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

Chapter 248 [Infinite Terror 3] Released

After writing the script for "The Holy Grail War," Li Boda began looking for investors for the film.

It's not that Li Boda himself didn't have money; in fact, he had plenty of money.

However, the movie "The Holy Grail War" is going to be released worldwide after it is finished, so it absolutely cannot be just Li Boda investing in it alone.

Domestically, that's fine; just bringing China Film Group should be enough. No, wait, we also need to add Wanda Pictures.

That's right, we have to add Wanda Cinemas, because Wanda Pictures' cinema chains are not limited to China. Last year, it directly acquired AMC Theatres in the United States, becoming the world's largest cinema operator, directly occupying 10% of the global cinema chains, and most of them are very good cinema chains.

Therefore, if you want the movie to be released globally, it's really necessary to involve Wanda Pictures.

Besides China Film Group and Wanda Pictures, Li Boda also invited Legendary Pictures and Lionsgate, given their previous pleasant collaborations. The main reason was that Li Boda held the highly valuable "Infinite Terror" series, and they were worried that an unpleasant collaboration or being too demanding of him might cause him to turn to other companies.

After all, the Infinite Terror series is of immense value.

The Infinite Terror series is almost considered by Legendary Pictures and Lionsgate to be similar to the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

They can't reach the Marvel series, but they absolutely can't give up on the Infinite Terror series.

No one would be forced to give up so many future benefits just for a tiny bit of immediate gain.

Li Boda sought to collaborate with them again for two reasons. Firstly, their previous collaboration had been quite successful, and they possessed considerable resources. Secondly, Li Boda needed their help to find suitable actors for the role in "The Holy Grail War."

After all, the movie "The Holy Grail War" requires many foreign actors.

Having Lionsgate and Legendary Pictures find the actors would save Li Boda a lot of trouble, and it would also help him lower his salary.

After all, Hollywood actors look down on people like Li Boda who have yellow skin, so they might not be able to invite them. Even if they were, the other party might ask for a very high fee.

This trouble could have been avoided if Lionsgate and Legendary Pictures had stepped in to help.

In addition to the Hollywood and domestic actors, Li Boda also needs to select a few suitable actors from Hong Kong for the film "The Holy Grail War".

It's because Li Boda set the Holy Grail War in Hong Kong.

When filming, it's natural to need to shoot in Hong Kong. And since Li Boda's crew wanted to film in Hong Kong, they naturally needed to choose at least one or two local Hong Kong actors to play important roles.

After all, if Li Boda didn't choose local actors, filming might not go smoothly, and the crew might encounter all sorts of problems.

After all, in a place like Hong Kong, anyone who comes here has to communicate and exchange ideas with the locals before filming can proceed smoothly. Otherwise, even if an international superstar like Jet Li goes to Hong Kong to film, you still can't make it.

As for the actors from Hong Kong, Li Boda also made his choice, and the first one was Andy Lau!

That's right, Andy Lau. His status and popularity go without saying, and he also has very good relationships in the Hong Kong entertainment industry. He's known as a good guy. Choosing him will save the production team a lot of trouble in Hong Kong.

Besides Andy Lau, there was another actress chosen by Li Boda: Wen Yongshan.

The main reason was that Li Boda discovered that Hong Kong's acting talent seemed to have died out.

Since 2008, when Hong Kong's most outstanding young actors were effectively sidelined, many of the remaining talented actresses have long since retired from the industry. Of those left, things have largely faded. Wen Yongshan, in fact, is considered quite good. At least in terms of appearance, Li Boda is rather satisfied.

By the time Li Boda finished securing investment, casting, and determining filming locations, it was already the end of the year.

At this time, the most important thing is the release of "Infinite Terror 3".

The whole country, and even the whole world, is watching the movie "Infinite Terror 3".

Just like the Iron Man series.

The box office returns for both Iron Man 1 and Iron Man 2 weren't particularly low, but they weren't exceptionally high either. One grossed over $500 million, and the other over $600 million. Moreover, their production costs were both very high; at least Iron Man 2's production cost was significantly higher than Infinite Terror 2.

The box office performance of "Infinite Terror 1" and "Infinite Terror 2" was almost the same as that of the first two "Iron Man" films.

So countless people are watching and waiting to see if the global box office of "Infinite Terror 3" can double like "Iron Man 3" and reach a high box office of 1.2 billion US dollars.

If the box office of "Infinite Terror 3" reaches a similar level to "Iron Man 3", then the "Infinite Terror" series, a major IP, can truly rival the Marvel IP.

Therefore, the whole world is paying attention to the movie "Infinite Terror 3" and is waiting for its release.

Under these circumstances, one can imagine the pressure that Tsui Hark, the director of "Infinite Terror 3," was under.

