Extracting skills from movies

When David Fincher said this, everyone at the scene was stunned.

The head of the distribution team next to him smiled bitterly:
“Of course we will try, but the price/performance ratio may not be good.

Du Sheng has been doing very well in the Lighthouse Country in recent years, and has made great achievements in music, movies, and boxing. He is no longer an "outsider".

“Especially since he just won an Oscar more than two months ago, and those two films have done well in terms of box office and word of mouth, so now is the time when he is at his peak.

Surveys show that he has a very high popularity among the audience, especially young people and Asian groups.”

Hearing this, Finch felt even worse.

Who is this Du Sheng?
No matter what type of movies made in recent years, the global box office has never been less than 100 million US dollars!
How can I have such luck?

How can it be so popular?

What about yourself?
He barely gained popularity in 93 with the movie "City Heroes". After entering the mainstream, he only earned over million yuan at the box office with "Batman & Robin", but it was criticized as one of the most unsuccessful Batman movies in history.

In the past two years, I finally got a big project like "Zodiac". If it fails again, what can I take in the future?
April 4th arrived amid intensive preparations.

The day of the press premiere of "Perfect Strangers".

Du Sheng took a car to the airport and flipped through the newspaper of the day.
I couldn't help but smile when I saw all the comments about Bruce Willis and Halle Berry's new movie.

The New York Times: "This is a work without sincerity, an obvious imitation of "Fatal Transfer", but the background is moved from Norway to the lighthouse country, and the quality is far different!"

Los Angeles Times: "It's so mediocre, the acting is so lackluster, and even the scenery is more exciting than the plot."

San Francisco Chronicle: "Halle Berry overdoes it, and the film is too sentimental. It might as well be called Lesbian Lovers."

The Washington Post: "Bruce Willis is playing another roaring tough guy. People are tired of watching him."

Although these comments are a bit exaggerated, Du Sheng knows in his heart that "Perfect Strangers" is not that bad.

It is a thriller created for the sake of publicity, and it would have easily earned 100 million yuan under normal circumstances.

But the problem is that the two leading actors have too many black spots!
It has offended a large number of Jewish capitalists and media people in the circle. This time public opinion is completely one-sided and does not give it any chance to breathe.

The major newspapers were relatively restrained, only criticizing the film itself;
The tabloids completely let themselves go, digging up everything from racial discrimination, alcohol scandals, to domestic violence.

Also, Halle Berry is black, but the gossip about her despising black people is spread out, and they want to nail her to the pillar of shame.

Du Sheng knew it when he saw these reports.

There is a high probability that "Perfect Strangers" will fail this time.

Sure enough, the box office data came out the next day:

The first day box office was only 684 million US dollars.

In its previous life, its box office in the first five days was 2351 million.

This time, let alone breaking the record, even 20 million is at stake.

As soon as the news came out, both the crews of "Wanted" and "Zodiac" were delighted.

No one expected that the strongest competitor would be eliminated early.

Now everyone feels a lot less pressure.

"With one less opponent, we can focus on the fight."

Theresa said to Du Sheng over the phone with a smile.

Du Sheng nodded, closed the newspaper, and looked in the direction of the Cannes Premiere Festival.

"The real battle has just begun."

.........

7pm, Cannes red carpet scene.

The atmosphere at the premiere of "Wanted" was incredibly warm.

There were more reporters coming than at any other film festival opening.

Not only entertainment paparazzi were there, but also many big-name media outlets covering international news and social hot topics.

One is an international superstar who is rising in the global film industry, and the other is a "feminist freedom fighter" who is in the limelight.

When these two people stand together, they have their own aura and they leverage each other's strength to help each other grow.

Du Sheng wore a black suit today, which was well-tailored with neat lines. He looked elegant yet sharp.

She put on some light makeup on her face to make her facial features more three-dimensional, her eyes deep and her temperament full.

Compared to the time he walked the red carpet at the opening ceremony, this time he was obviously more prepared, in better shape, and his handsomeness was off the charts.

Taylor next to him was one of the biggest highlights of the night.

She had curly hair draped over her shoulders, and her off-shoulder hairstyle revealed a section of her fair shoulders. Her makeup was bright and attractive, exuding a charming charm.

The purple-red gradient fishtail skirt she was wearing was absolutely stunning, perfectly outlining her slender waist and sexy hips.

This is the result of Du Sheng's personal training and "key development".

With the eight-centimeter high heels on, she looks graceful and elegant, like a romantic princess from a fairy tale.

This set of styling and makeup was personally put together by Du Sheng using special camouflage techniques.

It not only retains Taylor's original sweet temperament, but also amplifies her sexiness and femininity to the extreme, which perfectly fits the Cannes stage.

