Huayu: Hard fight against Zhang Weiping at the beginning

Chapter 588 Premiere

A day later, public opinion began to ferment.

There have been many online comments and insults directed at Zhang Chen, telling him to get out of America.

This was only after Warner Bros.' emergency public relations efforts; otherwise, the consequences would have been far more severe.

The situation is not optimistic.

David found Zhang Chen: "At tomorrow's premiere, the media might keep asking us questions about what happened that day, so we need to come up with an explanation in advance."

Zhang Chen also felt that the matter was somewhat tricky.

"Also, there's some bad news..."

David's tone was low, and Zhang Chen seemed to realize something, but didn't speak.

"Our President has made it clear that he will not attend the premiere, citing security concerns as the reason. Hmph, does he think he's Lincoln?"

David spoke with obvious resentment.

Zhang Chen wasn't surprised at all; he had already expected it.

Safety hazards?

That's a pretty good excuse, after all, he was the first minority in American history.
"Forget it, since we can't count on them, let's think about our own things."

The two of them tried to predict what might happen at the premiere, but no matter how they planned, the outcome was far from ideal.

David's brows furrowed deeply. "Otherwise, you might as well not show up at the premiere. As long as you're not there, I can handle whatever those people say, but if you are, you'll inevitably have to respond directly..."

Zhang Chen lowered his head and pondered. It wasn't out of the question to do it for the sake of the movie, but he still felt somewhat humiliated.

Just then, David received a phone call.

"what?
Are you serious?

"Great! This guy's finally acting like a human being. The movie's saved..."

Zhang Chen didn't know what had happened, but it must be related to the movie.

David hung up the phone, the joy still lingering on his face.

"what happened?"

"Obama has spoken up for us!"

"?"

David simply turned on his computer, logged into Twitter, and excitedly pointed to a tweet, saying, "Look, Obama posted a tweet!"

Zhang Chen leaned closer and saw that it really was a post from Obama; David next to him had already read it aloud:
"Thanks to Warner Bros. for sending me 'White House Down.' I just watched it, and it's excellent. Although many people say the president in it is me, I must say I'm not as heroic as him, but the movie is indeed a good one. Even putting aside my personal feelings, I still recommend everyone to watch it~"
The above is my sharing as a movie viewer. Below are some of my thoughts as the President of the United States.

First of all, I apologize that the United States has left some bad impressions on Director Zhang Chen. I want to tell him that no country is perfect. The United States was once a great country, but for various reasons it is declining. What I want to do is make it great again. I promise that after my term ends, the problems you mentioned will be improved. I also hope that all American citizens will join me in making America a better place…”

"YES, YES, Yes~"

After reading the tweet, David excitedly waved his fist, completely transformed, as if his previous worried expression had never happened.

"Obama is backing us, haha~"

"He not only recommended the movie, but also responded to your previous comments from the perspective of the President."
What does this mean?
This means the authorities have acknowledged your point of view, so we're all right now~

Obama's tweet is tantamount to an official endorsement.

Of course, there will still be people who hold different opinions, but that's no longer important.

Since the president has admitted that America is not a great country and has various problems, nothing anyone else says can stir up any trouble.

This sudden turn of events gave things a chance to change. Zhang Chen asked, "Will I still show up for the premiere the day after tomorrow?"

"Of course, you're the director. How can a premiere be without a director? Zhang, how could you have such an absurd idea..."

David looked astonished.

Zhang Chen was speechless. "Damn it, that's not what you said just now."
……

Two days later, at the Kodak Theatre
The premiere of "White House Down" was held at the Kodak Theatre.

The Kodak Theatre was completed in 2001. Originally named the Hollywood Theatre, Kodak paid $7400 million for the naming rights and renamed it the 'Kodak Theatre'.

In 2012, Kodak went bankrupt, the naming rights ended, and the site was renamed 'Highland Center'.

A few months later, Dolby bought the naming rights for another 20 years, and the 'Highland Center' was renamed the 'Dolby Theatre'.

This time it's Warner Bros. versus Universal, so of course they have to go all out.

Many big stars were invited, including Tom Cruise, Will Smith, and Anne Hathaway. Several well-known directors also attended, along with Michael Bay and The Truck Driver.
Jackie Chan and Fan Xiaopang also came. After starring in two big productions, Fan Xiaopang is now considered an international star and his status is not bad.

Needless to say, Jackie Chan is an even bigger star.