Xu Ke now carries antihypertensive drugs and nitroglycerin tablets with him at all times, ready to take the medicine immediately if he hears any noise that might upset his heart.

"Li Boda, you're really having a good time now. Look at me, I regret listening to you and becoming the director of [Infinite Terror 3]." Xu Ke couldn't help but complain as he looked at the beaming Li Boda.

"Hahaha, Director Xu, you can't say that. You have to think positively. After 'Infinite Terror 3' is released, you'll become an internationally renowned director, the kind that's considered a super director on the international stage. Wu Baige and Li An are nothing compared to you." Li Boda laughed heartily.

"Hmm—when you think about it that way, it doesn't seem so bad." Xu Ke continued to fantasize, following Li Boda's words.

"Right, right? So you should thank me for giving you this opportunity."

"..." Xu Ke simply rolled his eyes at Li Boda.

……

Finally, the date arrived once again: December 16th.

The premiere of "Infinite Terror 3" is finally about to begin.

The premiere of "Infinite Terror 3" was incredibly large, with almost half of the entertainment industry in attendance. Those with less fame or lower status weren't even qualified to attend and couldn't possibly get in.

Meanwhile, the movie "Infinite Terror 3" also began its release in Japan, South Korea, some countries and regions in Southeast Asia, and even in North America and Europe.

This time, "Infinite Terror 3" achieved a true simultaneous global release.

It can only be said that the first two Infinite Terror movies laid a very good foundation for Infinite Terror 3.

Countless viewers who were eagerly anticipating "Infinite Terror 3" flocked to the cinemas.

Not only in China and other East Asian and Southeast Asian countries and regions, but also in North America, Europe and other countries and regions, a large number of viewers went to the cinema.

Because the first two installments of "Infinite Terror" have laid a considerable foundation in these countries and regions.

Admittedly, the box office performance of these two films was not very good after they were released in these places.

However, the first "Infinite Terror" film didn't have enough fame, which is why not many viewers went to the cinema.

The second installment, "Infinite Terror," was criticized because it featured actors with yellow skin, which led to prejudice among people in North America and Europe.

However, the fact that they didn't go to the cinema to watch the movies doesn't mean they haven't seen the two films, "Infinite Terror."

The DVDs sold extremely well in these regions. In North America alone, the DVD sales of these two movies averaged over $100 million per film.

Therefore, quite a few people have seen the "Infinite Terror" movie series.

However, "Infinite Terror 3" is set against the backdrop of the Hollywood blockbuster "The Mummy." This film already had a large audience, which is why viewers in North America, Europe, and other regions were willing to spend money to buy tickets and go to the cinema.

Ultimately, it's because there are both white and black actors in "Infinite Terror 3".

In China, the film "Infinite Terror 3" grossed over 100 million yuan on its opening day. Meanwhile, internationally, it performed well at the box office, whether in small countries like Japan, South Korea and other East and Southeast Asian nations, or in North America and Europe.

Suddenly, many people began to formally compare "Infinite Terror 3" with "Iron Man 3".

Many people believe that the final box office of "Infinite Terror 3" will probably not be much worse than that of "Iron Man 3".

It's worth noting that Robert Downey Jr.'s salary doubled for the movie "Iron Man 3".

That's right, his salary doubled.

During the filming of Iron Man 3, Robert Downey Jr.'s salary was increased to $50 million.

After the release of Iron Man 3, Robert Downey Jr.'s reported salary was even raised to $100 million.

Of course, this $100 million figure is actually somewhat exaggerated; it's just for publicity. If he were to actually take on the role, Robert Downey Jr.'s salary would likely be around $70 million.

However, the salary is unimaginable.

Currently, "Infinite Terror 3" is widely regarded as being on par with "Iron Man 3".

As you can imagine, the salaries of Yan Kuan, Zhao Liying, and Huang Xiaoming, the main actors in "Infinite Terror 3," were also significantly increased.

While it's true that because "Infinite Terror 3" is an ensemble piece, the spotlight on these actors was divided, but their salaries were still raised to ten million US dollars.

If the box office of "Infinite Terror 3" is similar to that of "Iron Man 3", the salaries of Yan Kuan, Zhao Liying, and Huang Xiaoming might be increased to 20 million US dollars.

They are almost comparable to Jackie Chan and Jet Li.

In fact, by this time they had already received many offers for Hollywood roles, and Hollywood production teams were planning to invite them to film in Hollywood.

Of course, the production teams that actually invited them offered them a salary of around ten million US dollars, and they wouldn't raise it any further.

Because they are ultimately actors with yellow skin, and their fame abroad is solely based on the "Infinite Terror" film series, with no other notable films or television works in Hollywood.

