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"cheers!"

Everyone cheered. A small banquet was being held at this time. Everyone present was led by Warner executives and Wu Yuchen. Most of them were related to "Batman" and they were obviously celebrating.

Wu Yuchen's expected box office for "Batman" started at 600 million, but in fact this number was reached on the 18th day of release. The North American box office was 286 million, and the global box office exceeded 600 million.

This means that Warner has already made money just from the movie's box office revenue, not to mention various other copyright revenue.

Wu Yuchen also laughed. What he got was a share of the global box office. Based on the current box office of 600 million, 25% would be 150 million, and the final number would not be 600 million. Judging from the staying power of "Batman" , 700 million is basically a certainty, and 800 million can also be achieved. To this end, the crew of "Batman" also held a celebration party.

Both the actor Bell and the heroine Kate are very happy. The box office score of over 600 million has set a new high in their careers.

For Bell, he can use this to become an A-list actor in Hollywood. For Kate, who is over 30 years old, she can be the heroine in the "Batman" series at the end of her blooming season. This high exposure is enough to make her The commercial value has been improved again, and you can make a lot of money in the next few years.

When Kate asked Justin Wu if "Batman" could surpass "Spider-Man 3" at the box office, she was a little disappointed when she got a negative answer. But now she is no longer disappointed, even if it can't surpass "Spider-Man 3", But the box office performance of over 600 million is enough to make her excited.

The actors are happy, and Warner is naturally even happier. After all, the success of the first "Batman" gave the entire trilogy series a good start, which also allowed Batman to be resurrected directly, and the copyrights and peripheral products were greatly expanded. Sell.

At this time, Warner's executive Jeffrey was chatting happily with Wu Yuchen: "Congratulations, Wu, you succeeded again!"

Wu Yuchen smiled and clinked glasses with him: "Congratulations, it means a lot to Warner Bros. that Batman shines again~"

"It's really a right decision to cooperate with you!" Jeffrey said with emotion.

Wu Yuchen smiled when he heard this. He knew that the other party said this, firstly because of the success of "Batman", but also because of the unsatisfactory performance of "King Kong" released last year.

In 2004, two directors who received super high commissions were born at the same time.

One is Peter Jackson, who has reached a cooperation with Universal Pictures based on the success of the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy, and it is reported that he received 20% of the global box office share of "King Kong"; and the other is Wu Yuchen. , he won the box office championship with the super high box office of "Pirate King 2" of 1.38 billion that year. At the same time, he also reached a cooperation with Warner Bros. on the "Batman" trilogy and signed a super high share of 25%.

Therefore, the box office results of Peter Jackson and Wu Yuchen must be compared.

At the end of last year, "King Kong" was released first, with a production cost of 200 million and a final global box office of 519 million. To be honest, Global is not very satisfied with this result. With a production cost of 200 million plus promotion fees and a 20% director's share, the box office of 519 million will definitely not be able to recover the cost. In the end, it can only rely on other copyright income to make money.

Now it's the turn of John Woo's "Batman". The production cost of 140 million has now been converted into a box office of over 600 million in 18 days. This is not the end yet. This is obviously better than King Kong!

Although Wu Yuchen's 25% share is 5% higher than Peter Jackson's, Warner now feels that the extra 5% is really a good deal!

The production cost was 60 million less than that of "King Kong", but the box office was hundreds of millions higher, and the reputation was also better! And "Batman" is not just making money with this one, but there are also two follow-up ones!

Peter Jackson's filming of "The Lord of the Rings" is equivalent to already having the original work, which can be regarded as an adaptation, while Wu Yuchen's "Batman" trilogy is basically his own original script. Looking at it this way, Wu Yuchen has completely defeated Peter Jackson!

Thinking of this, the smile on Jeffrey's face became even brighter. Fortunately, he chose Wu Yuchen instead of Peter Jackson. If they hesitate for a while longer, Wu Yuchen might be signed by another major manufacturer. In that case, even if there is a script, Wu Yuchen will not have time to film it again.

Jeffrey asked: "Wu, do you have any plans for the second part of "Batman"?"

