China Entertainment 1997.

Chapter 646 "A Date with Lu Yu" and the Global Annual Box Office Champion
The publicity of "The Avengers" in China is basically based on Reuters and interviews.

But I still went on two talk shows, one of which was "A Date with Lu Yu".

Marvel's publicity work is mainly done by Marvel itself and some partners, Fanxing is one of them, but it is mainly responsible for Cao Xuan's personal part and theaters.

Anyway, "A Date with Lu Yu" is indeed the most popular talk show in China, and Lu Yu herself has strong English communication skills and experience, so it's normal for Marvel China's propagandists to choose her.

Cao Xuan didn't say anything, it was just a talk show, and he just wanted to cooperate.

The recording location of "A Date with Lu Yu" is mainly in the capital, and sometimes also in Xiangjiang, but because the schedule of "The Avengers" is relatively tight, in order to win the right to interview this time, they temporarily set up a studio in Shanghai.

In the background of the show, Cao Xuan saw the famous Chen Luyu.

In fact, Cao Xuan participated in "A Date with Lu Yu" in his early years and was interviewed by her. Judging from his contact experience, the impression is either good or bad.

It's just that Cao Xuan's interviews are getting less and less nowadays, and they usually focus on the programs and media of the galaxy, so he basically doesn't accept external interviews, which led to Lu Yu's many invitations, but was declined.

Seeing Cao Xuan now, I actually feel a little resentful: "It's really not easy to interview Mr. Cao, this time I finally got what I wanted."

"Your hosting style is too sharp, I'm rather shy, afraid of being asked by you."

Cao Xuan said hello and introduced to both parties. Not to mention, Lu Yu's fluent English is really rare, at least it is much better than Liu Yan last time.

After checking the script process, the recording officially started.

There are two sofas in the studio, Lu Yu sits on a single sofa, and there is a circular couch where the six main creators of "The Avengers" sit, and there are dozens of spectators in the audience.

"Recently, a Hollywood movie was released, and it grossed more than 9 million yuan in a short period of time. Today we are honored to invite the main creators of the film crew. Let us applaud Cao Xuan and Robert Downey..."

As mentioned in the opening remarks, when the interview officially started, Lu Yu's style was not particularly serious, but in fact it was a bit of a small talk, asking whatever came to mind.

This style has advantages and disadvantages. The advantage is that you can ask some questions from the perspective of the audience, and the program effect is better. The disadvantage is that if the questions are not well prepared or not thoughtful, it is easy to dissatisfy the guests and cause embarrassment.

This is why there are countless famous scenes in "A Date with Lu Yu", but there are always many viewers willing to watch it.

Because many questions are indeed what the audience wants to know, it is different from serious interviews, and the atmosphere is more relaxed.

Lu Yu is familiar with the way, and he first made a few simple questions to let everyone relax, and then pointed the "spearhead" at Cao Xuan.

"Many people outside are wondering why Marvel hired you to act. Is it because you own shares in Marvel? According to foreign reports, they all say that you are a shareholder of Marvel."

As soon as this remark came out, the other main creators couldn't help but stare at Cao Xuan. The host's words seemed to imply that Cao Xuan had gone through the back door.

Cao Xuan was very calm: "I did invest in Marvel, but that was a long time ago. Before Disney took over, I was a shareholder of Marvel.

If it was really because of shareholders that he was invited, then "Iron Man" would have nothing to do with Robert. "

Robert Downey Jr. answered humorously and made a joke: "I'm glad that Marvel's management sticks to principles."

The widow came out and explained: "Cao is a very professional and excellent actor. Cage, the president of Marvel and many executives admire him very much. We got in touch with him in "Thor" and experienced a lot of running-in. Set Hawkeye."

Thor also verified this statement from the side: "When "Thor" was being prepared, I almost thought it was Cao who played Loki."

"Why didn't you act later?"

Lu Yu asked, and Cao Xuan spread his hands: "After discussing it, I felt that the role was not suitable, so I changed it to Hawkeye."

