Huayu Entertainment 1995 started with hijacking.

Chapter 318 Pounce, pounce, pounce

After a long while, Wu Yuchen leaned against the headboard, his heart at peace.

The allure of Hollywood lies in its simplicity, unpretentiousness, and tedium.

Kate leaned against Wu Yuchen, then poked him with her finger, playfully complaining, "It's all your fault! I didn't even remember how much the opening weekend box office was!"

Wu Yuchen patted her with a smile and said, "It's okay, I'll write it down for you, 1952 million."

Upon hearing the numbers Wu Yuchen mentioned, Kate's expression turned slightly serious. For a film like "Van Helsing" with an investment of 1.6 million, this opening day box office wasn't terrible, but it was just barely passing.

The next two days will almost certainly determine the fate of this film. If it grosses over 8000 million in its opening weekend, that would be a good result; if it grosses over 7000 million, that would be acceptable; and the passing grade is 6000 million.

The $1952 million opening weekend gross today makes Kate think that "Van Helsing" might only gross around $6000 million in its opening weekend.

She asked with some concern, "Wu, do you think 'Van Helsing' is a good film?"

Wu Yuchen stroked the back of this English wild rose and asked with a smile, "Do you want to have a pleasant sleep tonight?"

Kate slapped his arm at his words: "Oh! Damn it! Now that you've said that, I can't be happy anymore!"

Wu Yuchen shrugged and said, "Van Helsing's North American box office should be a little bit better than Troy's, and it should exceed 5000 million in its opening weekend."

What Wu Yuchen didn't actually say was that "Van Helsing" fared even worse than "Troy," given that its overseas box office was less than half of "Troy's."

Kate's mood didn't improve much upon hearing this. If it was over 5000 million, then anything less than 6000 million would still be a failure. This made her scratch her hair in frustration, and she asked:
How did you come to this judgment?

Wu Yuchen didn't hide anything and told Kate about his impressions of the movie, which was actually his summary of the movie in his previous life. The more Kate listened, the colder she felt, and the pleasure they had experienced during their lovemaking almost completely disappeared.

Wu Yuchen ruffled Kate's hair and comforted her, "Don't worry too much. After all, 'Van Helsing' is a big production with great special effects. With you and Hugh Jackman in it, even if it loses money at the box office, we can make it back through the DVD rights."

These words didn't offer much comfort to Kate, because this wasn't her first failure. A few years ago, "Pearl Harbor" was also a big-budget production, but it was a box office flop.

She finally made a comeback with "Underworld," a vampire and werewolf film with a budget of $2200 million that ultimately grossed $9600 million. This led to her being selected for the big-budget film "Van Helsing."

If her latest film, "Van Helsing," fails again, she'll not only be demoted and sent back to a lower status, but she'll also suffer for a long time. It's safe to say that she'll be basically out of luck with big Hollywood productions, because both of them have proven that she can't carry the box office of big productions, even though it may not necessarily have much to do with her.

Actually, actresses like Kate Winslet who have a film series like "Underworld" are really lucky. She played a very cool and beautiful vampire warrior in it, which gained her a lot of fans. She could basically live off this one series for the rest of her life. In her previous life, it had already reached the fifth installment.

But that's how actors are; once they get into Hollywood, they definitely want to keep climbing higher, especially someone like Kate, who has already seen the view from the top and naturally doesn't want to fall back down.

After the failure of Pearl Harbor, the production cost of Underworld, which she starred in, was only 2200 million, less than that of The Princess Diaries. This shows that Kate Winslet, the lead actress, must have taken a pay cut, and her treatment at that time was not good.

Having gone through all that and climbed back up, Kate is even more determined not to go down again. Isn't that why she actively seduced Wu Yuchen tonight?

Thinking of this, Kate wriggled closer to Wu Yuchen and asked in a soft yet eager voice, "Wu, do you have any new plans lately?"

Wu Yuchen smiled and said with slight regret, "I'm sorry, darling, my latest project is a Chinese-language film, but there isn't one in Hollywood."

"Wu, didn't you say you were in talks with Warner Bros. about the Batman project?"

Wu Yuchen shook his head directly: "I can tell you clearly that this project is currently a pipe dream."

