I’m a Director, I’m Not Bad

In 4 hours, it grossed US$3.6 million at the box office. Xu Xin really didn't expect this result.

You know... "Perfect" is not "Iron Man 3."

The latter was able to earn 13 million with just a few hits... But when comparing "Perfect" with others, even the investment was less than a fraction of others. At first glance, it seems that "Perfect" is worth more than "Iron Man" How awesome...

But the problem is that Hollywood can't produce a few "Iron Man 3" movies in a year.

This kind of film, which relies on the support of big IP, has been a big hit in Hollywood in recent years. Every film is a hit.

But how did "Perfect" achieve the achievement of more than three million US dollars in four hours?

He really didn't understand.

Even if it’s his own movie.

But...is it such an exaggeration?

There is no big IP support, actors without appeal, unfamiliar directors, and niche themes...

Americans have such strange tastes?

He really feels very ridiculous now, and... this should be his best film, right?

No matter how good "Scorching Sun" is, it has not been released in the United States. And "Perfect" made more than 20 million in box office in these 4 hours... If converted, if it really had a complete 24 hours on the first day... Theoretically speaking, it shouldn't exceed 100 million?

"????"

When he thought of this, the absurdity appeared on his face again.

And he was ridiculous, and Liu Yifei also thought it was ridiculous.

There wasn't much promotion this time, and it was a delayed introduction film...how did it do so well in the United States?

However, she was not as cruel as Xu Xin. After a brief moment of emotional excitement, her eyes turned into a smile:

"When I go out from now on, can I say that I know a great director with a box office of over 10 million in Hollywood?"

Xu Xin came back to his senses and looked at her blankly...

Then he looked dumbfounded:

"Then I'll try to get you to say this as soon as possible: Go out and meet the director who has grossed over 100 million yuan."

"hey-hey……"

Liu Yifei raised her palms directly.

Seeing this, Xu Xin shouted directly.

"Snapped!"

The two palms clicked together.

He leaned back in his seat, looked at the airport he was about to arrive at, and breathed a sigh of relief.

Although from the beginning, for him, the movie was already a thing of the past.

But... Judging from the 3.6 million results in these 4 hours, it seems that he has also taken a small, solid step in Hollywood.

At least... it's not embarrassing anymore.

He was in no hurry to share the news with his wife and friends.

At this moment, he was just looking at the New York Airport, which was just around the corner, and at the plane flying into the clouds like a bird...

The thoughts in my mind were like floating clouds, spreading far and wide along with the airflow of the plane.

Soon, the car arrived at the airport gate.

After Xu Xin got out of the car, he heard Jasmine in the car behind say in a voice full of joy:

"Xu! Have you received the message?"

"Copy that, Jesse."

Xu Xin opened his hands directly.

Jasmine also hugged him with joy on her face.

"You succeeded, Xu!"

"No, we succeeded!"

Following her words, all the friends who had received the news gathered around.

Hugs and congratulations.

A group of people from a foreign country have established a foothold in what is recognized as the top of world cinema.

That in itself is something worth celebrating.

"I'll buy you a drink in Chicago."

"Hahaha!"

…

"Xu, my friend, congratulations on your success."

"Haha, thanks, George."

Listening to the joy conveyed by the other party on the phone, he said politely:

"I'm glad I didn't disappoint you."

"Of course not, Xu, on the contrary, you have brought success that none of us could have imagined! To be honest, after seeing this result, I couldn't believe it myself... But do you still remember what I said? Your fans just can’t wait to see your latest work, and when the movie is released, they still won’t be stingy with the movie tickets, haha!”

"Hahaha, yes, George, I remember. But to be honest, I really didn't expect to achieve such results."

"Well...Xu, Hollywood is such a place where miracles are born."

In fact, what the two said was not an exaggeration.

As a delayed introduction film, on the premise that there are already pirated resources on the Internet, it can achieve such results in just four hours by relying on insignificant publicity and trailer advertising... ...Even if today’s box office results haven’t been released yet, as a small-budget movie, it’s really a miracle.

All we can say is that Europe and the United States are inseparable.

Even Xu Xin felt that... it should be that in the past six months, word-of-mouth from Europe has been spreading to North America.

