America: Starting with the acquisition of MGM...

Chapter 259, page 258: The Strongest Premiere in History

Arc Light Cinema, the premiere of "Million Dollar Baby".

This film was conceived last year and premiered today, a total of just over six months ago.

Three months were given to the female lead, Hilary Swank, for boxing training, and the actual filming time totaled 37 days.

For a film with a lot of moving shots, this is already incredibly fast.

The fact that filming could be completed so quickly is not only due to the actors' excellent performances, but also mainly thanks to director Clint Eastwood's directing skills.

Eric has a list of directors he admires most, which is divided into an older group and a younger group.

The youngest group admires Christopher Nolan the most, while the older group admires Clint Eastwood, both names starting with "K".

In China, Clint Eastwood is called "Uncle Eastwood" because his surname, Eastwood, literally translates to "Eastern Wood Forest," and is often shortened to Eastwood.

The same goes for Frank Underwood, the male protagonist of "House of Cards".

This stubborn old man's life can be described as legendary. During his teenage years, he was expelled from three different middle schools three times in a row for fighting and causing trouble, and in the end, he did not even graduate from middle school.

After dropping out of school, he could only drift through society, working as a lifeguard, salesman, golf caddy, and a variety of other jobs.

But he never stayed long in any job because he was too lazy and liked to cause trouble, so he was often fired.

His only redeeming quality is his good looks, so he decided to enter the entertainment industry.

Unfortunately, after entering, he discovered that there were no luxury cars, beautiful women, or money at all; he was just a lowly extra, a job he had been doing for nine years.

When the classic Western film "A Fistful of Dollars" was being filmed, the budget was too small and the crew couldn't find any actors they wanted. In the end, they could only choose Clint Eastwood, who was already in his thirties and had not achieved anything. Eastwood even brought his own clothes.

Unexpectedly, the film became a huge hit, leading to the production of "For a Few Dollars More" and "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly," which propelled Clint Eastwood to the top of Hollywood.

A funny thing happened at the time: because "Red Dead Redemption" plagiarized Akira Kurosawa's "Yojimbo", it was sued.

Director Sergio Leone happens to be a huge fan of Akira Kurosawa. When he heard that his idol had sued him, he was overjoyed and immediately said it was an honor for him.

After receiving 15% of the box office revenue from "A Fistful of Dollars" in Asia, Akira Kurosawa immediately changed his tune and praised the film, saying it was fucking good and the director deserved credit!

There was nothing I could do; he gave me too much!

After Eastwood became a sensation, he starred in another landmark film, "Dirty Harry".

Because of the incredibly cool way Tomohisa wielded his revolver in the movie, the American M92 revolver sold out.

Social surveys at the time showed that the M92 revolver was second only to the lightsaber from Star Wars in popularity; arms dealers should really award it a medal.

Furthermore, during the filming of "Dirty Harry," the director was unable to continue due to a serious illness, and Clint Eastwood volunteered to give it a try.

But after trying it out, I found out...

乂？

Turns out, directing is easier than acting; it's too simple.

So in 1992, he directed and starred in his first film, Unforgiven, which garnered nine Oscar nominations and won four awards: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Editing, and Best Supporting Actor, without winning any technical awards.

The success of "Unforgiven" signifies that actor Eastwood has officially evolved into director Eastwood. He was 62 years old that year, and his future was promising.

It's a genuine indication of a promising future, not just some lighthearted joke about the Golden Retriever and the scoundrel.

Sean Penn won the Best Actor award for "Mystic River" in 2003, and also received several more Oscar nominations for Best Director and Best Picture.

In 2004, "Million Dollar Baby" won the Academy Award for Best Director for the second time, along with Best Picture, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actor, and a host of other nominations.

In 2006, he directed "Letters from Iwo Jima" and "Flags of Our Fathers," interpreting the war from the perspectives of the United States and Japan respectively, and unsurprisingly, he once again received a bunch of nominations for awards at the Oscars, Golden Globes, and the three major European film festivals.

Films like "The Bridges of Madison County," "Changeling," "Gran Torino," "Invictus," "American Sniper," "Sully," and "The Mule" have won numerous awards, and of course, their box office success is undeniable.

