[US Entertainment] Superstar

Deadline is particularly optimistic about the box office of "Death is Coming", believing that the film, which cost $2500 million to produce, will reach the cost line in the first weekend, and it is very likely to become a dark horse at the box office this year.

The so-called box office reaching the cost line does not mean that the film starts to make a profit, but that the film will basically not cause large losses.

North American box office producers and distributors have a particularly high share with theaters. If the final North American box office of a movie can reach the cost line, plus the box office in overseas regions, the total is basically a small loss.If the overseas box office is a little higher, it can even break even.

举个例子,同样是2亿美元的全球票房,制作成本也完全相同，如果影片A在北美卖了1.5亿美元海外0.5亿美元,影片B在北美卖了0.5亿美元海外1.5亿美元,影片A的盈利就远超影片B,因为北美地区票房分成基本上一半,海外票房分成只有三分之一甚至四分之一。

Many big productions lose money because of the difference in the box office share ratio between North America and overseas regions. At first glance, the box office is more than twice the cost, but the overseas box office accounts for a high proportion, and the overseas box office dividends received will actually be relatively small.

Disney once relied on the "Star Wars" series to obtain 65% or even 70% of the box office share from major theaters, which is unimaginable!

Because theaters in North America actually rely more on the sales of popcorn, drinks, and peripheral products to make money, and only a small part of the profits come from the box office.

For example, "Reaper" reached the cost line in the first weekend in North America alone, and the CS audience score was B+, and it was easy to double the cost line in North America. In addition to the overseas box office, not counting other forms of sales, it will make a lot of money Earn extra money!

If it wasn't for the inconvenient access to the Internet now, Eve really wanted to log on to the website to see the audience's comments on "Death Comes". There are too few screenshots of Rotten Tomatoes in the newspaper.

Many people may not know that Rotten Tomatoes was actually established because of Jackie Chan.This Chinese teenager named SenhDuong is a standard action fan. He collected movie reviews about Jackie Chan and suddenly had a flash of inspiration, so Rotten Tomatoes, a movie review aggregation website, came into being.

The first movie included in Rotten Tomatoes was Jackie Chan's "Rush Hour", which was later known to Internet users because of the Pixar movie "A Bug's Life".

When people are arguing about whether a movie is bad or not, the word rotten tomatoes can end the debate.If more than 60% of film critics have given a recommendation, it will show a fresh, glowing red tomato with a number next to it showing the specific recommendation.

If it is less than 60%, it will become a green ketchup, just like "Death Comes".

Whether the tomato is red or not is determined by the film critics, and whether the popcorn bucket stands up or falls down is determined by the audience's ratings.

When the audience gave the film a score of 3.5 and above, if the number of ratings exceeds 60%, a red popcorn bucket will stand tall;

Unknowingly, the car has come to Burbank along the highway.

Eve folded the newspaper in her hand and put it in front, and checked her appearance in the rearview mirror outside the car window for the last time.

There are two ABC headquarters, the entertainment department on the Burbank side, and the media center on the side of Times Square in New York.Eve, who had never been to a TV station, was surprised to find that ABC's filming and recording base was close to the Disney headquarters studio next door, and the two were even connected by a pedestrian bridge!

"Thank God, you're finally here. I didn't answer your calls, and I had to ask Mandy to pick you up."

Robert paced back and forth in the hall, hoping for the stars and the moon to see the two of them.

Eve showed an embarrassed look, and apologized, "I had insomnia yesterday, and I didn't hear the phone call at all in the morning. What's the situation now?"

"David Lynch has already gone up, and he doesn't look very good." Robert lowered his volume: "Actually, I didn't expect ABC's attitude to be so firm. It seems that we just ran into a conflict between the producer and the director. I hope we don't Spread your wrath on us."

He did contact people from ABC and sent Eve's resume and photos, but he didn't expect to get a reply on the day the movie was released on a large scale.

