America: Starting with the acquisition of MGM...

Chapter 319, Section 317: Listen to your father.

How should superhero movies be made? There has never been a unified template.

Aside from the undisputed masterpiece "The Dark Knight," the other excellent works each have their own unique characteristics, and it's unrealistic to force a ranking of them as superior or inferior.

Sometimes a film's failure doesn't necessarily mean it's of poor quality.

For example, if Gwen Stacy hadn't been killed off in "The Amazing Spider-Man 2," there would definitely have been a third movie.

Most viewers haven't read the comics; they watch superhero movies for entertainment. We want to be moved, but the mother doesn't want to use the death of the female lead to trigger our tear ducts.

Even so, The Amazing Race 2 still made a profit at the box office, but not enough to meet Sony's expectations, which led to the cancellation of the third installment.

But now Eric is facing Tobey Maguire's Spider-Man 2, which, even more than a decade later, is still the best-received and highest-rated of all the live-action Spider-Man movies.

Although its box office performance was the weakest of the original trilogy, it is still very difficult to surpass it.

It's certainly possible to combine Iron Man and Captain America, but it would inevitably be an unfair victory.

Only by winning a one-on-one fight can you truly defeat Spider-Man.

So, when all the movies are equally excellent, how can you ensure your victory?

The answer is publicity. We must put in a lot of effort in publicity to attract the audience's attention so that they will be more inclined to choose our side.

Outside, the box office battle is incredibly fierce.

On the fourth day, Inception continued to lead Spider-Man 2 by more than $400 million at the box office.

On the fifth day, the Dream Thieves were still half a step ahead, leading by a little over $400 million.

On the sixth day, the situation improved, and Spider-Man actually overtook him by more than $200 million.

However, by the end of the week, Inception surged back up, surpassing Peter Parker by more than $300 million.

After seven days of full box office results, Inception had grossed a whopping $1.37 million in North America.

Although it did not break the record set by Transformers, it was an achievement under immense competitive pressure, and can be considered a remarkable accomplishment.

Back then, the Autobots had virtually no worthy rivals and enjoyed a two-week monopoly.

Just look at Spider-Man 2; it only grossed $1.11 a week, and the gap has widened to over $2000 million.

In an interview, Sam Raimi praised the actors for their hard work, saying that everyone had done their best.

But you've encountered an even more formidable opponent, and sometimes that's just how it is. He also mentioned that he had seen "Inception" and praised the film as excellent.

This appreciation comes from fellow directors and has nothing to do with competition between companies.

Seeing that their vanguard general was no match for the opponent, the second week's opponent was Disney's other ace, The Incredibles.

MGM also deployed the comic book adaptation "Wanted" and Stephen Chow's long-awaited masterpiece "Kung Fu Hustle," which he had been working on for two years.

At this time, "Kung Fu Hustle" had only been released for two days on the other side of the ocean, and its reputation had already exploded.

Whether online or in real life, its audience recognition and discussion level far exceeded that of commercial films such as "Cell Phone", "House of Flying Daggers" and "A World Without Thieves".

It is both hilarious and tells a complete story of a hero's dream, and is considered by many to be Stephen Chow's best work.

It raked in over 2200 million RMB in just two days, a figure that is negligible compared to Hollywood's box office performance.

However, it is already at the top level in mainland China, and its box office growth rate has exceeded 20% of last year.

MGM also contributed to achieving such good results.

After more than a year of guidance from various aspects, the development of the film market in mainland China is accelerating.

The authorities have continued to crack down on piracy and online dissemination, and everything is moving in a positive and regulated direction.

It is expected that this goal can be achieved ahead of schedule, around the time of the 2008 Olympics, rather than waiting until 2010 when the box office boom begins.

However, his global recognition is still relatively weak, so he needs to rely on a lot of external forces for promotion.

For example, the poster clearly states that Jim Carrey highly recommends it, Eric Cooper said it was great, and Jackie Chan strongly supports it.

They even displayed his most successful overseas work, "Kung Fu Soccer," using the "Kung Fu" series as a gimmick.

MGM also hired an excellent voice-over team to give the movie a boost, since North American audiences aren't used to reading subtitles.

This also meant that some viewers couldn't hear the lines clearly, and Eric always felt that this might be a conspiracy by the manufacturers.

