PNB Chapter 123 Hollywood's Asian Special? [5000]
Chapter 123 Hollywood's Asian Special? [5000]
Chapter 123 Hollywood's Asian Special? [5000]
The experience points next to the dialogue attributes on the panel jumped suddenly, breaking through the limit!
[Dialogue attribute upgraded! Current level: Lv4 (5/800)]
A completely new sense of control surged up my throat and the tip of my tongue.
It's not just about clearer pronunciation; it's about a completely new level of control over the rhythm, stress, pauses, and the emotion and persuasiveness that each sentence can convey.
He could even subtly perceive the resonance and echo of his own voice in the theater space.
Chen Xun was thrilled, but showed no sign of it on his face.
During a brief pause in the applause, he nodded to the brave Arab girl and then signaled to the host that they could continue.
Although some of the questions that followed were still sharp, they were all handled properly thanks to Chen Xun's newly upgraded control over his dialogue.
Gina and Kayla also relaxed.
Gina even defused several difficult questions about the action scenes with her signature frankness and humor, while Keira shared her understanding of the characters' relationships from a professional perspective.
The roadshow ended in a much more positive atmosphere than it had started.
As they left, Rob leaned over and whispered, "Well done, Bro, especially that reference to the other Green Lanterns in the comics—a stroke of genius. People on Twitter are already sharing that girl's line along with a screenshot of Simon Baz's Wikipedia page!"
Chen Xun nodded and looked out the window.
The protesters had not completely dispersed, but their presence seemed to have diminished somewhat.
Meanwhile, the enthusiasm among the fans remained high.
The premiere and appearances by the lead actors have concluded, and the film is about to be released.
Unlike its predecessor, the film did not choose to be released in New Zealand first, but premiered directly in the United States.
The true green light alliance and those who protect the classics are no longer satisfied with just standing by and demonstrating.
They began to systematically block the main entrance of the cinema, forming a human wall, and verbally harassing moviegoers.
"Are you really going to watch that Chinese actor playing a superhero?"
"Your Green Lantern will cry!"
"Don't use your money to support this kind of tampering!"
These are only mild cases.
According to reports Rob obtained from theater managers and Warner ground staff across the country, at least a dozen more cities experienced even worse incidents!
In Chicago, a group of masked protesters surrounded several Asian college students, snatched their movie tickets, and tore them up on the spot.
In Houston, a single mother who wanted to take her child to see a movie was followed and threatened by several burly men, and was ultimately forced to give up the movie and go home.
The same applies elsewhere.
Small-scale conflicts even occurred.
Protesters attempted to prevent spectators from entering, leading to scuffles with some angry spectators and security personnel. The police were called, and the scene became chaotic.
These actions undoubtedly scared away a large number of ordinary viewers.
Who wants to spend money on a ticket only to end up feeling angry, or even risk their safety?
Especially those casual viewers who were just curious, seeing that scene at the theater entrance, most of them would turn around and leave to watch the family-friendly animated films that were showing at the same time.
Chen Xun and his group sat on the sofa in the hotel suite arranged by the film crew, the laptop screens in front of them glowing.
The above is a summary of the preliminary data that Rob just sent.
"In major cities in the East and Central regions, first-day evening box office revenue was at least 40 percent lower than expected."
Rob's voice came through the hands-free phone, filled with anxiety: "It's a little better on the West Coast, but not by much. Several ticketing websites I'm tracking show that a large number of pre-sale tickets have been refunded or haven't been used at all."
Kayla sat on the single sofa opposite, holding a cup of tea that had long since gone cold, her brows furrowed.
Gina paced back and forth in frustration.
The rest of the staff were in the living room, and even through the door, the people inside could still hear the discussions outside.
"What are the media saying?"
"Mainstream entertainment media were relatively restrained, only mentioning that the box office did not meet expectations, and focusing on film reviews."
Robert paused for a moment: "But social media and those film review accounts have already started to generate buzz, and the hashtag #GreenLanternFailed# continues to gain traction."
Chen Xun rubbed his temples.
What's Warner Music doing?
Gina stopped in her tracks, her tone unfriendly: "They just stand by and watch these bastards cause trouble? This is their investment!"
"Warner's legal and security departments have intervened, issued a warning letter, and communicated with local law enforcement agencies."
Rob sighed. "But you know how slow these things take to process!"
