Chapter 245 The big dark horse with $40 million in the first weekend
"Oh my god, what kind of monster is this!"
In the second week, the box office of Cyborg quickly dropped to just over 2 million. With the box office cut in half, the film can probably stay in theaters for one to two weeks before it is released.
But this situation is not a crime of war. In addition to Ronald's B-level movies, the sequels to a number of blockbuster movies also fell miserably on the box office charts during the same period.
The weekend box office of the sequel to Ghostbusters dropped from 29 million to 13.8 million. Raiders of the Lost Ark and The Last Crusade also dropped from 14 million to less than 8 million. Star Trek 5 was also cut in half, falling to 3.5 million, directly
Was kicked out of the summer schedule.
There is only one film, "Dead Poets Society", which has a strong artistic film quality. It only dropped less than 20% of the normal price, and is still among the top five at the box office.
All of this is due to the release of Warner Bros.' super dark horse comic book adaptation "Batman" this weekend.
The scale of the release in more than 2,100 theaters is not very amazing. But the average box office result of a single theater is 18,000 US dollars, which directly allowed this noir film adapted from DC comics to break through 42 million in its opening weekend.
Box office results.
This is already a record for opening weekend box office performance, and it has been broken for the second time this year. It is the latest installment of Raiders of the Lost Ark, and it reached 37 million during the four-day Memorial Day weekend.
The sequel to Ghostbusters was released on a three-day long weekend that was celebrated in multiple states as the "Abolition of Slavery Day" and grossed 29 million.
The box office of "Batman" was achieved during two actual weekends. This also broke the box office record of a comic book adaptation movie (the last successful comic book adaptation movie was DC Comics' Superman.
)
"The lethality is too great, Ovitz is going to have a headache." Richard also came to the hotel where Ronald lives. He now runs here every day more diligently than the Daydream employees. Ronald brought him
With the guarantee of success, this young man who was already a serious and hard-working man cherished everything he got.
Ovitz was indeed going to have a headache.
Like all sequels, the cost of the sequel to Ghostbusters soared out of control. For the sequel that recalled the original cast, the leading actors significantly increased their asking prices, and the two main creators Bill Murray and Dan Aykroyd
All require direct authority to modify the script.
Even the heroine Sigourney Weaver was nominated for many awards because of Ronald's "Working Girl" and was able to get top-notch pay among actresses.
The production cost of Ghostbusters soared from 25 million in the first film to 43 million!
The expected box office for this Ovitz-led project was quickly reduced from the 220 million for the first film to just over 100 million. The aura surrounding him that CAA packaged and produced movies that were both well-received and well-received began to
dissipate.
Film critics have always disliked the poor and favored the rich. Seeing that Ghostbusters 2 performed so poorly, many of their sarcastic remarks changed from being darkly sinister to directly naming it.
A film critic from USA Today pulled no punches when he said "Ghostbusters" succeeded because it projected childlike fantasies onto adult characters who defied authority and bonded in a club.
However, "Ghostbusters 2" changed the approach, turning the theme into a surreal comic fantasy combined with the humanity of the main characters, and the sequel movie became "Four Ghostbusters and a Baby", which is a reflection of
A rip-off of the 1987 comedy film "Three Men and a Baby". Roger Ebert will not be absent either, calling the film a disappointment and he reviews "Ghostbusters 2" at a public screening, full movie
I only heard laughter once.
They all turned to "Batman".
In fact, before the movie was released, comic fans had negative comments about the combination of Michael Keaton's Batman and Tim Burton's director. However, as soon as the movie was released, comic fans instantly became fans of this pairing.
Roger Ebert's evaluation is also very special. He believes that the set design, color design, and the role of the clown are far better than the leading actors and actresses. Jack Nicholson, who plays the clown, is in every scene with Michael Keaton.
, all took away the protagonist's status.
This is a triumph of design over story, style over substance, a film that looks great but has a plot that leaves little to be desired.
However, his partner Sisko spoke highly of the protagonist and believed that he is a new generation of psychological film masters, allowing the audience to naturally enter the psychological world behind the story.
"Hey, Ovitz is unlucky. Actually, I am unlucky too."
Richard glanced at Ronald, knowing that he had flattered him wrongly, so he wanted to change things.
"I know you feel the same about Ovitz as I do." Ronald waved his hand so that he didn't have to say it. He knew that Richard hated Ovitz as much as he did. If he was exposed by Ovitz,
If a big scandal occurs, his own career will take a turn for the worse.
However, "Cyborg" released by Ronald Daydream has also been greatly affected. And more importantly, the third part of "The Dragon King" co-produced and released by him and Weintraub will premiere next week
Already.
