The Birth of the Best Director

Chapter 374 Brother Yuan, thank you for letting me copy your homework! I also got to experience what it's like to be an artist!

……

Not many people attended the premiere of "Art Students 2: The High Table".

Aside from the main creative team, only Lu Zhiyuan and Hanikezi are not part of this production crew.

But the mere presence of the two of them attracted countless interviews from reporters and media outlets.

Hanikezi has just become the number one on the list of the 100 most beautiful faces in the world, and has even been nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress.

Her popularity is at its peak.

Of course, it is highly unlikely that Hanikezi will win the award.

Because, in today's increasingly politically correct Hollywood, special effects blockbusters rarely win any major awards.

But still the same sentence.

For popular celebrities, any award can become a reason for fans to celebrate, making their monetization ability even stronger.

For established actors, receiving awards is more like a recognition of their hard work and dedication throughout their careers.

However, nothing substantial can be changed.

At most, it will allow these actors to gain recognition from some art film directors in the industry, and in the following period of time, the number of invitations for art films will increase significantly.

Does Hanikezi need offers for art-house films?

No need at all.

As long as Lu Zhiyuan is still making movies, Hanikezi will always be Lu Zhiyuan's best alternative.

"Antonio, throw money at me!"

“Antonio, I learned the ritual of scattering paper money. My grandmother appeared to me in a dream and said she's doing well in heaven! She asked me to thank you!”

"Antonio, please marry Artemis!"

Among the onlookers were people shouting all sorts of things, even some with the distinctive accents of rural people from the American South.

Lu Zhiyuan couldn't understand at all.

Hanikezi, holding Lu Zhiyuan's hand, wore a pair of high heels under her long dress and greeted the others elegantly, just like Dilraba.

"Honey, I feel like you've grown taller?"

Lu Zhiyuan was very sensitive about Hanikezi's height.

Standing together today, he could indeed feel that Hanikezi was a bit taller than before.

At least two centimeters.

It's incredible.

Hanikezi has truly defied fate; she can continue to grow even after reaching adulthood?

"hey-hey."

Hanikezi immediately burst into laughter.

It turns out that swimming really can make people taller. Regardless of whether others have succeeded, Hanikezi did grow a little taller by swimming.

Currently, she can shamelessly say that she is 1.65 meters tall.

He is 5 centimeters taller than Zhang Ruonan.

She worked hard for nearly two months and finally reaped the rewards, which Lu Zhiyuan also noticed... This made Hanikezi extremely happy.

Both of them are very used to walking the red carpet.

At the end of the red carpet, Lu Zhiyuan and Hanikezi signed their names one on each side, and then spoke briefly to the host during the interview.

"Lu, long time no see. Congratulations on once again entering the top 10 of the world's 100 most handsome men."

The host asked Lu Zhiyuan a few casual questions and then let him leave.

What does the top 10 even mean?
Lu Zhiyuan once won first place.

However, in that year's "Art Students," his portrayal of Li Wen was indeed very handsome. The manic charm emanating from within, the way he stood like a god on the InterContinental Hotel, and the way he lavishly threw money around... captivated the entire European continent.

This year, although "Mojin: The Lost Legend" was filmed very well, the character Hu Bayi was only used to drive the plot, and Lu Zhiyuan did not make any changes to the character's personality.

Therefore, in terms of charisma, this character is not as charismatic as Dr. Li.

Lu Zhiyuan remembers that he made it into the top 5 when "Godzilla: Monarch" was released.

As long as a movie is released and his character is charming, he can easily enter the ranks of the world's top handsome men.

Actually, he didn't think he was that handsome; he was just an ordinary man.

But through the interplay of light and shadow, his charisma in the film is almost like walking hormones.

Because his character in the movie was so powerful, he was practically the pinnacle of human potential.

Most women admire strong men, and when they see a character like him, their eyes practically turn into drool.

This is why he can always easily rank high on these handsome men's lists.

"You just mentioned 'Mojin: The Lost Legend 2,' right?"

