Hollywood Road

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"Good afternoon, audience friends, here is the live report from Shanghai International Film City by Sun TV."

Although today's Shanghai International Film City is far from being able to compare with the opening of this film festival, it can also be described as a sea of ​​people. Although Murphy himself is not well-known, Superman is also a well-known character here, especially Warner China has invested considerable manpower and material resources for the premiere.

It can be seen that Sun TV can report the premiere live.

In front of Shanghai International Film City, stands a huge superman statue, and there are many cameras on the opposite side of the statue. The female reporter of Sun TV is standing here.

"The 10th Shanghai International Film Festival is halfway through, and Shanghai welcomes another heavyweight Hollywood blockbuster. Tonight, the superhero movie "Superman: Man of Steel" produced by Warner Bros. Pictures and DC Comics will be held in Shanghai. China At the premiere, Murphy Stanton and Nicolas Cage, the two main creative directors who are loved by fans, came to Shanghai to promote the film in person. Now, in front of the Shanghai International Film City, a large number of media and fans have gathered, and the atmosphere is very enthusiastic. Although the weather was sweltering and rain was forecast, it never rained, which gave enough face to this blockbuster film and the two main creators..."

Murphy and Gal Gadot walked the red carpet hand in hand, which attracted the attention of many movie fans. The cameras of the media reporters also pointed at the two people, especially Gal Gadot, who was wearing a purple evening dress, with gorgeous pressure It is not an exaggeration to describe the whole audience, it is naturally the center point of this red carpet ceremony.

However, these are floating clouds in front of Nicolas Cage.

As soon as Nicolas Cage made his debut, he ignited the enthusiasm of the fans on both sides of the red carpet, and he also showed his closeness to the people throughout the whole process, satisfying the fans' autograph requirements one by one, making the media at the end of the red carpet wait for nearly half an hour. Appearing, facing the camera, Uncle Cage was dressed in a suit, tall and straight, waving to the media frequently, fully showing the demeanor of a Hollywood superstar.

In the interview area, many Chinese reporters surrounded Murphy and separated him from Gal Gadot, asking questions one after another.

"Director Stanton," a female reporter asked in English, "is this your first time in China?"

"Yes, it's my first time here." Murphy replied in Chinese, "Although I just took a quick look, I have already fallen in love with this beautiful and fashionable oriental metropolis."

As soon as these words came out, almost all the reporters around were stunned. No one could have imagined that a director from Hollywood could speak Chinese so fluently. , I'm afraid I can't find such a one, right?

These reporters who can participate in the Shanghai International Film Festival are definitely not rookies, and they all have considerable knowledge. They were a little surprised at the beginning, but they quickly reflected on it.

After all, this is not the era of isolation before. The existence of the Internet has brought the world closer. There are indeed fewer foreigners who speak Chinese fluently, but it is not so rare.

"I really didn't expect that!" The female reporter from Sunshine TV put the microphone in front of Murphy, and asked questions in her native language, "Director Stanton, you can speak such fluent Chinese."

"I like Chinese culture very much." Murphy replied casually, "So I learned some."

The matter about Chinese was just a small episode in the interview, and the question quickly returned to the film itself. Murphy gave detailed answers to the Chinese reporters' questions one by one, and finally said, "I like China very much, and I am very happy to come to Shanghai. .”

It is enough to release goodwill and friendship to China. Murphy knows very well that with his own directing style, the achievements of future films in the Chinese market may be quite limited.

After the routine group photo was over, Murphy walked into the Shanghai International Cinema with Gal Gadot on his arm. In the lobby of the cinema, the person in charge of Warner China introduced him to several members of the distributor, China Film Group. big shot,

He didn't know anyone else, but he knew a little about the famous Zuo Shandiao. After all, the other party was definitely a top-notch existence in the movie circle here.

Unlike the people-friendly attitude towards movie fans and media reporters, Murphy changed to an official attitude. No matter how you look at it, the two parties now belong to two completely different circles.

This is also the most normal way of diplomacy. If he thinks he can speak a few words of Chinese or thinks he is a Chinese director, China Film Group or Zuo Shandiao himself will give the green light, and Murphy can go to a mental hospital.

A character like Zuo Shandiao is definitely the best of the best.

Someone once said that most of the elites in the United States are concentrated in the business circle, while most of the elites here are in the political circle. This is not unreasonable.

Could it be a fool for a mountain eagle to climb to such a high position?