Obviously, the good results of "Batman" made Warner very interested in its sequel.

Wu Yuchen smiled and asked, "Jeffrey, are Warners in a hurry?"

Jeffrey immediately said: "No, no, Wu, you misunderstood. We are not in a hurry, but just necessary care. We at Warner want to learn more and cooperate with the filming of the sequel of "Batman" as much as possible according to your plan. ”

Wu Yuchen smiled lightly: "That's good. I have no plans to shoot a sequel to "Batman" in the short term, at least not this year. As you know, I am now the chief director of the 2008 Beijing Olympics. My main focus for the next two years must be on this.”

Jeffrey, who was still smiling just now, couldn't hold back anymore: "Well, Wu, I understand you very much. But you don't want to shoot a sequel after three years, do you?"

"What? Isn't it possible? If the "Batman" trilogy is extended, wouldn't it be more conducive to extending its cycle?"

Hearing what Wu Yuchen said, Jeffrey quickly advised: "Wu, you have participated in the "Pirate King" trilogy and the "Spider-Man" trilogy. You should be very clear that according to the rhythm of Hollywood, it is best not to have sequel movies. More than three years, otherwise the audience's enthusiasm will be exhausted, even if our protagonist is Batman."

According to Warner's vision, the best rhythm is one film every two years and three films every five years. This is the most perfect rhythm for a Hollywood trilogy movie. Once a sequel movie is too long, it will consume more marketing expenses if you want to regain the audience's attention and attention. Major studios like sequel movies not only because they make money, but from a marketing perspective, they can also save a lot of publicity and distribution costs.

So Jeffrey continued to ask: "There are still more than two years until the opening of your Olympic Games. Can't you take half a year?"

Wu Yuchen shook his head: "Jeffrey, the Olympics are very important to me, and also to my country. It is difficult for me to guarantee the time. I can only see the situation at any time."

"Four months?" Jeffrey asked again.

If we talk about sporadic time, then Wu Yuchen should have no problem making up 4 months in two years, but now the filming period must be continuous. Next year, 2007, is an important year in preparation for the Olympics. He cannot guarantee that it will last four consecutive months.

Wu Yuchen thought for a while and said: "Jeffrey, I can only spare 2 months at most next year."

Jeffrey immediately frowned when he heard this. The sequel to "Batman" will definitely have a higher budget than the first one, and the scenes will be more grand, and 2 months will definitely not be enough to shoot.

Not only does this make Jeffrey feel a little tricky, but if he waits until after the Olympics to shoot, it may have to be delayed until three or even four years before it can be released. However, Wu Yuchen is now resolute and has very valid reasons, so he cannot convince the other party.

Just when Jeffrey was a little worried about this and thinking about how to communicate with the company after returning to Warner, he only heard Wu Yuchen say:

"Jeffrey, I have a plan, let's see if you can accept it."

Jeffrey immediately responded: "What plan? Wu, tell me."

"You should know that many scenes of "Batman" were actually completed in the studio. So if Warner is really so anxious, I can spend 2 months next year shooting outdoor scenes in Chicago and London, and the rest All the time was spent shooting in China.”

Jeffrey was stunned when he heard this: "The rest of the scenes were filmed in China? You mean..."

Wu Yuchen smiled: "That's right, build a studio in China so that I can take care of "Batman" and the Olympics at the same time. The filming should be completed next year and released the year after that."

Jeffrey opened his mouth: "But, rebuild the studio and shoot in China? This will increase the production cost a lot, right?"

Wu Yuchen shrugged: "This is the only solution I can come up with to get the best of both worlds, although I may be more tired. Jeffrey, think about it, otherwise you will have to wait until after the Olympics."

Jeffrey sighed: "Wu, I can't decide this matter. I need to go back and report to the committee."

The advantage of this plan is that it will allow the film to be released as scheduled the year after next, but it will increase production costs. However, if it is delayed by one or two years, it may also consume more publicity and distribution expenses, which requires evaluation and discussion.

Wu Yuchen smiled upon seeing this: "Of course, but it's best to give me the answer as soon as possible. We all need to plan our arrangements for next year as early as possible."

