America: Starting with the acquisition of MGM...

Chapter 361, Page 359: Resounding Through the Sky

In October, the weather across the United States turns cool, and there are noticeably more people wearing leather jackets and wool coats on the streets.

But this excludes one group of people: female celebrities.

It's common knowledge that female celebrities don't feel the cold, especially when walking the red carpet.

And today at the Arc Light Theatre, MGM is holding the premiere of another new movie.

This is "Bohemian Rhapsody," which has been in preparation since April of last year.

Eric specifically bought the rights to Queen's songs and even invited Joaquin Phoenix to star in them.

Uncle Phoenix said he needs three months to learn how to sing.

But despite saying that, it actually took nearly eight months to prepare, and filming didn't start until the beginning of this year.

The more Joaquin Phoenix studied, the more he felt the gap between himself and others was too large.

He is also an extremely perfectionist actor, even a bit obsessive-compulsive. He won't give up until he can perfectly embody Uncle Ya.

Eric didn't want to change the actor, and looking across Hollywood, or even the entire film industry worldwide, there were very few people who could portray this role well.

Then the timeframe was stretched out indefinitely, dragging on until the beginning of this year.

However, it turns out that thorough preparation is effective.

Once the production was running smoothly, Joaquin Phoenix made the fewest mistakes, getting almost every scene right in one take, while the other actors slowed things down.

Now Eric only wants to know if "Bohemian Rhapsody" can still generate the same viewing frenzy as it has in later years.

As for "Transformers 2", it has already been taken off the screens in North America, but it is still showing in some other countries.

Currently, the cumulative box office has reached $10.95 billion worldwide, and it is charging toward its next target, "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King".

The Meg has also been released in some European and South American countries, and the audience and market reaction is similar to that in North America. Monster disaster movies have always had a group of loyal fans.

The company has grossed $1.45 million worldwide to date.

In terms of box office revenue for Chinese-language films, it ranks only behind "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" and "Hero".

And judging from the current trend, it shouldn't be a problem to gross another $5000 million at the box office.

If the final box office reaches $2.2 million, it will become the highest-grossing Chinese-language film in history.

Old Han called me a few days ago, hoping that MGM would quickly expand its global distribution network.

Without a doubt, both Jason Statham and Xu Jinglei are winners.

Xu Jinglei, in particular, went to Europe for promotion after completing her promotional activities in North America.

Considering the price I paid, it was all worth it.

After all, through this film, she has truly stepped out of Asia.

In the future, when people mention Chinese actresses, in addition to Maggie Cheung, Gong Li, and Zhang Ziyi, she will also be on the list.

Moreover, a sequel to "The Meg" might be filmed next year, which would bring another huge wave of viewership. Just thinking about it makes me smile in my sleep.

In the movie theater today, apart from the celebrities who came to show their support, almost everyone else sitting here is a die-hard fan of Queen and Freddie Mercury.

Who would be willing to watch a movie at midnight unless they're a die-hard fan?

The early part of the film is relatively uneventful, unfolding primarily from Uncle Ya's perspective.

To be honest, even with makeup, Phoenix Uncle still looks different from Tooth Uncle.

However, the fake buck teeth in his mouth were very realistic, made by the props team at a 1:1 scale.

"My front teeth are very big, so I can open my mouth wide, which results in a wide vocal range."

A murmur of laughter immediately filled the movie theater. These die-hard fans were very familiar with Freddie Mercury's life story, and they found Joaquin Phoenix's performance somewhat more palatable.

Subsequently, the Queen band that people remember was officially formed, beginning their legendary life.

With Uncle Ya as their core leader, their fame gradually increased.

He sold the van that had been driven by several people for who knows how many years, successfully signed a contract and recorded his first album, and began to appear on the mainstream stage.

Uncle Ya also met his girlfriend Mary, and successfully proposed to her, putting a ring on her finger.

Unfortunately, at that time, he was not yet able to truly accept himself.

The plot then unfolds rapidly, with sharp editing depicting Queen's rise to fame, culminating in the creation of a timeless classic in rock and even world music history.

It took Uncle Ya seven years to finally complete "Bohemian Rhapsody".

The moment the song was born was also the moment he truly began to accept himself.

Is this real life?

This is real life.

Is this just fantasy

Or was it all just a dream?

Caught in a landslide

trapped in a predicament

No escape from reality

Unable to escape reality

……

In the footage, Joaquin Phoenix fully showcased the results of his eight months of training.

His voice is naturally gifted, and even if he were to pursue a career in the music industry, he would be able to secure a place for himself as long as he has good works.

At this moment, he completely immersed himself in Uncle Ya's state, giving his all to express Uncle Ya's voice and singing style.

Coupled with the ingenious lighting and atmosphere, it is incredibly captivating.

In the movie theater, the audience couldn't help but hum along to this timeless classic.

Mama, just killed a man

Mom, I just killed someone.

Put a gun to his head

A gun was held to his head.

Pulled my trigger, now he's dead

He pulled the trigger, and now he's dead.

Mama, life had just begun

Mom, life has just begun

But now I've gone and thrown it all away

But now I've completely destroyed it.

Mama, woo

Mom, sob sob

Didn't mean to make you cry

I didn't mean to make you cry.

