May 19, 1999, was an unusual day for the North American continent. Pen, fun, pavilion www. biquge。 info It's not because it's a famous holiday, or a celebrity's anniversary. And just because a movie will be released on this day, it has almost caused thousands of people in the United States to be empty, and the name of this movie is - "Star Wars Prequel Phantom Menace".

As a well-known national film masterpiece in North America, "Star Wars Prequel Phantom Menace" has attracted much attention from the preparatory stage, not only the media and film critics have paid attention to it, but even ordinary fans have fallen into a frenzy.

According to Chicago employment consulting firm Gray & Christmas estimates that 2.2 million people in North America refused to work to get a sneak peek at the film, resulting in a direct economic loss of $293 million.

The Wall Street Journal also reported that many companies had to close their doors because too many staff members announced that they would attend the premiere of the new "Star Wars" film.

The film's premiere date is May 19, but avid fans who want to be the first to buy tickets have lined up at the gates of major theaters as early as a month ago. In order to avoid price gouging and the difficulty of finding a ticket, the distributor Twentieth Century Fox once required theaters to sell tickets in advance after the film was released.

However, after negotiations with the National Theater Association, Lucas finally agreed to open pre-sales on May 12, with a limit of 12 tickets per person. So in the hands of ticket sellers, each advance ticket was sold to $100, but it was still hard to find a ticket.

Even Sid couldn't avoid going to the cinema with Britney, Lindsay and a group of relatives and friends to watch the film, of course, this time Sid didn't have to squeeze seats with others like in his previous life. The Fire Lion and others flew on a private jet to New York for the premiere of Twentieth Century Fox at Radio City Music Hall in Manhattan.

The night was full of stars and stars, whether it was the triumphant George Lucas or the smiling Fox CEO Bill Mokanic, they were all overjoyed by the praise of the media and peers, but the brightest star was the real protagonist of the night - "The Star Wars Prequel Phantom Menace".

After its release on 2,900 screens across the United States, the film earned $64 million in three days of its first weekend, and Fox was thrilled after the box office came out in the first week.

"Star Wars" showed its true colors as a king, and the summer file that opened at the end of May was soaring, and I don't know how much better it was compared to the same period of the previous year (98). But at the same time, the media and critics have polarized their reviews, and the traditional West Coast media has been extremely critical of the film.

The Los Angeles Times declared: "While the film is visually realistic and grandiose, it is dull and monotonous from a dramatic point of view." ”

TV Guide magazine said: "This is simply a children's film for a childish adult audience." ”

The Christian Science Monitor put it bluntly: "The visuals created by the computer are impressive, but the adventure is hampered by bland scripts, sluggish acting, and mere hints about why the Dark Force transforms the lovely Anakin into the evil Darth Vader." ”

But at the same time, the traditionally critical East Coast media has been full of praise.

The Chicago Sun-Times commented: "This film is an astonishing achievement in imaginative filmmaking. ”

The New York Times said, "The film maintains the consistent, amazing character of the series. ”

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"Shirley (Sandberg), they're coming. The female assistant nervously knocked on Shirley Sandberg's office.

"Take it easy, girl. Shirley (Sandberg) smiled slightly, "Sean (distribution manager) Are they here?"

"Yes, they have arrived. The female assistant nodded.

"Alright, let's go meet the guests. We can't let others say that we fire lions are too lazy. Shirley Sandberg smiled calmly.

Shirley Sandberg then led her team out of the office, and after passing through several corridors, she saw Sean (the distribution manager) and his team waiting at the entrance of the corridor from a distance.

"Shirley (Sandberg), you're finally here. Sean (distribution manager) shouted a little impatiently.

"Don't be so nervous, Sean, what's wrong with you? You're usually the calmest of us. Shirley (Sandberg) quipped with some amusement.

"It also depends on who it is. Sean wiped the beads of sweat oozing from his forehead, "The other party is also one of the seven CEOs." ”

Shirley (Sandberg) was about to say something, when the elevator directly across the hallway suddenly "ding!" sounded. The crowd of the fire lion tensed, and then the elevator door opened, and elite men and women in suits and leather shoes walked inside. I saw a tall old man with hair half a hundred and about sixty years old walking to the front of the crowd.

