America: Starting with the acquisition of MGM.

Chapter 319 317. Listen to Dad.
How should superhero movies be made? There is no unified template.

Apart from the ceiling-level "The Dark Knight", there is no need to discuss the remaining excellent ones all have their own characteristics, and it is unrealistic to forcibly divide them into high and low, good and bad.

Sometimes when a movie fails, it doesn't necessarily mean that the quality of the movie is bad.

For example, in "The Amazing Spider-Man 2", if Gwen hadn't been killed, there would definitely be a third part.

Most of the audience have not read the comics. They watch superhero movies for fun. We want to be moved, but they don’t want to stimulate their tear glands with the death of the heroine.

However, even so, the second part of Transformers still made money at the box office, but it just wasn't enough and did not meet Sony's expectations, which led to the failure of the third part.

But now Eric is facing Toby's version of "Spider-Man 2". Even after more than ten years, it still has the best reputation among all live-action Spider-Man movies.

Although the box office is the weakest among the old trilogy, it is still very difficult to beat it.

If you tie Iron Man and Captain America together, you can certainly do it, but it will inevitably be an unfair victory.

Only by winning a one-on-one fight can you truly defeat Spider-Man.

So how do you ensure victory when all the movies are equally good?

The answer is publicity. We must put in enough effort in publicity to attract the audience's attention, so that they will be more inclined to choose our side.

Outside, the box office battle is extremely fierce.

On the fourth day, "Inception" continued to lead "Spider-Man 2" by more than 400 million US dollars in box office.

On the fifth day, the Dream Thieves were still half a body length ahead, leading by over $400 million.

On the sixth day, the situation eased and Spider-Man actually surpassed the opponent by more than 200 million US dollars.

However, at the end of the week, "Inception" came back and surpassed Peter Parker by more than 300 million US dollars.

When the complete seven-day box office data was released, "Inception" had grossed $1.37 million in North America.

Although it did not break the record set by "Transformers", it was an excellent result achieved under tremendous competitive pressure.

The Autobots at that time had no serious rivals during the same period and almost monopolized the privilege for two weeks.

Just look at Spider-Man 2, which grossed $1.11 a week, and the gap has widened to more than $2000 million.

When Sam Raimi was interviewed, he praised the actors for trying their best and said everyone had done their best.

But you encounter more formidable opponents, and sometimes there is nothing you can do about it. He also said that he had watched "Inception" and praised the movie for being well made.

This is appreciation among fellow directors and has nothing to do with competition between companies.

Seeing that the Vanguard General was no match for the opponent, the next week's target was Disney's other trump card, "The Incredibles".

MGM also released the comic book adaptation "Assassins' Alliance" and "Kung Fu," a masterpiece that the king of oriental comedy Stephen Chow spent two years working on.

At this time, "Kung Fu" had just been released on the other side of the ocean for two days, and its reputation had already exploded.

Whether online or in real life, the audience's recognition and discussion have far exceeded commercial films such as "Cell Phone", "House of Flying Daggers" and "A World Without Thieves".

It is hilarious and tells a complete story of a hero's dream. It is regarded by many as Stephen Chow's best work.

In just two days, it took in more than 2200 million RMB in the market, although this box office is nothing compared to Hollywood.

But looking at mainland China, it is already at the top level, and the box office growth has exceeded last year by more than 20%.

MGM also contributed to achieving such good results.

After more than a year of guidance from all aspects, the film market in mainland China has been developing at an increasingly rapid pace.

The authorities are also continuing to crack down on piracy and online dissemination, and everything is moving in a good and legal direction.

It is expected that there is no need to wait until 2010 to enter the era of box office boom. This goal can probably be achieved ahead of schedule during the 2008 Olympic Games.

However, his popularity around the world is still relatively weak, so he needs a lot of external help in publicity.

For example, the poster clearly states that Jim Carrey highly recommends it, Eric Cooper says it's good, and Jackie Chan strongly supports it.

He also brought out "Kung Fu Soccer", his most brilliant overseas achievement, and created a gimmick for the "Kung Fu" series.

MGM also found an excellent dubbing team to buff the movie, but there is no way around it because audiences in North America are not used to reading subtitles.

Of course, this also resulted in some viewers not being able to fully hear the lines. Eric always felt that this might be a conspiracy by the manufacturer.