"Thank you for your concern. Please follow our company's Twitter account; I will have someone regularly update you on the latest developments of 'Mojin: The Lost Legend 2'."

This isn't his own movie; Lu Zhiyuan can't steal Zhuang Wenqiang's thunder.

Zhuang Wenqiang's peak moment might be today. If the movie flops, Zhuang Wenqiang will face ridicule from the whole world tomorrow.

At least he should have such a wonderful day, one that he can remember for a lifetime.

"Lu, thank you for accepting my interview. I will follow your company's Twitter account. Oh, I forgot to mention, I'm a huge fan of the Real Steel series, and I've bought all the Jaeger figures."

The reporter who conducted the interview looked to be around 30 years old.

"You have excellent taste."

Lu Zhiyuan smiled and praised him.

He never expected that the other party was actually a fan of his movie.

This demonstrates the significant influence of the Real Steel series in North America, which has garnered a large and diverse fanbase.

“I know that your favorite person must be Artemis. You two can chat a bit more.”

Lu Zhiyuan smiled and made a joke, then handed the interview microphone to Hanikezi next to him.

Lu Zhiyuan himself quietly walked off the field.

Seeing Hanikezi approach, the reporter's eyes lit up, and his tone became much lighter: "Ati, you look so beautiful today. Has anyone ever told you that you have a special charm when you wear a princess dress?"

Upon hearing the compliment, Hanikezi immediately smiled sweetly, said thank you shyly, and then looked at Lu Zhiyuan in the distance: "It was Brother Yuan who picked out the clothes for me. He always has a good eye, doesn't he?"

"Brother A-Yuan?"

In English-speaking countries, the term "Brother A Yuan" is not ambiguous at all; it sounds more like a blood relationship.

However, this journalist is of Russian descent.

Just like in China, in Russia, it is considered very ambiguous for a woman to call a man "brother".

For Russians, the term "brother" is equivalent to calling someone "darling."

At that moment, the reporter seemed to understand something, looking at Hanikezi with a very strange expression, and exclaimed, "I think I've learned an incredible secret."

"Thank you for the interview, Ati."

At that moment, the reporter hesitated.

He felt he had uncovered a major story. But upon closer inspection, he realized he had no evidence.

Hanikezi has a one-sided crush on Lu Zhiyuan, but Lu Zhiyuan doesn't reciprocate. The two of them don't engage in any ambiguous behavior in public.

At most, they would link arms and walk the red carpet together.

Even cheek kisses, a very normal practice in Europe and America, were not given.

Let's not even talk about any other more ambiguous behavior.

"Damn it, damn it... I feel so awful."

"I know a secret. But their public persona is so clean that I can't find any evidence."

"How am I supposed to sleep tonight?"

This reporter couldn't do anything to Lu Zhiyuan, nor could he do anything to Hanikezi.

Moreover, even if we take a step back and assume that Lu Zhiyuan and Hanikezi's relationship is exposed, it doesn't seem like a big deal.

Both of them are adults.

One is ranked number one on the list of the world's 100 most handsome men, and the other is ranked number one on the list of the world's 100 most beautiful faces. They sound like a match made in heaven.

Will Leonardo DiCaprio's annual change of a young model girlfriend affect his status among global movie fans?

Compared to male celebrities from Europe and America, Lu Zhiyuan is as pure as a Puritan, making those European and American women wish they could transform into devils to lure him into hell.

May the saints be sent to hell.

Just thinking about it is exciting for those women.

……

"Honey, what did you talk about with that reporter? The way he looked at us was a little strange."

As a director, Lu Zhiyuan is very good at perceiving the psychological activities of others from subtle details.

He felt that if he didn't become a director, he could become a forensic expert.

"We didn't talk about much. I just said that you picked out this dress for me and complimented you on your good taste."

Hanikezi didn't think there was anything wrong with calling him "Brother Ayuan".

In the past, Dilraba referred to herself as such in interviews.

"Never mind. Let's not worry about it."