Eve knew that "Mulholland Drive" was basically David Lynch's solo show. If the director hated him from the beginning, it would be useless even if he got the role. The director had plenty of ways to deal with an actor.

The three walked quickly to the elevator, and Eve asked in a low voice, "What do I need to do later? I haven't prepared anything."

"You don't have to do anything, just meet with the director, producer, and the person in charge of the ABC TV drama production center, and leave the rest to me." Robert seemed to have thought of something, "By the way, New Line Pictures released the data , "Death Comes" took in a total of $280 million at midnight."

Eve has no idea about the box office figures, "Is this a lot?"

Robert said happily: "Of course more! Among the movies released in October this year, its midnight scene is higher than "Fight Club" starring Brad Pitt and Edward Norton!"

David Fincher's "Fight Club" has found two powerful and popular actors to star in, and the production cost is as high as 6300 million US dollars, but the box office performance is not good.The superstars did not drive the box office. It only earned 1100 million U.S. dollars in the first weekend of its release, and only 1700 million U.S. dollars a week after its release. The basic booking box office failed miserably.

"Reaper" earned 280 million U.S. dollars in the midnight show, and major box office forecasting agencies raised their Friday box office expectations to 800 million U.S. dollars. Counting the midnight show, it broke [-] million on the first day!

However, the midnight show itself is very suitable for watching horror movies. There is no shortage of daring moviegoers in North America. The actual situation will be more complicated than predicted.

After Eve heard the news that the movie she starred in actually suppressed "Fight Club", she felt unbelievable, it was too fantasy!

Which movie fan in his previous life hasn't seen "Fight Club"?Unexpectedly, David Fincher stumbled a lot at the box office of this movie.

Before she could react, Robert brought the two of them to the corridor on the 16th floor, "I have an appointment with Mr. Hunter. I came up once before. This is the actor Mr. Hunter wants to meet."

"Mr. Lynch is in the office, please wait a moment." Tony Hunter's assistant had seen Robert two hours ago, so he easily let them in and arranged to sit opposite his workbench.

As a result, the three of them sat down and heard a violent quarrel erupting in the office. It sounded like a big battle!

"I don't agree to change actors. Naomi and Laura are the most suitable actors in my mind."

"David, you have to understand our TV station. Both of them are too old to be the heroines of TV dramas. If they play supporting roles, it doesn't matter. You can choose whatever you want. Everyone likes to watch young and beautiful girls, and Don't you think Betty deserves a young actor in her own right?"

"NO, I don't need a vase, I need someone with real acting skills, she needs to be like a chameleon. Hunter, I have to correct you, if you really read the script, Betty is just in Diana's dream A character, in fact, she herself should not be young."

"Is Naomi Watts' acting skills as good as you say? It's not safe to entrust them with an investment of tens of millions of dollars." Tony Hunter didn't want to completely deadlock the relationship with David Lynch, Persuasion: "The girl I gave is just a suggestion. If you don't choose her, it's completely fine. We can announce the recruitment of actors in the actor union, and we will always meet the right person."

David Lynch was a little calmer, "I chose Naomi to play the roles of Betty and Diana because their experiences are very similar. Diana is an ordinary girl who enters Hollywood with a vision. , but they keep meeting and can only play some small roles, but her girlfriend Camilla has gradually become a big star. Naomi told me that she was even kicked out by the landlord this year because she couldn't pay the rent. And she also has a big celebrity friend named Nicole Kidman."

Eve and the others looked at each other, and accidentally overheard the quarrel between the two main creators.She didn't know how this TV series turned into a movie, and now she vaguely knew part of the reason.

If ABC continues to push, maybe David Lynch will really find another club.

He doesn't have to be ABC. People who have been nominated for Oscar for best director many times don't have to worry about partners.

"Just because she can feel Diana's state of mind and know this feeling." Any director doesn't like to be dictated by others, especially the script he wrote bit by bit, and he doesn't want to be changed.

