"A Little Thing About First Love" did not remain proud for too long. On May 5th, the Marvel superhero blockbuster "Avengers" officially landed in the mainland market.
Zhang Hao is also paying close attention to the box office performance of this film, because this film may be an opportunity for him to direct the "Batman" series.
I don’t know what it was like in the previous life, but this time “Avengers” was released simultaneously in China and the United States.
Due to the time difference, North America is released one day earlier than mainland audiences, so North American audiences can see the movie one day earlier than mainland audiences.
In the mainland market, "Avengers" performed well.
The film made a box office of 4.593 million in the midnight show, and a box office of 63.488 million on May 5th. This box office almost exceeded the box office of "The Golden Heist".
On May 6, the film continued to earn a box office of 51.293 million, making the film the box office champion for the next week after two days of release, with a revenue of 119 million.
The box office in this first week is not high. After all, many domestic movies can now exceed 100 million in the first week, but "Avengers" has set the record for the highest box office on the first and second days in the mainland market.
When "Iron Man" and "Captain America" were released before, people didn't have much impression of Marvel movies, but it's different now.
With the explosion of "Avengers" in the mainland market, the Marvel superhero movie universe has become completely popular and has begun to rapidly accumulate movie fans.
This happens not only in China, but also in other parts of the world.
On May 4th, local time in North America, "Avengers" finally met with North American audiences. Warner Pictures has been paying attention to the situation of "Avengers".
"Jeff, how was the box office performance of "Avengers" in its first week?" Severin Meyer asked in the office of the president of Warner Pictures.
Jeff Robinoff replied: "The North American box office grossed US$200 million in its first week, which has already broken the US$169 million first-week box office record of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (Part 2) produced by our company."
Hearing this data, the three people sitting in the office felt a little bitter. There is no doubt that Marvel comic movies have achieved great success, but when will their DC success come?
"Have you gone to see the movie? How was it?" Severin Maier then asked.
Rick Solomon said: "I have watched it, and it is indeed a very ambitious movie. There are many foreshadowings and Easter eggs. Their superhero movie universe seems to be coming true."
"Marvel has already begun to follow the development path mentioned by the Chinese director. President, we cannot fall behind and we must quickly launch our DC movie universe." Jeff Robinov was very anxious.
Severin Maier tapped his fingers on the table and said: "I have already asked the group company about this matter, and the group company has already planned to launch our DC movie universe.
Learn the Marvel model and realize the collection of superheroes through single-player movies."
"The Superman series has been taken over by Zack Snyder, but the question is, who is the right person to take over the Batman series?" Rick Solomon asked.
"Perhaps, we should consider that Chinese director, President." Jeff Robinov looked at Severin Maier.
"I don't agree. We have all read the Chinese director's script. The story is too complete and cannot be integrated into the League of Justice Heroes." Rick Solomon was still the same and firmly opposed.
"I'm not saying that the Chinese director should be in charge of the DC movie universe. In fact, I don't trust him to be able to do a good job in the entire DC universe.
But Batman needs a chance to be reborn, and Bruce Wayne also needs a chance to be reborn." Jeff Robinoff urged:
"It has been more than ten years, so long that movie fans have forgotten that there was a superhero named Batman. What do you think the fans are discussing now?
It's Iron Man, it's Captain America.
In the past, these second-tier comic book heroes could not compare with the popular Batman across the United States."
Perhaps considering that Batman has been forgotten for too long, or perhaps Zhang Hao's thoughtful and exciting script impressed Severin Maier, he finally made up his mind: "Well, Jeff, you go to China in person and find out Let’s talk about that Chinese director.
I convinced the group company and the board of directors to restart the Batman series."
Rick Solomon objected: "President, should we think about it again? Maybe it would be a good choice to change the director to take over. After all, we have already got the complete trilogy script."
"Don't think about it," said Severin Maier, who was stimulated by the box office of "Avengers": "Just treat it as a big gamble. I will end my term next year. If the project fails, it will be my responsibility, and you don't have to What pressure is there?”
