Huayu: Starting from Fahrenheit

Chapter 434 Trip to Thailand

In January, just as Wu Zhuo's concert was in full swing, Legendary Pictures' "Lost in Thailand" also began a large-scale promotional campaign.

Because of the success of the first film, "Lost in Thailand," this movie has garnered a lot of attention.

Even before its release, discussions about the film have been ongoing.

On the 10th, Legendary Pictures released the movie's trailer.

After the trailer showcasing the highlights of the film was released, anticipation for the movie online increased even further.

To this end, the production team launched a massive promotional roadshow.

Director Yip Wai-man also called Ng Cheuk, wanting to invite him to help out.

However, Wu Zhuo declined, citing his busy concert schedule.

Wu Zhuo wasn't so busy that he couldn't squeeze out a few days.

He didn't want to go.

In recent years, he has attended every Legendary Pictures film to show his support, and even personally encouraged fans to go to the cinema to watch them.

This is not a good thing to some extent.

What Wu Zhuo needs is a company that can make money independently.

Instead of a company that needs him for everything.

The same goes for film crews; they all need his help and to rally fans for every film they make.

This can create a dependency among employees.

Personally, Wu Zhuo doesn't want to be too busy and hopes the company can cultivate a few people who can independently carry the box office.

Wang Baoqiang was the person Wu Zhuo chose.

Wu Zhuo has already signed contracts with him for several films.

It's time to cultivate Wang Baoqiang's personal box office appeal.

As for Xu Zheng...

Wu had actually tried to recruit him.

But this guy has big ambitions; he founded his own film company and wants to make his own movies.

Wu Zhuo wasn't the kind of person to be stingy. Since others didn't want to work, he wouldn't force them.

In fact, sometimes people really need to be pushed to reach their full potential.

After Wu Zhuo stopped attending various promotional activities for Lost in Thailand, the company went to great lengths to promote the series.

And the results achieved were quite good.

Even without Wu Zhuo's help, this film still garnered a lot of attention from movie fans.

In fact, the world doesn't really revolve around anyone.

While Wu Zhuo has a strong box office appeal, other actors will also have their fans.

Wang Baoqiang is an artist who is very popular with audiences.

Previously, the company always thought that the success of Lost in Thailand was largely due to Wu Zhuo.

Firstly, he had a cameo role, and many viewers went to see the movie specifically because of him.

Secondly, he was present throughout the film's promotion.

He practically acted like a movie star, taking the crew around to promote the film.

These two reasons have led many people to mistakenly believe that the success of "Lost in Thailand" is due to Wu Zhuo.

But Wu Zhuo didn't think so.

He is very clear about his own position.

While he did help attract some viewers, the film's high box office and positive reviews have absolutely nothing to do with him.

The success of "Lost in Thailand" was mainly due to the chemistry between the two main characters.

Another reason is that Wang Baoqiang's acting style is very popular with audiences.

Yes, at least that's the case at the moment.

From Wu Zhuo's perspective, he actually disliked Wang Baoqiang's performance in the Lost in Journey series.

If his character's personality existed in real life, especially if Wu Zhuo had such a person in his life, he would definitely want to kill him.

In other words, in the movie, if it were in real life, Wu Zhuo thinks no one would be able to stand Wang Baoqiang's role.

But then again, movies are all about drama.

Without dramatic conflict, who would watch a movie?

……

2012 1 Month 15 Day.

With only a few days left until the Spring Festival, Wu Zhuo finished his concert in South Korea and then rushed to Thailand.

He didn't come to Thailand this time because of the concert.

The concert in Thailand won't be until after the Lunar New Year, at the very least until February.

He came here this time because of the fact that several films from Legendary Pictures were imported to Thailand.

In fact, since the 1980s and 1990s, Thailand has been an important destination for Chinese films.

However, in the early days, there were very few cinemas in Thailand, and Hong Kong films were mainly sold on videotapes and CDs.

Starting from the beginning of the new century, the Thai market gradually expanded, and the number of screens increased to around two thousand.

This is what made Hollywood and Chinese film studios gradually start to pay attention to this place.

Especially in recent years, Hong Kong films have started to re-emerge here, although their box office performance has not been particularly impressive.

But a little adds up.

And for a company, even a small market is still a source of profit.

Therefore, Wu Zhuo has been in contact with Thai film distributors and actively networking, hoping to bring Legendary Films' films to Thailand.

