China Entertainment started from cutting off the Hu in 1995

Big productions are not for everyone. For some young actors, being able to appear in a big production is a joy to death, but this is not the case for those who are already famous. The higher the cost, the greater the risk. A production worth 100 million yuan is okay, but when it reaches a level of 200 million yuan, few people can really say that they can handle this box office.

Just when Li Zizi and his agent were both anxious about this, the phone rang.

The agent answered the phone: Hello, this is Leonardo...ah, Director Wu! Of course, Leonardo is in Los Angeles. He has time, no problem!

After Li Zi heard part of the conversation, his ears perked up. After his agent hung up the phone, he immediately asked: Which Director Wu is it? Is it John Wu?

The agent smiled and shook his head: No, it's Wu Yuchen, the director of the hit Black Hole Frequency!

Everyone in the industry knows about Black Hole Frequency, which exceeded 100 million in 10 days. Leonardo asked again: What does he want from me?

Invite us to discuss the script this afternoon. The agent went over and patted him on the shoulder.

Xiao Lizi also raised his arms and shouted: Yes!

It’s not that he is eager to meet Wu Yuchen or work with him, but now there is finally a project willing to contact him, and a director with a film worth 100 million yuan has taken the initiative to contact him, which allows him to take advantage of this period of accumulation. The depression and anxiety have also eased a lot.

…

In a private room, Wu Yuchen was waiting for Xiao Lizi who came to the door.

Now Titanic has become a joke due to its extremely high cost. Basically no one in Hollywood is optimistic that this movie can make back its money. Even Fox itself is pessimistic. But there is no way, they have been completely kidnapped by this movie and must bite the bullet.

But no one could have predicted how brilliant it would be, not only making the truck driver the King of the World, but also making Leonardo DiCaprio a top star in Hollywood and even the world!

As long as Leonardo DiCaprio is the leading actor, the publicity and exposure of Sniper Phone Booth will no longer be a problem.

There is the simplest comparison. It is also a Western costume drama produced with 35 million yuan. The Man in the Iron Mask starring Leonardo DiCaprio was released during the popularity of Titanic, with a box office of 180 million. However, DiCaprio rejected it and chose Tobey Maguire. My Ride with the Devil was a box-office hit at my grandma's house, and Li An himself couldn't even talk about it. It is estimated that Li An regretted not signing Li Zizi in the first place, and his intestines were filled with regret.

This is the appeal of Leonardo DiCaprio after Titanic!

This is also the reason why Wu Yuchen originally wanted to use Hugh Jackman as a spare tire and had to wait for DiCaprio.

And the current gap period is the best time for Wu Yuchen to recruit Xiao Lizi to be the leading actor. If it passes this month, there will be no chance. Therefore, the reason why he hurriedly started looking for producers to prepare the crew last month was to start filming as soon as possible.

He wants Phone Booth to be Leonardo DiCaprio's first movie to be released after Titanic. In his previous life, this opportunity was missed by The Man in the Iron Mask, but this time he wants to win DiCaprio's headache!

A knock on the door interrupted Wu Yuchen's thoughts, and then he saw the prosperous and beautiful Xiao Lizi walking into the room accompanied by his manager.

Wu Yuchen stood up with a smile to greet him. Upon seeing this, Xiao Lizi also greeted Wu Yuchen enthusiastically:

Hello, Director Wu! In fact, I was deeply impressed by you as early as this year's Berlin Film Festival. Your work Lola Run really surprised me!

Wu Yuchen also laughed and said: Berlin Best Actor, Leonardo, you are also fresh in my memory! When I saw you at that time, I wanted to work with you once in the future!

The two do have a bit of a connection. At the Berlin Film Festival in February this year, one won the Best Director and the other won the Best Actor.

Li Zi looked at Wu Yuchen and sighed in his heart. At the beginning of the year, he only won the Berlin Best Director. He didn't expect that he would be promoted to the billion-dollar director so quickly!

The United States has always thought highly of itself, and Hollywood's attitude towards the three major European awards is just average. Not to mention comparing with the Oscars, even the Golden Globe Awards are quite inferior. After all, many people in the United States don't pay attention to foreign affairs at all. Therefore, in Hollywood, the weight of a director worth 100 million yuan is far more important than the three major European awards.

After a few pleasantries, Wu Yuchen stopped talking nonsense and took out the script of Sniper Phone Booth and asked DiCaprio to read it.

