The Best Director-Chapter 500 - Nobody Knows What He’s Thinking

Chapter 500: Chapter 500 Nobody Knows What He’s Thinking

As the curtain fell on December 15-21, the latest North American weekly box office charts were released, and after receiving rave reviews, “The Amazing Director” debuted in 2,850 theaters for two days, raking in a whopping $22.83 million at the box office!

With an average of $8,010 per theater, it ranked second on the weekly chart. While not a blockbuster explosion at the box office, these two days weren’t even the weekend! Twenty million is already a very strong performance, and Yang’s reputation did not disappoint. Brad Grey, the president of Paramount, and others breathed a long sigh of relief. If all goes well, a conservative estimate for the North American box office of “The Amazing Director” is no less than $80 million, and optimistically… over $100 million!

This was of vital importance for Brad Grey, as profit performance is the lifeblood of a president’s position. Yet, Paramount’s results have been continuously mediocre this year. Up to this week, they had released 12 new films on a large scale, with only two in North America breaking the $100 million mark or having the potential to break it, namely “Over the Hedge” ($155 million), acquired from DreamWorks, and “Mission: Impossible 3” ($134 million), starring the now estranged Tom Cruise. Apart from that, there were both profits and losses, with big hits like “Jackass Number Two” and big duds like “Last Holiday” and “Flushed Away” (DreamWorks).

All in all, the company didn’t make much profit. Another fervently anticipated film this week with a $85 million budget, “Charlotte’s Web,” opened in 3,566 theaters, grossing $18.8 million over seven days. Fortunately, its Rotten Tomatoes scores are passable at 78%/71%/67%, so it likely won’t suffer major losses.

Even more fortunate is that some projects were already in place before his tenure, so he was only responsible for their marketing and promotion; “The Amazing Director,” however, was one of the projects he decided to invest in after taking office as the new president. It’s also the last movie within Paramount’s collaboration agreement with Scott Rudin. Rudin has decided to move on and take over Miramax Films, but it’s essential to maintain good relations. The pleasure brought by “The Amazing Director” has warmed their relationship once again.

Looking at the performance of other films this week, this biographical drama seems even more gratifying. Fox’s new film with a hundred million budget, “Eragon,” only opened with a box office of $30.49 million and scores of 16%/11%/58%, a failed adaptation of a bestselling novel.

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“Just as you can’t resist Yang’s films, you’ll find yourself watching ‘The Amazing Director’ over and over again. It easily becomes one of this year’s best films.” — A+, Christy Lemire, Associated Press.

Looking at its box office and reviews, Grey grew more intoxicated and happy the more he looked, not only a box office hit but also a dark horse for this Oscar season—his career’s most beautiful strike! What a delightful Christmas!

He really should thank the lovely Yang. Of course, more importantly, maintaining a good relationship is key. Yang had not attended the premiere or commented on the film, causing a lack of discussion. Known as a “genius agent,” Brad Grey naturally knew how to flatter. He phoned Yang with a few compliments and asked if he had seen the film and if he was satisfied? Yang replied bluntly, “I haven’t seen it yet, but I’m sure I won’t be satisfied because my family isn’t satisfied.”

In the end, Brad Grey failed to make Yang laugh happily and was even teased by him with a dismissive tone, “If you decide to make a sequel, you can look for me, I’ll consider directing it myself.”

“I didn’t realize I was so popular.” Actually, when Yang knew that “The Amazing Director” had a first-day box office of $12.62 million, he joked to Jessica with a laugh, “I should have made this theme.” Although he thought it was a good idea, Jessica was slightly puzzled, “Make a biographical film about oneself?” Yang laughed, “If others can write autobiographies, why can’t directors make autobiographical films?” Jessica agreed it made sense, suggesting they could start with a romantic comedy. She asked, “When will you shoot it?” Yang shrugged, “When I’m no longer young, when I start to reminisce about the past, perhaps decades from now.”

Unexpected? What should really be unexpected is that the biopic about the amazing Yang was only released in 2006! Distributors were surprised and regretful—they had been too conservative, influenced by old ideas. They should have made such biopics much earlier!

