Huayu started as a lecturer at Beijing Film Academy

Hollywood is a market-oriented management model. Basically, if a type of movie is popular, everyone will rush to promote similar projects.

For a while, epic movies were popular, so everyone spent money crazily to make epic movies. Until "Troy", "King Arthur" and "Kingdom of Heaven" were messed up one after another, everyone finally realized that epic movies were no longer popular and turned to other types of movies.

The same is true for interstellar movies. Until 2016, "Passengers" starring Jennifer Lawrence and Chris Pratt was released. With an investment of 120 million US dollars, two actors with great box office appeal, and good media reviews, everything has the strength to take off at the box office!

However, North American audiences are fed up with the same type of movies. Although the global box office is 300 million US dollars, it is less than 100 million US dollars in North America!

Looking at the wonderful trailer of "Interstellar", Gu Zhongyu was also moved. Zongheng Film and Television's sci-fi first year plan has not been followed since the filming of "Ball Lightning". It's not that he gave up, but according to estimates, if the second part is restored according to the novel, the investment cost may be around 300 million.

The first film was able to get 1 billion yuan at the box office, which was actually a lot of luck. The second film was more difficult to recover and had higher requirements for special effects technology. Therefore, Gu Zhongyu would rather temporarily shelve the sequel plan than ruin such a good IP.

So Gu Zhongyu planned to wait for two or three years until the domestic market became larger and the box office ceiling was higher before filming.

Judging from the current trend, after Guo Fan finished directing "Monster Hunt", he should be able to lead the team with his improved strength.

With the success of "The Invisible Guest", Gu Zhongyu and Zongheng Company have also made a name for themselves in Hollywood. At that time, they will try their best to introduce the film to the United States to see if Liu Cixin's science fiction film can open up the market in this land.

The previous life of "The Wandering Earth 2" actually had this potential, but the overseas distribution was too poor at that time.

…

Hollywood is a commercial society, and they pay real-time attention to the box office of movies in all countries. In recent years, the series of box office records set by Hollywood movies in China have made these Americans who are used to the North American market being the most awesome completely understand the vastness of the Chinese market!

They know very well that this is a brand new opportunity!

At the same time, they also know very well that Chinese-language films have an ambiguous attitude towards Hollywood blockbusters. They hope that you can create profits, but at the same time, they will not cause too much harm to domestic films.

How can we quickly enter the Chinese market? In addition to inviting a bunch of Chinese first-line stars to play soy sauce, are there any other effective methods?

The success of "The Invisible Guest" in both countries has given these studios new hope. We can find Chinese people to be directors and starring actors to open up the situation!

So Thomas Tull, CEO of Legendary Pictures, had a bold idea. He wanted to make a movie about the Great Wall of the ancient oriental country.

The big production with an estimated investment of 200 million US dollars is called "The Great Wall"

This idea came from the first time he flew to China. In 2012, he and screenwriter Max Brooks first wrote a story outline, but because they were both Americans, they were afraid that they would not be sure, so they always planned to find a Chinese person to be the chief screenwriter.

It happened that at the film celebration banquet, they noticed Chen Sicheng, who was nominated for an Oscar. Although they didn't care about this vulgar oriental director, they had the idea of ​​cooperating with Gu Zhongyu, the star, producer and screenwriter of "The Invisible Guest".

So they talked to Chen Sicheng and asked him to convey their wishes.

At this time, Gu Zhongyu was chatting with Frank from Lionsgate Films. The two were also talking about the earth-shaking changes in the Chinese market.

"In fact, we have never doubted the potential of the Chinese market. "Titanic" in 1997 and "Avatar" in 2010 all show that the Chinese market does have extraordinary potential!"

"That's true. A few years ago, the audience in our country was not used to going to the cinema. Now it's different. Everyone has developed the habit of watching movies..."

While chatting, Gu Zhongyu's mobile phone suddenly vibrated. It was Chen Sicheng calling. Wasn't he socializing with those old guys?

"Boss Gu, Legendary Pictures wants to cooperate with our company to make a blockbuster with oriental culture!"

Chen Sicheng on the other end of the phone was very excited. He thought Thomas wanted him to be the director, but in fact, he had already chosen someone, Zhang Yimou.

Another co-production?

Chen Sicheng told the story on the phone. It was probably a joint production between Legendary and Zongheng, and Gu Zhongyu was asked to write the script.

