Chapter 762: Meeting the audience in turns, boom, boom, boom! (12

"Chinese Paladin" aired on July 19th.

So far, a total of 15 episodes have been broadcast.

The viewership ratings have remained stable between 1.35% and 1.5%.

The middle school student demographic has contributed the most significant portion of the viewership.

As for online streaming, from the very first day it went live, it has firmly held the number one spot on the platform's popularity chart, never once falling, with daily views consistently staying above 70 million by a wide margin.

According to backend data, the retention rate of this drama is what is truly staggering.

For current dramas, those that perform well and manage to keep viewers until the final episode usually have a rate of over twenty percent, while those that perform poorly often only have around ten percent.

The number of people watching each episode of "Chinese Paladin" within twenty-four hours of its release has consistently stayed above 10 million.

This is also the reason why it dominates the charts by such a wide margin.

The audience base is simply too large.

It is just that there is some controversy regarding the plot and word-of-mouth.

Just like "Squid Game" back then, many adult viewers feel that this drama is... a bit childish.

Especially Li Xiaoyao, who doesn't act like a hero at all, acting like a naive brat in the early stages.

It's like a group of students playing house.

When Lu Yanhe saw such comments from everyone, he didn't feel they were wrong.

"Chinese Paladin" is just like that.

It is inherently a very youthful story, and in essence, it is also a very "fantasy" story.

Seeing Luo Dao Yuzhong and Screenwriter Lu Yanhe, everyone instinctively felt that this would be a classic, serious Xianxia drama, and their expectation was to see something refreshing and high-end.

But it wasn't.

Negative reviews are mainly concentrated in this area.

This is also the main reason why this drama has been limited in its broadcast performance so far.

After all, the average viewership rating of "Friends" on Yuehu TV broke 2.

After "Chinese Paladin" had a high-starting debut, although it didn't slide, it didn't usher in a larger space for growth either.

Some people even used this as a target for attack, saying that Lu Yanhe had exhausted his talent and could only live off his past glory.

Of course, the fact that "Chinese Paladin" is number one in streaming data by a wide margin is an indisputable fact.

This is something no one can take away.

Lu Yanhe's dramas have always had excellent investment attraction.

This drama is the same.

The brands endorsed by Li Zhibai, Lu Yanhe, Yan Liang, and others have all poured in to push traffic and advertise—

With their own signed artists and such a hit drama, it's impossible not to invest in advertising.

Besides that, there are many fast-moving consumer goods brands that have invested at high prices; they don't invest much, just for two or three episodes to get some exposure and eat a wave of traffic heat before withdrawing.

But there are enough such brands that, even now, having reached the fifteenth episode, with the dual-platform broadcast, there are still 4-5 brands advertising on each platform for the fifteenth episode.

And most importantly, the real popularity of this drama is reflected in the boost it gives to the actors.

Not to mention Li Zhibai; the level of his current popularity and heat is unmatched by anyone else in the country. But this is mainly due to the boost from the movie "Those Years".

Yan Lingyu is the same.

This summer, the actress who became an overnight sensation with "Late Spring" years ago, after being silent for several years, not only returned to her peak but also soared into the sky, becoming an overnight hit.

From Shen Jiayi to Zhao Linger, two characters with different personalities and different styles, but both are "life-defining roles" that "gain fans."

Yan Lingyu herself is a girl with a very good image and a very clean temperament.

Under the endowment of the character filter, in just one month, she directly ascended to become a first-tier actress in the country.

In fact, at her age of just over twenty, having three starring works: "Late Spring", "Those Years", and "Chinese Paladin", in the words of some, it can be said that her foundation will be as solid as an ox for the next ten years.

And her own image and temperament are precisely the most mainstream and popular "white moonlight" and "truth, goodness, and beauty" types in domestic film and television dramas.

Because of her sudden popularity, there are even TV dramas offering her one million per episode now.

Yan Lingyu is still at Fengxiangbiao.

She signed an eight-year contract with Fengxiangbiao, and there are three years left.

Yan Lingyu became an overnight sensation, and her popularity surged to super first-tier.

