Extracting skills from movies

That night, David Fincher did not rest but stayed in the office waiting for the first day box office data to come out.

He felt as anxious as if he was being scratched by a cat, and he couldn't fall asleep unless he saw the numbers.

Not long after, the publicity director hurried in with a piece of paper.

David looked up and saw that the other person had a strange expression, but he couldn't wait to reach out and take the document, his eyes going straight to the numbers on the first line:

"$2286 million."

He couldn't help but raise the corners of his mouth.

As long as it keeps up, the sales will exceed 5 million in the first three days of the weekend!

As long as the box office doesn't suffer a major blow, the global box office will definitely exceed 1.5 million US dollars.

David Fincher was about to clap his hands to celebrate with the producer, but he found that the other person looked a little embarrassed.

Wait...that's not right!
He looked at the data carefully again and froze instantly.

Isn't this from Zodiac?

It's "Wanted"!
I scrolled down and found "Zodiac":
1329 million.

The two films have similar schedules, similar investments, and even a few million more in publicity than Wanted...

As a result, he was left behind by nearly 10 million on the first day?

"Fuck! Is this a fucking mistake?!"

David Fincher cursed on the spot, his tone full of shock and anger.

He clenched the paper in his hand and glared at the publicity director:
"Tell me, why is this happening?!"

The producer stood aside with an unhappy look on his face.

He knew that David was about to lose control of his emotions, so he quickly tried to smooth things over:

"David, maybe the data is wrong. I'll have someone confirm it again."

After saying that, he immediately pulled his assistant out to recheck.

A few minutes later, the two men came back covered in dust.

The agent whispered:

"They have confirmed it, the data is correct."

David Fincher's face instantly turned as black as charcoal:
"How is that possible? We were clearly on a good track yesterday!"

The publicity director sighed and handed him a report on audience feedback:
"See for yourself."

David took it and quickly browsed through it. It contained a summary of the audience's opinions on the movie:
"I brought my baby here. He really likes Wanted. The bullets are flying and the explosions are everywhere. It's really exciting!

As for Zodiac?
It's too gory and depressing, not suitable for children."

“Wanted is so exciting. The action scenes made my blood boil. It’s even more exciting than The Matrix!

"Zodiac"?
Forget it, the purpose of the holiday is to watch exciting movies, who wants to watch a serial murder case?"

“Bad review! I admit that Zodiac was shot very realistically, but everyone died in the end, and I felt really bad watching it.

I pay to watch a movie to have fun, not to see a pile of dead bodies!"

“I’ve watched three movies recently, and to be honest, the pace of Zodiac is too slow.

I would still recommend my friends to watch Wanted, it is so full of energy that you can’t stop watching it! ”

"..."

After reading these feedbacks, David Fincher almost exploded with anger, gritting his teeth and cursing:

“These are a bunch of idiots who don’t understand art!

A bunch of idiots who only care about special effects and gunfights!"

The producer saw that he was not in a good state, so he quickly pulled him back and turned to ask the publicity and promotion staff:
“Is there still a chance to overtake?”

The person in charge of publicity and promotion sighed:
“Unless the price of Wanted suddenly plummets tomorrow, there’s not much hope.

What we need to consider now is how to adjust our strategy.”

He paused and continued his analysis:
"From the audience's feedback, except for the slight advantage of 'true adaptation', 'Zodiac' is completely suppressed by 'Wanted' in terms of rhythm, entertainment, action scenes, etc."

“If it weren’t for Wanted, audiences might still have chosen us reluctantly.

But now that there is a film that is more in line with the holiday spirit, people will naturally support it.”

David Fincher was silent for a long time, and finally said only one sentence:
“Let’s see Saturday.”

The data for the second day came out quickly:
Wanted: 2383 million

"Zodiac": 1050 million

The gap further widened!
"Wanted" not only maintains its popularity, but also continues to attract fans, while "Zodiac" has completely lost the initiative.

David Fincher sat in a chair, looking at the night view of Los Angeles outside the window with empty eyes.

His era seems to be passing quietly.

And the era that belongs to someone has just begun.

.........

That morning, the sun was just beginning to shine into the courtyard.

Taylor, wearing baggy shorts and a T-shirt, walked briskly to the door and pulled a stack of newspapers from the mailbox.

As she walked, she flipped through the pages, her eyes fixed on the North American box office statistics table in The Hollywood Reporter.

When I saw that number, my eyes lit up instantly.

"Wanted posters are selling out!"

She ran back to the house along the path beside the swimming pool and shouted excitedly as soon as she entered the door:
“Even several major first-tier media outlets reported it!”

The sounds of pots and pans came from the kitchen. Du Sheng was frying eggs, followed by Ma Yaowei who was serving the dishes.

"Did the box office break 20 million today?"

Du Sheng asked without turning his head.

