Chapter 209 Breaking Records in Succession, Setting the Angle for the Project!

"Hey, Daniel!"

"We succeeded again!"

"The North American box office of the first weekend was 138.2 million US dollars, setting a record for the fastest revenue of 100 million US dollars!"

"In the second week, the single-day box office broke 30 million US dollars for three consecutive days, breaking the record for the fastest revenue of 200 million again!"

"Now the box office expectation has been raised to 400 million US dollars in North America!"

"As for the global market, in regions other than North America, they are now premiering one after another, and have already earned more than 100 million US dollars in overseas box office. The focus of the overseas market will be the next half month!"

"Based on the current momentum, the global box office will earn 800 million to 900 million US dollars, breaking the record of the first film should not be a problem!"

"Daniel, maybe you have a chance to enter the billion-dollar box office club!"

"This is really good news!"

Jerry's face was flushed, and he hugged Wu Yuan tightly as soon as he entered the door.

He now looks at Wu Yuan's Asian face, and he likes it so much!

After entering the 21st century, it is not just the box office market in the mainland that is continuing to expand. The global box office market, including the United States, in addition to European countries such as Britain, Germany, and France, is also entering a period of box office boom.

From the Harry Potter to the Lord of the Rings series, the box office of Hollywood blockbusters has been soaring like a rocket.

Now, Pirates of the Caribbean 2 has also delivered an extremely gratifying result, breaking many records in North America.

It can be said that the success of this movie is a foregone conclusion, and it has set many new records and will become this year's blockbuster of the year!

How can Jerry not be happy about this?

You know, Jerry has invested in the Pirates of the Caribbean series. His personal production company has always participated in the investment of this IP. Although it occupies a small proportion, it is also one of the investors!

As an investor, he hopes that the box office of this movie will be as high as possible!

When the box office of Pirates of the Caribbean 1 exploded, the top executives of Disney could not sit still and immediately summoned the gold medal producer Jerry to put the production of the sequel on the agenda as quickly as possible.

Originally, Jerry was planning to shoot the second and third films in a row, but Wu Yuan was reluctant to do so, and the screenwriter was slow to come up with the script for the third film, so the plan was unfortunately stopped.

But now with the hot release of "Pirates of the Caribbean 2", Jerry and Disney can't sit still anymore.

Do you know how much money the by-products of the "Pirates of the Caribbean" IP have made for investors so far?

$1 billion!

Yes, by selling peripheral products, DVDs, souvenirs, Disney-limited events, etc., "Pirates of the Caribbean" has made $1 billion for Disney in addition to the box office!

The rumor that Hollywood movie box office only accounts for one-third of the total revenue is really true!

The president of Disney is smiling so hard that his mouth is crooked.

Naturally, Disney attaches great importance to the "Pirates of the Caribbean 3" project, because the crew director, main actors and screenwriters have signed contracts for three films in one go. At least in the third film, everyone still has to fulfill the contract, and Disney can get everyone together to make money again.

Just one week after the release of Pirates of the Caribbean 2, Jerry approached Wu Yuan to discuss the arrangement of the third film.

"Daniel, according to your request, several screenwriters not only invited professional Asian historians to restore Singapore in the 17th century, but also revised the script according to your ideas."

"The side plots of the two characters, Sao Feng, the most powerful pirate king of the South China Sea, and his daughter Wei Er, have been polished.

"What do you think about the casting of these two characters?"

"I think the Chow Yun-fat from Hong Kong Island in your country is pretty good. He is very suitable for playing such a domineering and fierce role. ”

Some Reuters about "Pirates of the Caribbean 3" have actually spread in Hollywood in the past six months.

For example, the third part will introduce stories of other oceans and other pirate kings, and there are rumors that Asian superstars will join the third part.

These rumors are of course released by Disney on its own initiative, just to test whether fans will accept them.

For example, the matter of Asian superstars joining the cast is very detailed.

Today, a Hollywood tabloid said that according to an insider, Disney is contacting Hong Kong Island's Chow Yun-fat.

Tomorrow, the rumor will become that Disney is contacting Jet Li, the day after tomorrow it will be Zhang Guorong, and the day after tomorrow it will be Cheng Long.

