646 'A Date with Lu Yu' and the global annual box office champion
The domestic promotion of "Avengers" is basically based on Reuters and interviews.
However, I still appeared on two talk shows, one of which was "A Date with Lu Yu".
Marvel's publicity work is mainly done by Marvel itself and some partners. Fanxing is one of them, but it is mainly responsible for Cao Xuan's personal part and the theater aspect.
No matter what, "A Date with Lu Yu" is indeed the most popular talk show in China. Lu Yu herself also has strong English communication skills and experience, so it is normal for Marvel China's promoters to choose her.
Cao Xuan didn't say anything, it was just a talk show, so he just cooperated and participated.
The recording locations for "A Date with Lu Yu" were mainly in Beijing, and sometimes in Xiangjiang. However, because of the tight schedule of "Avengers", in order to get the right to interview this time, they temporarily built a studio in Shanghai. .
Backstage at the show, Cao Xuan saw the famous Chen Luyu.
In fact, Cao Xuan participated in "A Date with Lu Yu" in his early years and was interviewed by her. Judging from his experience, his impression was either good or bad.
However, nowadays, Cao Xuan's interviews are becoming less and less, and they are usually mainly for various star-studded programs and media, so he basically does not accept external interviews, which led to Lu Yu's many invitations, but they were all declined.
Now that I see Cao Xuan, I actually feel a little resentful: "It's really not easy to interview Mr. Cao, but this time I finally got what I wanted."
"Your hosting style is too sharp. I am shy and afraid of being questioned by you."
Cao Xuan made a haha and introduced both parties. Apart from other things, Lu Yu's fluent English was indeed rare, at least much better than Liu Yan's last time.
I reviewed the script process and officially started recording.
There are two sofas in the studio. Lu Yu sits on a single sofa, and there is an arc-shaped couch where six of the main creators of "Avengers" sit. There are dozens of audience members in the audience.
"Recently a Hollywood movie was released and it grossed more than 900 million at the box office in a short period of time. Today we are fortunate to have the main creator of the film. Let us welcome Cao Xuan\Robert Downey Jr. with applause..."
As mentioned in the opening remarks, the interview officially started. Lu Yu's style was not particularly serious. In fact, it was a bit of a chat, asking whatever came to mind.
This style has advantages and disadvantages. The advantage is that you can ask some questions from the audience's perspective, and the program will be more effective. The disadvantage is that if the questions are not clearly prepared or the questions are not thought through, it will easily make the guests dissatisfied and cause embarrassment.
This is also the reason why "A Date with Lu Yu" has countless famous scenes, but there are always many viewers willing to watch it.
Because many of the questions are really what the audience wants to know, it is different from a serious interview and the atmosphere is more relaxed.
Lu Yu was familiar with the situation. He answered a few simple questions first to let everyone relax, and then pointed the finger at Cao Xuan.
"Many people outside are curious as to why Marvel hired you to play the role. Is it because you have shares in Marvel? I read foreign reports and they all said that you are a shareholder of Marvel."
As soon as these words came out, several other creators couldn't help but look at Cao Xuan. The host's words seemed to imply that Cao Xuan was using the back door.
Cao Xuan was very calm: "I did invest in Marvel, but that happened a long time ago. Before Disney took over, I was a shareholder of Marvel. If it was really because of shareholders that I was invited, then "Steel" "The Hero" has nothing to do with Robert."
Robert Downey Jr. responded humorously and joked: "I'm very glad that Marvel's management adheres to principles."
The widowed sister came out to explain: "Cao is a very professional and excellent actor. Cage, the president of Marvel and many executives admire him very much. We all got in touch when we were working on "Thor" and experienced a lot of running-in. In the end, Ordered Eagle Eye."
Thor also verified this statement: "When "Thor" was being prepared, I almost thought it was Cao who played Loki."
"Why didn't you act later?"
Lu Yu saw the opportunity and asked, and Cao Xuan spread his hands: "After some discussion, I felt that the role was not suitable, so I changed it to Eagle Eye."
