How exactly should superhero movies be made? There has never been a unified template.
Excluding the ceiling-level The Dark Knight, which needs no discussion, the remaining excellent ones each have their own characteristics, and it's unrealistic to force a ranking of good and bad.
Sometimes, a movie's box office failure doesn't mean its quality is poor.
For example, The Amazing Spider-Man 2, if Gwen hadn't been killed off, there would definitely have been a third installment.
Most viewers haven't read the comics; they watch superhero movies for fun. We want to be moved, but we don't want the death of the female lead to stimulate our tear ducts.
However, even so, The Amazing Spider-Man 2 still made a profit at the box office, just not enough to meet Sony's expectations, leading to the cancellation of the third film.
But now Eric is facing Toby's Spider-Man 2, which, even more than a decade later, remains the best-reviewed live-action Spider-Man movie.
Although its box office was the weakest of the old trilogy, the difficulty of surpassing it is still very high.
If Iron Man and captain america were tied together, it could naturally be done, but it would be an unfair victory.
Only by achieving victory in a one-on-one fight can the little spider truly be defeated.
So, when both movies are equally excellent, how can one ensure victory?
The answer is promotion. You must put enough effort into promotion to attract the audience's attention, and then they will be more inclined to choose your side.
Outside, the box office battle was incredibly fierce.
On the fourth day, Inception continued to lead Spider-Man 2 by over $4 million at the box office.
On the fifth day, the Inception team still held a slight lead, ahead by just over $4 million.
On the sixth day, the situation eased somewhat, and the little spider actually surpassed it by more than $2 million.
However, by the end of the week, Inception surged again, once more putting Peter Parker beneath it, exceeding it by over $3 million.
By the time the full seven-day box office figures were released, Inception had grossed $137 million in North America.
Although it didn't break the record set by transformers, this achievement, obtained under immense competitive pressure, can be called excellent.
The Autobots of that year had no decent opponents during the same period, enjoying almost two weeks of exclusive privilege.
Just look at Spider-Man 2: a weekly box office of $111 million, with the gap already widened to over $20 million.
When Sam Raimi was interviewed, he praised the actors for their best efforts, saying everyone had done their absolute best.
But you encountered a more formidable opponent, sometimes there's nothing you can do. He also said he had seen Inception and praised it as a great movie.
This was admiration from a fellow director, unrelated to the competition between companies.
Seeing that the vanguard general couldn't withstand the opponent, Disney's other trump card, the incredibles, entered the fray to snipe in the second week.
MGM also deployed the comic book adaptation wanted and the magnum opus Kung Fu, a project Stephen Chow, the King of Eastern Comedy, had meticulously crafted over two years.
At this time, Kung Fu had just opened two days ago across the ocean, and its word-of-mouth had already exploded.
Whether online or in reality, audience recognition and discussion far surpassed commercial films like Cell Phone, House of Flying Daggers, and A World Without Thieves.
While hilarious, it also told a complete story of a hero's dream, and many called it Stephen Chow's most outstanding work.
In two days, it raked in over 22 million RMB in the market. Although this box office is insignificant compared to Hollywood.
But looking at mainland China, it already belongs to the top tier, and the box office growth also exceeded last year's by over 20%.
MGM also contributed to achieving such good results.
After more than a year of guidance in various aspects, the development of the mainland Chinese film market has accelerated.
The authorities' crackdown on piracy and online dissemination has also continued to gain momentum, and everything is moving in a good and standardized direction.
It is estimated that there will be no need to wait until 2010 for the box office to explode; this goal can probably be achieved ahead of schedule by the 2008 Olympics.
However, his worldwide fame was still a bit weak, so he needed a lot of external help for promotion.
For example, the poster clearly stated endorsements like "Jim Carrey's heartfelt recommendation," "Eric Cooper saw it and said it was good," and "Jackie Chan's strong support."
It also brought up his most glorious achievement overseas, Shaolin Soccer, promoting the "Kung Fu" series.
MGM also found an excellent dubbing team to buff the movie. There was no other way; audiences in North America weren't used to watching subtitles.
Of course, this also led to some viewers not being able to fully hear the dialogue. Eric always felt this might be a conspiracy by the studios.
