The box office results of the first week of "Smart - Ghost Shadow" were finally fixed at the number of 1.0567 million, and in the last few days, the three movie theaters participating in the test screening were full, even if it was from 2 o'clock to 4 o'clock in the evening, the attendance rate was as high as 90+%, and countless young people came to stay up late to watch the movie.

The 1,056,700 weekly box office results also made "Smart-Ghost Record" rank 16th in the North American weekly box office list (July 31 to August 6), ranked first is Steven Spielberg's World War II masterpiece "Saving Private Ryan", which is its second week of release, with a weekly box office of 36.612 million, and in 15th place, "Titanic", which is still in theaters This week is already the 33rd week since its release, but it can still collect 2.022 million weekly box office, and its total box office in North America has gone to 596.3 million.

There is no shame in ranking behind "Titanic", which has been in theaters for 33 weeks, and there are 769 theaters in "Titanic", and 25 theaters in theaters.

The position of 16th is not amazing, but the number of "25 screening theaters" and the result of 1.0567 million really frightened all the film companies, oh my God, where did Lionsgate find this dark horse?!

Lionsgate is now full of laughter, and the first week of box office has not only allowed them to recoup their costs, but also make a small profit. And the most important thing is that the super potential shown by "Smart - Ghost Shadow" is definitely a blockbuster movie. Therefore, the release of the movie in the second week has also changed from a limited release to a large-scale release, and the number of theaters has increased to 750.

Although "Spirit-Ghost Record" has been labeled as a "dark horse", its performance in the second week (August 7 to 13) still stunned everyone, this dark horse is too dark...... 37,517,600! "Smart-Ghost Record" ranks first in the weekly box office list in North America! and "Saving Private Ryan", with a weekly box office score of 26.5048 million, can only rank second.

Film companies and entertainment media throughout North America were shaken, and film critics and fans were also shaken, and they were speechless when they looked at the rankings. Many people don't even know what type of movie is paranormal-activity, sci-fi, horror, or comedy?

750 theaters actually beat "Saving Private Ryan", which has 2,592 theaters, which is the work of the great director Steven Spielberg!

In the face of this achievement, Lionsgate's management only had one sentence, plus! So in the third week, the number of theaters released in "Smart - Ghost Shadow" reached 2,142. In the end, the box office of the third week (August 14 to 20) did not disappoint Lionsgate, this horror film continued to win 19.7281 million in a single week "Saving Private Ryan", with a box office of 48.7693 million to win the North American weekly box office chart, and the total box office also reached 87.3436 million!

In addition to Wang Yang's expectations, this achievement frightened Rachel, Jessica and others, and Joshua kept sighing like an old man with dementia, "My DV machine is worth a lot." ”

In fact, as early as the first week of the weekly box office rankings, some media began to pay attention to this movie, and some reports also reported it, labeling the movie as a "dark horse";

"We're in front of the ticket office of a movie theater in New York, and even though it's early in the morning, it's like a party. On the NBC news program, on the TV screen, a middle-aged white female reporter held a microphone and told the camera: "These young people are gathered here to wait to watch the next "Ghost Record", because the tickets for the first show have been sold out. ”

As soon as the screen camera turned, I saw young people in the ticket hall, reading, playing cards, chatting, and even some people dancing in the street.

The female reporter walked a few steps, called out to a white boy who had just become an adult, pointed the microphone at him, and asked with a smile: "Hi, hello, are you here to see "Ghost Record"?" The boy excitedly said to the camera "Yes, yes", and the female reporter asked again: "Why are you so eager to see this movie, and would rather wait here late at night?"

The boy thought for a moment, then shrugged his shoulders and said, "I don't know either." However, my friends around me had already seen it, and they asked me to watch it. If I hadn't looked, they wouldn't even talk to me. He waved at the camera again and smiled, "Hey, baby, are you watching? I love you!"

