Entertainment: Who still wants to fall in love when there are cheats?

Chapter 242 Six Hundred Million US Dollars
"That was terrifying. I kind of regret watching this movie."

"Really? It's scary, but it's also really good-looking?"

"It looks good, but I don't like watching horror movies."

"...The movie is called 'Infinite Terror,' so it's a horror movie, okay?"

……

"It was so exhilarating, so incredibly exhilarating! My bladder was bulging while watching the movie, and I almost peed my pants from fear."

"You were so scared you peed your pants and you still felt good about it?"

"I almost, I almost peed my pants from fright. No, I didn't just pee my pants from fright. I love this feeling, that feeling of being so scared I almost wet myself, like I'm about to take off..."

……

"It really didn't disappoint me at all. I think this second one is even better than the first one."

"Indeed, I feel the same way. In terms of special effects and other aspects, it feels even better than the first one last year."

"But I heard that they're changing directors for Infinite Terror 3. I wonder if the new director is reliable. Why change directors when everything is fine?"

"It's said that the new director is Tsui Hark, who was the assistant director on Infinite Terror 2, so there shouldn't be any problems with Infinite Terror 3."

"I hope so. But Li Boda is really amazing. He was so good as an actor, and now he's just as good as a director."

"The key is that Li Boda is just as amazing in other areas as he is in the 'Silly Girl' mobile operating system, the Rubik's Cube phone, and even movie special effects. He's a genius in every way. If only I could be like Li Boda, even if I'm not that well-rounded, it would be great if I could just excel in one area."

……

"Awesome, absolutely awesome, I want to watch it again."

"I'm going to see it again too. Let's go buy tickets."

……

After the movie ended, the audience members who came out of the theater were all excitedly discussing the movie they had seen. Almost no one said the movie was bad. Even those who regretted watching the movie did so only because they didn't like horror or supernatural films.

After the premiere, many people tried to greet Li Boda, hoping he would remember them.

However, after the premiere, Li Boda left in a hurry. Not only Li Boda, but also the rest of the cast and crew of "Infinite Terror 2" left together.

Because they were going to take a plane to Little Day Country.

The movie "Infinite Terror 2" is not only being shown in China, but also in the country of Little Days. Li Boda and his group need to go to Little Days to hold a premiere for promotion.

In addition, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and even South Korea, as well as the entire Asian and East Asian region, all saw the release of "Infinite Terror 2" on this day.

In North America and Europe, the film will be released two days later.

Clearly, while Infinite Terror 1 performed well at the box office, it did not receive much attention in North America and parts of Europe.

After all, of the $400 million box office of "Infinite Terror 1", $200 million came from China. If you exclude the box office from China, the total box office from the remaining countries and regions is only $210 million, which is not a lot on average.

If Infinite Terror 2 performs well at the box office, then Infinite Terror 3 should be able to achieve a simultaneous global release.

When Li Boda and his group arrived in Little Days Country, they were extremely well received!
Because the movie "Infinite Terror 2" involves a plot related to their country's "Ju-on".

A film made based on their own country's films, and one that has achieved very high box office returns in North America.

This instilled a sense of pride in the people of Xiao Rizi Country.

Therefore, they have high expectations for the movie "Infinite Terror 2", and they also have a great deal of goodwill towards the production team of "Infinite Terror 2".

As a result, on its first day of release in Japan, "Infinite Terror 2" grossed an astonishing 700 million yen, or 35 million RMB.

When this number reached Li Boda and his colleagues, they were also greatly surprised.

After all, this is the small country of Japan. Based on these box office figures, the final box office of "Infinite Terror 2" in the small country will probably surpass that of "Infinite Terror 1" by a huge margin.

Similarly, in China, the box office of "Infinite Terror 2" was not low, even though the premiere was held at 10:00 AM, which was 10 hours shorter than the normal midnight time.

However, "Infinite Terror 2" still grossed over 70 million yuan at the box office in China.

It's slightly higher than the 70 million yuan opening day box office of "Painted Skin 2," which broke the domestic opening day box office record not long ago.

However, the box office for "Infinite Terror 2" doubled on its second day, reaching 110 million yuan. The single-day box office instantly surpassed 100 million yuan.

However, at this time, Li Boda, along with Zhao Liying, Yan Kuan, and others, had already arrived in Hollywood because "Infinite Terror 2" was also going to be released in North America today.

This time, Li Boda and his team received much better treatment at the North American premiere of the film than at the premiere of "Infinite Terror 1".

Last time, when Li Boda and his group came here, almost no one paid any attention to them. But this time, quite a few audience members were already shouting Li Boda and his group's names, even though they were calling out the names of characters like Zheng Zha and Chu Xuan, not their real names.

The change in treatment over the course of a year brought even brighter smiles to the faces of everyone present.

Clearly, thanks to the movie "Infinite Terror 1", Yan Kuan and Li Boda have gained some initial fame in Hollywood.

However, because there were no foreigners in the movie "Infinite Terror 2", or because "Infinite Terror 2" used the Japanese film "Ju-on", the movie did not perform very well at the box office in North America and even Europe.

Well, despite having "Infinite Terror 1" as a foundation, the box office performance wasn't particularly ideal because of the film's background and the fact that all the characters were of Asian descent.

However, in China, Japan, South Korea, and even Southeast Asia, the box office performance of "Infinite Terror 2" far surpassed that of "Infinite Terror 1." In Japan alone, by the time "Infinite Terror 2" finished its run, it had grossed a staggering 12 billion yen, equivalent to approximately 80 million US dollars.