This question was not friendly, but Cao Xuan did not get angry. This statement is still relatively popular on the Chinese Internet.

Many people are used to low self-esteem or conspiracy theories, saying that Cao Xuan got into Marvel with money, and it is impossible for Hollywood to take the initiative to let Cao Xuan play such an important role.

Answering it positively in "A Date with Lu Yu" today will actually save the outside world from guessing.

"I'm actually quite curious, why did you choose to invest in Marvel in the first place, and can you disclose how many shares you still retain in Marvel."

Lu Yu is more curious about Cao Xuan's property than the movie, and it is also a matter of concern to the outside world.

You know, when Disney bought Marvel, it spent more than 40 billion US dollars. Now many movies have exploded, and the global box office of "The Avengers" has directly exceeded 10 billion US dollars.

The value of Marvel has soared. Although it is difficult to estimate carefully because it is a subsidiary of Disney, it is generally believed that the actual value and brand value must exceed 100 billion US dollars.

Even in Hollywood, this market capitalization is a well-known big company, and the only one in China that can match it is probably a star.

So the outside world really wants to know how many shares Cao Xuan owns and how much they are worth.

As soon as this question came up, not to mention Lu Yu's expectations, even the people in "The Avengers" were more concerned. They only knew that Cao Xuan was a shareholder, but they really didn't know how many shares Cao Xuan had.

"When I invested in Marvel, it was more or less a gamble."

Cao Xuan roughly talked about the situation at that time: "At that time, Marvel had just launched the movie universe, and I personally and the team were more optimistic about this project. At that time, Marvel was short of funds, and I had a sum of funds in hand, so we hit it off.

After the capital injection, we also acquired fans from some minority shareholders, the most of which was less than 30%. "

There was a lot of exclamation at the scene, and Cao Xuan hurriedly added: "However, after Disney took over, a certain amount of financing was carried out, and the shares in my hand were diluted a lot, and now I am really only a minority shareholder."

"Even if it is a small shareholder, the volume is huge."

Lu Yu sighed with emotion, and then asked: "It's not convenient for Fang to ask, how much did you earn compared with the current market value of Marvel at that time?"

Cao Xuan hesitated for a moment: "It's probably doubled or tripled."

Now the other main creators are jealous.

Although I don't know the specific value of the shares, but with the volume that Cao Xuan just said, it is at least in the billion-dollar unit. Much more than them.

Lu Yu was also busy picking things up, asking the main creators: "How do you feel when you hear these words."

Jealousy is jealousy, but it's not the first time they've been sour. Everyone knows that Cao Xuan is a billionaire, even now, it's just a few words of ridicule.

Robert Downey Jr.: "I play the rich man, and he is the real rich man."

The US team and the Hulk who participated in "Now You See Me": "We sometimes call him Boss (Boss)."

Thor: "I can call you too."

The widow gave Cao Xuan a charming look, and said in a sweet tone, "Well, if possible, I prefer to be called Honey."

Cao Xuan was silent for a while: "Let's call him Boss."

The audience burst out laughing, and the widowed sister didn't hold back her clamor for hitting people, so she turned over this article.

Lu Yu's next questions were more normal, asking the main creators how they felt when they came to China, interesting things about the filming of the crew, how they got the roles, and what they thought of each other.

There is nothing wrong with the problem, it is just that there is a little classic in the process.

For example, Raytheon, when talking about his impressions of partners, he said excitedly: "Robert's "Chaplin" is one of my favorite movies, Cao is one of my favorite singers, Scarlett Johansson is one of Hollywood Goddess, as well as Evans and Mark, are all excellent actors,
So when I found out that I could work with them, can you imagine how happy I was. "

Lu Yu: "I can't imagine."

Thor: "..."

Even Cao Xuan was speechless, pointing at Thor who was full of embarrassment, and complained directly: "If you answer this question, you won't be able to make it up to others."

Lu Yu quickly turned back: "I can't imagine, because I'm not him."