Upon hearing this, Kate couldn't help but show a disappointed expression.

Wu Yuchen knew perfectly well why the other party had taken the initiative to seduce him. Aside from his youthful arrogance and good looks, wasn't it just that he wanted to get opportunities from him? But what he said was also true; he really didn't have any plans to start new projects in Hollywood in the short term.

However, Wu Yuchen glanced at Kate. Although she had taken the initiative to seduce him today, it was a mutually agreeable matter. There were no prior promises, and he could have taken advantage of her for free. But since he had had a good time earlier, he didn't mind helping her out.

He thought for a moment and said, "Spielberg and Tom Cruise's 'War of the Worlds' is currently holding auditions for the female lead. I can recommend you for the role."

Despite Spielberg's previous statement about retiring from acting, it's not so easy to retire from the industry. "War of the Worlds" was already in the works last year and started preparations this year. Even if he wanted to retire, he still had to finish filming this big production.

Hollywood knows about Wu Yuchen's relationship with DreamWorks. While it's called a recommendation, Spielberg will most likely give him face; the film revolves around Tom Cruise, and the female lead isn't particularly important.

Kate opened her mouth, then shook her head with a wry smile and said, "Thank you for your kindness, Wu, but I don't want to play a mother right now..."

The female lead in *War of the Worlds* is Tom Cruise's wife, a virtuous wife and mother in her thirties or forties. For Kate, although she's just over 30, she still has ambition. If she were to accept playing mother roles now, it would give the audience the impression that she's already entered middle age, and it would be difficult to reverse that image later. Therefore, even though *War of the Worlds* is currently a top-tier project in the industry, she doesn't want to participate.

Wu Yuchen smiled and shook his head. He had already offered his help, but if the other party didn't accept, that was their business. It was just a one-night stand; she wasn't his girlfriend. Although he, Director Wu, had an excellent reputation, he wouldn't force himself on her.

Kate then leaned in and kissed Wu Yuchen on the cheek, whispering in his ear, "Darling, it's not that I don't accept your kindness, it's just that this role really isn't right for me."

She still wanted to maintain a friendly relationship with Wu Yuchen so that she could use it in the future; otherwise, wouldn't all her efforts today have been in vain?
Wu Yuchen smiled and gently kneaded the soft object in his hand. "Kate, it's okay. I understand how you feel, and I won't take it to heart. Feel free to come see me anytime; I think we have plenty to discuss."

Upon hearing this, Kate gave a seductive smile, then lowered her head again...

The next day, when Wu Yuchen woke up, he was alone in the large bed. Kate hadn't gone to sleep until a certain time last night, but she'd gone out early this morning to participate in the promotional work for *Van Helsing*.

Wu Yuchen ignored the other party, stretched lazily with a refreshed look, then washed up and went to DreamWorks to continue his post-production work on "Pirate King 3".

The post-production of "Pirate King 3" was much faster than that of "Pirate King 2". This was partly due to the presence of Wu Yuchen, and partly due to the cooperation from "Pirate King 2", which fostered a better working relationship among the post-production team, making their work more efficient.

Just as he predicted, "Van Helsing" only grossed 5175 million in its opening weekend. While it did manage to surpass 5000 million, it was only a respectable figure and did not prevent the market from being pessimistic about it.

Five days later, Wu Yuchen attended the premiere again. He couldn't help it; he wasn't alone in Hollywood. He could say he couldn't come when he was filming a movie, but now that he was in Hollywood, he couldn't just not go, could he?

Moreover, this premiere is for Jackie Chan's "Around the World in 80 Days," and since we're both Chinese, we absolutely have to come and support it!

Upon seeing Jackie Chan, Wu Yuchen gave him a big hug: "Director Wu, thank you for coming to support us!"

Wu Yuchen laughed and said, "We're all on the same side, so of course I have to come and support you, Brother Long!"

Jackie Chan is doing quite well in Hollywood. Many stars attended the premiere, including action star Arnold Schwarzenegger, who is now governor. Schwarzenegger also made a cameo appearance in "Around the World in 80 Days" as a Turkish prince, with a very funny look.

