Extracting skills from movies

Pete frowned:

"Did you get the license from Paramount?"

William Oak waved his hand:
"No need."

"The name 'transforming mecha' isn't a registered trademark of theirs."

Seeing Pete's confusion, he continued to explain:

"This isn't a sequel to Transformers, but rather a story about the last human survivors rebelling against alien robots three hundred years after they took over Earth..."

After hearing this, Pete was filled with doubt:
'This plot sounds like one of those B-movies shown in a midnight screening.'

But William Oak looked serious:
"This investment is the largest since our company was founded, and we guarantee your satisfaction!"

Pete's expression became even more puzzled upon hearing this:
"Is 'One Piece,' a copy of 'Pirates of the Caribbean,' 'The Da Vinci Treasure,' a knock-off of 'The Da Vinci Code,' and 'Sunday High School Musical,' which clashes with 'High School Musical,' all produced by your company?"

William Oak made no attempt to hide it:

"That's right, these are all our works."

Pete felt a pang of sadness; wasn't this the legendary "professional knock-off movie actor"?

He would never have given this kind of project a second glance before, but now... he needs the money.

He asked in a low voice:

"How much is the pay?"

William Oak replied:

"10."

"What? 10 million?"

Pitt almost jumped up:
"Are you not mistaken?"

"Up to 15."

William Oak sighed:

"If it goes any higher, we won't have enough funds."

Previously, the maximum salary for making a film was two or three hundred thousand US dollars.

This time they went all out, raising the price to 60, with Pitt's salary being the biggest expense.

Pete's face turned green. He stood up and walked out without looking back.

"This is like slapping the left cheek and then slapping the right!"

As soon as he arrived at the parking lot, he stopped in his tracks when he saw his Ford, whose paint had been chipped.

Pitt actually still holds some assets, but he needs cash to keep them running.

Unfortunately, he doesn't have a single penny of cash on hand right now.

Even the loan sharks stayed away, seemingly convinced that he would go bankrupt sooner or later.

$15, if I could get it, it would at least give me some breathing room.

Pitt actually wanted to go back and try to win them back, but he was used to being a big star, and his pride wouldn't allow him to back down.

Just as he hesitated, a middle-aged man wearing a suit with oil stains on the cuffs approached him:
"Are you Brad Pitt?"

Pete looked him over with suspicion:
"who are you?"

“My name is Bibels, and I’m an agent.”

The middle-aged man said with a smile:

"I heard you're currently a free agent and haven't signed a contract yet?"

Pete felt a surge of annoyance.

Bibels quickly added:

"I'm not here to gossip, I'm here to introduce you to a job."

How about we team up?

Pitt, having just been humiliated by a $15 sum and short of money, frowned and asked:

"Endorsement?"

Bibels immediately pulled out a card and handed it over:
"You're the male lead in a big-budget movie."

If you agree, your salary will be at least $200 million, plus a share of the profits!

He wouldn't have given a damn about this number before, but it sounded tempting now, and Pete couldn't help but ask:

"Which company? What film are they making?"

Bibels straightened his back:

"We are one of the top three companies in the San Fernando Valley."

You can film whatever you want; you decide the script, you choose the roles, and you can even act without a costume!

Upon hearing "San Fernando Valley," Pete's expression instantly changed.

Where is that?
That's the famous headquarters of "erotic films" in the whole of America!

He gritted his teeth:

"You actually want me to make that kind of film?"

Bibels said in a very serious tone:
"Don't be prejudiced! This is a legal, compliant, highly artistic industry that is very popular with North American audiences!"

Pete clenched his fist, almost rushing forward to punch someone.

But Bebe Bells looked like he was waiting to be hit, with a smile on his face.

Such a great opportunity is not something everyone gets.

Pete held back, got into the car, closed the door, and sat in the driver's seat with a livid face.

Bibels didn't say anything more and left in a good mood.

He felt there was a good chance of cooperation, because even though Pete was so angry, he didn't tear up the card.

Inside the car, Pete's expression shifted for a moment, then, almost unconsciously, he put the card into the glove compartment...

.........

Time flies, and one month after its release, "Taken" has officially surpassed $3 million in global box office revenue.

It was a week faster than expected.

This is due not only to the sequel's popularity and positive reviews, but also mainly to the fact that the weekly box office decline was not significant.

For example, its North American weekly box office can still maintain nearly ten million US dollars, which is a reverse growth compared with the hit film "I Am Legend" at the same time.

Because the latter's latest week's North American box office was only $369 million.

Of course, the contribution of its home base is also indispensable for "Taken" to enter the $300 million box office club of the year's top 100.

Currently, Huaxia's total box office is 4.1 million RMB (including Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan), and reaching 5 million RMB should not be a problem.

