America: Starting with the acquisition of MGM

Chapter 142 You are the emperor

It’s another new day, and the cinema is filled with smoke.

Under the impact of "Finding Nemo", other movies were trembling. I'm afraid no one expected that they would be pressed to the ground and rubbed by a clown fish.

After two consecutive flops with "Cinderella" and "Treasure Island", Disney seems to have finally found the right approach.

This Mickey Mouse is getting angry again!

Entering June, it is already the fourth week of "The Matrix 2", and the savior cannot save the box office. It will still fall if it should.

The single-day box office of "The Matrix 2" is now only four to five million US dollars.

In just one month, its North American box office has reached US$300 million, including US$91 million in the first week.

The final forecast given by analysts was about US$500 million, and the original forecast was about US$800 million.

But "Purge", which no one paid much attention to, suddenly emerged and took in 45 million US dollars in one week. As a result, "The Matrix 2" failed to retain the box office championship for the third week.

But for a blockbuster of this caliber, overseas box office is the highlight.

Now the overseas box office of "The Matrix 2" has reached 600 million US dollars, surpassing North America. Analysts have given a forecast of 500 million US dollars, and there is no problem in breaking 700 million US dollars globally.

700 million is a very critical red line. If it exceeds 700 million, it will be considered a rare blockbuster movie of the year.

"Purge" was also suppressed by Nemo the Clownfish, but its single-day box office was slightly higher than "The Matrix 2".

Overseas, it has been released in several European countries such as the UK, Germany, and Italy, and will be released next week in France, Denmark, Sweden, and Australia.

Asia is still the last to be released, Xiangjiang and Wanwan belong to the third batch, and Eric from Mainland China decided not to release it after considering it.

With MGM's current favors and investment in mainland China, and the endorsement of Lao Han and Director Wang, there will be no pressure to introduce it. Even if it can be done without cutting out the film like "Titanic" back then, it will definitely require favors. ,say good things.

But interpersonal relationships will only become less and less the more you use them, so why not waste your favors on small characters like "Human Purge Plan".

It's better to wait until "Transformers" comes out at the end of the year and let Optoelectronics give itself the green light to make an uncut version.

When Bang Bang's "Transformation 1" was released in mainland China, a few minutes of scenes were actually deleted.

The reason was that it was too violent. Eric really couldn't understand it. It was reasonable for robots to kill humans as violence.

Two iron gangsters are fighting and losing a few parts. Why is it so violent? It's like what little boy didn't smash a few toys when he was a child.

In the version shot by Eric this time, the war scenes will be more grand, and more people will die. If they don’t have a drink with Lao Han and others, I’m afraid the photoelectric company will have a difficult time, and more than ten minutes of the scene will be deleted. Not conducive to selling peripherals.

"Rolling in the deep" has already reached No. 31 on the Billboard. This time, MyKoo changed its style to cater more to the tastes of young listeners.

In addition, celebrities on Facebook worked hard to help him promote it, and the song almost reached the top 30 in two days.

Nowadays, Maikou's singing can be heard everywhere on the streets and on the radio. It is expected that after today's CD sales are released, it will not be a problem to break into the top 20.

On the other hand, the more prosperous the ruffian Eminem is, the greater the backlash will be for him.

His Billboard ranking was originally No. 5. Logically speaking, he should have continued to move forward, but in reality, he dropped three places to No. 8.

Perhaps feeling the crisis, this little gangster has frequently appeared on major radio stations and interviews in the past two days, making songs for himself.

He is also trying his best to call friends on Facebook, but since his debut, there has hardly been a day when this guy didn't curse people.

From the President of the United States to his parents, wife, and colleagues, he scolded everyone.

In the end, only a few rappers were willing to speak for him, but at the same time, there were many rappers who stood by MJ.

The number of new Facebook users has skyrocketed by one million, and it’s like a raging fire that’s getting stronger and stronger.

According to this trend, attracting 20 million users a month is not a dream.

On the set of "Adele's Life", everyone clocked in to work one after another.

Chen Xing and production director Hu Liou were waiting nearby, while Eric crossed his legs and flipped through the project report in his hand.

