Chapter 418
The Great Net
Chapter 418 The Great Net
As soon as the box office rankings were released, Hurricane instantly topped the headlines of entertainment news worldwide.
Actually, this data is still far from Spider-Man 3, and not as good as Pirates of the Caribbean. But the problem is that Hurricane's opening screen had a full 1000 fewer screens than them.
Whether looking at box office revenue per theater or occupancy rate, Hurricane is already number one in this summer's box office.
Below it are a host of blockbusters suffering from compression.
Pirates of the Caribbean, $6205 million at the box office this week.
Shrek, $3630 million.
The Thirteen: $1927 million.
Spider-Man 3, $1699 million.
……
"Look at the names and casts of these movies, can you now understand the significance of Hurricane Peak?"
BBC morning news, presenter Charlie passionately speaks.
His co-star Millie quickly chimed in: "Yes, an action movie that wasn't expected to do well ruled the first weekend of June!"
……
The Times of London —
"SR, a low-budget action film, crushes a host of blockbuster special effects!"
Yomiuri Shimbun (Japan)
The legend continues, with explosive action reshaping Hollywood!
SBS News (South Korea)
"Fang Xinghe, an Asian superstar with Chinese heritage, is setting off an action craze!"
……
On Weibo, a Chinese social media platform, the phrase "Fang Shen is awesome" is trending wildly.
This isn't the first time a Chinese film has topped the North American box office, but this time it feels even more triumphant than before.
He can praise sincerely, or he can scold fiercely.
"I get so angry when I see these idiots in the domestic film and television industry, but it has to be our God Fang!"
"LLJ, get out of the film and television industry right now!"
"At least come back here and stop embarrassing yourself in public."
"Who exactly is bragging about CL? I'm thinking, isn't there a huge gap between these two?"
"He just bragged about it himself, claiming he could beat Bruce Lee in real combat."
"Haha, at least he didn't say he could beat Fang Shen in actual combat, which proves he still has some rationality."
"CL is alright, at least it's not as disgusting as ZRF."
"I hereby declare that the action film genre will henceforth consist of one god, two noobs, and a bunch of trash. Who agrees? Who disagrees?"
"HJB doesn't deserve to be classified as trash. Although he's not good at it, he knows his place and didn't force himself to squeeze into Hollywood, so he won't embarrass himself."
"That baby-faced guy is the most useless, no explanation needed!"
Well, besides Fang Shen being praised, even the dogs on the street are being scolded.
The sudden surge of activity in China even affected Fang Xinghe, who was far away in the United States.
"what happened?"
He specifically called the head of the company's public opinion department to inquire about the situation.
Xiao Mei immediately offered a heartfelt and honest answer: "Well, it might be because the country you've built is so beautiful that it's raised the people's expectations too high?"
Oh!
Fang Xinghe immediately understood; it was because some arrogant people had messed things up too many times and were finally suffering the consequences.
So who was put on trial?
"Everyone who is even remotely connected to this."
"You did this?"
"How could Galaxy Pictures possibly do such a thing?"
Xiao Mei spoke with righteous indignation and firm conviction.
"It's just that some friends are disappointed with the domestic film and television industry. All the criticism comes from their love for it. All the encouragement comes from the fact that you really made a great film."
What's the inside story?
No inside information!
Fang Xinghe: "..."
It's the first time I've ever met a subordinate who can anticipate my every move; it's a truly amazing feeling.
Sister, you're walking on an eight-lane main street...
Fang didn't praise her; he just casually asked, "What's your annual salary now?"
Xiao Mei's eyes lit up: "50 plus a bonus!"
“Raise it by 20%, go and mention it to Dong Youde.”
"Okay, boss!" Xiao Mei's voice brightened. "Don't worry about your work outside, I'll handle everything back home!"
Actually, she doesn't need to carry anything domestically; "Taken" has no rivals at all.
Spider-Man, Pirate Ship, and Little Monkey King were all excluded from the summer movie season, so the public's enthusiasm for watching movies could only be released through Hurricane.
However, her actions weren't superfluous; she didn't need to worry about box office revenue, but she still had to manage public opinion.
As the saying goes, "Two tigers cannot share one mountain," and in the realm of action games, there can only be one god.
The timing of Xiao Mei's actions was very precise. The domestic outbreak brought nationwide attention, while the first major outbreak in the United States brought a great sense of honor. As a result, the public began to "compare" and dig up the past of certain people.
Comparison (×)
Comparing and belittling (√)
Certain individuals, including but not limited to those directors, stars, and producers who are trying to penetrate overseas markets.
In fact, Chinese films have had a very unfavorable international performance in recent years, but the public's expectations are extremely high.
