Chapter 427 Movie Release

According to his wishes, Lionsgate Production Department re-edited and produced "Far Cry" and then released it to four theaters near Chinatown in San Francisco, New York, Los Angeles, and Seattle.

The box office on the first day of release was US$14,700, and the average daily box office per tube was US$3,675, which is far below the average.

It grossed US$210,000 at the box office in twelve theaters in its first week, and its reputation was relatively average.

The Rotten Tomatoes rating is 3%, with 12 people in favor and 3 against.

Film critics mainly criticized the plot. There is no plasma, short limbs, psychotic zombies, or scary music in this movie. The plot is not tense at all, and it will only make people drowsy after watching it.

Also, the biggest selling point of this movie for Chinese audiences is that the heroines are dressed in cool clothes.

The United States has an open atmosphere. If you want to see girls in bikinis, you can go to the beach or go to a nudist park to watch people running naked. There is no need to buy tickets to watch them in the cinema.

The movie is not attractive enough, and the audience will naturally not buy it.

Lionsgate Pictures can only end the screening early and put the movie on CinemaNow online.

CinemaNow is a streaming video website originally invested and founded by Trimark Distribution Company.

After Lionsgate spent $60 million to acquire Trimark Distribution Company in 2006, this website also became one of Lionsgate's assets.

The movie "Far Cry" lost about US$450,000, including copyright fees, post-production, dubbing, publicity, labor and other expenses.

There’s also the box office aspect.

The box office share of Hollywood movies is determined based on the attendance of each theater.

The higher the attendance rate during the screening period, the more shares the distribution company will receive. If the attendance rate is too low, the box office belongs to the theater, which is equivalent to compensating the theater's losses.

Far Cry was a movie that barely brought in box office revenue for Lionsgate.

It is also unknown who leaked the news to the media that Link bought the film from Cannes.

After the movie was released, many media published articles saying that he was wrong and that he was not as sure as he was when it came to investing in movies.

Harvey burst out laughing when he saw the news, which cleared away the haze that had been brought to him by the success of "Bridesmaids" some time ago.

Harvey held a cigar and told Matt Damon and Ben Affleck that there was no market for this kind of movie in the United States, but Link insisted on buying it.

After the film was brought back to Lionsgate, people in the distribution department told Link that everyone had a low opinion of the film and there was no need to distribute it. Link still insisted on releasing it.

"Haha, when I heard the news, I thought I was wrong. I also thought that Link had a unique vision and saw things that we couldn't see. This movie might exceed everyone's imagination. Haha, what a surprise it turned out to be. No, it’s really a bad movie.”

Harvey laughed.

Matt Damon and Ben Affleck haven't seen "Far Cry" and it's hard to comment, but I just don't understand why Link insists on releasing a movie that he knows will make a loss.

"Link is too arrogant. He thinks he knows movies very well. He is responsible for the success of "Scandal Project" and "Bridesmaids". He thinks he is omnipotent and can achieve anything he wants. In fact, he is nothing. ”

Harvey waved his arms vigorously, as if venting his frustration, and even spitted out his saliva.

"The film's release failed, and people's enthusiasm for Link has indeed diminished a bit."

Matt Damon said.

After the success of Bridesmaids, many studios wanted to work with Palm Beach Pictures and Lionsgate.

As "Far Cry" failed to be released, it was rumored that Link personally made the decision to win it. Everyone began to doubt Link's vision and became much more cautious about cooperating with him.

When Harvey heard what he said, he suddenly thought about the fact that Bob approached Link and asked to participate in the investment in "The Master" a few days ago, and he couldn't help feeling a little regretful.

"The Master" was also made by Link himself and decided to invest in it.

Will this movie suffer the same fate as Far Cry?

I should have known better than to agree to Bob in the first place, but unfortunately now that the contract has been signed and the 10 million production funds have been transferred to the crew's account, it is too late to regret it.

"Damn Link! Damn Bob!"

Harvey cursed fiercely in his heart, that was 10 million US dollars. How could he be so dizzy in the first place that he believed that Link was a master of investing in movies?

"Harvey! Hi, Matt, Ben!"

Bob came in and greeted.

Harvey glared at him unhappily, "What's the matter?"

"In the matter of Lionsgate Pictures, after the failure of the release of "Far Cry", Link ignored everyone's objections and asked to continue to release the second movie he bought, "Mr. Tree". Do you know this?"

Bob said holding up a document.

"Mr. Tree?"

Harvey was stunned for a moment, then suddenly laughed, "Is this true? Far Cry has failed, and he still insists on releasing that incomprehensible literary film? Is Link crazy?"