"Well! Did he say what the movie he was going to make was about?"

"The movie is called "The Great Wall", a fantasy type, and the estimated investment is 200 million US dollars!"

What the hell?

The Great Wall!

"Tell Legendary Pictures, I'm not being modest, I really have limited ability, let them find someone else!"

Gu Zhongyu will never forget this epic bad movie, it's so bad that he can't pull his legs out, it concentrates all the thunder points of co-productions, the plot is a tragic story of a group of monsters named Taotie who successfully climbed over the wall from the outside and finally had their WiFi cut off.

From the beginning of the casting, the movie showed a tendency to collapse, and finally exploded in the nine-story demon tower. The program list of drums, diving, archery, fireworks, and the Kongming Lantern Team was beautifully drawn. Lao Mouzi also completely evolved from red and green to colorful. , can be used for the rest of your life [Impression·Monster] Large-scale cultural and sports performances marketing the world!

It would be impossible to watch it without major changes to the plot, but he was not familiar with Legendary Pictures, which invested in it, so they must be in a dominant position. Can Gu Zhongyu be allowed to change it at will?

So Chen Sicheng decisively rejected them!

He shared this matter with Frank, who frowned slightly after hearing this: "They should mainly focus on your appeal in the Chinese film market. I guess the script may already be there. This is just an excuse. !”

"I know that too, so I didn't agree. It's the happiest time to work with you in the United States... By the way, Frank, I have a new movie idea that I want to talk to you about."

"Can you give me a rough idea of ​​the plot?"

"Fantasy genre, with a real-life Barbie doll as the protagonist. It tells the story of a Barbie doll living in Barbie Park. She discovers that her daily life has become imperfect from unknown times, and then deeply thinks about the meaning of death. When she enters Looking for the truth in the real world, we begin to face various challenges such as gender inequality and appearance anxiety.”

Yes, what Gu Zhongyu wants to film is "Barbie", which will lead the world's top-grossing movie with a box office of US$1.4 billion in 2023.

A well-produced film with a main plot that pleases the mainstream construction of American imperialism, and a secret plot that satirizes this mainstream construction, but the private content is not so obvious that it is not necessarily a designed private product, so it can be constructed to like this type of film. The vast majority of people can immerse themselves in the main plot and get emotional enjoyment from this fairly standard Hollywood commercial + didactic film.

Although the domestic response was mediocre, the global box office results were so impressive that if he didn't make money from these foreigners, his conscience would be unsettled!

After listening to Gu Zhongyu's story, Frank's brows relaxed slightly: "Friend, your thinking is really wild. You actually thought of using the most popular social issue in the United States as the subject of a movie."

"Do you think you've done something wrong?"

"It's interesting. Who do you plan to invite to play Barbie? Who will the director choose? Is it still Chen?"

"No, this director can only use Americans, and it must be a female director, otherwise the publicity effect will be much worse. As for the heroine...how about Alexandra?"

"Her?" Frank turned over Alexandra's face in his mind and said with a smile, "She does look like a doll, but she is not famous enough. If she takes on the role of the heroine of such a commercial masterpiece..."

"It doesn't require a big production and can be completed with an investment of less than 20 million US dollars. The North American market alone is enough to recover the cost."

"Okay, when will the filming start?"

"At the end of the year! After I finish my domestic affairs and choose a director, the filming is expected to be completed next year and it will be released as soon as 2015!"

…

After talking about business with Frank, Gu Zhongyu said goodbye and returned to his villa in Los Angeles. Shalizi was already waiting for him.

Nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress for "The Invisible Guest", Shalizi is in a wonderful mood. Moreover, this performance was not achieved by being ugly and sacrificial. It was purely a success of the challenge of playing two roles by one person. The gold content is much higher than that of "The Devil".

Last time she was in a hurry and didn't have time to be gentle with Gu Zhongyu. This time when she learned that he was coming, Shalizi was "fully armed" at home waiting for him.

Poor Gu Zhongyu didn't even have time to drink a sip of water when he came to the door, so he was dragged into the room by Sha Liz to do hard work...

"god!"

Another high-pitched scream ended, and Shalizi, who was limp and weak, finally showed her fatigue and collapsed on Gu Zhongyu's body.

"My dear, you seem a little tired?"