The contribution from Japan is even more significant, with a 9% increase compared to "The Man from Nowhere", reaching 26 billion Japanese yen.

This naturally involves Toei's theater resources and the support of Japanese celebrities.

Other countries, including South Korea, Southeast Asia, and other regions, contributed nearly $4 million to the box office.

All things considered, exceeding $3.5 million in the end shouldn't be a problem.
If screenings are extended in different regions, there might be a chance to touch the $4 million mark.

However, Du Sheng doesn't pay much attention to these things anymore.

Even the occasional gossip about Pitt that keeps popping up online, he just laughs it off.

Besides aiming for awards, his current focus is mainly on the first animated film, "How to Train Your Dragon," which will be released globally next month.

.........

That noon, the first trailer for "How to Train Your Dragon" was finally released.

On the LME platform, viewership skyrocketed.

It quickly surpassed 200 million views, leaving a lot of foreign netizens speechless.

"My God, who would have thought this is an animated film made by Chinese people?"

"Look at the picture quality! It's top-tier Hollywood quality! You can't even tell it's made in China!"

"Just to give you some background, many of the visual effects experts on the How to Train Your Dragon team came from Digital Domain."

Just looking at this cast tells you this movie will be good; all I can do is wait for it to be released.

"I really like elements of Chinese culture, such as local delicacies, kung fu, and the Dragon Boat Festival."

Du Sheng is a genius! He combined these elements so naturally in the trailer; I'm completely hooked! I absolutely have to see this movie!

"I only watched one trailer, and I've already fallen in love with that little dragon."

It's both adorable and cool, with incredibly smooth action design; the whole story feels like an amazing adventure.

"You guys don't know yet, do you? Du Sheng is both the screenwriter and producer of this film."

This guy is a real entertainment oddball.

I've watched all his previous movies, like *Wanted*, *The Man from Nowhere*, and *The Departed*, multiple times each. They're amazing!

As Du Sheng's works went abroad one after another, his fame overseas grew.

The reason why "How to Train Your Dragon" has become a sensation overseas is largely due to its positive word-of-mouth.

When many foreign viewers mention this movie, the first thing that comes to mind is "produced by Du Sheng".

After all, his film "Taken" is still showing in theaters.

As for who the director is, few people care.

Meanwhile, the level of interest in China is just as high.

Many viewers originally thought that as long as the movie wasn't too bad, they would go to the cinema to support domestic animation.

When the trailer came out, I was so amazed that I was speechless.

"Brothers, I've really broken down!"

Is this really an animation made by our own people?

"This visual is so exquisite!"

The character designs are adorable and cute, and the fight scenes are incredibly fluid and smooth.

Every frame is wallpaper-worthy; this is absolutely a world-class 3D animated blockbuster!

"I specifically went to foreign websites to read the reviews, and they were all positive. Many foreigners said that this movie is a representative work of Hollywood quality."

"Even if the actual movie is only half the quality of the trailer, I'll still go to the cinema and watch it three to five times!"

"The person upstairs is right!"

Brother Sheng is a reliable person and would never resort to such tricks.

The more explosive the trailer, the better the actual movie will be.

"I have a feeling that with Brother Sheng, our animation industry is about to take off!"

I've decided to switch careers and learn animation modeling. This path is definitely the right one!

With just this one trailer, "How to Train Your Dragon" became an instant hit, generating ridiculously high levels of buzz.

When Jay Chou's "Kung Fu Dunk," originally scheduled for release during the Spring Festival, saw this momentum, he immediately announced that it would be released a week earlier, for fear of being overshadowed.

At the end of December, Du Sheng released another video that went viral on both TVING and LME platforms.

The movie started by showing a trailer for "How to Train Your Dragon," which included a particularly cool shot.

The male protagonist, Lu Yao, uses his "card cutting" skill, casually flicking his wrist, and the card "whoosh" cuts the hanging tomato in two.

Du Sheng took out a bottle of Wahaha beverage that he endorsed, loosened the cap, and said:
"Lu Yao's 'Card Cutting' is full of martial arts style and is quite cool."

Today, on a whim, I decided to do a similar challenge, namely 'flying cards to open the lid'.

This challenge can be broadly divided into three phases.

The first challenge is to use the card to cut off the bottle cap without spilling the water inside.

The second level is an upgrade; you have to cut it blindfolded.

The third challenge is the hardest; you have to cut off three bottle caps in a row while blindfolded!

After saying that, Du Sheng immediately started performing.

With a flick of his wrist, the card precisely sliced ​​off the bottle cap with a "snap," leaving the bottle completely still.

His movements were clean and crisp, incredibly cool.

