Once Upon a Time In Hollywood

  Chapter 395 Gambling and trivia

  However, the idea of ​​letting "World of Warcraft" replace "Avatar" and become the pioneering work of the 3D era is actually quite stupid.

  Because as long as he sticks to the rules and lets the truck driver follow his own plan, and when the time comes, invest a sum of money in the "Avatar" project, then the box office record in film history will definitely be included in Roland's pocket.

  Especially when all technologies are controlled by their own people, the risk is even zero!

  For a qualified traveler, this is actually the best investment.

   But who let Tor-Jo-Denning speak well?

The nature of capital is greedy, 50% of the profit can make it take risks, 100% of the profit can make it trample on all human laws, and when the profit reaches 300%, it dares to commit any crime. If peace and strife can bring it profit, then it will encourage turmoil and strife.

  In this way, the technological innovation that should be attributed to creation has become a simple math problem.

The global box office of "Avatar" is 2.79 billion. Based on 50% of the North American share and 40% of the overseas share, the profit attributable to the producer and distributor is 1.2 billion. , and then after deducting the publisher's commission, the producer can only get 921 million, and then the production cost and publicity cost of the entire movie are taken out to a total of 500 million. Taking into account the director's share, the profit of the entire film is only 421 million.

   On the surface, with an investment of 500 million yuan and a return of 421 million yuan, that is simply more powerful than robbery.

   But what about World of Warcraft?

  If this IP is successful, let alone a profit of 400 million, even if it is doubled by ten times, it will not exceed!

   It is true that in Roland's previous life, "Warcraft" was indeed a money-losing movie, with an investment of 160 million yuan and only a box office of 430 million yuan, but this kind of failure actually reflects the value of IP!

  Because Duncan Jones made the wrong entry point for the movie!

  He is ambitious to build "Warcraft" into the next "Lord of the Rings". From the very beginning, he has been telling the audience about the grand world view of the "Warcraft" series, but he has not used the most popular character in the history of the "Warcraft" series!

   Thrall's father, Durotan? Doomhammer Orgrim? Shadow Council Gul'dan? Void mage Medivh?

  The combined popularity of these characters can’t compare to Alsace, a dutiful son!

  The spiritual fusion of Alsace and Ner'zhul is the biggest turning point in the "Warcraft" series!

   The "Wrath of the Lich King" that was born is the most successful expansion piece in the "Warcraft" series!

   If you have to make an analogy, then this is Batman in DC and Spiderman in Marvel!

   If you don’t want to shoot a super popular character, do you have to work on the world view?

   If you don’t rush to the street, who will rush to the street?

  Even Warner, who likes to outsource, knows that if he wants to shoot, he can shoot first-line characters!

   What about Duncan Jones?

  The multi-perspective narrative structure makes the film have no focus, and the group portrait shooting method makes the film seem illogical. The so-called feelings are more about the flags in the game, the murlocs by the river, and the extremely rough sheep-changing technique.

  If these things can satisfy the feelings of fans, then things like feelings are too cheap!

   But even so, the box office of "Warcraft" is more than 400 million!

  Since the movie is so bad that the audience is willing to pay for it, then...

   Take a gamble with a super popular character, that is the guts a qualified capitalist should have!

   After all, capital dares to release a 300 billion loan with 3 billion principal through 40 rounds of leverage!

  Then Roland, how could he be intimidated by the 500 million small gamble?

   You know, even if you lose, you will only lose 500 million, and if you win, you will get a movie universe for nothing!

   It's just that the truck driver didn't immediately agree. In his words, it took a certain amount of time to think about it.

   Roland can accept such a reply. Anyway, it is still early, and there are still plenty of opportunities for communication between the two parties.

Of course, even if the two sides did not reach an agreement on changing the script, this does not mean that the truck driver will return empty-handed. The release of "Warcraft Films" will also be fully undertaken by Warcraft Films, and what the old man needs to do is to rush all the way towards the goal of film innovation.

  However, while the two parties reached an agreement, the contented old man still had doubts in his heart.

   "Roland?"

"Um?"

   "I asked you something."

"you say."

   "The Alsace you just described to me seems to be a tragic hero?"

   "That's right! His story is a tragedy. From a passionate young man who thought he could save the country to a powerless confusion and then to depravity and blackening, this transformation can make ordinary people feel the illusion of empathy."

   "I see, the core of this character is just like Spider-Man, miserable!"

