China Entertainment: Director’s happiness is so simple

"Tony, how many people will come tomorrow?"

Outside the set, a white girl in the sit-down crowd asked Tony, the white man in the lead.

After hearing this, Tony confidently replied: "At least 80."

The white girl's eyes lit up: "That adds up to nearly 120 people."

Tony continued confidently: "This is just the beginning, there will be more in the future."

These words suddenly excited the protesters.

"This way Batman can return to America."

"Summit is going to have to take action."

"Yeah yeah."

Everyone is talking about it, thinking that great things can be expected.

At this time, several staff members came out of the studio, which made everyone stop the discussion immediately.

Soon, the staff made it clear their intention: to talk.

Tony refused directly: "If you don't accept our demands, there will be nothing to talk about."

The group of people behind him are also in line.

The staff was not surprised. He just continued: "The director said that there should be a dialogue between Batman fans. If you are willing, you can talk. If you are not willing, I can only say that you don't love Batman that much."

As soon as these words came out, a group of people immediately exploded.

"Who is not a fan?"

"You don't love Batman."

"No one loves Batman more than me!"

"Tony, let's talk, who is afraid of whom?"

The die-hard fans were filled with indignation, and Tony quickly agreed: "Okay, let's talk about it."

Soon, a group of people arrived at the studio warehouse, which was a small area specially set aside.

After a while, Lu Pingping appeared.

"I am Lu Ping'an, the director you want to boycott."

Lu Pingan went straight to the point: "You are fans of Batman, right?"

At this moment, Lu Pingan had a friendly smile and a slightly majestic tone. In the eyes of these die-hard fans, his aura was quite strong.

Regarding aura, this is a little trick Jiang Wen taught him.

To put it simply, it means to raise the volume, add a little bit of arrogance, and at the same time, the eyes should be real.

There are also relevant contents in the performance courses. Jiang Wen also made some tailor-made adjustments to Lu Ping'an's body posture. For example, when talking to people, you don't always have to face them completely, you can turn slightly to the side.

In this way, the aura you should have will be there.

The effect was pretty good, at least the 30 or so fans present were relatively well-behaved.

Tony, the leader, was the first to answer: "Yes, we are all loyal fans, so we don't want you to screw up the movie."

"How do you prove you are a fan?"

Lu Ping'an asked directly.

Tony was a little confused at the time, how to prove it?

Without waiting for an answer, Lu Pingan asked again: "Do you know what year Batman was born?"

As soon as the question came up, Tony didn't say anything, and a blond girl next to him rushed to answer: "1938."

"Yes, it seems you are a fan."

Lu Pingan smiled and gave the girl a thumbs up, then continued to stare at Tony and asked, "When is Bruce Wayne's birthday?"

Tony was confused again and thought for a while before replying: "February 19th!"

"Correct! What about you, do you know Wayne's height and weight?"

Lu Pingan then named another black fan, but that person couldn't answer.

Lu Pingping spread his hands and gave the answer: "188, 95kg. You see, I know Wayne better than you."

After speaking, he smiled and introduced: "Actually, I am also a fan of Batman."

Lu Ping'an then started chatting with everyone about various things about Batman. Fans were naturally willing to talk about such topics, so the scene really looked like a fan exchange meeting.

As for Batman, since he was going to make a trilogy, Lu Ping'an had naturally done detailed homework, so when faced with this kind of scene, he had to grasp it with his hands.

After a round of chatting, the fans' recognition of Lu Ping An actually increased a lot, and this was Lu Ping An's plan.

They are fans, not opponents, and the purpose of the protest is also to protect the "paper figures". They belong to those silly and cute people.

These people look annoying, but if they unite, they might be able to bring unexpected help to the project.

Of course, Lu Ping An does not have that extravagant expectation as to whether or not to assist.

He had only two purposes this time.

The first is to get these guys out of the way.

The second is, since these guys have caused him some trouble, try to let them create a wave of value elsewhere first, which can be regarded as compensation for Lu Ping An.

After all, Lu Ping'an is not an artist.

Not much of a fan either.

Making movies is not about generating electricity for love.

He is a businessman!

A businessman should do what a businessman does.

So now, the first step to unity is to bring everyone's identity closer together.

Now, everyone is a fan. Lu Pingan asks everyone questions, and everyone also asks Lu Pingan questions, and this identity is recognized.

It's like "the two countries are separated by a strip of water."

That's what I mean.

With identity, the next thing will be easier to handle.

Lu Pingan asked directly: "Have you ever thought about how to film Batman well?"

A group of fans quickly started discussing.

Some said that we should be loyal to the original work, some said that we should find someone to play the role, some said that we should change a great director, etc.

It doesn't matter what you say, what matters is that the opinions are not unanimous.

So Lu Ping'an just waited for them to finish talking and then asked: "Look, you all have different opinions. If the project is given to you, can you make the movie?"

Everyone was silent for a while, and someone stubbornly replied: "Of course!"

