Extracting skills from movies

However, "Assembly" is not entirely without its trump cards.

At least this film is much better than last year's "The Banquet," and the script isn't that bad.

The cast is also top-notch, with Zhang Hanyu, Deng Chao, Wang Baoqiang, Ren Quan... all well-known names in the industry.

The box office took in 2600 million on the first day, which is a pretty good start.

The problem is that Feng Xiaogang insists on going head-to-head with Du Sheng.

This is really wrong.

Despite the hype surrounding the sequel to "The Man from Nowhere," "Assembly" grossed a total of 6500 million yuan in three days.

For any other film, this would definitely be considered a "successful start".

But don't forget, this is a big-budget production with an investment of over 100 million yuan. Relying on this box office revenue alone, it's a bit difficult to even break even.

In contrast, Taken is practically an overpowered game.

On its opening day in mainland China, the film grossed 3182 million yuan, breaking the record set by "The Man from Nowhere".

On Saturday, the film's screening advantage was even stronger, and its daily box office soared to 3619 million, directly breaking the single-day box office record of 3527 million held by the Hollywood blockbuster "King Kong".

The total box office reached 9120 million in three days.

It broke several of Du Sheng's own box office records in one fell swoop with overwhelming force.

Even more impressively, "Taken" not only crushed its competitors at the box office, but also won in terms of screenings and audience enthusiasm.

"Assembly" was originally a highly anticipated blockbuster of the year, but it ended up being rather embarrassingly overshadowed.

Seeing online comments subtly mocking him for being a sore loser and insisting on fighting back, Feng Xiaogang began to retort defiantly:
"Assembly" was scheduled for release during the Lunar New Year holiday long ago. Who is really disrupting the film market environment?

Unfortunately, no one paid any attention to what he said; everyone just thought it was the old artist complaining again.

Because many people know that this film was screened at Cannes back in May, but it was only released now?
Beyond the issue of unsold overseas copyrights, the underlying implications are worth pondering.

No wonder netizens joked that he was so bad at playing the game that he had to resort to staged accidents.

As a result, the reputation of "Assembly" worsened online, with various complaints and criticisms emerging one after another, and a chorus of abuse.

"Taken" has benefited from various favorable factors and has always received positive reviews.

This action movie isn't very deep, but it's really fun!

He originally planned to use the darkness to hug his female classmate, but the whole thing got so intense, he was completely absorbed!

Du Sheng's action scenes are absolutely amazing!
I used to think Jet Li was the best fighter, but now I know what true kung fu aesthetics are all about.

I'm even thinking of getting a refund for "The Warlords" and going to see "Taken" again!

"Zhang Hanyu and Wang Baoqiang also fought well, but compared to Du Sheng, they lacked a bit of ruthlessness."

But the biggest change this time has to be Cecilia Cheung.

Her appearance this time was absolutely stunning!
The final transformation scene almost made me jump out of my chair.

……

In fact, Taken is structurally similar to the previous Manhunt.

They all follow the same old formula: "one person single-handedly saves their loved ones."

However, the biggest difference this time is that the original "fighting the black gang" main storyline has been replaced with a more exciting 72-hour extreme rescue!

The male protagonist is forced to return to the underworld after his sister is kidnapped.

Relying on his experience and connections accumulated from his previous special forces service, he tracked, eavesdropped, interrogated, and infiltrated the enemy...

Ultimately, the mastermind behind it all was identified by the South Korean black gang – the Yamaguchi-gumi criminal group.

My sister will be sold to the trading market!

Time is running out, only three days left!
The male protagonist follows clues across three regions: mainland China, Beijing, and South Korea.

Using every means at its disposal, from street chases to indoor close combat, from jumping out of high-rise windows to breaking out of a locked room, the entire show is high-energy and gives the audience almost no chance to breathe.

A thrilling life-or-death rescue operation unfolded within 72 hours.

The core appeal of the entire film can be summed up in just two words:
Fast! Ruthless!
The pacing is so tight it's like a ticking time bomb, the action scenes are dense and realistic, and the fighting is dazzling.

The male lead's image is also quite different from that of "The Man from Nowhere".

The protagonist in that movie was a taciturn and cold-blooded character, while this time the male lead is a sunny, cheerful, and even a bit goofy big boy.

But once they get serious, they don't hold back at all.

This sense of contrast was effortless for Du Sheng.

His performance was both approachable and explosive, perfectly suited to the role.

As for Cecilia Cheung, Yang Mi, and Keiko Kitagawa, with Du Sheng guiding them through their acting, they also performed very steadily.

Especially Yang Mi, who, although a kidnapped "victim" in the film, showed great mental fortitude at crucial moments, and her brother-sister relationship with Du Sheng was also very touching.

