China Entertainment 2000.

Chapter 272 Breaking through the siege, a box office hit in North America [5000 words]

The North American box office of the non-English film "War for the Planet of the Apes" in its first week was US$150 million, and its attendance rate was less than 3%, which is in line with the rules of the North American film market.

After all, since the North American film market began, there has only been one foreign language film with a box office of over 100 million US dollars in the North American market, "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon."

Moreover, "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" has Hollywood Pictures behind it, is blessed by the awards season, and has ancient Chinese Kung Fu as a marketing point.

Compared with Ang Lee's "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon", a popular local Hollywood movie, "Apes" has a passable plot, poor special effects technology, and an unknown investor.

It is easy for a foreign film to adapt to the local environment, and "Apes" has so many flaws, and there is nothing worthy of being talked about by North American audiences. It is natural that the movie box office is not high.

Many North American filmmakers, film critics, and media people praised "Apes" and at the same time happily sentenced the film to death at the box office.

The box office of "Apes" has stagnated and has no further growth. The North American film market has just another movie that was well-received but not a hit. It doesn't matter. Hollywood welcomes similar movies.

However, the competition for box office in the North American film market has begun in the new week.

"Heavenly Kingdom" has more than 3000 screens and has a box office of more than 300 million yuan a day.

"We came from Chinatown. Unlike previous Chinese movies, "Planet of the Apes" did not give priority to movie theaters near Chinatown."

"Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" and "Kung Fu" he imported from Asia did not make money for Colombia.

Film conglomerate Sony Columbia relied on being the majority shareholder of AMC Theaters, the largest theater chain in North America, to forcefully secure more than 3500 screens for "The Legend of Zorro."

The film's box office was 1600 million US dollars in the first week of its release. On the first day of the second week, it only received more than 3500 million US dollars in box office from more than 100 screens.

"The movie is good, the special effects are a bit bad, and I'm not talking about Kingdom of Heaven and The Legend of Zorro, they're like shit."

Another big production movie, The Legend of Zorro.

"I was studying in New York and was recommended by my classmates to watch "Planet of the Apes". This is not a Chinese movie in the traditional sense. The movie gave me a lot of inspiration to protect animals, love peace, and protect the environment. I joined Animals not long ago. Conservation, World Peace, Protect the Environment and other organizations.”

Manhattan, New York.

Office of the President, Sony Columbia Pictures Shore.

On the streets of Manhattan, several girls talked nonstop to reporters.

On the other hand, "Planet of the Apes: A Trapped Beast" released at the same time:

On Monday, July 7, "War for the Planet of the Apes" took in $8 at the box office.

Is it because he doesn't want to introduce "Planet of the Apes"? Even if he signs a box office sharing agreement with Yixin, he is still willing to introduce Jiang Liu's movies.

“I’m from the Bronx, and my friends and I came to Manhattan after seeing good reviews of Planet of the Apes on YouTube.”

Thinking of the president of AMC theaters mocking him for not being qualified to interfere in theater affairs.

"My family is from New York and we're going to Universal Studios."

Now that things have happened, he has become the scapegoat?

"The movie is pretty good, but it's a bit difficult to read the subtitles. The AMC theater chain is so bad. There are no movies scheduled in the Bronx, which is across the river from Manhattan."

Knowing that there was no point in arguing with his boss, Bernard suppressed his displeasure and said sincerely: "Xiaoer, I can talk to Jiang Liu again, but Columbia has to promise a share of the box office."

"The Legend of Zorro and Sony Columbia Pictures have been terrible, and the marketing and distribution process is disgraceful. From Xx: Nation, to The Fairy Wife, to The Secret Service, to today's "The Legend of Zorro", the painful memories of repeated defeats are unforgettable, Sony should take the initiative to release the film to "Planet of the Apes", which has a better reputation."

Jiang Liu's directorial style and artistic level may not be obvious enough and are unsatisfactory.

But he has revealed the talent that a good director should have. Jiang Liu's innovation and imagination are at their peak, no less than those of several top Hollywood directors.

Xiao turned off the TV with a livid face and fixed his gaze on Bernard opposite.

When it comes to Asian affairs, Bernard feels very unhappy.

The key is that he alone cannot make the decisions in Asia, and Jiang Liu is not as easy to talk to and control as Ang Lee and Zhou Xingchi.