Many people at Fengxiangbiao have been working overtime this month, all because of the various cooperation invitations attracted by Yan Lingyu.

Previously, she had a huge conflict with the company and even "retired from the industry" for a period, refusing to continue acting.

Because of "Chinese Paladin", Lu Yanhe and Luo Yuzhong both came forward to communicate with Fengxiangbiao, which eased the conflict between Fengxiangbiao and Yan Lingyu.

Her previous agent, Du Wei, is no longer in charge of her work.

Now, Wen Ken, the vice president in charge of artist coordination at Fengxiangbiao, is personally in charge.

Of course, Yan Lingyu also has an executive agent named Yuan Yi.

At the time, after Yan Lingyu was confirmed to star in "Chinese Paladin", Fengxiangbiao had already prepared for Yan Lingyu's sudden rise.

What they didn't expect was that after "Chinese Paladin", Lu Yanhe immediately sent her the female lead role in "Those Years".

These two "heaven-sent pies" didn't cost Fengxiangbiao anything; it was pure profit.

Now Yan Lingyu is very popular, officially announcing 4 endorsements and 6 business cooperations in one month, and a pile of scripts and variety show invitations have been sent over.

Wen Ken also immediately upgraded Yan Lingyu's team.

Yan Lingyu's previous "break-up" with Fengxiangbiao has now become a protective talisman that saves her a lot of trouble.

Everyone up and down at Fengxiangbiao knows this girl has a tough temper; when she gets stubborn, she would rather retire than compromise.

So, now for any work, they will listen to her opinion first. It's not a contractual requirement, but purely because they were scared by her previous "better to be a shattered jade than an intact tile" attitude.

It was fine before, but now that she is about to become the company's bread and butter this year, who would want to see her "give up on herself" at this time?

Everyone is coaxing her.

And with so many scripts coming in, with TV dramas offering as much as one million per episode, Yan Lingyu hasn't directly accepted any of them.

She will always remember the overwhelming scolding she received after "Late Spring" because of the two movies the company arranged for her that flopped.

Although she later discovered that among those scoldings, many were internet trolls bought by the company to "teach her a lesson."

Because of her upbringing, Yan Lingyu is an extremely insecure girl. Although she is a great beauty, her mother has always told her that she has no other merits besides being good-looking.

Various reasons make her afraid to take on roles indiscriminately.

She has been in the entertainment industry for several years, and the two movies that flopped were also from good teams and big productions, but they still flopped, and when they flopped, they pushed her out as a target to be scolded—of course, she deserved to be scolded, as her acting was indeed not good.

However, why did no one scold her for poor acting in Lu Yanhe's two dramas?

Clearly, when acting on set, she often felt that she was a cut below other actors, but the final effect presented was not bad.

Yan Lingyu often watches "Chinese Paladin" by herself.

She didn't even expect that the version of herself that appeared in this drama would be so likable.

Clean, clear, and kind.

When she smiles, there is a glimmer in her eyes, and a little bit of a little girl's coyness, just a little bit, but it makes the whole person even more endearing.

That was not the version of herself she was familiar with.

Yan Lingyu still remembers what Lu Yanhe told her: she must not take on roles indiscriminately; she must choose the team and choose those crews that know how to film.

Luo Yuzhong also earnestly told her that she is a good seedling but needs opportunities to be well-honed.

Yan Lingyu certainly understands what they mean.

She is not the kind of talented powerhouse, not like Wang Jing, whose performance in any drama will not disappoint people; even if the drama is bad, her performance will be praised, and people will say the drama delayed her.

Therefore, she needs dramas to protect her.

"Late Spring" had a director like Liu Bige who was almost harsh in his demands for the visuals.

"Chinese Paladin" has the entire Luo Yuzhong team to escort her.

In "Those Years", she only needed to be herself while adding a little bit of character shaping, and all the awkwardness was the original color of the girl Shen Jiayi, which was logical.

Yan Lingyu will not take on roles indiscriminately.

She sent a message to Lu Yanhe: Yan He, do you have any more dramas for me to act in later?