At the premiere, he was the busiest person, with almost everyone greeting him. It truly lived up to the saying that he has friends all over the world.

"Hey kid, when did you get involved with that person?"

Seeing that no one was paying attention, Cheng Long immediately came over to ask.

"You're overthinking it. If there really were a connection, would I be in such a passive position?"

Zhang Chen would definitely deny this, and it wouldn't have mattered anyway.

Cheng Long shrugged, not caring at all; it was just a casual question.

At the Boao Forum for Asia this April, Cheng Long spouted nonsense, saying something about needing to be regulated...

And because of that statement, he became a public enemy.

He was so badly criticized that he was unable to take care of himself, which is why he didn't even appear when the Seven Little Fortunes reunited later.

Cheng Long now feels a special affinity for Zhang Chen, almost like they're kindred spirits.

In his view, Zhang Chen got into big trouble this time because of his big mouth.

However, this kid was lucky; Obama resolved the crisis for him.

Zhang Chen, unaware of Cheng Long's ulterior motives, gave a wry smile: "I almost got disqualified from the premiere!"

"Haha, you think I'd believe that?"

Cheng Long took it as a joke and didn't take it to heart.

"So, what do you think the movie will do at the box office?"

Zhang Chen is returning to action films, and Jackie Chan is the most excited about it.

He really wanted to collaborate with Zhang Chen on an action film; "Taken" had always been a regret of his.

"It's hard to say. I can't predict the box office results either. Let's set the target at 100 million for now."

"One hundred million? That's so little? 'Wanted' made 1.6 million, 'White House Down' can't possibly be less than 'Wanted'!"

The older brother looked on with surprise and disbelief.

Zhang Chen smiled wryly. "Wanted" grossed $1.6 million in North America, which is considered a big hit.

However, the original films "White House Down" and "White House Down" didn't do very well at the box office, with one grossing over 70 million and the other over 90 million, neither of which broke 100 million.

Zhang Chen wasn't sure if his version would be a big hit.

Movies are the most illogical thing ever. Some people say that someone who can understand the intricacies of movies is like someone claiming to be able to manipulate the stock market—it's all just bragging.
Just because you drastically modified it doesn't mean it should sell like hotcakes.

Just because you're a big-name director doesn't mean your films are guaranteed to be box office hits.
You're a reborn person, so you should sell like hotcakes?

What are you thinking?

This doesn't mean that the higher the investment, the better the box office; otherwise, there wouldn't be so many dark horses.

The first "Young and Dangerous" movie was filmed in just 7 days and edited in 7 days, so it was a shoddy production. However, it grossed HK$2000 million upon release.

"Zhou Chu Eliminates the Three Evils" only grossed HK$1000 million in Hong Kong, a complete flop. So much so that the copyright holder sold the rights for US$20 the day before its mainland China release.

Who would have thought that this film would suddenly become a hit in mainland China, grossing 4 million yuan?

Where are you going to make sense?
The copyright holders must be contemplating suicide.

A person may only have one chance in their lifetime to make a lot of money; if you miss it, you miss it forever.

That's how movie making is; no one can guarantee that their film will make money.

Even the most brilliant filmmakers can make mistakes.

Deng Guangrong was still the eldest brother, but even after losing all his money on a movie, he still suffered a stroke and ended up in the hospital.

Stephen Chow is amazing, right? He was the king of Hong Kong cinema back then.

"A Chinese Odyssey" still flopped, leaving Xi'an Film Studio struggling to recover for ten years.

This film owes its resurgence to the bored Peking University students; without their various interpretations, Liu Zhenwei wouldn't have had the opportunity to make easy money in the future.

Moreover, action movies have never had a high ceiling.

If Zhang Chen were making a science fiction film, he would definitely dare to claim it would gross over 200 million, but for an action film, that's not necessarily true.

While the two were talking, Fan Xiaopang secretly slipped a room key to them.

She looked at Zhang Chen with affection in her eyes; she had come not only to show her support but also to offer her warmth.

They flew in from thousands of miles away to bring warmth~
Zhang Chen's version of "White House Down" is, strictly speaking, a hybrid of "White House Down" and "Olympus Has Fallen".

Zhang Chen made some modifications, but the modifications were limited.

This kind of capture game in a closed space has already been explored to its fullest extent in terms of storyline, making it difficult to come up with any new tricks.

Therefore, Zhang Chen's innovation mainly lies in the action scenes.

