Made in Hollywood

This brand-new "Reloaded" gives Duke the biggest different feeling, which is the heavy oil painting-like colors. Although the film is still dominated by blue and black, Zach Snyder has successfully integrated what he is best at. , coupled with the reduction of a lot of mysteries and philosophical plots, as well as changes in the way the film's action was made, when the screening ended, it won a flood of applause in the theater.

Now it's the summer of 2002, and kung fu action is no longer a new thing for Hollywood and North American audiences. "Reloaded" abandons the current abuse of kung fu in Hollywood action movies, especially those fancy and complex movements. Routines, although the fighting routines of the actors are different, they are already close to a simple and direct model similar to the future.

Hollywood's traditional tough-guy fighting can cause aesthetic fatigue, and Kung Fu can also cause aesthetic fatigue.

Even in the center of the world's film industry, Hollywood's follow-up situation is no worse than that of the eastern film circle. Today's Hollywood action movies do not invite a few action directors from Hong Kong, do not play Tiger and Crane Shuangxing and Tai Chi. Good to start.

A large number of similar films flocked, in fact, the consequences are not difficult to imagine.

In Duke's future plans, the action element will account for a very heavy weight, just like Zack Snyder's version of "Reloaded", he will not use kung fu.

He knew very well that no matter whether it was Muay Thai and Taekwondo, or kickboxing and kung fu, it was impossible to put it into a movie and it would become popular all over the world. When "The Matrix" was filmed a few years ago, Duke let his action director Jimmy Carter, Using Hollywood's technical means, drawing on Yuan Heping's Hong Kong-style shooting methods, and integrating a variety of close combat techniques, a new action mode is designed.

These new action routines. It doesn't need any gimmicky movements, it's more simple, powerful, fast and direct, at least that's what it looks like from the camera.

As for promoting kung fu and kung fu movies, it is too difficult for a non-kung fu lover like him. Kung fu is extensive and profound, and it is not something that a layman like him can understand. Countless people on the other side of the ocean are more suitable than him.

The response to "The Matrix 2: Reloaded" after its release was generally good. Although countless film critics scolded, claiming that the film was just non-stop banging, banging, banging, without any depth and philosophical thinking, but it couldn't stop it. Live movie fans enthusiastically paid for the film.

In the first three days of the first weekend, "Reloaded" soared to the North American box office of 92.77 million US dollars, creating the highest R-rated film opening record in history.

The film was a box office hit. It directly ended the three consecutive championships of "Spider-Man" and became the fourth block-office film after the relay of "The Two Towers", "Attack of the Clones" and "Spider-Man" this summer.

By the second weekend, although "Reloaded" was limited by the R-rated film, it could not maintain an abnormally stable trend like "The Two Towers". However, it also controlled the decline within 50%. The next weekend, it won the North American box office champion with 51.02 million US dollars, and it was only released for ten days. The North American box office exceeded 200 million US dollars, reaching as high as 211.05 million US dollars!

The facts are very clear. This is another blockbuster that can exceed $300 million at the North American box office.

When July came to an end, and the 2002 summer season ended, two Duke-related films, "The Two Towers" and "Reloaded," were undoubtedly among the winners.

"The Two Towers" began a large-scale screening in 3,876 theaters on the first weekend of the summer season, and entered August. The number of North American theaters has shrunk to 1,462, the North American box office totaled 478.55 million US dollars, and the global box office reached 1,123.11 million US dollars. Although "Spider-Man" also performed well, according to the box office trend estimates, the North American and global box office can only stay. At around $400 million and $900 million, Duke nearly pre-booked the annual box office hit in North America and around the world.

Even if it is subject to the rating of R-rated films, but relying on the overwhelming reputation of the previous work and the good quality of the sequel, the North American box office of "Reloaded" has been close to 300 million US dollars in one month after its release, and the North American box office will inevitably exceed 300 million US dollars in the end. It will compete with "Attack of the Clones" and "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets" released in the Thanksgiving file for the third place at the North American and global box office.

"More prominent than the box office is the performance around the two series."

On the board of Warner Bros., Doug Walter, who just took the CEO position, can be described as high-spirited, "From the release of "The Fellowship of the Ring" to the end of July, the total global sales of peripheral products related to the Lord of the Rings reached $1.73255 billion. The top selling of these was the DVD set of The Fellowship of the Ring, with worldwide sales of $521 million..."