For other directors, receiving an Oscar nomination is enough to bring them a lifetime of glory, but for Clint Eastwood, it's as easy as taking one, as commonplace as taking one of his own.

Moreover, Clint Eastwood is also a master of film scoring, often handling all the post-production music for films by himself and winning several awards in the process. Even Chen Xunqi, who is known as an all-rounder, can only be considered a junior in front of him.

At the same time, one of the characteristics of Uncle Dongmu's filming style is that he is fast.

Unforgiven was filmed in 28 days, The Bridges of Madison County in 42 days, Mystic River in 39 days, Million Dollar Baby in 37 days, and Grand Cru in 35 days.

He can shoot quickly while maintaining quality; he perfectly embodies what talent is.

Investors love this kind of director; quick filming saves costs, so who wouldn't like that?

Therefore, companies that want to collaborate with him or hire him to make films are lining up, but the prerequisite is that he is interested in the script.

Fuyuki also had a political career, serving as an official in California, but he had a conflict with Governor Schwarzenegger, and ultimately the cowboy resigned after being defeated by the Terminator.

Of course, if you were to ask Eric what aspect of the old man he most envied, his answer would be his love life.

Like many male celebrities, Clint Eastwood is also a womanizer. Although he has only been married twice, he has had many lovers.

So much so that when a reporter asked him how many children he had, he couldn't remember, only giving an approximate number, something like seven.

Eric's goal was to surpass him, not only to do it, but to do it well, to get a group of women to live together harmoniously and happily under the same roof.

Due to a falling out with the television station, which has close ties with the newspaper, the number of media reporters attending the red carpet today has plummeted; previously there were hundreds, but this time there were only a dozen or so.

There weren't many film critics present, but it would be a mistake to assume the premiere was quiet.

The more you want to see me make a fool of myself, the more I'll slap you in the face and make it a spectacular show.

Not only does it have to be big enough, it has to be the biggest premiere in history.

Since the media reporters aren't coming, that's your loss. I don't care.

If you're not coming, can't you find someone else to support you?

Organizations such as the Writers Guild, Screen Actors Guild, Art Directors Guild, and the three major talent agencies have stated that they will not participate in the dispute between MGM and the six major television networks.

Celebrities can do whatever they want without worrying about being targeted.

So tonight's red carpet was truly star-studded. In addition to the film's main creative team, Nicole Kidman, Charlize Theron, Gal Gadot, Ashley Wilkes, Mary Jane, Deadpool, Chris Evans, Heath Ledger, and others who are close to Eric were all present.

Besides these people, Eric also invited everyone he could who had acted in MGM films or had any dealings with him.

Hugh Jackman, Pierce Brosnan, Orlando Bloom, Jennifer Aniston, Brad Pitt, Tobey Maguire, Nicolas Cage.

Besides the actors, Eric also invited many singers. Of course, he couldn't rely on his own connections, so he had to ask Michael for help.

With celebrities come fans, and MGM paid a large number of people in advance, just in case the event wasn't lively enough.

But it turned out to be an overestimation; the screams never stopped when the celebrities appeared on the red carpet.

Not only were the extras arranged by MGM useless, but the security force they provided was also stretched thin, barely able to contain the crazy fans.

The dozen or so small and medium-sized newspapers at the scene were watching the celebrities intently, while Lionheart.com launched a live broadcast.

"Sorry Clint, this will probably be the least-watched premiere of your movie."

Grandpa Fuyuki straightened his cuffs: "I don't think so. The people you've brought are enough to host a mini-Oscars."

"Although there are no more TV stations and newspapers, the reach of the internet is growing day by day, and it could become a hot topic tomorrow."

Do you often go online?

Eric looked at the other person with some curiosity. In his impression, an old-fashioned tough guy like Clint Eastwood probably didn't have much contact with the internet.

To his surprise, the other person burst into laughter: "Don't look down on old men. Although I am 74 years old this year, I still love life and like to try new things."

"Clint, you old bastard!" Morgan Freeman and Hillary Swank, the gold medalists, walked over from the side.

Eric shook hands with the former and hugged the latter.

There's an interesting rumor that Morgan Freeman gets one more age spot on his face with every movie he stars in, but whether it's true or not is unknown.

Hilary Swank looked at Eric's profile with some emotion. This young man was really too bold. Look at the show he put on today. He was clearly challenging those people. He wouldn't stop until he turned Hollywood upside down.

