Chapter 163: Batman

After returning to Hollywood, Gu Wei continued editing "Interstellar".

After looking at the production progress, it is estimated that it will be completed in the first half of the year.

On April 4, "The Forbidden Kingdom" landed in North America.

At the same time, the film opened in 3151 theaters across North America, earning $775 million on the first day.

"Boss, this movie is really good. It's quite good."

Reid even went to the cinema to watch it, and when he came back he told Gu Wei about it.

"Really good-looking?"

"Well, it's very good, and the online reputation is also very good."

Gu Wei picked up his phone and checked the movie website. It was indeed true. Many film critics and netizens had given it rave reviews.

"The gap in aesthetic standards between the two sides is indeed quite large."

According to Gu Wei, "The Forbidden Kingdom" has a mediocre reputation in China, and many people have criticized it.

As he watched, Gu Wei began to understand that perhaps this movie was made for the overseas market.

Huayi Company needs to go public, and using it as an excuse for publicity and hype is its purpose.

If you think about it carefully, Huayi Company is indeed quite powerful. First of all, they have a fixed director, Feng Xiaogang.

With him, we can make good movies and they will have box office success.

Secondly, Huayi Company has a producer named Chen Guofu, who was poached from Colombia by the Wang brothers. In some ways, he is more important than Feng Xiaogang.

Add to that their artist management, media advertising and distribution companies, and it can be said that Huayi has basically achieved an offline closed loop for the film industry, except for having fewer cinemas.

No wonder Huayi Company has been able to develop into the leading private enterprise and is now not far from going public.

In the first three days of the first week, Huayi Company earned 2100 million US dollars, and was overjoyed when it received the data.

Of course, this movie can also be said to be consuming the box office revenue brought by the fame of Cheng Long and Li Lianjie, but Jing Tian benefited greatly. Although the role of Jin Yanzi was dispensable, being able to participate in such a blockbuster still increased his popularity.

Domestic theaters are becoming more and more optimistic about "The Forbidden Kingdom".

The capital's New Film Association Cinema Chain even signed a RMB 2300 million distribution buyout agreement directly with Huayi Company.

...

Su Chang's "Magic Phone" has been on the air for half a month and is the TV series with the highest ratings in the same batch in China.

However, high ratings do not mean good reputation.

Su Chang, who has been busy with promotions recently, has been in a bad mood since he saw the negative reviews online.

In particular, Liu Yifei called her specifically to talk about this matter.

"Oh, your TV series is pretty good. I like it very much."

"Haha, except for the styling."

Hearing Liu Yifei's heartless laughter, Su Chang became even more depressed.

"Oh, you're so annoying. I just forgot about it."

"Okay, okay, I won't say any more. I'll just read you some reviews online."

After a day of shooting, Liu Yifei returned to her hotel room, sat in front of her computer, opened the forum, and started reading to herself.

"Leather boots, tight pants and exposed belly button, what role does the beautiful Su Chang play in the drama?"

"Silly girl phone."

"Why does Zhu Bajie wear a leather jacket and ride a Harley motorcycle to pay tribute to The Terminator?"

"Pfft..."

There was laughter on the other end of the line.

"Haha, I'm dying of laughter. I can't take it anymore. Let me slow down."

Liu Yifei laughed out loud as she read, and then she laughed through the phone for a long time before stopping.

"Stop talking. When will you be back?"

Su Chang asked speechlessly.

"Around the end of June at the latest. I'll go back after the filming is finished."

To be honest, Liu Yifei has learned a lot from Leonardo during this period, and it can be said that she has benefited a lot.

The star-studded Lu Zheng has been very troubled recently. Although Jingtian has received much attention due to "The Forbidden Kingdom" and has received many film invitations, they are all small-scale and Lu Zheng does not care about them at all.

Afterwards, I asked around and found out that most of the slightly famous directors in the circle all had work on hand. They were either busy with post-production, busy with filming, or had no plans to start a new movie recently.