This question was not friendly, but Cao Xuan did not get angry. This statement is still relatively popular on the Chinese Internet.
Many people have low self-esteem or conspiracy theories, saying that Cao Xuan got into Marvel with money, and it is impossible for Hollywood to take the initiative to let Cao Xuan play such an important role.
Today, I will give a direct answer on "A Date with Lu Yu", which will actually save the outside world from making random guesses.
"I'm actually quite curious as to why you chose to invest in Marvel in the first place, and if you can reveal how many shares you still retain in Marvel."
Lu Yu is more curious about Cao Xuan's property than in the movie, and this is also an issue that the outside world is more concerned about.
You know, back then Disney spent 4 billion US dollars to buy Marvel. Now many movies have become hits, and the global box office of "Avengers" has directly exceeded 1 billion US dollars.
The value of Marvel has soared. Although it is difficult to estimate carefully because it is a subsidiary of Disney, the outside world generally believes that the actual value and brand value must be more than 10 billion US dollars.
Even in Hollywood, this market value is a big company with a big reputation. The only company in China that can match it is Fanxing.
So the outside world really wants to know how many shares Cao Xuan owns and how much they are worth.
As soon as this issue came up, not to mention Lu Yu's expectations, even a few people from "Avengers" were more concerned. They only knew that Cao Xuan was a shareholder, but they really didn't know how many shares Cao Xuan had.
"When I invested in Marvel, it was more or less a gamble."
Cao Xuan briefly described the situation at that time: "At that time, Marvel had just launched the movie universe. I personally and the team were relatively optimistic about this project. At that time, Marvel was short of funds. I had a sum of funds in hand, and we hit it off right away. After the capital injection, We have also acquired fans from some small shareholders, which at most is probably less than 30%."
There were exclamations at the scene, and Cao Xuan quickly added: "However, after Disney took over, a certain amount of financing was carried out, and my shares were diluted a lot, and now I am really only a minority shareholder."
"Even if it is a small shareholder, its size is still very large."
Lu Yu sighed with emotion, and then asked: "Is it inconvenient for me to ask how much you earned compared to your investment at that time and the current market value of Marvel."
Cao Xuan hesitated for a moment: "Probably 2 to 3 times more." At this moment, the other main creators were jealous.
Although I don’t know the specific value of the shares, the size that Cao Xuan just mentioned is at least in billions of dollars. They work hard and are criticized for their high pay. Cao Xuan is simply making money on the job, and he is making a lot of money. Much more than them.
Lu Yu was also busy stirring up trouble, asking the creators: "How do you feel when you hear these words?"
They are jealous, but this is not the first time they have been jealous. Everyone knows that Cao Xuan is a billionaire, and even now, they only tease him a few times.
Robert Downey Jr.: "I play a rich man, and he is a really rich man."
Captain America and the Hulk who participated in "Now You See Me": "We sometimes call him boss."
Thor: "I can also call you."
The widowed sister glanced at Cao Xuan charmingly and said in a sweet tone: "Well, if possible, I prefer to call you honey."
Cao Xuan was silent for a moment: "Let's call him boss."
The whole audience burst into laughter, and the widowed sister couldn't help but want to slap someone, so she turned over this article.
Lu Yu's next questions were more normal, asking the creators how they felt about coming to China, interesting things happened during filming, how they got the roles, and what they thought of each other.
There's nothing wrong with the problem, it's just that the process is a little classic.
For example, Thor, when talking about his impressions of his partners, said excitedly: "Robert's "Chaplin" is one of my favorite movies, Cao Cao is one of my favorite singers, and Scarlett Johansson is a Hollywood star." Goddess, as well as Evans\Mark, are all excellent actors, so when I learned that I could work with them, can you imagine how happy I was at that time."
Lu Yu: "I can't imagine." Thunder God: "......"
Even Cao Xuan was speechless. He pointed at the embarrassed Thunder God and complained directly: "You can't even handle this."
Lu Yu quickly turned around and said, "I can't imagine it because I'm not him."
