Chapter 117 Imported Film Box Office Records

After Gu Wei, Liu Yifei and others got off the car, the scene suddenly became lively and the cameras of reporters on both sides turned to them.

"Director Gu, Yifei, look over here."

"Liu Yifei, we love you."

"Qin Hao, here."

On both sides of the red carpet, many fans shouted.

Liu Yifei smiled as she accepted the interview with reporters and took photos with some fans after the interview.

She has always done a good job in treating her fans. Most importantly, she is not pretentious and is deeply loved by everyone.

After more than ten minutes of struggling, Gu Wei took them into the hotel. As soon as they entered, they saw Ning Hao talking and laughing with a group of guests, and they seemed to be having a very happy chat.

Major film companies, producers, celebrity artists, invited media reporters and some cinema managers.

"Director Gu."

"Director Gu, Yifei."

...

Seeing Gu Wei coming in, voices of greetings were heard along the way.

"Director Gu, you are finally here."

Ning Hao walked quickly to Gu Wei. There were quite a lot of big guys coming today, and he was a little nervous.

"Director Han and the others are inside, waiting for you, Director Gu."

After hearing this, Gu Wei followed Ning Hao inside.

"Here, come and sit."

Han Sanping saw Gu Wei, waved his hand and spoke directly.

"Director Gu, you are here."

"Sit here, Director Gu."

Wang Zhonglei, Wang Changtian, Ye Ning, Yang Shoucheng and others standing nearby also stood up and greeted them.

Ning Hao had just greeted several bigwigs and was now walking among the guests with the main creative staff, a smile on his face.

"Director Han, Director Wang."

"Boss Wang, Director Yang."

Gu Wei called out one by one. Liu Yifei and Qin Hao were not with him. They were chatting happily with Xing Aina.

A group of big men were talking about something, and no one dared to disturb them. The closest people were several meters away.

There are many CEOs of film and television companies present today, but there are not many big directors. Zhang Yimou and Feng Xiaogang are both busy with their own movies.

As for Brother Chen Kai, he also made the excuse that he had something to do and didn't come. After all, this was not a movie directed by Gu Wei himself, and Ning Hao's reputation was still a bit lacking.

Gu Wei started chatting with a few people, but no one mentioned his new movie. They were all knowledgeable people and just came to show their support today, so it was not appropriate to talk about cooperation.

In the afternoon, a group of guests and creative staff came to the nearby cinema to watch the prepared film.

Guo Tao, Xu Zheng, Liu Hua, and Huang Bo were all present. Liu Dehua was filming the movie "The Warring States" and was unable to attend the event. He even called Ning Hao in advance to express his apologies.

As the film slowly opens, the characters played by several people also appear.

"Substituting one thing for another", "substituting a fake for a real one", "brand, Baleno"...

Classic lines appeared one after another, and an unprecedented comedy style was presented to the audience, and bursts of laughter rang out in the theater from time to time.

“Haha, that’s hilarious.”

Liu Yifei was laughing happily beside them.

"Take it easy, or your makeup will fall off."

"Hiss, it's quite powerful."

The young lady went straight to her hands, pinched Gu Wei, and rolled her eyes.

After the movie, it was time for the interview session and the group returned to the hotel lobby.

The staff quickly arranged the tables and chairs, and Ning Hao and the main creative staff walked to the interview desk to answer questions from reporters.

The domestic ban on guiding was about to end, and Gu Wei was not afraid of media reports. Ning Hao pulled him directly to the middle of the interview desk and accepted interviews from reporters.

As a famous director and the film's investor and producer, the reporter asked him questions first.

"Director Gu, how much do you think the movie can earn at the box office?"

The reporter asked directly, and the others nearby also looked at him with a bit of anticipation in their eyes.

"Everyone has watched the movie just now. Let's see if it's good or not."

"nice."

Someone in the audience shouted in agreement.

"As for the box office, I can make a bold prediction. I believe this movie will not disappoint the audience."

"Director Gu is right."

"We believe in Director Gu's vision."

When the other main creative staff heard this, they turned to look at Gu Wei and spoke one after another.

The reporter was very satisfied with Gu Wei's answer, and now he had new material for his report.

Next came the interviews with Ning Hao and others. Most of them were the same. It might be that Gu Wei’s words just now influenced them. Everyone was optimistic about the box office of "Stone".

The interview ended with laughter and a dinner was arranged next.

.........

That evening, the premiere was all over the news, including the full content of the interview and photos of the celebrity guests in attendance.

"Director Gu predicted during an interview that Stone would be a big hit at the box office."

Gu Wei's interview speech was reported separately by the media.