"James will handle these negative comments for us. If James can't handle it, Jeff Hill, the chairman of Universal Pictures, will step in for us."

Since I've helped Universal Pictures make so much money, they should naturally help me solve some things that I'm too impatient to deal with myself.

For example, the control of public opinion.

While North America values ​​freedom of speech, there is a rule that applies worldwide.

The rule is that money can make the devil turn the millstone.

Which journalist who works in North America would offend Universal Pictures for no reason?
Universal Pictures is already pretty awesome, but its parent company is even more awesome. It's the second-largest network operator in the US, with annual revenue exceeding $1000 billion.

It's a true behemoth.

In 2014, Universal Pictures' parent company even tried to acquire Time Warner Cable for $450 billion.

This acquisition has caused a global uproar.

However, the acquisition ultimately fell through due to an antitrust investigation.

Otherwise, Time Warner would have already changed its name.

Recent rumors suggest that Universal Pictures' parent company is preparing to acquire DreamWorks Animation.

This time, they should have done the necessary preparations for the acquisition, and it's highly unlikely they will encounter an antitrust investigation.

Lu Zhiyuan's YD Pictures, although not closely related to Universal Pictures, which is only responsible for the promotion and distribution of Lu Zhiyuan's films in Europe and America.

However, Lu Zhiyuan also has another multi-billion dollar collaboration with Universal Pictures: YT Pictures.

Although the company is currently a shell company, it holds one of the most promising IPs in the world: Real Steel.

The Real Steel trilogy, plus its prequel Upgrade, is comparable to Star Wars in terms of box office earnings.

And today, Star Wars: The Force Awakens was released on the same day as Art Students 2.

In addition, another movie, "Sisters," is also being released today. It's a family drama with no gimmicks and is also distributed by Universal Pictures.

However, it's clear that the movie "Sisters" is a flop.

It is unlikely to have any impact on Star Wars: The Force Awakens, and it probably won't be able to compete with Art Students 2 either.

……

"Honey, after we finish attending Mr. Zhuang's premiere, let's find some time to go and watch Star Wars: Episode VII next door."

Lu Zhiyuan, living in another time and space, had certainly seen this movie.

He had no emotional attachment to the film and didn't find it particularly interesting.

It's watchable, but not particularly exciting.

In short, it's not as exciting or memorable as "Pacific Rim".

However, barring any unforeseen circumstances, this film is expected to gross close to $10 billion at the North American box office.

It might even become the highest-grossing film in North American history.

This data is so exaggerated that no competitor can match it.

Lu Zhiyuan had to go to the cinema to experience firsthand the real feedback from North American moviegoers regarding this film.

A billion dollars at the box office!

It's really an exaggeration.

It's important to know that North America has a total population of 3.8 million.

In 2015, the average ticket price in North America was around $8.5, meaning that nearly 1.2 million people went to the cinema and bought tickets to see this movie.

That's close to 30% of the population!
Of course, some people will watch it repeatedly, but even so, it's terrifying enough.

If this were in China, and 4 million people went to see a movie, with each ticket costing an average of 50 yuan, how high would the movie's box office be?
Starting at 200 billion!
It directly broke the $30 billion box office record held by Avatar!

"Going to the movies? I need to go back and change my clothes first."

Hanikezi pointed to her dress.

It's December now, and while Los Angeles isn't particularly cold, it's not a good time to wear a princess dress like this.

If I were to wear a princess dress and run hand-in-hand with Lu Zhiyuan down the street, it would undoubtedly become the headline of entertainment news worldwide.

Hanikezi certainly wanted to do that.

But she knew that Lu Zhiyuan would definitely not agree.

"Right."

Lu Zhiyuan thought for a moment and realized he also needed to change his clothes.

"How about this, after we finish here, we'll go back to the hotel to change our clothes, and then go downstairs for a late-night snack."

Hanikezi doesn't need to lose weight.

As a dance student, she never had any trouble losing weight; she just needed to exercise more.

