Rebirth In Hollywood

As the biggest investor in "Air Combat Heroes", David Ellison held a grand premiere for the film. Perhaps money is really just a numbers game for him, and the premiere is absolutely luxurious in terms of luxury. Ranked the top of all films released in Hollywood this year.

The premiere was not only selected at the Kodak Theater at the junction of Hollywood Boulevard and Highland Boulevard, but even at the entrance of the theater, there were five old propeller planes produced in the 1920s and 1930s. These are not model props, but Larry ? Ellison's collection of genuine vintage airplanes.

David? Ellison and Larry? Ellison, father and son, are avid aircraft enthusiasts.

In addition to the big scenes, there are not a few Hollywood celebrities and well-known rich people in the United States participating in the premiere.

Although Larry Ellison is a famous big mouth and has a bad reputation in the media, there are not a few rich people like Ryan who accepted his invitation and came to join in.

For example, David Geffen, one of the three giants of DreamWorks, Summer Redstone, the media giant of Viacom, Tim Cook of Apple, and so on.

Even Larry Ellison's old nemesis, Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen, was on the red carpet.

In fact, to put it bluntly, these rich people, like the companies they control, both have competition and maintain a certain degree of cooperation. In such trivial matters, they still give face.

Quickly walking down the red carpet, Ryan heard Larry Ellison's signature loud voice as he passed Taylor on his arm through the interview area.

"What? The first-week box office of 'Air Combat Hero'?"

The Silicon Valley madman is being interviewed by the media, and he is as arrogant as the words in the past, "As early as the last century, I said that David is a movie genius who can be compared to Ryan Jenkins. Of course, he It's just getting started, but Air Fighter's $60 million first week in North America is definitely not a problem."

"Aren't you going to say a few words?" Tyler teased Ryan in a low voice. "Oh, the movie genius that stands next to you."

"Don't be naughty."

Ryan pulled her, and the two walked quickly into the Kodak Theater, led by several receptionists, and went straight to the lobby.

They were almost the last to arrive. When they entered the theater hall where the giant screen was installed, the front row belonged to the guests and was almost full of people.

Shaking hands with David Geffen, Summer Redstone and Tim Cook who have reached out successively,

Ryan walked to his seat, except for Taylor on the left. On his right is Paul Allen, one of the founders of Microsoft.

The two were not particularly familiar, but they had seen each other on other occasions before and greeted them casually. Paul Allen's conversation turned directly to Walt Disney's increasingly obvious acquisitions.

"Your people contacted me, Ryan."

"Interested in Disney's proposal?"

This is a purely commercial transaction, and Ryan is not detouring, "Paul, Disney is a must for DreamWorks Animation Studios."

As early as the beginning of the establishment of DreamWorks in the last century, Paul Allen was one of the investors of DreamWorks. Later, after the separation of DreamWorks Animation Studio, he was also the shareholder of the Big Three after Ryan and DreamWorks.

"From the perspective of investment, my investment that year has achieved more than five times the profit." Paul Allen also showed the true nature of a businessman, "But. Ryan, I will transfer the shares of DreamWorks Animation Studio in my hand. To Disney, what's in it for me?"

"I heard that your Seattle Seahawks have always been interested in New England's quarterback Tom Brady?" Ryan said to himself without giving him a chance to answer. "He is a contract player under the sports department of kk's agency. Her girlfriend Gisele Bunchen is also a contracted model of kk, and she is still friends with Miss Theron. So..."

Ryan gave Paul Allen a look you know.

After only thinking about it for less than ten seconds, Paul Allen extended his hand to Ryan, "It's a pleasure to work together."

"Happy cooperation." Ryan shook it lightly in his hand.

The addition of Tom Brady is enough to make the Seattle Seahawks more attractive. The New England quarterback is not only the most valuable player of the nfl last year, but also beats Tiger Woods on the Forbes celebrity list. , became the No. 1 celebrity in American sports last year.

For American football, the No. 1 sport in the United States, the importance of quarterbacks, even Ryan, a layman, knows a thing or two.

Since it is going to acquire DreamWorks Animation Studios, Disney will naturally make targeted preliminary preparations. Take Paul Allen, one of the shareholders, for example. Since he bought the Seattle Seahawks in 1997, he has always wanted to buy from the Seattle Seahawks. Winning the Vince Lombardi Cup in the Super Bowl, he tried to sign Tom Brady several times, but failed for various reasons.

