Huayu Entertainment 1995 started with hijacking.

Chapter 192 Counterattack
In the United States, publicity and distribution naturally involve public relations, but the seven major Hollywood studios all have media outlets with which they maintain close relationships. For example, 21st Century Fox, Fox Television, and The Wall Street Journal are all part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation; while Time Warner, the parent company of Warner Bros., controls HBO.

If your Warner Bros. movies want to appear on my Fox TV shows, of course you can, but you'll have to pay. If you want my Wall Street Journal to promote your movies, you'll also have to pay a kickback. If you don't pay, then don't blame me, the Wall Street Journal, for upholding my conscience and evaluating your movies from an objective perspective.

Therefore, the promotion of films by the seven major film studios usually focuses on media outlets with which they have close relationships. It's impossible to win over all media outlets to sing their praises, as the public relations costs would be too high and it would be very uneconomical.

So when Big Mouth Queen saw all the newspapers praising "The Sixth Sense," she was quite taken aback.

Just then, Richard Gere walked over and asked Julia, "Good morning, Julia, what happened?"

Julia Roberts handed Richard Gere a stack of newspapers her assistant had brought her: "Look at this, they're practically raving about The Sixth Sense!"

Richard Gere quickly flipped through the newspaper headlines, his brow furrowing in dismay.

Julia Roberts' agent also said, "Don't worry, Julia, let me find out what's going on."

At this moment, the film's producer, Ted, walked over and said, "No need to ask anymore, I've already looked into it. The word-of-mouth for The Sixth Sense is amazing. It's not just these film critics; I also got the premiere rating from CinemaScore, and more than 50% of the audience gave it an A+!"

"Over 50% A+? Ted, are you serious?!" Big Mouth Queen thought she had misheard.

These individuals are all long-time film professionals and understand the significance of the CinemaScore survey. In fact, a film is considered well-received if it receives an A rating, or A- or higher. Generally speaking, if half of the films achieve an A- or higher rating, it means that the film has a good reputation among the audience.

Now, "The Sixth Sense" has achieved an A+ rating of over 50%, which means its reputation is absolutely phenomenal, reaching the level of a classic? Just thinking about it makes the group feel somewhat incredulous!

"I wish I was joking, but unfortunately it's true..." the producer said helplessly, shrugging his shoulders.

"Damn it, how could I run into something like this!" Julia Roberts's beautiful mood instantly turned sour. No one would feel good if their movie was released in the same period as this.

I initially thought that since Bruce Willis had abandoned his signature action scenes for a new role, his romantic comedy with Richard Gere should have been a breeze. But surprisingly, he managed to pull it off despite his previously criticized acting skills!
Then she thought of director Wu Yuchen. Could this young director really be the Midas touch? Not only has he created one blockbuster film after another, but he has also helped two tough guys, Sylvester Stallone and Bruce Willis, successfully transform their acting skills and achieve a breakthrough.

It seems she should definitely try to befriend Wu Yuchen in the future. His talent and market sense are top-notch, and he's on the rise. They may not become good friends, but it's always good to get acquainted with him.

Julia Roberts put those thoughts aside and immediately returned to the current situation, decisively saying, "Ted, you need to ramp up the publicity. We absolutely must grab the top spot at the box office on the opening weekend!"

"Of course, that's exactly why I came to see you. You and Richard will have to work as hard as possible over the next two days. If we can take the top spot at the box office in the opening weekend, we'll be in an advantageous position."

Seeing that the atmosphere in the room was a bit heavy, producer Ted smiled and spoke up to ease the tension:
"Hey Julia, Richard, things aren't as bad as they seem. Even if 'The Sixth Sense' gets rave reviews, it's still just a horror movie. Can it really compare to 'The Silence of the Lambs'? 'The Silence of the Lambs' box office was way worse than your previous film, 'Pretty Woman'!"

Julia Roberts and Richard Gere both smiled upon hearing this.

"The Silence of the Lambs" is hailed as the most classic crime horror film, sweeping five awards at the 64th Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Director, and Best Screenplay, truly achieving a sweep of that year's Oscars.