Ma Yaowei wiped his hands and looked at Taylor expectantly.

She smiled like a kid who had just stolen some candy:
"2286!
First weekend champion! Secure! "

Ma Yaowei couldn't help laughing:
"This is really good news, we must have a drink to celebrate!"

He turned and walked to the wine cabinet, took out a bottle of champagne, and filled it up with skillful movements.

Du Sheng took off her apron, walked over and looked at the golden liquid in the three cups, and said jokingly:

"My goodness, are we going to open champagne so early in the morning?"

Ma Yaowei raised his glass:
"Brother Sheng, things are going well."

Taylor leaned over and kissed Du Sheng, then clinked glasses:
"Congratulations, honey, that's awesome!"

With a click, the three cups clinked together and were finished in one gulp.

Not satisfied after drinking, Taylor threw himself on Du Sheng, hugged him and kissed him passionately again.

Ma Yaowei was speechless:
"Hey, can you please stop feeding me dog food during breakfast? Are you two getting bored?"

The sun was shining outside, the swimming pool was sparkling, and the villa was filled with the fruity aroma of champagne.

At the same time, data from the media circle is constantly refreshing:

["Wanted" first weekend box office champion: 7869 million US dollars! ]

"Zodiac" in the same period: 3218 million US dollars!
Objectively speaking, the performance of "Zodiac" is actually quite good.

In a time when there are many strong competitors, being able to earn more than 30 million is considered an upper-middle level.

But the problem is, it ran into "Wanted", a movie with precise marketing, explosive special effects and hot topics!
Audiences know at a glance which movie to choose to spend the weekend.

Although "Zodiac" did not suffer huge losses and was able to make back its investment through global distribution and DVD release, it was destined to be the runner-up to "Wanted".

Compared to David Fincher's depression, Du Sheng naturally had to open the champagne!
According to the budget, the North American box office will reach at least 1.5 million, and there is basically no doubt that it will exceed 3 million US dollars worldwide.

After all, as long as Hollywood blockbusters get good results upon their release, there is no need to worry about Europe and the United States, as theaters will all compete to release them.

The Asian region is Du Sheng's stronghold.

In particular, the two major box office units of China and Japan can contribute a conservative 6 million US dollars each.

Based on the box office trajectory of "The Departed", Asia as a whole should be able to contribute $1 million.

In this way, it is possible that the global box office will reach 3.5 million US dollars.

Early that morning, Du Sheng arrived at Sony Studios.

As soon as I entered the door, I heard a loud "bang".

More than a dozen streamers exploded at once, and colorful sequins and paper ribbons fell on his head like snow.

Then, warm applause rang out throughout the studio. Everyone stood up, applauding the hit movie and cheering for the bonus they were getting.

After all, in Hollywood, as long as a movie is popular, everyone in the crew, even the lighting technicians, stagehands, and assistant editors, can get a piece of the pie.

At worst, you can get a red envelope. If you are lucky, you can get a promotion and a raise and reach the peak of your life.

Du Sheng laughed and clapped along:

"I also have to thank you all for your silent dedication and support. You are the real heroes!"

This was a very sincere and heartwarming statement, and everyone applauded even more vigorously after hearing it.

Du Sheng waved behind him, and Ma Yaowei and Zhang Haolong walked in with two boxes of beer.

Du Sheng announced loudly:

"I'll treat everyone to drinks today, and we'll continue tonight!"

The audience cheered.

Many of the behind-the-scenes staff in the crew are old acquaintances, and we may continue to work together in the future, so of course we have to have a drink together at times like this.

Just as the place was getting busy, Hades walked in carrying a heavy briefcase with a mysterious smile on his face.

Du Sheng raised his eyebrows and asked:

"Are you planning to move?"

Hades smiled and gently placed the briefcase on the table:
"These are director materials sent by some agents in the company. They all want your new project to have their names on it."

He specifically emphasized:
“Not only new directors with potential, but also some established directors have submitted their resumes.”

Du Sheng chuckled:
"Am I so popular now?"

Hades put away his smile and said seriously:

"Do you know what this result means? $7869 million in North America in its first weekend?

I can tell you that in the past five years, there are no more than 20 movies that have achieved this box office level!
If we exclude those blockbuster sequels, there will be no more than 10 blockbusters that are truly popular based on comic book adaptations or original stories! "

After listening to this, Du Sheng was thoughtful.

Indeed, movies that grossed over 100 million yuan in North America in the first week are basically super IPs or blockbuster series.

For example, Spider-Man and The Avengers.

It is rare for an unpopular comic adaptation to earn more than 70 million in the first week.

This also shows that the audience's recognition of him is increasing.

The commercial appeal has almost reached the first line.

However, Du Sheng has no plans to take advantage of the popularity to do any independent production.