Moreover, she is only 19 years old, the time when her metabolism is at its peak, so she doesn't gain weight no matter how much she eats.

Unlike Liu Yifei, who is almost 30 years old, she gains weight rapidly after just a few bites of food, her face becomes wider and wider, and even her eyes become smaller.

"It's all up to you."

Hanikezi smiled and nodded, silently adding in her mind: I'll listen to you, my future husband.

……

The film "Art Students 2" has attracted a lot of attention from the media and is highly anticipated by many movie fans.

The main reason is that Lu Zhiyuan filmed the first part so well.

He even won the Academy Award for Best Actor for this film, becoming the first Asian actor to achieve this feat in history!
Everyone is wondering if the sequel to this movie will be even more exciting.
After all, at the end of the first part of "Art Students", Li Wen, played by Lu Zhiyuan, was throwing money around at the InterContinental Hotel and then transformed into the founder of an arms company that produces robots.

This Easter egg sent chills down the spines of countless people.

If the sequel can cover these plot points, the box office will definitely exceed 500 million US dollars.

For movies, hype outweighs substance.

The bigger the gimmick, the larger the number of viewers who can be lured into the movie theater and ripped off.

After all, not everyone is fully aware of online opinions.

Most viewers probably just saw some gimmicky advertising somewhere, and since they happened to have some free time, they decided to buy a ticket to see a movie.

Many people don't even have their own judgment.

After watching the movie, that's it.

Even if you see a bad movie, you might complain to your family, but not so many people will nitpick and go on a crazy rant online.

Although more and more people are posting movie reviews online as the internet becomes more developed, those who post movie reviews are still a minority.

If a movie is watched by 10 million people, the number of comments that can be seen online will not exceed 1000.

While 10 entries may seem like a lot, it likely represents only 1% of the total paying users for the entire movie.

It is a negligible amount of data.

In today's information-overloaded world, sensationalism is everything.

If the target audience for the campaign is large enough, and 90% of the audience remains silent, then the remaining minority who are willing to speak will fall into self-doubt.

Thus, the publicity team achieved its goal.

However, this also has a clear downside.

In this situation, each movie will lose 5% to 10% of its audience, and after 10 movies, the paying audience will basically disappear.

After this batch of "leeks" (young people who are exploited) is harvested, under normal circumstances, if the number of young people remains unchanged, there will be 2000 million births every year.

It didn't have much of an impact.

With 2 million major paying users, 2000 million new users are added every year, and 2000 million users are lost every year, the situation is just right with no increase or decrease.

But the fear is that with more bad movies, audiences will become more wary and more cautious about paying to go to the cinema.

Going to the movies is originally an impulse purchase.

Once the audience becomes wary and starts to think things through, it becomes dozens of times more difficult to get them to spend money.

……

As it turns out, Zhuang Wenqiang was completely won over by Lu Zhiyuan.

Before filming "Art Students," Zhuang Wenqiang, as a top screenwriter, would definitely have had his own ideas, wanting to create a sequel that was both elegant and passionate.

But after listening to Lu Zhiyuan's opinion, Zhuang Wenqiang changed the sequel into a mindless, mindless action movie.

Regardless, box office revenue is the most important thing.

As long as his movies are box office hits, people will blindly invest in whatever he wants to make in the future.

……

The first scene of the movie.

Nicolas Cage plays the Painter, who is sitting on his sofa at home with a Chinese rural dog named Yellow squatting next to him.

Chinese native dogs are somewhat different from the large hunting dogs or small pet dogs popular in Europe and America; their eyes look a bit goofy.

"Wow, Antonio!"

The sequel brings back the classic moments.

[Nicolas Cage] is watching the live television broadcast of [Li Wen], played by Lu Zhiyuan, frantically throwing money off the rooftop of the InterContinental Hotel.

Numerous television stations' helicopters were aimed at Lu Zhiyuan.

Seeing this scene, Nicolas Cage remained expressionless, opening a beer for himself while simultaneously opening a can of dog food for his big yellow dog.