"Moreover, those people are very cunning. The ones who actually steal things and cause conflicts are often a small number of extremists mixed in with the protesters. They may not even be core members of the original organizations. Since there is no evidence to hold them accountable, most people are just standing there legally protesting, which makes it difficult for the police to deal with them."
"Fucking hell!"
Gina cursed fiercely.
Kayla put down her teacup, looked at Chen Xun with worry in her eyes: "What do we do now? What if the box office completely collapses in the opening weekend—"
She didn't finish her sentence, but everyone present understood.
Hollywood is very pragmatic; the opening weekend box office basically determines the future screening schedule and public opinion of a blockbuster.
If the start is dismal, even if the reputation recovers later, it will be difficult to recover the huge economic losses and damage to the project's reputation.
Unfortunately, there was nothing anyone could do.
Although Chen Xun thought the film was much better than his previous life, he didn't have any good way to reverse the situation given these uncontrollable factors.
Everyone returned home with regret.
Warner Bros., Burbank headquarters, senior conference room.
The heavy walnut wood door to the conference room was tightly closed.
The long table was filled with people on both sides, but no one spoke.
At the end of the long table, a glaring red number was slowly scrolling on the screen.
That was Green Lantern's opening weekend box office.
Far below expectations!
Greg Silverman tapped his fingertips unconsciously on the smooth tabletop.
"Greg!"
The speaker was the Vice President in charge of global market analysis: "The analysis report shows that the casting decision affected the opening weekend box office by more than 35%, and negative public opinion led to a significantly lower-than-expected willingness to go to the movies among family audiences and the core male audience group over 25 years old!"
So they're already trying to shift the blame?
Greg Silverman looked at the man who had joined the company at the same time as him and had been his competitor all along.
Before he could speak, the CFO sitting next to him raised his eyelids, his eyes narrowing slightly behind his frameless glasses: "The marketing investment-to-return ratio is already flashing red. If we continue to invest in the second phase of the global roadshow and saturation-style GG as originally planned, and the domestic momentum cannot be reversed, the entire project's profit margin model will collapse. The board of directors cannot approve unlimited attempts to fill the gaps!"
Greg Silverman is under immense pressure!
He was a key figure in the Green Lantern project, supporting every step from selecting Martin Campbell to ultimately casting Chen Xun.
"Chen Xun's appeal in those markets is translating into tangible box office success, and there's still significant room for growth in the global total. What we need is time to let the quality of the film itself speak for itself, offsetting the noise from some extreme voices in North America —"
Greg Silverman tried to struggle.
"But this is Hollywood, Greg!"
Another senior director interrupted him, his voice low but his words ruthless.
Everyone was present when the decision was made to cast Chen Xun as the lead actor, but at this moment it's as if they've lost their memory.
"We all hope that global box office revenue can make up for the shortfall, but we must face reality: the foundation of the DC Universe is in North America!"
"A film that is labeled as controversial and divisive in its home country will suffer serious damage to its derivative value, merchandise sales, and even the appeal of subsequent series development."
Less than an hour into the meeting, several key pieces of information were transmitted intermittently to Chen Xun's mobile phone.
"A bad start, immense pressure—" Silverman's face was ashen.
"Some people are mentioning market misjudgment and casting risks."
"There may be proposals to adjust subsequent publicity strategies and liability assessments."
This information was obtained by Rob through his connections.
After sending the last message, Rob added, "Bro, get ready, a bucket of shit might come your way. Hollywood doesn't support idlers, and it certainly doesn't support losers, even if the failure wasn't entirely your fault."
On social media, the lackluster box office performance of "Green Lantern" has become a new hot topic.
"Green Lantern suffers a setback at the start of its run, with racial controversy looming over its opening day box office."
"Warner Bros.' new superhero film is met with a lukewarm reception; can the market accept new faces?"
News stories dominated the headlines.
The film forums and Twitter were buzzing with activity.
"I told you so! Warner Bros. must be out of their mind to put an Asian guy who acts in sitcoms in a superhero blockbuster!"
"Congratulations DC, you've successfully broken your own record for worst investment!"
"Have DC executives been bewitched by Disney? This move is like throwing money into the Pacific Ocean, and yet they manage to..."
So he tied a stone to it.
"Martin Campbell is old and his vision is failing. Greg Silverman should also resign. The project he championed has now become a laughing stock."