But what was the final box office figure for "The Silence of the Lambs"? It grossed $2.72 million worldwide, which is already a very good result. However, the last film starring Julia Roberts and Richard Gere, "Pretty Woman," grossed a whopping $4.63 million worldwide. The two films were released less than a year apart.

To put it bluntly, horror movies are inherently at a disadvantage, especially since romance movies are currently a global trend. Having figured this out, Big Mouth Sister regained her confidence and her bright smile returned.

Despite their confidence, the two still put in a lot of effort when it came to promotion. With Julia Roberts, Hollywood's leading lady and one of the most popular actresses today, and Richard Gere, a top-tier actor, the two were greeted with cheers from fans and frenzy from reporters wherever they went, generating a very enthusiastic response.

That evening, Julia Roberts, who had been busy with promotions all day, didn't rest early. Instead, she put on a face mask and waited with Richard Gere for the first day's box office results.

When she saw producer Ted, who was carrying the documents in person, beaming with smiles, Big Mouth Queen couldn't help but laugh and say, "Ted, I think this must be good news!"

Ted shook the documents in his hand and said confidently, "Of course, with you guys here, we are undoubtedly number one!"

……

Meanwhile, Wu Yuchen and Bruce Willis were also looking at today's opening day box office figures:
"First place: Runaway Bride, 1253 million."

Second place: The Sixth Sense, 1080 million.

Third place: *The Blair Witch Project*, 723 million.

Looking at the number one film ahead of them, "Runaway Bride," which had a box office lead of over 170 million over "The Sixth Sense," Wu Yuchen thought to himself, "No wonder it's Hollywood's top actress and Richard Gere. Even with Bruce Willis joining forces, their appeal is still a bit lacking compared to the other film!"

Bruce Willis was quite satisfied: "Wu, I think the box office is very good, and I see that everyone seems to have a high opinion of us. We should have a good result in the end!"

Bruce Willis is making a transformation this time, so he won't use the box office standards of his previous action movies to judge "The Sixth Sense." He thinks that if it can gross over $100 million in North America, it will be a victory. The key thing is that the word-of-mouth is so great that he is very happy. Didn't you see that all the media are praising his acting skills?
Wu Yuchen thought to himself, "You're one of the hottest people in Hollywood right now. How come you're so happy just because the newspapers say a few words of praise? Don't you have any ambition to compete with the top female star for the opening weekend box office champion?"

Wu Yuchen asked the producer, "James, do you think we can take the top spot at the box office this weekend?"

James stroked his chin and said, "Saturday's box office is crucial. There is certainly hope. We are not far behind 'Runaway Bride' in terms of box office, and our word-of-mouth is very good. The CinemaScore will also be released today, which should attract more people to the cinema."

CinemaScore scores are only released to the public after a sufficient number of data samples have been collected; otherwise, the data sample is too small to be convincing.

Wu Yuchen nodded. He had a feeling that "The Sixth Sense" would get a high rating, but he didn't know the exact amount yet.

"Bruce, we need to put in a lot more effort with our promotions these next couple of days. Don't let that woman Julia Roberts get to you!"

"Actually, being dominated by her isn't so bad~" Bruce Willis joked, but then immediately added:
"Oh, of course, I still enjoy the feeling of being on top much more!"

That evening, after returning to his room, Wu Yuchen was entangled by a beautiful body. Jennifer Connelly pressed against Wu Yuchen's back, wrapped her arms around his neck, and asked:

"Honey, how much do you think our movie 'The Sixth Sense' will do at the box office?"

Wu Yuchen smiled, turned around, grabbed her shapely buttocks, and pinned her against the wall before kissing her. After a moment, he released her lips and said, "I think it will be over 6 million!"

Jennifer Connelly giggled and patted Wu Yuchen's chest: "Oh, darling, don't try to fool me with those childish words~"

Clearly, she didn't believe that "The Sixth Sense" could have such a high box office, and thought it was just nonsense from Wu Yuchen to please her.

Wu Yuchen raised an eyebrow, gently bit her lip, and asked with a smile, "So how many do you think there will be?"

Jennifer Connelly blinked her alluring eyes and exhaled softly, "Two hundred million, can you grant my wish?"