On Lionheart.com, the number of viewers watching the premiere live stream surged from hundreds of thousands to millions, then to several million, and finally broke the ten million mark. The comments below flooded in like a tidal wave.

"So many celebrities! This isn't a movie premiere, it's more like an awards ceremony! So many stars, this is awesome!"

"Can anyone tell me where the venue is? Is it too late to go now?"

"It's ArcLight Cinema. If you're in Los Angeles, you should be able to make it if you leave right away!"

"I really envy those who went to the live event. I love Charlize Theron, she's so hot."

"Ryan Reynolds is so handsome, I really want to touch his pectoral muscles."

"Looks like MGM is going to go all out against the Big Six and the TV stations. Eric Cooper is fucking ruthless. Even if I were as rich as him, I wouldn't dare do what he's doing!"

"Wow! It's Kevin Spacey! His Frank acting is amazing! I'm a huge fan of his now."

"And Robin White."

"Michael, even Michael is participating. I hope all four mentors from The Voice of China can get together; that would be really interesting."

"The premiere of 'The Polar Express' is also tonight. Does anyone know anything about it?"

"I just went to check it out, and it was quite lively. Robert Zemeckis is a great director, but since The Polar Express is an animated film, there weren't many actors or celebrities there to show their support. Instead, quite a few directors came to show their support."

"What's interesting about the director! It's the stars that are interesting, like Britney Spears and Beyoncé!"

At the scene, with Michael's arrival, the screams from the fans rose several decibels, his popularity was simply too high.

Not only are fans fascinated by him, but many celebrities at the event also came up to ask for his autograph and photos when they saw him.

For a moment, Eastwood and Morgan Freeman smiled helplessly.

"I think nobody remembers that this was the premiere of our movie."

"You're right, this place feels more like the Grammy Awards ceremony now. Shouldn't we give him a microphone?"

"That's a good suggestion. I really like the song 'Rolling in the Deep'."

"Are you kidding?"

"Of course, I love life, and I even went to one of Michael Jackson's concerts back in the day."

Eric went over and hugged Britney Spears. As two of the most popular young idols in Europe and America during Eric's youth, he listened to a lot of Britney Spears and Avril Lavigne's songs.

The two had met at the Grammys a few months earlier, but it was only a nodding acquaintance.

Although Eric ruined Justin Black's career, which theoretically avenged Lazy, he couldn't say it outright. He couldn't exactly say, "I know what that scumbag did to you."

Lazy Girl currently only sees him as a talented super-rich man, and she probably thinks that it's good to have a good relationship with him, so her attendance is a big show of respect.

"What! You really can't read sheet music?" Lazy looked at Eric in disbelief.

"I really don't understand. I can't even distinguish the basic notes clearly, that's a fact."

"My God! This is impossible, absolutely impossible! Because it's unscientific. How could you create 'Rolling in the Deep' if you don't even understand basic music theory?"

"It's all about feeling. I usually hum some tunes to myself, and then write them down in a way that I can understand but professionals might not. Gradually, the melody becomes complete, and then I write down the lyrics, and it becomes a song."

Britney still couldn't believe it: "You must be kidding me. This all sounds more like a fantasy."

"If this is how you create songs, then I should just go home and hide under the covers in shame. Are you kidding me?"

"I can testify that everything Eric said is true."

Michael walked by and added a comment, and Lazy immediately fell into deep self-doubt.

News of the bustling red carpet event for "Million Dollar Baby," which drew half of Hollywood, quickly reached Warner Bros. and the premiere of "The Polar Express."

The executive asked with some concern, "Robert, are you confident?"

Robert Zemeckis had no intention of getting involved in the power struggles between companies; he simply wanted to make the movies he wanted to make.

Hearing this, he smiled and said, "Jones, didn't you also attend the internal screening of 'The Polar Express'? You should know its quality."

"Furthermore, we used full 3D and achieved good results, which is a huge attraction for the audience."

"Moreover, we are for all ages, while Million Dollar Baby is PG13, so we have an advantage."

"We have a much bigger publicity campaign in the works, so one premiere doesn't mean anything."

"Remember, in the end, the success of a film depends on the film itself, not anything else!"

(End of this chapter)