For action movies, the story can be a little weak, but the action scenes must be outstanding.

The original Emmerich film, "White House Down," flopped at the box office because it was too clichéd.

It's not that the story is clichéd, but rather the style of the film.

The overall style of the film feels similar to the old and run-down "Die Hard," except that it has more large-scale scenes.

But Die Hard is a film from the 1980s.

From start to finish, for two hours, I was constantly being chased around like a stray dog, without any sense of satisfaction from fighting back.

Times are changing. Come on, if you don't provide any enjoyment, of course the audience won't be happy watching.

He deserved to fail!
Zhang Chen made specific optimizations in this regard.

First, there's the action. The male protagonist's actions must be ruthless and sharp; he would kill someone with one move and never with two.

Moreover, they are ruthless when it comes to killing. If you don't answer their questions, they'll just blow your head off without saying a word.

In addition, there's the intense gunfight at the beginning of the White House takeover.

RPG~
Armored truck converted into a machine gun turret~
A suicide attack breached the outermost iron fence.
The White House was captured in 13 minutes.
It was a thrilling experience for viewers.

The story itself is quite cliché, but Zhang Chen skillfully controlled the pace, keeping the story in a constant state of tension.

During the Q&A session following the screening, perhaps due to the president's endorsement, the media's questions were very friendly.

Zhang Chen had expected someone to ask about the questions from the previous two days, but no one did. Everyone seemed to have collectively developed amnesia, and all they talked about was the movie.

This is probably partly due to Warner Bros.' public relations efforts.

Let's chat about some interesting things and talk about the box office prospects~
Among the main cast, Jason was asked the most questions, not Zhang Chen.

As the male lead in this drama, he faces numerous questions.

While "White House Down" may not be considered a big-budget A-list production, it is still quite well-known.

Jason, as the main male lead, truly benefited from it.

My feelings over the past two days are the best proof.

He had previously appeared in Zhang Chen's A-list productions, but usually in supporting roles.

When it comes to promotional activities, the questions asked are always in the second order.

Only when the media doesn't know what questions to ask Fan Xiaopang will someone point the finger at him.

This time is different.

Everything revolves around him.

Especially this premiere.

David approached him privately because of the things Zhang Chen had done, and the premiere promotion would focus on him.

So today he also enjoyed the treatment of the main character.

The feelings are truly very different.

"What the hell are you doing?"

Zhang Chen was quite surprised to find that Jason's eyes were a little wet.

You've always played tough guys, haven't you?
"Nothing, it's just that I feel like I'm different starting today~"

Jason's smile held a hint of weariness.

Zhang Chen could understand.

In the entertainment industry, it's common to praise the powerful and criticize the weak.

For some reason, seeing Jason suddenly reminded him of Mao Xiaotong.

Zhang Yimou has already told Mao Xiaotong about his funny antics on set over the phone.

This girl actually thought Zhang Chen was down on his luck and was willing to risk her own future to help him!
Why does it still feel so warm?
He made a special phone call to Mao Xiaotong for this, without saying thank you, but the sentiment was clear.

Mao Xiaotong also shared some of her recent changes with him, the most direct feeling being that the attitude of the people around him has changed.

Being a "Zhang Yimou Girl" is like a carp leaping over the dragon gate, not to mention that she was recommended by Zhang Chen.

He has connections with many big directors; anyone with a brain knows that his future is limitless.

Zhang Chen recalled another little story about Zhang Songwen.

Back when Zhang Songwen was filming "The Art of War", he was still a nobody.

He also played a minor role – Fuchai.

It is said that during filming in the desert, Zhang Songwen noticed that the surrounding environment was very dirty after the crew wrapped up work. There was trash and lunch boxes left by the staff everywhere. So he took a plastic bag and quietly picked up the trash.

By the time he finished picking up the trash and realized what had happened, the film crew had already left and all their vehicles were gone.

He was the only one left at the scene.

In order to get the film crew to come and pick him up, Zhang Songwen apologized repeatedly and said all sorts of nice things.

The staff's response to him was, "You wanted to pick up trash, right? You can stay there and pick it up slowly."

Who would dare say such a thing now?
No wonder Huang Bo said that after you become successful, you are surrounded by good people.

As Zhang Chen was lost in thought, a figure approached him: "Director Zhang Chen, this is our first meeting~"

The person who arrived was none other than the famous Tom Cruise.

……

585 got in, probably won't be able to get out.

(End of this chapter)