Therefore, the salaries of Zhao Liying and Yan Kuan are somewhat inflated. Only if they can film movies other than "Infinite Terror" and achieve high box office returns and good results can their salaries be truly secured.

"Hahaha!"

Xu Ke has been laughing non-stop lately, so happy that he can't stop smiling.

Because the box office performance of the movie "Infinite Terror 3" was just too good.

The movie "Infinite Terror 3" grossed 700 million yuan in its first week of release in China, which is 200 million yuan more than the opening week box office of "Infinite Terror 2" last year.

Moreover, overseas, the box office performance of "Infinite Terror 3" was mostly better than that of "Infinite Terror 2".

The main markets were North America and Europe, where the box office performance of "Infinite Terror 3" was much better than that of "Infinite Terror 2," more than doubling in box office revenue.

Many departments have made box office predictions for "Infinite Terror 3" based on its current box office performance, audience reactions, and word-of-mouth.

Ultimately, many departments and organizations agreed that the global box office of "Infinite Terror 3" would exceed one billion US dollars.

With this achievement as a foundation, it's already quite good that Xu Ke didn't turn into a fool.

Xu Ke has now become an internationally renowned director.

Now, people are actually starting to compare Xu Ke with Wu Baige and Li An.

Xu Ke even received an invitation from Hollywood to direct a film.

Xu Ke's situation has made countless directors in China extremely envious and jealous.

The directors in Hong Kong, needless to say, were filled with envy, jealousy, and resentment.

People in China, such as Zhang Yimou, Feng Gangpao, and even Chen Kaige, were genuinely green with envy.

They now deeply regret not having approached Li Boda and become the director of "Infinite Terror 3".

That's a billion dollars in box office revenue!!!

However, Zhang Yimou is doing well. He has decided that for his next film, he wants to make a super big production and collaborate with Hollywood to make a blockbuster.

For this blockbuster film, he even invites many Hollywood actors to participate.

Although he hadn't written the script yet, he had already decided on a title: "The Great Wall"!
Well, Zhang Yimou originally had no intention of filming "The Great Wall", but Xu Ke's achievements this time made Zhang Yimou very envious, so he decided to act impulsively.

As for Chen Kaige and Feng Gangpao, they both wanted to make a blockbuster, a Sino-foreign co-production, just like Zhang Yimou.

Unfortunately, one film, "The Promise," and another, "The Banquet," have already cost them the opportunity to collaborate with foreigners.

Back then, directors Chen Kaige and Feng Gangpao really screwed over a bunch of foreigners with their films "The Promise" and "The Banquet".

In particular, "The Banquet" was sold to foreigners for 20 million US dollars. "The Banquet" ended up in the hands of foreigners, which really screwed them over.

Therefore, when they make movies now, they won't get any foreign partners.

However, they also set their sights on Li Boda, or rather, they set their sights on [Infinite Terror 4].

Based on the filming schedule of the first three "Infinite Terror" movies, the "Infinite Terror" series roughly releases one film per year.

Therefore, the filming of "Infinite Terror 4" should not be too far off.

So Chen Kaige and Feng Gangpao wanted to compete for the director's spot on "Infinite Terror 4".

After all, the profits that the "Infinite Terror" film series can bring are simply too great.

However, although they wanted to direct "Infinite Terror 4", Li Boda didn't think much of them.

The main difference is that the themes they are good at are quite different from the "Infinite Terror" series.

Feng Gangpao, needless to say, comes from a comedy film background, and while he can certainly produce decent films in other genres, he may not be able to handle the "Infinite Terror" genre well.

As for Chen Kaige, there's no need to elaborate. Other people's movies follow a parabolic trajectory; even if their later films aren't good, there's still an upward phase at the beginning.

Chen Kaige, on the other hand, went straight to his peak, and then declined steadily, with each film getting worse than the last.

With Chen Kaige's level of talent, how could Li Boda possibly use him as a director?
Don't even think about it!
In fact, Li Boda preferred that Xu Ke continue to direct the movie "Infinite Terror 4".

Moreover, considering that Xu Ke is not young anymore, and it is uncertain how much energy he will have to make good movies in the future, Li Boda would prefer to have Xu Shanzheng serve as the assistant director of "Infinite Terror 4".

Xu Ke was the director, and Xu Shanzheng was the assistant director.

After filming "Infinite Terror 4", Xu Shanzheng was directly put in charge of directing "Infinite Terror 5".

Well, there's still no sign of the movie "Infinite Terror 4," but Li Boda has already thought about "Infinite Terror 5." That's really being prepared for the worst.

However, this is just Li Boda's idea, and the specifics will depend on future developments.

(End of this chapter)