The male protagonist of Sniper Phone Booth can be said to be a bastard who pursues fame and wealth and lies constantly. Of course, he has never done any serious evil, and the entire movie is a human trial of him by the mastermind behind the scenes. Under the pressure of death, the male protagonist went from being arrogant at the beginning to finally collapsing. He revealed all his secrets and confessed all his sins in front of the public.

This character is not a good person, he is a jerk among ordinary people, but he is full of tension, and for DiCaprio... this kind of character is exactly his favorite!

When everyone mentions Leonardo DiCaprio, their first impression is of Jack in Titanic, which is all about his great beauty. But in fact, this guy's favorite role in the early days was really not a handsome man.

Ever since he entered the industry, he has always had a literary dream and a desire to pursue awards. Take a look at these roles that DiCaprio has played in the past:

The tortured and tortured teenager in Boys' Life, the mentally retarded Yani in A Different Sky, the drug-addicted teenager Jamie in The Edge Diary, the melancholy gay man in Total Eclipse, are worthy of their reputation. Calling all kinds of marginalized people!

It was in the past two years that, with the persuasion of his agent, he began to move closer to mainstream movie roles, starring in Romeo and Juliet, Titanic, The Man in the Iron Mask and so on.

But now DiCaprio still has a fondness for this abnormal character deep down in his heart, especially the high quality of the script of Sniper Phone Booth, which completely attracted him.

After reading the script, DiCaprio raised his head in surprise: Director Wu, I love your story so much!

The agent pulled Xiao Lizi and told him not to show his emotions in such a hurry, which would not be conducive to his subsequent negotiations.

Wu Yuchen smiled, and then asked directly: Leon, how are you? Are you interested in being the leading actor in my play?

DiCaprio smiled politely this time: Of course, I really hope to join Sniper Phone Booth!

At this time, the agent next to him also spoke at the right time: Director Wu, can you ask me about the Sniper Phone Booth project? Which company's project is it? How much is the investment? And the shooting time...

Wu Yuchen naturally has no intention of hiding this kind of thing: This is an independent film, produced by a company I established myself. The investment is about 10 million to 12 million...

When the agent heard this, he couldn't help but frown slightly. His previous plan for Xiao Lizi was to hope that he would rely more on the mainstream, and it would be best to take on more projects from the eight major companies in the future, but the other party happened to be an independent producer, and the cost was so low...

How much salary are you willing to pay Leonardo?

When Wu Yuchen heard this, he held out three fingers: 3 million, for our crew, is already very sincere!

The agent thought about it for a while. When DiCaprio took over the filming of Titanic, his salary was 2.5 million. Six months ago, he was paid 3.5 million for The Man in the Iron Mask. The other party was now willing to give 3 million, which was indeed within his acceptable range. Moreover, the crew of about 10 million yuan is willing to give 3 million yuan to the male protagonist, which is very sincere.

The agent glanced at Xiao Lizi, and Xiao Lizi also indicated with his eyes that he could accept the salary.

Here Wu Yuchen continued:

What about the shooting time? I hope to be able to shoot as soon as possible. My crew has been preparing for half a month. I think it should be completed in about two weeks. The shooting location is on Fifth Avenue in Los Angeles. The application from the municipal department The permission will come when the time comes...

Hearing this, the agent and Xiao Lizi couldn't help but look at each other, and then Xiao Lizi couldn't help but said:

Director Wu, but Titanic will be released on December 19th. In fact, I will soon cooperate with Fox to carry out intensive promotional activities...

Wu Yuchen pondered for a moment, and then said: I can wait until the end of the month to turn it on. By then, your premiere promotion will be over, and the Christmas promotion will be almost done. Moreover, the filming of this movie is very simple, and the shooting speed will be very fast. It will be over in half a month.”

Director Wu, I think we need to go back and discuss it again. Thank you very much for your consideration of Leonardo!

After a while, Wu Yuchen looked at the back of Xiao Lizi and his agent leaving, and sighed, the decision was not in his hands. He could see that when he and Xiao Lizi were exchanging scripts and roles just now, Xiao Lizi was still very excited, but being excited was one thing, and whether he was willing to continue or not was another matter.

After DiCaprio and his agent went back, the agent asked: Leon, do you really want to take on this drama?

Of course! Apart from anything else, this script is really great. It is not the kind of literary movie you object to. The story is very fast-paced. If it can be made, it will be wonderful!

And Director Wu is indeed a talented director. Didn't he just prove himself with Black Hole Frequency?