Any Chinese male actor who is well-known internationally will be in the spotlight. I was fooled.

The practice of hyping up the popularity and attention of new movies and fooling around with actors all originated in Hollywood, and Hollywood companies are very familiar with this.

However, the news released does have some truth.

Disney does intend to choose one of the above actors to play Xiao Feng.

After all, this is a Chinese pirate king, so it would be best to find a Chinese actor, and there are only a few Chinese male actors with international influence, so there is really not much room for selection.

But this casting makes Wu Yuan really frown.

Chow Yun-fat?

Wu Yuan really can't accept his performance in "Pirates of the Caribbean 3", not only because of the appearance, but also because of his acting skills.

In theory, Chow Yun-fai's acting skills are not bad. He made a living in Hong Kong Island.

But in "Pirates of the Caribbean 3", his acting skills are mainly "staring". No matter what happens, no matter which scene, he expresses all emotions by staring, which is a good interpretation of what "staring" means.

In addition, Chow Yun-fai's character is really not very good.

After a long time of contact with Zhang Guorong, Wu Yuan has a good understanding of the actor circle in Hong Kong Island.

After all, Zhang Guorong himself loves gossip.

According to him, Chow Yun-fai likes to take advantage of actresses in the crew.

Actresses who have worked with him, such as Zhang Manyu, Zhong Chuhong, and Li Zhi, have all been taken advantage of or bullied.

For example, he often kisses and touches people even when the cut is called, and the crew directly beats people.

In the past two years, Chow Yun-fai has come to the mainland to film, and it is rumored that he is a big shot in the crew and looks down on the mainland staff.

Wu Yuan really doesn't want to ask him to play Xiao Feng.

If he plays Xiao Feng and gets a chance to become famous in Hollywood, he will be even more arrogant and mock mainland actors.

But if Chow Yun-fai is not chosen, the remaining options are not very good either.

Jet Li is a bit hard to describe. It can only be said that he is a rival of Chow Yun-fai, and their artistic ethics are not much better.

Zhang Guorong's artistic ethics are very good, and Wu Yuan is willing to support him, but his image is really not related to the "Pirate King".

In the end, there is only one choice left, Cheng Long.

In Hollywood, there are really too few Chinese actors to choose from, especially for such a large-scale S-level production.

Even if it is just the third or fourth male lead, Wu Yuan cannot recommend a male actor who is not well-known in Hollywood to Disney.

Otherwise, Wu Yuan would like to recommend Zhang Fengyi and Zhang Hanyu.

"Chow Yun-fat is not suitable. Let's contact Cheng Long first. If he has time, ask him to play Xiao Feng." Wu Yuan said with finality.

"Why?" Jerry was a little puzzled. "Chou is pretty good. He has acted in many movies in Hollywood."

"The cold-blooded killer in "The Replacement Killers", the Chinese detective in "The Edge of Time", and the male lead in "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" are all great. His image is very suitable."

"No, I don't think it's suitable." Wu Yuan shook his head firmly.

Helplessly, Jerry spread his hands, "OK, you are the director, listen to you."

If this was said during the preparation of "Pirates of the Caribbean 1", it would be absolutely impossible to hear it from Jerry. At that time, Wu Yuan did not even have the right to cast.

But when the series was filmed to the third part, Wu Yuan had become a truly powerful director, and most of the crew's matters were ultimately decided by him.

"What about Xiao Feng's daughter? Hollywood doesn't seem to have a suitable Asian actress, Zhang Ziyi?" Jerry asked again.

He really couldn't find a suitable actress for this role for a while, so he had to let Wu Yuan make the decision.

After all, Wu Yuan is a Chinese director, and he knows too many Chinese actresses.

International Zhang?

Wu Yuan frowned, "Zhang Ziyi is not suitable, she is a little old."

In the script, Xiaofeng's daughter is set to be a girl of 17 or 18 years old, about the same age as Elizabeth Swan when she appeared in the first film.

As for why it is set like this, of course it is Wu Yuan's selfishness, and this is what he specifically instructed the screenwriter.

