Chapter 29: Popular in North America
It's not easy to come to the United States, so of course I can't rush back.

After the premiere, Jiang Heng and his group first toured Los Angeles and then went to Las Vegas.

Wu Qizu grew up in San Francisco, not far from here, and Jiang Heng and Li Meiqi also went to visit.

Time has quickly come to the day when "The Matrix" will be released nationwide in North America, March 3th.

March is not a good time period, but since the film has been released all over the world, it cannot be delayed until the summer in the United States.

In theaters, MGM's "The Man in the Iron Mask" was released on the same day. The film, starring Leonardo Dicaprio, is adapted from the "D'Artagnan Trilogy" written by French writer Alexandre Dumas. It tells the story of Philip, a mysterious prisoner wearing an iron mask, who, with the help of Eramis, Arthas and others, takes back the throne from the licentious Louis XIV.

In terms of film genre, it is an action and adventure film.

But in terms of action scenes, it is not in the same dimension as "The Matrix".

The film received average ratings, and its original US box office was only $5696 million, ranking 36th in the annual box office rankings. This was undoubtedly a blow to Leonardo, who became famous with "Titanic".

At this time and space, some media discovered that the protagonists of two action movies released on the same day were both handsome guys, so they compared the two and guessed whose work would win.

Leonardo DiCaprio has the remaining influence of "Titanic" and is very popular among female movie fans. Some speculate that "The Man in the Iron Mask" will definitely win.

But some media also pointed out that this Chinese man named Wu Qiuzu is not only handsome, but also has good film quality.

"The Matrix" is still being shown in many places around the world and has achieved good box office results and reputation. It may not lose to "The Man in the Iron Mask".

As for who wins and who loses, it depends on the market performance.

On the 13th, two films were released.

Jiang Heng went to New York and watched the movie at a cinema near his hotel. He found that there were many more people watching "The Matrix" than "The Man in the Iron Mask".

The specific data is reflected in the first-day box office results released the next day.

"The Matrix" grossed $1094 million at the box office, shocking countless media outlets.

"The Man in the Iron Mask" only took in $613 million, almost half of "The Matrix", which is shocking.

It's really strange that an action movie starring a popular American star was defeated by a Hong Kong film.

But judging from the media's reviews of the two films, their respective box office results seem to be justified.

The reviews of "The Matrix" by major entertainment media are naturally polarized, with those that praise it highly praising it to the sky.

He said that the action scenes in "The Matrix" crushed "The Man in the Iron Mask", and the "bullet time" special effects in the film were epoch-making in the entire history of film.

What was even more praised by the media was the artistry and thoughtfulness of the film, which caused a huge sensation across the United States.

After all, in March 98, more than a quarter of all households in the United States had access to the Internet.

Home computers, once used only for word processing, are slowly beginning to support webcasting, multi-user gaming, and social networking.

Some people who were ahead of the times began to feel uneasy about being immersed in the online world, fearing that they would become "addicted to the Internet," just as later generations hated watching short videos on their phones all day. In 97, an IBM computer called "Deep Blue" defeated the world chess champion after six games.

Humans’ defeat in the man-machine battle has caused some people to fear artificial intelligence.

The emergence of "The Matrix" precisely responded to the fear of Europeans and Americans about virtual space and artificial intelligence at that time. As a result, it quickly resonated with and sparked discussion among audiences around the world as soon as it was released, and in the following years, it and its two sequels grossed $16 billion at the box office.

This kind of response and discussion is something that "The Man in the Iron Mask" never had.

The audience is more picky about the fact that the film's plot has been changed too much from the original novel. There is no way around it. The biggest challenge in adapting a movie is to show the essence of the original novel while also showing novelty. If either aspect is not done well, the film will have a bad reputation.

Of course, there are also a small number of media that have harshly criticized "The Matrix", believing that the film is pretentious and that using human bioenergy to generate electricity is pure nonsense.

Several television media also sent reporters to the cinema to interview audiences and ask them about their views on "The Matrix".

"Oh my God! This movie is so shocking and so real. I often feel like I am living in a virtual world and feel like a character in the game. I really hope that the person who plays me can give me some game coins. I think it's better!"

"I don't like the protagonists very much. I feel they are too fake! If the real world is really as cruel as described in the movie, then I would rather live in this dream forever. Why do I have to be awake? Although the dream is fake, the feeling is real...!"

"The Matrix" received great praise in North America, which naturally resulted in a steady increase in box office revenue.

It grossed a total of 2871 million U.S. dollars in the first three days of the weekend, causing countless media outlets to exclaim that a non-Hollywood film would actually gross over million U.S. dollars.

Columbia was both excited and annoyed by this.

Because it is a split-account distribution, the profits they obtain are really limited.

He immediately sent someone to meet Jiang Heng to discuss the distribution of "The Matrix 2", but his main purpose was to participate in the investment of the film.

"Mr. Jiang, we are very sincere and want to cooperate with you!"

Amy Pascal, vice president of Columbia, came to the hotel where Jiang Heng was staying and tried to persuade Jiang Heng to carry out more comprehensive cooperation with Columbia.

To be precise, they hope that Jiang Heng can go to Hollywood and join Columbia Pictures.

Pascal, who is now in her early 40s, is one of the strongest contenders for the position of president of Columbia Corporation. In the original history, she was indeed elected as the company's president in 99.

But at this moment when the future is uncertain, Pascal is under tremendous performance pressure.

Seeing that Jiang Heng's "The Matrix" will create a super-hit series of films, he is more and more interested in recruiting Jiang Heng.

"Ms. Pascal, I appreciate your appreciation for me, but I am Chinese and used to living in my country. I have no plans to venture into Hollywood for the time being. Besides, the sequel can also be filmed in Hong Kong!"

Pascal shook his head. "It's different, Jiang. Although the faces of the male and female protagonists you chose are more in line with European and American aesthetics, they are not authentic white people after all. Your film needs to add more white and black faces to make it more international. You are talented, but Hong Kong is too small, which limits your ability.

Come here, you will become a world-class director!"

(End of this chapter)