Such achievements can only be achieved by relying on the foundation accumulated over time.

Just as he was thinking about it, he heard Georgia say:

"Xu, in the next few days, we will pour resources into the film placement rate. You may have to attend a few more meet-and-greet events, okay?"

"I have no problem, but I have to ask Jesse and the others."

"Okay, give me an answer as soon as possible so that I can arrange it."

"Okay. Then I'll ask George now. We'll talk later."

"good."

After he hung up the phone, he walked over to some friends and repeated Georgia's words.

No one has any opinions.

The film is doing so well now that every piece of fuel added to it may become a milestone in his acting career.

Naturally he won't refuse.

Soon, he responded to Georgia.

Then the plane started to go through security, and as soon as it soared into the sky, they flew towards Chicago.

At the same time, domestic media, which received the news one after another, also posted the results of "Perfect" in the United States on the domestic Internet with keywords such as "big hit", "big seller", "popular", etc. superior.

Xu Xin's success in China is nothing new.

But he can establish a foothold in the United States, which is something new.

Immediately afterwards, some professional media began to list a series of movies currently released in Hollywood this year.

Although it can't compare with that kind of blockbuster movie.

But China's media played with the concept of sneaky replacement.

3.6 million in 4 hours.

They directly follow the box office of 20 million a day.

Then I started to count how many movies there are that have exceeded 20 million...

After discovering that there are quite a few movies with over 20 million US dollars, they started to compare the return on investment...

Even "Pacific Rim" was pulled out and "whipped" in the middle.

Many people eat the melon before going to bed.

But I have to admit, this topic is very popular.

First there is Xu Xin, and secondly there is Liu Yifei.

And the identity of a Chinese director who is new to Hollywood...

The level of discussion among everyone is indeed not low.

But there are also sane people who know that many of these news are just sensational.

How the movie "Perfect" will fare, we still have to wait for the box office release in the United States the next day.

Only then will we know whether it really works or is just a flash in the pan.

It's not just them waiting.

Xu Xin and the others, who were participating in a radio program here in Chicago, were actually waiting.

According to Liu Yifei, the radio program that "Perfect" participated in today is equivalent to the level of traffic radio in a certain provincial capital city.

There is a lot of audience.

To be honest, Xu Xin has not been on many radio programs in recent years for promotion, which is quite interesting.

However, there was an episode in the middle, which made Xu Xin feel quite...awkward.

The reason is that this program has a live connection link.

Generally speaking, the audience will come to ask the director about his shooting concept, or ask questions about an actor he is interested in... When Xu Xin heard about this link for the first time, he thought it was a bit too last century STYLE.

Communicate via radio hotline?

This is a little too retro.

But according to the host, this is their trump card.

Many people like this very retro way of communication.

Fine.

Guests do as they please.

Xu Xin didn’t think much about it at first.

Moreover, after the first two phone calls came in, the two viewers should have watched the movie and praised it to everyone.

And Xu Xin and the others also belatedly understood why this program was welcomed by the film promotion crew.

This program can give the audience a degree of freedom.

Instead, the crew became the passive party.

Audiences can express their opinions on the movie without any inhibitions...Xu Xin guessed that there might be those unlucky crew members who were called by an audience to criticize...

It is equivalent to giving a director, actors and the audience the most direct way to communicate.

Not to mention, it’s quite interesting.

After the third call came, Xu Xin couldn't tell the difference between men and women as soon as the voice rang in the earphones.

"Hey, Evan. Hello."

"Hello, man. What's your name?"

"You can call me Joan."

"Okay, Joan, I'm glad you called. Do you want to ask a question? Or do you have something to say to the director of "Perfect Strangers" or one of the actors?"

Xu Xin was still wondering whether the voice was male or female.

Joan...should be a girl's name, right?

But why is the sound so weird?

At this time, he heard Joan reply:

"I want to say something to the director and the actor who plays Pep."

Xu Xin and Guiseppe instinctively became focused.

"Hello, Joan."

"CIAO, Joan."

After hearing the voices of the two people, the voice of the girl named Qiong suddenly became excited.