The agent nodded, then patted Little Plum:

Leon, calm down first. We must be cautious now. I don't deny that this is a good script. Director Wu is a talented director, but this is a small-cost independent film, and it is not like Harvey's A large company is behind this, which may be a problem in terms of publicity.

You should understand that the success of a movie is not only about the movie itself, but also about its operation and promotion. What I hope now is that you can accept a movie invitation from the Eighth Film Festival. In this case, even if Titanic fails, you will have a chance to make a comeback with this movie.

But we can't find any other opportunities now, can we? Sniper Phone Booth is the only one that has come to our door at the moment. Xiao Lizi said.

The agent also sighed after hearing this. This is the reality. He was pacing back and forth. Leonardo was his best artist, and now he was at a critical juncture, so he had to be careful in his decision-making.

Now Titanic is being criticized, and they are insiders of the crew and know more about the situation. Fox executives have argued with Cameron countless times. Originally, Fox wanted to reduce the movie to two hours in order to increase the number of screenings, but Cameron jumped on the ball and said that no one could make the movie unless he was killed first. Cut it off!

In the end, Fox had no choice but to release a three-hour version. In this case, theaters were unwilling to give too many openings, so Titanic was even more poorly regarded by the outside world.

Leon, judging from the current situation, there is a high probability that Titanic will fail, so your choice of next movie is very critical. If Titanic fails, your salary will at most drop significantly. Everyone will Say it's because of Cameron, you can still make independent films, but if another film fails, it will really be ruined!

After hearing what his agent said, Xiao Lizi couldn't help but temporarily suppress his love for Sniper Phone Booth. He knew that what his agent said was right, and now was his critical moment.

…

That night, Wu Yuchen received a call from Xiao Lizi.

Leon, how are you thinking?

Oh, Director Wu, I'm sorry, I really like the script Sniper Phone Booth and I really want to cooperate with you, but my current situation...

Leonardo's somewhat regretful words came from the other side of the phone.

Wu Yuchen immediately frowned: Leon, what's the reason? Is it because the pay is low? Or is it because the shooting time conflicts with your promotional time?

No, no, Director Wu, these are not problems. You should understand my situation. I was put in a very embarrassing situation by Titanic. I will not allow me to fail in my next movie. If it was one or two years ago , I would not hesitate to accept Sniper Phone Booth, but I no longer have the qualifications to be willful...

Wu Yuchen understood now, because this was a small-budget independent film with no big company to rely on, and the other party was worried about failure.

Leon, are you worried about the publicity and distribution of the movie? Don't worry, the publicity and distribution of the movie will not be a problem.

Wu Yuchen naturally knew that after Titanic, Leo would naturally gain exposure, but he couldn't say this.

At this time, DiCaprio's agent answered the phone: Sorry, Director Wu, it's not that we don't trust you, but you should also know that it is difficult for Hollywood movies to succeed without operations and promotion. Even for companies like Lucasfilm The launch of the Star Wars and Raiders of the Lost Ark series also rely on the eight major distribution channels and publicity operations. Leonardo cannot tolerate mistakes now...

After hanging up the phone, Wu Yuchen frowned. Originally, he thought about finding a second-rate publisher, and then taking advantage of the popularity of DiCaprio, he could take off directly. But now it seems that Xiao Lizi is very cautious. If it is not a big factory, he would not dare to participate now.

Wu Yuchen thought for a while and then dialed the phone number of producer James, intending to have a good chat with him about the publicity issues.

…

Time has passed, and DiCaprio can no longer think so much. He has already invested in the publicity work of Titanic, and this big ship has begun to make its presence known to the public on a large scale.

On December 14, Titanic held its American premiere in Los Angeles. This premiere is five days ahead of the release on the 19th. Fox wants to let word of mouth ferment for a few days in advance to achieve a good opening weekend box office as much as possible.

However, the heroine Ruth was absent from the premiere. Actor Kate Winslet went to attend the funeral of her ex-boyfriend, leaving the leading actor DiCaprio to walk the red carpet alone. This also cast a shadow on Xiao Lizi's heart.

Five days later, Titanic was released to the public under the spotlight.

After midnight, Xiao Lizi sat on a chair and kept shaking his legs to relieve his nervousness. In the room, director Cameron sat silently. A few steps away from him were Fox's senior executives. They couldn't sleep at all at this time, and they all came in person to wait for the box office data.