Jennifer Connelly didn't have high hopes, thinking that this movie could break 300 million worldwide like Wu Yuchen's previous two films. In her opinion, breaking 200 million would already be a good result, after all, the box office performance of "The Silence of the Lambs" was there.

Although Jennifer Connelly became world-famous more than a decade ago with the film "Once Upon a Time in America," she has never actually had a film that grossed over $100 million at the box office!
If "The Sixth Sense" can gross over 100 million in North America and over 200 million worldwide, she would be satisfied.

In North America, box office earnings exceeding $100 million and those below $100 million are completely different concepts. For actors in films, being in the $100 million club is a huge achievement, something they can use to negotiate their market value and earn real money.

"A mere two hundred million? You underestimate me too much. I can satisfy you tonight!" Wu Yuchen pressed his body against hers and thrust forward.

Then, he brushed aside Jennifer Connelly's hair, nibbled on her earlobe, and asked, "Jennifer, if the final box office exceeds 6 million, how will you thank me?"

Jennifer Connelly wrapped her arms around Wu Yuchen's waist, holding his head and saying, "From now on, I'll be at your beck and call. You're my one and only God~"

Upon hearing this, Wu Yuchen laughed and said, "Then I'm going to instill some faith in you now!"

……

The next morning, Wu Yuchen felt refreshed. After all, he always liked to help others. Last night, he fulfilled Jennifer Connelly's request for 200 million, which made both of them feel happy.

Right after breakfast, he also received the survey and scores from CinemaScore:
The Sixth Sense: A+: 52%, A: 27%, A-: 15%, B+: 4%, B: 1%, B-: 1%.

Next to the survey, a horizontal bar chart was placed, and the long A+ was very eye-catching, presenting the results to the reader in a very intuitive way.

CinemaScore also gave them an overall rating of A+.

The review included the following comment: A very rare, yet classic, heartwarming horror film. More than half of the ratings are A+, which is enough to make you want to see it!
Finally, there's the box office prediction for "The Sixth Sense": $1.8 million in North America and $3.5 million worldwide.

He then looked at Cinemascore's box office predictions for "Runaway Bride," which was released around the same time: $1.2 million in North America and $2.5 million worldwide.

Wu Yuchen smiled as he looked at the survey report. "As expected of a professional agency," he thought, "their judgment is excellent. They're confident 'The Sixth Sense' will surpass 'Runaway Bride.' And they're even more confident in its box office performance than they are in Jennifer Connelly!"
Even professional organizations would probably find it hard to imagine how terrifying the box office would be for this family movie disguised as a horror film!

After Saturday's events concluded, Julia Roberts had planned to rest early, given their lead and the niche appeal of horror films compared to the currently popular romance movies. However, out of respect for Bruce Willis and director Wu Yuchen, she stayed a little longer, still wearing a face mask, to wait.

"What! How could this happen?"

The woman with the big mouth suddenly stood up, her mouth agape, almost shaking off her face mask. But she didn't care about the mask anymore, ripped it off, and carefully looked at the numbers displayed on the document:

"First place: The Sixth Sense, 1518 million."

Second place: "Runaway Bride" with 1311 million views.

......"

"Runaway Bride" saw a slight increase in box office revenue on Saturday, but this increase was nowhere near that of "The Sixth Sense," which saw a 40% surge from Friday!

Moreover, in terms of total box office revenue over the past two days, "The Sixth Sense" has overtaken "Runaway Bride" with 2598 million to 2564 million. "The Sixth Sense" is now leading "Runaway Bride" by a mere 34.

"Ted, didn't you say not many people would come to see this horror movie?!" Big Mouth Queen asked loudly.

Producer Ted also looked grim.

"I asked the investigators, and they said that the movie isn't actually scary. It's essentially a film about family affection and mutual understanding, and children can watch it just fine. So, quite a few parents have started taking their kids to the cinema..."

"Oh, damn it! Why didn't you investigate this properly beforehand!" Big Mouth Queen complained.

What movies are the scariest during the summer and Christmas seasons? The family-friendly kind, the kind where the whole family goes out together, and the box office skyrockets.

Ted immediately encouraged him, "It's okay, the gap is only 30. We still have one day, and we still have a chance to catch up!"

(End of this chapter)