With the arrival of the May summer blockbuster season, film companies are locked in fierce competition, and the first to fire was the medieval epic war film "kingdom of heaven" produced by 20th Century Fox.
"kingdom of heaven" opened in 3,216 theaters in North America, but its opening weekend only grossed $19.6 million.
On the same day, Lionsgate's low-budget film "crash" opened in 1,850 theaters, and its opening weekend in North America also achieved $9.1 million.
However, the production cost of "kingdom of heaven" was $130 million, while the production cost of "crash" was only $6.5 million.
"Boss, 'kingdom of heaven' has received a flood of negative reviews. Will it affect director Ridley Scott?" Phyllis Jones asked with some concern, holding a newspaper.
After all, "the departed" is scheduled to start filming at the end of this month, and the director is Ridley Scott.
Charles picked up the newspaper and looked at it. "kingdom of heaven" was basically released globally, with $31 million at the overseas box office on its opening weekend, plus $19 million from the North American market, totaling $50 million.
He shook his head and said, "He is also a top director, one film won't affect him. The theatrical cut of 'kingdom of heaven' is very different from his director's cut, plus these cold weapon war films are generally not popular!"
"This 'crash' has received many good reviews!"
Charles was paying attention to this low-budget film distributed by Lionsgate, as Capet Pictures is releasing "no country for old men" this year. Whether it can win the Oscar for Best Picture at next year's Academy Awards will depend on whether it can beat "crash" distributed by Lionsgate Films.
Lionsgate has never won the Oscar for Best Picture, and neither has Capet Pictures, so this still has some competitive significance.
Phyllis nodded and said, "Focusing on the theme of racial discrimination, it's very realistic, and film critics love it."
"no country for old men" has met a good opponent!" Charles' fighting spirit was also ignited. It all depends on how everyone operates at the end of the year.
"no country for old men" has been nominated for the main competition unit at Cannes! Is the boss going this year? The crew is about to leave for Cannes!" Phyllis Jones's eyes lit up as she asked.
"You're the one who wants to go, right? If you want to go, then go and take a look. I don't have time to go." The Cannes Film Festival this year is from May 11th to May 22nd, and today is already Friday the 13th. Charles' current focus is on acquiring Marvel Company and obtaining the film adaptation rights for Hasbro's transformers!
Phyllis Jones shook her head and said, "If I'm not by your side, I'm afraid you won't be used to it, Boss!"
"What's the situation with Hasbro? They won't agree to DreamWorks, and they won't agree to us. Do they even want to adapt the film?" Charles now needs a powerful blockbuster IP to become the company's ace, and the "transformers" series is perfect.
"By the way, what films does DreamWorks have scheduled for release recently?" Charles asked, standing by the window.
Phyllis Jones flipped through some files, "Next month, there's 'war of the worlds' in collaboration with Paramount. In July, there's 'the island'. In December, there's 'munich' and 'match point'. Other films don't have much attention."
"Currently, among DreamWorks' released films, only 'the ring Two' has done well at the box office, with a global box office of $161 million!"
Of course, the films Phyllis Jones reported were those receiving high attention. "war of the worlds" is a film about alien invasion collaborating with director Steven Spielberg and Tom Cruise.
"munich" is also a film based on a true event directed by Spielberg.
Not to mention "the island," a sci-fi action blockbuster directed by Michael Bay, and "match point" is a masterpiece by independent director Woody Allen.
Charles was stunned. Interesting. Isn't Capet Pictures' "mr. & mrs. smith" scheduled for release next month?
In July, "wedding crashers" is also set to be released at the same time, and in December, "no country for old men" will be released.
Is Hasbro really waiting for the box office results of Capet Pictures and DreamWorks this summer?
"Alright, let me know if there are any other messages!"
Charles was preparing to go out. The crew of the film "kingdom of heaven" came to New York for promotion, and Charles had a date with Eva Green in the evening.
After driving his Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren to the Rosewood Carlyle Hotel, Charles had someone prepare a romantic French dinner in the room.
Not long after, the doorbell of Charles's suite rang, and when he opened the door, it was indeed Eva Green standing there!
"Mmm," Eva Green hugged Charles and kissed him as soon as she entered the door. Not to be outdone, Charles directly pushed the Lady against the wall and responded.
Lifting one of the Lady's legs, Charles smiled at the Lady leaning against the wall, "You're not in a good mood because of the reviews for 'kingdom of heaven,' are you?"
"It's not that I'm in a bad mood, it's mainly that the theatrical cut was edited too much, and my character's storyline was basically abandoned!" Eva Green now only participates in the promotional work stipulated by her contract, and not much else. She even wanted to refuse to attend the North American premiere.
Well, as hot as the early promotion for "kingdom of heaven" was, the harder it fell upon release. The film's promotional activities are now very few!
After all, with this word-of-mouth and box office, there's really no need for further investment.
"Let's eat first," Charles led the Lady to the table and sat down, asking, "The actor who played King Baldwin IV of Jerusalem, the one wearing the mask, was Edward Norton, right? He doesn't seem to have anything to do with the film, and his name isn't even in the actor credits?"
"He requested it himself. He said he didn't show his face in the film and didn't want people to know it was him, so his name didn't need to be added to the credits," Eva Green explained.
Charles nodded and said, "He acted well!"
"However, there aren't many promotional activities for 'kingdom of heaven' now. You need to cooperate with what's required. Remember, you're just a newcomer in Hollywood. Don't have thoughts of refusing premieres like before." If Charles didn't have some feelings for Eva Green, he wouldn't waste time reminding her.
You, Eva Green, have personality. Although Princess Sibylla in the theatrical cut of "kingdom of heaven" became a mere vase with not many scenes, if you don't cooperate with the film's promotional activities, 20th Century Fox will definitely be unhappy.
Eva Green looked up at Charles. Although she was two years older than Charles, their auras were completely different.
"I know. My Agent has already reminded me. I will cooperate with everything from now on!" Eva Green nodded and said.
No wonder Eva Green had no resources in Hollywood in the future, besides being sexy and taking her clothes off. A newcomer actually wanted to refuse the premiere of a blockbuster of the caliber of "kingdom of heaven"?
What about Ridley Scott? The theatrical cut was 44 minutes shorter than his director's cut, and he still listened to commands to promote the film!