The program director cut the screen back to the live broadcast room, and the host smiled and said, "Let's listen to the opinions of parents and the police again." ”

As soon as the screen turned, I cut to the interview video of a middle-aged white woman, who looked angry and said helplessly and angrily: "My child is like a different person, he always came home before nine o'clock, but now, he actually spent the night outside, just to watch that movie! Oh my God, he is still an underage high school student, and he doesn't go home at night! I'm really afraid that he will study badly." ”

The camera then cuts to an interview with a black male police officer, who says solemnly: "It's the first time I've seen too many kids gather near movie theaters late at night." But we will strengthen the security around the cinema and do our best to protect the children, so that they will come to the cinema, watch the movie, and go home without any accidents. ”

NBC is naturally not advertising "Ghost Record", but reporting on a social problem that has been happening in the United States in the past two weeks, which is the famous ""Spirit-Ghost Record" caused a large number of young people to not return on Chinese New Year's Eve.

Those who pay attention to the society and people's livelihood see the side of young people's families, while those who pay attention to movies see more. Whether it is the media or fans, the biggest question is, what is going on with this movie, and where did this dark horse come from?

The "ghost craze" on the Internet is also continuing, and the media knows about it, but they all laugh and shake their heads, possessing evil spirits and killing people? real DVD tapes adapted into movies? Only simple students would believe it. The media immediately raised strong doubts about these rumors. First of all, if there are DVDs that show clues to the murder, they will be important evidence for the police, and they should stay at the police station instead of the film company, and if this is a real murder documentary, how can it pass the MPAA review? And it is PG-13?

So, the media are refuting the rumors on the Internet: "Real movies? This is a very ridiculous statement, only the 'animal world' is real." ”

Naturally, the media will not stop there, and they have begun to investigate the truth behind this "supernatural" movie. When they are determined to investigate, it is easy to get the truth, there is no impermeable wall in the world, not to mention that so many film companies have reviewed "Ghost Record"?

So, the Los Angeles Times immediately got the truth, and the manager of the buying department of Timon Pictures said: "It's just a movie, a movie made on DV, not a real videotape." Kevin and Meier are both played by actors, and the director of this film is a very young Chinese man, you see, the producer who is the last one of them plays, and it's him, Young-Wang, maybe 22 years old, maybe 20 years old?"

At another film company, who did not want to be named, a distributor marketer said, "Oh, I've seen this movie, not in the cinema, but in the company's screening room." We just nodded and the film would have been ours, but you know, we ended up turning down the young man. Seriously, we regret it now, our manager was suspended for it, and maybe I'll be next. ”

Then the reporter went to the Screen Actors Guild and found information about the film's male lead, Zachary Levy, who played "Kevin", proving that "Kevin" is still alive in this world. The reporter also interviewed Mark Slunter, who was in charge of the actor interview for "Smart - Ghost Record" that day, he said: "Oh, of course this is a movie, and I also took the signing commission of 'Kevin' and 'Meier'. The young director was very picky, and from morning to night, he interviewed hundreds of actors before he finally selected the final person. ”

The evidence is conclusive, and as soon as this report in the Los Angeles Times came out, the rumors on the Internet were self-defeating.

In this regard, Lionsgate and Wang Yang have long been ready, and the propaganda method of pretending to be a ghost was originally just counting on it to play an effect in the early stage of the movie's release, because if the matter is big, the truth will inevitably be revealed. As long as the first audience is lured into the cinema and gets a huge sensation, "pretending to be a ghost" can be successfully retired. When things get to this point, even if the audience knows that this is just a filmed movie, they will still go to the cinema.

Because people are even more curious, the DV movie with a production cost of 10,000 US dollars has actually collected more than 80 million at the box office!