"Harvey, what are you talking about?"

Matt Damon asked curiously.

Harvey laughed a few times and then talked about Link's purchase of two Chinese-language films at the Cannes Film Festival.

The first film had been declared a loss, but Link refused to accept the reality and demanded the continued release of the second Chinese-language film. It was an incomprehensible literary film.

The second film is about Chinese local themes. Because of the different background and cultural environment, there is no market in the United States.

Harvey said that if he were asked to choose a movie to release, he would rather choose the horror movie with the girl in a bikini than the second "Mr. Tree".

This movie is bound to lose money, and no matter who distributes it, it won't be successful.

Link insists on releasing the movie even though he knows it will lose money. This is disrespecting the market rules and will definitely be punished. That's why he said Link is crazy.

"Why would Link do this?"

Matt Damon wondered.

"Because "Bridesmaids" was a hit, the media praised Link too highly. Link thought he was omnipotent. He was so stupid that he did such an extremely stupid thing."

Harvey waved his arms and cursed very loudly.

"Ahem! Harvey, things may be different from what you think."

Bob interjected.

"It's different? What's different?"

Harvey asked with a frown.

"The box office of this movie is not as bad as you said. It can even be called a big hit."

"How is it possible?! Are you crazy too? How can a movie like that be a big hit in the United States?"

Harvey said solemnly.

Bob opened the folder in his hand and said: "Five days ago, "Mr. Tree" was screened in four theaters in North America. The box office on the first day was 13,200 US dollars, the single box office was 3,301 US dollars, and the occupancy rate was about 28%."

"The box office alone is 3,000, and the attendance rate is 28%. You tell me this is a big hit?!"

He would have liked to give Bob a big eye roll if it didn't undermine his dignity.

"On the second day, the cumulative box office of "Mr. Tree" was 42,000 US dollars, the single box office was 7,200 yuan, and the attendance rate was 76%."

"Um?"

Harvey suddenly stood up, frowned and asked, "No, how come the attendance rate suddenly increased so much?"

"Could it be that the movie is good and word-of-mouth drives the box office?"

Ben Affleck asked.

"Impossible, that movie can't be understood by people like me who have some knowledge of Chinese movies, but can ordinary audiences understand it? Bob, how come the attendance of "Mr. Tree" suddenly increased? Is it Lionsgate's box office? Fake?”

Harvey asked in a deep voice.

"On the night of the release of "Mr. Tree", Link released a new single "Blinding Lights" on YouTube. The video was played more than 2 million times in 24 hours, and the current number of views has exceeded 30 million times. Fans are very excited about this song. The song's reviews are very high.

The "Blinding Lights" MV video uses this movie. It is said that many fans liked the song very much after seeing the MV and went to the cinema to support it.

As a result, the attendance rate soared on the second day. On the third day, the attendance rate of the four theaters reached 98%, which was full! The movie with the highest attendance during the same period. "

Bob said slowly.

Harvey opened his mouth, feeling the urge to curse.

Link used a new song to promote the movie when Bridesmaids was released, and now he's doing it again, can't this asshole try another approach?

Link is not only the boss of Lionsgate Pictures, but also a music king and a youth idol. His albums have sold more than 10 million copies in the United States and he has tens of millions of fans across the United States. He is extremely influential.

If he's willing to promote a movie, even if it's a bunch of shit, there will be a lot of people willing to spend money to support it.

Harvey closed his mouth and gritted his teeth.

"Using this method to promote a movie is only useful in the first few days. When the heat passes, the attendance rate will definitely drop. What was the attendance rate yesterday?"

"86%! The cumulative box office in four theaters is currently US$180,000. It is said that Lionsgate paid US$150,000 to buy this movie, and it is expected to make back the money within this week."

Bob said.

"So what, Link is a superstar, and it costs millions each time to hire him to promote a movie. Including the song, Lionsgate invested millions in promotion, but only received more than 100,000. At the box office, it’s definitely not a hit.”

Harvey said coldly.

Matt Damon and Ben Affleck nodded in agreement with Harvey's words.

Link is a big star. If he is willing, he can earn hundreds of thousands in advertising fees just by participating in a movie event. If he is willing to write songs specifically to promote the movie, the fee will be even greater.

Therefore, the current box office of "Mr. Tree" of 180,000 yuan in five days is not too much.

"Humph, Link is unwilling to admit defeat, so we'll just wait and see how much box office he can sell for this unmarketable movie."

Harvey took the cigar and pressed it hard into the ashtray.