Lu Yanhe: Hmm? Not for now, what's wrong? Shouldn't many dramas be coming to you now? Are you still lacking dramas to act in?

Yan Lingyu said: I look at other people's scripts now, and I don't dare to act.

When Lu Yanhe saw the message from Yan Lingyu, his heart skipped a beat.

He handed the phone to Chen Siqi.

"Why do I feel that Yan Lingyu's problem hasn't been solved?"

Chen Siqi also knew about the things Yan Lingyu had encountered before.

Chen Siqi: "Actually, you can tell just by looking at the dramas Yan Lingyu has filmed. She has been in the industry for almost five years and has only filmed five dramas. 'Late Spring', her breakout work, and then two other movies that directly caused her to fall from the most watched movie starlet to the bottom, almost ruining her acting career. Then she was fished out by you and Luo Dao to film 'Chinese Paladin' and 'Those Years', returning to the peak of her career. If it were you with such an experience, would you still dare to take on roles easily?"

Lu Yanhe nodded, "You're right."

Chen Siqi said: "Of course, the most fundamental problem is that she is not confident in her acting skills. She doesn't think she is a good actor. This may also be an impression brought to her by her surrounding environment. The worst part is that her acting is indeed average."

Chen Siqi suddenly thought of something and laughed.

"Actually, if she hadn't debuted with 'Late Spring' and hadn't acted with actors like you and Wang Jing from the beginning, she wouldn't be so insecure even if her acting was average."

Lu Yanhe: "She is actually quite serious about acting."

"Unfortunately, acting is not something you can do well just by being serious." Chen Siqi said, "How do you plan to reply to her?"

Lu Yanhe: "I don't know how to reply either, but the failure of those two dramas has become her inner demon, and it's impossible for her to only film my and Liu Bige's dramas forever."

Chen Siqi: "Actually... that's not impossible."

"What?" Lu Yanhe was stunned.

"Even if she only films your and Liu Bige's dramas, even if it's one a year, or even one every two years, that's enough." Chen Siqi said, "She is already very popular anyway, and with the momentum of these two dramas, she can live off them for a long time; there's no need to worry about becoming irrelevant without exposure. When she acts in more dramas, collaborates with more people, and gradually gains more experience, many problems will actually be solved."

"The problem is, I haven't thought about having any dramas for her to film later either." Lu Yanhe said, "The two most suitable roles have already been acted out; there are none left."

Chen Siqi: "Doesn't the Jump Up Theater still have some? Actually, the crew Yan Lingyu needs is very simple: a crew that is truly serious about filming, a crew that can present her best side. Isn't this exactly the core of the Jump Up Theater and Linghe-produced film and television dramas? To be precise, her acting problem is an objective problem, but her problem with acting is a psychological problem; you just need to give her psychological support. You didn't direct 'Those Years', and you didn't star in it, but she acted well because she felt it was your drama, and she felt she could be presented in her best light."

Lu Yanhe understood.

"If she only films my dramas, I don't know if her agency will be willing."

Chen Siqi: "That is a problem."

But actually, it's not a problem.

Fengxiangbiao really doesn't dare to force Yan Lingyu to take on dramas she doesn't want to film.

In addition to her own previous "tough" performance, Fengxiangbiao is also afraid of giving Yan Lingyu two more big trashy movies, recreating the tragedy of the "movie starlet's rapid flop" back then.

How should one describe the five dramas Yan Lingyu has taken on? They are either super awesome or so bad they become public enemies; anyway, there are no mediocre, silent ones; they are all "famous works."

Lu Yanhe and Chen Siqi invited Yan Lingyu to have a meal together and chatted about her recent situation.

Yan Lingyu said: "Recently, I have mainly been taking on many endorsements, filming many advertisements, and doing some interviews."

"Do you not like any of the scripts that come to you?" Lu Yanhe asked.

Yan Lingyu shook her head gently and said: "Maybe there are still good scripts, but I don't think I can act them."

From Yan Lingyu's performance, Lu Yanhe also realized that it seemed Chen Siqi was not wrong.