"Cut the losses quickly! Cut the subsequent promotional budget, admit defeat, and then shift the blame to that arrogant Chinese actor, saying that his acting skills are not up to par and the audience is not buying it."
"I heard that there have been many conflicts within the crew for a long time. Chen Xun is a diva and doesn't get along with Keira Knightley. They argue every day on set."
Director Martin, producer, and Warner executive Greg Silverman, who previously supported Chen Xun, are now primarily responsible for the online mob and the verbal attacks from some financial and entertainment media outlets.
That's always been the rule of the game in Hollywood.
When the project succeeds, everyone benefits, and that's truly good; when the cake is shared, everyone is happy.
When a project runs into problems, the first thing people do is not look for the cause, but for the person responsible, commonly known as the "scapegoat."
Once the right targets are identified and the interests are clearly defined, capital can continue to operate smoothly.
Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.
Only then can investors see hope.
He and director Martin Scorsese are undoubtedly the most readily available scapegoats right now.
Just then, Martin Campbell called directly.
The old man's voice sounded tired, but he wasn't panicked.
"Chen, have you seen all that garbage online?"
Martin got straight to the point.
"Enjoying it!"
Chen Xun replied.
"Hmph, a bunch of hyenas."
Martin cursed, "Warner just had a meeting, and it was a huge mess. Silverman is under a lot of pressure. Some people want to cut back on future publicity, and some even suggested that the focus should be shifted to reviewing the project's decision-making errors."
"So they're making us take the blame?"
Chen Xun hit the nail on the head.
There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone, followed by Martin's helpless laugh: "That's roughly the gist of it, but Silverman hasn't given his word yet, so I'm holding out for now. The movie's only been out for a day! Those idiots!"
"Director, do you think we've lost?" Chen Xun suddenly asked.
"Of course not!"
Martin raised his voice: "The quality of the film speaks for itself! I've been making films my whole life, I know what good stuff is! Now it's being dragged down by a bunch of lunatics using underhanded tactics!"
The next morning, while Chen Xun was still asleep, Robert, sporting dark circles under his eyes, grabbed his laptop and rushed to Beverly Hills.
He kept muttering, "This is not scientific" and "This is not fair."
It was as if the person had been bewitched.
On the computer screen were preliminary box office figures for the second day in the United States.
Although it was slightly better than the first day, the increase was limited.
On social media, the hashtag #GreenLanternFailed# remained firmly attached to related topics despite WarnerMedia's efforts to suppress it.
Even if the word is banned, related keywords will still appear.
Even anonymous insiders have begun to reveal:
Warner Bros. is already urgently evaluating a loss mitigation strategy and considering a significant reduction in its subsequent global marketing budget.
"These opportunists!"
Rob slammed his fist on the table angrily: "Yesterday they were just criticizing, and today they're making up stories! Insider information? Insider my foot!"
Chen poured himself a glass of water and leaned against the kitchen counter, his face showing no signs of anxiety.
His emotional attribute, which has reached level 4, allows him to maintain a superficial stability.
But deep down, he was also very nervous.
Warner Bros. and investors have limited patience. If the US domestic market really can't save it, even if the international box office is decent, this post will be a huge blow to his personal career.
Hollywood can forgive failure, but it's hard to forgive an expensive one.
Especially when this failure is also tied to a controversial casting decision.
As predicted by the media, Green Lantern continued to perform well at the box office.
Some cinemas have even started to consider reducing the number of screenings.
But thanks to Greg Silverman's insistence, the global release of Green Lantern still took place as scheduled.
Warner has high hopes for the Asian market, especially China.
This was a key consideration in their decision to choose Chen Xun despite opposition and to incorporate Eastern elements.
The Asian market is growing so large that even they have to pay attention to it.
This is Chen Di's base of operations.
This was also the basis on which Greg Silverman insisted on continuing the filming at the high-level meeting.
The film passed censorship smoothly and is scheduled for release on New Year's Day.
The trailer and posters had already been released on Chinese websites, with the topic of "the first Chinese-American DC superhero lead actor" trending everywhere.
The first to react were not ordinary viewers, but rather the domestic film industry.
On a film forum known for its in-depth film reviews and industry insights, a post titled "Analyzing 'Green Lantern: Rise of the Blue Dragon': Hollywood's China Special and Self-Indulgent Long Cheng" became a trending topic.