The box office in the country of Little Days alone reached 80 million US dollars.

In China, "Infinite Terror 2" was still shown for sixty days before being taken off the screens, and its box office revenue directly reached 1.9 billion RMB, which is equivalent to 280 million USD.

In addition, there are box office receipts from Hong Kong, Taiwan, South Korea, Southeast Asia, and other countries.

It has already reached an astonishing four hundred million US dollars.

That's right, even without box office revenue from North America, Europe, and other countries and regions, "Infinite Terror 2" still grossed $400 million.

Including box office revenue from North America, Europe, and other regions, "Infinite Terror 2" has grossed a total of $640 million.

Compared to "Infinite Terror 1", this film's global box office was increased by 230 million.

Clearly, compared to "Infinite Terror 1", the box office of "Infinite Terror 2" has shown an upward trend worldwide, although the increase is greater in some countries and less in others.

This is the advantage of film series.

As long as the stories in subsequent film series don't deteriorate and the film quality doesn't decline, the box office will be higher with each installment.

In fact, if the movie "Infinite Terror 2" had used the American version of "Ju-on" during filming, the box office in North America, Europe and other countries and regions might have been an additional $100 million or more.

The total box office of "Infinite Terror 2" may even exceed 700 million US dollars.

This is also the consensus of Legendary Pictures and Lionsgate. Therefore, they believe that Li Boda was too stubborn back then. When making movies, one cannot completely follow the original work. Any changes that need to be made must be made because otherwise, it will affect their ability to make money.

Therefore, at this point, they actually quite approved of Li Boda's resignation as director of the film "Infinite Terror 3".

Of course, they still regret that the director of "Infinite Terror 3" was chosen to be Tsui Hark, instead of a Hollywood director.

Regardless, the "Infinite Terror" film series has officially entered the public eye.

Many foreign entertainment companies have started to set their sights on the "Infinite Terror" film series.

However, other companies didn't have much of a chance. On the contrary, Universal Pictures, the producer of "The Mummy" and "The Mummy", seized the opportunity and directly invested in the movie "Infinite Terror 3".

Because the copyright to the movie "The Mummy" is held by Universal Pictures, they simply won't buy your copyright.

If you want to make "Infinite Terror 3", sure! Then you'll have to listen to Universal Pictures and have them invest in "Infinite Terror 3" using the rights to "The Mummy" plus some capital.

Li Boda, even Han Sanye, and even Lionsgate and Legendary Pictures were not surprised by this situation.

After all, the biggest problem with the "Infinite Terror" series is the issue of film and television copyright.

This series involves too many film and television copyrights. Before the movies started filming, the film and television copyrights could be bought with money, but after the "Infinite Terror" series became a huge hit, anyone who held the copyrights needed to use the "Infinite Terror" series would definitely not let go, and they would all choose to invest in the "Infinite Terror" series.

Such a great money-making opportunity, unless you're an idiot, who would sell it!

Because a film has so many investors, even Universal Pictures doesn't actually get a large share, since no one wants their interests to be harmed.

Regardless, the investment for [Infinite Terror 3] is now finalized.

As for the actors, the cast of "Infinite Terror 3" is indeed a significant issue.

Because "Infinite Terror 3" needs to use actors from "The Mummy," just like when "Infinite Terror 1" needed to use actors from "Resident Evil."

The film "The Mummy" was shot in 1998, which is now fourteen years ago.

Arnold Voslow, who played the high priest Imhotep, is now fifty years old!

He could still handle filming "The Mummy" if he were to do it again.

But most importantly, Imhotep will become a key member of the Middle-earth team, meaning that he will not only be needed in the movie "Infinite Terror 3", but also in the subsequent series.

At fifty, Arnold Vosslow could still grit his teeth and finish filming "Infinite Terror 3," but what about after that? What would happen next?
Moreover, it's not just about the movie "The Mummy"; the later "Infinite Terror" series will also involve some earlier movies. What will happen then?
So at this point, some people suggested replacing Arnold Voslow.

Replacing the actor before Imhotep even appears might initially cause some audience dissatisfaction, but they'll likely get used to it eventually.

However, if we still choose Arnold Voslow now, and then in a few years when he gets older and can no longer act, but has already left a deep impression on the audience, replacing him at that time would actually have a negative impact.

And this is indeed an issue that needs to be considered.

If the "Infinite Terror" series isn't planned to have so many installments, but only three to five, or even five to eight years to complete, Arnold Voslow, despite his age, could still be a capable actor.

However, if "Infinite Terror" takes ten or twenty years to film, Arnold Voslow will be sixty or even seventy years old by then, a decrepit old man who can barely walk. How can he possibly play the powerful Imhotep?

Given this situation, most investors actually supported replacing Arnold Voslow from the beginning with a younger actor who could act for at least twenty years, preferably around thirty years old.

Li Boda didn't have much of an opinion on this.

Just choose someone who looks somewhat similar, then do Imhotep's makeup to make their image as close to the original as possible, and that should be fine.

After making this choice, Li Boda stopped paying much attention to the movie "Infinite Terror 3".

After all, Li Boda had handed over the director's position to Xu Ke, and the rest was up to Xu Ke to consider.

Li Boda also began to focus more of his energy on the film "Chu Xuan".

(End of this chapter)