Not being able to hear the dialogue would lead to not understanding the movie, not understanding it would make one feel uneasy like a cat scratching, and feeling uneasy might lead to a second viewing in the cinema, thereby increasing the box office.
However, even with all these efforts, Eric did not expect wanted and Kung Fu to achieve significant results; their primary role was interference.
The real killer move was the upcoming Iron Man.
At ME Records, in the recording studio, Eric and Taylor Swift watched from outside while Avril recorded a new song inside.
"They've all gone to perform, why are you so idle? You even have time to wander around here," Eric asked, ruffling Taylor Swift's hair.
"Oh, I just had my hair done, don't mess it up! So annoying!"
With a slap, Taylor Swift pushed Eric's hand away and quickly smoothed her hair in a reflective surface.
Then she pouted, "Boss, I'm working very hard too. Last week I ran for five days straight; my voice was almost hoarse. A person needs to rest, right?"
"There's plenty of time to rest. It's the Christmas season now, when prices soar. You're not out making money, and you still have the nerve to rest!"
"Hmph, you black-hearted businessman! You're becoming more and more like a slave owner. Why didn't I notice this before?"
"This is called return on investment. I spent a lot of money to promote you all, so of course, I have to exploit you ruthlessly. I haven't even broken even yet."
Taylor Swift stuck out her tongue, "I'm going to write you into a song, just you wait."
Eric chuckled and suddenly asked, "Taylor, do you have a boyfriend now?"
"Huh? Why are you asking that?" Taylor Swift looked at him warily.
"If you do, I suggest you break up quickly."
"What! Why?"
"Because it can stimulate a burst of inspiration. I've observed you carefully; you're someone who's particularly sensitive to life, especially emotions. Your first album reflected this characteristic."
"For a young girl like you, the best thing to do is to quickly fall in love, then break up, then fall in love again, and then break up again. I guarantee you'll be able to create many great songs because of it."
Taylor Swift rolled her eyes, "I'm not listening to your nonsense. Jonathan and I are doing very well. We're very happy together."
"So you really do have a boyfriend, and he sounds like he's not in the industry?"
"Mmm, we met in a vocal class."
"Tsk tsk. An insider and an outsider, you two are doomed!"
Taylor Swift frowned, "Although you're the boss, if you keep cursing me, I'm going to get angry."
Eric looked at her like she was a little fool, "Taylor, you've just officially entered the entertainment industry. Perhaps you haven't been exposed to too much debauchery yet. You still believe in many things."
"But believe me, it won't be long before you abandon all that. You'll meet all sorts of high-quality men showing you affection, and your moral bottom line will be constantly challenged until it disappears."
"And you two are rarely together. How long has it been since you and that little guy last saw each other?"
Taylor Swift counted on her fingers, "I just got some free time. He's with his family now, and he's in New York, but we talk on the phone every day."
"Wow! You two are completely buffed! Long periods of not seeing each other, young people, sexual repression. Can you be sure Jonathan isn't cheating?"
"Of course, he's a very good boy."
"Then can you be sure Jonathan doesn't suspect you're cheating?"
"Uh..."
"You see, long periods of separation lead to suspicion. If you want this relationship to develop well, unless you bring him with you, do you think you're Hu Ge?"
"Hu what?"
"I'm asking you, is it possible?"
Taylor Swift was speechless.
Eric pinched her slightly chubby cheeks and spoke like an old father, "Listen to Dad."
"What?"
"Sorry, listen to the boss. Break up."
Eric chuckled awkwardly. The word "Dad" had become a habit at home, and it just slipped out.
Taylor Swift ignored him and changed the subject, asking, "Why is Avril recording at our company?"
"Would she not come to UTA and stay at Arista? Don't you know Arista is a subsidiary of Sony? I don't want to have anything to do with them, not even a tiny bit."
"What if we used their recording studio, and those bastards later demanded to share the copyright? Isn't that disgusting?"
Taylor Swift thought, Of course I don't know. These companies are interconnected; only a ghost could figure out the relationships.
At this moment, Avril sang it again, then walked out and looked at Eric, "How was it this time? I added more ornamentation at the beginning and raised the chorus by a key, reaching F3."
"Hehe. My boss doesn't understand any of this. Everyone knows he's a musical idiot who can't even read sheet music."
