As the semester life stabilized, the North American film market gradually recovered, with a total box office of only 86.7 million in the first week of September, and rebounded to 127.3 million in the first week of October, and is ready to enter the peak box office period from November to December for Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas. The No. 3 comedy musical "Rock School" was released, the crime thriller "Time Hunt" was released, the No. 10 action thriller "Kill Bill Vol.1" was released, and the crime thriller "Mystic River" was released...... On the 17th, the drama thriller "Runaway Jury" will be released, the remake of the new line movie horror film "Texas Chainsaw Massacre" will be released, and Flame Movies will also launch the inspirational song and dance film "Dance Out of My Life".

The weekly box office rankings are competing every day, and the North American screen "reservations" for the next one or two years have also begun, and the major film companies have successively announced some schedule plans for 2004 and 2005, on the one hand, for publicity, and on the other hand, they are unwritten to test each other's style, so as to adjust the screening plan in time, avoid the box office bomb or hit the hard.

In 2004, DreamWorks' "Shrek 2" was released on May 19, Sony's "Spider-Man 2" on June 30, "I, Robot", "Troy", "National Treasure", "The Polar Express", "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban", ...... In 2005, Fox released "Star Wars Prequel 3: Revenge of the Sith" in May, and Warner confirmed that the new version of "Batman 1" directed by Darren Aronofsky was released in June...... Flame, who is already the boss of an independent film company, is no exception, and announced a number of plans for 04 and 05 to media fans, which attracted much attention for a while.

2004 can be described as a big year for its sequel, the animated film "Ice Age 2" is scheduled to be released on May 7, two weeks before "Shrek 2", Flame seems to be confident that the completed "Extreme Speed" will be released on June 11, the second week of the release of "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban", "The Hangover 2" without Magic Young on June 25, "Saw 2" on October 29, and "Mr. Hughes 2" on December 10.

In 2005, the unscheduled "Brokeback Mountain", the summer vacation "Kung Fu Panda" in May, "Firefly" in June, and "Dance Out of My Life 2" in October.

Looking at these plans, media fans noticed a few unusual places at once, "Dance Out of My Life" and "Chainsaw Horror" have not yet been released, and the flame is a profit or a loss, and the audience doesn't know whether they praise or scold, so they have a sequel plan, according to the reputation that the flame has never "only promoted and not hyped" and never missed the contract, most of these two sequels will be on the big screen, and the confidence of the flame is bursting to the point of arrogance, and usually their movies will really be that good.

Another point is that 2004 seems to be the year when there will be no films directed by Wonder Young, only in 2001 in the past six years, and the following year he staged "The Return of the King" with "District 9" and "The Hangover".

This speculation was confirmed by Wang Yang's personal website, where he announced his work plan for the next two years, saying, "On the screen, I will focus on 'Firefly', and on the screen 'Prison Break' and 'The Big Bang Theory'." Although he also participated in the production of "Extreme Speed" in 04, he was not a director!

What will it be like to make "Firefly" and "The Big Bang Theory", which are so "serious" to be treated by Magic Young?

"MIT-21-TEAM" has been released offline in many places in North America and overseas, ending its journey on the screen, and it finally received 191 million North American box office and 367 million global box office, successfully surpassing the 352 million of "Impunity".

However, its box office only ranked 6th among all 7 films in Wang Yang's directorial career, only higher than the 323 million of his debut film "Ghost Shadow", ending the horror record of more than 200 million at the North American box office of 5 consecutive films and more than 300 million for 2 consecutive films;

Wonder Young's personal global box office has now reached 3,262.6 million, with an average of 466.0 million per film, which is the top ranks, and 6 years have made this number even more unimaginable.

Despite this, compared with James Cameron's 14 years of directing 6 films with a global total box office of 3.0413 billion, with an average of 506.8 million, and George Lucas personally directing 3 "Star Wars" series across 25 years, with a total box office of 2.3490 billion, an average of 783 million, plus the figures after inflation, Magic Young still has a distance to catch up. But everyone knows that he is just a 23-year-old BABY, and he has plenty of time to create a new legend.

What other madness will Pokémon bring? "Firefly" is still too far away, and fans are looking forward to "The Demon Wears Prada", which will be released on December 12 this year.

On the release schedule of the flame movie, the most surprising thing for the media is that "Brokeback Mountain"!?is the "Brokeback Mountain" with the gay story of the cowboy?! The flame also announced that the film will be directed by Ang Lee, the now musty Ang Lee; without waiting for their reaction, a feeling of lightning speed, the crew of "Brokeback Mountain" has the exact news of the actor joining, Anne Hathaway joins to play the heroine Lureen, and Jake Gyllenhaal joins to play Jack.