"Okay, even if it is filmed according to your ideas, how can you guarantee that Batman will be successful? Failure to do so means that you will still not be able to be resurrected. Not only will you not be able to be resurrected, but you will also die more completely. How can you guarantee it?"

Lu Ping'an asked next.

Everyone continued to be silent, but some people still stubbornly replied: "How can you guarantee it?"

Lu Pingan smiled, full of confidence: "Because I am Lu Pingan!"

With that said, Lu Ping'an stood up and said: "Since I started to be a director, there have been many people questioning me. Before the filming of "Chainsaw 1" started, I couldn't get a penny of investment. No one believed that this film could make money. Not to mention the box office revenue of more than 100 million. The same goes for "Happy Death Day". No one believed that I could make a good American comedy. You may have heard of the previous "Source Code", but no one believed in a Chinese science fiction film. The film can be a global success, but it is a success! There is also "Insidious" that will be released in a few days. The production cost is 800,000 US dollars. I said that its global box office will still exceed 100 million US dollars. No one still believes it. Now The newspapers outside said that I was confused and overconfident, and that I would go home and go back to China in a few days."

Lu Pingan's eyes swept across everyone present: "But I said, I am Lu Pingan, and my movies never disappoint. If you don't believe it, I can make a bet with you. Let's start with "Latent" first. I said "Latent" "The global box office will definitely exceed the cost by more than 20 times. I will achieve great success again. Do you dare to witness it?"

After hearing this, everyone looked at Lu Pingan with different eyes.

Some are shocked, some are doubtful, and some think Lu Ping'an is probably a lunatic. How can everyone achieve such great success?

At the same time, some people think that Lu Pingan, who is so confident, is super attractive!

"What if it can't be done?"

After everyone was silent for a while, the leader Tony asked.

"Then I'll give up on Batman."

"That's what you said!"

"Of course, the cameras recorded it, and I do what I say."

Lu Ping'an smiled and continued, "But I don't think this will happen."

"So sure?"

"Yes, because I am Lu Pingping."

Lu Pingping spread his hands, his eyes full of confidence.

All the fans looked at each other. It is sometimes difficult to reason with such a confident person.

But now that both parties have made a bet, the next step is to see the results.

Then the conversation between the two parties ended, and Lu Pingan made an appointment with everyone to visit the set again in three weeks.

Because "Insidious" had been released globally for about three weeks at that time, the results were basically finalized.

If Lu Pingan cannot do what Lu Pingan said, Lu Pingan will give up directing. If he can do it, these fans will participate in the filming of the Batman behind-the-scenes documentary and become one of the protagonists of the documentary.

When fans heard this, they really hoped that Lu Pingan's new movie could achieve that result, otherwise it would be a big loss to miss out on the documentary filming.

After the fans left, Jimmy Fallon appeared. He first praised Lu Ping'an: "Lu, the way you spoke just now was so powerful, cool!"

After saying that, Jimmy Fallon worried again: "But if you play like this, the stakes are too high. What if the results are not ideal?"

Lu Pingan smiled and patted his shoulder: "So I need your help."

Jimmy Fallon laughed and said, "Don't worry."

In fact, he still doesn't care too much about Lu Ping'an's winning or losing, he only cares about the ratings!

Now, during the recording of the show, the director of Batman made a huge bet, so why worry about the ratings?

"The show will air the day after tomorrow, don't miss it!"

Jimmy Fallon smiled, took the recorded video and left, he was going to work on it.

Lu Ping'an returned to the crew and continued working.

As for "Latent", he wasn't worried at all.

The original "Insidious" had a global box office of 155 million. Even if you adjust for inflation, it would have been at least 100 million in 2004.

What's more, "Insidious" is about to be released soon, and the necessary publicity has already been done, and the scale of publicity and distribution will be an order of magnitude higher than that of the original version.

Moreover, this movie had the slogan "Create Miracle Again" through Jimmy Fallon's talk show as early as last year.

In addition, Lu Pingan has the background of "Chainsaw 1" and "Death Day", the attention of this film is already high, reaching 60 million, which is basically not a problem.

Of course, there is still a lot of doubt.

Some of them are genuine doubts, and some of them are the publicity that Summit spends money on.

"Can Lu's third ultra-low-cost horror film create another box office miracle?" became one of the hot topics in the North American film industry in March.

The hair promotion effect is very good, but it can be better.

Because there is an Oscar in March.

At the same time, there are also Angelina Jolie's suspense film "Mobile", Jim Carrey's high-scoring film "The Light", Disney's big-budget film, "Aragon" starring "Desert Troopers", Sisley Jie He is also the "Lord of the Rings" actor "The Elf Prince" starring in "The Kelly Party".

Among these films, there are some masterpieces and some big productions. Although none of them are extremely high-grossing at the box office, they do not pose a big threat to "Insidious" in terms of statistics.

But announcing this battlefield is sometimes unreasonable.

Others are making big announcements, and you must not be left behind.

Therefore, this "sky-high price bet" is used to ensure that "Insidious" stands out in the promotion war, and even competes with the Oscars for popularity.

As for the effect, we will know in a few days.