"Oh, hi! Uh... Mud Howl~ CIAO~"

After saying hello in both Chinese and Italian, she said:

"I went to see it last night with my boyfriend. He recommended this movie to me. Hey, hello, Xu. I just decided to watch all your previous movies."

"Well, thanks."

"No, no, no, you deserve it. Your movie is impressive! Because Pep's experience is so similar to mine...I was a closeted person, and until I was 23, I had no idea I was A GAYMAN…”

"...?"

Xu Xin was stunned.

What...what the hell?

GAYMAN... Gaiman?

How to translate this word?

Just when he was wondering, he heard the other party continue:

"I was married once, but I didn't understand the feeling of heartbeat at all. It wasn't until I met my current boyfriend... that I realized that what I liked was not a woman, but a man."

"..."

Xu Xin's cheek muscles instinctively twitched twice wildly.

He finally realized why this person named "Qiong" had a strange voice.

She...no, he...is actually a man!

Before I had time to think too much, I heard the other party continue:

"But I live in a very traditional community, and my friends are all people with very traditional ideas... Sorry, in short, what I want to express is that I understand Pep's mentality in the play. I I am very lucky that Pep has a gentle friend like Lehrer. Mr. Director, your movie is great. I can see that you express your support for homosexuals through the movie. Especially the sentence: I don’t think there is anything wrong with homosexuality. Wrong, it's you who are wrong. I cried in the cinema after hearing this. Thank you, Pep, Lele, you are all great!"

"Well……"

Xu Xin was a little stunned.

For a moment, I didn't know what to say.

"Wow, that sounds like a very sincere comment. Joan, you enjoyed the movie, didn't you?"

"Yes, Evan. I recommend many people to watch it, not because I am gay, but because it is really a movie that explores many propositions such as marriage, gender, friendship, same-sex, and even education. But it’s very relaxing to watch. This is the best film I’ve seen so far this year! I like it very much!”

At this time, when Xu Xin saw the host looking at him, he knew that he had to say a few words.

But the problem is...

The script and lines were written by Philippe...

When did I say I support homosexuality?

Brother, let’s not label it like this, okay?

But people still support what you say and can't refuse it.

So, he could only bite the bullet and said:

"Thanks for your support, Joan."

"No, you deserve this, Mr. Director... Do you have any gay friends around you?"

Xu Xin's first reaction was Brother Seven...

But the problem is that Seventh Brother is not so exaggerated.

But if he answered directly...

Suddenly, a bolt of lightning flashed through my mind.

He was so blessed that he asked rhetorically:

"Do I need it?"

"..."

"..."

"...???"

As soon as these words came out, Xu Xin didn't understand what Qiong was doing, but the eyes of everyone else became strange.

Especially host Evan.

elder brother……

This is not fun to say!

But immediately I heard Xu Xin say:

"I think the word friend is above any identity. Whether he is gay, straight, single, etc., is it important? When I make friends, I don't care about his orientation. Likewise, no matter what orientation he has , he’s always been my friend. That’s my point of view.”

"Wow, Mr. Director, it sounds really full of Eastern philosophy and charm."

Evan instantly felt at ease.

So, he took the initiative to take over the rhythm of the interview.

After chatting for a few words with the enthusiastic listeners, Brother Qiong and Sister Qiong, I quickly received a call from the next person.

After a little interlude, Xu Xin continued the interview process.

After the interview in the morning, in the afternoon, everyone went to the local TV station in Chicago to be interviewed.

After a busy day, when he was lying on the hotel bed at night, he had no energy left.

But Georgia called again:

"Xu, you support homosexuality, right?"

"……ah?"

Xu Xin was stunned.

He was a little tired after working around all day.

When Georgia asked this question, he was stunned and didn't react:

"What do you mean?"

"I received the clip of your interview on Chicago Radio this morning. Xu, frankly speaking, as a friend, I have to remind you that in the United States, this kind of topic is actually not flattering."

morning?

Xu Xin was stunned for a moment before realizing what he was referring to.

So he sat up from the bed and asked:

"Did something happen? George."