After several phone calls, the film distributors here finally agreed to reach an agreement with Legendary Films, allowing Legendary Films' films to be imported into Thailand.

Of course, this must include the movies starring Wu Zhuo himself.

This is the main condition under which Thai film companies are willing to import other works from Legendary Pictures.

Previously, films starring Wu Zhuo, such as "Connected," "Painted Skin," and the Ip Man series, were all released in Thailand.

The highest-grossing film, Ip Man, earned over 30 million RMB in Thailand, ranking fourth on the Thai box office chart that year.

The other films also made the importing companies a lot of money.

It was precisely because of the huge success of these films in Thailand that Thai film companies agreed to import other films from Legendary Pictures.

On the afternoon of the 15th, Wu Zhuo and his team landed in Bangkok. As soon as they arrived, the film company sent someone to pick them up.

The film company that Wu Zhuoyue signed this time is the Thai cinema chain Major Cineplex.

It is Thailand's leading cinema chain, with annual data showing that local films account for 60% of its revenue, making it one of the most powerful film distributors in Thailand.

In recent years, this company has been handling the distribution and buyout of Jackie Chan's films in Thailand.

Speaking of Jackie Chan, even Wu Zhuo has to admit that his title as an international superstar is truly well-deserved.

Before arriving, Wu Zhuo specifically checked the box office performance of Chinese films in Thailand.

You wouldn't believe it until you check, and once you do, you'll find that most of the lists are Jackie Chan's movies.

While some popular celebrities in later generations were boasting about their impressive box office performance in Thailand.

Jackie Chan actually started dominating Thai cinema around 2000.

Whenever my brother's movies are released, Thailand never misses an opportunity to import them.

Each time these films were imported, their box office revenue in Thailand never fell below ten million RMB.

It's important to know that in the Thai market, a box office of tens of millions of RMB is already among the top-ranked.

Jackie Chan's movies, however, have consistently achieved great success upon release, demonstrating the immense value of his global superstar status...

The Thai film distributors took Wu Zhuo's arrival quite seriously, with theater owner Pasong Charoenpong personally hosting a banquet to welcome him.

Many well-known Thai celebrities were also present at the event.

Most of them are female celebrities.

As for why it's a female celebrity.

That's just how this industry is. Whether in China or abroad, the entertainment industry has no shortage of women who want to climb the social ladder.

The same is true in Thailand.

Similarly, when bigwigs in the entertainment industry entertain distinguished guests, they invariably invite beautiful female stars to accompany them.

For Basong, Wu Zhuo was clearly a distinguished guest.

"This is Mai, the most popular female artist in Thailand in the last two years. She is also a loyal fan of yours, Abel! She has come to support you at every concert you have in Thailand."

Basong introduced the actresses he had invited to Wu Zhuo one by one.

Wu Zhuo simply greeted the previous few people, but after shaking hands with Mai, he took the initiative to chat with her.

"Ms. Mai, it's a pleasure to meet you. I'm missing a guest performer for my concert in Thailand soon. I wonder if I could have the honor of asking you to come and help me out?"

Wu Zhuo has recently come to terms with things.

It's impossible to stay out of the spotlight in this circle without getting involved with other women.

There's nothing wrong with learning from your older brother.

Therefore, he was no longer so averse to beautiful actresses who approached him.

Especially abroad, he can have more fun.

Of all the actresses tonight, Mai is the one who catches his eye the most.

"Really? Can I attend your concert, Abel?"

When Mai heard Wu Zhuo's invitation, her eyes widened on the spot.

Although Pasong said she was the most popular female celebrity in Thailand.

But in reality, she was only doing so-so.

He wouldn't even be considered top-tier in Thailand, let alone compared to Wu Zhuo.

Who is Wu Zhuo?

This is a globally renowned international superstar.

He was someone Time magazine compared to Michael Jackson.

Attending his concert was like a windfall for her.

Moreover, Mai had heard that Wu Zhuo himself owned a top-tier film and television company in China.

According to statistics from a well-known international organization, Wu Zhuo's current net worth exceeds two billion US dollars.

This is definitely a self-made millionaire.

Mai doesn't expect someone like Wu Zhuo to marry her.

But even being a lover, or having a fleeting affair, would be of great benefit to her.

Even if Wu Zhuo doesn't offer him any resources, as long as Basong keeps Wu Zhuo happy, Basong will give her some very good resources in return.

