Wednesday, 25 July 2004.

On the fourth day of the release of "The Matrix", Zhou Baoshan temporarily changed his route and flew directly from Japan to Los Angeles in the United States after ending the promotion in Japan.

There, he will officially embark on a promotional tour in North America after a day of emergency training in dealing with the media - although he received some level of English training before and during the filming of "The Matrix", his English is still very poor, but fortunately, the focus of his time is Chinese kung fu.

As for He Yingyu, after ending the publicity in South Korea, she continued to set off for Southeast Asia as originally planned for a six-day promotion.

He Yingyu will then fly to the United States to meet Zhou Baoshan and stay in North America for a few days before leaving for Europe for publicity.

In short, they have a full schedule, and the global influence of "The Matrix" is gradually expanding.

…………

On the same day, Suncheonfu.

Lu Ping didn't bring any escorts, and ran alone to the movie theater where he often watched movies in a low-key manner, with sunglasses and a sunhat, covering his head and face as tightly as possible.

He didn't want to be known, so he went to the cinema to see "The Matrix".

It would be even worse if the journalists found out.

Although in front of the public, he and Li Qian, the two brothers in the same school, have never had any obvious conflicts, they have never been close, and they have even had competition caused by each other's schedule conflicts, but at least on the bright side, in the eyes of media reporters, the relationship between the two is okay.

However, he knew in his heart that even if the two walked across the street, they would not greet each other.

At least he knew he wouldn't!

And in his opinion, Li Qian's feelings about himself will not be much better!

The two of them are rivals in love twice.

Lu Lingxi, Qin Jingjing.

Therefore, if he came to watch "The Matrix" and was discovered and reported by reporters, it would be a great shame for himself - Li Qian would probably be overjoyed!

However, the domestic box office of more than 180 million yuan in the first two days of the week, the box office in North America broke 50 million US dollars in the first week, sitting at the top of the North American weekly box office charts, and the good reputation that almost captured the entire network in a few days, made Lu Ping really a little curious about this movie.

So he endured it several times, but in the end he still couldn't hold back, if he wanted to run to see what kind of movie this was, it would be so touted on the Internet, and it would actually get such a high box office in North America - all say that this is the best science fiction movie in China, and even one of the best science fiction movies in the world so far, Lu Ping said that he would not believe anything: Chinese can make good science fiction movies?

Is it good not to have that soil! Is it good not to have that cultural gene!

Therefore, he was unconvinced and disdainful, but it was difficult to suppress his curiosity, so he decided to come to the theater to have a look. After reading it, I have my own judgment in my heart, so that I can refute those strange remarks one by one with a sneer - at the level of "The Matrix", have a face? If it weren't for Li Qian being too famous and too good at hype and show, would this movie be so popular?

However, he came with the mentality of looking for faults, thinking that once he finished watching it, he would definitely be able to criticize it completely, but after walking to the cinema, he found that - queue up.

The crowd of Wuyang and Wuyang in the movie theater didn't notice who the other people around them were.

He felt like he had come early enough, it was only a quarter past eight.

Besides, it's a Wednesday, a weekday!

On a normal day, the movie theater is often empty, but today, where did so many people come from?

Lu Ping knew the manager of this movie theater, after all, this is the place where he often comes to watch movies, and he is a famous film director, and this movie theater specially invited him to sign it. So, of course, he can get a ticket with a phone call.

However, he was reluctant to do so, because he didn't want anyone to know that he was watching The Matrix, including the manager of the movie theater.

So, he could only follow the tail of the line and began to line up to buy tickets.

The time spent in line was a little unbelievable, and he deliberately looked up to carefully look at the schedule on the newly erected big screen this year - one look at the number of screenings, "The Matrix" was actually screened in eight halls at the same time in this large movie theater with eight halls!

Take a closer look, Wu Han's "Laughing Heroes", Guo Yulong's "The Princes of the Beacon Opera", and Zhao Meicheng's "Blood", as well as several other Hollywood movies, and a domestic movie just released on Monday, so many films together, they only got fifteen film schedules throughout the day!

Eight halls, theoretically speaking, more than 60 shows a day and nearly 70 shows are no problem.

All the other movies combined, but they only got fifteen screenings!