Wu Yuchen had his own considerations in proposing this plan. On the one hand, it was indeed as he said, taking into account both the Olympics and movie shooting. On the other hand, it was also for Chinese movies.

The progress of movies does not just mean that the director is strong and the actors have good acting skills. It is the improvement of the entire system. The studio is an important part of the film industry. Many Hollywood movies are shot in the studio. In terms of the use of studios, to put it bluntly, China is 20 years behind Hollywood.

In the future, the development of Chinese films and large-scale production shooting are inseparable from studios, so Wu Yuchen also wants to take this opportunity to build a large studio similar to Hollywood in China, and at the same time, let domestic practitioners learn from Hollywood crews. Advanced experience contributes to Chinese films.

After discussing this matter, Jeffrey immediately extended an invitation to Wu Yuchen: "Wu, you must come to the premiere of "Superman Returns" next week!"

Wu Yuchen smiled when he heard this: "Of course, I will go to support it, and I also want to see what surprises "Superman Returns" will bring."

Jeffery heard this and smiled and said: "I'd like to lend you some good advice! To be honest, preparations for "Superman Returns" started ten years ago, and now it's finally released. I hope it will have a successful outcome!"

Wu Yuchen had also heard about the project "Superman Returns". He started planning it ten years ago. The script was already available. It went through many directors and many actors, and it was finally finalized two years ago. Come down.

Moreover, Warner is also very determined to restart "Superman". It can be seen from the investment. It initially set a huge investment of 350 million US dollars. Later, because the director and actors were not well-known, the final cost was reduced to 260 million US dollars. Even so, it is a huge cost in Hollywood, and it can be said to be one of the most expensive movies.

In comparison, John Woo's first "Batman" only cost 140 million US dollars. Of course, if you include his director's share, it will definitely be higher than "Superman Returns."

Wu Yuchen heard that "Superman" also made a trilogy plan, and the script was written. However, if Warner wants to shoot a sequel, the box office of this first "Superman Returns" must be at least 600 million US dollars, otherwise forget it, who makes it so expensive? Not to mention the publicity and distribution costs.

Thinking of this, Wu Yuchen laughed. I don’t know what Warner thinks about "Superman Returns" this time. It has invested so much, but it has not found a charismatic star, and there is no big director. It can be said that the box office appeal depends entirely on the "Superman" signboard. It can be said that it is all about the quality of the movie itself.

However, if it is still the same as the previous life, then the global box office of less than 400 million US dollars is estimated to directly put the "Superman" plan on ice. Wu Yuchen estimated that this time Warner’s money earned from "Batman" will all fill the hole of "Superman Returns".

That night, the heroine Kate came to Wu Yuchen's manor to celebrate. Anne Hathaway happened to be there, so Wu Yuchen and the two women had a harmonious three-way exchange.

"Wu, why are you so cruel to write me to death in the sequel? How can a heroine in a superhero movie be killed?" Kate asked Wu Yuchen during the break.

Wu Yuchen smiled and patted Kate's hips: "This is a script that has been written a long time ago. Didn't you know it from the beginning?"

"But... can't it be changed? I want to live to the third part~" Kate begged Wu Yuchen.

"Batman" is now very popular and the box office is constantly rising. Kate naturally hopes that she, the heroine, can participate more in it.

However, Wu Yuchen shook his head: "Kate, you know, this is impossible. Never mention this topic again in the future."

Although Wu Yuchen's tone was flat, Kate could naturally hear his determination from it. She sighed in her heart and had to give up.

Wu Yuchen would not change the script for a wild flower that he had played with twice. He chose her just because it was right.

She could still be the heroine in Batman 2, but according to the script, she would be killed in the plot. This was also an important step for the Joker to radicalize Batman and for Officer Dent to turn evil and become "Two-Face", so it was impossible to change.

Moreover, Wu Yuchen looked at the little baby Annie on the other side. When Batman 3 came out, he planned to leave the role of the heroine Catwoman to her.

He touched Annie's head. The obedient little cat that he had raised for so long was not comparable to Kate.