Heads Up Hollywood

"Ghost Rider" and "The Day After Tomorrow" sold well at the box office, which is a good start for this summer.

However, if we say that the hottest movie right now is Dreamworks' cartoon "Shrek 2"!

The film was released for three weeks, and its North American box office has exceeded 240 million U.S. dollars, and the global box office has reached 520 million U.S. dollars!

It's almost over the $1 billion mark!

Such an amazing box office result is naturally great news for DreamWorks Animation.

But for DreamWorks, it's not so wonderful,

This year, DreamWorks has released three films - "Idol Date", "European Sex Travel" and "The Ultimate Slut".

It can be described as one defeat after another!

The production cost of "A Date with an Idol" was 22 million US dollars, and the global box office was 21 million US dollars;

The production cost of "European Sex Travel" was 25 million US dollars, and the global box office was 20 million US dollars;

The production cost of "The Ultimate Cheap" was 40 million US dollars, and the global box office... only 14 million US dollars.

Counting the expenses of publicity and distribution, channel expenses, investment taxes, management salaries, etc., these three films will cause at least 80 million U.S. dollars in economic losses to DreamWorks!

Serious polarization has inevitably led to serious differences between the DreamWorks Production Department and the DreamWorks Animation Department!

The tragic scene of DreamWorks, the animation department does not recite it!

With the huge sales of "Shrek 2", the animation department of DreamWorks has become more and more confident, and has already given birth to the idea of ​​​​separating the family and living alone!

Dreamworks Animation Department wants to pursue its own glory!

Let DreamWorks fend for itself!

The film market is only that big, and the animation market is even smaller.

DreamWorks Animation has become famous, so what about Pixar?

What about the LEGO animation that is still under construction?

Of course Tang En didn't want to watch the rise of DreamWorks Animation.

In fact, as early as last year, he was already working on the layout.

He copied the original idea of ​​"Kung Fu Panda" to Pixar!

This year, Pixar will release The Incredibles.

Next year, "Kung Fu Panda" will hit the market.

Regardless of whether the Pixar-style "Kung Fu Panda" will be as popular with fans as the original "Kung Fu Panda", in short, the good things are in hand first!

Tang En took Scarlett to Silicon Valley and went to Pixar to inspect the production progress of "Kung Fu Panda".

Then came facebook, Netflix, Dolby Laboratories, and imax.

Facebook's operating strategy has been preliminarily determined, starting with community communication on the campus of the compound; Netflix is ​​still steadily promoting the network subscription business, and the current total number of users has reached 12.5 million!

Dolby Laboratories and imax have jointly established a scientific and technological innovation team, which is actively researching and advancing the latest visual imaging technology to meet the visual effect requirements of "Avatar" to the greatest extent.

Then, is the main destination of this trip - Apple.

Entering June, Apple's stock price has risen to $14, and its market value... has also reached $6 billion.

The main reason is that the music phone ROKR_E1 jointly produced by Motorola and Apple has started mass production!

Two years ago, Apple's stock price rose sharply because of the huge sales of the iPod, and its market value once exceeded 10 billion US dollars. As a result, Apple has accumulated a large sum of money and secretly carried out the research and development of the iPad project.

As a result, it only lasted a year before the crisis of the iPod arrived.

Because of the emergence of music phones!

Jobs had no choice but to cooperate with Motorola to embed the iPod into the mobile phone and install itunes in order to maintain stable revenue and strong stock price.

Judging from the current situation, this move is the right one.

Only a concept version of the mobile phone was announced, and the mass production has just started, and the market has given a benign feedback, and the stock price has risen.

However, Tang En intends to pour cold water on it.

"Is this the phone you're optimistic about?"

In Jobs' office, Dunn was weighing the white Motorola trigger in his hand, which was the concept version of the ROKR_E1 music phone.

The tone was quite mocking.

Jobs looked ugly, "That's Motorola!"

"What about Motorola?" Dunn threw the mobile phone in his hand, as if he was treating a piece of garbage, "Don't let other people's opinions influence your inner voice. Steve, tell me, this mobile phone...is it really Meet your psychological expectations? If you answer 'yes', then I will leave immediately without saying a word!"

Undoubtedly, with Jobs' taste, this kind of junk phone... would not even look at it when it was in the market.

However, the other party is Motorola after all!

With Apple's strength, it is not an opponent at all.

This cooperation has a feeling of "people have to bow their heads under the eaves".

The situation at this time is not that Motorola is rushing to "tempt" Apple to enter the mobile phone market, but that Apple has to be careful with it so that it can take the Motorola train and make more money.

Jobs chose silence.

Tang En asked again: "This mobile phone...can represent the trend of the future?"

Jobs gave him a deep look, "What's your opinion?"

Tang En said firmly: "Apple's products must have Apple's philosophy. This mobile phone can only be a processed product on the production line, without any artistry! This cooperation with Motorola, Apple has the opportunity to contact many telecom operators. Shang, have you participated in the project test?"

"Mobile phone?"

"A person will only carry three items with him when he goes out: wallet, keys and mobile phone. The global mobile phone sales this year are expected to exceed 600 million! If Apple wants to penetrate into everyone's life, the mobile phone is an inevitable choice! iPod No, not even the iPad!"

This truth, Jobs certainly understand.

In fact, he has already scolded Motorola eight hundred and sixty times in his heart!

