Chapter 1950 1952 [Big bad movie]
After "Braveheart" was released, it quickly won the recognition of the industry with its magnificent, touching and tear-jerking epic story.
The media commented that this is a costume epic film full of passion, politics, romance, and morality, and it is also a tragic, legendary film that blends blood and tears.
And the audience doesn't understand so many principles, and it's over if they directly support it. In the end, the movie grossed $80 million in North America and $210 million worldwide.
Mel Gibson fully demonstrated his talent in this movie. This is the first time he has directed a movie, and he has such an achievement, which also allowed him to quickly gain recognition in the industry.
Princess Isabella played by Sophie Marceau is not only beautiful, but also brave, resolute, kind and infatuated. With the big sales of the movie, she also won the hearts of hundreds of millions of viewers.
…
In September, Universal Pictures released the movie "Apollo Thirteen" starring Tom Hanks.
This movie is adapted from historical real events. It tells the story of the Apollo 13 lunar landing spacecraft in the 1970s. There was a malfunction on the way to the moon. In the end, the three astronauts upheld their fearless spirit and used their ingenuity to After experiencing many dangers, he finally returned to Earth safely.
This incident caused a sensation all over the world at the time, and it is also something that is still fresh in the memory of the American people. So now it is being put on the screen, and it is still starring Tom Hanks, which immediately attracted many audiences to join in.
In the end, "Apollo XIII" won a box office of 170 million US dollars in North America alone, and a global box office of 350 million US dollars.
…
In October, Universal Pictures released "Tornado".
This is a story about scientists studying tornadoes. The total investment is only 20 million US dollars, and all the actors are not well-known. When Xiang Nan invested, he always looked at the face of screenwriter Michael Clayton.
But I didn't expect this small-budget adventure film to be well received after it was released, and audiences rushed to watch it in theaters. In the end, in North America alone, the box office reached 240 million U.S. dollars, and the global box office reached 490 million U.S. dollars.
Such a result really shocked Xiang Nan and shocked the industry.
No one expected that such a movie, without even a big-name star, would be able to win such a high box office. It was like a miracle.
And when they learned that the producer had approached more than a dozen film companies, but none of them were interested in this project, and that it was Xiang Nan who invested 20 million U.S. dollars to finish the film, they couldn't help but feel a little nervous. Dumbfounded.
"What kind of luck is he, that such an unpopular movie can be selected by him, and it can create a miracle at the box office?"
“The studio managers at Paramount, Fox, Warner, Columbia… should all resign. Any money sent to their door will be turned away.”
"Charles should really write another book and teach these people in Hollywood how to choose blockbuster movies."
"Tornado" was a hit, Xiang Nan didn't expect it.
But he was very lucky to pick up such a bargain. For 490 million US dollars, he can get at least 200 million US dollars, which is really flattering.
In November, Universal Pictures released the movie "Scream" starring Courtney Cox, which tells the story of a serial murder in a small town.
This movie is different from previous horror movies, such as "Friday the 13th", "Moonlight Panic", "A Nightmare on Elm Street", etc. It is always indiscriminate and blood is everywhere.
It doesn't show off **** violence, there are not many shots of direct slashing, and the focus is on the rendering of the atmosphere and the turning point of the plot. Moreover, there is no shortage of humorous and funny plots in the movie, which greatly alleviates the horror of this movie and is more in line with the viewing needs of general audiences.
So after it was released, the box office of this movie was very good, with 103 million US dollars in North America and 170 million US dollars in the global box office.
And knowing that the total cost of this film was only 14 million US dollars, and now it has earned a profit twelve times higher than the cost, the industry can't help but sigh Xiang Nan's talent.
Movies like this kind of small and big are the favorites of the film company, but unfortunately not everyone is as talented as Xiang Nan, who can repeatedly create miracles at the box office.
…
Entering December, the golden time for Christmas, all film companies have come up with excellent works to grab the box office.
Warner Pictures launched the big production "Batman and Robin", joined by big-name superstars such as George Clooney, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Uma Thurman, Chris O'Donnell, it can be said that The lineup is unprecedentedly strong, and everyone can be regarded as a top big name.
And this movie is directed by Joe Schumacher, who directed "The Killing Moment" last year, but made a box office of over 100 million US dollars. He directed "Batman Forever", which also grossed 330 million U.S. dollars.
So everyone thinks this movie must be a hit.
Universal Pictures released the movie "Super Daredevil" starring Ben Affleck and Angelina Jolie, which is also a superhero movie.
Unlike "Batman and Robin," however, neither Ben Affleck nor Angelina Jolie are big-name stars. Moreover, Chen Musheng, the director of "Daredevil", is not as respected as Joe Schumacher.
Especially the gap in production cost is even worse.
The production cost of "Batman and Robin" was as high as 125 million U.S. dollars, and the promotional cost was as high as 50 million U.S. dollars, so the total cost was close to 200 million U.S. dollars.
The production cost of "Daredevil" is only 30 million U.S. dollars, plus the cost of publicity and distribution, it is only 40 million U.S. dollars, which is far behind "Batman and Robin", and it is not at the same level. It's like the difference between Meters Bonwe and Gucci.
But what is unexpected is that after it was released, "Batman and Robin" was ridiculed, and its reputation was so bad. After watching the film, many viewers came out cursing.
"The overly exaggerated character scene design and script production are a mess, and it has completely become synonymous with killing and bad commercial films." The Los Angeles Times commented mercilessly.
"Almost all the actors failed to maximize their strengths and avoid their weaknesses, and they were all performing at their worst." "The New Yorker" also commented.
"It is obviously a masterpiece with an investment of 120 million US dollars, but it is full of the taste of a B-grade movie. The appearance is exaggerated, the acting is poor, the scenery is rough, and the props are cheap..." Film critic Bruno Willie also blasted.
Under such sarcasm, the box office of "Batman and Robin" couldn't get up at all. After breaking through 20 million US dollars at the box office on the first day, the box office fell off a cliff on the second day, and even less than 10 million US dollars.
In the end, the movie grossed $102 million in North America and $230 million worldwide. Warner Pictures lost more than 120 million US dollars and became a joke in Hollywood.
(end of this chapter)