Frankly speaking, as a Hollywood director, it is impossible to establish an unusually close relationship with the China Film Group. Not to mention Murphy himself, if he and other Hollywood companies trust the China Film Group, they may not even know if they are sold out.

Before coming here, Murphy had a certain understanding. Although several major Hollywood companies are paying attention to and developing the Chinese market, and actively cooperating with China Film Group, while cooperating, the contradictions between the two parties are constantly escalating. trend up to the national level.

And all these disputes stem from interests.

Since the beginning of this year, the "Hollywood Reporter" and many other American media have issued articles, saying that China Film Group Corporation has been "in arrears" with the six major Hollywood film studios since the end of last year. The additional 2% value-added tax due to the policy change has aroused the collective resistance of the six big Hollywood, and the tickets for many parts of the account have not been settled yet.

The Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) has asked the US government to formally investigate the matter, saying China has allegedly violated relevant WTO regulations.

Of course, the reports of the "Hollywood Reporter" and other media must be based on the interests of Hollywood companies, and things are far more complicated than reported.

But it is undeniable that more and more Hollywood blockbusters released in the Chinese market have encountered the problem of sharing accounts. The six major Hollywood companies have reached a consensus to collectively fight against China Film Group.

According to the latest news, the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) has come forward and requested the Office of the United States Trade Representative to investigate China's alleged violation of relevant WTO agreements. If true, this would elevate individual business disputes to a higher level.

Some think the whole dispute might be resolved this summer, while many more take a negative stance.

In the final analysis, this is a conflict of interests after all, and this kind of dispute will not change due to individual differences. China Film Group will not compromise with Hollywood just because the director of a certain Hollywood film is Ang Lee or other Chinese directors. That is simply ridiculous. As for Zuo Shandiao himself, who thinks he can change the WTO agreement between the two countries?

Just like Warner Brothers and China Film Group continue to cooperate today, this kind of dispute based on commercial interests must be resolved through negotiation. The six major Hollywood companies are also negotiating with China Film Group, but the progress is not much. The biggest problem is this. China's film market is still in its infancy, and there are many ambiguities in related policies.

According to Murphy's understanding, the biggest difference between the two parties lies in the 2% value-added tax after the tax reform.

The Wall Street Journal previously reported that the six major Hollywood companies refused to pay the two percent on the grounds that in other countries, value-added tax is deducted from the gross box office revenue before film production companies and cinemas split the bill, while China Film Group's operation way will cost them tens of millions of dollars in China in the next few years.

Although there is a regulation on the transfer of film copyright, the definition of film copyright income is very vague, and it depends entirely on how China Film Group operates. In a conventional sense, Hollywood companies have to sell their copyrights to China Film Group. , but does publishing count as a transfer of copyright? Does authorized screening count as transfer of copyright?

There is no clear definition of the relevant policies, and at the same time, it leaves a vague space for maneuvering.

Another point that makes Hollywood companies angry is that the domestic film production companies that are currently cooperating with China Film Group have not paid the 2% tax.

Therefore, Murphy believes that the words of a Chinese film industry expert make sense: "Because of the lack of clear regulations, how much taxes foreign studios need to pay depends on their ability to negotiate with China Film Group."

No one should underestimate the pursuit of profit by capital, even if the capital comes from the national level.

Fortunately, it is impossible for Murphy to deal directly with China Film Group in the future, and his Stanton studio does not have such strength, and relatively speaking, there is no need to participate in these troubles.

When the time came, Murphy invited everyone into the theater together.

Before the screening, there was a small ceremony. Now that the contract was signed, Murphy was following the procedures set by Warner Bros.

In addition to the three main creators of the crew, Warner China also invited some Chinese movie stars to help out. One of the handsome actors stood on the stage before the screening and listed the seven best stories of "Superman: Man of Steel". !

One "most": the "most" handsome and stylish; two "most": "the most" vicious villain; three "most": "the most" luxurious team; four "most": "the most" sadistic plot ; five "most": "most" burst cool vision; six "most": "most" cooling energy; seven "most": "most" superman.

As for the darkness, seriousness, heaviness, and depth praised by the media and movie fans in North America and Europe, there is no mention here. Warner obviously knows the market conditions here, and these are not selling points at all.

Not mentioning it doesn't mean it doesn't exist. "Man of Steel" has a deep imprint of Murphy's style, and even if the big scissors move several times, it can't change this.

Therefore, it can be expected that after the release of "Man of Steel", the response in the Chinese market can only be said to be mediocre.