The plot of the movie is in a mess, and North American audiences have been criticizing the film's sponsor, 21st Century Fox, director Ridley Scott, actors Orlando Bloom, Eva Green and others.

The middle-aged man interviewed pointed to the two children in front of him, a boy and a girl: "They like "Planet of the Apes" very much, especially Little Caesar. After watching the movie, they wanted to buy two Caesar dolls of the same style, but the salesperson said they didn't have them. Dolls, even character dolls, are terrible.”

"I'm very disappointed in Ridley Scott. Orlando Bloom should stop marketing the Elf Prince and the most handsome man in Hollywood. It's disgusting. I want to punch his nose out!"

Think of the unspeakable box office success of "The Legend of Zorro".

Los Angeles, California.

When Xiao saw this, his expression became even more ugly.

When he said he was optimistic about Jiangliu in the past, he did not mean it against his will. He was sincerely optimistic and believed that Jiangliu had a future.

A freelance film critic in Manhattan.

When this film was released, it was speculated by North American filmmakers, media, and audiences as another epic historical film.

There was also the rising reputation and box office of "Planet of the Apes". Shore said angrily: "Bernard, you have been in Asia for many years, why wasn't "Planet of the Apes" distributed by Columbia?"

Who wanted the movie to be released? North American audiences unanimously felt that they had been insulted and force-fed by the movie, causing the box office of "The Legend of Zorro" to pour like a flood.

On Wednesday, July 7, "War for the Planet of the Apes" hit a new single-day box office record, generating millions of dollars in box office from 10 screens.

On Tuesday, July 7, "War for the Planet of the Apes" took in a single-day box office of $9.

Bernard and Shore, who had helped Jiang Liu and Yixin successfully publish "Pirates" and "Saw 1" in North America, glanced at each other and hurriedly picked up their coffee.

"In order to watch "Planet of the Apes", I drove more than 600 kilometers from San Francisco to Los Angeles. FuckAMC and Huggins Cinemas. I want to cancel their membership."

It’s truly an epic movie, an epic bad movie.

At the entrance of a Huggins movie theater, a white girl in cool clothes raised her middle finger at the "NBC" camera.

Shore decisively refused, but was a little more tactful than before: "Columbia Pictures only accepts distribution buyouts. You can give Jiang Liu an appropriate price, a buyout price higher than "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" and "Kung Fu" .”

Bernard's mouth turned bitter. He and Jiang Liu communicated frequently.

When Jiang Liu bought out the distribution rights and split the box office into two cooperation models, he was determined to choose the latter, even if he suffered a loss, he did not complain.

Thinking of another hard job, Bernard cursed a few times, saying that Xiaoer was inhumane and that the official level was overwhelming, and then he asked for a price:

"I want $5000 million!"

Shore was dumbfounded for a moment, then became furious, clapped his hands, and pointed his finger at the tip of Bernard's nose: "Bernard, are you crazy? The distribution rights of a non-foreign language film are worth $5000 million?"

"How much did it cost to produce "Planet of the Apes"? US$2000 million? The production cost of "The Legend of Zorro" was only US$7000 million."

"You said you would spend 5000 million US dollars to buy out Chinese-language films. Why don't you use Colombia to replace them? Colombia just has too many people like you, and it has been losing money in recent years."

Bernard couldn't bear it anymore, stood up suddenly, and said angrily: "Shore, Columbia has been losing money since you became president. The sequel to "The Legend of Zorro" has been in preparation for nearly 10 years. With you here, Columbia It’s not going to get better.”

"I'm sorry that I can't do anything about the buyout of "Planet of the Apes". If you want to blame the failure of "The Legend of Zorro" on me, I'm waiting to go to the board of directors with you!"

"You are not qualified to sit on the board, Bernard. You are fired from now on. Pack your things and get out of Colombia."

"Shore, are you serious?"

Seeing that Xiao was indifferent, Bernard blushed and cursed:

"Fuck, Shore, I'm waiting for you to be voted out of Columbia by the board of directors, you idiot, black sheep!"

The sun was scorching in the sky, and Bernard looked at the sun without tears.

I think he has worked hard in Colombia over the years, and "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" and "Kung Fu" introduced from Asia have achieved remarkable results in North America.

Countless Asians raised eyebrows.

Countless North American filmmakers and audiences applauded the Asian films he introduced.

Unexpectedly, he was coveted by Colombia because of Asian movies, and was kicked out because of Asian movies.