This mobile phone, which was cobbled together by Motorola, Apple, and wireless operators, neither continued the original shape advantages of the two, but also had limitations in music functions, difficulty in downloading, and could only accommodate 100 songs.

This is the world's first iPod phone with iTunes!

It turned out like this!

Tang En's words undoubtedly acted as a strong catalyst.

Tang En went on to say: "The future is the era of the Internet, there is no doubt about it! The outside world can have doubts, but Silicon Valley can't have the slightest doubt! A mobile phone... is an essential tool to carry the Internet in your pocket! History Tiff, it's time for you to make a decision."

...

Even without Twain, Jobs would definitely make the decision to produce his own mobile phone.

However, how does this show Tang En's existence and importance?

Don't forget, Tang En owns 16.5% of Apple's shares!

Is Apple's largest shareholder!

He must make a significant contribution to Apple to gain the approval of the board of directors and shareholders.

Promoting the production of Apple mobile phones is the best way!

Twain will become one of the biggest contributors to the iPhone!

As long as Jobs accepted his opinion, he would smoothly lead Apple's transformation, from Apple Computer to Apple, and truly develop the mobile business.

Then, Jobs will become the god of Apple, and Twain will also become the most solid mainstay of Apple!

Such a "merit" is enough for Tang En to firmly obtain the approval of the board of directors and the general meeting of shareholders, and gain enough authority.

Otherwise, he has not made any contribution to Apple, but holds the largest shareholding and the most wealth in Apple, which will definitely make many people jealous and jealous.

After all, he is just a layman, just a person in the entertainment industry.

As long as he adds his own name to the magical aura of the iPhone to create a wave of popularity, it will be easy to handle.

As one of the biggest contributors to the rise of Apple, he can feel at ease that he deserves the largest share of the world's largest company with the largest market capitalization!

...

Tang En's ridicule pushed Jobs' anger to the extreme.

In the afternoon, he held an important high-level meeting in a hurry, Joe's storm was staged again, and he roared out: "Look at those mobile phones on the market, they are all bad, just like the old portable music players. They are so complicated that no one can figure out some functions, including the address book. The operation design is even more chaotic! It's as chaotic as Byzantium! This is completely brain-dead design!"

After a thunderstorm, there was no sound in the conference room.

Then, Jobs took a deep breath, calmly and firmly, and said beyond doubt: "I'm tired of dealing with stupid companies like Motorola! This time, we will do it ourselves!"

...

As Tang En promotes feminism, many savvy businessmen have stepped up to catch the heat.

The same goes for Hollywood.

For example, 20th Century Fox hired female director Mimi Ryder to direct a commercial blockbuster "Doomsday"!

Although the box office is not expected, but the global box office has exceeded 300 million US dollars, so it is not a big problem.

The visual effect of the film is flat, and the world structure is slightly small, but the rhythm of the plot and the control of details have the unique charm of a female director, which can be regarded as a touch of style.

Should make a small fortune for 20th Century Fox.

In contrast, Warner is hilarious.

When Marvel Pictures is in full swing, DC Pictures is certainly unwilling to be lonely.

Last year, they launched "Batman", and this summer, they released another commercial blockbuster, a commercial blockbuster that is extremely beyond the age of comics!

Female superheroes, antiheroes, black superheroes...

So many avant-garde elements constitute the blockbuster comic book "Catwoman" that DC Films spent 100 million US dollars to create!

To be honest, even Tang En, who has always admired avant-garde thinking, couldn't laugh or cry after hearing such news.

That's ridiculous!

Female superheroes are fine, anti-heroes are fine, even black heroes are fine...

The question is, what does it mean to take the classic image of "Catwoman" as a black heroine?

Are you out of your mind?

Even if the actor Halle Berry of "Catwoman" is very famous, his appeal is strong enough.

But how can such a wonderful change in character settings be recognized by the market?

female...black...

Such a bold move, even Tang En dared not!

Twain's first female superhero blockbuster in Marvel Pictures is estimated to be scheduled for 2008.

Warner's way of gaining popularity... is really powerful!

On June 2, New Universal's "Bourne Shadow 2" was released. It may be that Warner is so confident that it even ranked "Catwoman" on the same day.

As a result, it was a big joke.

"Some of the fight scenes in this film are creative, but most of the plot is rough, it can only be regarded as a third-rate movie. Its special effects are bland, and there are no surprises in the plot. The audience can predict the next step story.” —Entertainment Weekly.

"If the "Spider-Man" series has brought out the best of comic book adaptation movies to the extreme, then "Catwoman" is just the opposite. Although the big star Halle Berry's hard work in the film is commendable, she wears a cat She's a pretty figure in women's clothes, too, but she alone can't undo the fiasco of this movie, one of the worst movies ever made." - Los Angeles Post.

"The film doesn't break the mold of the Hollywood summer movies, and it's far from the original comics. In this movie, there are almost no narrative clues, only crude action scenes. There is nothing in the movie that makes the viewer feel A place of surprise.” —Empire.

"Catwoman is a stinky gutter compared to the stunning Ghost Rider a month ago." - The Hollywood Reporter.

"The film presents the themes of American popular culture and feminism very well. Both the pros and cons of the film are brilliant. However, it is not qualified as a summer commercial film. It’s a video game.” —San Francisco Chronicle.

...