The popularity of the box office of "District 9" in North America in the first weekend is still fermenting in China, but Chen Hao, who is far away in North America, is also busy with other things in addition to promoting the movie.

"Hello Mr. Chen!"

"You may be seated, Mr. Smart. Chen Hao looked at the middle-aged man opposite and smiled.

With the successive productions of "Chainsaw", "Hurricane Rescue", "Saw 2" and "District 9", it is no longer just the shell company that started out.

Although the 4 films produced by Tianqi Pictures are all low-budget films, the return on investment ratio is quite good, and it can even be said that it makes people envious, jealous and hateful.

Although Tianqi Pictures has only been established for less than two years, its profitability is already in the upper and middle reaches of many independent film companies in North America.

And with the excellent profitability of the previous three films, Tianqi Pictures has continuously received many acquisition invitations from Hollywood giants and capital.

The result is naturally undoubted, Chen Hao rejected them all.

Measuring Tianqi Pictures is Chen Hao's base camp for making money in North America, and if it is not a last resort, he naturally will not want to share the profits again.

And with the gradual fame of Measuring Sky Ruler Pictures, which is already a well-known star enterprise, Chen Hao can't let Measuring Sky Ruler be so shabby anymore.

The previous Measuring Sky Ruler Pictures rented a large warehouse as an office location, and there were only 5 people, including Chen Hao.

Today, the measuring scale is different, having moved to Santa Monica, California, next to Lionsgate and many other studios.

Chen Hao thought about it and felt that even if the mainland film market rose in the future and the focus returned to China, the North American film market still could not give up.

After all, there is Hollywood that sweeps the world, and there are also Oscars that countless filmmakers yearn for.

Therefore, the role of measuring the ruler in the future is still huge.

Coupled with Chen Hao's preparation to operate the Marvel superhero rights and other blockbuster movies, his own future films will also be released in North America.

Therefore, Chen Hao has to manage the measuring ruler carefully.

So, the first thing Chen Hao did was to find a professional manager to help him run and manage Tianji Pictures.

The United States is different from China, many situations and rules are very different, and Chen Hao himself is not very good at managing companies, so it is essential to find a professional manager in the United States.

And the Smart in front of him was found through a headhunting company, he was also the general manager of a film company before, but later the film company was acquired, and he, the general manager, was excluded.

According to the introduction of the headhunter, he has enough experience in company management, and the previous film company was run well by him.

It's a bit like many independent film companies such as Lionsgate, all of which operate small-budget thrillers and violent R-rated films, hoping to be able to make a big deal with a small one.

Smart's company has developed well before, but it has not had a chance to continue to grow and develop, and it was acquired by a large company.

This is also the norm in all walks of life, see a good prospect of the development of the company immediately merger, not only to eliminate a potential competitor, but also to expand their own strength, big fish eat small fish!

"I've read your company development report, it's very good!" Chen Hao smiled and nodded.

Smart is already the deputy general manager of Tianzhi Pictures, and when Chen Hao was filming and promoting "District 9", he had already straightened out the company.

Of course, although the current staff of the measuring scale has expanded, there are no more than 20 people, so it is not too difficult to get started.

However, Chen Hao asked Smart to give him a plan for the company's future development, which obviously made Chen Hao feel good.

"Thank you for this recognition. Smart laughed.

"Your plan can be executed, but I need you to help me with one more thing. Chen Hao said.

"You say!" Smart leaned forward and listened.

Chen Hao smiled when he saw this, "I want to buy some film and television rights of Marvel superheroes, you can help me operate it, this is the specific list." ”

After Chen Hao finished speaking, he handed Smart a simple plan, which contained the Marvel superheroes that needed to be purchased and the company he currently owned.

Smart frowned when he heard this, took the plan, and then looked at it.

When Chen Hao saw Smart's appearance, he knew that he should not agree to buy the copyright of Marvel superheroes, after all, although the scale of measurement is developing well, he has not yet been able to invest in shooting superhero movies.