And "The Matrix" itself, got more than fifty!

It's insane!

When "The Door of Life and Death" was the most popular back then, he didn't get this level of film scheduling rate here, and last year's "Huang Feihong's Boy Should Be Self-Improvement" was popular enough, but he's watched it, including "Big Names" and the like, and they haven't gotten such a terrifying film scheduling rate!

You know, it's a big cinema with eight screens, and they're not like small cinemas with one or two or three screens.

Because of the limited screening resources of those small movie theaters, once they find that a certain movie is popular, in order to grab more audiences and box office, they often dare to squeeze other movies in the same period directly to a day to schedule a film, and even if the box office is not very good at that time, they also dare to directly give a temporary release, and all the freed up screening resources are invested in the popular movies at that time!

And here, in the eight screening halls, under normal circumstances, no matter how popular a film is, it will get 50 to 60 percent of the box office here, and it has reached its peak! In order to take into account the needs of more audiences, even if a movie is hot, they must also ensure the screening of other movies at the same time - because some people like to watch unpopular movies, and those people are often very die-hard. For movie theaters, the viewing needs of people who usually come in the off-season are of course what they have to take care of.

But now, this large movie theater is actually doing the same as a small single-hall theater with only one screening room, and it is completely out of style - simply calculated, they actually gave the movie "The Matrix" nearly 80% of the schedule!

Lu Ping's heart was shocked inexplicably.

He's not one of those old antiques.

When he loved movies and entered the film academy to study and start his own film career, the commercialization of the domestic film market had been vigorously launched, so when he was still in school, he often paid attention to the trends of the outside film industry and various analysis reports, and he even had the truth that the commercial film box office was king.

Therefore, after starting to make movies, even if there is an artistic pursuit in his heart, he insists that his films must make certain inclinations, concessions and sacrifices to commercialization.

In short, he will never be fooled by those old artists to make those purely literary films.

He doesn't make films that don't make money.

Of course, the graduation work when he was in school was an exception, and at that time, he knew that as an ordinary film school graduate, if he wanted to surpass many people in one step, he had to do something that others did not dare to do, and build his reputation first!

That's why there is that pure literary movie that loses money, "Old Town"!

That's all done with a purpose, deliberately. And it is by no means as praised by the old artists and professors, he is a "good seedling" who makes art films.

Even if he is a good seedling, he will not be stupid enough to struggle to make any art films.

A movie that can make money is a good movie!

This is justice in the hearts of the vast majority of filmmakers of their generation.

Therefore, in the face of such a large-scale tilt on the film schedule of "The Matrix" by the movie theater, although he was shocked and quite incomprehensible, he seemed to be full of dissatisfaction and urgently needed to vent, but he knew very well in his heart - it has nothing to do with everything else to make the movie theater make such a big tilt on the film schedule, it only has something to do with one thing: whether the tickets sell well or not!

After waiting in line for more than twenty minutes, it was finally his turn.

He moved forward with the group, lowering the brim of his hat, but his ears began to hear conversations like this again and again—

"Two copies of The Matrix. ”

"Tickets for "The Matrix" in the morning and noon have been sold out, and the 2:45 p.m. show, do you want it?"

"Yes, two!"

"Okay, wait a minute. ”

"Six card hacks. ”

"Tickets for the morning and noon shows of "The Matrix" have been sold out, and the 3:10 p.m. show is it, do you want it?"

"Yes. ”

“……”

Finally it was Lu Ping's turn, but he already felt a little numb.

Without waiting for the conductor to speak, he said directly: "At 3:25 p.m., I want one." ”

"Is The Matrix right?"

"Yes. ”

After buying the tickets, I walked out of the line and looked at the time, it was not even nine o'clock in the morning.

There are still six hours before the show he bought a ticket for.

Holding the movie ticket in his hand, Lu Ping pursed his lips and couldn't help but look at it again and again.

…………

At about three o'clock in the afternoon, he came to the cinema on time.

At 3:18, the official ticket was checked.

At about the same time, in another cinema in Shuntianfu, the famous 200 million director Wu Han was also taking a movie ticket from his assistant, joining the flow of people alone and entering the screening hall.

