Made in Hollywood

In the summer season, especially every weekend in May and June, there are almost big-production commercial films released. Some competitions are unavoidable. After Memorial Day, the fighting in May temporarily came to an end, but the enthusiasm continued to be pushed up. The market won't stop competing here, and there's no shortage of big-budget productions every weekend in June.

Before the first weekend of June, Duke put down his screenwriting and other work, and once again stepped onto the red carpet of the premiere. "Mission Impossible", which he and Tom Cruise accounted for the main investment share, was officially released.

"Congratulations, Duke."

As soon as he walked into the VIP lounge of the theater, Tom Cruise took the initiative to greet him, his face full of enthusiasm, "Another three consecutive summer box office charts! I regret it now, regret not playing Neo."

In the face of Cruise's smiling face, Duke will not be stingy with a smile, "I think Ian Hunter will also become a classic on the screen."

"thanks."

Tom Cruise let go of Nicole Kidman's hand and came over and hugged him hard, "Thank you for your full support."

With Tom Cruise's character, it was impossible not to conflict with Paramount Pictures during the shooting. Duke spent most of the time with his agent in the crew on Tom Cruise's side. .

Again, Tom Cruise wanted Mission: Impossible better than anyone else, and this guy had a decent eye for movies at the turn of the century, not to mention a Pat King Sally kept mentioning him by her side.

"Hello, Mary."

"Hello, Duke."

After hugging Tom Cruise, Duke shook hands with Nicole Kidman, and the couple seemed to have finished their entertainment, always standing by and chatting with him.

"I think we can totally work together again."

Stand opposite Duke. Tom Cruise's eyes are full of complexities, "I have never had a single film that grossed over $200 million in North America, and you..."

He sighed softly, "The North American box office has gone for $300 million within a month of the release of The Matrix."

"Hey, Tom. You're exaggerating."

Such an enthusiastic Tom Cruise made Duke a little uncomfortable, so he had to say with a smile, "Yesterday's statistics were only more than 230 million US dollars, which is still quite a distance from 300 million US dollars."

It is impossible for "The Matrix" to violate the normal commercial film laws like "Titanic". With the increase of the show time, the popularity has begun to decline significantly. It is still quite difficult for the North American box office to exceed 300 million US dollars.

This is a highly competitive summer slot. As long as the popularity of the film declines, the size of the theater chain will inevitably be greatly reduced. In a few weekends in June, there will be films such as "Mission Impossible", "Mulan" and "Dudeley" that were once strong in memory. "The Matrix" The June box office is bound to take a huge hit.

"I have confidence in you!" Tom Cruise seemed to have more confidence than Duke. Turning to look at Nicole Kidman, "I have discussed with Mary many times that this year's annual box office champion may be won by you again."

Nicole Kidman smiled cooperatively, "I do think so."

Look at Tom Cruise. Looking at Nicole Kidman again, Duke suddenly felt that the two were much more harmonious than the last time they met.

but. It had nothing to do with him either, and Duke then tossed the idea aside and continued the movie with the Cruises, but hadn't said a few words. Shelley Lansing, CEO of Paramount Pictures, came over.

"Congratulations to you for another great movie." She extended her hand, Duke shook it gently, "Thank you."

Although Paramount Pictures did a lot of work in the ratings and shooting hype of "The Matrix", Duke also touched the interests of Paramount Pictures in "Braveheart" and "Titanic" , but on this occasion, he and Shelly Lansing both smiled brightly, as if those competitions in the past never existed.

In fact, this is also the norm in Hollywood. This year's partners may become competitors next year due to the collision of movie schedules. If you are glaring at every competitor, you don't need to mix in this circle.

"It can be seen that The Matrix is ​​a series."

While joking, Shelly Lansing suddenly said tentatively, "Duke, are you interested in handing over the sequel to Paramount Pictures? Our conditions..."

Yes, she desperately wants the rights to a sequel to The Matrix, and there are definitely a lot of people in Hollywood who feel the same way.

Movies that sell well at the box office appear every year, but it’s quite rare to see a movie that sells a lot around.

In recent years, as the cost of publicity and distribution has been increasing, even if the commercial film is successful at the box office, the profit that can be obtained from the box office has been shrinking. Heavy.