"Go on, get out and play!" Eric patted Taylor Swift on the head, shooing her away.
Watching Taylor Swift's retreating back, Avril seemed a little surprised, "Your relationship seems quite good? Is she always like this?"
"Hmm, what's wrong?"
"It just feels incredible. You don't really look like a boss and an artist; more like very good friends."
"Oh, that's what you mean. Come on, I'm not even 25 yet. At least I'm considered young, right? Do I look like someone who likes to wrap themselves up in rules and regulations?"
Thinking of Eric's remarks, Avril pouted, "No, you don't."
"So, when I'm not working, I get along very well with everyone. Of course, if you make a mistake at work, you might face my stormy wrath. Remember to hide in a corner when you cry."
"Alright, sounds good. Much more harmonious than at Arista."
"Then switch jobs! UTA will pay the penalty. There are fewer artists here, so you'd be the big sister."
Avril laughed heartily, "If I came, would you compose a hit single specifically for me, like you did for Taylor Swift and the other three?"
"Uh, wasn't what you just sang it?"
Avril winked playfully, "That doesn't count. That's my invitation to you; I'll pay for it."
"Then I won't charge for this one, how about that?"
"No way. This song you wrote is clearly for promotion; having me sing it is just completing a task incidentally."
"Besides, the song is clearly more suitable for a male voice, which means I definitely wasn't your first choice."
"I want something specifically created for me, something better for Avril Lavigne."
"No problem, as long as you come to UTA." Eric nodded without thinking.
"It's a deal then. Let's go, let's have lunch together. I know a good burger joint."
"No way, you're going to treat a billionaire to a burger?"
"Are you eating or not?"
"Eating!"
"Then stop talking and come with me!"
The punk girl was a woman of action, taking Eric directly into her big jeep and speeding off.
Upstairs, Taylor Swift stood by the window, contemplating life, and happened to see this scene.
"Would Jonathan cheat on me with other girls?"
"Impossible, he absolutely wouldn't!"
"But... what if?"
Another week flew by, bringing the time to late December.
The newly released the incredibles received excellent reviews, praised as Disney's best animated film of the year.
Moreover, the 3D technology used in it was more refined, clearly showing that Mickey Mouse has also been seeking progress.
Without much surprise, this animated film won the box office championship this week.
However, the box office did not meet many people's expectations; it didn't even break $100 million, only achieving $82.45 million in seven days.
Compared to last week's champion, Inception's $137 million, the difference was not insignificant; over $50 million would be enough to crown a regular box office period.
The reason for such a dismal performance goes without saying: everyone has to suffer the bitter fruit of vicious competition.
Runner-up Inception took in over $67 million, with a decline of over 50%. Such a large drop for a film with excellent word-of-mouth shows how brutal the competition was.
The third place went to the equally new release wanted, with a North American box office of $64.4 million.
Compared to its $80 million cost, it is estimated that the final global box office should break even, and with good luck, it might make a small profit.
Even if it doesn't make money, it can slowly accrue some through copyrights later, as its word-of-mouth is quite good.
James McAvoy finally had his representative work; he had been under immense pressure.
A few days ago, Eric had even comforted him not to rush, saying he wouldn't give up on him even if they lost money, as the movie had already fulfilled its other missions.
As for Kung Fu, due to the restrictions on Chinese-language films, its release scale was the smallest, with only 2,283 theaters.
But the results were still good, taking in $25.3 million at the box office in one week, with over $10,000 per screen, directly climbing to 4th place on the foreign language film North American box office chart.
Ahead of it were only Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, A Beautiful Mind, and Amelie, and it was only $8 million behind Amelie, which it would surely surpass next week.
Reports across the ocean had already caused quite a stir, and now it remains to be seen if it can surpass Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.
This week, MGM released two new films.
Nicole's la vie en rose, not aiming for a high box office, but for the Oscar.
The other, napoleon dynamite, with a cost of only $400,000, was a scratch-off ticket, and Eric believed it would reveal a big prize.
In the MGM Building, Carol walked into the office.
"Boss, everything has been arranged."
Eric circled a date on the calendar. Only one week remained until the release of Iron Man.
"Then, let's do something good."