Unlike Lu Ping, who is currently idle, his movie "Laughing Hero" is still in theaters, and although the box office is not a big hit, it is definitely good.

It's just that it's not very easy to compare with a series of phenomenal movie box office of Minghu Culture.

At this time, he was also shocked by the box office of the first week of "The Matrix", so he took the time to go to the cinema to see the movie in person - when the premiere of "The Matrix" was held, he was leading the team to promote it in other places, so he didn't have time to rush back to participate.

And the reason why he watched it at this time, in fact, his psychology was probably similar to Lu Ping.

The box office of this movie is too fierce, and at the same time, the word of mouth is really good, and what is even more awesome is that its box office in North America and the box office in Japan are actually so good.

To be honest, everyone makes movies, and they are all successful directors. You Li Qian is relatively popular, handsome, well-written and sung, very investment-minded, there are more women than us, and even movies are better than us, even if you take out a screenwriter's work casually, you can sell it well, we all admit it, but to say that you are awesome to this extent...... Only...... Not really, right?

So, not convinced.

Even, it was originally unconvinced.

I'm also a talented person, and I've been all the way from graduating from film school to now! Maybe you're really good, but I don't think you're really that much better than me!

Not convinced!

Your first movie became a national hit, and the second movie was able to compete with Master Qin, and although it was defeated, the third movie swept Berlin, and the box office was more than 500 million, and the two movies you wrote and produced also sold more than 500 million, and you made an animated film that actually exceeded 500 million US dollars at the global box office, and now, you actually played a science fiction movie, and it was also a big hit at the same time as it was released globally!

Not convinced!

Then go check it out.

And this time, almost with a magnifying glass.

He is known as the most outstanding student in the history of Suncheon Film School, and we are all trampled under his feet.

is known as the existence of crushing Hollywood sci-fi blockbusters, so of course you have to withstand all kinds of pickiness.

On the first day of release, the domestic box office exceeded 100 million Chinese dollars, the global box office exceeded 100 million US dollars, and the domestic box office exceeded 180 million Chinese dollars in two days, and 50 million US dollars in North America.

I went to see, to "learn" some.

Ten minutes later, the corners of Lu Ping's mouth were slightly raised, and although he was extremely surprised, he also had a faint trace of disdain: Is science fiction movies like this?

Twenty minutes later, Wu Han's brows furrowed tightly, his mind running at high speed with the plot of the movie, speculating about the sci-fi worldview that the movie might sell.

Thirty minutes later, Lu Ping frowned, and faintly felt, well, he did handle the first thirty minutes, and there was indeed some discipline. As a commercial film, his story is still very successful. And especially the treatment of color and mirroring, which is simply the same as "Red Sorghum", completely different poles!

This skill is indeed not weak.

An hour later, both of them almost stopped criticizing in their hearts and put more energy into the plot of the movie.

Although as a film director and as a very good storyteller, they can vaguely guess the general plot of the next step, but I have to say that the world structure of this film is established and can be justified. And under this new world structure, all the old-fashioned stories and old-fashioned methods seem to have taken on a new look.

Moreover, the outcome of the story can be guessed, but how to achieve this, how to tell the story reasonably and unexpectedly, is still a huge suspense, even if they can't guess.

Then, the movie ends.

Less than ten minutes apart, Lu Ping and Wu Han, the two brothers of Li Qian, these two influential and well-known directors in today's Chinese film industry, walked out of the cinema in silence.

The mood is a little gloomy.

So the brim is pressed even lower.

It wasn't until he got into his car that Wu Han finally sighed in a low voice, "Awesome!"

In the same way, after waiting to walk back to his home and lock himself in the study, after being silent for a long time, Lu Ping sighed helplessly.

"Awesome!"

***

I knew that as soon as I reached this climax, there would be more voices scolding me for watering.

Why don't you put it away first, save it and then look at it?

Kill me with only these 200 catties of meat, the level is so high, you can't change other tricks!

Maybe when the dead hole of "slow update" is avoided, it will become beautiful again?

Logically: If you don't chase more, it will become good-looking, and you don't feel watery, so does it mean that I haven't been watered, but the update is slow?

But I really can't write fast, swollen and broken?

Hair ......