"Hello, Mr. Cali. Shirley (Sandberg) greeted with a smile.

"Oh, hello, Shirley. "John Cali is a kind old man, and he is the current CEO of Columbia Pictures.

Although the other party was smiling, Sean always felt a cold light in John Cali's eyes, which made him shiver involuntarily.

"Then let's go inside. Shirley Sandberg invited with a smile.

"Of course. John Cali nodded, and the group of Columbia Pictures and Fire Lion moved down the hallway to Fire Lion's large conference room.

After everyone was seated, Shirley (Sandberg) was the first to speak: "First of all, on behalf of my colleagues at Fire Lion Pictures, I would like to welcome all of you at Columbia Pictures, and we will start a long cooperation in the future, and I hope we can have a happy and harmonious journey together." With that, Shirley (Sandberg) took the lead in applauding, and then the Fire Lion and the crowd at Columbia Pictures also applauded.

The warm applause slightly weakened the stiffness and estrangement between the crowd, and under Shirley (Sandberg)'s infectious smile, even everyone on the Colombian side felt a sense of closeness and integration, and many people also smiled.

This made John Cali frown, he didn't expect Shirley (Sandberg) to be even more difficult than the legend suggests, which made his next task seem more difficult.

But as a veteran fritter who has been rolling in Hollywood all his life, John Cali doesn't believe he can't even handle such a little girl in her twenties.

When the applause had subsided, John Carrate said, "I think it's time for us to get down to business." ”

"Of course, Mr. Cali. Shirley (Sandberg) smiled slightly, "Then the co-production meeting of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone begins." ”

As she spoke, Shirley (Sandberg) beckoned, and the assistants who had been waiting for a long time immediately presented bound materials to the participants.

John Cali flipped through it and saw all the budget and production information.

"As you can see, the production budget of the film is generally expected to be between $1 and $130 million, and the film will all be filmed and filmed in the United Kingdom, as for the special effects...... "The moderator of the meeting is the deputy manager of the production department of Fire Lion, who is also one of Henry's deputies.

Just as he began to brief the two sides about Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, John Cali (CEO of Columbia Pictures) suddenly interrupted him: "Can I say a few words?"

Although the host was a little surprised, he nodded and said, "Of course, Mr. Cali." ”

“OK。 John Calley paused, and when he spoke again, his style changed completely: "I remember the chairman of both of us, when we drafted this project, the basic rules of cooperation were that Fire Lion would be in charge of the production part, and we in Colombia would be in charge of overseas publicity and distribution. And the final box office profits will be divided equally between the two of us, right?"

"Not bad. Shirley (Sandberg) nodded.

"But given that Fire Lion Pictures has never developed a major A-grade production of more than $100 million, we asked Columbia Pictures to participate in the production and investment. John Cali's words immediately stirred up the crowd on the Fire Lion side.

Shirley Sandberg smiled slightly in her heart and asked without changing her face: "What about box office sharing?"

"The box office share is still the same as before, and we share it equally. John Cali's words calmed the hearts of the Fire Lion for a moment, but he then spoke: "In contrast, we in Colombia are asking for a share of the sales of the videotapes and DVDs that participate in the Harry Potter series. ”

John Cali's words stirred up a thousand waves, and the fire lion was in an uproar, and Sean, the manager of the publicity and distribution department, couldn't help but shout first, "It's not right for you guys, it's not like this agreement we made at the beginning." ”

John Cali didn't speak, and one of his middle-aged subordinates sneered: "We only negotiated a framework for cooperation, and we didn't set any terms in the first place. Besides, aren't we also worried that you, who have never had experience in big productions, will mess up this project?"

"We've never done a bad project yet!" Sean said unhappily.

"Carlo (Pictures) has never done a bad project back then!" The words of this middle-aged white-collar worker in Colombia immediately angered everyone on the side of the Fire Lion.

"What did you say!!" Sean shouted angrily.

Roll Films is indeed an unfamiliar name among newcomers who entered Hollywood in the 90s. But as long as you are a Hollywood old man who has experienced the seventies and eighties, you will not be familiar with this name.

Because it was the most typical representative of all independent film studios that tried to challenge the seven major studios "Don Quixote".