If you can't hear the dialogue clearly, you won't understand the movie. If you can't understand it, you'll feel uncomfortable, and this discomfort might lead you to go to the cinema for a second viewing, thus increasing box office revenue.

However, even after doing so much, Eric doesn't expect "Wanted" and "Kung Fu" to achieve much; their main role is to cause disruption.

The real killer move is the upcoming Iron Man movie.

At the Mei Yi Records studio, Eric and Taylor Swift watched from outside while Avril Lavigne recorded her new song inside.

"They've all gone to pick up actors for their shows, how come you're so free? You even have time to wander around here." Eric asked, ruffling Taylor Swift's hair.

"Ugh, I just got my hair done, don't touch it! So annoying!"

With a snap, Taylor Swift slapped Eric's hand away and quickly smoothed her hair in the reflective light.

She then pouted and said, "Boss, I've been working really hard. I ran around for five days straight last week, and my voice is almost hoarse. I need to rest a bit."

"There's plenty of time to rest. It's the Christmas season now, when prices are soaring. Instead of going out and making money, you have the nerve to rest!"

"Hey, you heartless businessman! You're becoming more and more like a slave owner. How come I never noticed before?"

"This is called return on investment. I spent a lot of money to promote you guys, so of course I have to squeeze you dry. I haven't even broken even yet."

Taylor Swift stuck out her tongue: "I'm going to write you into a song, just you wait and see."

Eric chuckled and suddenly asked, "Taylor, do you have a boyfriend now?"

"Huh? Why are you asking that?" Taylor Swift looked at him warily.

"If so, I suggest breaking up as soon as possible."

"What! Why?"

"Because it can stimulate a burst of inspiration, I have observed you carefully. You are a person who is particularly sensitive to life, especially emotions, and your first album reflects this characteristic."

"A girl like you is best suited to quickly fall in love, then break up, then start dating again, and then break up again. I guarantee you'll be able to create a lot of great songs because of this."

Taylor Swift rolled her eyes: "I don't want to listen to your nonsense. Jonathan and I are doing great, we're getting along very well."

"So you really do have a boyfriend? And it sounds like he's not in the entertainment industry?"

"Yes, we met in a vocal class."

"Tsk tsk. Insiders and outsiders, you're all finished!"

Taylor Swift frowned: "Even though you're the boss, if you keep cursing me, I'm going to get angry."

Eric looked at her like she was a little fool: "Taylor, you've just officially entered the entertainment industry. Maybe you haven't been exposed to too much of the glitz and glamour yet, and you still firmly believe in many things."

"But believe me, it won't be long before you abandon those. You'll meet all sorts of high-quality men who will show interest in you, and your moral bottom line will be constantly challenged until it disappears."

"Besides, you two rarely see each other. How long has it been since you last saw that little one?"

Taylor Swift counted on her fingers: "I've only just started to have some free time. He's with his family now, and he's in New York, but we talk on the phone every day."

"Wow! You guys are totally maxed out! Not seeing each other for so long, young people, sexual repression... can you be sure Jonathan hasn't cheated on you?"

"Of course, he's a very good boy."

"Can you be sure Jonathan doesn't suspect you of cheating?"

"Well"

"You see, long periods of separation can lead to suspicion. If you want this relationship to develop properly, you'll have to keep him by your side. Do you think you're Hu Ge?"

"What the hell?"

"I'm asking you, is it possible?"

Taylor Swift was speechless when asked the question.

Eric pinched her slightly chubby cheeks and said like a doting father, "Listen to Daddy."

"What?"

"Sorry, but I'm listening to my boss, let's break up."

Eric gave an awkward laugh; he was so used to saying "Dad" at home that he just blurted it out.

Taylor Swift ignored her and changed the subject, asking, "Why did you let Avril Lavigne record at our company?"

"If I'm not at Meiyi, am I at Aristotle? Don't you know Aristotle is a subsidiary of Sony? I don't want to have anything to do with them whatsoever."

"What if we use someone else's recording studio, and those bastards later demand to share the copyright? Isn't that disgusting?"

Taylor Swift thought to herself, "Of course I don't know. These companies are all interconnected; no one can possibly figure out the relationships between them."

At this point, Avril sang it again, then came out and looked at Eric: "How was it this time? I added more vocal runs at the beginning, and raised the key in the chorus, reaching F3."

"Hehe. My boss doesn't understand any of this. Everyone knows he's a musical idiot who can't even read sheet music."