The moment the two walked onto the red carpet hand in hand, both sides were already crowded with fans and reporters.

Western audiences exclaimed “Holy shit!”

The Eastern audience was shocked and shouted "Wow! Holy shit!"

This was followed by waves of screams and cheers, and the situation almost got out of control.

The flash lights kept clicking, coming towards me like a tide.

However, this pair of partners have already seen big scenes.

He was not at all shy in front of the camera and appeared extremely calm.

This time, Du Sheng did not rush through like he did at the opening ceremony. Instead, he held Taylor's hand and posed in several classic poses on the red carpet, staying for a full three minutes.

Since no other stars were rear-ended, the fans were delighted and felt they had gotten something out of it.

When we walked to the middle of the red carpet, the familiar scene was played out again:
Hundreds of fans raised their hands and shouted in unison:

"Du's disciples, win!"

Du Sheng smiled and responded with his signature gesture.

It seemed that at this moment, he was not just an actor, but more like a symbol of some kind of faith.

The premiere was full of sponsors’ logos, including McDonald’s, Cartier, Wahaha, Kung Fu Pie...everything you can think of.

After the media interview, Du Sheng took Taylor to take a photo in front of these background boards.

The two often matched each other during competitions. At this moment, they looked at each other affectionately with standard postures, allowing the reporters to take pictures crazily.

As for European and American celebrities, they love to show their affection as publicly as possible!
After the main creative team of "Wanted" walked the red carpet, the guests who came to support the show appeared one after another.

The lineup is quite luxurious:

There were directors and actors shortlisted for other categories, supermodels, bigwigs in the film industry, and Hollywood big-name stars like Leonardo DiCaprio and Nicholson who personally came to support the event.

The atmosphere at the scene was extremely warm, several times more exciting than when Xie Tingfeng, Yu Wenle and others' film "True Men" was screened in Cannes three days ago.

It can be seen that Amanda made very thoughtful arrangements this time, and the Cannes officials also gave Du Sheng enough face.

Before entering the hall, Taylor asked with a smile while adjusting her skirt:
"You are the president of the Baji Association, so should I call you the president's wife?"

Du Sheng led her forward:

"'Honeymoon' is too unfashionable. You should call her 'Saint Du'."

Taylor winked:
"Like Deran?"

Du Sheng leaned close to her ear and smiled in a low voice:
"No, it's the kind that specifically 'serves' the president!"

Taylor's ears turned red and he couldn't help but chuckle.

As soon as the two of them walked over, they were spotted by Scarlett who was standing next to Timo.

Her eyes fell on their clasped hands, her heart skipped a beat, and her throat rolled unconsciously.

A warm current surged up from the bottom of my heart, and I almost got excited.

But this is the premiere of the Cannes Film Festival, not the place for competition.

She quickly looked away and quietly took two steps back, staying away from them. After all, she still had the persona of "the goddess of freedom", and her public image could not be ruined.

On the other side, Leonardo gave Nicholson a look.

The two of them stopped near Du Sheng and Taylor at the same time in tacit understanding.

Nicholson's opening words were full of gunpowder:

"Du, you have good taste, but you are not worthy of such a beautiful sweet princess."

Du Sheng smiled and replied:

"Then ask the girls here, who would they choose between you and me?"

Nicholson was speechless.

Taylor smiled slightly and said nothing, as if he was already used to this kind of scene.

Leonardo didn't say anything more and just interrupted:
"The beach party is almost ready, don't rush back."

Du Sheng nodded:

"Who would dare not go if the world's biggest star asked?"

Taylor asked curiously:
“Is it open to the public?”

Leonardo gave an apologetic smile:

"They are all relatives and friends, and are not open to the public for the time being."

At this time, Claude from Sony clapped his hands and said loudly:

"Please enter in an orderly manner and avoid crowding."

The guests came out one after another and walked towards the screening room.

The crew walked at the back.

Du Sheng was walking alone at the end of the team. Just as he was about to go in, Scarlett in front of him suddenly stopped.

When he came closer, she lowered her voice and said:

"I'll go backstage after the screening."

Du Sheng coughed lightly and pretended not to understand:

"Your makeup is ruined?"

"This place is going to melt!"

Scarlett pointed to her heart, her eyes blazing:
"If there weren't so many people watching, I would..."

Du Sheng warned in a low voice:

"Don't be stupid! How dare you cause trouble in this place?"

"It's all because of you and Taylor showing off your affection!"

Scarlett looked resentful:

"How can I be interested if you guys don't show off your affection in front of me?"

Du Sheng glanced at the dress she was wearing, which was so fitted that it was almost seamless, and said playfully:

"This thing takes half an hour to put on, so you have to think about the consequences."

