as nearly 80% of the total revenue of the film, which is much higher than the box office of the film itself.

The success of "Inception" may lead more directors or screenwriters to come up with long-awaited original stories, but the sluggish situation of Hollywood's original films will not change.

However, compared with the derivatives sold through formal channels in theaters, the Internet and small commodity markets are flooded with a large number of imitations.

Although Sony Columbia Pictures subsequently increased its promotional efforts, even hailing Jolie as "the most powerful action star in the universe."

Angelina Jolie knows very well what she can do, such as continuing to have a chaotic private life and no one will care.

Columbia has rich experience in developing the movie derivatives market, and the hot sales of "Inception Beyblade" also benefited from its huge full industry chain operation capabilities.

The North American market also went through a similar stage, but ultimately through continuous efforts and improvements, it established the sound copyright protection system it has today.

Their goal is to ensure that derivatives can be released in sync with the movie, or even before the movie is released, so as to maximize market space.

A fascinating movie often has many unexpected effects, and "Inception" is one such example.

When Su Zhe returned to Los Angeles after finishing his promotional trip in Europe, he discovered a very interesting news,

That's why Leonardo DiCaprio's team is cleverly using "Inception" to build momentum for Leonardo, aiming directly at next year's Academy Awards.

Anyone familiar with Leonardo knows that his desire to win the Best Actor Oscar is deeply rooted in the hearts of the people.

In "Inception", Leonardo's performance is extremely eye-catching, which also allows his team to see an excellent opportunity to make full preparations for next year's Academy Awards.

Even though we're only in July, those preparing to compete for next year's Oscars are already gearing up to take action.

Even as the last Oscar ceremony has just come to an end, the next Oscar candidate films and actors have begun to appear frequently in major media and film festivals, trying to accumulate capital to compete for awards.

Leonardo's team obviously knows this well, and they cleverly used the success of "Inception" and Leonardo's outstanding performance in the film to add to his Oscar road.

This is not only an affirmation of Leonardo's acting skills, but also a recognition of his long-term contribution to film art.

Regardless of the final outcome, this Oscar-building battle has undoubtedly brought more attention and expectations to "Inception" and Leonardo himself.

Compared with Leonardo's proactive actions, Su Zhe's plan seemed a bit backward, but he didn't mind it.

He is happy to see Leonardo win because he believes that everyone has their own good things worth pursuing, and the Academy Award is undoubtedly a high recognition for filmmakers.

It would be a joy if the winner is someone he recognizes. Leonardo's performance in "Inception" was highly praised in the media, and similar articles emerged one after another.

They praised Leonardo for perfectly interpreting the character's inner struggle and making the character flesh-and-blood, allowing the audience to fully integrate into the film and deeply identify with the character, thereby enhancing the overall look and feel of the film.

More importantly, Leonardo has also become the cover character of the new issue of Time Magazine, which is the result of the joint efforts of Columbia and Leonardo's team.

This series of publicity and promotion activities undoubtedly added more chips for Leonardo to win the Academy Award, and also made the movie "Inception" receive wider attention and praise.

As "Inception" continues to be popular in Europe and the United States, Leonardo DiCaprio has become the focus of many media and audiences.

Many media have concluded that he will be a popular candidate for Best Actor at the Oscars next year, and this prediction was even supported by the cover of Time Magazine.

On the cover, Leonardo is half-down, and Su Zhe's praise for him is quoted in the background: "Leonardo's contribution to "Inception" is huge, and I still think he is the most outstanding actor in Hollywood." one."

Su Zhe has always been supportive of his partners. As long as he can help, he will never stand idly by.

Leonardo traveled thousands of miles to agree to participate in Su Zhe's script. Such sincerity and efforts were highly recognized by Su Zhe.

In Su Zhe's view, Leonardo is not only an outstanding actor, but also a partner worthy of his admiration.

"Inception" has dominated the film market in North America and even the world for two consecutive weeks, and it has triggered wave after wave of heated discussions.

Audiences have different opinions on this movie, but whether it is praise or controversy, it has undoubtedly added more topic and attention to the movie.

Under such craze, Leonardo, as one of the leading actors in the movie, naturally attracted much attention.

If he can successfully win the Oscar for Best Actor, it will not only be a great honor and recognition for Leonardo himself, but it will also bring huge benefits and influence to Su Zhe.

However, in the third week of "Inception" dominating the charts, a new heavyweight film is about to join the fray.

Directed by Ridley Scott, starring Russell Crowe and Cate Blanchett, and released by Disney, the epic "Robin Hood" will be launched in North American theaters over the weekend.

The production cost of this film is as high as 1.5 million US dollars, and the publicity and marketing expenses are also close to million US dollars. It is undoubtedly a huge challenge for Su Zhe's "Inception".

From the director to the cast, to the scale of investment and promotion, "Robin Hood" has shown a rare mega-production style in recent years.