"I have a suitable candidate." Wu Yuan smiled, "Have you seen my movie "Your Name"? "

"Of course." Jerry nodded.

Although "Your Name" has never been released in North America, this movie was the box office champion in Asia that year.

As a producer, Jerry must have paid attention to it.

"I understand what you mean." He also smiled. "Daniel, you want to use the heroine of "Your Name", right?"

"She is indeed a beautiful girl."

"But I heard that she is your girlfriend?"

It is no secret in the industry that Wu Yuan took Liu Yifei to guest star in "Night at the Museum".

Raising his eyebrows, Wu Yuan responded as a matter of course: "Jerry, there is an old saying in China, which is to recommend talents without avoiding relatives."

"It means that when recommending talented people, there is no need to avoid relatives."

"Crystal is very suitable for this role, isn't it?"

Jerry pondered.

There are currently only two Chinese actors who are popular worldwide, Gong Li and Zhang Ziyi, but neither of them fits the age of the role.

If you have to settle for the second best, Liu Yifei, an actress who has earned $200 million (1.6 billion RMB) in Asia with "Your Name", is indeed the best choice.

At least she is still famous in Asia and can contribute to the box office of "Pirates of the Caribbean 3" in Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand.

Disney wants to find a Hong Kong actor to play Sao Feng, isn't it also for better box office in Asia?

"It's indeed a good choice." Jerry quickly accepted Wu Yuan's opinion.

Even though he knew that Wu Yuan had selfish motives to promote his girlfriend, this situation is very normal in Hollywood.

"It's a pity that "Pirates of the Caribbean 2" will not be screened in mainland China, otherwise it can create more momentum for "Pirates of the Caribbean 3." Jerry said with some regret.

However, Wu Yuan didn't see it that way. He suppressed a smile and said, "Jerry, you are wrong about this."

"Believe me, although "Pirates of the Caribbean 2" will not be released in mainland China, mainland movie fans will definitely see this movie."

Do you look down on China’s pirated disc industry chain?

"Pirates of the Caribbean 2" will be available on DVD and Blu-ray, so mainland movie fans will have access to pirated versions.

"Oh!" Jerry slapped his forehead and smiled himself, "I forgot that the piracy market in your country is very developed."

To what extent is China’s piracy market developed now?

As long as foreigners come to China, especially tourists from Europe, America, Japan and South Korea, they will definitely bring home a lot of "pirated souvenirs".

Just like going to the supermarket to scan for goods, you can always see foreigners buying pirated discs in large numbers at major pirated disc stalls and markets.

They even learned to communicate with pirate vendors in Chinese.

"This, this one, and this one!"

"Want them all!"

China's pirated discs are so delicious, and the price is less than one-tenth of the genuine discs. For this group of European and American tourists, it is simply a paradise.

As a result, the news of rampant piracy in China spread very quickly around the world, which had a very bad impact on the country's reputation.

Wu Yuan didn't want to talk to Jerry about this topic.

As a Chinese, he could laugh at himself, but hearing such ridicule from a foreigner made him really unbearable.

"Jerry, when do you plan to start filming "Pirates of the Caribbean 3"?" Wu Yuan changed the subject.

"Well, January 2007." When talking about business, Jerry's expression immediately became serious. He counted on his fingers and said: "Although when filming the second part, we had deliberately left the scene at that time. and photo studio.”

"The Black Pearl and the Flying Dutchman have also been retained, and the Royal Navy warships have also stayed on St. Vincent."

"But this time the third part also needs to build new scenes, such as Singapore in the 17th century."

"Several ships are also due for refurbishment work."

"So the preliminary preparations should still take three to four months."

"In addition, the main creators have to do frequent movie promotions this month."

"The official launch should not be until January next year."

However, Wu Yuan frowned when he heard the news.

"Jerry, January may not work." He sighed: "I have a movie in China. It is China's first science fiction blockbuster. It has an investment of nearly 300 million yuan. It is expected to be shot from the end of this year to the beginning of next year."

"It won't be finalized until March at the earliest."

If "Gravity" is fast, it can start shooting in December, and then wrap it up in early March next year. The shooting period will be four months, which is considered normal for a blockbuster.

However, this would conflict with Disney's arrangements.