This is an obvious exchange of interests.

"That's how we manipulate other people's fate?"

After Ryan turned back, Tyler whispered in his ear, "Did the other party decide his future without his knowledge?"

"Our people will only persuade." Ryan also lowered his voice, "and will not help anyone make decisions."

The latter words, even if he doesn't say it, Taylor will understand.

Just like those football stars in the Europa League, if you want a sports star to change owners, in addition to enough money temptation, the persuasion of agents and people around you will often play an extremely important role.

Not to mention the kk agency that Tom Brady signed, his current girlfriend and future wife Gisele Bundchen is definitely a smart woman.

With the screen lit up, Ryan turned his attention to the movie.

In his previous life, he had heard of the name of this movie, but he had never seen it, because people who had watched the movie always told him that the picture was beautiful, and then... there was no more.

After calming down and watching for a while, Ryan couldn't help but sighed. If the propeller planes of World War I in the film were replaced by horses, it would be a hodgepodge of westerns that blended elements of science fiction and cartoons.

For example, the pilot played by the film's first actor James Franco escaped to France on the other side of the Atlantic with a criminal record of beating others, and also brought the cowboy's free and loose style to the army that should have been ordered uniformly. , even he can ride... I'm sorry, he drove a fighter jet to go on a date with a French girl...

He was able to calmly land the plane on the battlefield that should have been ploughed into a sieve by the artillery fire of both sides, like a lone cowboy in a Western movie. It was not the Germans armed with a large number of Maxim machine guns and heavy artillery, but the Indians with flying axes and bows and arrows.

As for the scene where he finally killed the German pilot with a pistol at high altitude, although he drew on real events in history, it looked like a cowboy playing on horseback, except that his crotch was replaced with a speed of 100 per hour. Miles of biplane fighter, and the classic laws of physics and mechanics won't work for such a ruffian and science-blind cowboy.

In fact, from a good point of view, the director and screenwriter of the film understand that there are natural flaws in this subject matter. If it is shot according to the real scene of World War I, it will be difficult to please those audiences born after the 1980s.

They tried their best to use the lines and behaviors of the post-80s generation to package the characters in the film that belonged to their great-grandfathers. Tooth, or it's ridiculously ridiculous, and from the occasional laughter from the audience in the back row, it doesn't seem like an aerial combat film about courage and courage, but a pure comedy.

Of course, a movie is a movie after all, not a history. After all, it is a commercial entertainment movie. As long as the audience is willing to buy it, these problems are not a problem.

The question is, will the audience buy it?

Perhaps the comments on the Internet have a certain representativeness.

"The plot is lackluster, the screenwriter is completely retarded, the performance is formulaic without surprises, and what's worse, such a rubbish war movie has entered the theater?"

"A film that was completely unnecessary."

"Apart from the special effects shots of the air combat, it's a downright boring French movie that makes it impossible to watch."

"Whether it's a wartime adventure or a love story, the film isn't great. Even the special effects, set in historical situations, are drowsy and boring and can't save this overly tedious film. ."

"I think that battle back then must be more exciting than the movie."

"After watching all the films, the real impression that can be left is neither the starring actors nor the planes and air battles in it, but the sturdy pet lion..."

This is not the opinion of film critics, but the opinion of ordinary audiences. Except for a few female audience members who made nympho remarks like 'James Frank is so handsome' and 'I'm just going for James Frank', the film was met with criticism. The unanimous bad reviews, even the bad reviews only lasted less than two days, because there were too few viewers to watch the film later.

As for the first-week box office of $60 million mentioned by Larry Ellison, even if the whole number of 50 million is removed, there is no shadow of the first-week box office figures of the film "Air Combat Heroes".

The film opened in North America with 3,033 theaters, and the box office figure for the first three days was... $6 million, which quickly fell to more than $2 million in the second week.

The fiasco at the North American box office directly led to the end of the film's ongoing overseas distribution negotiations. Even if Larry Ellison personally called, Paramount Pictures still refused to become the film's overseas distributor.

Perhaps, David Ellison can only negotiate with one of the second- and third-tier distribution labels. (To be continued..) ()