1979 Golden Age

The summer holiday in the United States is longer than in China, lasting from the first Friday in May to the first Monday in September.

This year's summer season kicked off with Stallone's "Rambo 2," which was released in late May and grossed 150 million in North American box office in one month.

In the mid-to-early 1980s, Stallone repeatedly made sequels with the two IPs of "Rocky" and "First Blood", making him the well-deserved number one action star. When Schwarzenegger becomes famous, it will be a two-hero battle for supremacy, starring a muscular man, seven in and seven out.

The distributor of "Blood 2" is Columbia. It has good box office results and they get a lot of distribution fees. The reason why the Big Eight in Hollywood are the Big Eight is not only because of their production capabilities, but also their strong distribution capabilities.

It was even more outrageous in the past. The one-stop monopoly of production, distribution, and theaters was broken up by the Paramount Act.

"cheers!"

In a hotel in Beverly Hills, Columbia, as the distributor, was holding a celebration party. President Price personally attended, and all the film's creators were present. Stallone was even more proud.

"Congratulations, Rambo!"

Price called the other person's name in the play and smiled: "You have created another series that can be recorded in film history. I know this is very embarrassing, but I have to urge you to increase the schedule for the third part as soon as possible. "

"I will, I will, but this kind of thing cannot be rushed! We have to live up to the reputation and audience of "First Blood"."

"I understand and I hope we can maintain this pleasant cooperation."

Price took the initiative to be polite to him, and Stallone was also very considerate.

Hollywood's distribution fees are very high, usually reaching 30%. Columbia's performance is not good, and it would rather lower the ratio in order to grab distribution rights, so Stallone is also willing to cooperate with it.

After chatting for a while, Stallone turned away and socialized with ease.

Even though he looks like a rough guy, no simple-minded person can succeed in Hollywood, otherwise he wouldn't be able to be in front of the cool guys from Beijing Film Studio at Taylor's funeral...

Price looked at his figure and couldn't help but sigh.

If the U.S. market is counted as ten, Colombia can only grab one. Universal has a good relationship with Spielberg. Needless to say, Warner has a strong media network, Fox has just been acquired by Rupert Murdoch, and Paramount also shows signs of picking up momentum...

What does Colombia have?

Only damn Coca-Cola!

He walked over to a company executive with a wine glass in hand and said, "How about three test screenings of "Fifty First Dates"?"

"The response has been good. Many young people gave it an A+ rating. It is very in line with their taste."

"There is no romance movie of this style in Hollywood, and I still can't imagine it being made by a Chinese," Price sighed.

Today's Hollywood is dominated by adventure films, gunfight films, science fiction films, comedies, etc. There are basically no pure romance films, and the love element only exists as an embellishment.

It wasn't until 1990 that the two romance films "The Last Love" and "Pretty Woman" both entered the top ten in the annual box office rankings, attracting attention - now the copyright of "The Last Love" is owned by Chen Qi In his hand, he kept pressing it.

"Fifty First Dates" is not a pure romance film, but its comedy elements and love elements are well balanced, making people moved while laughing. This style was relatively rare in the 1980s.

"I hope this Mr. Chen can bring good luck and make our $200,000 investment worthwhile."

"We have done everything we should do, and we can only wait to see the results."

…………

There is a "Back to the Future" movie in July.

It was produced by Spielberg's Amblin Company and distributed by Universal. A total of three films were made of this film, which also has a lot of fans in China and has become a pop culture phenomenon in the United States.

Just like when talking about Hong Kong movies in the 1990s, Stephen Chow always comes to mind, when talking about American movies in the 1980s, "Back to the Future" cannot be avoided.

The script was written in 1981, and I actually approached Columbia, but Columbia didn't take a fancy to it. Now that it has been filmed, it has been promoted well, and the test screenings have been well-received. Even before it is released, it is already the number one hit film of the summer.

Colombia did not dare to criticize "Fifty First Dates", and the schedule was mentioned in late June.

But there is also a rival in June, "Cocoon" produced by Fox, which tells the story of several elderly people who encounter aliens, rejuvenate themselves, and finally happily follow the aliens away from the earth.

It is said that the quality is also very good.

Colombia didn't have much choice but to go.

June 22, Los Angeles.

A somewhat crude premiere was held outside the theater, with reporters taking photos of Tom Cruise and Michelle Pfeiffer. They are now somewhat famous actors, far from the level of big stars.

But the appearance is stunning and pleasing to the eye.

The 23-year-old Liangtang is handsome and has a youthful and restless charm; the 27-year-old Pfeiffer is mature and sexy and is reaching the peak of her appearance.

After asking some random questions and then entering the room, reporters may be too lazy to come, but film critics must come. This is their job. Just like the film and television area UP in later generations, no matter how bad the movie is, you have to hold your nose and watch it.

Very little information is currently available:

A low-budget romantic comedy!

The test screenings have been great!

Check out the correct version one by one!

The script was written by that Chinese person!

Before watching the film, the first two together may not be as good as the third one. After all, he is the winner of the Oscar for Best Screenplay, and a Chinese writes an American romance film?

The premiere venue was very full, and after a while, the movie started to show.

The beginning is a gimmick, and the first thing we see is the San Diego Sea World. It's a hot summer, and there are all kinds of activities and performances. Tourists are dressed coolly and bustling around. There are several women with different styles, including pure girls, black hotties, nerds with glasses, and wives holding children... They are all talking about one person.

"OH! He's so great!"

"He's gentle and considerate!"

"He's sexy and wild!"

"He likes Whitman!"

"He's thick and big!"

"My favorite——"

The women said in unison: "Mike!"

"Hi!"

The camera seamlessly gave Tom Cruise's handsome face, greeting everyone, introducing his profession as a trainer, and then a dolphin show.

The general outline of the American version of "50 First Dates" is the same as the Hong Kong version, but Chen Qi made some adjustments based on Americans' preferences, such as the opening paragraph. So much so that when the script was handed over, Columbia actually felt that it didn't need to be modified.

A Hollywood script goes through countless hands from the initial writing to the final draft.

Chen Qi copied the script according to the movie, and filled in many small details according to the characteristics of the times. The script is complete, just like a mature film in front of you, and even has stickman storyboards. The director can shoot with his eyes closed.

Of course, the first director had his own ideas, but Columbia felt that his ideas were not as good as this script, so he changed to an obedient director.

Except for the necessary preparatory work, the script was not changed at all. I have never fought such a simple battle.

(There is one more chapter...)