"Boss, the box office data for "Warm Corpses" is out. Pen & Fun &www.biquge.info "Just as Sid was wandering the world, Justin Lin walked into his office with the latest data.

"Oh, how's it going?" asked Sid, curiously, as an experimental film designed to lay the groundwork for a series of future fantasy blockbusters such as Harry Potter. The box office data of this film can be used as a reference to measure the prospects of fantasy films in the future.

"Oh, that's ......," Justin Lin said, opening the profile.

Taking advantage of the Valentine's Day schedule in February, "Warm Corpses" was released in 3,000 theaters on a large scale, and the film was loved by young couples with its fresh and natural style.

Within a month, it swept $100 million from North America, and then through the ShoWest exhibition, "Warm Corpse" was able to open up overseas markets. Although the Valentine's Day schedule has passed, the film has gained considerable attention in Asia, such as Europe, South America and RB.

In particular, these overseas theater companies have made the name of the first 18-year-old Oscar for Best Screenplay in history. In many countries and regions, it has attracted the attention of many new audiences who are not familiar with Sid.

And these dividends have finally turned into corresponding revenues, and "Warm Corpses" has been released overseas one after another, and so far, in just three months, it has collected more than 80 million US dollars at the box office in the overseas market. Plus $120 million at the box office in the North American market.

The global performance of "Warm Corpse" has exceeded $200 million at the box office, and as a medium-sized film with a cost of 45 million and a publicity of 15 million, the final box office profit is expected to exceed $35 million.

As for the long-term income such as video tapes (DVDs) and TV station broadcast rights, the combined will far exceed the box office profits, and even hope to exceed 100 million.

"Well, it looks pretty good. Sid took the file and looked at it, smiling.

"Isn't that good, Boss. "Justin Lin was sweating a little, looking at himself, a young boss who was always pampered.

In terms of production costs, "Warm Corpse" has reached a four-fold rate of return, and this kind of achievement is enough to double its value and become a quasi-first-class commercial director when put on other directors.

"By the way, Boss, there's one more thing. Justin Lin thought of the phone call he had just received, and immediately shook off the thoughts in his head and told the farce that Sony Columbia staged in the Fire Lion conference room.

"Oh, Sony still can't stand it. Sid touched his chin and muttered.

I had long thought that Sony would not let go of Jive's records so easily, but I didn't expect the other party's rebound to come so quickly and so violently.

Sure enough, karma is retribution, and the cycle is not happy. Ha ha.

"What about the Boss, what about our Harry Potter preparations?" asked Justin Lin.

"As usual, according to the previous plan, send out the request of interest. In addition, we also sent an invitation to Sony's camera electronics department that we wanted to shoot a new film using the latest equipment they were developing. Sid's words took Justin Lin and Kevin Feige by surprise.

"Send a request to Sony?" asked Kevin Feige, confused.

"Not bad. Sid nodded, and then he looked at Kevin Feige with a smile: "Then Kevin (Feige), who do you think will take the initiative in the production of Harry Potter, us or Sony?"

"Ugh. Kevin Feige was stunned for a moment, then after thinking for a moment, he said hesitantly: "I think it seems that neither of us has absolute initiative." ”

"Not bad. Sid smiled and affirmed, "Sony's overall production strength has dropped to an all-time low due to Peter Cooper's huge deficit, and it can be said that it is only a star and a half better than the half-dead MGM." ”

"Although when Howard Stringer took office in '97, they had a wave of box office craze that year, and the triple hits of "The Fifth Element", "Air Force One" and "Men in Black" did perform well. ”

But at the same time, "Star Troopers" in '97 and "Godzilla" in '98, these summer blockbusters that Sony invested heavily in, have all become duds and have suffered a big loss. And even the blockbuster "Men in Black" has made the filming of the sequel almost impossible because of the significant increase in the salary and share demanded by the leading actors Tommy Lee Jones and Will Smith. ”

"Looking at the films produced and distributed by Sony last year and this year, it is obvious that Sony has fallen into an extremely shrinking situation in terms of production capacity and film selection and distribution. It is common for only one out of ten films to make a profit, and most of the rest will lose more than half of the cost. ”

"At the same time, although we are now in North American theaters, we have finally reached a preliminary agreement with AMC through this "Singing and Dancing Youth", which can be regarded as opening the threshold for North American distribution. However, in overseas propaganda, especially transnational propaganda, our manpower and strength are still too weak. ”

"So, Sony has channels, we have projects. The situation is that we're stuck, Sony wants more, and we're not going to let go. Then the result can only be a drag. Sid said succinctly.