"I remember there is a proverb in China that success is Xiaohe and failure is Xiaohe. It couldn't be more appropriate for me today."

Bernard sighed and took out his mobile phone. It was time to find his next job.

21st Century Fox President's Office.

[It might be more realistic if you replace text invitations from strangers with chance encounters. Who wants to market the love triangle between you, me and Orlando Bloom? Fox boss Tom Rothman? If so, it seems a bit silly. 】

Tom Rothman turned off the player in disappointment, shook his head at the people in front of him and said, "The recording given by Eva Green is meaningless. If it is released, it will only make people think that Fox is incompetent."

The publicity manager of "Heavenly Kingdom" frowned and said, "Fortunately, there are coffee photos of Jiang Liu and Eva. We'd better send them to the media now and let Fox News publish them tomorrow."

"The reputation of "Kingdom of Heaven" at the box office is very poor, and it urgently needs a hot scandal to make the audience continue to support this movie."

"I guess AMC theaters are no longer willing to swallow their anger. "The Legend of Zorro" and "Kingdom of the Apes" are destined to take at least half of the screens away from "Planet of the Apes", and the box office of "Planet of the Apes" will definitely soar."

"By then, Jiang Liu will be a Chinese-American director in Hollywood who is not inferior to Ang Lee. His love triangle with Orlando Bloom and Eva Green will be a sensation and drive "Kingdom of Heaven" to a certain box office. Tom, time has not waited for us, and it will be too late if we don't do it again. "

"The failure of "The Kingdom of Heaven" is imminent."

Tom Rothman hesitated for a moment: "Listening to the recording, Jiang Liu obviously knew Fox's little thoughts. The coffee photos are not bed photos. Is it better to sue "Planet of the Apes" for plagiarizing "War for the Planet of the Apes" and market "Kingdom of the Apes"?"

The publicity manager shook his head categorically: "It's inappropriate. It's easy to steal the chicken but lose the rice. Besides, Eva Green and Orlando are starring in "Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes" and not "War for the Planet of the Apes."

"First let the box office crisis of "Kingdom of Heaven" turn around, and then slowly discuss plagiarism. Otherwise, how can we let James Cameron, a bastard, film his Little Blue Man!"

Tom Rothman: "He ran out of production money again?"

"Yes."

"Fuck!" Tom Rothman couldn't help but said harshly.

Los Angeles Hilton Hotel.

He Jing walked hurriedly and stood next to Jiang Liu before she had time to wipe the sweat from her forehead.

Jiang Liu put down the mouse and turned around, curiously asking: "What's the matter, so urgent?"

He Jing swallowed her dry throat and said: ""Orangutan" was a box office hit in the mainland. The total box office in the first three days plus the first three days was 8200 million yuan. The single-day box office of the Capital China Star Cinema reached an unprecedented 49 yuan, breaking all previous box office records. record.”

"From 8:20 in the morning to 12:45 in the evening, the venue was full."

"Yesterday, the small road in front of the West Third Ring Road was blocked by movie fans and was paralyzed, which put a lot of pressure on the traffic police. They could only restrict left turns, and all pedestrians could only go straight in a detour. Because there were too many people buying tickets, the cinema could not accommodate them. , yesterday we were forced to persuade hundreds of people to retreat."

"It's a good thing." Jiang Liu said unclearly: "So? What are you anxious about?"

He Jing said impatiently: "President Han, management, and theater chain owners have called us one after another, urging us once again to return to China to promote and forget about North America."

"Moreover, the sales of "Apes" are also very good in Korea and Japan. The Japanese publisher LDH, including CJ Lee Meijing, the president who has returned to Korea, hopes that you will fly to Japan and South Korea with the creative team immediately."

Jiang Liu curled his lips: "They treat me as a waiter in my hotel? And they ordered me to be fucked!"

He Jing looked embarrassed.

She is now Jiang Liu's housekeeper in North America.

The news about "Orangutan" in China, South Korea, Japan, and several small Asian countries first went around and then came to her.

So she is very aware of the popularity of "Apes" after its release in several countries.

And how strong the desire of several countries is to invite Jiang Liu to promote in their own countries.

She was in charge of Yixin's overseas distribution, and the publisher put pressure on her from the boss.

Jiang Liu's face was sullen, and He Jing's heart trembled, and he asked tentatively: "What's the reply from Mr. Han?"