Therefore, the focus of the publicity of "Smart - Ghost Shadow Record" has long been shifted to the technique of "do you dare to watch it?" Lionsgate adopted Wang Yang's suggestion and launched an activity on the film's official website "Who is the most scared?" The way to participate in the activity is very simple, using cameras and DV cameras to take pictures of the frightened reactions of family and friends when watching the movie, and then upload them to the official website to participate in the selection of pictures and videos. The top 10 will then be voted for by netizens, and the winners will receive prizes such as a week trip to Santa Monica, a home theater, and a DV camera.

This is viral marketing that extends to reality.

So when the Los Angeles Times report came out, Lionsgate was generous enough to set the record straight, and distribution manager Jon Philtimel admitted to the media that "Spirit: The Ghost" was a film with a director and actors. And they didn't put this information on the official website of the movie before, they just wanted to create a real atmosphere, and the purpose of shooting those trailers is the same.

When Lionsgate uploaded the information of director Wang Yang, "Kevin" Zachary Levy, and "Meier" Rachel McAdams to the official website, everyone was suddenly "shocked" again! Oh my God, wouldn't it, the director and producer who is more than 18 years old and more than 6 months old?! Looking at Wang Yang's heroic young face, everyone felt incredible, it was this kid who used 10,000 US dollars to make a movie that had a box office of more than 80 million!?

Oh God! What is Guinness's record for "Hollywood's youngest director"? Stephen Paul, 20 years old, and now Wang Yang, at 18 years and 6 months, has broken the record without dispute. Besides, Stephen Paul's "Love Again" did not have a box office of more than 80 million.

Roger Ebert, one of America's most famous film critics, described it as a "miracle happening" and "paranormal", and he praised "Spirit: The Ghost Story" as incomparable, an innovation in cinematic language that pioneered the pseudo-documentary model and pointed the way for DV films, and the psychological horror of the film itself was played to the limit, without the jerkiness of a rookie director.

"This movie can scare you into cardiac arrest, if you're not just into 'ketchup' movies. Also, I don't recommend watching this movie for children, even if they are accompanied by their parents, they will leave a shadow of their childhood. Well, I need to go out in the sun, it will drive away the fear in my heart. ”

The film critic, who has influence enough to influence the studio's decision on whether to buy a movie and the audience's decision on whether to watch a movie and buy DVDs, called Wang Yang a "magic-young" and praised him for his promising future, but he must keep the spirit of a young man and avoid losing himself.

In the end, Roger Ebert gave "Ghost Record" his own exclusive, trademarked "two-thumbs-up!"

In response to this comment, Wang Yang joked with Rachel on the phone: "Hey, Rachel, look at me magic, see? My hand is sticking out of your phone, grabbing your hair." Rachel was amused by him and smiled, "Wow, is this what you're going to be in your next horror movie?"

Wang Yang pretended to be serious and said, "No, I don't make movies anymore." I can divide a lot of money this time, and I'm retiring early, at 18, which is cool, isn't it?" Rachel laughed teasingly, "Oh, it's like an alcoholic saying he's going to quit drinking, I don't believe it." ”

"Won't you give the drunkard a chance to mend his ways?" Wang Yang said in a very hurt tone. Rachel seemed to be thinking about it, and smiled, "Well, I'll give it to the others, but you, no way." Wang Yang laughed and said "ok" a few times before he said seriously: "Seriously, I shouldn't make horror movies anymore." That girl scared me this time, and I didn't want to scare anyone to death. ”

Of course, not everyone thinks that "Ghost Record" can scare people to death, and there are many media outlets that pour cold water on it, and they denounce the film as a hoax throughout the whole process, an elaborate plan by Lionsgate, and it can get such a high box office because of despicable means. What everyone needs is to ignore it, and it will be gone.