   "..." With such words, Roland was speechless, "How is that possible! The core of this character is actually young and handsome!

  Because only in this way can the audience in front of the screen have a sense of substitution! "

   "Young and handsome? How young does he have to be? How handsome?"

   "Of course he must be younger than Leo, handsomer than both Leo and Tom!" Roland replied instinctively.

   "Oh..." Hearing what he said, the truck driver suddenly realized, "I think I understand."

   "???" Roland was at a loss, not understanding what the old man was doing, "What do you mean?"

   "I understand what you mean, don't you understand what I mean?"

  The old man smiled knowingly, patted Roland on the shoulder, and left with a list of items.

   At the same time, he also muttered in his heart—

  ‘Alsace Menethil is younger than Leonardo DiCaprio? '

  ‘Alsace Menethil is more handsome than Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Cruise? '

  ‘Then this…’

  ‘Isn’t it free? '

  ...

While using money to help truck drivers solve problems, the summer of 2001 has also entered a fierce battle stage. The "Scary Movie 2" and "Cats and Dogs", which were released on July 4th, fought together. Legally Blonde, out on July 13, and America's Honey, out on July 20, are rivals, but with Jurassic Park 3 and Planet of the Apes coming out, those aren't that big of a deal. Featured movies, all lying on the ground.

  And like the introduction film "Spirited Away", the game movie "Final Fantasy"...

   Even more so that there is not even scum left!

  Although the failure factor of "Final Fantasy" is related to the screenwriter, the incompatibility of American and Japanese culture is the root cause.

"Princess Mononoke", "Digimon" and "Spirited Away", which are super popular among Japanese people, are not worth mentioning in the eyes of North American people, while "Mission: Impossible", "Jurassic", "The Avengers" is also not well received by the Japanese public.

  This kind of cultural division is the root of Panasonic and Sony's denial of their own strategic plans.

  Unable to press other people’s heads and let others forcibly agree with themselves, the so-called cultural output is a silly slogan.

  Because of this, Panasonic sold Universal, but what about Sony?

  Although Sony Pictures Entertainment is a Japanese-funded company, in fact, they have always made American movies!

  Using American values ​​to tell American stories is the root of their survival, and if you abandon all this, let alone the Big Six, any third-tier company can crush them in terms of performance!

  No way, who makes the three views of people in the two countries different?

  ...

  However, Jackie Chan, who knows how to adapt, has achieved great success when the box office of Japanese movies is sluggish.

After releasing the co-produced movie "Rush Hour" in 1998, which perfectly blended Chinese Kung-fu and American comedy, with only 33 million investment, it scored a global box office of 240 million. This summer, he He put the same routine on the screen again, and continued to cooperate with funny Chris Tucker to bring you "Rush Hour 2".

With an investment of 90 million yuan, it earned 67 million yuan at the box office in the first weekend of its release, which directly broke the high record set by "X-Men" two months ago, and became the only one in the list of personal records except Roland Allen. , the highest-grossing movie in its opening weekend!

Although from the perspective of Chinese people, compared with Jackie Chan's famous works, "Rush Hour 2" is simply hip-stretching. The black man like a duck croaked on the screen, making Jackie Chan's personal charm plummet, but In the eyes of North American audiences, this kind of cooperation is a popcorn classic that the gunshot girl played happily!

no way…

  Who made the special effects develop so fast?

   Before the special effects grow wildly, Chinese Kung-fu is an unimaginable stunt for North American audiences. Jackie Chan's action scenes that challenge the death record are simply God descending.

   But after the explosion of special effects in the movie industry...

   More exciting shots are common!

  In this case, the biggest feature of Chinese Kung-fu is gone, because Hollywood's industrial system is enough to support them to make more cool things. If Jackie Chan doesn't make changes because of this, then leaving the scene on the street is the only ending.

  But even if Jackie Chan made concessions, he could not resist the general trend of the times with his own strength alone.

   "Rush Hour 2" is his last glory, and then he will slowly age until he runs up the stairs excitedly in the movie.

  ...

   Of course, "Rush Hour 2" isn't the only movie hitting theaters on August 3rd.

  Because "Princess Diaries" also landed in North American theaters that day.

   That's right!

   "Princess Diaries" and "Rush Hour 2" are movies of the same schedule, but the reason for this arrangement...

  Purely because the two parties are of different types and do not interfere with each other.