Although everyone is pessimistic about the future of movies due to the negative outlook from the outside world, they still hold hope in their hearts. Maybe it will happen?

After a while, a staff member came in with a data file. When he saw so many big shots focusing on him, he couldn't help but swallowed because he had just read the data and it was not good.

How much? a Fox executive asked immediately.

The staff member forced out a smile that was uglier than crying: 8.66 million.

What?!

Did you read that correctly?

Several exclamations of disbelief rang out, and Cameron stepped forward and grabbed the document directly, but it clearly read the first-day box office of Titanic: 8.66 million.

A huge production with an investment of 250 million US dollars, the box office on the first day did not even reach 10 million. This almost broke Cameron's heart and turned his face a little pale.

Others also grabbed the document from his hand and looked at it. After a while, they started to curse.

Cameron, you bastard! You should wipe your neck with the razor you prepared to apologize!

After Cameron quarreled with Fox executives after editing, he came out with a razor blade and said that the movie failed, so he personally scratched out the screen of his editing machine with the razor blade and stopped directing in the future.

The scolding also woke up Cameron, and he said harshly: This is only the first day, this is just the beginning!

Although everyone thought he was quibbling, Fox had nothing to do. A senior executive also consoled him:

“That’s right, it’s only the first day now, the word of mouth was very good when we premiered, maybe it will get better tomorrow!

Leonardo, your promotion must not stop these two days, and try to attract more viewers!

Xiao Lizi nodded numbly, but in his heart he already felt that the movie was about to end...

On Saturday, the box office was 10.67 million.

Sunday, 9.3 million.

Titanic opened with $28.63 million.

As soon as this result came out, everyone on the crew, including the Fox executives, felt completely finished...

Hollywood has conducted professional surveys before. For commercial popcorn movies, the box office in the first two weeks accounts for 70% of the total box office. Of course, the better the reputation, the lower the proportion.

But Titanic had a ridiculously low weekend box office!

Waterworld, released two years ago, also had more than 20 million in its first weekend, and the final global box office was 255 million. The cost of Titanic is much higher than that of Future Water World!

The media began to ridicule the movie, saying that for Fox, the movie was as big a disaster as the sinking of the Titanic. Some people even say that Fox can already start filing for bankruptcy protection...

DiCaprio and his agent stood blankly facing each other.

Xiao Lizi's expression was dull and he asked stupidly: Will Bada come to me now?

The agent said bitterly:

“I didn’t expect that the box office on the opening weekend would be so bad...

If I had known earlier, I should have asked you to take Sniper Phone Booth!

Xiao Lizi thought of several starring actors in Future Water World, all of whom were greatly affected by their stardom. They either transitioned to behind the scenes or directly became actors in TV series.

And now Titanic is in a worse situation than Future Water World...

At this moment, the cell phone rang, and Xiao Lizi silently picked it up and answered:

Hello, Leon, I am Wu Yuchen.

Xiao Lizi wanted to say that he was not well at all now, but Wu Yuchen's call still made some ripples in his heart. Could it be...

Wu Yuchen continued: Leon, I watched Titanic and it was really great! Your performance was also outstanding. I think everything will be fine in the future!

Thank you, Director Wu! Xiao Lizi thanked him sincerely. Anyone who could still call at this time was really doing it for his own good, rather than being a snobbery snobbery.

Leon, I invite you again to be the leading actor in Sniper Phone Booth. How about it?

A warm current surged out of Xiao Lizi's heart. Unexpectedly, Wu Yuchen had been waiting for him, so he couldn't help but ask: Director Wu, aren't you worried about the movie being criticized due to my influence?

Hahaha, Leon, I'm optimistic about you! Even if you fail this time, it's nothing. I believe you will become famous in the future!

By the way, I will still give you 3 million as a salary. And you don’t have to worry about publicity anymore. I contacted Sony Columbia for distribution and invested 10 million in publicity fees!

How about it, Leon, do you have any concerns?

Xiao Lizi was shocked when he heard this!

When the movie he starred in failed at the box office in the first weekend and the whole world was laughing at them, when he was at his most desperate, Wu Yuchen was actually willing to offer himself a salary of 3 million yuan, and also added so much publicity fee !

He really made me cry to death!

It was like a ray of light illuminated him at the darkest moment in his life. Xiao Lizi's eyes were about to become wet, and a steady stream of emotions came to his heart. He just felt that he was willing to do anything Wu Yuchen asked him to do now!