The preparations for "The Hangover" are basically completed and it's time to start filming.

The director chose Todd Phillips, a comedy director in his 30s who is young but has already achieved great results.

He produced "Halo's on the Road" and "The Single Men's Club", both comedies that received good reviews.

"The Single Men's Club" was released in February this year and took in nearly 90 million US dollars at the box office, making a fortune for DreamWorks.

Spielberg recommended him after MGM announced its production plan not long ago.

"Boss, Phillips is a very good genre film director. For "The Hangover", he turned down the film invitation from Warner Bros., and Warner's investment was even greater."

"Really?" Eric was a little surprised.

Julio nodded confidently: "Obviously, the script of "The Hangover" attracted him more. I heard that Warner's "Police" has an investment of 60 million US dollars and is a part of "The Hangover"."

"Yes, he is a visionary person. In the future, he will know that "The Hangover" will be much better than "The Big Brother"."

After looking at the three most important male protagonists, the handsome teacher Phil Winnecke gave it to Xiao Jianjian.

The fat boy Alan Garner was won by Jack Black. His roles that are relatively well-known to Chinese audiences include Po in "Kung Fu Panda" and Gulliver in "Gulliver's Travels".

He is one of those actors whose name you can’t pronounce, but whose face is familiar when you see him.

The hapless dentist Stu Price brought in a big shot, or a future big shot, the not-yet-famous Adam Sandler.

This name is familiar to movie fans around the world, and there is really no need to introduce it.

The current Adam Sandler has already gained a lot of popularity in the film industry. Although he has not completely become popular in the industry, he is still the number one figure in the comedy industry.

It's just that most of the works he starred in were romantic comedies. One of the reasons for taking this role this time was to make a breakthrough and try a low-brow comedy about shit and shit.

Adam Sandler is looking for that one movie that will really make him famous.

His salary is also the most expensive among the entire cast, just like comedians are often more expensive than other types of film actors.

One person took away 5.5 million US dollars, which is a bit expensive, but for this team without the blessing of a big star, it is still worth it.

Ryan Reynolds' salary is US$700,000, and the gap is so huge. Although "Sharknado" has accumulated some fame for him, at least until "Transformers" is released, his salary cannot be higher.

Jack Black's salary is 1 million U.S. dollars, which is a bit higher than that of Little Dick.

At this point, the Hangover trio has been formed. They are completely different from the original version. All three actors have been replaced, but the changes are obviously for the better.

After reading it, Eric nodded in approval: "Not bad, very good, the actors are well chosen. I really didn't expect that you actually found Adam Sandler."

"Looking at it this way, the budget of 30 million US dollars may be a bit low. Let's change it to 35 million US dollars. I don't want the shooting effect to be substandard due to budget issues."

After Eric signed his name on the report, Julio could use it to approve the money, and the filming of the movie officially started.

Dismissing him, Eric turned his attention back to the scene.

After last night's nourishment, although the Olsen sisters were not full yet, their resentment had dissipated, and the eyes they looked at Eric were much kinder.

The shooting went very smoothly and I had been working for half a day before I knew it.

After lunch, there was a one-hour break as usual.

Eric left Studio 4 and walked to Studio 6 not far away. "The Devil Wears Prada" was stationed here today and was filmed in Studio 6.

When we arrived at the studio, we saw Patty Jenkins holding an apple from a distance, chewing on it and staring at the monitor screen.

The two hadn't seen each other for more than a month. The last time he asked me to approve money, Eric was in retreat working on the script for "House of Cards", so he made the decision directly over the phone.

"Hi Patty, long time no see."

Hearing the familiar voice, Patty Jenkins raised her head, opened her arms and hugged Eric.

"Eric, why are you here?"

"Listen to what you are saying, I am filming in Studio 4, don't you know?"

"But isn't the filming of "Transformers" finished? Isn't there something that I'm not satisfied with, so reshoots are being done."

Eric frowned speechlessly: "After all, we worked together, and I gave you 8 million U.S. dollars. You are half a member of MGM, but you don't care what happens at home."