Yan Lingyu's biggest problem now is a psychological barrier.

Lu Yanhe said: "Lingyu, because your current agency is Fengxiangbiao, I can't really say anything about your career planning—"

Yan Lingyu suddenly interrupted Lu Yanhe and said: "After my contract with Fengxiangbiao expires, I want to sign with you, is that okay?"

Lu Yanhe was stunned.

Chen Siqi was also stunned.

Yan Lingyu said: "At that time, you and Luo Dao helped me plead with the company, allowing me to film again, and they also changed my agent, but... I don't want to stay in this company anymore."

Lu Yanhe said: "You still have a three-year contract with Fengxiangbiao, right? Saying this now doesn't count."

Yan Lingyu: "But I have already thought it through."

Lu Yanhe: "With your current conditions, even three years from now, there will be plenty of companies wanting to sign you with heavy money. If you sign with me, first of all, Linghe doesn't sign actors; you can only sign with Shihuo. Secondly, Shihuo can't give you the good conditions that the market can..."

Shihuo is a resource-based agency. For an actor like Yan Lingyu who follows the idol and traffic route, signing with Shihuo is actually a bit incompatible for both sides.

Yan Lingyu said: "I don't need good conditions; I don't trust them."

The implication was that she trusts Lu Yanhe.

Lu Yanhe didn't know what to say for a moment.

Yan Lingyu said: "Long Yan has also approached me, but I don't like them either."

She added another sentence.

"Actually, if Liu Bige were willing to sign actors, I could go to him, but he sold himself to Long Yan, which is also miserable."

Lu Yanhe almost laughed out loud.

"..."

This girl Yan Lingyu... is quite interesting.

Chen Siqi laughed uncontrollably.

Chen Siqi said: "Lingyu, the projects Yan He has on hand really don't have projects suitable for you, unless they are small supporting roles with little screen time, but given your current situation, acting in these small supporting roles doesn't make much sense. It's like this: you should know that I have been doing the Jump Up Theater, and every year there will be a few Jump Up dramas produced by Linghe. These dramas don't have very high production costs and usually use young teams, but you can go and see that they are all teams that are very serious about filming, and the quality of the dramas produced is generally quite good."

Yan Lingyu nodded.

"I have been watching the Jump Up Theater dramas."

Chen Siqi nodded, "Since you've watched them, that's good. Your image and temperament are actually quite suitable for the female lead in many Jump Up Theater dramas. I want to invite you to act in one or two Jump Up Theater dramas every year, but the salary won't be as high as what the market gives you."

"As long as you don't think I act poorly, I am very willing to come and act." Yan Lingyu said immediately, "It doesn't matter if the salary is a bit lower. I will talk to the company; at worst, I will agree to go on one more show."

Seeing Yan Lingyu nod so readily, Chen Siqi laughed.

"It won't be very low either, don't worry, it's just that we can't reach those exaggerated numbers. I know many companies are offering you sky-high salaries to invite you." Chen Siqi said, "That is indeed something we cannot afford."

Yan Lingyu nodded.

"Besides this, actually, after Yan He and I understood your situation, I also want to give you a small suggestion." Chen Siqi said.

Yan Lingyu asked: "What suggestion?"

"Have you told Luo Dao about your situation?" Chen Siqi asked.

Yan Lingyu shook her head.

"I'm embarrassed to disturb him."

Chen Siqi: "Actually, Luo Dao appreciates you very much. He is a very experienced director. Yan He can give you some inspiration on acting problems, but Luo Dao is someone who can systematically help you improve."

Yan Lingyu said: "Luo Dao did give me a lot of guidance when filming 'Chinese Paladin', but he is too busy. He is on set every day, talking to many people, and every time I go to find him, basically, the conversation doesn't exceed five minutes before someone comes to interrupt."

"That was on set; he is the director, and directors are indeed very busy." Lu Yanhe said, "But when he is not on set, it's actually fine. The most critical thing is, Lingyu, as an actor, the most important thing is not a good role, a good script, or even a good opportunity; the most important thing is a director who can truly discover your beauty and capture your beauty. At the time of 'Chinese Paladin', it wasn't actually me who thought you were suitable for Zhao Linger; it was Luo Dao."