Although Liu Dehua did not attend the premiere, he did congratulate the film in advance for its high box office when he was interviewed by "The Warring States".

Online, film critics and media have given high praise to "Stone", saying that it is a comedy movie worth going to the cinema and that the film is very funny.

...

On June 6th, "Stone" will be released nationwide. There are no strong competitors during this period. "God of War" is scheduled to be released in late July, so it will not have much impact.

Thanks to the word-of-mouth after the premiere, many companies and filmmakers in the industry believe that "Stone" will not have a bad box office, but how bad it will be depends on the audience's choice.

Compared with Gu Wei, Ning Hao was much more nervous. According to Xing Aina, he hadn't slept well in the past few days and was a little worried.

The next morning, China Film Corporation released the first day's box office data directly through the media.

"Crazy Stone grossed 1260 million yuan on its first day, and is expected to exceed million yuan."

In addition to the box office, the film also received good reviews, with many people praising "Stone".

"Haha, Baleno paid the endorsement fee."

"A very funny movie, I laughed so hard that my stomach hurt."

...

Thirty million, fifty million, until the box office exceeded one hundred million.

A new billion-dollar box office director has emerged in China, and Ning Hao's name has been repeatedly reported by the media.

"It is said that people are afraid of being famous just like pigs are afraid of being fat. This is true. My phone has been almost blown up recently. They are all asking me when my next movie will start. Everyone is scrambling to invest."

In the restaurant, Ning Hao seemed to be complaining but was actually showing off.

"Look at you, you are so unruly in front of Director Gu."

Xing Aina retorted from the side.

"Congratulations to Director Ning for being promoted to billion-dollar box office director."

"Haha, thank you Yifei, let's go."

Ning Hao picked up the glass in front of him and drank the beer in one breath.

"Director Gu, Despicable Me will be released soon. I wonder if we can hold a premiere in China then?"

"Forget about it in China. I'm too lazy to bother with it."

"That's right, the movie's global box office has exceeded 4 million."

Ning Hao said with envy, "4.5 million. According to feedback from two Hollywood companies, the global box office will reach 5 million by the end of the month."

"Really awesome."

Ning Hao gave a thumbs up, and Gu Wei smiled when he saw it.

"Director Gu, a film festival has invited me to take Stone to the exhibition."

"It's up to you."

Gu Wei was still worried about the domestic film festivals and did not continue the topic.

Xing Aina kicked Ning Hao under the table, and he finally reacted.

"Come on, Director Gu, let me toast you a glass. I want to thank you for your investment in Stone."

Xing Aina raised her cup and changed the subject.

"cheers."

...

The news that Ning Hao's movie broke the 100 million yuan box office record made headlines in major media outlets for only a few days, but was replaced by the upcoming "Despicable Me".

Compared with Gu Wei's Hollywood blockbusters, even if all the profits of "Stone" are counted, it is not even a fraction of Gu Wei's movie.

Many more companies in the circle are eyeing Gu Wei's next movie. Everyone has discovered that so far, Gu Wei's movies have never lost money, and basically every one of them has made a lot of money.

"Director Gu, your movie is about to be released. Congratulations in advance on your success. We will book out the entire theater to show our support."

“Haha, thank you all for your support.”

"Director Gu, you can rest assured about the film scheduling."

Ye Ning from Wanda called before the movie was released and talked about this directly.

Originally, this kind of thing could not be said directly, but Wanda also wanted to please Gu Wei and strive to get a share of the investment in his next movie.

"Thank you, Mr. Ye."

"You're welcome."

On July 7, "Despicable Me" will be released in major theaters across China.

The domestic promotion and marketing was handled by China Film Group, so Gu Wei didn't have to worry about the scheduling of the films.

On the day of the film's release, Gu Wei was not idle either, and went to the cinema with Liu Yifei.

"There are quite a lot of people. I'll go buy a ticket first."

Gu Wei glanced at the theater's attendance rate and nodded.

I waited in line for almost ten minutes before I could buy the nearest ticket.

"More food and drink."

After a while, the two of them, holding popcorn and snacks in their hands, followed the audience into the screening room.

"Haha."

"This little yellow man is so cute."

The audience in the theater laughed and talked in low voices from time to time.

"The movie is great and cute."

Maybe Gu Wei had seen the movie too many times when it was completed, so he didn't feel anything when he watched it again.

"Let's go get something to eat."

After leaving the cinema and arriving at the parking lot, Liu Yifei looked at Gu Wei and suggested.

"Okay, get in the car."

Afterwards, the two went to find a private restaurant nearby.