Kevin Thomas, a film critic for the Los Angeles Times (who later praised "Boundless," said, "It's a boring movie, like a kid playing a game of 'acting director, actor'." This guy with the same name as the male protagonist of "Ghost Shadow" seems to be very angry with the movie, and his tone is very vicious: "The performances of the male and female protagonists of the movie are extremely bad, and it is like a disaster to see them on the screen." Oh, that's a lucky little guy, but that's it, in another ten years, people may remember "Spirit-Ghost Shadow", but they won't remember Wang Yang. ”

Although some film critics spoke ill of each other, and although most people on the Internet knew that the "Kevin Murder" was fake, the box office of "Ghost Record" did not cool down significantly, but it was just a normal phenomenon that the momentum slowed down. Halfway through the fourth week, it has received more than 15 million box office, and it seems that it is not a problem to approach 30 million in a single week, but in the total box office, it has exceeded 100 million. It seems that the word "miracle" to describe all this is a bit unfinished.

Tom Odenberg, Lionsgate's purchasing manager, finally knew why he signed the contract with Wang Yang, and he felt uneasy in his heart, not because he had bought the wrong movie, but because the paper share contract was really a loss for Lionsgate! If he insisted on a one-time buyout at that time, 500,000 or 1 million would be fine, then now......

Of course, this is just a greedy idea for a while. Most of the time, all the Lionsgate executives, including Tom Oldenberg, were satisfied. This time, they not only made a lot of money, but also greatly made Lionsgate famous, they accepted some media interviews, and through the movie promotion of "Smart - Ghost Shadow", they carried out the promotion of their company, so that North American fans knew that there is a film company called "Lionsgate" in Santa Monica.

And now, they have another piece of good news.

Jon Philtimel has been in a good mood lately, as he has been praised by the board of directors for his single-handedly role in the release of "Ghost Record", and has the opportunity to be promoted to the company's next CEO, or even a partner. Now he and Wang Yang are meeting in a café, he comes to Los Angeles to work, and by the way, he tells Wang Yang a good news.

"Hey, Jon, what the hell is the news?" Wang Yang looked at Jon with a mysterious face, took a sip of coffee, and smiled angrily: "Please, tell me quickly! I hope this news won't waste my fare." ”

The movie is generally released one month after the screening, and the theater will share the account with the distribution company, and then the distribution company Lionsgate will share the account with Wang Yang. Therefore, although the box office of "Ghost Shadow" has exceeded 100 million now, it has nothing to do with Wang Yang for the time being, and his wallet is still dry. Of course, he doesn't have to cut back anymore because he can swipe his credit card first.

Jon Feltimel laughed and said, "Okay, Jan, then I've revealed." He coughed and said pretending to be grand, "Man, we received an invitation to the Oprah Talk Show!"

"Oprah's talk show? Oh oh my God, really?" Wang Yang couldn't help but stare in surprise. The Oprah talk show is the nation's most famous and most-watched talk show, and it's simply a symbol of American culture. He also grew up watching this show, and he likes Oprah Winfrey, the "talk show queen" who had an unfortunate childhood but became successful through hard work, and now he is going to do an interview as a guest!?

Jon picked up his coffee cup, smiled and nodded, "Of course it's true." The programme will be recorded next week under the theme 'Exploring the Ways of Young People to Succeed'. You know, it's probably about asking you to talk about the journey, and then talk about the meaning and the impact or something, which is Oprah's set. He took a sip of his coffee and laughed, "They invited the film's creators, you, Zachary and Rachel, and me, and we flew to Chicago with Zachary this Sunday, and Rachel was in Toronto." ”

Did you go to Chicago to record Oprah's talk show...... Wang Yang was very excited, but at the same time he felt a little anxious, there was one thing that was always like a fishbone in his throat, there was no way to avoid it, especially now that he was getting more and more attention from the media, this matter would be exposed sooner or later. It can be said that the incident has not been exposed until now, which is really a "miracle".

He frowned and thought for a while, looked at Jon opposite, and said seriously, "Jon, there is something I think needs to be said about it. ”

"What?" Jon frowned when he heard Wang Yang's serious expression, not as if he was joking.