Yan Lingyu nodded.

"For a period, I even felt, why would Luo Dao think you were suitable for Zhao Linger? When I was writing this character, I never associated this character with you." Lu Yanhe said with a smile, "Including when I arrived on set, I thought the same, until one day, Luo Dao took me to the editing room and let me watch your footage, and I realized that in the lens, you were so different from what I saw on set."

Yan Lingyu was slightly dazed.

"Siqi and I will definitely reserve roles for you in future projects, there is no doubt about that." Lu Yanhe said, "However, also as an actor, Siqi's suggestion is also my suggestion: you can take the initiative to contact Luo Dao and tell him your confusion and problems. He will be very happy to help you because, in a sense, you were rediscovered by him. Liu Bige has a head full of his own troubles and might not be able to help you, but Luo Dao is different."

Not long after, Lu Yanhe heard that Yan Lingyu had taken on a drama produced by Luo Dao's company, playing a female role that didn't carry much weight. Although it was a special appearance, it was said to be personally appointed by Luo Dao.

Lu Yanhe breathed a sigh of relief.

On August 12th, "Hurricane 2" held its global premiere.

Lu Yanhe flew to New York.

This special effects blockbuster that Lu Yanhe only filmed for 3 days was finally about to be released.

The previous installment achieved a box office of 210 million in North America and 380 million USD globally.

Such a film is different from "The Mist", another film that achieved global box office success.

"The Mist" is a horror movie and doesn't follow the mainstream route.

"Hurricane 2", however, is a commercial genre film that follows the mainstream route.

The male lead, Derien Dillon, is a world-famous Hollywood superstar.

Such a movie doesn't need any ingenious promotional methods at all.

The film company, Wayne-St, adopted the most traditional promotional model.

Releasing trailers in the most popular and high-exposure places, arranging for the leads to go on interviews, holding premieres, etc.

As one of the leads who made a cameo appearance for three days, after arriving in New York, Lu Yanhe also filmed covers for two mainstream movie magazines together with the other leads of the crew.

Done in one day.

At the premiere, Lu Yanhe was asked about his feelings on collaborating with Derien Dillon; deep down, what he wanted to say most was that he had almost forgotten.

Of course, his mouth was still full of all kinds of polite phrases.

"He is a very good person and takes good care of me." Lu Yanhe said with a full face of smiles, "I look forward to having the opportunity to collaborate with him again."

When he took the cameo for "Hurricane 2", three days, 1.5 million USD, this salary figure shocked all media globally at the time—

Before that, no one thought Lu Yanhe was worth such a high cameo salary.

However, now that it is about to be released, everyone feels that "Hurricane 2" really made a profit.

1.5 million USD allowed this movie to open up attention among the Asian community in Europe and America, and furthermore, the promotion of "Hurricane 2" in various Asian countries now puts Lu Yanhe in the same position as Derien Dillon.

This is a bit like the practice of raising Zhang Ziyi to the female lead and placing her at the core position of the poster when "Hero" was released overseas back then.

There is no way; people recognize him.

Upon meeting Derien Dillon, the two were also very warm, looking like good brothers who hadn't seen each other for a long time.

After watching the movie "Hurricane 2", Lu Yanhe was still quite pleasantly surprised.

In terms of story, this is a typical Hollywood blockbuster, individual heroes saving the world.

Same old wine in a new bottle.

However, their special effects, especially the details, were done particularly solidly.

Although Lu Yanhe's appearance in the movie was short, it was good that he appeared at every key time node, and the plot content he carried had quite a bit of weight, and he even died in the end, so his presence was quite strong.

The most critical thing is that the shot of him appearing in a suit actually caused cheers from many female viewers.

That's right, during the viewing process, cheers and screams rang out directly, indicating they were charmed by his handsomeness—

North American movie theaters are just like that; when they see something they like, the audience will even applaud directly.

After the New York premiere, the media reviews for "Hurricane 2" were released almost seamlessly.