Blindfolded, he still completed the challenge with precision and ruthlessness, gliding the card to cut off three bottle caps.

In fact, it is extremely difficult to pass the level.

There are many techniques behind it, such as relying on the explosive power of the wrist instead of using the entire arm, and controlling the decrease of power.

Even with professional training, being able to complete the first level is already considered an expert, and those who can cut two in a row are extremely rare.

To make a challenge popular, rewards are essential.

Du Sheng solemnly announced at the end:
"As long as you can complete the first challenge, you will receive three tickets to the movie 'How to Train Your Dragon' and a soundtrack album personally signed by me."

If you can complete the second level, you can get an extra set of limited edition How to Train Your Dragon figurines and T-shirts;
If you can pass the level, you'll get an additional $1500 in cash!

The above three rewards are limited to 5, 3 and 2 respectively, on a first-come, first-served basis, while supplies last.

The challenge ends on January 20th. Participants are advised to review the rules. We will carefully verify the authenticity of each video, and mixed-up videos will not be counted.

One more thing to note: the action of throwing cards to open the lid is a bit dangerous, so please don't injure your friends or family.

Actually, Du Sheng got this idea from the internet boom of his previous life.

Back when gambling movies were all the rage, challenges like "card-throwing vegetable cutting" and "card-throwing headshots" were popular all over the world, and even many celebrities participated.

The "Flying Card Opening Challenge" is launched now to promote "How to Train Your Dragon".

Thanks to his current global popularity, the challenge became an instant hit as soon as it was launched.

"Du Sheng truly lives up to his reputation as a kung fu master; that move was so cool!"

"Others toss cards like they're throwing paper airplanes, but he tosses them like a martial arts movie protagonist!"

"It sounds easy, and there's a prize to win! I want to give it a try!"

"I practiced at home all night, and every time I knocked the bottle over, I cut it off-center, and I almost cut my hand..."

"It looks easy, but it's hard to do!"

Seeing how easily Du Sheng did it, I thought I could do it too, but...

"I've made up my mind to practice every day. The school beauty said she'll go on a date with me if I complete the challenge!"

……

The challenge itself is attractive enough.

With the push from platforms like Renren, LME, Twitter, and Facebook, it spread like wildfire.

Many netizens around the world have started playing it.

Hollywood action stars, martial arts experts, and online fighting influencers have all stepped in to take on the challenge.

However, the girls from Girls' Generation were the first to complete all three levels.

They've long treated this as a hobby, and their moves are swift, decisive, and incredibly cool.

Especially Liu Yifei, her challenge video immediately garnered over a million views upon release.

Her overseas fans were astonished, and her popularity soared.

Fan Bingbing was also busy.

She has been exercising a lot recently in preparation for pregnancy, and has also learned Crane Fist taught by Du Sheng. This challenge is a piece of cake for her.

As a result, netizens quickly discovered a strange phenomenon:

The women around Du Sheng could all complete the challenge with ease!

Even rich heiresses like Li Yixin and Amanda are acceptable!

Now everyone finally realized what was happening.

It must be Du Sheng who secretly taught them real kung fu!

As a result, the Bajiquan and Crane Fist instructional videos that Du Sheng had previously posted on TVING and LME became popular again.

Many people began to study and practice seriously, dreaming that one day they could become a master like Du Sheng.

Therefore, in addition to the Du family disciples, Du Sheng gained many more "outer disciples" worldwide.

As the popularity of the "Flying Cards to Open the Lid" challenge continues to soar, the popularity of "How to Train Your Dragon" is also rising.

Even some important members of parliament in the United States, in order to gain attention and a good reputation, joined in this amusing incident.

More and more viewers have become interested and have expressed their determination to see "How to Train Your Dragon" in theaters.

It must be said that Du Sheng's marketing campaign this time was a stroke of genius in film promotion.

Riding on this wave of popularity, market expectations for "How to Train Your Dragon" have soared.

Originally, only Sony and MGM theater chains supported the film, but now all major North American theater chains have voluntarily applied to join the screening.

As of now, How to Train Your Dragon is expected to be released in 3428 theaters in North America.

The scale of this opening is definitely worthy of a top-tier blockbuster.

The fact that it was able to secure such a strong number of screenings is partly due to its extremely successful promotion.

On the other hand, the competition for release dates in North America at the end of January is not particularly fierce.
Its main rivals are only Cloverfield, This Is Not Spartacus, and Rambo IV.

Seeing this initial situation, Du Sheng was in a good mood.

For "How to Train Your Dragon," its success in the North American market directly determines whether it can truly "break out of its niche."

And now, this film is on the road to success.

Once it's released during the Chinese New Year, this "dragon" will take flight and set sail!

…(End of this chapter)