Wang Yang said calmly: "A few months ago, I was a freshman at USC, majoring in film and television production. Jon was stunned when he heard this, and then he heard Wang Yang say, "Then I was fired because of racial discrimination." Jon couldn't help but cry out at this moment: "What!?God!What are you kidding?!" Wang Yang pressed his hand to calm him down, and said, "Don't worry, listen to my explanation." At that moment, he made the cause and effect clear.

After listening to his story, Jon fell silent, he frowned and kept drinking his coffee, and after a long sigh, he said reproachfully, "Young, you should have told us earlier." ”

If I had told you earlier, Lionsgate would still release "Ghost Record"? Wang Yang shrugged his shoulders and did not speak.

"It's a ticking time bomb, and there's not much time left, and the bomb will explode soon. Jon scratched at his hair in annoyance, and his good mood was gone.

Racism is a very sensitive thing, if Wang Yang is not good, he will be ruined, but if it is just like this, he will regret at most; the problem is that now Lionsgate is dragged into the water, and he is even more dragged into the water, if this matter is not handled well in the end, Lionsgate's reputation will definitely be seriously damaged, not just buying racist movies, the biggest problem is that the previous "Kevin Murder" incident will also be found out and attacked, and fans will also change their attitudes, thinking that Lionsgate is a liar. Defrauding consumers and more.

If all this had happened, he wouldn't have to think about being promoted to CEO, let alone becoming a partner. Jon struggled to think of a solution, thought for a moment, and asked, "Jan, are you sure no one else was there at the time?"

Wang Yang thought about the scene again, but it was no different, and he still couldn't get a clue. He shook his head and said, "I can't be sure, because my attention was all on Terrance Ben, he pushed me, and then I hit him." Later, when the teacher arrived, there was no one else around. He spread his hands helplessly and said, "I ran through the entire academy afterwards, asked all the classmates, and no one said that he was there at the time." ”

Jon nodded silently, and asked again, "It seems that you are not very popular in school?"

"Am I like that?" Wang Yang rolled his eyes, he is not an introverted and autistic person, nor is he a cheap mouth, his popularity has always been very good. He remembered the happy life in high school and smiled: "In fact, when I was in high school, I had a lot of good friends, not only Chinese, but also white and black. After a pause, he continued: "But when I went to college, you know, I usually attend classes when I have classes, and I go to work part-time when I don't have classes, so I haven't had time to make friends yet. ”

He smiled as he made money from his part-time job was going to buy a DV camera, which ended up going to the movies.

"Oh, that's good news. Jon's face softened a little, and he was in the mood to smile bitterly: "It's easy for you to have black friends in high school." If this matter comes to the fore, we will help you, just interview your former high school, teachers, classmates, and you will almost be able to prove who you are. He smiled again: "Don't worry too much, we'll immediately ask someone to go to USC to investigate and see if anyone else is there at the time." ”

"USC should have done the same, but they didn't, and they summarily fired me. Wang Yang shook his head slightly, either he was unlucky, or ...... At that time, in the school director's office, he was far from being mature now, and in anger, he irrationally contradicted the school director.

Jon smiled when he heard this, drank his coffee and said, "Then we have to thank USC, if they don't fire you, you can't make this movie, can you?"

Wang Yang was stunned, and immediately laughed in his heart, it seems that this logic is indeed like this, not only will he not be able to make this movie, but he will not experience so many things, he will not have the current mentality, he will only be the "brave and ruthless" Wang Yang in the mouth of Old Man Wu. Does setbacks make people grow? Could it be that USC's ruthless expulsion has made him a success?

While Wang Yang was thinking about these things, Jon stood up, patted him on the shoulder, and said half-complaining, half-jokingly, "I have to go." Young man, you have really brought me so many 'surprises'. Wang Yang smiled and replied, "Oh, then you should thank me?" Jon smiled, "Come on, Young, you are such a cunning fellow." ”

However, what neither of them expected was that this time bomb would suddenly explode. As night fell, Yahoo's entertainment section suddenly published a news item "Chinese director Nova has been expelled from college for racial discrimination"!