"That's not true. Frankly speaking, Roman and the others have been paying attention to the data flow of the film. Your answer was very clever and very endearing. It made the gay community feel respected without arousing the resentment of conservative people. Even Roman and the others found that many people expressed their opinions on Twitter about wanting to see this movie, which is great... But what I have to say is, Xu, in the United States, the topic of gender is a very sensitive matter Things. You can’t be too obvious, no matter who you support. You know what I mean?”

As he said that, he seemed to know that Xu Xin might not understand the pros and cons of this, and continued:

"Perhaps, sometimes when we identify with a certain group, it's not that we really identify with it in our hearts, but that our identity needs to be identified. After identifying with them, we need them to do something for us. But when we need to use them Before that, you have to understand...conservatives still hold the majority.

We can't be too obvious, as this will offend them. But we cannot be too conservative, as that would appear to be too resistant or discriminatory... Therefore, no matter what you think in your heart, it is best not to take the initiative to clearly express support for certain people. Gays do it, Obama does it, and it's not good for our future plans to compete for awards! "

"I understand."

After understanding what the other party meant, Xu Xin nodded simply:

"Sorry for the trouble, George."

"Hahaha, Xu, this is certainly not a trouble. At this stage, we naturally welcome some means that can stimulate the box office. If there is really any work matter, I will contact you as early as this afternoon. I said, I I am saying this to you as a friend.

Your country is relatively conservative, I think... you will understand what I mean better.

The Oscars are actually a business, and yes, they are.

With Obama's re-election in the past two years, it is true that the status of ethnic minorities and groups has improved, and Oscar cannot be alone. But most people in the academy still have relatively conservative ideas. My advice to you is that you just need to maintain your current attitude.

Don't take the initiative to promote it, but if someone asks you, just continue to have this equal attitude. In terms of public relations, we will make plans based on your attitude. "

"OK, I understand what you mean."

"Yeah. Judging from the current performance, "Perfect" has a lot of stamina. Let's take a rest early. We will get the data tomorrow."

"Okay, George. You should also go to bed early. Good night."

After hanging up the phone, Xu Xin subconsciously scratched his neck.

To be honest, his head hurt.

With the other party's reminder, he suddenly realized... In some aspects, the United States is much more complicated than at home.

Although I gained a wave of favorability inexplicably...

But in the days to come, we have to be cautious in our words and deeds. Otherwise, God knows when, a big hat will be slapped on me.

…

July 27th.

on Monday.

Early in the morning, Xu Xin saw a hot search topic on Twitter.

"Fast and Furious 6" opened with a box office of $37.25 million in its first weekend.

Seeing this, he sighed helplessly.

I think this capitalist's face is really 100% honest.

The box office numbers for "Perfect" haven't been released yet, but the box office numbers for "Fast 6" have already been reported.

Fine.

He has one more day in Chicago today and a few promotions to run.

And when it was close to noon, finally, everyone's mobile phones received a message at the same time.

"Perfect Strangers" total box office in the first weekend of 28 hours: $19.07 million.

In other words, including the 3.6 million in the first four hours, a total of 19.07 million US dollars was obtained.

This result is naturally not top-notch.

Comparable to "Fast 6" with an investment of one or two billion...

As soon as "Perfect" came out at the box office, it was like a chicken laying golden eggs all the time for the next 47 days!

This is true for Paramount, and it is true for Western Studios.

At this moment, only a "click" was heard.

Xu Xin lit a cigarette.

After inhaling the smoke in one breath, the smoke suddenly came out as the corners of his mouth rose.

"hey-hey."

"...hehehe."

Liu Yifei laughed out loud for the second time.

Then Marco, Cassia, Guiseppe...

Finally, a group of people burst into laughter on the roadside, attracting the attention of countless people.

It looks quite impressive from a distance.

But no matter what, in the coming week, the box office of "Perfect" in North American theaters will surely go higher and higher thanks to the word-of-mouth fermentation verified by countless people.

As for how high it will go? ……Seventy million? Eighty million? Over 100 million...or even higher?

Who knows.

"We're definitely going to have a drink later, guys. To celebrate our success."

"Of course, my dear director, our captain, your sailors are with you!"

"Hahahahahaha..."

…

"Hahahaha, Xu! I knew you would succeed!"

These are Georgia's words.

"It's up to us next, Xu."

That's Paramount's promise.