"Go away, get out of here!" Eric patted Taylor Swift on the head and shooed her out.

Watching Taylor Swift's departing figure, Avril Lavigne wondered, "You two seem to have a good relationship? Is she always like this?"

"Hmm, what's wrong?"

"It just feels unbelievable. You two don't look like a boss and an artist, more like good friends."

"So that's what you meant. Please, I'm not even 25 yet, I'm still considered young, don't I? Do I look like someone who likes to wrap myself up in rules and regulations?"

Thinking of Eric's comments, Avril pouted, "It doesn't seem like it at all."

"So, when I'm not working, I get along very well with everyone. Of course, if I make a mistake at work, you might have to face my wrath. If you're going to cry, remember to hide in a corner."

"Okay, that sounds good, much more harmonious than in Alice Tower."

"Then switch jobs! Meiyi will pay the breach of contract penalty. There aren't many artists here, so if you join, you'll be the boss."

Avril Lavigne laughed and said, "If I came, would you write a hit single just for me like you did for Taylor Swift and the other three?"

"Uh, wasn't that what you just sang?"

Avril winked playfully: "That doesn't count. This is my invitation to you, and I'll pay for it."

"How about I don't charge for this one?"

"No, this song you wrote is clearly for promotional purposes. Singing it for me is just a side task to complete."

"Besides, the song is clearly more suited to a male voice, which means your first choice is definitely not me."

"I want something created specifically for myself; Avril Lavigne needs something better."

"No problem, as long as you can come to Mei Yi." Eric nodded without hesitation.

"It's settled then. Let's go have lunch together. I know a good burger place."

"Seriously? You're going to treat a billionaire to a hamburger?"

"So, are you going to eat it or not?"

"eat!"

"Stop talking nonsense and come with me!"

The punk girl acted immediately, taking Eric with her in her big Jeep and speeding away.

Upstairs, Taylor Swift was standing by the window contemplating life when she happened to witness this scene.

"Will Jonathan see other girls behind my back?"

"Impossible, he would never do that!"

"But...maybe?"

Another week has passed in a flash, and it's already the end of December.

The newly released "The Incredibles" has received very positive reviews and has been hailed as Disney's best animated film of the year.

Moreover, the 3D technology used in it is more sophisticated, and it is clear that Mickey Mouse is constantly seeking progress.

Unsurprisingly, this animated film topped the box office this week.

However, the box office performance did not meet many people's expectations, failing to even break 100 million, and only achieving $8245 million in box office revenue in seven days.

Compared to last week's champion, Inception, which grossed $1.37 million, it's far behind. $5000 million would have been enough to top the box office in a typical release window.

The reason for such a disastrous outcome is self-evident: everyone has to bear the bitter fruit of cutthroat competition.

The runner-up, Inception, earned over $6700 million, a drop of more than 50%. Such a large drop in value despite its excellent reputation shows how brutal the market is.

The third place went to another newly released film, "Wanted," with a North American box office of $6440 million.

Compared to the $8000 million cost, the final global box office is expected to break even, and with luck, it may even make a small profit.

Even if you don't make money from it, you can slowly earn some money through copyright later, since the reputation is quite good.

James McAvoy has finally created his own signature work, and he has been under a lot of pressure.

Just a few days ago, Eric comforted him, telling him not to worry, and that even if they lost money, they wouldn't abandon him, since the movie had already accomplished its other missions.

As for "Kung Fu Hustle," due to restrictions on Chinese-language films, its release scale was the smallest, with only 2283 theaters showing it.

But the results were quite good, taking in $25.3 million at the box office in a week, with over $10,000 per theater, and directly climbing to the 4th place on the North American box office chart for foreign language films.

Only "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon," "A Beautiful Mind," and "Amélie" remain ahead of it, and it's only $800 million behind "Amélie," so it's sure to be overtaken next week.

The film has already been reported on across the ocean, causing quite a stir. We'll see if it can surpass "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon".

This week, MGM released two new films.

Nicole Kidman's "La Vie en Rose" wasn't aiming for high box office returns; it was aiming for an Oscar.

Another film, "Napoleon the Magnificent," costing only $40, is a scratch-off lottery ticket that Eric believes will yield a big prize.

Carroll walks into his office at the MGM Grand.

"Boss, everything has been arranged."

Eric circled it on his calendar; there was only one week left until the release of "Iron Man".

"Then let's do a good deed."

(End of this chapter)