This Warner Bros. movie is coming so fast that all commercial movies that hit the same schedule as them will have their box office performance severely suppressed.
The production cost of "Batman" is "only" over 40 million. If such a movie can break even with the production cost in one weekend, I am afraid that the box office will exceed 100 million, and the production cost will be recouped only in an instant.
…
"Ronald, what should we do? Batman's momentum is too strong now..."
Sure enough, Jerry Weintraub called. He kind of chickened out.
Due to financing difficulties caused by rising interest rates on Wall Street, Weintraub's company's financial situation is already on the verge of being very tight. He doesn't have European capital to take over the business like Cannon. If so, he is willing to sell the company.
Avoid a lifetime of hard work ending in bankruptcy.
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading! Those who lent him money are all watching the box office performance of "Long Wei Boy 3". If the box office is not good, then the creditor's attack can be
Let this former music industry tycoon end up bankrupt.
"It's okay, calm down. The overlap between our audience and Batman's is actually not high. Can you handle it even if you haven't watched Dead Poets Society?"
At this point, Luo Jin has no choice but to say some nice words to comfort his old friend. This is the case in Hollywood. No matter how glorious your past is, the box office failure of a movie at a critical moment will make you a popular movie among thousands of people.
, has become a lonely place. If two films fail in a row, then you have to hide from your creditors.
Therefore, Ronald was glad that he had foresight. Apart from gambling on "Dirty Dancing", he never used too much of his own money in medium-production movies. He always introduced various kinds of capital to
Balance risks. Would rather let everyone share the profits than put yourself in a terrible situation.
"We'd better order the show in advance..." Michael Gray, Ronald's marketing consultant, came over and proposed the latest plan.
"It will be screened on a small scale in Chinatown and Hollywood theaters on Thursday, don't do anything bad..." Ronald understood what Gray meant, but still shook his head and refused.
After screening, film reviews and audience reputation will be released in advance before the Friday premiere. If you are confident in the quality of your movie, you can use the method of large-scale movies to gain word-of-mouth recommendations in advance and further squeeze the box office of your opponents.
.
If the quality is not good, then the screening is tantamount to a disaster. The audience will see a bad plot, and the opening weekend, which is supposed to be the best at the box office, will be crushed by word of mouth.
Gray's idea is to die early and be born early. Anyway, under the pressure of Batman, the movie box office cannot be punished without war. Secretly doing a three-day box office weekend tour will not affect the signature of Daydream Publishing too much.
But Ronald didn't want to do this. The disaster caused by Batman made everyone nervous. Ronald could still afford to pay, but Weintraub couldn't.
Moreover, Ronald has seen a copy of this movie and still appreciates Tsui Hark's shooting techniques. The key lies in whether American audiences like this oriental aesthetic style.
…
"Rason, would you like to attend our premieres in New York and Hong Kong..." Director Tsui Hark came to visit Ronald, hoping that he would support his first Hollywood movie.
"I will attend the premiere in Los Angeles, but I can't go to the New York and Hong Kong premieres. You know, I just got married and I want to spend more time with Diane."
Ronald smiled and pulled Diane to come and meet Tsui Hark with everyone. Diane had also played the role of Monster in Chinatown and was familiar with the Chinese supporting characters in the third installment of The Kid.
"Ronald-san, are you really not going to New York with us? You didn't do anything in the first two movies." Noriyuki Morita, who plays Mr. Miyagi, also came over to invite Ronald.
"Morita-san, I'm really too busy. You don't know that my company Daydream has been sued." Ronald had another way of saying this to the Japanese-American Morita. This kind of being sued
He was afraid that the Chinese from Xiangjiang wouldn't understand and thought something big had happened to his company. But Americans knew very well that it was impossible for a company to grow big without being sued.
"I understand, Ronald-san, thank you for your support and support from our Longwei boys!" Noriyuki Morita bowed deeply to Ronald.
This man became famous because of the role of Mr. Miyagi, and then changed his wife. He returned to Japan to invest in, direct, and star in a movie but failed. After losing all his money, he returned to Hollywood to work. He will rely on this image for the rest of his life.
"Haha, there will be many opportunities for cooperation in the future." Ronald patted him on the shoulder.
Among the main creators of Longwei Boy, the one who really has personal value is the very scruffy-looking Morita Noriyuki. Americans like this kind of role of a Japanese mentor who is wise but foolish. Say a few of his lines,
It's as if I have gained wisdom myself.
As for Ralph Mazzio, who plays Daniel, he is already 28 years old this year. No matter how young he is, he has lost the ability to play teenage roles.