If I'm not back again this time tomorrow

If I don't come back by this time tomorrow

Carry on, carry on, as if nothing really matters

Hold on, hold on, as if nothing has happened.

Too late, my time has come.

It's too late, my time has come.

Many fans had tears welling up in their eyes when the song reached this part.

Those who know Uncle Ya understand that the songs are actually about his own life.

"Mom, I just killed someone."

The lyrics imply that Uncle Ya has killed his normal sexual orientation. "Man" can refer to both the general population and men, meaning that he can no longer hide himself.

Sure enough, as "Bohemian Rhapsody" gained traction, the film's plot continued to unfold.

Uncle Ya began to accept same-sex love and became estranged from his wife Mary.

His unusual behavior was noticed, but as the saying goes, if he lived decades later, he could boldly reveal his sexual orientation, but not back then.

Suppression, hesitation, inner conflict...

When the pressure on a person exceeds their mental capacity, a path of depravity begins.

With Queen's huge success and the praise all around, Uncle Ya inevitably got carried away.

At this time, Uncle Ya's life was a mess, but despite the arguments within the band, they continued to move forward.

They created their second timeless classic, "We are the champion".

It's that famous song that has been used countless times in the World Cup, the Olympics, and various sporting events.

Inside the movie theater, as the song began, the second mass sing-along started.

Queen has achieved legendary status!

But contrary to the band's legendary status, Ya Shu's personal life and mental state were deteriorating.

Constantly questioned by the media about his sexual orientation, he became sensitive, fragile, and arrogant, while his temper also worsened, and he became more self-centered.

Mary had completely distanced herself from him, and he had begun to distance himself from the band.

Unable to resist the temptation, he sold two solo albums for $400 million, which is basically going solo.

Although on the surface it is said that he will only make two solo albums before returning to the band.

But those familiar with the music industry know that it often takes three to five years to make two albums.

return?

By then, everything had changed.

After leaving Queen, his manager Paul, who had been urging him to go solo, prepared a new team for him.

The new team is completely centered around Uncle Ya. He has the final say, and no one ever questions him, even for basic mistakes. Everyone just praises him.

Paul also kept finding him new male lovers, while artificially cutting off all information about Mary and the band to ensure that Uncle Ya could live in the information cocoon he had woven.

But this decadent lifestyle couldn't last long, so Uncle Ya contracted HIV.

Humans are strange creatures; sometimes it is only when they are close to death that they truly understand the meaning of their lives.

Mary still came; she was very worried and came to visit Uncle Ya herself.

It was pouring rain, and when Uncle Ya saw Mary outside the door, he quickly brought her inside.

Although they no longer loved each other, they still embraced.

"Fred, I'm so worried about you, my dear. I had a terrible nightmare."

"I dreamt that you lost your voice, that you could no longer sing, or even talk to anyone."

"I'm scared. I'm afraid this is all real."

The two poured out their hearts to each other when, just then, their agent Paul returned with a few young men, intending to entertain Uncle Ya.

Upon seeing this, Mary naturally turned and left.

In the pouring rain, Uncle Ya chased after her closely, hoping that Mary would stay and talk to him.

He felt an unprecedented loneliness because everyone around him only treated him as an ATM, and no one else cared.

"Please! Please don't leave!"

Facing Uncle Ya's pleading gaze, Mary said, "I'm pregnant, Freddy."

The news came like a bolt from the blue, but Uncle Ya knew very well that he was the one who had really made a mistake.

At this moment, Joaquin Phoenix displayed unparalleled acting skills.

His eyes held despair, relief, and regret; you could read a variety of emotions in them.

But in the end, everything turned into blessings.

Her voice was slightly distorted: "I'm happy for you, Mary."

"Really, this is great news."

"But...but...I'm very scared."

Mary stared intently at him: "Fred, your family still loves you, and your band is still waiting for you."

"This place doesn't belong to you, go home!"

The conversation in the rain is the film's final turning point, where Uncle Ya drives Paul away, apologizes to the Queen members, and also reveals his sexual orientation to his family.

The lead role of Mary is played by Cate Blanchett.

Although she is the female lead, her screen time is actually not that much, but it requires a high level of acting skills, which most actresses really cannot handle.

After reading the script, Cate Blanchett gladly accepted the invitation.

Then three months of his schedule became available, but it didn't match up with Uncle Phoenix's schedule.

Two more months passed, and filming still couldn't begin.

Cate Blanchett had no choice but to continue turning down other script offers.

Ultimately, for the sake of "Bohemian Rhapsody," the Great Demon King had nothing to do for eight whole months, just waiting for the film to start shooting.

On the day filming wrapped, she punched Joaquin Phoenix hard as revenge.

On the big screen, the film has reached its final stages.

A gem in music history, the Lifesaving Concert begins.

Joaquin Phoenix once again transformed into Uncle Tooth, delivering an unparalleled performance.

The entire performance was live, and for non-diehard fans, it was almost indistinguishable from the real thing.

Inside the movie theater, the third mass sing-along began.

For nearly 20 minutes, millions of people in nearly 4000 theaters across North America opened their mouths at the same time.

Whether the singing is good or bad, no one will dwell on the timbre; everyone is gathered here for a shared belief.

At that moment, Queen's music resounded throughout the sky.

(End of this chapter)