"I've been moving around a lot recently and haven't had much rest. I wanted to come here to relax, but I didn't expect you to be more anxious than me..."

Shalizi chuckled and touched Gu Zhongyu's cheek with her slender fingers: "I have been separated by the damn Pacific for too long, and I feel a little impulsive when I see you."

The two were affectionate for a moment, and Gu Zhongyu talked to her about business: "How is it? How is the Oscar jury's response to our film this time? Is there any definite news?"

"It's a pity darling, they're so tight-lipped, maybe we actually have to wait until the awards night to find out the final results."

"Okay, these old guys are still playing a role in mystery..."

At this time, the door was pushed open and a figure appeared in front of them, "Hey! You didn't wait for me and started by yourself, right?"

Alexandra received the news from Gu Zhongyu and came to Gu Zhongyu's home with familiarity. As soon as she entered, she saw this scene. She was so angry that she immediately took off her coat and wanted to join the battlefield...

"Alexandra, you came just in time. I have something to tell you...well..."

"Let's talk about it after it's done..."

Poor Gu Zhongyu, who just got a chance to breathe, fell into darkness again...

…

The Oscars are held at a fixed time each year.

Usually the last Sunday in February!

However, the situation this year is a bit special. The 22nd Winter Olympics will be held in Sochi, Russian Federation from February 7 to February 23, 2014. The closing day on February 23 is Sunday, the last Sunday in February. !

According to convention, the Oscars should be awarded on February 23, but the direct confrontation of the two events will inevitably affect the ratings of the Oscars. Therefore, according to everyone's speculation, the Oscars may be postponed for a week and held on March 2.

This is indeed the case!

The Oscars announced a one-week postponement, which means it will be held on March 2, local time in North America, and March 3, Yanjing time.

No one doubts that the Oscars may be cancelled.

You should know that the strike of screenwriters and actors in 2008 resulted in the failure of the Golden Globe Awards that year, but the Oscars were still held as scheduled!

Because everyone knows that the North American film industry needs the Oscars, and Hollywood needs the Oscars!

The Oscars are the most glamorous side of this circle. While constantly attracting people's attention, they can also create huge economic value.

Hollywood and even the North American media industry need such a grand, colorful, star-studded, and extremely lively event to promote their production industry worldwide and promote American culture by the way. Perhaps the American public may not be interested in Oscar-winning movies, but the big stars who appear at the ceremony will still attract many people's fanatical pursuit.

Even though the Oscars lacked enough films with an audience base this year and the obvious weakness could not be reversed, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences also made some positive efforts. In order to maximize the ratings of the Oscars, they postponed the date of the awards ceremony to avoid a conflict with the Winter Olympics in February, and extended the red carpet ceremony from half an hour to one hour. The acceptance speeches were strictly controlled within 60 seconds...BIquGe.biz

In addition, the Academy invited Ellen DeGeneres, a popular TV host in the United States who is famous for the Tonight Show.

It is hoped that Ellen DeGeneres' influence can attract more young audiences for the Oscars.

"The Oscars have done everything they can to get ratings."

Another battle ended. Gu Zhongyu, who had entered the sage state, was a little confused, while Shariz, who was standing next to him, resisted Alexandra's attack on her and explained: "Because if we don't work harder, the Oscars' ratings will fall out of the top three in the United States!"

"Top three?"

"Super Bowl, Baseball League Finals and Oscars!"

"Oh!"

Gu Zhongyu nodded to show that he understood, but it was a matter of time. With the gradual decline in the quality of Hollywood movies and the popularity of political correctness, the Oscars' attention has been getting lower and lower.

Probably after 2019, films related to social issues such as women, African Americans, LGBT and other groups have become the focus of Oscar's recognition.

These issues are highly discussed in the current United States, and promoting the development of such films is also the mission that Hollywood, which is dominated by white leftists, is committed to completing.

However, due to different social contexts, the topics of these films have not been adapted to the mainland and even in markets other than Europe and the United States, so it is difficult to attract much attention.

In addition, such films often pile up issues but lack quality, which makes it even more difficult for outsiders to give excellent reviews, and the film loses the possibility of driving box office through word of mouth.

The Oscar selection criteria are no longer the golden rule that can be collectively recognized by most audiences. The halo of the awards season has dissipated, which reflects the identity division of the times.