Three days later, one day before "Insidious" was released, Jimmy Fallon was still filling in for the latest episode of "Late Night with David".

The show revisited the previously mentioned "Insidious" gamble.

And the gamble of "Insidious" is already eye-catching.

Recreating glory with a small cost is a low-probability event. If Lu Pingan succeeds three times in a row, he can really be said to be a master of horror movies.

But this time, instead of restraining, Lu Pingan super doubled his chips.

Lu Ping'an actually wants to use the results of "Latent" to bet on "Batman"!

The production cost of "Insidious" was 800,000 yuan, with a total cost of 3 million. The global box office did not reach 60 million US dollars. Lu Ping'an will give up directing "Batman"! And compensated Peak 16 million US dollars!

Good guy!

What a gamble!

At this time, not only the horror movie fans of Lu Ping An were talking about it, but countless Batman fans were also talking about it!

Most horror film fans are quite excited. They feel that Lu Ping An has such confidence that "Insidious" will definitely be good.

Batman fans are also mostly happy. Most of them don't agree with the movie company messing with Batman, not to mention that this time it's a Chinese horror film director.

However, this Chinese director seems to be very tough and confident, so he seems to be very confident about the Batman movie.

No matter what, if "Insidious" really achieves another miracle, it will prove that Lu Ping'an is capable, and Batman can rest assured if he leaves it to him, right?

Therefore, many people think that they should go to the cinema first and then witness the bet.

Lu Ping'an's big gamble also had a great impact on other old American movie fans.

After all, Lao American culture, especially in terms of entertainment, really likes the "crazy" side of Lu Ping An.

And Lu Ping'an is not a brainless madman.

He has already made all the preparations during the overall promotion process of "Latent".

In the eyes of movie fans, he only proves himself with actions after someone thinks he is not good enough.

This is important.

Therefore, Lu Pingan emphasized this point in the program: "Many people think that I am Chinese, so they have preconceptions about my Hollywood works. What I want to tell them is that you are wrong, because I am Lu Pingan, My movies never disappoint!"

With this "resistance" tone, coupled with the foreshadowing of the first two blockbuster movies.

No one will think you are a stupid boy who doesn't know the heights of the world.

It's good now, everyone thinks you are fighting for your own reputation.

You are confident and confident, and act like you are sure of victory. Although some people will still think you are a bit silly and talk too harshly, most people will think that you have a strong desire to compete and that you are a man.

If the basic social atmosphere favors this, then the film's publicity effect will naturally be good, and it will also be quite good for Lu Ping'an's personal reputation.

As a result, "Latent" became extremely popular, and Lu Ping'an's reputation also soared again.

Of course, this is in the United States, and in the eyes of some mainland people and media, Lu Ping'an is stupid. He talks too hard and is too crazy. Being crazy will lead to disaster, and he doesn't know how to restrain himself on other people's territory.

Some are bullish and some are bullish.

As soon as Lu Ping An made such a show in the United States, many people from the mainland wanted to come and see "Insidious" with their own eyes. This shows that this wave of publicity exceeded expectations. As a result, box office is no longer a problem.

Under such momentum, "Insidious" opened in 2,256 theaters in North America the next afternoon.

Lu Pingan doesn't have much energy to care about the film's performance.

The most important thing to him now is "Batman."

A week later, Lu Ping'an decided on the style of the action scene, which was to still use the "clumsy design" of the original version.

As for Kou Zhanwen, who came from afar, Lu Pingping did not treat him badly.

Action guidance not only guides specific actions, but also guides the scheduling of action scenes.

Kou Zhanwen is very experienced in this aspect, so staying here can be considered as reinforcement for the crew.

Another week later, the filming of "Batman" officially started. There was no opening ceremony and it just started quietly.

As soon as the filming of the movie started, Lu Ping'an seemed to be a different person, which also made Wu Jing and other people who were relatively unfamiliar with him a little uncomfortable.

Fortunately, acquaintances will tell them about the guide's habits.

At the same time, Lu Ping An’s prestige in Laos and the United States is also unprecedented.

"Insidious" was released for two weeks, with a box office of 28.6 million in the first week!

The box office in the second week has also reached 26 million.

The total North American box office is 54.6 million, plus the weekly box office in other regions is 31 million.

The total box office of "Insidious" has reached 85.6 million.

Big bet, won!

And three consecutive ultra-low-cost movies were box office hits, bringing Lu Ping An's prestige to a new height.

Some media in North America have already called him the "King of Thrillers."

This kind of prestige, coupled with Lu Pingan's current calm expression as if he has nothing to do with the tens of millions in box office, also makes everyone more convinced that Lu Pingan directed "Batman".

So when Morgan Freeman asked Safe Road "what heights will the trilogy reach?"

Everyone in the crew pricked up their ears.

Lu Pingan answered calmly: "The ceiling of superhero movies."

After saying that, without waiting for everyone's reaction, Lu Ping'an issued the order: "Okay, all units should pay attention and prepare."

Everyone immediately took action.

But his words kept echoing in his mind.

Everyone feels that movies can really become a ceiling.