Cao Xuan said: "I can't imagine this. You don't have a colleague who you want to cooperate with or someone you want to interview. Just substitute it."

"Maybe I have cooperated before, and I don't have many similar emotions."

Seeing Lu Yu still indifferent, Cao Xuan really had a headache.

In Lu Yu's interview, some questions are indeed from the audience's point of view, and it doesn't matter if they are simple, but there are also some words and questions that are purely low-intelligence and useless, and a little disrespectful to the guests.

So sometimes she is scolded, not to say that she deserves it, but it is indeed her own fault.

After the interview, Lu Yu wanted to ask Cao Xuan for a one-man interview. Cao Xuan didn't directly refuse, but he also said that the schedule was tight, so let's talk when we have time.

Afterwards, everyone participated in a CCTV program hosted by Li Yong.

This time it was much better, at least there were no embarrassing scenes, the atmosphere was relaxed, and a little game was played to make everyone more at ease.

The "Avengers" crew stayed in China for about a week, participated in many road shows and fan meetings, and helped the film's mainland box office break through 10 billion.

After "Avatar", "Let the Bullets Fly" and "Transformers 3", it became another movie with a domestic box office breaking 10 billion.

Since Cao Xuan started in 2010, the cumulative box office of the four films "Let the Bullets Fly", "You Now You See Me", "Eagle Eye" and "The Avengers" has exceeded 35 billion yuan.

This data can no longer be said to be exaggerated, but terrifying. If the global box office is calculated, Cao Xuan alone can be compared with the entire mainland market.

If some people had objections to the Chinese-language film "The Era of Cao Xuan" in the past, today, no one has any objections.

The Chinese music scene cannot avoid Cao Xuan, and the Chinese film industry cannot avoid it either. Cao Xuan is not only the No.1 in China Entertainment, but has a great chance of becoming the No.1 in the history of China Entertainment.

At least so far, in terms of achievements and influence, whether it is Cheng Long, Bruce Lee, or Teresa Teng, there is a gap between Cao Xuan and Cao Xuan.

After "The Avengers" made a global box office hit of US$10 billion, the Japanese media also regarded Cao Xuan as "a century-old superstar in Asia".

I think that Cao Xuan is not only China Entertainment's number one artist, but even at the Asian level, he has a great hope of reaching the top.

Even the media in South Asia and West Asia, which were not particularly enthusiastic about Cao Xuan, recognized this statement and reported a lot of Cao Xuan's deeds.

The Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific under the United Nations called this wave the "Cao Xuan Phenomenon", and believed that Cao Xuan's popularity and influence in Asia was epoch-making at the artist level.

When Cao Xuan and the others went to Europe to publicize, they were welcomed by many people.

At a charity auction in the UK, Cao Xuan's Hawkeye costume + weapon set was finally bought by a businessman for 75 pounds, second only to the Iron Man suit of 82.5 pounds.

Except for Iron Man and Hawkeye, the rest, except Black Widow, sold for about 50 pounds, Thor and Captain America only had 20 to 30 pounds, and the Hulk was even worse.

There is one thing to say, except for Iron Man, Hawkeye and Black Widow are somewhat attached to Cao Xuan and Widow Sister.

At the same time, it can also be seen that Marvel is still the most popular Iron Man, as well as Cao Xuan's own influence in the UK.

The crew of "The Avengers" ran in Europe for about a week and participated in promotions in Britain, Germany, France and other countries.

As of the end of their European trip, the global box office of "The Avengers" has exceeded 12.5 billion US dollars. According to estimates from all parties, the final figure is about 16 to 18 billion US dollars.

The global box office champion in 2012 is stable, and "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" is definitely more than 13.4 billion U.S. dollars, second only to "Avatar" and "Titanic", ranking among the top three in global box office history.

This kind of achievement, whether it is for Marvel or their main actors, is a very high gain.

For example, his box office data has always been good, and there are even some blockbusters, but he has never reached the top globally.

Considering that he currently focuses on action movies and has a low ceiling, the difficulty is still very high.