In 1993's "Jurassic Park", Spielberg alone took away $200 million in revenue. Even so, Universal Pictures still made a lot of money because its surrounding is so hot!

Her eyes are fixed on "The Matrix", not because of the box office, but the continuous hot peripheral products.

At present, no specific statistics on overseas sales have been released, but people at the top of Hollywood have already obtained North American sales of products around "The Matrix". And so on peripheral products, sales also reached 180 million US dollars!

Duke Studio can take 30% of it, 60 million US dollars plus the 20 million US dollars in advertising sponsorship harvested in the early stage, even if the North American box office has not been divided, "The Matrix" has recovered the production cost!

Say no to envy, is that possible?

What's more, Warner Bros. and Duke Studio are still negotiating with various marketers. In the future, the North American TV broadcast rights and the rights of disc and video tapes of "The Matrix" will inevitably sell for a sky-high price!

This is only North America, and there are overseas markets whose revenue has already surpassed North America...

As long as she thinks about the expected income figures, Shelly Lansing feels a little dizzy. In her eyes, Duke is not a director at all, but a super gold-making machine!

Although Shelley Lansing made a lot of tempting offers, Duke used the excuse of 'it takes time to think about it' to express a tactful rejection. The other party's promise looked really good, but the promise in Hollywood has How much can be achieved?

"Let me introduce you to the crew members."

With the resolution of the conflict and the two consecutive collaborations, the relationship between Duke and Tom Cruise is normalizing. In the face of Liang Tang's invitation, he has no intention of rejecting it. After entering the theater, he walked to the front row. Shaking hands with the key members of the crew, who, after all, is one of the film's bosses.

"Hello, Jean."

Looking at the big-nosed Frenchman, Duke greeted him with a normal face, "Your performance in "Leon" is impressive."

Even though Duke Studio was one of the most active companies in the influence of Jean Reno a few weeks ago, both Duke and Jean Reno shook hands calmly.

This kind of competition behind the scenes is fierce, and there is no abnormal situation on the surface, which is very common in Hollywood.

Under the introduction of Tom Cruise, Duke shook hands with many actors, and finally walked up to an actor of his age. , and under the fitted suit, the looming explosive muscles appear even stronger.

"This is Gerald Butler."

After hearing Cruise's introduction, Duke looked at him with interest after shaking hands, turned around and walked to his seat, and after sitting down, he specifically told the female assistant who had been following behind him, "Ti Na, go back and find the contact information for Gerard Butler's agent."

"Hmm!" Tina Fey nodded and asked softly, "New project?"

"I need an actor who is strong enough, has certain acting skills, and is relatively fierce-looking to play the two robbers. His appearance is in good condition."

Having said this, Duke raised his head and gestured to the big screen, "If the acting in the film is decent, you can send him an audition invitation later."

The leader of the Red Trousers, Leonidas, is very suitable for such a fierce role. Duke's only concern is his acting skills, but after the film started, after watching a few scenes where Gerard Butler appeared, Gradually relieved, the other party's acting skills are far from outstanding, but they can fully meet his low benchmark requirements.

Besides, according to his plan, for a considerable amount of time in the film, the two gangsters are wearing hoods, and they don't need great acting skills, and based on the requirements of mainstream values, he will not overemphasize this. Two gangsters.

After simply thinking about the actor problem of the new project, Duke's energy turned to the big screen. "Mission Impossible" appeared two years later, and the scenes and plots in it have changed a bit, but the overall film remains unchanged. The style and Ethan Hunt's various face and skills, Tom Cruise's appeal in this era is amazing, and the exclamations of the boys and girls from the back row can also be seen. Popularity.

As an investor, Duke, like Tom Cruise, wants to see the film succeed, and judging from the experience and insights he has accumulated in the past few years, the reputation of the film may not be very high, and the box office will not come. Yes, it may not be a mega-sale, but it shouldn't be difficult to hit the $100 million to $150 million mark.

The genre of "Mission: Impossible," with Tom Cruise starring, is enough to put pressure on a movie to be released in the same period or next week. It also needs to move forward in the competition. (To be continued ~^~)

PS:   A new week begins, ask for a monthly ticket~~Ask for a recommended ticket~~