The man and his dog entered a state of watching the drama unfold.

At this moment, the camera gave a close-up of the canned dog food.

The dog food cans have a very eye-catching trademark: "Crazy Dog," which is a newly established domestic dog food brand.

But after this movie, I believe the whole world will know about this brand of dog food.

The brand "Crazy Dog" came into contact with Nicolas Cage, a big, goofy-looking yellow dog, creating a stark contrast.

That's so dramatic.

It makes you want to laugh involuntarily.

"Ha ha!"

"What kind of dog is this? It looks so innocent. Does it know that the dog food it's eating is called Crazy Puppy?"

The audience in the movie theater couldn't help but burst into laughter after seeing this close-up shot.

……

The opening scenes of most drama films are tedious and lengthy. However, Zhuang Wenqiang learned some tricks from Lu Zhiyuan, such as making good use of visual contrast.

Even a very serious dark crime film needs to include some funny little jokes.

"Unfortunately, I just can't learn the techniques of light and shadow no matter how hard I try."

Zhuang Wenqiang originally wanted to continue Lu Zhiyuan's style and make extensive use of Caravaggio-style cellar lighting in the sequel.

But he suddenly realized that he did not have Lu Zhiyuan's talent.

He only knew about Caravaggio's cellar lighting, but how to use it... he had no idea.

Even if you're cramming at the last minute, you still have to consider what color temperature to use, what angle to use, and how to adjust the positions of the actors.

Should these lights be placed on the actor's profile, their face, or their back?
Oh my god!

Just thinking about it makes Zhuang Wenqiang's head explode.

He could certainly imitate a cat, but if the drawing doesn't look like the tiger, people would laugh at him.

Since that's the case, he might as well use his expertise in Hong Kong-style crime aesthetics!
According to Lu Zhiyuan, if he was not confident about certain shots, he would speed up the pace so that the audience would ignore those shots and be overwhelmed by the dense events, becoming completely immersed in the plot.

……

On the screen.

"boom!"

A loud crash shattered the silence.

Nicolas Cage put down his beer, calmed the barking yellow dog, and went outside to check on it.

Then, a shadow attacked him from behind, knocking him unconscious.

Immediately afterwards, through his blurry vision, he saw someone rummaging through his house, seemingly searching for something.

At that moment, his big yellow dog rushed out, bit the other person, and was shot dead.

After searching around, they found nothing. Just then, the sound of police sirens came from outside.

"Hurry, the cops are coming!"

Those mysterious visitors left in a hurry.

Nicolas Cage slowly struggled to his feet, walked to his big yellow dog, watched as the dog panted heavily, its eyes sparkling with innocent, goofy looks, and finally, it slowly stopped breathing.

"no no……"

The cold, dark night, the messy living room, with shards of glass everywhere.

A lone lamp swayed overhead, casting Nicolas Cage's shadow on the ground in fragmented waves.

The light from that lamp would occasionally flicker across the blood-stained yellow dog.

……

In just a few short shots, the atmosphere of revenge was rendered very effectively.

The audience, who had been laughing and joking just moments before, suddenly fell silent, and several female audience members almost burst into tears.

Because these North American viewers really love owning dogs and cats.

After all, living alone in a big city is really lonely.

In today's materialistic society, couples are more like physical partners than soulmates.

There is deception between them.

Some people even tried to steal the other person's gold coins.

There's a saying that goes, "The more people you know, the more you like pets."

In more economically developed regions, pets carry a greater amount of extra emotional weight.

……

But for Lu Zhiyuan, the lighting effects at this moment were the most important.

Seeing this, a smile appeared in Lu Zhiyuan's eyes.

He smiled without saying a word, then turned to Hanikezi beside him: "Hani, let me test you. What techniques did Officer Zhuang use in this shot?"

Hanikezi turned around with a smile, shook his head first, and said seriously, "Brother Ayuan, you are no longer my teacher. Please remember that."