The reviews for the movie were very much in line with the trend of commercial films; the special effects were praised, some good parts were praised, but when talking about the overall effect of the movie, half of them used the word "cliché" to describe it.

The actors' performances did not encounter bad reviews.

On the contrary, a critic from "The New York Times" specifically mentioned Lu Yanhe, saying that this male actor who has been very popular in recent years caused screams and cheers for the first time based on his own looks.

Subsequently, Lu Yanhe followed the crew, flew to London, transferred to Paris, went to Tokyo, passed through Seoul, and finally arrived in Yuming.

"Hurricane 2" set the final stop of the premiere in Yuming.

One reason is the attraction of China as a big box office market, and the second is Lu Yanhe's status as a lead.

Lu Yanhe also actively displayed his enthusiasm as a host.

Taking the crew members to visit the Forbidden City, eat roast duck, and then holding a small party, inviting his friends in the entertainment industry to meet and communicate with Director Raul Ward and other main creators.

"Hurricane 2" opened in China three days early.

Because it was on a Tuesday, the first-day box office was only 34 million; of course, this figure still ranked second in the summer season.

This year's summer season has had a very beautiful box office performance.

Several movies have exploded one after another.

As a traditional Hollywood special effects blockbuster, "Hurricane 2" has actually lost a lot of its appeal to Chinese audiences in recent years.

For example, the first "Hurricane" only took in over 40 million USD at the box office in China.

At that time, "Hurricane" was a special effects blockbuster with very good word-of-mouth, and if placed in China a few years ago, it would definitely have been a box office result starting at 100 million USD.

This year, because of Lu Yanhe's participation, this movie still gained considerable attention in China.

Lu Yanhe's performance in the movie is also a key point of discussion for everyone.

What everyone didn't expect most was that in such a traditional, mainstream Hollywood special effects blockbuster, Lu Yanhe actually played the image of a positive ethnic Chinese investor.

Not to mention Hollywood, in almost all film and television dramas outside of China, Chinese bosses and investors are almost always negative images.

In recent years, with the rise of China, there are more and more rich Chinese people, and their figures can be seen all over the world. Because of various reasons, anyway, the impression presented by film and television dramas of this group of people is "bossy, arrogant," and even the image of a nouveau riche.

The ethnic Chinese character played by Lu Yanhe didn't even experience a reversal of image, such as being a character with negative colors in the early stages, and only later discovering that his nature was not bad, and even sacrificing his life to save the protagonist group.

Lu Yanhe was not a negative character from the beginning; he was just relatively conservative.

Such an image shocked many people.

Shocked by his appearance.

"Look, I said it, Little Lu would take on such a movie, it definitely had his considerations."

Luo Yuzhong and his literary planner watched this movie in the cinema, and after coming out, he shared his views.

"In such a movie, the appearance of such a Chinese image is unprecedented." Luo Yuzhong said.

His literary planner said: "Data shows that he played an ethnic Chinese."

"That's data. Do you see clearly in the movie whether he is Chinese or ethnic Chinese?" Luo Yuzhong said, "This character was played by Yan He, and everyone's first reaction must be that this character is Chinese, and even if he is ethnic Chinese, it's the same. In previous mainstream Hollywood commercial films, where was there an ethnic Chinese with such a positive image?"

His literary planner nodded.

"You are right."

"Don't look at Yan He as young; he has his own considerations for every drama he takes on."

"He is indeed the most mature young person I have ever met."

"How much box office do you think 'Hurricane 2' can get in China?" Luo Yuzhong asked with a smile.

His literary planner shook his head and said: "Shouldn't we guess how much box office this movie can get globally?"

"'Hurricane 2' getting how much box office globally has nothing to do with Yan He; how much box office it gets in China means the role and significance of Chinese actors for the Chinese market." Luo Yuzhong said, "Believe it or not, if 'Hurricane 2' gets over 100 million USD at the box office in China, the next mainstream Hollywood movies, as long as they want to be released in China, will definitely try their best to create a similar Chinese character and invite the most popular Chinese actors to play it, replicating the path of Yan He starring in 'Hurricane 2'."

