Hollywood Drawing

Hollywood Draw 679 - Gives the right to rain to the umbrella seller.

"Listen to me, Da He, we'd better not give up that little reporter so soon."

Although the CEO of Ben's son is in a state of rage, Paul, the distribution director of Sony Columbia, still has no change in the tone of his speech. "I thought about it, that little reporter wasn't completely useless, it's just that we were all blindsided by The Flash's unexpected box office performance."

The short and stout Da Hexiong raised his head slightly and looked at the man opposite the desk. At this time, he couldn't care about the height difference, and said in a slightly hoarse voice: "Tell me what you think."

"The Flash box office hit $38.48 million on the first day, and I'm not surprised at all."

Paul straightened his back, put his hands on the desk in front of him, and looked at Ogaxiong with serious eyes. "Isn't that the reason why we and the Paramount woman chose to launch together on Saturday morning.

No one can stop the box office of "The Flash" on the first day, the brand bonus of Wayne Greenberg, plus the fan effect that DC has cultivated with a movie in the past few years, all will be concentrated on this day break out. But didn't you notice, "The Flash" made a mere $35.77 million at the Saturday box office..."

It’s okay not to mention this number. When I mentioned this number, the CEO of Benzi immediately widened his eyes, like a rooster that was strangled by his neck, and cried out in a shrill and weird voice: “Shit, mere? $35.77 million. ?"

The reason why he would have this reaction is completely normal. After all, the "Godzilla" that he was desperate for was the same number as the box office in the entire first weekend. In Ogaxiong's view, the world-famous monster from his hometown should not behave like this at all.

"Hey, although this is cruel, we have to face it." Seeing that the short and stout man was about to be dominated by anger again, Paul immediately waved his hand seriously. "Everything depends on who you compare with, Dahe. The box office of "The Flash" is close to $40 million on the first day. According to normal market rules, won't it exceed $40 million on Saturday?

I am afraid that without the unanimous scolding of film critics and the violent allegations that the little reporter appeared on the TV, the Saturday box office of "The Flash" would have exceeded 50 million US dollars! The North American box office of this film is bound to break 100 million! What's more, when did Wayne Greenberg's films follow the laws of the market? ! "

After listening to his analysis, Ben Ziyi's CEO nodded silently, and his anger was slowly suppressed. As long as he thinks of this, he feels a chill for no reason. Two of the six giants have joined forces and prepared a plan for a long time, and they can only make the other party's first weekend box office in North America not exceed 100 million!

From this point of view, it really can't be said that their plan this time is completely ineffective, at least not let "The Flash" take everything in the first weekend, right?

It's just that the current effect is not what Sony Columbia wants. Da Hexiong actually knows that it is difficult to stop Wayne, but if he thinks about the box office performance of the other party in the past few years, he knows that the probability is not high. What he cares more about is actually the performance of "Godzilla" itself.

The previous year Universal Pictures and Steven Spielberg still failed to stop "Batman: The Dark Knight", but they did not prevent "Jurassic Park" from being squeezed by Wayne's works from the world. The cinema market has earned more than 600 million at the box office.

He still can't understand it until now, obviously he has completely copied the practice of Universal Pictures a year ago, and even prepared much more than Universal Pictures, why did he lose the bottom line at the very beginning!

"My idea is, not only don't give up the little reporter, but we also need to add some funds to let the little reporter sue Wayne Greenberg as soon as possible. Don't care about the opinions of the outside world, as long as this matter is entangled, always There will be someone on the side of the weak one."

Although he was extremely contemptuous of himself in his heart, Paul's face did not show it at all, and he patiently gave advice. "Da He, we all know that if "The Flash" sells one less ticket, "Godzilla" is very likely to sell one more ticket, and the cake is so big. Since it works, we can't give up early!"

His words were at least sincere on the surface, and Da Hexiong frowned and thought about it for a while before he nodded helplessly.

"Godzilla" has only been released for three days. It can be said that the first week has not passed. In any case, it is too early to give up. And if you stick to it, there is still a glimmer of hope of making a comeback at the box office. If you choose to do nothing now, you will lose all hope.

"Where are the film critics?"

Now that the plan has been chosen to continue, the CEO of Benzi will naturally not ignore the group of film critics. "According to your analysis, it's not that those film critics didn't play a role, it's just that their appetite is not small, should they continue..."

"My advice is, go ahead!"