Scarlett gave him a glare:
"Tonight at the latest, otherwise when I'm interviewed, this 'love triangle' will turn into a 'four-corner drama'!"

Du Sheng didn't say anything more and followed the crew into the screening hall of the Festival Palace.

The rules here are still the same.

The main creative staff have to stand when they come in and can only sit down after the audience has entered.

This is a traditional ceremony in Cannes, representing the respect between creators and audiences.

After the media took photos and the audience applauded, everyone took their seats one after another.

The hall with a capacity of 2000 people was already full, and the atmosphere was warm and solemn.

Dorat, an executive sent by McDonald's North American headquarters, was sitting in a private room on the second floor.

Looking down at the hall from an angle, you can see the whole place is red.

That was the commemorative T-shirt worn by fans of "Du's Disciples", printed with Du Sheng's image and the "Wanted" logo.

This expanse of red is like moving the battlefield into the cinema.

This is also one of the marketing plans jointly planned by McDonald's and the crew, and the on-site effect is maximized.

Claude was beside him, looking at the crowd and saying:
"The spreading force is really getting stronger and stronger."

Dorat nodded, his eyes full of excitement:

"Du Sheng's concept of 'Du's disciples' is really ahead of its time.

It’s not just fan culture, it’s more like a belief.”

Hades, the agent, took the opportunity to speak:
“Recently, Du has a new plan to build a global official association site for Du’s disciples, which will serve as a core place for fans to gather, communicate, and organize activities.

At the same time, it can also boost McDonald’s brand communication and further open up the young market.”

Dorat became interested when he heard this:
“A global official association station? It should have been long overdue.

The Internet is developing so fast now, and the fan base is so large, we can’t just rely on social media for piecemeal management.”

Hades added:
"You can also hold various offline activities in the name of Du's disciples, such as movie viewings, challenge competitions, check-in tasks, and even cross-border collaborations."

Dorat nodded repeatedly:
“I have to report this to the senior management of the group.

Do you have a preliminary plan? We can discuss some of the framework first. "

Hades smiled and responded:

"OK, let's have a good chat after we finish dealing with the matters here."

Dorat glanced at the screen, where the film was about to begin:
“You guys are really confident about this film.”

Claude raised his lips:
"According to conservative estimates, the North American box office will not be less than $1.3 million.

And this is just a preliminary estimate.”

Dorat smiled slightly. For McDonald's, the greater the influence of the partner, the higher the brand value and the wider the space for cooperation.

The big screen lit up and the lights slowly went out.

The opening logos of Miracle Pictures, Sony, and MGM appeared, and the premiere officially began.

The film tells a story of a loser's counterattack:
The protagonist was bullied by life at the beginning, but after meeting the heroine, he started to cheat, beat monsters and level up, and finally became a winner in life.

The whole movie has a tight rhythm, explosive action scenes, especially the gun battle design, which is amazing.

Different from the naive and sweet male protagonists in the past, Du Sheng completely got rid of the "poor boy" persona this time and became strong and decisive.

For example, when he faced his ex-girlfriend and scumbag boyfriend who had betrayed him, he not only beat them up, but also dragged the heroine into the house to show off. The plot was so exciting.

After the protagonist's identity changes, his personality also changes, becoming more in line with ordinary people's fantasy of "reversing life":

With beautiful women by his side, power at his disposal, no worries about money, and control over life and death, he still sticks to his bottom line.

At the climax of the film, the male protagonist drove a truck into the textile factory and released thousands of suicide bugs. Explosions occurred one after another, and the loom of fate instantly turned into scrap metal.

The male protagonist killed like crazy along the way, and the killers fell to the ground.

The heroine is like a "free female fighting god". When facing the final big boss, she chooses to perish together with him.

In the end, Wesley confronts the villain Sloan, and justice naturally prevails in the ending.

At the end of the film, Sloane laughs wildly before dying:
“Do you think this is the end?
The power of the Mutual Aid Society is far beyond your imagination!"

The male protagonist shot him in the head without hesitation, and said the golden sentence that has been all over the promotional materials:
"Hell is empty, the devil is on earth. Good fortune and misfortune cannot be hidden, the heavens have opened their eyes."

The crew had already planned a sequel and deliberately left a tail to lay the groundwork for the subsequent plot.

The comic copyright and film and television adaptation rights are in the hands of Miracle Pictures, so the sequel development has a high degree of freedom.

Such a movie with a cool style and high action content naturally won warm applause from the audience.

The early publicity has whetted people’s appetite, and the film’s quality is also good, so it is sure to be a hit.

………(End of chapter)