"This is one of Jake Gyllenhaal's dumbest decisions, and "Brokeback Mountain" will ruin his otherwise promising acting career. ”

As soon as the news broke, such remarks flooded various media commentaries, and many Hollywood industry insiders, well-known producers, and well-known agents were very optimistic about Gyllenhaal's performance, and they predicted: "This may lead to the end of Jack's career." If "Brokeback Mountain" fails, his ugly performance will become one of the box office poisons, and if "Brokeback Mountain" succeeds, his screen image will become that of a gay man. Isn't that enough?"

"When I read a few pages of the script for Brokeback Mountain, I knew I had to join it. Jake Gyllenhaal, on the other hand, seemed very obstinate, recognizing the brokeback mountain, he said: "The only thing I'm worried about now is that my acting skills can't meet the requirements of director Ang Lee, and I can't play 'Jack' well, but I will try." ”

God! Gyllenhaal's fans are puzzled and worried, is Jack a gay guy who is about to come out? In contrast, in the gay community, Jack's popularity has skyrocketed, and he quickly entered the top of the list of "the person I want to date the most", next to "Prison Break" star Wentworth Miller. Why does a good handsome guy and a 23-year-old Hollywood popular student not shoot superheroes and run to play "Brokeback Mountain"!?

Unless there is any evidence that this brokeback mountain is related to Wang Yang, and there is his behind-the-scenes optimism and support, then fans can more or less convince themselves that "everything will be fine" and reverse the whole situation. Media fans are looking for something to do with Fantastic Young, and although he is the boss of the flames, it doesn't mean that all movies have his ideas, especially low-budget films like this. Everyone is looking for it, it seems that it doesn't matter, is it really okay?

"No, no, I'm not worried about messing up, this is a great opportunity that you didn't think of! ”

Oh!oh!!Fantastic Young!! media fans found it now, Anne Hathaway said in an interview that she leaked her mouth, and sure enough, it's related!, then it's not surprising, Jack Gyllenhaal is not the first time to work with Flames, he starred in the indie horror film "Illusion of Death", this box office poor film became one of the commercial miracles of Flames with its late sales, and Fantastic Young also praised Jack of the same age at that time: "It feels good to act." ”

"Big Mouth Princess" Anne Hathaway is one of the most popular actresses he unearthed to bring to the big screen, and now he has pushed the two to Brokeback Mountain. Whoever it is, Wonder Young's popularity in the gay community has skyrocketed, with Jack Gyllenhaal on the "Who I Want to Date the Most" list, and even a new gossip that says, "Jan is actually a gay guy, he and Jessica are just acting, who is his real partner?"

"Is he crazy? If his purpose is to save Ang Lee, then he should really find another script instead of breaking into the penalty area. "This is the stupidest investment Jan's ever made. ”…… The outside world of the media is not optimistic about everything in "Brokeback Mountain", and the Hollywood industry is also optimistic about everything, otherwise it would not have been able to even attract 5 million investment for so many years. The flames that kept a low profile went unanswered, with only "Brokeback Mountain" producer James Shams saying: "Ang Lee knows what it takes to make it a good film, and we all cherish this opportunity. ”

Of course, "Brokeback Mountain" is just a nobody now, and it has not caused any heated discussions, protests and other social topics. Gay movies on the screen are not uncommon, this year's Oscar favorite, "All the Time", which won the Best Actress and other awards, is lesbian, and the gay, 96-year-old comedy "Birdcage", and the 94-year horror film "Interview with the Vampire" have a North American box office of more than 100 million.

Compared with sexual orientation, it seems that religion is more "scary" and more untouchable, "The Passion of the Christ", which is scheduled to be released in February next year, has been controversial since the beginning of the preparation of the project, and Catholic and Jewish organizations have their own opinions on it, and during the filming on the set, James Caviezer who played Jesus and assistant director Zhu Michelin were struck by lightning 1 and 2 times respectively, is this a warning from God? Anyway, James Caviezer's acting career has been concluded by the industry: "It's over." ”

"No one wants to see a face of Jesus in a theater. "The media said so, as for the producer and director Mel Gibson, there were also some gossip media outlets, saying that his career was also over, no one would work with him anymore, and he made things that should not be filmed.

Entertainment media and movie fans are paying attention to entertainment trends, but some of the business activities of Flame Group have attracted the attention of financial investment and financial technology. It recently completed another acquisition, founded in 1995 to target female netizens, and its stock price peaked at $134 per share in 1999, but fell to an all-time low of 69 cents per share in November '02 as the Nasdaq dot-com bubble burst in 2000 and underperformed.

At that time, the Flame Group, which had determined the acquisition target, had already absorbed its shares in the market, and recently completed the acquisition of the directors, spending a total of 120 million yuan and obtaining an absolute controlling stake of 60% of the shares.

As soon as the acquisition was completed in September, it has reached a series of good news, first reaching a cooperation agreement with Microsoft's MSN on beauty, fashion, clothing, relationships, family, food, career and financial management, and then reaching a number of cooperation with Blogger in the community, blog, etc. Wang Yang, chairman of Flame Group and Blogger, said personally: "This is a win-win acquisition, Flame has taken an important step in online sales, and Ivillage has found the most solid backing." With the acquisition of IVillage, we will be able to offer our programs to a wide range of beautiful women. ”

As a result, iVillage's stock price has risen and risen, reaching $3.15 by mid-October, up 57% per share from $2 before the Flames announced absolute control.