If you can't hear the lines clearly, you won't be able to understand the movie. If you don't understand it, you'll feel uncomfortable like a cat's claws in your heart. If you feel uncomfortable, you may go to the cinema to watch it a second time, thereby increasing the box office.

However, even though so much has been done, Eric does not expect "Assassin's League" and "Kung Fu" to achieve much. Their main role is to interfere.

The real killer feature is the upcoming Iron Man.

At the recording studio of Art Records, Eric and Taylor Swift were watching outside while Avril was recording a new song inside.

"They are all gone to take care of the performance. Why are you so free? And you still have time to hang out here?" Eric asked while ruffling Taylor Swift's hair.

"Ouch, don't mess with my hairdo! It's so annoying!"

Taylor Swift opened Eric's hand with a snap and hastily smoothed her hair towards the reflected light.

Then she pouted and said, "Boss, I've been working hard too. I ran for five consecutive days last week and my voice is almost hoarse. You have to let people have a rest."

"There's plenty of time to rest. Now is the Christmas period, when prices are soaring. You don't go out to earn money from Mane, and you still have the nerve to rest!"

"Hey, black-hearted businessman! You are becoming more and more like a slave owner. Why didn't I see it before?"

"This is called return on investment. I spent a lot of money to support you, so of course I have to squeeze you hard. I haven't even made back my money yet."

Taylor Swift stuck out her tongue and said: "I'm going to write you into the song, just wait and see."

Eric chuckled and suddenly asked, "Taylor, do you have a boyfriend now?"

"Huh? Why are you asking this question?" Taylor Swift looked at him warily.

"If so, I suggest breaking up quickly."

"what why?"

"Because it can stimulate the burst of inspiration. I have observed you carefully. You are a person who is particularly sensitive to life, especially emotions. Your first album reflects this characteristic."

"For a girl like you, the best thing is to quickly fall in love, then break up, then continue dating, and break up again. I guarantee that you will be able to create many good songs from this."

Taylor rolled her eyes and said, "I don't want to listen to your nonsense. My relationship with Jonathan is going well. We are doing fine."

"So you really have a boyfriend, and it sounds like he's someone outside your circle?"

"Well, we met in a singing class."

"Tsk tsk. Insiders and outsiders, you're done!"

Taylor Swift frowned: "Even though you are the boss, if you continue to curse me, I will get angry."

Eric looked at her like a little fool: "Taylor, you have just officially entered the entertainment industry. Maybe you haven't been exposed to too much decadence and you still believe in many things."

"But believe me, it won't be long before you throw those away. You will meet all kinds of high-quality men who will show their affection to you, and your moral bottom line will be constantly challenged until it disappears."

"Besides, you guys rarely get together. How long has it been since you last saw that little guy?"

Taylor Swift counted on her fingers: "I just got some free time. He has to be with his family now, and he is in New York, but we talk on the phone every day."

"Wow! You guys are so buff! You can't see each other for a long time, you are young and sexually repressed. Are you sure Jonathan didn't cheat?"

"Of course, he's a very good boy."

"Then are you sure Jonathan doesn't suspect you of cheating?" "Uh"

"You see, long-term separation will lead to suspicion. If you want to develop this relationship, you must keep him by your side. Do you think you are Hu Ge?"

"What are you talking about?"

"I asked you if it's possible?"

Taylor Swift was speechless when asked.

Eric pinched her chubby face and said like an old father: "Listen to Daddy."

"What?"

"Sorry, I listened to my boss. Let's break up."

Eric smiled awkwardly. He was so used to saying the word "dad" at home that he suddenly started to babble.

Taylor ignored him and changed the subject, asking, "Why did you let Avril come to our company to record?"

"If you're not coming to Meiyi, are you going to Arista? Don't you know that Arista is a subsidiary of Sony? I don't want to have anything to do with them."

"What if I use someone else's recording studio, and those sons of bitches ask for a share of the copyright afterwards? Isn't that disgusting?"

Taylor Swift thought, of course I don’t know, all of your companies are interconnected, no one can figure out the connections between them.

At this time, Avril sang it again, walked out and looked at Eric: "How about this time? I added more transitions at the beginning, and the chorus went up a key, reaching F3."

"Hehe. My boss doesn't understand this. Everyone knows that he is a music idiot who can't even read musical notation."