Now that "Perfect"'s two-day box office has come out, it proves that it has been accepted by the North American market.

So next, it’s really time for Paramount to make an effort.

Because if they don't push the film to get Oscars, the box office share they get will actually be very small.

If it can enter the Oscars and win an award, then they can get half of the profit from the theater box office share.

The box office is low, so this film definitely doesn’t make any money.

But now that the box office is here...who would refuse the tens of millions of dollars that might be available?

What's more, they took advantage of the fact that everyone in Hollywood was not eyeing this talented director and locked him in advance.

Although this next project may not be a top priority, at least the resources that should be allocated to it must not be less.

"Perfect" is like a lead, pulling several forces into action.

Then, on the 28th, they arrived in Boston, and Xu Xin and the others, who had just gotten off the plane, received another message:

On Monday the 27th, the box office of "Perfect" on its third day, the dullest working day, hit a box office of US$21.28 million, and this was despite the film schedule not being increased to the 13% guarantee promised by Paramount. case!

This dark horse at the box office has finally entered the attention of all movie information media in the new week.

A low-budget movie of less than six million U.S. dollars, and it is also an imported film with a delayed release...even when piracy appears on the Internet, it can actually give out a lot of money when "Fast 6" dominates the list. $40 million report card?

Even on Monday, "Fast 6" only made $36.95 million, bucking the trend on the premise that it was the same as its premiere?

This film immediately fits the "main theme" of the American dream.

And Paramount simply waved its hand...

Increase your publicity budget and increase your exposure!

The crew originally planned to stay in Boston for one night, but they were flown back to Los Angeles that night.

In this Hollywood dream factory, even busier exposure awaits them tomorrow.

At the same time, those remarks on the Chicago radio station made the unfamiliar name "Goethe Schuh" instantly jump into the eyes of many people.

To be honest, those remarks are not very tendentious.

but……

It's very romantic.

It also fits Hollywood’s impression of Orientals.

They are always reserved and not good at expressing their feelings directly.

But Xu Xin's words about making friends were praised by more people with the help of Paramount.

Praise the director!

Praise the actors!

Praise the famous scenes in the movie!

Compliment the film’s reputation!

Driven by Paramount, people who don't know think that "Perfect" has surpassed "Fast 6", which has a box office of over 100 million.

Fortunately, "Fast 6" and "Perfect" have different themes, so there is no conflict.

It impacted the commercial film market of a group of "unlucky" films headed by "Pacific Rim".

However, a step-by-step feature film like "Perfect" has gained more love from film critics and media.

Then...a very interesting thing happened.

News broke on Twitter that the lead actress of "Pacific Rim" and the director of "Perfect" are a couple.

Just at the beginning of the year, one of them won Berlin's Best Film Award, and the other won Berlin's Golden Bear for Best Actress.

So, on the 29th, when the single-day box office of "Perfect" exceeded US$25 million and hit a new high, "Pacific Rim" suddenly became more popular...

And the most intuitive effect after the topic becomes more relevant is...

The box office has passed its peak, and the box office of "Pacific Rim", which has started to climb towards the 70 million level at a rate of three to four million US dollars every day, has ushered in a period of growth.

Data on the 30th: "Pacific Rim" single-day box office on the 29th - 11.7 million.

This directly raised the box office to 74.83 million.

And the box office of "Perfect" on the 29th...

At the starting point of single-week box office growth on Wednesday, the figure was 29.25 million!

It’s just one step away from breaking through three thousand!

According to Paramount’s estimates, the peak time for this movie will be the three days of Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

As long as there are no problems with the single-day box office data, it may even reach 50 million in a single day!

Fifty million...

Not to mention Paramount, even Xu Xin never thought that one day he would be able to achieve the feat of exceeding "300 million" in box office in a single day.

Sitting in the car leading to a fan meeting, he looked at the data sent at early 9 o'clock in the morning, and a sentence floated in his mind unconsciously.

"'Perfect'...it's simply perfect."

But as soon as this thought came up, his thoughts subconsciously went astray.

Heart said:

"This shouldn't be my most glorious and successful time, right?"

Thinking of this, he couldn't help but laugh.

ha.

Not really.

Certainly not!

success?

I've just hit the road.