The heroine chosen this time is Hong Kong actor Rosamund Kwan, who is already twenty-six. Fortunately, she is Chinese, and American audiences have no clear idea of her age. Otherwise, for the third part, we would have chosen Elizabeth Sue from back then, or Tarin Tomita.
If a girl plays a role with a girl, the audience will have a bad association, as if an adult and an underage girl are playing a couple.
"Ronald, are you optimistic about our box office? Do you think this third movie will be as popular as the first movie?" Weintraub also came over, hoping that Ronald would give him reassurance.
"It depends on the taste of the audience." Ronald didn't dare to say that the share of the audience that Batman sucked up was really too big. Unless the audience of the Dragon King series still wanted to give Daniel...
LaRusso has an ending, or they have a strong preference for martial arts scenes like Xiangjiang, where people fly into the sky and escape from the ground, so that they can attract audiences who usually don't go to the cinema.
"If the box office is good, can we strike while the iron is hot and release the fourth film?" It seems that Weintraub's financial situation is tighter than Ronald imagined. He actually started working on the fourth film before the third film was released.
idea.
"I don't think this is a good idea," Ronald pursed his lips, and on the other side of the room, Ralph Marzio's face showed wrinkles.
"Even if it's going to be filmed, you have to wait two years for a normal sequel rhythm, otherwise the series will be completely dead."
"Okay, I'll listen to you." Weintraub was now urgently ill and sought medical treatment.
What Ronald didn't say in his heart was that even if a sequel was made, the leading actor would probably have to be replaced. Let Noriyuki Morita be paired with another leading actor and re-leveled, which might attract some fans.
No, maybe the heroine is better? The story of the male protagonist is the same as the first one. If Mr. Miyagi were to teach girls, there might be more market.
Ronald didn't have much interest in the party. The creators continued to yell and make noise happily. He hugged Diane and left. After sending her home, Ronald had no choice but to work overtime to discuss the case with lawyer Mickey Kanter.
Cases in which people sue.
"Sorry, Mickey, these creative staff need me to cheer them up." Ronald apologized for coming late.
"Ha, you have one of the healthiest schedules in Hollywood. Only a few academics like Spielberg and Lucas do not like to socialize and like to stay with their families." Mickey.
Kanter said it was okay. Many of his clients drank and gambled until late at night before calling him drunk.
"How much do you think we need to pay in compensation for this case?"
"I think it's under half a million, would you like a quick settlement?"
"I asked someone to contact me and found out that one of the actor's eyes was really blind. This made a big fuss..."
This incident was actually a commotion caused by the joint efforts of Minahan and Jean-Claude Van Damme. During the filming of "Cyborg", Jean-Claude Van Damme had a fight scene with a black actor named Jackson Pinckney.
There is a switch in Jean-Claude Van Damme's shoe that can flash out a knife. He takes off and defeats the opponent with his feet. This is a unique routine of this apocalyptic action movie.
Unfortunately, during the filming, Jean-Claude Van Damme used too much force and there was something wrong with the prop knife, which scratched Jackson Pinckney's eyeball.
At that time, Minahan's cannon was in chaos, and many actors did not even buy basic insurance. Jackson Pinckney didn't take it too seriously and went home to recuperate.
Afterwards, his eyeballs became inflamed, red and swollen, and he remembered to go to the hospital for treatment. As a result, his condition worsened and he lost sight in one eye.
When Cyborg was released and entered the top five at the box office, the actor immediately had a lawyer come to sue Daydream on his behalf.
Although it was Jean-Claude Van Damme's fault and the lack of insurance and medical personnel was Cannon's fault, in America, lawsuits always follow the money.
The lawyer would rather let go of Jean-Claude Van Damme and Cannon, who were more responsible, and cited some labor protection cases to sue Daydream, who had almost no responsibility. Because only Ronald had the money to pay compensation.
"If you are willing to settle, I can try to solve it at a lower price." Mickey Kanter admired Ronald's decision very much. Instead of going to court, let the news media know that Daydream may be safe.
It is better to solve the hidden dangers in advance and then ask the unlucky actor to sign a confidentiality agreement.
The news media must take this kind of gossip out of context. The best way is not to refute it, but to prohibit anyone from reporting it from the source. This kind of compensation comes with a confidentiality agreement. Once the plaintiff tells any reporter the inside story, he will face a high amount of compensation.
fine.
"Ask that Jackson Pinckney, if he still wants to be an actor, if there is a need for extras in the future, he will be given the opportunity first." Ronald still thinks of this kind of actor who has an accident during filming.
Full of sympathy.
"That would be even better. If he wants to get your check in the future, he will be less likely to speak ill of your company." Mickey Kanter was very happy when he saw Ronald taking the road like this. He has such a wise customer.