Now that the president has made his decision, Rick Solomon will say nothing more.
But he is really not optimistic that Zhang Hao can direct "Batman". Does a foreigner understand what a superhero is?
Forget it, let's wait until next year after he takes over as president to correct the chaos. Now let's coordinate the work well and conduct market research.
Rick Solomon also hopes that the movie will be successful, because if it fails again, it means that restarting the Batman movie will become out of reach.
From this perspective, although Rick Solomon and Jeff Robinoff compete for positions, they are more concerned about the overall situation.
Rick Solomon believes that Jeff Robinzoff is a little dizzy, and he may not be able to wake up unless he falls over. The one who can save DC is none other than Rick Solomon.
As "Avengers" set off a frenzy in the global film market, many Hollywood companies became jealous.
Warner Pictures stepped up its action, and Zhang Hao's trilogy script was officially brought to the board of directors for discussion, and then submitted to the group company for discussion.
With the full push of Severin Maier and Jeff Robinoff, the group passed the decision to restart the Batman movie and re-plan the DC movie universe.
According to the decision, "Man of Steel", which is currently in production, quickly revised the script and followed the example of Marvel next door, which left foreshadowing in the single-player movie, leading to "Justice Heroes".
The new Batman movie will not be included in the DC movie universe and will become a brand new extra movie. The group company discussed that if the first movie is successful, it will continue to invest in the next two movies.
If it doesn’t succeed, just learn from Marvel next door and continue restarting.
It can be said that this resolution is the most powerful decision for Zhang Hao, and I don’t know how it was passed. Many people at Warner Pictures said that Zhang Hao was actually a senior executive of Warner Pictures or a subordinate group company. Chinese illegitimate children.
Otherwise, why would you choose a Chinese director who has no reputation in North America to direct Batman?
After the meeting, Jeff Robinoff set off for China to find Zhang Hao.
Zhang Hao took the "Butterfly Effect" crew from Chengdu back to Beijing for filming, and his assistant Tang Qianqian told him the news.
Zhang Hao was stunned after hearing this: "Really?"
"It's true. News has come from Warner Pictures that Jeff Robinoff has arrived in Beijing and is currently resting in a hotel." Tang Qianxi said.
Zhang Hao touched his chin and said: "In this way, after Jeff has rested, invite him to visit the set of "The Butterfly Effect", and I will chat with him on the set."
"Okay," Tang Qianqian went to do some work.
Chen Kun, who was holding the script, saw this and asked: "Director, what happened?"
Zhang Hao thought for a moment and told Chen Kun that it was okay, so he said: "I may want to direct "Batman"."
Chen Kun couldn't believe his ears for a moment: "What?"
"I said, I'm going to Hollywood to cooperate with Warner Pictures to direct "The New Batman."" Zhang Hao said again.
"I'll go," Chen Kun immediately jumped up from his chair: "Really?"
"We're not sure yet, but Jeff Robinov, the senior vice president of Warner Pictures, has arrived in Beijing. We'll know when we see him," Zhang Hao said.
It is the dream of many actors to break into Hollywood. Cheng Long, Li Lianlian, International Zhang, and even the fairy sister have all tried to make it.
But without exception, they never persisted for a long time.
Wu Baige is currently the only Chinese director to break into Hollywood. He filmed "Face" and also directed "Mission: Impossible 2".
However, "Windtalkers" failed miserably at the box office, which not only directly pushed MGM to bankruptcy, but also cheated Nicolas Cage.
Wu Baige himself couldn't survive, so he returned to Hong Kong in despair and went north to direct the "Red Cliff" series.
Although Ang Lee is Chinese, he is not a Chinese-language film director. He is a European and American director who takes a pure Hollywood route.
Soon, the crew and the leading actors all knew that Zhang Hao had received an invitation from Warner Pictures and was about to go to Hollywood to make a career.
Regardless of whether Zhang succeeds or not, the fact that his talent and ability can be recognized by a Hollywood company makes everyone on the set happy for him.