Keiko Kitagawa is responsible for being both beautiful and intelligent. Although she doesn't have the most screen time, she exudes a powerful aura every time she appears, adding a lot of international flair to the film.

Overall, Taken is a fast-paced, action-packed, and emotionally charged action blockbuster.

There was no deliberate attempt to evoke emotion; the key to victory lies in one word:

Cool!
Watch Du Sheng's incredible feat of saving people, fighting, racing cars, and demolishing buildings.

The audience was so engrossed that they couldn't stop watching.

It's no wonder that the film became a box office hit as soon as it was released, becoming a phenomenon of the year.

As a result, "Assembly," which was released at the same time, inevitably became the subject of comparison.

Feng Xiaogang received the most criticism, Du Sheng was the most glamorous, but the one who reaped the most benefits was actually Cecilia Cheung.

She changed her style completely, transforming into a sexy and charming urban woman.

This makeover show instantly won her countless fans, and her reputation completely turned around!

"Apologize to Du Sheng!"

Cecilia Cheung has an amazing figure!

"Tang Wei was indeed alluring in 'Lust, Caution,' but compared to Cecilia Cheung, who exudes elegance and charm amidst her innocence, she pales in comparison!"

These topics quickly rose to the top of the trending search list and became the focus of heated discussions among netizens.

Among the recently released and highly anticipated films, the most popular ones are none other than "Lust, Caution," "The Warlords," "Assembly," and "Taken."

For male viewers, the visual impact is definitely the most important factor.

Therefore, the female leads in these films inevitably become the subject of comparison.

Zhang Baizhi's Renren.com post received over 100,000 comments and easily surpassed one million likes, making her incredibly popular.

"Is the failure of 'The Promise' due to the actors? Now it seems we have the answer!"

"To be honest, although Cecilia Cheung has a lot of controversies, her looks and acting skills are indeed impeccable!"

"Yang Mi and that Japanese actress also acted well; they embody the image of a female college student in my mind."

"These actresses were all handpicked by Du Sheng. Do you think his taste is bad?"

……

Thanks to the phenomenal success of "Taken", Cecilia Cheung successfully reversed the negative reputation caused by "The Promise", and her international influence soared.

Her name is firmly among Asia's top actresses. Especially during the film's release, she almost constantly topped the trending searches, becoming incredibly popular.

Yang Mi and Kitagawa Keiko are also doing well, with their popularity soaring. The two have been beaming with joy these past few days.

It can be said that in this battle, Du Sheng not only won at the box office and in terms of reputation, but also made a group of leading actors famous.

Meanwhile, Feng Xiaogang, facing online criticism and pressure from Wang Zhongjun of Huayi Brothers and Huanya Company, could only swallow his anger silently.

'Looks like I can't deny getting old; I'd better stay away from this monster from now on.'

.........

"Brother Sheng, the box office data from Japan is out."

On the other side, Cui Yayi pushed open the door and came in, holding a freshly completed report in her hand, a smile on her face:
"Resident Evil 3: Extinction and Pokémon both saw significant declines this week, with drops exceeding 40%."

However, they performed quite well in their first week, earning 16 billion and 9 million Neon Coins respectively.

She paused, then changed her tone:
"Our film, Taken, grossed 13 billion yen in its opening week, ranking second."

More importantly, thanks to Toei's strong screening schedule, it has great staying power and its momentum is still going up!

Japan's market has always been the world's second-largest ticket market, and competition has always been fierce.

Taken faced two formidable opponents upon its release.

One is Pokémon, which was released at the same time and has a huge fan base in Japan.

Relying on the popularity accumulated by the anime IP over the years, it was deployed on 1338 screens right from the start, and its box office easily exceeded 13 billion yen in its first week, making it a box office harvester for animated films.

The other is the Hollywood blockbuster "Resident Evil: Extinction," which was released a week earlier than "Taken."

Although from a global perspective, this film is considered the worst flop of the trilogy, with a worldwide box office of less than $2 million.

But in Japan, audiences have a special fondness for it, and half of its overseas box office revenue comes from there, making it practically its "second home".

In this environment, choosing to release "Taken" during the Japanese New Year holiday season was, frankly, not the safest option.

After all, this period of time is basically dominated by big-budget domestic productions and imported Hollywood films.

But Du Sheng wasn't without his own trump cards.

Fuji Television and Toei Company had already joined the project, and local big names like Keiko Kitagawa and Masaharu Fukuyama were also in the lineup.
The film's high-quality action sequences and tight plot are what allowed it to carve out a niche in this hardcore market.