Before waiting for the other party to finish speaking, Paul gritted his teeth, looked across from the desk, and continued: "Since we have spent a lot of money in front of us, there is no need to think about future investment. Dahe, this is a war, think about it. If you want to survive, you must do whatever you can, and you can't admit defeat in advance!"

"I will propose additional follow-up investment in "Godzilla" at the high-level meeting tomorrow." Ogata took a sip of the cold coffee on the table. "That's it, "Godzilla" must not fail like this!"

In the project of "Godzilla", the production cost, publicity investment, and "public relations" investment have added up to more than 200 million US dollars. You must know that every penny invested by Sony Columbia , are their own working capital, and there is no external financing for this project at all.

With so much money thrown into it, if it sinks to the bottom of the sea without a sound, someone will be held accountable afterwards. However, whether it is the project initiator or the leader of various plans, all are Da Hexiong. He does not dare to think about it now. If the project loses money, how will he face the board of directors? I am afraid that rice has always trusted him. Sheng Hefu still couldn't protect himself.

It would be better to just keep fighting and see if there will be any turning point in the future. It is better than standing in place and waiting to die.

After a brief exchange between the two, Paul politely exited the CEO's office, and no one could find out what was hidden in his eyes at this time.

"Critics? We're giving up on that. If Sony Columbia wants to continue, let them continue."

It was also early on Monday morning, and the same box-office report, Paramount Iron Lady CEO Shirley Lansing said directly to distribution director Nick Crowley after reading it. "You will continue to keep in touch with Paul in the future, but we will not spend even a penny on the next plan."

As a rare female executive in Hollywood, her eyes have always been very sharp, and her level of sobriety is second to none in the circle.

"The Flash" has indeed been affected a bit. After all, the box office in North America did not break 100 million in the first weekend, but the main revenue film is "Godzilla" and "Crash of Heaven and Earth" released by Paramount. It can be said that one foot has already withdrawn. mainstream audiences' viewing options.

"Okay, in fact, from the beginning, I didn't think that the group of "vampires" could play a big role." Nodding, Nick Crowley happily agreed.

As he said, the influence that film critics can exert during the summer season is definitely the lowest among all the year-round schedules in North America, which he discovered two years ago when he was still in the chaotic Disneyland.

In particular, the public television network under Disney has a very famous film critic program, and the host is the ace film critic Roger Albert. Therefore, as long as it is a Disney executive, anyone who is careful has noticed that the ratings of this show have been getting lower and lower in the past two years.

As the only gold film critic who has been recognized by the Pulitzer Prize, the programs he hosts are all like this, which invisibly shows that more and more mainstream film audiences in North America are gradually ignoring the influence of film critics on their choices. .

In fact, one thing is that Hollywood film company executives do not know that this group of vampires in the film critic industry does not have a perfect standard for consideration.

The film critic industry has always been the most unspecified industry since it appeared decades ago, which is special among all film practitioners. To put it bluntly, anyone can become a film critic because it is different from the strict requirements of other jobs in the film industry.

If a film director has not undergone rigorous study, whether the study is in the crew or in the academy, then the director is definitely unqualified. In the same way, behind-the-scenes work related to the film industry requires a lot of learning and accumulation.

Even a star who does not require the least amount of learning and accumulation, in the final analysis, if you want to step into the front line and continuously improve your coffee status, you need to constantly hone your acting skills. Even the first-line superstar Tom Cruise, who is most criticized by fans for his acting problems, has no difficulty in coping with commercial films with his acting skills and professionalism.

But all of this is not important to film critics. You don't need to study a course at all, and no school will offer such a course. You don't need to be recognized first, or get a so-called degree or technical certificate. To be certified as a film critic.

Therefore, rational insiders must understand that what these greedy vampires say can only serve as a "guidance" for the older generation of fans.

The reason why everyone is releasing a new film, the tacit public relations of well-known film critics in North America, is not because of their guiding role in film art, but more like spending a sum of money as a certain kind of routine film publicity channel, At the same time, it covers a small number of elderly movie fans who have the habit of watching movie critic columns.

"Those critics should cherish it, I'm sure."

Talking about this, Nick Crowley's eyes are full of pity. "With Warner Bros. and Wayne Greenberg taking the lead this time, choosing not to invite film critics to test screenings, there will be more and more studios in the future that will ignore them when releasing their films."