In fact, over the years, iVillage has developed and acquired a number of successful women's websites, and the only one that can compete with it in the online space of "women's media" is Disney-Hearst's Lifetime. It's just that, like many well-known websites, its finances are in a state of loss all year round, and it can't find more ways to make profits, plus the shadow of the bubble of Internet stocks, so no one cares.

But this is the first step of the Flame Group's Internet strategy, Wang Yang believes that female netizens will be active, because computers and the Internet are the absolute mainstream that no one can avoid in the future, women have more enthusiasm for consumption and entertainment, and no paper media can compare with the amount of information on the website and the update speed of the latest news, and the traditional media does not have the function of "community communication", and likes to talk about gossip, clothes and fashion, etc., which is another characteristic of women.

In other words, iVillage is very promising, it will always turn a profit, and it is an important member of the new marketing system network that Flame Group wants to build, as long as the marketing network is formed, coupled with popular TV channels, then no one can embarrass Flame Group in publicity.

Now the advertisements for "The Devil Wears Prada" have appeared all over iVillage, and what makes female netizens scream wildly is that iVillage, in collaboration with Flame and Prada, is holding a viral marketing campaign with a chance to win all kinds of attractive prizes! The prizes include Prada handbags, chests, tickets to the premiere of "The Devil Wears Prada", Prada's coupons, and the ultimate prize is a limited edition beautiful handbag specially designed for "Prada", not even Hollywood stars!

For example, Blogger's "Invite Friends to Register" means to obtain event coins, there are lottery and selection, and various activities have attracted countless female netizens, "The Demon Wears Prada", Prada Company and iVillage are naturally three parties benefiting.

Of course, its promotion is not only about online viral marketing, but also about posters in the real world, and there is no need to worry about trailers, Flame is now a VIP user of NBC. The main poster of the movie is designed with classic red high heels and the heel becomes a devil trident cover, which does not appear in the photos of the three female leads, but it is very eye-catching, and the secondary poster has the unangry Meryl Streep, the snarky Emily and the confused Jessica.

Just when female fans and fans were looking forward to the long-awaited release of "Dance Out of My Life" and "The Demon Wears Prada", "Firefly" had the latest amazing news that was expected, which immediately made "Firefly" fans who only have their names and two concept drawings excited.

"'Firefly' has announced that its first actor will join, and Robert Downey Jr. will star in 'Captain Marl'. "Downey and Young have teamed up twice and will play the leading role in "Firefly"!" Hollywood ...... "It's hard to tell how excited I am right now!" "Downey happily told the media that he has been a person since he re-established himself with "District 9" and won the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor and Oscar nomination, although his popularity has picked up, there is no blockbuster contract, after all, Victrex's tragic image and the concern of taking drugs again are enough to make the producers hesitate, and he only filmed a suspense comedy with a cost of 10 million "Detective Demon" , which will also be released on October 24.

Downey excitedly said, "We're going to hit the screen again! It really makes me feel like I'm back to my youth, and it's great to be in this movie." I've read my character script and 'Captain Marl' is so charming, just like me, I can't wait for it to start. He said with some "distress": "But before that, I need to exercise my body, gain muscle, make myself more handsome, and take martial arts training classes to make myself better." ”

Martial arts training! This means that "Firefly" will have martial arts scenes, will it be kung fu like "The Matrix"?

These have made "Firefly" more and more mysterious in the hearts of fans, and veteran fans have smelled a hint of unusualness, which seems to be the kind of big and big masterpiece.

"I don't want Yuan Heping. In the corner of the elegant and quiet restaurant, Wang Yang was eating pasta while saying to Joss Whedon on the other side of the phone: ""The Matrix" is him, "Thunderbolt Angel" is him, and "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" is him...... Jos, you know, I didn't mean to make the martial arts instructor 'different', it's not that Yuan Heping's movements are not beautifully designed, his routine style has been fixed, and it can't bring surprises, I want new, top-notch ones. ”

"Cheng Xiaodong, no, what's the difference with using Yuan Heping?......" Listening to Wang Yang's vetoes one by one, Joss Whedon was really a little emotional, in the past, he was absolutely happy to be able to invite these top martial artists, and he asked: "Yang, why don't you come all?"

Wang Yang stretched out his hand and asked the waiter to settle the bill, wiped his mouth with a napkin, and said with a smile: "I will definitely design it myself, I have accumulated a lot of ideas since I was a child, but I need work experience and assistance, and I need a team." Yes, maybe you don't need to look at these top martial arts fingers, they are practical and can help me. He settled the bill and tipped, got up and said, "Jos, let's talk about it first, I'm going back to the editing room." ”

(To be continued)