According to exit polls, 75% of the audience was under 35, with 40% under 25; it included 57% female viewers, signaling that young people throughout North America had turned out in droves. Although there are no explicit figures, everyone knows that Asian audiences are an indispensable force within this demographic. And overseas, tens of millions of viewers are awaiting this film, with the young population in several large Asian markets eagerly anticipating it—it is also expected to be introduced to mainland China in the coming spring!

Given the current reputation momentum, its global box office could easily exceed $200 million!

How many films like this are there in a year? Not many, no wonder Jon Feltheimer of Lionsgate and others were beating their chests in frustration. But now that “The Amazing Director” has already eaten its share of the cake, even though there are many stories about Yang to be told, such as his imprisonment to his winning awards for “District 9,” no one will immediately follow suit. The market’s hunger requires time, and the achievements of “The Amazing Director” are far from certain. Not just distributors, but the whole world is watching to see just how powerful it can be.

Anyway, for the past two days the media and the public have been singing its praises one wave after another. David Fincher and Aaron Sorkin need no introduction, as they’ve been placed on a pedestal, and people have begun to say that this is their representative work, not “Se7en” or “Fight Club,” not “Crimson Tide,” and so on.

Although “The Amazing Director” only secured a nomination for Best Screenplay at the Golden Globes, looking at the current response, everyone knows and is discussing how many Oscar nominations it can get, how many Oscar statues?

Every CULT has its followers, and Yang’s fans are certainly numerous and strong, as are Fincher’s. Regarding his new work, Fincher fans are divided into two camps: one is very excited and happy. Fincher has directed six films, and for the first time, it’s so prestigious! Immediately praised by both critics and audiences, he finally found the balance between commercial and artistic, between popular taste and personal style! Earlier, Fincher had described “The Amazing Director” as such, “It’s great for a date and will be a pleasant viewing experience.” “It has a unique pace, but it’s more mainstream, a very good film.”…

Now, he can proudly declare, “This is a mainstream date movie!”

Yet another faction praised the film but did not seem too happy about it, expressing regret and disappointment. What would “The Amazing Director” have been like if it were made by Fincher five years ago? To cater to the mainstream and the Oscars, Fincher had made increasingly more compromises, and those unique traits of darkness, gloom, coldness, and CULT seemed to be leaving him… He is like Wang Yang in the film, evolving from a wild and unrestrained guy into someone who knows how to be a popular lover.

“Perhaps that’s what Fincher felt, why did the amazing Yang make a film that drove the whole of America crazy yet still felt lonely and watched movies alone? Because in reality, nobody understood him,” movie fan Everett expressed his opinion on his blog.

Besides the director and screenwriter, the actors’ brilliant performances received the most praise. Without any exaggeration, Allen Leong, in his first big-screen appearance, delivered a genius performance. His portrayal of “Wang Yang” captured the essence of the 18-year-old Yang as well as the captivating charm of the dramatized character.

As J-R-Jones from the “Chicago Reader” put it, “The real Wang Yang might feel that he’d completed the performance himself.” Justin Chang from “Variety” reviewed, “He grasped Wang Yang’s emotions and thought processes, providing responses that were uniquely Wang Yang and uniquely genius, regardless of the situation.” And Roger Ebert wrote in his review, “Allen Leong’s performance is natural, unsculpted, filled with talent and infectious energy.”

More than one movie fan gave a thumbs up, stating that Allen Leong’s performance deserved an Oscar nomination for Best Actor. If that were to come true, he would become the first actor of Chinese descent to receive that honor.

An Oscar nomination for Best Actor is still far off, but what can be assured is that Allen Leong has become a charming rising star with rapidly growing fan numbers. If it had been earlier, his handsome appearance and American accent might have hindered the young man’s development, requiring him to develop muscles for Kung Fu action movies to find a way out. However, with the crazy expansion of the film industry and, more crucially, the rapid growth of the Chinese film market, even without Eastern Flame-like niche companies, Chinese actors in Hollywood will become increasingly common, in both supporting and leading roles, and he won’t worry about lacking future film offers.

Facing this tremendous success, Allen Leong was particularly calm and self-aware. Thinking back to how the magical Yang behaved after “Paranormal Activity,” so composed and mature, what would he be considered? He had already made a decision to return to Brown University to continue his education but would take courses in performing arts to enrich himself while waiting for opportunities.