Hanikezi's rebellious phase had been anticipated for several years.

How obedient she was when she was fifteen or sixteen!

After she turned 18, she entered her rebellious phase and wanted to become a disobedient student.

"Honey, if you can give me a satisfactory answer, I will give you the gift you've been waiting for for your birthday next month."

Hanikezi's birthday is January 29th.

Around this time of year, it's almost Chinese New Year.

Except for certain special years, at this critical juncture, Hanikezi would have already returned to her hometown to reunite with her parents.

Therefore, Lu Zhiyuan has not held many birthday parties for Hanikezi over the years.

"really?"

Upon hearing this, Hanikezi's pupils lit up like tiny light bulbs.

The birthday present I've been waiting for is you, isn't it?
Thinking of this, Hanikezi suddenly became motivated. After pondering for a while, he began to answer: "It's Caravaggio's unique lighting effects."

Lu Zhiyuan nodded in agreement.

The lighting effects at this moment are indeed in Caravaggio's style; they are very unique and easily recognizable.

Clearly, when filming the sequel, Chong Man-keung imitated his style, wanting to maintain consistency in the lighting and shadow style of the sequel with the first film.

Lu Zhiyuan was quite pleased that Zhuang Wenqiang had managed to do this.

He also thought that the directors in Hong Kong were incapable of learning or improving. They believed that one trick was enough to make them successful, and that they would always rely on the same old gangster narrative logic.

At least at this moment, Zhuang Wenqiang was influenced by him and began to pay attention to the lighting and shadow techniques in film narrative.

This made him very happy.

When he's not making movies, Lu Zhiyuan is also an audience member, especially enjoying science fiction and action films.

"Besides Caravaggio?"

Lu Zhiyuan continued to look at Hanikezi.

Simply mentioning Caravaggio isn't enough; that's too simplistic.

"And then... I don't know."

Hanikezi thought for a long time but really couldn't come up with anything; she really had no artistic talent.

"Think back to this scene; it's a picture full of strong contrasts. The protagonist and his dog are in an almost frozen state. But in order to express the dynamism of the scene, the light source had to start to flicker, creating that fragmented atmosphere."

"We need to see the essence of things through the images... What is swaying at this moment is not the light, but the protagonist's heart."

"He was in a daze and on the verge of an emotional breakdown."

Movies are not novels, after all.

Novels can use a lot of narration to describe the protagonist's inner collapse, struggle, and regret at this moment, but movies can only use visuals.

The only way to convey that emotion through visuals is through the effects of light and shadow.

If it were a TV series, it would be simpler: have the character's face contorted with veins, gritted teeth, tears streaming down their face, or roaring to the sky.

But movies can't do that.

We can't be so blunt.

We must use lighting and shadow effects to convey a stronger, more direct sense of inner pain.

"Besides that, did you notice that before the big yellow dog was killed, the light above his head was shining directly on Nicolas Cage's face?"

"But at this moment, the light only shines on his back, leaving his face in darkness."

"Caravaggio's use of light and shadow liked to shine the divine light on sin, in order to show the dialectical relationship between sin and redemption."

"Clearly, Nicolas Cage is a criminal, but this dog is his salvation. Now, someone has killed his salvation... The gears of fate have begun to turn!"

Lu Zhiyuan thought this was a very good start.

Besides the story getting into the swing of things quickly, Zhuang Wenqiang clearly put a lot of effort into the lighting and shadow effects.

This achieves a unity between the plot and the lighting effects.

This is a fantastic start.

Lu Zhiyuan would give this moment's dramatic tension a score of 9 out of 10.

"But, Inspector Zhuang, how did you learn that?"

Lu Zhiyuan was quite curious about this.

He felt a sense of déjà vu about the scene.

Zhuang Wenqiang gave an awkward smile: "Well, I asked the landlady for advice. She took a picture of your studio and showed it to me."

Lu Zhiyuan once drew a concept art for the movie "John Wick," and originally planned to cast Yang Mi as the female lead.