This is not because everyone in the crew worships foreigners and wants to pursue a career in Hollywood because they feel awesome.
In fact, as the center of the world's film industry, Hollywood is the stage that all filmmakers yearn for.
Otherwise, there wouldn’t be so many Chinese-speaking stars and actors trying to break into Hollywood one after another, and they would be happy to be shot even for just a few dozen seconds.
Zhang Hao, on the other hand, thinks more. He has always thought about how to bring Chinese-language films, or the Chinese-language films he directs, to the world instead of being limited to the domestic stage.
Therefore, Zhang Hao behaved calmly when asked by Da Mi Mi and did not appear very excited.
"My hometown is still my foundation. It is impossible and I will not stay in Hollywood for a long time." Zhang Hao said.
"Why?" Da Mi Mi asked curiously.
Zhang Hao explained: “Although Hollywood is the center of the world’s film industry, it is still essentially a conservative circle, and the North American film market is still very exclusive.
If I fail to direct a Hollywood movie, it will be a matter of time before I come back."
Zhang Hao still didn't say a word. For a pure Hollywood director, there can be many failures and there will always be a chance to start over.
But as long as an outsider fails in one movie, he will immediately lose the trust of Hollywood studios and never have the chance to start over again.
The reason why Zhang Hao seeks to direct "Batman" is not only because of his impression of this series of movies in his previous life, but also to open up the market.
I still remember the grand plan Zhang Hao made in his mind earlier for a Chinese science fiction movie. The plan was huge, but the reality was very skinny.
One fact is that the Chinese-language film market has not grown enough to support a science fiction film with an investment of 500 to 600 million yuan.
When converted into U.S. dollars, an investment of 500-600 million is considered a small- to medium-cost investment in Hollywood. Many large-scale science fiction film projects require investments of more than 100 million U.S. dollars or even 200 million U.S. dollars.
In addition, none of the members of his team, including Zhang Hao, or other behind-the-scenes staff of Chinese-language films had any experience in producing large-scale science fiction film projects.
Zhang Hao directed the movie "The Three-Body Problem" in his previous life. It was a large-scale project, but it was a failed experience.
Therefore, if Zhang Hao can direct the "Batman" series, he will be exposed to the core of the Hollywood film production industry and accumulate experience for himself.
With experience, Zhang Hao has the knowledge and confidence to launch the large-scale science fiction film projects he has in mind.
And this is Batman, a well-known superhero in the United States. He became the director of the Batman movie and became successful. His name will be remembered by North America.
When the Chinese-language film directed by him is released in North America, North American audiences will become interested when they see that this is actually the latest work of the director who directed the Batman series.
Even if only a small number of them enter the cinema to watch, it is a big power.
By then, Zhang Hao can be China's Spielberg, or George Lucas, or Christopher Nolan...
After Jeff Robinoff had a good rest, he met Zhang Hao's assistant Tang Qianqian.
"Miss Tang, where is Zhang?"
"Mr. Jeff, please come with me. The boss is filming on the set and he asked me to take you to visit the set." Tang Qianxi said.
"OK, let's go then!"
Sitting in the car, Jeff Robinov looked at the streets on both sides of the capital city, the endless flow of cars, and the bustling crowds on the road, and sighed a little.
"The last time I came to China was more than ten years ago. I didn't expect such big changes to have taken place here. China is developing so fast." Jeff Robinov sighed.
Tang Xixi smiled and said: "Mr. Jeff, maybe you can take a good stroll in the capital and go to our cinema. My movie market is absolutely hot."
"I heard that your place has become the second largest film market in the world. If this continues, it is not impossible to become the world's number one film market."
As Jeff Robinoff spoke, he saw a luxurious commercial plaza, and the trailer for "Avengers" was playing on the large LED electronic screen outside.
Looking at the crowd gathered in the commercial square, I couldn't help but sigh that there are so many Chinese people.
These are not people, they are mobile box office contribution machines, walking knife music, and the hope of the future.