So far, the box office champion of imported films this year is currently in the hands of "The Da Vinci Code". The film was released in China in May and had a box office of over 150 million when it was taken off the screen.

The first-day box office was 17.8 million. This data was released by China Film Group. No one doubts the authenticity of the data. This is what they do.

"Senior, check the news, the first day box office is out."

Liu Yifei called at the right time. Gu Wei answered the call in a daze and then started reading the media reports.

Netizens gave very good reviews to "Despicable Me", saying that the story is not complicated but full of warmth.

“A very classic animated film.”

"I took my daughter to the cinema and she kept smiling the whole time."

When many people in the circle were interviewed, they spoke well of Gu Wei and congratulated him.

The next day, the box office did not drop significantly and remained around 17 million. If nothing unexpected happens, the movie's box office will exceed 200 million.

News came from Reid on the other side of the ocean that the global box office of the film has exceeded 500 million US dollars and is currently growing slowly.

On the third and fourth days, until the end of the first week, the box office of "Despicable Me" successfully reached the 100 million mark.

At the end of the month, Wang Chen reported to Gu Wei that pirated discs had appeared in the country and movie box office revenue was declining rapidly.

"We can't solve the problem of piracy, but we can mention it in publicity. Before the movie is taken off the screen, 200 million box office won't be a problem."

At the same time, "Dragon Tiger Gate" released in July was a complete box office failure, and the Hong Kong director's complaints were spread online, triggering a new round of discussion online.

"After the Hong Kong box office exceeded HK$20 million, there was basically no movement."

Based on this data, it is already the best box office in Hong Kong Island so far.

There are many Hong Kong film companies that are jealous of Emperor Entertainment Group, but only a few are willing to change. Most of them are old stubborn and still immersed in the glorious era of Hong Kong films.

At the beginning of August, just as domestic movie ticket sales exceeded 100 million, the global box office of Despicable Me was reported.

"Despicable Me has grossed over 500 million US dollars worldwide and is currently the top-grossing Hollywood movie released in the first half of the year."

In the Xingchen Film and Television Company, Gu Wei looked at the manuscript that had been polished by the media, but did not take it too seriously.

According to Ryder's feedback, "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest", which was released in major theaters in North America in July, had amazing box office results.

It grossed $1.32 million in its opening weekend, making it the current box office champion in North America.

The film grossed $5550 million on its first day of release, breaking the previous single-day box office record.

At the same time, it surpassed the opening weekend box office record of $1.148 million previously held by "Spider-Man", thus setting a new box office milestone.

According to predictions from major Hollywood companies, this movie has an incredible potential to gross over 1 billion U.S. dollars at the box office.

The box office of two consecutive movies exceeded 100 million yuan, which made people in the industry see the potential of the domestic film market. A new round of film promotion began, and the industry became lively again.

"The box office of Stone is good, but it is still far behind Director Zhang's new film Curse of the Golden Flower. This year, the annual box office record for domestic films will only be Curse of the Golden Flower."

When facing the media interview, Zhang Weiping spoke with confidence, but did not mention Gu Wei, as he also knew his own limitations.

With top domestic director Zhang Yimou, as well as superstars Chow Yun-fa and Gong Li, as well as singing superstar Zhou Jielun who has a large number of fans, Zhang Weiping is still full of confidence.

"Stone is a good movie, and director Ning Hao is very talented. The requirements for The Banquet are not high, and it will definitely have no problem breaking 100 million. As for the 200 million box office, it depends on the support of the audience."

When Feng Xiaogang was interviewed by reporters, he was as smooth as ever. As long as his interests were not affected, everything could be discussed.

Brother Chen Kai has disappeared from the public eye for a short time since the failure of "The Promise". Recently, there were media reports that he seems to be preparing a new movie, which is said to be an art film. Is he returning to his old business?

...

"I have to record songs and learn dance every day recently. My mother asked me to finish the album before September because she is afraid that it will affect your movie shooting."

"Tell your auntie that the movie is not in a hurry, and your scenes can be filmed later."

Gu Wei looked at the tired girl in front of him and felt a little distressed.

"I don't dare tell my mother, because she'll nag me if I tell her.

But when I was practicing singing, I met a new friend. I'll introduce him to you when I have time.

She sings so beautifully that I sound like an amateur compared to her.

"Okay, we'll talk about it when we have a chance."

In mid-August, with the end of Despicable Me's release, the box office successfully exceeded 200 million, but not by much.

During this period, other film and television companies in the industry have been keeping an eye on his next project.

Gu Wei calculated the time and decided it was time to do this.

.........

(End of this chapter)