"Uncle Lu, why don't we shoot a TV series first and then make a movie when we have a chance."

"Okay, I'll ask around later." Lu Zheng was a little helpless. Even if he had money, he couldn't control a big director.

However, the TV series mentioned by Jingtian is not bad. Starring Liu Ye and Zhao Yanzi, it can also add some popularity to Jingtian.

"Liu Yifei is still the best. With director Gu Wei taking care of her, she basically doesn't have to worry about what kind of movie to shoot, and she can even choose the script herself."

Lu Zheng felt a little emotional. It was only after Liu Yifei refused the role in "The Forbidden Kingdom" that it was the turn of the next people to compete.

When Jingtian heard this, he remained silent. Some things really could not be envied.

But then I changed my mind and realized that I had already started off very high, so the rest I could only do slowly.

"The Forbidden Kingdom" grossed over 50 million yuan in the domestic box office in just three days, but the negative reviews from the audience are increasing.

"For the sake of global box office, we had to give up something."

Wang Zhongjun said directly in the interview.

This sentence is very spiritual. What exactly have you given up?

This year's Capital University Student Film Festival has come to an end. Feng Xiaogang won the Best Director Award for "Assembly". Now he finally has an award to protect himself.

In terms of awards, he is the worst among the big directors.

...

Brother Chen Kai held a wrap-up party for "Mei Lanfang". Gu Wei was not in the country at that time, but Wu Ershan was invited.

At the wrap party, Chen Kai told the media that the copyright of the film had been sold and several Southeast Asian countries had purchased it, and the price was not low.

"He is worthy of being the Palme d'Or director."

After hearing what Brother Chen Kai said, Wuershan felt a little emotional. This title is indeed useful.

"The film is scheduled to be released during the Lunar New Year holiday and will participate in the Berlin Film Festival next year."

"Well, there were some problems with the film's post-production, so it's too late to attend Cannes and Venice this year."

Brother Chen Kai continued talking, and it was obvious that he had come out of the failure of "The Promise" and was full of confidence.

"Good guy, he just said he was going to the Berlin Film Festival, as if the award was easy to win."

After the wrap party, Wu Ershan called Gu Wei and told him about this. "Haha, I'm so jealous."

"I'm a little jealous. It's really good to be a big director."

Gu Wei felt that there was something wrong with Chen Kai's choice of the Berlin Film Festival.

You should know that Berlin is more inclined to visual reflections of political life. Most of the winning films are serious and steady. They have a special liking for films that reflect war, turbulent times, cultural differences and ethical morals.

"I think it's hard for Mei Lanfang to get out of Berlin. Cannes and Venice are more suitable. The Berlin award is too serious."

After listening to this, Urshan seemed to be thinking deeply, but for him, the three major capitals of Europe were too far away.

It’s better to win awards early. The phrase "late bloomer" is a compliment, but it is actually a kind of sadness.

The atmosphere of the Olympic Games is becoming increasingly intense in the capital, with only a hundred days left until the opening ceremony.

Some special effects personnel from Xingchen Film and Television Company have recently been in Zhang Yimou's team, responsible for the production of some special effects.

The government stepped in and organized a selection of outstanding songs for the Olympics. Hundreds of stars took the stage, which was even more exaggerated than a concert. I heard it was a grand scene.

While the Olympics brought up the Chinese people's sense of honor, it also caused housing prices to soar by several levels.

Many people at Xingchen Film and Television Company listened to Gu Wei's advice and bought houses, preparing to settle down in the capital.

For some employees who did not have enough down payment, Gu Wei also arranged partial loans in the company, without charging interest, and the money would be deducted from their wages and year-end bonuses according to the proportion.

Gu Wei has always been generous to his own people. When the news spread to the circle, many people inquired about the recruitment information of Xingchen Film and Television. No one doesn't want to work for a good boss.