Cao Xuan retorted: "What's unimaginable about this? Don't you have colleagues you want to cooperate with or people you want to interview? Just take your place."
"Maybe I've worked together before, so I don't have many similar emotions."
Seeing Lu Yu still looking indifferent, Cao Xuan really had a headache.
In Lu Yu’s interview, some of the questions were indeed from the perspective of the audience, and it doesn’t matter if they are superficial, but there are also some words and questions that are purely idiotic and mindless, and a little disrespectful to the guests.
So sometimes when she gets scolded, she doesn't say she deserves it, but it's really her own fault.
After the interview, Lu Yu wanted to ask Cao Xuan for a one-on-one interview. Cao Xuan did not refuse directly, but also said that the schedule was tight and he would talk about it when he had time.
Afterwards, everyone participated in a CCTV program hosted by Li Yong.
This time it was much better, at least there were no embarrassing scenes, the atmosphere was relaxed, and we also played some small games to make everyone feel more comfortable.
The crew of "Avengers" stayed in China for almost a week and participated in many road shows and fan meetings, helping the movie's domestic box office exceed 1 billion.
It became another movie after "Avatar", "Let the Bullets Fly" and "Transformers 3" to have a box office of over 1 billion in the Mainland.
Since 2010, Cao Xuan's four films, "Let the Bullets Fly", "Now You See Me", "Hawkeye" and "The Avengers", have grossed more than 3.5 billion yuan in box office.
This data can no longer be said to be exaggerated, but terrifying. If the global box office is calculated, Cao Xuan alone can compare with the entire mainland market.
If there were some people who had objections to the "Cao Xuan Era" of Chinese-language films in the past, today, no one has any objections anymore.
The Chinese music industry cannot avoid Cao Xuan, and the Chinese film industry cannot avoid it either. Cao Xuan is not only the number one person in China Entertainment, but he has a high chance of becoming the number one person in China Entertainment history.
At least so far, in terms of achievements and influence, whether it is Cheng Long, Bruce Lee or Teresa Teng, there is a gap between them and Cao Xuan.
After "Avengers" hit a global box office of US$1 billion, the Japanese media also regarded Cao Xuan as "Asia's once-in-a-century superstar".
I believe that Cao Xuan is not only the number one artist in China Entertainment, but also has great hope to reach the top in Asia.
Even the media in South and West Asia, which have not always been particularly enthusiastic about Cao Xuan, have quite a few recognized this statement and have reported extensively on Cao Xuan's deeds.
The Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific under the United Nations calls this wave the "Cao Xuan phenomenon" and believes that Cao Xuan's popularity and influence in Asia are of epoch-making significance at the artist level.
When Cao Xuan and others went to Europe to promote, they were also welcomed by many people.
At a charity auction in the UK, Cao Xuan's Hawkeye costume + weapon set was finally purchased by a businessman for 750,000 pounds, second only to the 825,000 pounds Iron Man suit.
Apart from Iron Man and Hawkeye, Black Widow sold for about 500,000 pounds, Thor and Captain America only sold for 200,000 to 300,000 pounds, and the Hulk was even worse.
One thing to say, apart from Iron Man, Hawkeye and Black Widow are somewhat attracted to Cao Xuan and Widow Sister.
At the same time, it can also be seen that Marvel is still the most popular Iron Man, as well as Cao Xuan’s own influence in the UK.
The "Avengers" crew traveled in Europe for about a week, participating in promotions in many countries including the UK, Germany, and France.
By the end of their European trip, the global box office of "Avengers" has exceeded 1.25 billion US dollars. According to various estimates, the final figure is about 1.6 to 1.8 billion US dollars.
The 2012 global box office championship is firmly established, with "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" definitely exceeding US$1.34 billion, ranking among the top three in global box office history after "Avatar" and "Titanic".
This kind of achievement is a huge gain for both Marvel and the main creative actors.
For example, his box office data has always been good, and he has even had some hits, but he has never reached the top of the charts globally.
Considering that he currently focuses on action movies and has a low ceiling, the difficulty is still very high.