Smart pondered for a while after watching it and said, "Although the company is profitable, it is too risky to shoot superhero movies, and if we are not careful, we will go bankrupt." ”

"I know your worries, but don't worry, this is my private hobby, even if I invest in the auction, I will get the funds, and I won't all draw blood from the measuring scale, you just continue to manage the company according to your plan." Chen Hao said.

Smart still had some doubts when he heard this, but since the boss said so, he could only nod his head and agree.

"It's better to get some preliminary information before I return home. Chen Hao said.

"When are you going back to Huaxia?" Smart asked.

"Next Monday, I'm going back home. Chen Hao said.

Smart nodded, "I'll do it now!"

After sending Smart away, Chen Hao turned to look out the window and could clearly see the Lionsgate logo.

In his previous life, Chen Hao became the majority shareholder of Lionsgate, should he do it again this time?

......

The Christmas file in North America is in full swing, and the major movies are fighting fiercely.

And "District 9" has also entered the second week of release, and the film reviews about the film have gradually increased.

"The director uses pseudo-documentary + news interview style to shoot, which enhances the sense of involvement. Most viewers will be disgusted by the appearance of the alien prawns at the beginning of the film, but as the plot progresses, a sense of sympathy and pity gradually arises.

Showing humanity and exploring social issues (apartheid, the divide between minorities and major demographics) in the shell of action sci-fi is very thoughtful and deep!"

--- Chicago Tribune

Thanks to the film's pseudo-documentary shooting method, the whole film presents a sense of hard news-like realism, so that the audience is brought into front of the established facts from the beginning: what to do if a spaceship full of aliens flies to the refugee camp in the ninth area of the earth?

As a result, aliens are isolated as animals and are exploited and discriminated against by humans!

Where there is injustice, there will be resistance, and aliens are no exception, when they use their brains beyond the wisdom of earthlings to start to be in a hurry, the male protagonist's mistake was unfortunately infected.

This scene is relatively disgusting because we see a hard carapace growing under intact skin.

What's even more disgusting is that we find that human beings have begun to dissect aliens in various ways, torture them in various ways, and experiment in all kinds of killings, so what is more disgusting than the ugly carapace is people.

They tried to catch the male protagonist as a combination of earthlings and aliens and began to study.,The male protagonist.,An earthling.,I actually ran to the aliens to feel safe.,What a big irony.。

This scene is very similar to Kafka's "Metamorphosis"

Maybe what the director wants to express at this moment is exactly this, the male protagonist began to grow a thick carapace from a human being, became an alien, learned to use alien weapons, and did not become a beetle, and will die out 9 years later, that is, when the end of the world comes in 2012.

When the male protagonist assisted the aliens to escape, I believe that most of the audience has already sided with the aliens, is it on the wrong team?

Or maybe we're on the wrong side from the start!

This is undoubtedly the greatest dramatization of racial discrimination, and the hypocrisy and sinister nature of the human heart are undoubtedly revealed. The aliens in the film are obviously disgusting, but even more disgusting are the human hearts!

The director used a story dressed as an alien, but it was all about human nature.

The director constructs such a huge alien, but deconstructs people, which is the value of this film.

At the end of 2003, Chen's "District 9" put the whole of Hollywood to shame!

Chen, and this movie masterpiece, both deserve two thumbs up!"

--- Roger Albert (Film Critic)

"It turns out that sci-fi doesn't have to be star-studded, it doesn't have to be big-budgeted, it doesn't have to be visually appealing, it doesn't have to be outright entertainment.

"District 9" is a real, authentic sci-fi movie that captivates you from the beginning and keeps the audience coming back until the moment the film ends.

It is a film that is ahead of its time, and it is also an allegory about life.

"District 9" is bound to be one of the best sci-fi movies of 2003!"

--- The New York Times

......

The media and film critics definitely praise "District 9"!

Under the cloak of science fiction, it tells about racial discrimination, and the audience finally stands on the side of the disgusting aliens, which shows the film's analysis of the ugliness of human nature.