The Chinese film market is on the rise. Warner Pictures must seize this opportunity and be deeply involved in developing the Chinese film market. The market potential here is really amazing.
In fact, these things that Jeff Robinoff saw were told to Tang Qianqian by Zhang Hao in person.
Wanting to become the director of a Batman movie, Zhang Hao believes that this is not enough. He also wants his team to participate in the production of Batman movies.
The reason for doing this is to give my team experience in the production of a large-scale film project.
Think about it, what kind of effects will it bring when Zhang Hao's team members are all exposed to the world's most cutting-edge film production technologies and concepts and then return to China for development.
In this way, when Zhang Hao starts his own large-scale film project in the future, he will avoid many unnecessary detours and save a lot of trouble.
Not only that, although Zhang Hao's Tiangong Yicai Studio has been making technological innovations and making rapid progress, it is still far from being a world-class special effects company.
So Zhang Hao wanted to take this opportunity to go abroad with all the backbones of Tiangong Yicai Studio to study in the best special effects studio in the world.
But all this will not be taught to you in vain, you need something to exchange for it.
Zhang Hao still remembers that when China Film Group organized a study tour group to study in Hollywood, Zhang Hao had met Chinese people working in Hollywood special effects companies at that time.
People have also made it very clear that there are restrictions on the flow of advanced Hollywood special effects technology into China.
In fact, special effects just cost money. The more money you burn, the better you can do it.
But the problem is that if you can’t find a way to burn money, no matter how much money you burn, it will be in vain.
Zhang Hao found a way to spend money for Tiangong Yicai Studio, let them see what the best special effects production in the world looks like, and then work hard in this direction.
What is the best special effect? It is not to make it look like it, but to present a real and believable world to the audience.
So Zhang Hao arranged for Tang Qiqian to give Jeff Robinoff a little psychological hint.
It hinted to him that the Chinese film market is huge and there is still high potential that can be tapped. It depends on whether Warner Pictures can grasp it.
This was the previous development idea, exchanging the market for technology.
However, Zhang Hao could not decide or promote such a big matter by himself. After talking to Jeff, Zhang Hao would have to talk to the third master.
The car drove through the bustling urban area and gradually arrived at the Film and Television City in Huairou. Compared with the urban area, the film and television city here looked a bit rundown.
The film and television cities near Beijing are basically like this. The best film and television cities are in Hengdian.
"Hey, Jeff, I finally meet you. How has the journey been going smoothly?" Zhang Hao had already been waiting at the door after receiving the news.
"Of course it went well," Jeff Robinov hugged Zhang Hao and said with a smile, "I am full of praise for the food here, especially the Quanjude roast duck."
The last few words "Quanjude Roast Duck Jeff Robinov" were pronounced in broken Chinese, but Zhang Hao still understood them.
Zhang Hao smiled and said: "Jeff, none of us locals in Beijing will go to that restaurant. I will take you to eat real Beijing roast duck when you have time."
"Okay, I'm looking forward to it very much." Jeff Robinoff made an expectant expression.
"Let's go in..." Zhang Hao led Jeff Robinoff to visit the set.
A red-haired foreigner came to the crew, but the crew members all maintained good quality. Apart from a few curious glances, they were busy with their own work.
Zhang Hao took Jeff Robinoff around the set and introduced him in detail about his filming of "The Butterfly Effect."
Then the two returned to the director's tent. After assistant Tang Xixi brought two cups of coffee, everyone in the director's tent left, leaving space for Zhang Hao and Jeff Robinoff.
"Who is that?" Some crew members were curious and began to ask other people.
"I heard that he is the vice president of Warner Pictures. This time he came to China to invite our director to develop in Hollywood." A staff member who knew some inside information said.
"I'll go, is it true or not?"
"Shh, keep your voice down, it's not good if the team leader hears you."
The arrival of Jeff Robinoff was like throwing a pebble into a calm pond, causing splashes and ripples.
At this time, no one knows what his arrival means to Zhang Hao and Chinese-language movies.