Allen Leong was very low-key, while Camilla Belle and Ashley Tisdale were busy with media interviews and other exposures that came with their fame. Originally, both of their acting skills were not considered exquisite, definitely leaning toward the idol side, but under the direction of David Fincher, they performed admirably, which of course had to do with the cold treatment they received. Along with the momentum created during the promotional phase, the two young beauties leaped into the ranks of stars like Amanda Seyfried, becoming one of the most dazzling new generation actresses in Hollywood.

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“‘The Amazing Director’ provides an astonishing tale of genius. It’s a style where producers and directors achieve rare effects by entertaining with smart humor, a clear and rapid pace, without overstimulating the audience, and in the process, we get a good look at the whole story behind ‘Paranormal Activity,’ revealing many interesting facts about the amazing Yang,” John B, a Rotten Tomatoes user, gave a full five-star rating; “WOW! I never thought this topic could be adapted so beautifully, a perfect and captivating movie!” Carlos J also gave it a full score;

But Spencer N, who gave three stars, was somewhat dissatisfied, “I thought I had forgotten what pretentiousness was, then I watched this movie. Honestly, it’s an annoying feeling, Wang Yang seems above everyone else, even though he is indeed a genius. I’d like someone to explain to me, without being rude, why this movie is hailed as a masterpiece?” Debbie C, who gave a full score, wrote, “Incredible movie! It’s absolutely perfect! A few words describe its brilliance: ‘The Amazing Director’ is so authentic, smart, fresh… Truly recreates a piece of history! I love the amazing Yang; the hype about the movie and whether it’s real had me hesitating for a long time, thankfully I didn’t miss out.”…

Real, clear, a recreation, and of course, probably no one would take it 100% seriously, but “The Amazing Director” obviously still had some inevitable impact.

The more glorious it seemed on one hand, the more unsettling it felt on the other. There was an anticipation in the air, like the calm before the storm, too calm! The seasoned movie fans knew Wang Yang’s style, but he didn’t say a word, Jessica and Rachel didn’t say a word either, not a single comment from anyone involved, not even a “according to his friend” kind of leak! No one knew if Wang Yang had seen the movie or what he was thinking…

However, just take a look at this weekend’s list of new releases, and even the slowest person would come to a realization—Wang Yang had orchestrated the “concurrent shooting” exactly for this moment, hadn’t he? His silence must have been meant to take care of it directly in the cinemas.

Christmas week is upon us! “The Amazing Director” faced its first weekend, and a batch of fiercely competitive opponents: “The Deceased,” “Night at the Museum,” “The Spy Game” all entered the fray!

“The Amazing Director” was afraid that “The Deceased” might fail or be strangled by it. However, the success of the previous undoubtedly created massive publicity and atmosphere for “The Deceased.” Whether the audience had seen “Infernal Affairs” or not, they entered the cinema with expectations. With seven Golden Globe nominations, this was bound to be a good movie. Just how amazing would the performances of Heath Ledger, Michael Pitt and others be? What kind of film had The Amazing Director created? The unveiling of his 11th directorial work was imminent!

As a fan of Yang’s, the past few days were truly blissful. In North America, Evelyn, Clair, and others had entered the theater early, seated and chatting with friends, waiting for the opening.

These days, for an R-rated crime drama to open in as many as 3,765 theaters was truly unprecedented. It wasn’t “The Hangover Part III” (3,655 theaters), “V for Vendetta” (3,365 theaters), “Underworld: Evolution” (3,207 theaters)… and it certainly wasn’t your average R-rated film! It might very well end up being the highest-grossing R-rated movie of 2006, or at least second! Flame Films didn’t even want to cooperate with theaters on so many copies—it wouldn’t work. If it were a NO, theater owners would have to rush to Santa Monica to snatch a copy for themselves!

As night fell, with the lingering sound of music starting up, the packed screening room fell into silence. The audience, gazing at the big screen ahead, saw the start of the Flame Films opening animation; countless eyes lit up—”The Deceased” had arrived!

One could see a pale yellow moth fluttering into the roaring flames in the darkness, reaching an idyllic pastoral world. Below the blue skies and white clouds, moths with shimmering wings danced alongside the colorful butterflies, twirling upwards towards the sky. A flame ignited between them, and beneath it, the words “Flames-Films” appeared… (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, you’re welcome to give it a recommendation ticket or a monthly ticket at Qidian (qidian.com). Your support is my greatest motivation.)