Disney staff were full of confidence in the film. They believed that "Robin Hood" had all the makings of a great adventure.

It is expected to cut off the continuous dominance of "Inception".

The competition between the two movies will become more intense, and it will take time to prove who can win the favor of the audience.

However, the development of the facts was beyond people's expectations. "Robin Hood" starring Russell Crowe has attracted much attention.

The production cost was as high as 200 million US dollars. It was another biographical film about the legendary British hero Robin Hood, but the results were not satisfactory.

The film's premiere broadcast platform did not even burst into applause after the screening, which was in sharp contrast to the previous popular press conference.

While movies with stars tend to get enough attention, "Robin Hood" doesn't seem to be winning over audiences.

When the media set up cameras at the exit of the theater to interview the audience, most of the interviewees said that the film's performance was average or even disappointing.

In the film, three clues—political turmoil, the rise of a hero, and the budding love—go hand in hand, making the whole story seem bloated and cumbersome.

Especially in the second half of the film, the clues are confusing, the importance is not distinguished, and the rhythm is out of order, which seriously affects the audience's viewing experience.

Although the film focuses on the birth and origin of Robin Hood, unfortunately, the portrayal of the character of Robin Hood is incomplete and superficial.

The lack of climax throughout the film limited the audience's enthusiasm for watching the film. Even the outstanding performance of the cultural background and atmosphere of the times could not save the film's decline.

In comparison, "Inception" performs better in terms of depth and audience reputation.

This also proves once again that big production and high cost do not necessarily bring success. The key lies in whether the story is attractive, whether the characters are three-dimensional and whether they can resonate with the audience.

Indeed, Su Zhe's "Inception" has successfully raised the audience's aesthetic expectations in recent times, which undoubtedly poses a certain challenge to other film works.

Against this background, the performance of the epic masterpiece "Robin Hood" is particularly eye-catching.

Unfortunately, the film's online reputation quickly declined after its premiere.

Audiences did not think highly of the male and female protagonists played by Russell Crowe and Cate Blanchett. Some even described the movie as a "disaster" and thought it was "boring."

In particular, Robin Hood, played by Russell Crowe, was criticized wildly by the audience for his "fat and old" image.

Faced with such a bad reputation, many people in Hollywood began to unite in a tacit understanding, preparing to suppress "Robin Hood".

Their targets were not only Disney, but also star Russell Crowe.

As a former Oscar winner and member of the 20 Million Club, Russell Crowe has a temper similar to Mel Gibson.

Considered synonymous with arrogance and arrogance.

In the years when he was most popular and popular, his attitude towards film companies and agencies was extremely bad.

However, due to his extremely high market value at that time, these people chose to tolerate it for the sake of commercial interests.

But now, seeing Russell Crowe in trouble, they all put their feet out, ready to kick him to the ground.

This situation is undoubtedly making things worse for "Robin Hood" and Russell Crowe.

As "Robin Hood" opens in theaters on Friday, online scandals about Russell Crowe and the movie are spreading at lightning speed.

Relevant information can be seen on major social media and forums, which focused on Russell Crowe's many requests on the eve of filming, including changing directors, changing scripts, and even changing the heroine Sienna Miller.

Russell Crowe, who has now entered middle age, is no longer the muscular strong man he once was.

Although Disney customized a strict fitness plan for him, he seems to have been unable to shed off the fat.

In "Robin Hood", he had a sex scene with the heroine, possibly because he was worried about his image contrasting with the young, beautiful and slender Sienna Miller.

would become an object of ridicule, so he asked the producers to replace Sienna Miller.

The spread of these scandals undoubtedly cast a shadow over the release of "Robin Hood" and also greatly damaged Russell Crowe's personal image.

Many viewers and netizens have expressed their dissatisfaction and disappointment with Russell Crowe, believing that his behavior has seriously damaged the quality and look of the movie.

At the same time, many people have questioned the decisions of Disney and the producers, believing that they should be more cautious and responsible in terms of casting and scripts.

Big-name stars do enjoy certain privileges in the entertainment industry, which allows them to influence film casting and production decisions to a certain extent.

In the case of Sienna Miller, we can see the impact of this privilege on the film industry.

Sienna Miller, who was originally finalized as the heroine of "Robin Hood", lost this opportunity due to Russell Crowe's request, and was replaced by the relatively less outstanding Cate Blanchett.

After the news spread widely, Robin Hood's wide and fat appearance in the film was closely linked to Russell Crowe's image, making him a national laughing stock.

Although these scandals have had a certain negative impact on the box office of "Robin Hood" and Russell Crowe's personal image, guys in the entertainment industry will naturally not let go of this opportunity to add fuel to the fire.

Columbia, in particular, suffered a lot from its collaboration with Russell Crowe.

(End of this chapter)