"The Avengers" can be regarded as fulfilling one of his small wishes, the annual box office champion in Asia, the annual box office champion in North America, and the annual global box office champion.

For Cao Xuan, who is obsessed with collecting, it can be said to be very happy, and his fans are even more happy.

In the future, what kind of coffee position will be debated, and these resumes will be slapped, what kind of verbal battle can't be won?

At the end of June, the publicity work officially ended. Everyone said goodbye and went back to their homes.

Especially Robert Downey Jr. and Thor, they will go back to film "Iron Man 3" and "Thor 2" soon, Scarlett Johansson will also go back to film an independent film, and the US team will film "Snowpiercer" cast by Koreans ".

The movie became popular, and everyone's career became busier.

Only Cao Xuan habitually fished, while the others went to work. He stayed in Europe and went to Poland and Ukraine to watch the European Cup live.

By the end of June, most of the European Cup schedule has passed, but fortunately, the remaining few games are the highlights.

In the semi-finals, Cao Xuan appeared in the stands with a cup of coffee, watching the match between Portugal and Spain.

The two sides were tied 0:0, and a penalty shootout was held. San Cassie took the lead. Spain won in the fourth round. Ronaldo, who was ranked 5th, didn't even get to play.

On the second day, when Germany played against Italy, Bashen Bashen scored twice. When celebrating the second goal, he bent his bow and set an arrow. The camera showed Cao Xuan who was smiling in the stands.

When the commentator saw it, he couldn't help laughing: "The arrival of Hawkeye gave Balotelli the power to shoot, and the double arrows sealed his throat, defeating the 'alien' German team."

Before the start of the final, Cao Xuan was blocked by reporters and asked about the winner.

"Italy is gaining momentum, but I think old-fashioned Spain is more stable."

There is no doubt that Cao Xuan supports Spain, and the outside world is also discussing it endlessly.

Spain has won two championships in a row before and is known as the image of the king, but Italy played really well. It won England, defeated the German team, and defeated a strong enemy. It is hard not to be optimistic.

What's interesting is that the two teams are actually in the same group in the group stage. They have already played a game before and it was tied 1:1, which made this final even more confusing.

Coupled with the fact that both sides played very conservatively before, it is generally speculated that the final will be a 1:0 or 1:1 penalty shootout. Many gamblers dare not bet on big goals (more than three goals).

Facts have proved that this game was completely one-sided. Spain won 4:0.

Cao Xuan was also very satisfied. Although he already knew the result, watching the game on the spot still felt different.

After chatting with a few friends I knew, Cao Xuan declined the official British invitation to watch the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games, and planned to return home for vacation.

However, when he returned to China, he went to the premiere ceremony of "Flying Swords of the Dragon Gate" before he could go home.

This movie is Fanxing's blockbuster for this year's summer vacation, directed by Mr. Xu, starring Li Lianjie, Fan Xiaopang, Chen Kun, Ni Ni and others.

Cao Xuan himself didn't have much feeling for this movie, and the reason why Fanxing controlled it was because Mr. Xu insisted on this project.

At first, Cao Xuan was chosen as the heroine, but Cao Xuan didn't act, and then he put the direction on other people.

The movie "Flying Armor of the Dragon Gate" has limited gimmicks, and it's not enough to rely on Mr. Xu alone, so it needs to be paired with a heavyweight artist.

For a martial arts action movie with sufficient box office appeal and an older age, there is no doubt that Li Lianjie is the most suitable candidate.

In any case, Chinese-language movies can see the names of the actors supporting a big production, only Cheng Long, Li Lianjie, Cao Xuan, Xing Ye, and others.

If Cao Xuan does not act, Master Xing does not leave the mountain, and Cheng Long is not suitable, then Li Lianjie can only be found.

In the end, the crew spent 8000 million to invite Li Lianjie, while Fan Xiaopang and Chen Kun were relatively cheap, especially Chen Kun, who easily won 200 million, and he had to thank Fan Xing for giving him the opportunity.