With films like "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon," "Hero," and "Better Days," Chinese films have become huge hits overseas three times, and television dramas have also been huge hits once, generating considerable fervor in the film and television industry.
What about the golden age of Chinese cinema, the rise of film and television, laying the foundation for the first decade of the 21st century, and counterattacking Hollywood in the second decade...
They not only dared to think about things that Fang Xinghe wouldn't even dare to dream about, but they also talked about them frequently.
If we let them continue to get ahead like this, they'll never have a good future—5 million in box office is just average, 4 million in box office is a sign of creative exhaustion, and 3 million in box office is a disgrace to them.
If we don't rectify things quickly, this industry is doomed.
It's already quite difficult now. Everyone went to America in high spirits, but one after another they sank to the bottom.
Mouzi sank, Kaizi sank, Anzi sank, Wu Baige sank, Jiezi sank, Fa Ge sank, and even the most stable Hendrik Willem Van Loon sank.
As for female stars, Gong Li and Zhang Ziyi, along with Bingbing, have suffered complete setbacks from Memoirs of a Geisha to red carpet appearances in Europe and America.
Zhang Weiping, who loves to boast the most, has stopped. He submits one film to the Oscars every year, but it makes no impact whatsoever...
In short, buckets of cold water were poured over the heads of overly optimistic Chinese people.
The most popular saying on Tianya's film and television section is: "What's going on? At first, I thought 'Hero and Young Master' was just the beginning, but now it seems like it's the peak?"
Among them, the project that chilled the hearts of the Chinese people the most was naturally "Danny the Dog".
The poster was so outrageous that even the French couldn't accept it and went on a rampage, practically beating Jay up.
If it were just a matter of having the wrong stance, that would be one thing, but the box office was so low. It's like they tried their best to please the Americans, but ended up with nothing but a scrap of chicken. That's bound to break their spirits.
Bruce Lee was also disappointing, with three consecutive action film flops, and his world tour flopping even more. China's only two kung fu superstars were both gone. So, when Hurricane Explosion hit, the Chinese people immediately vented their anger on these two.
Coincidentally, they also have a new project to launch in August, which has led to a great deal of public discussion.
What started as a simple pull and a stepping motion gradually evolved into a situation where one pull leads to multiple steps, and the scope of the trial expanded daily.
And what set the stage for this was an article by Xiao Meihao's friend.
"The Hurricane is the world's first truly East-meets-West action film."
It combines the Western concept of CQB (Close Quarters Battle) indoor combat with the Eastern close-quarters fighting techniques, taking the former's crispness, decisiveness, and professionalism, and the latter's cool and ingenious rhythm. The two are perfectly integrated, showcasing an exceptionally captivating aura.
Before Fang Xinghe, only two Chinese kung fu superstars managed to satisfy Western moviegoers to a basic degree, but their films never truly became blockbusters.
The Hollywood movies starring the Kung Fu Emperor focus too much on fighting, abandoning the use of firearms and mainly using close combat, which is too flashy.
Brother Long's movies focus too much on being noisy and lively, but lack expressiveness.
In my opinion, the fundamental reason why their films fail to reach the pinnacle is that they are too superficially stimulating.
Action movies must be exciting enough; I don't think anyone would disagree with that.
So, how do we stimulate it?
Either the scenes are grand, with car chases, airdrops, and explosions all included, like the Mission: Impossible series, which gets bigger and bigger with each installment.
Either the action is beautiful, like the fight scenes in Kung Fu Emperor, where every movement is perfect.
Either the special effects are thrilling, or Brother Long's action ideas are imaginative and often unexpected, leaving people amazed.
They either show off their coolness throughout, like the 007 series, where the fighting can even be described as clumsy, but they are very good at creating an elegant atmosphere that always satisfies the fantasies of male viewers.
In the above categories, the achievements of the two Chinese superstars have long lagged behind.
The following is a list of their latest representative works in the action genre:
Casino Royale was released in November 2006 and grossed $6.16 million worldwide.
Mission: Impossible III, released in July 2006, grossed $3.98 million.
Shanghai Knights, February 2003, 88 million.
Danny the Dog (2005), 45 million.
The difference is so large that it's hard to explain.
After the two superstars suffered consecutive defeats, we once thought that the era of Chinese kung fu superstars had passed and that Western audiences were tired of seeing Chinese faces.
However, the sensational success of Fang Xinghe's "Taken" completely overturned this fallacy and brought us a new perspective.
Perhaps it's not a matter of nationality or skin color, but rather that action movies themselves need an update.
To put it more bluntly: the old stuff isn't exciting enough anymore.
The American industry generally believes that the aesthetics and market tastes of action films have undergone a huge transformation.