"Avengers" fulfilled his little wish. It became the annual box office champion in Asia, the annual box office champion in North America, and the annual global box office champion. This time, Cao Xuan got it all in one breath.
For Cao Xuan, who is a collector, he is very happy, and his fans are even more happy.
In the future, if we are going to argue about the position of a celebrity, what kind of verbal battle can't be won if these resumes are slapped around?
In late June, the publicity work officially ended. Everyone said goodbye and went back to their homes.
Especially Robert Downey Jr. and Thor, who are about to go back to shoot "Iron Man 3" and "Thor 2", Scarlett Johansson is also going back to shoot an independent movie, and the American team is going to shoot "Snowpiercer", which is produced by Koreans.
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The movie is a hit, and everyone's careers are getting busier.
Only Cao Xuan fished out of habit, while the others went to work, he stayed in Europe, traveling to Poland and Ukraine to watch the European Cup live.
By late June, more than half of the European Cup schedule has passed, but fortunately, the remaining games are highlights.
In the semi-finals, Cao Xuan appeared in the stands with a cup of coffee to watch the match between Portugal and Spain.
The two sides tied 0:0 and entered into a penalty shootout. Santakasi was the winner. Spain won completely in the fourth round. Cristiano Ronaldo, who was ranked fifth, did not even get a chance to play.
The next day, Germany played against Italy. At his peak, Barca scored twice. When celebrating the second goal, he made a bow and arrow gesture, and the camera showed Cao Xuan, who was smiling in the stands.
The commentator saw this and couldn't help but joke: "The arrival of Hawkeye gave Balotelli the power to shoot, sealing his throat with two arrows and defeating the 'alien' German team."
Before the start of the final, Cao Xuan was blocked by reporters and asked about the winner. "Italy is gaining momentum, but I think Spain is more stable."
There is no doubt that Cao Xuan supports Spain, and the outside world is also discussing it endlessly.
Spain has won two major championships in a row before and is known as the king, but Italy played really well, winning England, defeating Germany, and defeating powerful enemies. It is hard not to be optimistic about it.
Interestingly, the two teams were actually in the same group in the group stage and had already played one game before, with a 1:1 draw, which made the final even more confusing.
In addition, both sides played very conservatively before, and everyone generally speculated that the final would be a 1:0 or 1:1 penalty shootout. Many betting dogs did not dare to bet on big goals (more than three goals).
Facts have proved that this game was completely one-sided. Spain won 4:0. I don’t know how many betting dogs have taken advantage of it and regretted it until their intestines were blue.
Cao Xuan was also very satisfied. Although he already knew the result, the feeling of watching the game live was still different.
After chatting with a few acquaintances, Cao Xuan declined the British official invitation to attend the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games and prepared to return to China for a vacation.
However, when he returned to China, before he had time to go home, he went to attend the premiere of "Flying Swords of Dragon Gate".
This movie is Fanxing's summer blockbuster this year. It is directed by Xu Laoguai and stars Jet Li, Fan Xiaopang, Chen Kun, Ni Ni and others.
Cao Xuan himself didn't feel much about the movie. The reason why Fanxing took control was because it was Mr. Xu who insisted on this project.
Initially, the male lead was chosen to be Cao Xuan, but Cao Xuan didn't want to play the role, so the direction was later cast on someone else.
The movie "Flying Swords of Dragon Gate" has limited gimmicks, and Old Monster Xu alone is not enough, so it has to be paired with a heavyweight artist.
Martial arts action movies have enough box office appeal and they also need to be a bit older. There is no doubt that Jet Li is the most suitable candidate.
In any case, in Chinese-language movies, the only actors whose names support a major film are Cheng Long, Jet Li, Cao Xuan, Xing Ye, and others such as Fa Ge, Liu Tianwang, Zhen Zhuan, etc. are a little worse.
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If Cao Xuan doesn't want to act, Xing Ye doesn't come out, and Cheng Long isn't suitable, then he can only look to Li Lianjie.