Speaking of which, Doug Walter looked at the dozen or so directors who participated in the meeting, and said confidently, "The theater screening of "The Two Towers" is approaching the mid-to-late stage. The soundtrack album and DVD will definitely outsell The Fellowship of the Ring."

As soon as Doug Walter's voice fell, the eyes of the other directors turned to Duke, who single-handedly supported nearly one-third of Warner Bros.'s performance!

Duke sat here quietly and didn't say anything, he was the biggest personal profiter of the movie.

Indeed, compared to the film box office and the total profit of the surrounding area, the net dividend of more than 200 million US dollars he received seems to be nothing, but don't forget, the film surrounding is more dependent on the channel than the theater box office, without the support of the group platform, The surrounding area can only achieve extensive licensing income. Why did Pixar Studio, Blue Sky Studio, and later DreamWorks Animation Studio, as well as other small and medium-sized film companies, join or squeeze their heads to join those group companies?

In addition to capital and anti-risk reasons, the advantages of large companies in integrating resources are an important condition for attracting them.

Perhaps many years in the future, the era of Hollywood giants will end, but from the early and mid-1990s to the next decade or so, Hollywood is a veritable era of giants.

His experience is indeed unusual, but seeing it and doing it are two different things. Hollywood's problems cannot be solved by making a good enough movie.

To put it bluntly, new ideas and new ideas are really not very valuable in Hollywood.

Without any successful experience in the past, just send a script to the film company or director, and the other party will come to you? Do not make jokes.

For example, Duke's initial experience was a little better. After all, his mother and family background can play a role. Those new screenwriters have no chance to meet the top executives of the film company, and famous directors and producers, even a Fools know that the script mailed to them is impossible to get into their hands.

Like Duke and Tina Fey, which big director and famous producer doesn't have an assistant?

Even a director at Duke's level, Tina Fei has an assistant team of more than ten people. The script that is mailed out will definitely fall into the hands of these assistants first. Who can expect these assistants to take the newcomer's ideas and scripts? Pass it up?

Let’s just say, screenwriters who want to write scripts for big directors and well-known producers can go from Long Beach to Malibu.

Cooperating with a big director means that it is very likely to be successful, and success will give the most vulnerable screenwriters among the key elements of a project a chance to climb up, and even become a gold medal screenwriter.

Like the former gold medal screenwriter Ellen Kruger, is there a wonderful or logical plot he compiled? But he wrote "Transformers" one after another, and even if he was complained by countless people, the production company still did not change people.

This is an extremely realistic circle, and seniority is a hundred times or even ten thousand times stronger than the persuasive power of creativity.

Similarly, in this circle, countless talented people have been buried. The most typical one is the so-called Hollywood blacklist. Many scripts on it have been completed for several years or even longer, but they have not been able to become real projects. Among them The reason is not hard to imagine.

Just like the rumored Bill Gates bowing his head to Wall Street, it would be a fool's errand for one person to fight against the entire huge system.

Therefore, from the beginning to now, Duke has chosen to stand on the side of large companies and conduct in-depth cooperation with them.

At this point, Duke is actually very clear that if there was no support from his mother, maybe only God knows when his first film will be released.

Just like "Speed ​​of Life", the film received unanimous praise from film selection experts, and even with the help of George Lucas, 20th Century Fox still chose the most conservative and most favorable screening and distribution policy, and did Well, if the market response is not good, be prepared to withdraw at any time.

Hollywood has countless ways to climb up, and getting the appreciation of big people and big companies through a script is undoubtedly a very unreliable one.

And quite a lot of big-selling movies, the script is really very general, and the ideas and plots are often used by Hollywood badly.

As for innovation? The flip side of innovation is risk. When innovation and unqualified newcomers are combined, what choices will directors, producers and studios make?

I believe that as long as there is no water in the head, these people will only have one choice.

And how many people who can climb to the top from the fierce to cruel competition in Hollywood will have water in their heads?

The issues of the board of directors are passed on one by one. Most of the time, Duke does not express much opinion, but when discussing issues related to the film, he will solemnly say a few words, and what he said can arouse the audience. Warner's board of directors pays enough attention.

For example, the meeting focused on the establishment of a Justice League studio, and Duke took a positive attitude.

And under the impetus of Duke and Doug Walter, Warner Bros. also decided to start contacting Marvel and strive to win the distribution rights of Marvel movies.

Marvel and DC are both competitive and cooperative. Although competition is far greater than cooperation, as long as the interests are large enough, cooperation is not impossible. (To be continued ~^~)