Fa Chengren, who claims to be a screenwriter in the industry, gave a very logical and insightful analysis:
It's obvious to anyone with eyes that this is a market-exclusive product from Hollywood's standard assembly line.
Find a Chinese-American face as the main character, add some Eastern symbols like Chinatown, and think you can dominate the Chinese market? That's a terrible tactic!
Before playing a superhero, the lead actor Chen Di only played a minor role in "2 Broke Girls" and a cameo role in "Thor". If Hollywood really valued this role, would they find a TV comedian and Marvel supporting actor to carry it?
This doesn't make sense!
I predict that in the final cut, his role will either be cut so drastically that he becomes barely noticeable, or he'll be relegated to a purely functional role, with the highlights and core plot points reserved for the white characters.
For example, the female instructor and the female lead!
This article by Chengzi resonated with many people in the industry and those who consider themselves seasoned film buffs.
Several influential film critics on Weibo also shared similar views.
"Hollywood's scheme is about to backfire on me. Using a Chinese-American lead to attract audiences, but it's essentially a white-led salvation narrative. I'll wait and see after the film's release."
"Beware of Wen Gao's sugar-coated bullets. Chen Di is most likely just a gimmick. The real focus and depth of the drama are definitely not in him. Don't be fooled by appearances."
Some domestic film companies that were released at the same time as "Green Lantern" also began to secretly help promote it.
Information about Green Lantern quickly spread on Weibo and other social media platforms.
However, these rumors never achieved their intended effect.
As the film "Green Lantern" was released in mainland China in full 3D format, it had a huge investment and top-notch Hollywood visual effects production.
It caused a sensation in the country when filming began.
This is the first time in history that a film of its kind has been released in China with a Chinese face as the absolute main character.
Even if they only appear in a supporting role, they think it's pretty good!
After all, very few Chinese stars have been able to deliver outstanding performances in American blockbusters these days!
The sarcastic remarks and in-depth analyses from industry insiders on the internet were shattered on the day the film was officially released.
In first-tier cities like Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen, midnight screenings at IMAX theaters are almost always sold out.
On ticketing apps, prime-time shows for the first weekend were marked as "scarce" early on.
In the cinema lobby, the proportion of young people in the lines for tickets and popcorn was surprisingly high.
They were wearing hoodies and headphones, chatting excitedly in small groups.
"Finally! Who cares what the critics say, we'll only know for sure after we've seen it ourselves!"
"I came with my roommate; there are six of us in our dorm, and we bought tickets for the entire row!"
"I just want to see what Chen looks like in the green light uniform; that shot in the trailer was too short!"
"I heard the special effects are amazing? Are all the scenes on OA Star newly made?"
Xiang Ying begins.
When Chen Di appeared in the theater, dressed in a plaid shirt, with dark circles under his eyes, looking like a programmer eating a sandwich while holding a laptop on the subway, a relaxed murmur and whispers rippled through the theater.
"Holy crap, this image is so realistic—"
"A beacon of light for programmers!"
"It's me!"
This initial image, which closely reflects the lives of countless young people in China, quickly dispelled any sense of distance.
When Chen Di was robbed in Chinatown, in his panic, the fragments of the jade pendant and the lamp ring resonated, creating a shower of coins that knocked out the robbers. He then tumbled into the hot pot restaurant next door in a sorry state, which caused an even louder uproar from the crowd.
"Hahaha, what a cunning devil!"
"A rain of coins? That's so mystical!"
Hot pot restaurant owner: I freaking ————
The comedic and down-to-earth opening completely captivated the audience.
Young viewers discovered that this superhero's approach was not quite what they had imagined.
He wasn't as flamboyant as Tony Stark, nor as upright as Steve Rogers.
He was a kind-hearted person who was afraid, could contribute to society, and was battered by life.
As the plot unfolds, the spectacular visual effects of Planet 0A draw gasps of amazement.
The intense, realistic training and combat with Instructor Sera is an adrenaline rush.
The delicate yet humorous romantic relationship between Chen Di and Lindsay has also captured the hearts of many young viewers, especially female viewers.
"That female instructor is so cool! Sister, step on me!"
"Keira Knightley is so beautiful! She and Chen Di actually have a surprisingly good chemistry!"
"I almost cried when Chen went back to see his grandmother."
"That dragon-shaped lamp ring artifact in the final battle was absolutely awesome!"
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