This must be very much in line with the appetite of film critics, as can be seen from the two thumbs up of the well-known film critic Roger Albert.

Many other critics have also given "District 9" a high score, and many of them think it is the best sci-fi movie of 2003!

In 2002, Chen Hao's "Moon" was named the best sci-fi film of the year in 2002 by the North American media!

And this year, with "District 9", Chen Hao is likely to win this huge honor again!

At the same time, the IMDB rating of "District 9" has also reached 8.5 points, and the number of rats has exceeded 10,000, reaching 12,358.

This number is certainly not as popular as "Lord of the Rings 3", which broke 20,000 people in the first 3 days of the week, but it also shows the popularity of "District 9".

And 8.5 points is also Chen Hao's current highest IMDB score, and directly ranked 24th in IMDB top250!

Of all the films of this year, District 9 is the highest-ranked film besides The Lord of the Rings 3!

Of course, the rating will naturally keep going down over time.

But according to the critics' current optimism about "District 9", this sci-fi masterpiece is likely to maintain the same rating of 8.0 as "The Moon".

At the same time, Chen Hao's current 5 movies are all ranked among the TOP250!

In addition, on another major film and television rating website, Tomato.com.

There have been 202 reviews of "District 9", of which 180 have been positive and 22 have been negative.

In other words, District 9 has a Rotten Tomatoes index of 89.1%, which is a fresh and ruddy tomato.

Correspondingly, the audience score is 4.6/5 points, which is 92 points on a 100-point scale!

At the same time, the popcorn index of "District 9", that is, the audience's popularity, reached 88%!

It can be seen from the two major film and television rating websites in North America that both media critics and audience fans have given high praise to "District 9".

These reviews mean that "District 9" has a good reputation, and in a holiday stall that is a long-term blockbuster, this is extremely beneficial to the box office of the film.

At the same time, the film's high evaluation also means that it is likely to be shortlisted for the two most famous film awards in North America, the Golden Globe Award and the Oscar!

The holiday file is next to the two major awards that are usually held around January and February, which is why most of the Olympic films choose the holiday file.

Especially the Oscars, if "District 9" can successfully get an Oscar nomination, it will even go one step further to get an Oscar trophy.

Then the release time of "District 9" will be relatively extended, and the box office should be able to increase by about $30 million accordingly!

It's a little pity that the Golden Globe Awards have already announced the list of nominees on December 18, and there is a reason why "Lord of the Rings 3" was released on the 17th.

And "District 9", which was released on December 25, obviously missed the Golden Globe Awards at the beginning of next year.

However, as long as it is released before the end of December, then it will be able to apply for the Oscars at the beginning of the second year, so "District 9" may still be nominated for an Oscar.

In the face of the praise of media critics for "District 9", Chen Hao and Davis were naturally happy.

Although there is a "Lord of the Rings 3" that has always been on the top, there are also greater expectations for the next week box office of "District 9", as well as the final box office.

Soon a week has passed, and the box office results of the new week have just been released!

North American Film Market Weekend Box Office Rankings (January 2, 2004 – January 4, 2004):

No. 1, "The Lord of the Rings 3: The Return of the King", released for 17 days, new line, weekend box office of 30.8 million US dollars, cumulative box office of 292 million US dollars, 4,500 theaters;

No. 2, "District 9", released for 10 days, Tianqi Pictures, with a weekend box office of $22.54 million, a cumulative box office of $60.61 million, and 3,700 theaters;

No. 3, "A Basket of Children", 10 days in theaters, Twentieth Century Fox, weekend box office $21.9 million, cumulative box office $5,662, 3,600 theaters;

No. 4, "Love is a Compromise", 24 days in theaters, Sony Columbia, with a weekend box office of $10.2 million, a cumulative box office of $50.43 million, and 3,400 theaters;

No. 5, "Cold Mountain", 10 days in theaters, Miramax, weekend box office $9.5 million, cumulative box office $28.5 million, 3,000 theaters;

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