"Flying Swords of the Dragon Gate" invested a total of 2 million yuan, Cao Xuan and China Film Group invested 1.4 million yuan, accounting for 70% of the share, and the rest was divided between Huayi and Bona.

When Cao Xuan was around, Mr. Huayi Xiaowang always didn't like to get close to him, but Yu Fatty was all about building a good relationship with Cao Xuan.

"The boss of Sun Entertainment has been wanting to have a meal with you, please ask me, when is convenient for you, he will arrange it."

"The one from Macau?"

"Recently, I have cast a lot of movies. I am a new boss in the Hong Kong circle. I have always wanted to know you."

Cao Xuan looked at Fatty Yu and couldn't help complaining: "You can play with everyone, so you don't have to worry about falling over."

"It's nothing."

Fatty Yu's cheeks trembled slightly, and Cao Xuan shook his head: "I don't know if there is anything, serious business people should stay away from these sidewalkers, you can help me find an excuse to go back."

Cao Xuan has always disliked associating with those gray characters, some of them may have no choice but to make excuses, but this one is not qualified enough for Cao Xuan to show off his face, so if he doesn't want to talk to him, he directly refuses.

Out of old friendship, Cao Xuan still warned Fatty Yu: "It's better to stay away from this kind of person in the future, the bottom is too dirty and can't be cleaned."

Let's put it this way, there are too few self-made people who are clean, not to mention the mainland, and there are not many good people in the Hong Kong circle.

But the key people have cleaned up the bottom line, and they are serious businessmen and entrepreneurs on the surface.

Cao Xuan would cooperate with such a person, even if he didn't want to, it's easy to talk about it, and it won't hurt the friendship.

But those who can't be cleaned up, or who have dirty hands and feet, go to the entertainment industry to mix in, or even have some other purpose, Cao Xuan will not deal with them easily.

To put it bluntly, this group of people is despised by serious business entrepreneurs, and if you mix with them, you will also receive strange eyes.

A young master who is known as the emperor of Shanghai is really fierce in spending money. He has games, sports cars, and luxury houses worth more than a billion yuan, but no one understands that he will be compared with young master Wang.

Not to mention Young Master Wang, there is no comparison even for younger young masters.

One is the successor of a formal enterprise, a future young entrepreneur, and the other is the Junket Operator family. No one knows whether they will be able to land safely, and there is no comparison between them.

In the circle of rich people, no matter how rich their cash and net worth are, they are still at the bottom of the circle of contempt.

Of course, people don't necessarily care about it. They feel that they have more money and others are bitter, so everyone is in two circles, and there is no need to join together.

Bona started his business by relying on China Film, but later he got closer and closer to the Hong Kong circle, and the formal capital is nothing more than that. Now he dares to touch anything dirty and smelly, and if something happens, he will be slaughtered.

You must know that Bona is not a giant of China Entertainment now, and millions of waterworkers cannot move lightly because of their food and clothing.

Today's Bona is limited in size, that is, it is barely a top-notch entertainment company. There are many stars in the entertainment industry, and if it is used to make an example of others, not many people will feel distressed.

Fatty Yu was thoughtful, and he didn't want to be exposed to too much gray capital, knowing that there was a lot of risk in it.

However, the size of Fanxing is too scary. One family eats nearly half of the market. In order to seek greater development, Bona can only take a slant.

And Cao Xuan's clear attitude also made him start to mutter in his heart. First, he was a little worried about the risks, and second, he wondered if Cao Xuan was going to attack the Hong Kong circle.

He probably knew that Cao Xuan didn't like Hong Kong and Taiwan capital, and the Hong Kong and Taiwan capital that was relatively close to Fanxing in the mainland were all honest and obedient.

I am so close to the Hong Kong circle, if there is a conflict, wouldn't it be both sides who are angry and become cannon fodder.

Fatty Yu became more and more flustered, thinking that Bona's future development focus should be shifted to the mainland.

(End of this chapter)