This sentence is by no means a joke, not to mention others, even he, the director of distribution of Paramount Pictures, has decided not to invite these film critics for the preview of the company's next big project.

Perhaps in the eyes of ordinary people, Nick Crowley is not famous, and even walking on the street, he will not be recognized by some small stars in the circle. But among film company executives, his vision and ability have always been known for their stability.

As if the executives from Disney are like this, another smiling Mickey Mouse who led Disney to become the world's No. 1 media group, the world-renowned CEO Robert Iger, also does the same thing.

In terms of fame, he is of course not as big as the later Robert Iger, but the projects he led Paramount Pictures will definitely be familiar to movie fans. The "Transformers" series has made the "Mission Impossible" series a second glory, and even a series of films such as "Star Trek", "Ninja Turtles", "Extreme Agent 3: The Ultimate Return", etc., are all from this stable to Unassuming executive.

In some ways, it would be an understatement to call Walt Disney the Whampoa of Hollywood. It's just a pity that these executives have all left because of their chaos. Jeffrey Katzenberg, one of the Big Three Dreamworks, and Nick Crowley in the back have all gone to the top of their careers outside Disney.

"We are not involved in the film critic's business."

Now Shirley Lansing, who is more concerned about how to make "Clash of the Earth" sell more money, has basically given up the tacit agreement with Sony Columbia.

"However, Nick, don't break the connection with Sony Columbia, especially if you want to stare at the old fox Paul, I have a feeling that what he did this time is too abnormal and must have other purposes."

"Ok, I'll keep an eye on him."

The two looked at each other and smiled tacitly. The executives in the circle knew each other well. The director of Sony Columbia distribution, this time, many things were abnormal. It was precisely these abnormal places that both of them noticed.

What is Paul's usual practice? That was in the early 1990s, after losing twice in a row to Wayne Greenberg, he was a shrewd man with a long memory.

Especially in the next few years, under the eyes of several other Hollywood giants, he has released a large number of small and medium-cost projects, and it is terrifying to take a closer look at the high success rate. The outside world has never recognized the ability of the CEO of this son. These executives in the circle basically agree that Paul is the one who will lead Sony Columbia out of labor.

One point is very telling. After suffering two losses that year, did he ever make a decision to collide with Wayne Greenberg again? Not once, every time I hide my own projects away, and sit and watch the fierce battle of the other giants, but this time I took the initiative...

"Let's talk business."

In Nick Crowley's eyes, what is the most important? It's not a tacit understanding with Sony Columbia, nor is it "The Clash of Heaven and Earth", which is basically powerless. "The reason why "The Flash" was under our siege and suppressed the first weekend box office that almost exceeded 100 million, the main reason has been found."

That's right, that's what he cares about the most, and it's also what Shirley Lansing cares about the most. Because no matter from which aspect, the tacit squeeze between them and Sony Columbia cannot only receive such a little result.

Not to mention Wayne's die-hard fans, let alone fans accumulated from DC's previous works, because more than half of this group of people walked into the theater on the first day of "The Flash", and they took this into consideration. , was launched the day after the official release of "The Flash".

Hearing this, Shirley Lansing immediately lifted her spirits. "Hmm, tell me, how did Warner Bros. and Wayne Greenberg do it?"

"The Internet, yes, it's the Internet." Nick Crowley let out a long sigh and said helplessly: "All of us, we still underestimate the power of the Internet. I've always wondered why I walked into the theater. The main audience watching "The Flash" happens to be composed of young people.

After two days of detailed investigation, the network department of Warner Bros.'s distribution department came into my sight inadvertently. Those who go to work at Warner Bros. headquarters every day are actually just the main "torso" in this department, and more members are spread across major cities throughout North America.

They ganged up in groups to guide public opinion on all movie-related websites, and the method was actually very crude, nothing more than a lot of singing praises to "The Flash". But the effect was quite ideal. Countless young people with habit of surfing the Internet were affected and walked into the theater. Pay attention, Shirley, the next step is more important..."

Speaking of this, Nick Crowley's face was extremely serious, and the ridicule in his voice was put away, and he continued solemnly: "Under the leadership of the "torso" of the Internet department, these people were just madly brushing " The good reviews of The Flash, I found that starting this morning, the Internet began to be flooded with a lot of bad reviews of Godzilla!