Quoting an expert commentary from the latest issue of Variety magazine:
The Bourne series brought about a revolution in 'realism, sharpness, and handheld cinematography,' while Taken further developed this 'realistic and sharpness' style. These two new trend action films will completely destroy the old formula of 'surreal yet slow-paced' action movies.
What does it mean to be close to reality?
For example, since guns are generally not prohibited in the West, in the minds of normal people, the simplest and quickest way to deal with an enemy is to shoot them dead, rather than fighting for a long time with bare hands and not being able to kill them.
Fighting hand-to-hand is actually a classic Chinese mindset, as the average viewer here is really too unfamiliar with firearms.
This has resulted in Chinese action films focusing more on the aesthetics of action and lacking realism.
Matt Damon, the lead actor in the Bourne series, lacked any sense of action and relied entirely on editing to keep the film going. However, The Bourne Legacy, released in 2005, grossed $290 million, while Danny the Dog, released around the same time, only grossed $45 million.
In August of this year, "The Bourne Ultimatum" will continue its battle against the kung fu emperor's "Rogue". I don't want to be pessimistic about my own film, but the result will most likely be another crushing defeat.
However, if a kung fu emperor were to direct the Bourne series, I believe the box office would not only not be affected, but would certainly be higher.
—This is basically a style-driven work where anyone could be awesome.
Matt Damon takes the stage and becomes the new king; Jeremy Li takes the stage and makes a comeback; Little Ming takes the stage and becomes the new star, Tom Krug.
"Taken" is different; it's not a directorial work, but a character film led by the actors.
Fang Xinghe, with his unique action skills and keen market intuition, combined the aesthetics and realism of action, pioneering a new style and establishing his own unique approach.
The thrill of Taken does not come from the spectacle, the action, or the editing rhythm.
It represents the ultimate sublimation of realism.
The movements are not exaggerated, there are no flying kicks, spinning moves, or fancy props. The whole thing is the most standard tactical movements and the most concise kills. If you can shoot, you will never use your hands. When you have to use your hands, you only show your explosive power.
The language was appropriate for his identity, with almost all the instructions being single words: Move, Stop, Wait, Now... There wasn't a single unnecessary word, and an extremely strong sense of oppression emanated from him.
It's so exhilarating to watch that it sends shivers down your spine, and even after you leave, the aftertaste lingers long afterward.
......"
Because the article was too long, Fang Xinghe didn't finish reading it, but just skimmed through it to confirm Xiao Mei's work ability.
Hmm, that's great.
The article contains neither fabrication nor insults; it uses facts for comparison throughout, presents novel theories and solid logic, making it impossible for readers to find fault even though they know it's a comparison.
What's wrong? Is it wrong to be critical when you love someone deeply?
It is precisely because of its rigorous nature that it has been able to evoke so much resonance and generate such a tremendous impact.
Amidst the chaos, the two altars in front collapsed with a thunderous crash, the Dragon King abdicated, and the Emperor passed away.
The remaining few critics were completely silent this time, their voices drowned out by the enthusiasm of the crowd.
……
On Monday, a weekday, the North American box office for "Taken" continued its meteoric rise.
The daily closing price was 2192 million, a drop of less than 50%.
This is a rather outrageous result, and the audience's enthusiasm exceeded expectations.
As long as the trending topics related to the "saint" don't fall out of the top ten, his popularity among casual viewers won't collapse.
However, seeing that the occupancy rate was less than 60%, the unscrupulous film producers couldn't stand it any longer. So, with a single order, Wang Charlie secretly visited Tommy's parents on his behalf.
"Thank you again for your concern. We know what to do."
On Tuesday morning, NBC, unwilling to let TNT monopolize the market, finally interviewed Tommy's parents and aired the interview on its morning news.
"I don't know how to express my gratitude to you. He is an angel, a saint, a ray of light that illuminates our despairing lives..."
The box office rebounded on the same day, reaching a weekday peak of 2408 million.
On Wednesday, the box office finally fell below the 2000 million mark for the first time, but at this moment, FOX, which was seriously behind in this hot topic, was overjoyed - they received a secret leak.
FOX News and its parent company FOX News Corporation have always been Fang Xinghe's biggest haters.
They avoided mentioning Kua Fangxinghe's affairs like the plague.
They were overjoyed at the opportunity to cause trouble for Fang Xinghe.
Upon receiving the tip, they immediately studied the interview footage from the "Saint Seiya Day" frame by frame and finally found what they were looking for in that small conflict.
"Hey, isn't that Iceman and his brother?!"
"It's him! Yes, it's him! The guy wearing the hat who rushed up to provoke us is him!"
"Wow, man, we've hit the jackpot!"
"so..."
"Find him, immediately. I want to hear him hurling insults at SR, today, right now!"
The head of FOX News Department 2, eager for a promotion and a raise, excitedly stumbled into a huge trap...
(End of this chapter)