"Columbia has reached a strategic cooperation with Sina Entertainment. He learned from Sina that "Orangutan" was not taken seriously by North American theaters, and he insisted on asking you to return."

"Say that your influence is mainly domestic."

Jiang Liu played with the memory card in his hand, frowned and said, "Wait, wait for another week at most. If "Planet of the Apes" doesn't expand the number of screens within a week, it will be so popular that it will be difficult for the box office to grow."

He Jing felt helpless, but she could only bite the bullet and say hello to domestic and foreign issuers.

She actually didn't know what Jiang Liu was obsessed with.

AMC wanted to give "Apes" 50 screens two days ago, but Jiang Liu gave up.

Huggins also talked about adding a screen, but Jiang Liu also gave up.

She really couldn't figure out what Jiang Liu was going to do.

Of course, this may be related to the fact that she has been entangled in Asian affairs and has never had time to surf the Internet or contact North American media people.

If she had contacted it, she would have discovered that there were more and more scoldings about theater discrimination on the Internet, more and more cries of sympathy for "Planet of the Apes", and more and more positive reviews from major film critics.

On the contrary, the criticism of "Kingdom of Heaven" and "The Legend of Zorro", which occupied a large number of screens, became more and more fierce.

In the minds of North American audiences, the two movies are now just occupying the manhole and not giving up.

Jiang Liu is waiting for AMC theaters to completely compromise, for 21st Century Fox to release the scandal, and for "Kingdom of Heaven" and "The Legend of Zorro" to absorb more firepower.

"Jingle Bell"

"Hey Jiang, Dick wants to talk. AMC Cinemas is willing to devote 1400 screens to support "Planet of the Apes"."

Jiang Liu was instantly excited. He stood up slowly and suppressed his excitement before calmly saying, "Fellman, promise him."

"One more thing, you were on Fox News with Eva Green and Orlando."

"Why, do you know each other?"

"This is not good news. As early as during the filming of "Kingdom of Heaven", Fox began to hype the scandal between Eva Green and Orlando. North American audiences are very open-minded, but third parties who interfere in other people's romances and destroy other people's families are not guilty. Forgive me."

Jiang Liu seemed confident: "Let Fox fire him, they can't produce any substantial evidence."

Friday, August 8th.

"Planet of the Apes" has been available in North America on 50 screens for just over a week.

The past week has been extremely difficult for Jiang Liu, "Planet of the Apes" and the film's distributor.

But with the arrival of a new Friday, North American viewers suddenly discovered that there are more urban channels where they can watch "Planet of the Apes".

Movie fans in San Francisco no longer have to drive several hours to Los Angeles.

Audiences in Burks no longer need to cross the river to Manhattan to feast their eyes on it.

Even if you are in Albuquerque, you can still quietly enjoy "Planet of the Apes: A Trapped Beast", which is rated as a great summer movie by YouTube netizens.

Caesar's "NO" finally resounded throughout North America, resounding every day in North America.

Along with "NO", it was hotly discussed by North American netizens and appeared on TV. The media also reported a Chinese director Jiang Liu and the love triangle related to him.

Fermented public opinion.

Hunger marketing.

A movie plot that is in line with the values ​​of North American audiences.

The love triangle scandal broke through the North American media blockade.

Competitors of the same period who cannot hold up the wall through mud.

The favorable factors created by Jiang Liu for "Orangutan" have finally gathered together.

In just three days on August 8th, 12th, and 13th, the non-English film "Planet of the Apes" grossed US$14 million at the box office in the North American film market.

The US$3100 million box office broke all box office records set by non-English films, and also surpassed Hollywood's big-budget movies "Kingdom of Heaven" and "The Legend of Zorro" to become the North American box office champion for the new week.

In the third week of "Apes"'s North American release, the number of screening venues and screens has increased again.

The number of screens has increased from an unprecedented 2300 to 3000. Five theater chains in North America have taken action, pushing the number of screens for this non-local movie to a new level.

This is a screen count achievement that has never been achieved by a non-English language film.

In the third week of its North American release, "Apes" once again grossed US$2700 million at the box office, a decline rate far less than the 30% of normal movies.

Careful people in Hollywood are aware of a serious problem. The North American market has been established for so many years, and I am afraid that a foreign film will really take over 100 million US dollars in box office.

(End of this chapter)