"Of course there are no reshoots for "Transformers". I started another project. I originally wanted you to continue to be the assistant director, but now the opportunity has been given to someone else."

Patty Jenkins was a little strange: "What about "Transformers"?"

"Only the post-production special effects and soundtrack are left."

"What! Is the editing finished?"

But she immediately reacted: "Oh, I was almost confused. You are not an ordinary director. You shoot to complete the film, and the editing is naturally very fast."

"Yeah, it was done in less than a week." Eric smiled and held out a finger.

Patty Jenkins shook his head: "After working with you on a shoot, I feel like I was also affected and unconsciously used your shooting mode."

"It's the kind of thing where you first build a complete plot in your mind, then divide the scenes into shots one by one, and finally shoot them in one go."

As she said this, she took out the thick script and said, "Let me show it to you. This is my preparation."

Holding this script of several hundred pages, Eric flipped through it and found that most of it was divided into shots.

He couldn't help laughing: "It seems you have grasped the essence, Patty! In fact, many directors use this shooting technique, including Chris Columbus in the United States, Zhang Yimou in China, Bong Joon-ho in South Korea, etc."

"Hey, what are you talking about? Can I join in?"

Not far away, the dressing room door opened, and a woman with a sinister face and a fierce look came over.

Her clothes are sloppy, her voice is vulgar, and she even has bare eyes without eyebrows, which makes her look unpleasant and scary.

But Eric knew very well that this was just the result of makeup technology. When this makeup was washed away, she would become the most beautiful South African diamond.

Even in Hollywood where there are so many beauties, she is still the one with the best looks.

Not only is this the case today, but it will still be the most beautiful twenty years later.

Charlize Theron, you emperor!

Mandela said she was the person who truly put South Africa on the map.

Hawking commented on her: Even in infinite parallel universes, you would not be able to date Charlize Theron.

"Hello, Theron."

Eric reached out.

Theron pointed at his face and looked at Eric in surprise: "No, can you still recognize my dignity now?"

"Of course, you are Charlize Theron, the dream of countless men."

"Hahahaha Mr. Cooper, you are really good at talking. First time meeting, Charlize Theron!"

Their hands were intertwined briefly. Although the makeup made her face look fierce, the skin on her hands was still as soft as silk.

"Theron, how do you accept your current face? Don't you have nightmares?"

"Of course I do. I don't dare to look in the mirror after putting on makeup. I will doubt myself, where is Charlize Theron?"

"Then why do you still want to take on this drama? Seeing what you are like now, this kind of sacrifice is indeed a bit big."

Theron looked at Patty Jenkins: "On the one hand, I like challenges, and this role is complex and profound; on the other hand, the director kept harassing me, trying to convince me that I could handle this role. Maybe she gave it to me. Ecstasy soup, in short I was convinced.”

The three of them laughed together.

Eric said: "You will never regret "The Devil Wears Prada". I have a hunch that you will win an Oscar for this role."

"Really?" Theron's eyes widened in surprise.

Then he waved his hand and said, "It's impossible. Although being ugly will win the favor of the academy, but since my debut, I haven't even received a single nomination from a labor union, let alone an Oscar. They don't like me."

"No, believe me, you will definitely win the Oscar for Best Actress. I'm not talking about being nominated, but winning!" Eric said very confidently.

Seeing that he looked so serious and not joking, both women were a little surprised.

Because everyone knows that it is impossible to win several Oscars without public relations. There is more than one good film every year, and there are many excellent actors.

One-sided crushing rarely happens. As long as you are nominated, it means you are strong.

So how can you ensure that you win the prize when everyone is so close? Of course, I spent money on public relations.

It's normal to throw away tens of millions of dollars in order to win a big prize, something Weinstein knows best.

And once Eric is sure that "The Devil" will win the award, he will inevitably spend a large amount of public relations fees, which are real dollars, more expensive than the cost of film production.

Theron also said solemnly: "Mr. Cooper, since you said so, it seems that I have to go all out."

Patty also spoke: "Then I have to keep improving. Boss, if the $8 million is spent, can I add more?"

Eric chuckled and replied with Patty Jenkins' hopeful eyes: "What a beautiful idea!"