Chapter 643 Hitting the wall head-on
Special year, special pattern, the autumn and holiday seasons are showing a prosperous scene, the major Hollywood film companies are busier than ever, and underneath the noisy and lively surface is the re-arrangement of the market The competition for power is more intense than imagined.
Warner Bros. once again shows its courage and ambition.
However.
After all, the box office of "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets" failed to turn the world around. It is true that the movie's box office is still outstanding, which once again proves the appeal of the series of movies and is far from a failure; but compared to Warner Bros. Despite the brothers' high expectations, the box office performance was disappointing.
Especially in the context of "Spider-Man" rewriting history.
However, Warner Bros. need not panic, because "Harry Potter" is not the only blockbuster film to feel that the market energy is being drained.
"Die Another Day", after four weeks of release, accumulated a box office of US$138 million, but the weekend box office figure has dropped to US$7.8 million.
"Star Trek: Nemesis", with a box office of 18 million US dollars in its opening weekend, even lost to the chick flick "Maid in Manhattan".
The fundamental reason why "Gangs of New York", which debuted at a box office of 9 million US dollars and was only released in 1,500 theaters, is that its reputation has never exploded——
Although this Martin Scorsese-directed film is more aimed at the awards season, it has a star-studded cast of Daniel Day-Lewis, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Cameron Diaz. It cost a full US$100 million to produce, and Miramax Film Company's expectations were obviously more than that.
Disappointed. Squib. downturn.
Quietly, this is becoming the main theme of the autumn and holiday seasons.
Of course, there is not all good news -
"8 Mile", this semi-autobiographical film about rap superstar Eminem has become a dark horse and cost only 4,000 to produce. million, but managed to fight its way out of a crowd of top blockbuster films, detonating the spotlight. The cumulative box office in the six weeks after its release has easily reached 110 million US dollars. Universal Pictures, which is good at writing a new chapter with its small and large scale, .
But this is not enough, far from it.
With all the attention and ardent expectations, the result——
That’s it?
The whole of Hollywood seems to be in a state of disinterest. Although many people secretly laugh at Warner Bros.'s wishful thinking, the heroes who really stand at the top of the pyramid regret that Warner Bros.'s bold attempt failed to succeed.
They are not worried about the success of Warner Bros., because once Warner Bros. successfully opens up the situation in the autumn and holiday seasons, other film companies will not hesitate to join the battlefield.
Amidst the desolation and sadness, 2002 is coming to an end in the blink of an eye, and there is only one last wave left in the holiday season -
The annual Christmas.
"The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers" appears.
Like the "Harry Potter" series, the "Lord of the Rings" series successfully launched its first shot at the end of last year, igniting the market amid word-of-mouth craze. Now the sequel has high hopes, demonstrating the layout of Warner Bros. Ambition.
Results.
At the box office, it was considered a success, but it still held its breath and failed to completely explode.
The movie tried to make full use of the holiday atmosphere and moved to Wednesday for full release, so the first week of release was equal to five days of screening, extending the front line.
USD 60 million in three days over the weekend and US$102 million in the first five days.
First of all, this is an achievement worthy of celebration, because director Peter Jackson only spent $94 million to produce the film, and the film’s box office numbers bode well for Warner Bros. and New Line Cinema. Easily profitable, probably more profitable than "Harry Potter."
Secondly, such results still do not meet expectations. Not to mention completely detonating the holiday season, the cumulative box office figures for the first five days are still not as good as the figures for the opening weekend of "Spider-Man". As expected, there is no harm if there is no comparison. , you can even clearly hear a sigh of relief. "...Let's just say that Peter Parker is not so easy to copy miracles."
“I didn’t expect that I actually missed it.”
“So what is the shortcoming? Warner Bros. was determined to win but fell short.”
“No way, is it still too ambitious? ?”
“The holiday season cannot compete with the summer season”
"In this situation, should I admit defeat obediently, or should I still be unwilling to fail?"
Rustling and chirping.
The entire atmosphere in Hollywood is a little weird, but there is no doubt that the talk and focus are all on Warner Bros. and the holiday season -
And, the discussion begins.
Even the two top ace series "Harry Potter" and "Lord of the Rings" still haven't been able to replicate the energy that "Spider-Man" detonated this summer, so what does this mean?
One possibility is that the holiday season is still unable to compete with the tradition of summer films. Perhaps Warner Bros. should abandon its plan to open up a new battlefield in the holiday season.
One possibility is that the success of "Spider-Man" is unique and cannot be replicated, just like "Titanic" which ignited the box office bomb at the end of the century before the second North American movie with 600 million was released exactly five years later. The market is still Without reaching such a level, film companies should slow down.
So, the former, or the latter? Or are there other possibilities?
It is against this background that the "cat and mouse game" appears on Christmas.
Here comes the opportunity to answer people’s questions and open up the market.
Although "Cat and Mouse Game" is not "Spider-Man", to be precise, these are two completely different works that have no relationship or any comparison; but in this context, it has triggered countless imaginations and speculations.
First, does the success of "Spider-Man" mean Anson's rise to the top?
Second, can Anson, who just reshaped the North American film market not long ago, make waves during the holiday season?
Thirdly, when other works have failed to overturn the situation and turn things around, can the "cat-and-mouse game" turn the tide and rewrite the story?
All kinds of things. All sorts.
Maybe "Cat and Mouse Game" is not "Spider-Man", but such a crime movie full of unlimited reverie, including top-notch collaborations such as Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks and Anson Wood, Hollywood has Good reason to be concerned about where the movie's box office ends up going.
Not only DreamWorks, not just Warner Bros., the entire Hollywood attention is focused.
So.
The bustling heat wave slowly brewed, and reached its peak after the release of the box office statistics of "Lord of the Rings 2" five days after its premiere——
"Ah, what a shame! After all, it is still necessary Answered by the 'cat and mouse game' ”
"Not long ago, Anson Wood solved the problem of the summer season. Now the problem of the holiday season is before us again. Do we still need to rely on Anson Wood?"
"Anson Wood: Can he become the new generation? The first superstar in the century? ”
In 2002, Hollywood has not yet entered the copyright era, and this city that never sleeps, Vanity Fair, still believes in the superstar effect.
From Tom Cruise to Brad Pitt to Will Smith and finally to Leonardo DiCaprio, the entire 1990s has always been shrouded in the light of superstars. Top actors can call on tens of millions of viewers across the market to enter cinemas and pay for their works.
This is an era of bright stars.
Until the death of the star and the copyright shine, Leonardo DiCaprio became the last star at the end of the century, and now Hollywood is proposing a new point of view:
Can Anson Wood become the star at the beginning of the century? The first superstar?
(End of this chapter)