It should be noted that these bad reviews are from the same group of people. It can be said that they changed their bodies and changed their identities on the virtual platform of the Internet! Shirley, do you know what that means? "

What does it mean? Shirley Lansing's face became more and more solemn. "It means that Warner Bros. is ahead of everyone again. It means that Warner Bros. not only set up a booth selling umbrellas in online marketing, but also holds the right to when it rains with the other hand!"

"That's right!"

The two here are not ordinary people, and of course they know exactly what this means. The Internet represents the future, there is basically no doubt about this, especially when the giant Warner Bros. has taken the lead, if it wants to use this low-cost platform to smear other competitors, everyone is still out of hand.

Even if Warner Brothers didn't realize it before, the so-called "navy" and "black fans" department are powerful, and they will realize it after the release of "The Flash" this time. Giving the right to rain to the umbrella seller is a disservice to everyone.

"Nick, this is important, and Paramount has the same department!"

Shirley Lansing thought of this for the first time, stared at her distribution director and said: "The relevant personnel are all in accordance with Warner Bros.! If possible, go to Warner Bros. Network department to dig a few people over, we will faster!"

"I try, it's not easy actually."

Nick Crowley nodded and said directly: "I also thought of this attention, but there is a difficulty. The main managers of the Warner Bros. network department are all die-hard Wayne fans organization members, and their income is not low. Therefore, I can only dig as much as I can."

"If necessary, you can offer double or even triple the salary!" Shirley Lansing frowned and said fiercely: "The speed must be fast, what I need is the operating rules of the network department. Build the relevant framework as soon as possible. At the very least, we must ensure that Warner Bros. will have a certain amount of strength to fight back when we attack us in this regard!"

Hollywood is never short of smart people, and conversations like this aren't just between Paramount CEOs and distribution executives. At the same time, Twentieth Century Fox's CEO Townsend-Rothman also put forward a proposal to form a network division at a high-level meeting.

Equally responsive is DreamWorks, which is now working closely with Warner Bros. This quasi-giant of the film industry, founded by the Big Three, has much simpler rights composition than the Big Six, so under the proposal of Steven Spielberg, the decision to form a network department was passed on the same day.

The first weekend box office of a "Flash", behind the sudden powerful "navy" people, almost made half of Hollywood studios realize it. For the first time, they also saw the influence of the Internet platform on young people, just as they saw the effect of "Super Bowl" on the movie.

With this group of so-called "navy armies", this influence becomes controllable, and no one can resist this temptation.

"Reborn Financial Giants"

There is one thing that everyone is very convinced that the influence of the Internet platform will only increase. As long as a simple investigation, it will be found that the number of personal computers in North America has been increasing explosively year by year, and the Internet represents the future. .

Some film companies saw this and started to set up their own network marketing departments without stopping, but more film companies are still staring at the summer war.

After "The Flash" received more than 95 million US dollars at the box office in the first weekend, it is also inevitable that the attendance rate will drop sharply after the working day. On Monday, the North American box office reported $9.36 million, UU reading www.uukanshu. com compared to last Sunday's $21.1 million, a drop of more than 50% at the box office!

But no media will use this to measure the success or failure of "The Flash", because the film's Sunday box office base is too high. After several times throughout Hollywood, it can get over a thousand on the day it opens on Monday. There are only a handful of works that have grossed $10,000 at the box office.

Since Tuesday is a traditional discount day for North American theaters, many families have the habit of watching movies in groups on Tuesday, so the box office of "The Flash" rose slightly that day, reaping $10.38 million. $8.38 million Wednesday, $7.95 million Thursday...  

So far, "The Flash" has been officially released for a week, and it has grossed 131.42 million US dollars at the box office in North America alone! In particular, this achievement was obtained in the continuous outbreak of controversy. The media changed their tone for a while, and no one mentioned professional ratings and film critics' opinions. After the sun came out on Friday, the major mainstream entertainment media Once again, Wayne was brought to the altar.

"In the second half of 1997, Wayne Greenberg, who had just won the Oscar villain, held $200 million from Warner Brothers in his hand, and finally gave up his strong and dark style that had made him admired by hundreds of millions of people around the world. Determined to stand on the perspective of all fans and shoot a top-level commercial audio-visual feast..."

Compared with the tone of the box office bulletin on Monday, Naomi Watts's voice is very light at this time. It's still the same Greenberg Manor restaurant, but at this time, whether it's the Australian girl reading the newspaper or the audience bowing their heads for breakfast, the mood has changed completely. +Bookmark+