In the end, the crew spent 80 million to hire Li Lianjie. Fan Xiaopang and Chen Kun were relatively cheap, especially Chen Kun, who easily won 2 million. He has to thank Fanxing for giving him the opportunity.
The total investment in "Flying Swords of Dragon Gate" was 200 million. Cao Xuan and China Film Group invested 140 million, accounting for 70% of the total, and the rest was divided between Huayi and Bona.
When Cao Xuan was around, Mr. Wang of Huayi never liked to get close to him, but Fatty Yu was devoted to establishing a good relationship with Cao Xuan.
"The boss of Sun Entertainment has always wanted to have a meal with you. Please ask me to ask you when it's convenient for you. He can arrange it."
"The one in Macau?"
"I have been involved in a lot of movies recently. I am a new boss in Hong Kong. I have always wanted to get to know you."
Cao Xuan looked at Fatty Yu and couldn't help but complain: "You can play with everyone, you're not afraid of getting into trouble."
"It's nothing."
Fatty Yu's cheeks trembled slightly, and Cao Xuan shook his head: "I don't know if there's something wrong. Serious traders should stay away from these sideways. Please help me find an excuse to go back."
Cao Xuan has never liked to associate with those gray people. Some of them may have no choice but to give in, but this one is not qualified enough for Cao Xuan to sell face, so he refuses to ignore him.
Out of old friendship, Cao Xuan still warned Fatty Yu: "It's best to stay away from people like this in the future. They are too dirty to be cleaned."
Let’s put it this way, there are very few people who have started from scratch. Let’s not talk about the mainland. There are not many good people in Hong Kong.
But the key point is that he has cleaned up his background and appears to be a serious businessman and entrepreneur.
Cao Xuan will cooperate with such a person. Even if he is unwilling to do so, it will be easy to negotiate and will not hurt the harmony.
But Cao Xuan would not easily deal with those who could not be clean, or who had dirty hands and feet while running into the entertainment industry, or even had some other purposes.
Even to put it harshly, these people are looked down upon by serious business entrepreneurs. If you get together with them, you will also be looked at strangely.
A certain young man who is known as the Emperor of Shanghai is indeed very aggressive in spending money. He probably owns games, sports cars and luxury houses worth over a billion, but no one would compare him to Young Master Wang.
Not to mention Mr. Wang, even the younger Mr. Wang is incomparable.
One is the successor of a formal enterprise and a future young entrepreneur, and the other is a Juniper family. No one knows whether they can make it ashore safely. There is no comparison between them.
In the circle of wealthy people, no matter how rich their cash and net worth are, they are still at the lower end of the contempt circle.
Of course, people won't necessarily care, they think that if they have more money, others will be annoyed, so everyone is in two circles and there is no need to pool their money together.
Bona started his career by relying on China Film Group Corporation, but later he became closer and closer to the Hong Kong circle. He only had formal capital. Now he dares to touch anything dirty and smelly. If he encounters trouble, he will be slaughtered.
You must know that Bona is not a Chinese entertainment giant now. The food and clothing of millions of workers is dependent on it, so it cannot be moved lightly.
Today's Bona is limited in size and is just a barely first-class entertainment company. The entertainment industry is supported by many stars. If it is used to scare the monkeys, not many people will feel sorry for it.
Fatty Yu was thoughtful. He didn't want to come into contact with too much gray capital, knowing that it was very risky.
But the size of Fanxing is so terrifying that one company occupies nearly half of the market. In order to seek greater development, Bona has no choice but to take a different approach.
And Cao Xuan's clear attitude also made him start to murmur in his heart. Firstly, he was worried about the risks, and secondly, he was wondering if Cao Xuan was going to attack the Hong Kong circle.
He may know that Cao Xuan doesn't have a good impression of Hong Kong and Taiwan capital. Hong Kong and Taiwan capital, which are closer to Fanxing in the mainland, are all honest and obedient.
Since he is so close to the Hong Kong circle, if there is a conflict, wouldn't he be blamed on both sides and become cannon fodder?
The more Fatty Yu thought about it, the more panicked he became, thinking that Bona's future development focus should be shifted to the mainland.