He selected two movies for Yang Mi.

One is "The Accountant" and the other is "John Wick".

The idea is to portray Yang Mi as a ruthless assassin and then fit her into the "Real Steel" series.

Later, he discovered that Yang Mi had a facial problem and couldn't be cold at all.

A blank face isn't called being cold-hearted; it's just being a wooden person.

So he removed Yang Mi from his shortlist and also put away the concept art he had created for her.

Lu Zhiyuan never expected that Zhuang Wenqiang would make use of this painting.

"Thank you for your guidance from afar, Brother Yuan."

Zhuang Wenqiang felt that the scene just now was probably the most artistically impactful scene in the entire movie.

Because his teacher of light and shadow was Caravaggio.

The art director for the composition of the image was Lu Zhiyuan.

He felt that he was incredibly smart.

What is this called?
This is called making the best use of everything.

Anyway, Lu Zhiyuan isn't going to make this movie, so it would be a waste to keep such good concept art locked away in his storage room.

He had to bring this scene back to light.

"You're amazing."

Lu Zhiyuan originally wanted to praise Zhuang Wenqiang in front of Hanikezi, and then let Hanikezi learn from Zhuang Wenqiang, this good student.

Who knew it would backfire?

Zhuang Wenqiang is a copyist.

……

The rest of the movie's plot immediately descends into the mindless combat style of "John Wick".

Nicolas Cage transforms into a vengeful maniac, killing his way through the enemy ranks.

This is the kind of rhythm that Hong Kong directors excel at.

There was almost no plot; after a few lines of dialogue confirming they were enemies, they immediately slaughtered everyone without saying a word.

No matter how many people the other side has, one word: fight!

……

"I love these kinds of action movies that are so exhilarating."

"It's been a long time since I've seen a movie like this, a non-stop action thriller. Although it's a bit mindless, isn't the point of watching movies to have fun?"

"This movie was absolutely awesome!"

Although the movie was very enjoyable, for some reason, viewers could hardly remember what they had watched after finishing the entire film.

Unlike when I watched the first "Art Students," after watching it, many classic scenes would naturally come to mind.

I may never forget it for decades.

……

After the movie ends.

There were no cheers, no applause.

The audience seemed to be in a dilemma, unsure whether to criticize or praise the film.
It's not that ugly.

To be honest, this movie isn't that great.

It's like spending a little money on a regular buffet. Nothing much to say about it.

"Brother Yuan, do I consider this a success?"

Zhuang Wenqiang attended the premiere of Lu Zhiyuan's "Art Students".

After the premiere, almost the entire audience cheered, especially the female audience members, who were completely captivated by Lu Zhiyuan.

Many people are shouting that they want to have a child with Lu Zhiyuan.

When it was his turn, the audience didn't react at all. What's going on?
"I do not know either."

Lu Zhiyuan had never encountered this situation before, but he felt that the movie should be a box office success.

The probability of him failing is not high.

As a viewer, I found it quite enjoyable to watch after he lost his mind.

The whole movie was pretty engaging, with hardly any dull moments.

But there's nothing memorable about it.

The most memorable parts are the opening few shots, with Caravaggio-esque lighting effects. From then on, Zhuang Wenqiang completely let loose.

"Don't worry. If we fail, I'll cover for you."

Lu Zhiyuan recalled that in another timeline, when the first "John Wick" movie was released, the box office didn't seem to be particularly high.

To everyone's surprise, the box office of the following sequels continued to climb.

There was even a spin-off movie called "Ballet Killer".

It was really unexpected.

"Brother Yuan, thank you for your support."

Regardless, the fact that he can continue to work as a director in Hollywood is already enough to satisfy Zhuang Wenqiang.

Hong Kong directors' attempts to break into Hollywood have all failed.

He is now the only son.

Moreover, it's an action movie.

So many stuntmen in Hong Kong can transition into action directors and make a living on his film sets.

Now, when people in Hong Kong's entertainment industry mention him, everyone gives him a thumbs up and calls him "Inspector Chong."