He knew that the Hollywood system was very complicated and could easily lead to pitfalls.

He prefers to be an executive producer, or to co-produce a film, so as to maintain his freedom.

Of course, Hades mentioned that those Marvel movies whose copyrights are in the hands of others, such as "Avengers", are worth considering.

As they were talking, Du Sheng's cell phone rang.

The call was from Leonardo.

"Hey man, congratulations on your new movie!"

There was a lot of noise in the background over there, like in a bar:

"Your box office champion has beaten me to the punch. The first week data is higher than the opening performance of all my movies."

Du Sheng laughed and responded bluntly:
"Leonardo, the world's No. 1 superstar, actually feels ashamed of himself. How rare!"

He added:
"But your fame is quite durable. At least it's more durable than you are."

Leonardo cursed on the other end of the phone:
"Just wait, bastard. Next time we meet, I'm going to teach you a lesson!"

Du Sheng laughed even louder and hung up the phone.

The box office results of the first weekend gave most Hollywood insiders and the media an idea of ​​the film.

The performance in these three days can basically show the future trend of a film.

Whether you are envious or jealous, nothing can stop its rise!

After Du Sheng celebrated with everyone, he continued to promote the movie while his second English album was still being warmed up.

After all, the next few days are particularly critical.

Although "Zodiac" has been left far behind, "Wanted" has almost no rivals in these two weeks and can reap the box office.

But in two weeks, "Shrek the Third" and "Pirates of the Caribbean 3" will be released one after another.

These two blockbusters will definitely divert a lot of audiences.

Therefore, the box office in the first two weeks is crucial, accounting for about 60% to 70% of the total box office in North America.

We must take advantage of this golden window to maximize our advantages.

As time goes by, more and more people have watched "Wanted".

It became increasingly difficult to control reviews, and the film's reputation began to decline.

The IMDB rating dropped from its initial high to 8.1.

Some negative reviews and offensive articles began to appear online.

After all, new films are constantly being released, and competitors also need to expand the screen to make money.

After every movie becomes popular, it is natural that there will be some weakness afterwards.

In its second weekend, Wanted's box office fell by nearly half.

But even so, the box office of 2983 million US dollars still ranks first in the North American box office!

"Lucky Gambler", which was released on a large scale during the same period, only earned 1385 million US dollars in its opening weekend, ranking second.

This made Hollywood producers realize that the commercial appeal of Eric Bana and Drew Barrymore might not be as strong as they imagined.

The audience seemed to still be stuck on the impression that Drew was "Spielberg's goddaughter" and had not been able to fully accept her as an independent leading actress.

Du Sheng won the North American box office championship for the fourth time in his life, and achieved consecutive championships for the first time.

Eight days after its release in North America, "Wanted" successfully broke through the 1 million US dollar mark as expected, and now it has reached 1.4 million!
At the same time, the film was released in international markets such as Western Europe, China, Japan, Korea, and Australia.

Like most Hollywood blockbusters, it not only sold well in North America, but also performed well overseas.

It earned $6894 million in its first week.

Du Sheng's fame skyrocketed after three consecutive films he starred in grossed over 100 million yuan in North America.

WMA rated him as a "famous movie star", which means that his international status has been recognized by the public.

.........

On this day, the closing night of the 60th Cannes Film Festival arrived as scheduled.

At seven o'clock in the evening, the main venue of the film festival was brightly lit and the atmosphere was warm.

This feast of light and shadow that lasted for more than ten days finally reached its final climax.

Du Sheng still brought Scarlett Johansson to walk the red carpet this time.

The two have become the most eye-catching pair at this film festival.

Tonight, he wore a black Tang suit with neat cut and simple lines.
With his cold yet elegant face, he looks like a mysterious grandmaster in a martial arts movie.

Scarlett appeared in a bright red women's suit, clean and neat, with full aura.

She also deliberately modified the curve of her nose, making her look not only aggressive but also classy.

This look blew up the whole audience as soon as it appeared.

In particular, it attracted screams from a large number of female fans.

She frequently struck cool poses on the red carpet, becoming a "straight girl killer" and showing her versatility as an actor and star.

With the blessing of the 'Freedom Goddess', Scarlett not only captured the hearts of a large number of female audiences, but also gained a lot of little fans in private, becoming a core figure in the "sister circle".

She was in great shape today and had a lot of fun on the red carpet.

Even Du Sheng became her "foil tool man", staying with her in front of the camera for a few more minutes, taking photos, waving, and making heart shapes with her hands, all in a smooth process.

After entering the venue, Du Sheng saw Zhang Manyu sitting on the judges' panel at a glance.

She was chatting and laughing with several judges.

Seeing Du Sheng come in, Zhang Manyu silently gave him a thumbs up.

Du Sheng immediately understood that there was a high probability that something would happen tonight!

………(End of chapter)