Wang Jinghua should have recently left Orange Sky Entertainment and chosen to start her own business. There are more and more reports saying that her artists are no longer attending certain events of Orange Sky Entertainment.

Of course, choosing to start my own business this time still allows me to save some face.

Otherwise, the nickname "Three-surname slave" will probably not be removed for a while.

...

"Boss, Warner Bros. has finished post-production on The Dark Knight."

Early in the morning, Reid talked about this with Gu Wei.

"Fuck, this is really fast."

It seems that the Warner special effects staff were not bragging at the time, and they actually completed it within half a year.

"The other party invited you to come over to see the finished film and wanted you to give some advice."

"Let's go, let's go and have a look."

Gu Wei was a little impatient. Nolan and his crew had finished filming in the UK and were now in France. I heard that they would go to the island country to film at the end of the month.

Now, I can watch this blockbuster in advance.

Gu Wei and Reid drove to Warner's headquarters, and Mike, who was waiting at the door, came over to greet them.

After a few pleasantries, he took Gu Wei and Reid into the company.

After arriving upstairs, the company was still busy with people coming and going. A large number of movies were produced here every year, some of which were produced by other companies. Warner Bros. made a lot of money just from the special effects fees.

"Gu, please go there in person."

Mike, the head of Warner Bros., said very politely that the film had been completed and invited Gu Wei to come and see the quality of the film.

"Haha, you're welcome, Mike. I can't wait any longer."

"Believe me, this movie will not disappoint you. It is also Heath Ledger's last work."

There was a hint of sadness in Mike's tone, but it was fleeting.

Gu Wei next to him didn't know what to say, as he was not familiar with Heath Ledger.

"Excuse me, Gu, let's go watch the finished film."

"It's ok."

Mike was sad for a moment, then came to his senses and said to Gu Wei and Reid who came with him.

Then he nodded to the staff next to him.

After a while, a staff member brought the machine, turned it on, fiddled with it for a while, then aimed the machine at the screen in front of them, and the movie started playing on the big screen.

The two and a half hour movie ended very quickly, but Gu Wei still felt a little unsatisfied. The Joker's performance was indeed fresh in people's memory. It can be said that the Joker's performance was the most exciting in the movie "The Dark Knight".

After watching the movie, Gu Wei felt a little groggy. When he stood up, his vision went dark and he almost fell down.

"Boss, are you okay?"

Reid, who was standing next to him, walked quickly to Gu Wei and extended his hand to help him.

"Gu, your body?"

"I am fine."

Gu Wei relaxed for a while. He had been feeling a little palpitated in recent days and had a premonition that something was going to happen.

“The staying power of this movie is so strong.”

Mike next to him didn't quite understand, but when he saw that Gu Wei was fine, he didn't think much about it. He gave Gu Wei a few words of advice, asking him to pay more attention to rest.

After leaving Warner's headquarters and returning to the company with Reid, Gu Wei received a call from Liu Yifei.

"Senior, are you okay?"

Liu Yifei's tone sounded a little anxious. If she wasn't still filming on the set, she would probably have flown over directly.

"It's okay. Ryder told you so."

Gu Wei turned his head and looked at Reid, who made an excuse and slipped away.

After chatting with Liu Yifei for a while, Gu Wei heard Nolan calling her on the phone.

"Go quickly, the director is calling you, I'm fine."

"Yeah, I'll go see you after the shoot."

Liu Yifei was reluctant to hang up the phone.

On the set of "Inception", when Liu Yifei was making a phone call, Liu Xiaoli was listening nearby.

"Is Gu Wei okay?"

Liu Xiaoli asked with concern. She was shocked when she heard her daughter's approval. After seeing Liu Yifei hang up the phone, she asked in a low voice.

"Mom, the senior said he's fine. The director called me. I'll go to shoot first."

Liu Yifei tried hard to relax herself and regulate her emotions.

After saying that, Liu Yifei went straight to the shooting location.

Filming continues...

...

(End of this chapter)