Tony Hunter also did not compromise. Even if ABC is one of the largest TV stations in the United States, David Lynch cannot be allowed to shoot casually. Any amount of funds must have a corresponding output!

"Why don't we choose a compromise approach, you can choose an actor to stay, and replace the remaining actor with a younger one who can attract ratings."

David Lynch was caught in a tangle. The two actors had the palms and the backs of the hands, and it was impossible to give up either of them. It happened that they had black hair and a blonde hair, which happened to be a perfect match.

"Here's an actress named Eve Campbell waiting outside. She starred in the movie "Death Comes" which is expected to box office at $2500 million this week. Supporting role, maybe we can meet again." Tony Hunter broke David's inner defense a little bit, in fact, he didn't know Eve's acting skills at all, so let's talk about coaxing David Lynch first, even if Eve's acting skills are terrible , At worst, go to the actor's union to find someone.

David Lynch knows the attitude of ABC TV station, and now he keeps acquiescing to Tony Hunter's attitude and doesn't speak at all.

Suddenly, the phone at the assistant's desk beeped, and then Tony's voice came from inside: "Beth, help me invite Miss Campbell and her agent in."

"No problem, Mr. Hunter." Beth pressed the desk phone, then stood up and came to Eve and the two of them, making an inviting gesture, "Good luck."

Eve straightened the folds of the dress, and she smiled at Beth, "Thank you."

Regardless of whether this meeting will be effective or not, Eve intends to try to see if she can sell herself.

Pushing the door open, the office looks very spacious, with sofas and bookshelves.

In front of the sofa, David Lynch's already long cheeks were cold and stern, without a trace of expression.Another middle-aged white man has a big belly and a cigarette in his finger.

"Tony, she looks too young!" David Lynch took a look at Eve, and immediately sentenced to death, "It doesn't match my movie."

At this time, Eve knew that she was self-defeating. She thought it would be enough to dress herself up like Betty in the movie, but who knew that David Lynch paid more attention to the temperament of Diana's character.

Betty and Diana must be played by the same actor. Betty is the girl imagined by Diana, who combines all the good things in one body, and Diana herself is a murderer who keeps hitting walls and breaks up with her girlfriend.

The same person has to perform two different temperaments, and the requirements for acting skills are indeed quite high.

But Eve was not ready to give up. Her originally confident face gradually became submissive, and her expression became lonely and unconfident. She looked like a vulnerable group who had been hit by life many times.

Even she is not acting at all, but showing the state of her previous life. In her previous life, like Naomi Watts and Diana in the script, she broke her scalp in the entertainment industry, but she has always been The one who did nothing good.

David Lynch originally thought that Eve must be related, but after seeing the changes in her temperament, demeanor and even body movements, he exclaimed: "Huh..."

"Can you dance the jitterbug?" he asked suddenly.

Jitterbug, also known as Sailor Dance, is a kind of ballroom dance, a fast four-step dance accompanied by jazz music, which looks very humorous.

Eve knew about the existence of this dance when she was reading the script before. She practiced alone for several hours following the online videos, and she was not proficient. After all, she didn't even have a male dance partner.

But now is not the time for stage fright, because Diana in "Mulholland Drive" entered Hollywood with the jitterbug champion, so she is playing Diana at the moment.As soon as I mention something I am good at, my eyes will naturally shine, and my whole person will change from an unconfident look.

Originally, her shoulder blades were actually slightly drawn towards the front, and she looked slightly hunched.

Immediately after hearing that the jitterbug was going to be done, she opened her shoulders, raised her head up, her back was straight, and she looked very stylish!

However, there was neither music nor a partner at the scene. Eve silently counted the beat in her heart, dancing like aerobics.

"Pull flowers with one hand, teaching materials with both hands, puff flowers with one hand, fan-shaped opening, sailors stepping up, twisting step by step..."

Robert silently lowered his head, not daring to look at this hot-eyed dance, feeling a little annoyed in his heart, he should have made time to learn this damn dance if he had known earlier.