In the past, no one called him Zhuang Sir; they all called him Xiao Zhuang or Qiang Zai.

……

12月18号，《美术生2》上映第1天，北美票房1000万美金。

On December 19th, the third day of its release, the film grossed $11 million at the North American box office.

On December 20th, the third day of its release, the film grossed $11 million at the North American box office.

"What the hell? It actually dropped? Why is that? I remember when Brother Yuan's movies were released, Sunday's box office was always the highest."

Zhuang Wenqiang obtained the box office data for the first weekend of the film.

very good.

$3300 million in its opening weekend.

However, considering that this is a sequel to "Art Students," the original of which grossed $7.5 million worldwide, making it the highest-grossing art film in history.

As a sequel to a blockbuster, his film should have a very high initial box office.

The first three days of the weekend were almost entirely supported by Lu Zhiyuan's fans.

In the following second week, the box office will most likely be halved.

By week 3, it's highly likely that this person will no longer be found.

Under these circumstances, the box office in North America will definitely not exceed $6000 million.

Besides, what upset Zhuang Wenqiang the most was that the domestic box office, which he had been eagerly anticipating, showed no signs of becoming a blockbuster.

Many people even criticized him online, saying they had been deceived. "Art Students 2" was a complete rip-off!

There's not a trace of an art student about him.
He's basically a retired assassin who fights from start to finish.

"Officer Zhuang, according to authoritative predictions, this film should gross over 2 million US dollars. Could you consider where you'd like to hold your celebration party?"

The film's box office performance was not explosive, which was entirely within Lu Zhiyuan's expectations.

Under normal circumstances, this movie would have only grossed around 1 million US dollars. However, the title "Art Student" helped Zhuang Wenqiang earn an extra 1 million US dollars at the box office.

From a certain perspective, the term "art student" is worth 1 million US dollars.

However, as long as we don't lose money, that's fine.

As long as it doesn't lose money, a sequel can still be made.

In the third installment, Zhuang Wenqiang could bring some Chinese actors into the series to act as teammates of the main characters and make the scale of the production bigger.

"Celebration party?"

Zhuang Wenqiang was initially worried that Lu Zhiyuan would give him a severe dressing down.

After all, the first film grossed $750 million, while the second film was almost halved again, barely managing to break $200 million.

But then Zhuang Wenqiang thought back and realized that 2 million US dollars was more than 10 billion yuan, which was very good.

This film, with an investment of only 3000 million US dollars, has already achieved a return of nearly 7 times, making it a very successful business case.

It's definitely worth celebrating.

He's not Lu Zhiyuan.

As a director, if the films I make can make money, I have already fulfilled my mission and lived up to the expectations of the investors.

He couldn't be like Lu Zhiyuan, thinking that the movie would be an instant hit and break film history records.

Is that something an ordinary person could do?

Anyway, he can't do it.

"By the way, Brother Yuan, how's Star Wars: Episode VII coming along?"

Zhuang Wenqiang knew that Lu Zhiyuan had been watching the actual events of Star Wars: Episode VII in various parts of North America these past few days.

He just asked casually.

"That's an exaggeration."

Lu Zhiyuan personally went to conduct on-site research, visited several cinemas, and experienced the fervor of Star Wars fans.

These IPs that span decades are truly captivating.

It's absolutely nostalgic.

Many viewers are almost 60 years old, and they brought their sons and grandsons to watch this movie together, which is unimaginable for Lu Zhiyuan.

However, considering that the first Star Wars movie was released in 1977.

Born in 1960, the "Old Boy" was only 17 years old when the first Star Wars movie was released.

Data proves that these fans also have considerable purchasing power.

Star Wars: The Force Awakens grossed around $250 million in its opening weekend in North America, breaking the record set by Jurassic World this summer.

The latter is also a sequel film that has been running for many years.

Lu Zhiyuan finally understood... For cultural and entertainment works like movies, sentiment is priceless.

(End of this chapter)