"Around the World in Eighty Days" is one of the most popular works by French science fiction writer Jules Verne, and it has been adapted into films many times. It tells the story of the English gentleman Ford who bets with his friends that he can travel around the world in 80 days. He and his Indian servant "Passepartout" experience many hardships and dangers on their journey, and finally return to their starting point at the last second.

In this film, Jackie Chan plays the role of Passepartout. However, his identity was specially modified in the movie; he is not Ford's servant, but his friend, which shows Jackie Chan's status.

This film deliberately follows the dual male lead setup of Jackie Chan's previous "Rush Hour" series and also adopts a comedic style. Moreover, the protagonist of the original novel is the British gentleman Ford, but the male lead in the film is Jackie Chan, which shows that the producers gave Jackie Chan a lot of face and treatment.

However, as Wu Yuchen watched the movie, he secretly thought to himself that perhaps these very things sowed the seeds of the film's failure.

No matter what, it's still an adaptation, and it still carries the title of "Around the World in Eighty Days." Therefore, many book fans came to see this movie, only to find that the entire film had been completely changed beyond recognition.

On the other hand, Jackie Chan's popularity in Hollywood has actually been declining in the past two years, with the box office of several of his comedic kung fu films gradually decreasing. Simply put, his comedic kung fu style has become too repetitive, and Americans have already lost interest.

If Jackie Chan were young, it wouldn't be a problem, but now that he's older, he can't push himself as hard as he used to and do all sorts of risky stunts, which has further diminished his appeal as an action star.

Therefore, this kung fu comedy-adventure film, which uses the original name, neither pleases the fans of the original work, nor does it have the humor that people are tired of, and it is also lacking in adventure and action. It is conceivable that it will eventually fail.

All Wu Yuchen could do was show up to support Jackie Chan and say a few nice things to the reporters, such as how the film showcased beautiful scenery along the way, making it very attractive and allowing the audience to appreciate the magnificent landscapes of traveling around the world. As for the film's quality, he didn't say a word; anyone can dodge the question, right?
Just how badly did "Around the World in Eighty Days" fail?
With a production cost of $110 million, it only grossed $6.8 million in its opening weekend, which is not just for the first day, but for the total box office of the first three days!

Wu Yuchen can now imagine how disheartened Jackie Chan must be; he must have finally made up his mind to return to Chinese-language films.

However, Jackie Chan wasn't the only one who suffered this week. In addition to "Around the World in 80 Days," another big-budget film, "Catwoman," with a budget of over $100 million, was also released at the same time. The lead actress is none other than Halle Berry, the first Black actress to win an Oscar.

It fared slightly better than "Around the World in 80 Days," earning $1672 million in its opening weekend. However, compared to its $100 million box office, it was still a huge loss!
The movie "Catwoman" also made major studios re-examine superhero movies, and seriously questioned the box office ability of black female stars, even exposing how weak female stars' box office ability is.

Wu Yuchen smiled when he saw it. It's not ten years from now. If it were ten years from now, when feminism and Black Lives Matter are more prevalent, this "Catwoman" might have a different fate.

To be honest, although the movie wasn't very good, Halle Berry did look quite sexy jumping around in the Catwoman bodysuit, and she really is one of the most beautiful women among Black people!
Actually, the two films ultimately had roughly the same total box office: *Catwoman* grossed $82.1 million worldwide, and *Around the World in 80 Days* grossed $7218 million. Halle Berry's advantage over Jackie Chan lies in the fact that she has her fellow Black people supporting her, allowing her to continue her successful career in Hollywood.

Two big-budget films, originally considered the top two films of the week, both costing over $100 million, flopped spectacularly. As a result, a low-budget comedy sports film, "Dodgeball," with a budget of $20 million, took the top spot at the box office with $3007 million, much to the surprise of Hollywood.

Everyone was amazed at how incredibly lucky "Dodgeball" was, encountering such a once-in-a-decade event. It also achieved the lowest opening weekend box office for a film this summer, but it also made it an instant sensation, securing its top spot.

Wu Yuchen has no time to care about Jackie Chan anymore; his "Pirate King 2" is set to be released in two weeks and has already begun a large-scale promotional campaign.

(End of this chapter)