But it was too late when I and others discovered the script, and I was busy with the promotion and premiere of "Death Comes", and I had to prepare for the audition of "Almost Famous", so I didn't have time to deal with this TV script.

Who would have thought that ABC would pull itself over so quickly, without giving time for preparation and study at all.

Tony Hunter looked frozen. He thought Eve had come prepared. Who knew that the dance would be like this, and who gave her the courage?

On the contrary, David Lynch's originally cold face eased a lot, and he even smiled a little.

To say that the most uncomfortable among these few people is definitely Eve.

Doesn't she know that she has a poor foundation in dancing?

But in the face of the director's question, he jumped up bravely.

After jumping out of the only few actions in the memory, Eve stopped, her face was flushed with tension, exactly like Diana in the script, and the hands beside her were unconsciously squeezed together.

David Lynch seemed to see Diana standing in front of him. Apart from the fact that the beautiful actress in front of him danced too badly, her hair also needed to be cut shorter, and her costume was not good enough.

Before he knew it, a series of transformation plans had appeared in David's head.

"What do you think?" Tony Hunter saw that David's attitude had changed obviously, and wanted to sound out.

"The performance is not bad, but the dance is really bad. I need to find a teacher to practice more, and the appearance is too young. I have to ask the makeup artist to draw the differences and contrasts between the two characters."

Eve didn't know what the outcome would be. She didn't want to sit still and prepared to fight, so she gave Robert a look.

The two of them had reached an agreement outside the door earlier, and Robert immediately understood and proposed, "Gentlemen, why don't we shoot a pilot episode? Eve can appear in the pilot episode without pay."

Fatty couldn't eat in one bite, the boss of the ABC TV drama production department would seize the opportunity and immediately echoed: "Yes, this proposal is very good."

"Pilot episode?" David Lynch was moved, but still didn't want to give up.

"I know it's a little too much for a director like you to do a pilot, but we're all for the good of the TV series. If the pilot doesn't work out, we'll shoot the full-scale series according to your ideas, the actors you choose, what do you think? How about it?"

In the initial stage, in order to win investment from TV stations, American TV dramas usually produce a trial episode for TV station executives to watch, and the duration varies according to the type of TV series.The TV station will decide whether to actually buy the episode based on the performance of the pilot episode, to see if the audience accepts and likes this type of work, and to see if this episode has the potential to develop into a series.If successful, it will be booked by the TV station.

ABC, BC and other TV stations receive a huge number of scripts every year, and every January-April is an important pilot episode season in Hollywood. In these months, hundreds of pilot episodes will be filmed and produced.

Only a handful of these pilots are booked by TV stations, usually unknown writers, producers and actors.

For example, David Lynch is an Oscar nominee for best director, and he once filmed a series of high-rated and high-repute TV series "Twin Peaks", so there is no need to shoot a pilot episode at all.

Right now, ABC is just too worried about the commercial prospects of "Mulholland Drive".

The reason for choosing Eve is very simple. This actress has a beautiful appearance and good acting skills. It just so happens that the movie "Death Comes" she starred in has become a hit and is about to become popular, which can be regarded as an early investment.

David Lynch thought for a while, and he agreed for the first time: "I think I can try it."

He likes this story very much, but apart from ABC showing curiosity and support for the script, several other TV stations have actually worried that the script is too obscure and esoteric, which is not suitable for TV broadcast.

Eve celebrated a little in her heart. Being able to appear in the pilot episode of "Mulholland Drive" should be a small success.

But her agent was bitter.

Other actors have sharpened their heads from the TV drama circle to the movie circle, but I am a contracted actor who is willing to return to the circle of American dramas, and even willing to appear in the pilot episode!

She is about to become the heroine of a movie with a North American box office of more than 5000 million US dollars, but she makes such a stubborn choice, which is really incomprehensible.

Even if he had 1 disapprovals in his heart, he couldn't change Eve's decision. He could only sign the contract with him.