When she made up her mind to come here today, Basong told all of them that whoever made Wu Zhuo happy would be the one to help.

Who is the female lead in the movie "Pee Mak" that Basong is currently preparing to film?

"Of course, I think Bangkok fans would be very happy to have a beautiful female star like Mai."

Wu Zhuo responded with a smile.

"Thank you! I will definitely do my best in my performance."

Mai openly and brazenly kissed Wu Zhuo on the cheek.

Then she stopped walking and grabbed Wu Zhuo's arm.

Everything just fell into place naturally.

Although the entertainment industry is chaotic, there are still some rules that should be followed.

Wu Zhuo just invited Mai to his concert, which was actually a way of acknowledging Mai and telling her that she could accompany him tonight.

Basong, who had been watching all this, smiled and spoke up:
"Tony Ja is here too. He wants to get to know you, but I don't know..."

“Sure! I’ve wanted to meet Mr. Tony Jaa for a long time.”

Wu Zhuo was actually quite curious about Tony Jaa.

This is probably the most internationally famous Thai movie star.

He is also one of the most famous action stars in Asia since the beginning of the new century.

Wu Zhuo recalled that he later went to China to develop his career.

He collaborated with Wu Jing on a film called "SPL 2: A Time for Consequences".

Although Wu Zhuo was the main character of the banquet, it was impossible for everyone to surround him.

Everyone else was chatting with their friends or the big shots they wanted to curry favor with within their own circles.

Tony Jaa clearly belonged to the category of those who were fawned over.

When Wu Zhuo arrived, this guy was sitting next to several beautiful women, laughing and joking.

"Tony, it's Abel!"

Basong approached and took the initiative to introduce himself.

"Abel, I've heard so much about you. I especially love your Ip Man; your fighting in it was amazing."

I definitely want to learn from you sometime.

Before Basong could finish speaking, Tony Jaa stood up and shook hands with Wu Zhuo.

"It's all thanks to the martial arts instructor. I don't deserve to be called an apprentice. We could collaborate sometime."

Wu Zhuo was not joking.

To be honest, he could actually be considered an action star.

Although he's only a novice, it's undeniable that among the films he's starred in so far, "Ip Man" is the most successful at the box office.

It's not only popular in China, but has also successfully gone international.

Internationally, and in the minds of most audiences, Wu Zhuo's primary identity is that of an international singer with record-breaking album sales.

Besides that identity, for some people who don't like listening to music but like watching movies, he is also an action star.

The identity of action star is actually the other identity that Wu Zhuo most recognizes besides singer.

Although he is not a full-time actor, Wu Zhuo really wants to break into Hollywood.

But if he wants to break into Hollywood, he doesn't think he can do it through dramatic roles.

To be honest, no matter how outstanding your acting skills are, the cultural gap is there, and Wu Zhuo believes it is absolutely impossible to conquer Hollywood with acting skills alone.

His thoughts are actually the same as Jackie Chan's; they both believe that if Chinese films want to go global, the mainstream still needs to rely on action films.

As for "Ne Zha 2," its box office was indeed high, but Wu Zhuo disagrees with the claim that it exported culture abroad.

"Ne Zha 2" ranked fifth in global film history with a total box office of 159 billion yuan, becoming the first non-Hollywood animated film from China to enter the top five in global box office.

但它国内市场贡献便占据了154亿元大约97%，海外市场累计约4.5亿元（6350万美元），覆盖62个国家和地区，但占比不足3%。

In terms of its proportion, it is actually similar to "Wolf Warrior 2" in that it is a completely Chinese-produced and self-distributed film.

It's not that this is bad.

However, Wu Zhuo's thinking went beyond simply producing and selling his own products.

He also wants to be like Jackie Chan, allowing audiences around the world to see truly authentic Chinese films.

Instead of movies that are huge box office hits domestically but are unknown internationally.

Wu Zhuo firmly believes that action movies are the most likely candidate for this type of film.

Alternatively, science fiction films might also be an option.

To make an action movie, you can't hire guys who can't even do action scenes.

Even the best acting skills are useless if you can't do action scenes.

Foreigners won't listen to you rambling on with your lines.

In this fast-paced era, what people want to see is either a sci-fi movie with non-stop action or an action movie with thrilling fight scenes from beginning to end.

Tony Jaa, although he is a bit dark-skinned, is still an Asian face.

Wu Zhuo felt that if given the opportunity, they could indeed cooperate.

(End of this chapter)