If "Rush Hour 2" is a popcorn movie for teenagers and kung fu lovers, then "Princess Diaries" is a Mary Su pink drama specially for girls. In the case of irrelevant cattle, the capital that wants to make a profit can of course live in harmony and share the market.

And when the major theaters in North America set up large-screen posters related to it, and when Anne Hathaway, who was wearing a white princess dress, showing her charming collarbone and smiling at the camera, was displayed, the girls who fell in love with her were also very excited. Buy tickets one after another.

   After they finished watching the movie and were bombarded by the story of a sparrow turning into a phoenix, the 2,200 box office in the first weekend made Anne Hathaway the hottest new star at the moment!

  In the major communities on the Internet, there have also been discussions about her—

   "Ah! Anne Hathaway is so beautiful!"

   "The scene where she was sitting on the ground in a princess dress and looking up at the camera looked like Audrey Hepburn!"

   "She still looks like Julia Roberts when she smiles!"

   "It's so beautiful! It's so beautiful! It's really beautiful!"

  Of course, if someone is obsessed with her face, then someone cares about her heart—

   "The plot of dog blood! Trash movie! I thought it was an inspirational movie, but I didn't expect it to be a youth comedy!"

   "The audience is being fed chicken soup from the beginning to the end! There is no meaning!"

   "This movie will only make young people have the idea of ​​​​worshiping money! The core of the whole movie is not only rotten but also stinky!"

  Why did "Princess Diaries" become popular?

  Because this movie is actually a template!

   Templates that make people dream!

  Although the plot is old-fashioned and the process is unrealistic, what the whole movie shows is not people's favorite dream?

Just like many people hope that when they wake up, their father can tell themselves, "You are actually a rich second generation. The past 20 years have been our test for you." A princess' dream.

   And "Princess Diaries", isn't it just bringing this kind of dream to the screen?

   So, it worked.

   As for whether this propaganda is vulgar?

  If it is vulgar, then all the guys who look down on it can be called the rich second generation.

  And if those who look down on it can be called the rich second generation, then mankind has already achieved common prosperity.

   Therefore, the result is obvious.

  Many people, hypocritical chant!

  ...

With the release of "Princess Diaries", the summer of 2001 is gradually coming to an end. After "American Pie 2" met the audience on August 10th, it scored 45 million at the box office in the first weekend alone. , All the movies that will be released next are basically the inventories of major film companies, and they are used to make up the numbers.

   As for profit...

  No one thinks about this kind of thing.

  Because anyone with a little pursuit will not launch a movie at the end of the summer vacation, and those that can be released at this time are some projects that are unfortunately not released, but they will not get box office when they are released.

  In this way, the big liquidation has become the mainstream state in the current industry.

Major film companies have entered the finishing stage one after another. While calculating their own box office performance and profitability in the summer season, and preparing figures for the financial report that needs to be submitted to the public at the beginning of the next quarter, they are also arranging staff to report the results of the awards season and the Christmas season. The project is put on the announcement schedule to prepare sufficient ammunition for the next battle.

   And just when all the giants felt that the summer battle was over and the new game was still early, Roland Allen, who had been wandering around the North American continent with his wife for the past six months, returned to Los Angeles.

Although in the past six months, Kate's relatives have all arrived on time, but at this moment, Roland Allen has no intention of preparing for pregnancy, because August 30th is walking towards him, and the same day , "Black Hawk Down" will meet the audience!

   Note: ① The 500 million cost of "Avatar" written in the article is the data given by Fox, and it is actually not that much. The announcement of "Avatar" was undertaken by Fox Network and News Corporation, with left handed and right handed. At the same time, the subsidy given by New Zealand was supplemented based on tourism data after the film was released. According to their accounting standards, this is non-film overseas income, which does not need to be included in the project statement. To put it bluntly, the box office of "Avatar" is too exaggerated, otherwise the loss on paper is certain. ②Duncan Jones and Blizzard are responsible for the failure of "Warcraft". Because Duncan Jones is not only a director, but also a very fanatical League player. When Blizzard suggested that he shoot Alsace first, he refused. He thought he could start with Medivh and then explode. This matter was disclosed by Blizzard Chief Operating Officer Paul Sams. As a guy who joined Blizzard since 1996, he hoped that Blizzard would support him after he saw that Legendary Pictures did not shoot according to his requirements, but Blizzard He chose to believe in the profession, and then he resigned directly after seeing the film effect in one or five years.

  

  

  (end of this chapter)