“Go, go play somewhere else!” Eric patted Taylor on the head and drove her out.

Watching Taylor Swift leave, Avril was a little surprised: "You two seem to have a good relationship? Is she like this usually?"

"Well, what happened?"

"It just feels weird. You guys don't look like a boss and an artist, but more like close friends."

"So that's what you mean. Come on, I'm not even 25 yet, at least I'm still a young person. Do I look like someone who likes to wrap myself up in rules and regulations?"

Thinking of Eric's remarks, Avril curled her lips and said, "It's not like that."

"So, when I'm not working, I get along well with everyone. Of course, if you make a mistake at work, you may have to face my storm. Remember to hide in the corner when you cry."

"Well, that sounds good. Much more harmonious than when I was in Arista."

"Then change jobs. Meiyi will pay the penalty. There are relatively few artists here. If you join, you will be the big sister."

Avril laughed: "If I come, will you create a hit song just for me like you did for Taylor Swift and the other four?"

"Isn't that what you just sang?"

Avril winked playfully: "This doesn't count. This is my invitation to you. I will pay for it."

"How about I not charge for this song?"

"No, the song you wrote is obviously for promotional purposes. Singing it to me is just a side job."

"And the song is obviously more suitable for male voices, which means your first choice is definitely not me."

"I want one created just for me, and Avril Lavigne wants something better."

"No problem, as long as you can come to Meiyi." Eric nodded without thinking.

"That's a deal, let's go and have lunch together. I know a good burger restaurant."

"No way, you're going to treat a billionaire to a burger?"

"Then will you eat?"

"eat!"

"Just eat and stop talking nonsense, just follow me!"

The punk girl did what she said and took Eric in her big jeep and sped away.

Upstairs, Taylor Swift was standing by the window thinking about life and happened to see this scene.

"Will Jonathan go behind my back and find another girl?"

"Impossible, he definitely won't!"

"But. Maybe?"

Another week has passed quickly and it is now the end of December.

The newly released "The Incredibles" has received very good reviews and has been praised as Disney's best animated film this year.

Moreover, the 3D technology used in it is more sophisticated, and it is obvious that Mickey Mouse is always seeking progress.

Not surprisingly, this animated film took the box office crown this week.

However, the box office did not meet the expectations of many people, and it did not even break 8245 million US dollars. In seven days, it only earned million US dollars.

Compared to last week's champion "Inception" with $1.37 million, the difference is not a little bit. More than $5000 million is enough to win the championship in an ordinary period.

The reason why the situation is so tragic is self-evident. Everyone has to bear the bitter fruit of vicious competition.

The runner-up, "Inception", won more than 6700 million US dollars, a drop of more than 50%. It is cruel to see such a huge drop for such an excellent reputation.

The third place is the newly released "Assassin's League", with a North American box office of 6440 million US dollars.

Compared to the cost of 8000 million US dollars, it is expected that the final global box office should break even, and with luck it can make a small profit.

Even if you can't make any money, you can still slowly earn some money from copyright later on, after all, the word of mouth is pretty good.

James McAvoy finally has his own masterpiece, and the pressure on him has been very high.

A few days ago, Eric comforted him and told him not to worry, saying that he would not give up on him even if he lost money, after all, the movie had already accomplished other missions.

As for "Kung Fu", due to the restrictions on Chinese-language films, its release scale is the smallest, with only 2283 theaters.

But the results were not bad, with a box office of 2530 million US dollars in a week, over 4 in a single theater, and directly ranked fourth on the North American box office rankings of foreign language films.

The only ones ahead of it are "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon", "A Beautiful Mind" and "Amelie", and the gap between it and "Amelie" is only 800 million US dollars. It will definitely surpass it next week.

This has been reported on the other side of the ocean and has caused quite a stir. It remains to be seen whether it can surpass "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon".

This week, MGM released two new films.

Nicole's "La Vie en Rose" is not aiming for a high box office, it is just going for the Oscars.

Another film that cost only $40 was "Napoleon Magnificent". Eric believed that he could win the jackpot by scratching off a scratch card.

MGM building, Carol walks into the office.

"Boss, everything has been arranged."

Eric circled his calendar. There was only a week left until the release of Iron Man.

"Well, let's do something nice."

(End of this chapter)