Otherwise, if it were "The Man from Nowhere" which was released earlier, it would be good if it could get 600 to 700 million Japanese yen in its opening week.

Du Sheng took the report, glanced at it, and nodded with a smile:

"At this rate, we're likely to climb to the top of the list next week, and we can start planning the celebration banquet now."

Although box office figures from South Korea and Southeast Asia are not yet fully available, judging from the current buzz and marketing, they should not be worse than "The Man from Nowhere".

After all, if the box office figures in places like the Bay Area and Hong Kong, where the film market is gradually declining, are still on par, then overseas box office figures are unlikely to falter.

Cui Yayi also saw through the mystery and added with a smile:
"It seems that our collaboration with Japan this time was definitely worthwhile."

The addition of Keiko Kitagawa and Masaharu Fukuyama, in particular, greatly enhanced the film; many Japanese moviegoers came specifically for them.

Du Sheng was naturally aware of these things, and after thinking for a moment, he said:

"How's the progress in North America? Do I need to go there sooner?"

"Because it coincides with the Christmas season, North America's biggest holiday, there are just too many blockbuster movies."

Cui Yayi observed Du Sheng's reaction and said:
"For example, Will Smith's 'I Am Legend,' 'National Treasure 2,' which topped the North American box office this week, and 'Alien vs. Predator 2'..."

It will be quite difficult for foreign films to break into the mainstream in a short period of time, especially since they may not have an advantage in terms of screenings at the beginning..."

Du Sheng sensed something and raised an eyebrow:

"Sony + MGM's 1800 opening screen should be reliable, right?"

This was agreed upon by all three parties beforehand. Logically, even if the screen is crowded out by many Hollywood blockbusters, it shouldn't be taken down.

"The number of screens is not a problem, but the MGM general manager thinks that since this film is aiming for the Oscars, it would be best to postpone the release by a week. That way, it can be coordinated with the publicity and distribution, and avoid unnecessary competition."

Cui Yayi explained:

"You should also go to North America at that time, and with the help of the sponsors' promotion, you can push the hype and momentum to the highest level, and even the number of screenings can be increased..."

Du Sheng calculated the time and considered the matters to be handled, then nodded and said:

"Since they've reached an agreement, let's keep it that way. I'll try my best to make time to go there."

Although "Taken" is not as popular as "The Man from Nowhere" at its peak, its reputation and popularity are still strong, so its box office performance will not fall too far behind.

However, considering the Olympic bid and the cooperation with sponsors, I will still have to make time to go there.

After all, some scenes in "Inception" had to be reshot, which was unavoidable.

Of course, time needs to be allocated well.

During this busy year-end period, with Zhong Zhen and Ye Jingzhi resting, Du Sheng had to take on the responsibility of leading the company.

Fortunately, the development of its subsidiaries has become more stable, and each person in charge is able to handle things independently, so there is no need to do everything personally like in the early days of the business.

.........

That day, after visiting Liu Tao, Du Sheng took the opportunity to promote the TV series "Crossing the Guandong".

This drama is a big-budget production with an investment of 60 million yuan by Xingji Media. It will be broadcast on CCTV-1's prime time slot next month, which is of great significance.

At the press conference, the lead actors, including Li Yanbin and Song Ji, were noticeably more enthusiastic when they saw Du Sheng again than before.

After all, Du Sheng's status in the industry has been rising rapidly during this period, and he has been winning international awards one after another.

From the film and television industry to the capital industry, and then to the variety show and sports world, he has a place everywhere.

Now that we meet again, everyone is naturally extremely polite.

Especially Song Ji.

She and Du Sheng had a brief but intense past.

The madness of that night is still vivid in my mind!

Every time she thinks about it, she feels a ticklish, indescribable itch in her heart, as if a cat is scratching at it.

Upon seeing Du Sheng standing on the stage, speaking eloquently, she felt a little uneasy.

Her mind was filled with the image of him pressing her down on the back seat of the car, a scene that was both domineering and tender.

After the press conference ended, taking advantage of the fact that no one was paying attention, she quietly walked behind Du Sheng and gently poked his waist:
"Any plans for later?"

"Want to grab a bite to eat together?"

Du Sheng nodded with a smile:

"Okay, that's exactly what I was thinking of telling you."

A hint of anticipation flashed in Song Shu's eyes as he tentatively asked:
"Just...the two of us?"

Du Sheng smiled slightly.
"No way, Mr. Hou Hongliang, Li Yanbin, Niu Li, and the other main actors are all here too."
It's rare for the film crew to get together, so let's all have some fun.

Although he spoke casually, he knew perfectly well that this girl was probably in love again.

This time, however, the person in question is different.

…(End of this chapter)