Jerry's expression also became ugly. He looked at Wu Yuan silently and asked solemnly: "Daniel, can't your Chinese movie be advanced or postponed?"

"I'm afraid not." Wu Yuan shook his head, "Our country's space agency is also involved in this movie and has official support. Although it is not officially led, there is indeed the participation of administrative forces. It is difficult to change the plan. of."

Wu Yuan was somewhat fooling Jerry by saying this. The Space Administration and the Ministry of Culture had no guidance on when and how to shoot "Gravity". It was purely based on Wu Yuan's temperament.

The reason why he is unwilling to change the plan is so that the film can be released in June or July before the Olympics, so that it can form a linkage effect with the Olympics.

Before watching the Olympics, let’s watch a science fiction movie that boosts national self-confidence and promotes China’s aerospace power. How delicious!

As for after the Olympics, most Chinese people are in a post-Olympic euphoria "sage mode". The excitement period has passed, the national self-confidence is also full, and there is really no intention to go to the cinema to watch movies.

If the filming of "Gravity" is delayed until next summer, then the film, including the time for special effects, may not be released in time for the 2008 Olympics.

Wu Yuan's special effects company is just starting out. Even if the quality of its backbone is comparable to that of Weta Digital and Industrial Light & Magic, its number of people can't compare.

Large companies such as Industrial Light and Magic may be able to complete the post-production of "Gravity" in half a year, but if it is replaced by a light and shadow special effects company, it will take a year.

Of course, as more and more companies’ own special effects artists are trained, this speed will accelerate.

If we strive to have half the efficiency and scale of today's top special effects companies like Industrial Light and Magic within three to five years, then the light and shadow special effects company will already be the strongest in the country.

Of course, in three to five years, the scale of Industrial Light and Magic will have doubled again, and that will be a thing of the past.

The next ten years will not only be a decade of rapid development for the Chinese film industry, but also a decade of rapid development for the Hollywood film industry.

After "Avatar", Hollywood's 3D special effects film industry also ushered in a big explosion, and reached its peak in the superhero era.

In this era of 3D special effects movies, special effects companies such as Industrial Light and Magic have seen their scale expand crazily, and their business volume has also surged. They have become the main contracting company for the global movie special effects business.

This wave of development dividends is due to Hollywood’s global dominance and is brought about by Hollywood special effects blockbusters such as “Transformers”, “Avatar” and “Iron Man”.

No one in the Chinese film industry would envy him.

There is no way, this is the limitation of the domestic film ecosystem.

There are no special effects blockbusters in the mainland now. In the next five to ten years, the development of domestic special effects blockbusters will be boring. Relying on such a market, it is really impossible to support a special effects company that can match the scale of Industrial Light and Magic.

A good cook cannot cook without rice.

What Wu Yuan can do is to develop a small but fine company that can meet the special effects production of his own movies. When he is not working on company projects, he can take orders from outside to support himself.

When he is self-sufficient, he will look at the development of domestic special effects movies, expand the scale appropriately, and try to eat up the special effects production market in the mainland. That is enough.

Just when Wu Yuan's mind wandered to the film special effects industry, Jerry, who had been thinking for a long time, finally thought it through and said again: "Daniel, I know."

"I will coordinate with Disney about the schedule, and I hope you can give an accurate completion time. We will arrange the schedule and try to take care of both ends."

"As soon as your movie in China is finished, "Pirates of the Caribbean 3" will start shooting immediately."

"We will try to finish the filming before July next year and release it in time for the Christmas season next year!"

Yes, we have to work non-stop again.

Wu Yuan resisted the urge to roll his eyes and nodded reluctantly: "OK, I have no objection in principle."

In his heart, he secretly swore that after finishing "Pirates of the Caribbean 3", no matter how good the conditions given by Jerry and Disney were, he would never take the directing work of 4 and 5 again!

Whoever wants to take over can take it!

The era of superheroes in Hollywood is coming soon. He wants to make some movies of his own in Hollywood before superhero movies dominate Hollywood, leaving his own mark. He can't work for the Big Six anymore!

This chapter has a lot of words, so I'll continue writing when I wake up at night.