"But can it be dragged on forever?" asked Justin Lin, confused.

"Of course not. Sid smiled confidently, "And it won't." Then he looked at Kevin Feige with interest, "What do you think? ”

Kevin Feige, as the CEO of "historical" Marvel Studios and one of Hollywood's top ten gold producers, has quite good potential, and after a little thought, he replied: "I think the most important thing is "Joan of Arc" in October. ”

"Joan of Arc" is the latest masterpiece of French "great director" Luc Besson, as the only European director to enter the mainstream circle of Hollywood since the 90s. Luc Besson has been a blockbuster since '94's "This Killer Is Not Too Cold" and got his first taste of box office success at '97's "The Fifth Element".

So he spent two years and his wife Milla Jovovich working together to create the French "historical blockbuster" "Joan of Arc". Luc Besson's ambitious film, created by France's Gaumon Pictures at a lavish 390 million francs ($85 million), has been in the spotlight in Europe since its inception.

Moreover, after the filming was completed at the end of last year, the film made its debut at the French César Film Awards in early March this year. Almost immediately, it received rave reviews from the press and critics throughout Europe, and Joan of Arc swept the Caesars Film Festival.

Luc Besson, who is deeply interested in Hollywood plots, also immediately decided to premiere the film in the United States, rather than France, which shows his ambitions.

And Sony Columbia, which has been working closely with Luc Besson since he entered the United States, is also the publisher of "Joan of Arc" this time. Responsible for distribution in North America and outside of Europe.

So Sony is now betting on Luc Besson, although the films they have released this year are losing more and making less money. But now that streaming and DVD subscriptions are far from becoming mainstream, Hollywood's 28 rule is still quite obvious.

20% of the blockbuster films, creating 80% of the revenue and profits.

So Sony can still calm down now and entangle with the fire lion and the snake.

"Yes, for Sony, Joan of Arc is a key point in changing them this year. Sid nodded appreciatively, clearly pleased with Kevin Feige's growth.

"What do you think of Joan of Arc, Boss?" asked Justin Lim curiously.

"What do you think?" asked Sid without answering.

"Me?" Justin Lin was stunned for a moment, then replied, "At least I don't think the premiere of Joan of Arc is a good idea in the United States." ”

"Luc Besson's previous two films were high overseas box office and low box office in North America. "This Killer Is Not Too Cold", which was a blockbuster in the eyes of film critics, only had a pitiful box office of more than 10 million. And even the box office hit "The Fifth Element", the North American box office is not as good as half of the overseas box office, which shows that Luc Besson has no real appeal in the eyes of North American audiences. ”

"It's not as good as the boss. Justin Lin said with a grin.

"I won't give you a bonus if I pat me on the back. Sid smiled angrily, and then he couldn't help but complain: "The analysis is good, but ...... Kobayashi, you are also a student of the directing department, and you have analyzed the strategy of a large number of commercial distributions for me, are you sure you didn't go to the wrong set?"

"Isn't that influenced by you and Kevin (Feige). Justin Lin said with a smile.

"And what about the movie itself?" Sid continued.

Justin Lin thought for a moment before replying, "Although I haven't seen the finished film of Joan of Arc, it seems a bit out of place for an epic film that tells the real story of historical figures. ”

"That's good!" Sid snapped his fingers in affirmation, "In fact, looking at epic films, those that really succeeded, whether it was the ancient "Ben-Hur" or "Braveheart" a few years ago. They all have one thing in common, the story must be a fictional character framed under real historical facts. ”

"Real backgrounds, fictional characters?" said Justin Lin thoughtfully.

"Yes, the real background can show the overall tone and atmosphere, while the fictional characters are free to design their stories to express the themes and emotions that the director wants. Otherwise, with real people, it is easy to be limited by the facts that happened in their history and to reach the theme that they originally wanted to accomplish. Sid's detailed explanation benefited Justin Lin a lot.

Just then, Kevin Feige answered the phone, looked up at Sid and said, "Boss, Stan Lee has arrived." ”

"Oh, let's go. It's time for the seeds to be planted. Sid smiled confidently.