"That's really true."

When "Hurricane 2" was released until Friday, the box office finally broke 100 million RMB.

And how much box office this movie can get in China depends on the performance of this weekend.

The word-of-mouth of "Hurricane 2" is indeed quite good for a commercial film.

Although the story is a bit cliché, the characters, plot, and lines are all done very solidly, not making people feel out of place.

The special effects are good, and the big scenes are very satisfying to watch.

By Friday night, the attendance rate of "Hurricane 2" suddenly began to soar.

Data shows that viewers who bought tickets on-site or within one hour before the screening accounted for 65% of the Friday night session viewers.

This means... this movie has pulled in the passerby audience.

When everyone wanted to choose a movie to watch, they chose "Hurricane 2".

When Friday closed, the box office of "Hurricane 2" had already reached 120 million RMB.

On Saturday, the box office of "Hurricane 2" directly overtook and reached the number one position on the daily box office chart.

Still, the majority were viewers who bought tickets on the spot.

Many movie data bloggers obtained various backend data through their own channels and made various analyses.

Among them, the most said was that "Hurricane 2" actually became the first choice for passerby viewers among all the movies currently being shown.

A film and television blogger said: "I originally thought that Lu Yanhe's participation in 'Hurricane 2' played a role in pulling fans, but I didn't expect to be completely wrong."

The box office of the first "Hurricane" in China was 300 million.

When the first weekend ended, the cumulative box office of "Hurricane 2" had already exceeded 200 million.

Looking at it this way, "Hurricane 2" exceeding the box office performance of the first installment is a sure thing.

And "Hurricane 2" opened globally, and the performance was also quite good, with North America almost on par with the first installment, but overseas, the performance was much more eye-catching than the first installment.

When the final data came out, the global box office of "Hurricane 2" in the first weekend exceeded 120 million USD, significantly exceeding industry expectations.

The 30 million USD in the Chinese market, 6 million USD in South Korea, 8 million USD in Japan, and 14 million USD in the UK played an important supporting role.

According to a sample survey by a data analysis agency in the United States, among the overseas audience group outside of North America for "Hurricane 2", besides the fans brought by the first installment and the fans of the lead Derien Dillon, the most important factor attracting viewers to walk into the cinema was Lu Yanhe.

This was something Wayne-St Company completely did not expect.

And according to the data, among the audience group of "Hurricane 2" in Europe and America, the Asian group actually accounted for 21%, which far exceeded the data of "Hurricane 1".

Obviously, this comes from Lu Yanhe's appeal and influence.

This male actor who just won an Oscar and exploded with two works as a screenwriter has returned to his actor identity this time, proving his commercial value.

Wayne-St even held an internal meeting to discuss the possibility of resurrecting Lu Yanhe's character in "Hurricane 3".

Resurrection is not a rare operation.

Even if you are blown to ashes, Hollywood movies can resurrect you.

Regarding this, Derien Dillon even jokingly asked about his attitude in an email to Lu Yanhe.

Lu Yanhe tactfully expressed that since the character is already dead, let him die peacefully...

Such a cameo, once per series is enough; if he really resurrects, he would really become a permanent supporting role in this series.

If it were before, it would be fine, but for him now, the movie itself is not particularly attractive to him, and he is not the real lead; even if the box office is good, according to convention, no matter how much appeal he has to the Asian group, the results will still be attributed to Derien.

This doesn't even need Chen Ziyan to stop him; he himself knows there is no need to act in the sequels of the "Hurricane" series again.

However, because of the excellent first-weekend box office of "Hurricane 2" and the large increase in overseas box office compared to the first installment, major movie series have set their sights on Lu Yanhe.

Adding a lead to a movie series is not such a simple thing, but adding a cameo lead role is a routine job for Hollywood screenwriters, a skill that must be mastered.

Three days of cameo, 1.5 million USD, in exchange for the box office of the Asian group buying tickets to enter the cinema, this is cost-effective no matter how you calculate it.

For a time, Darren Wilson received invitations for four or five projects.

All are the most popular movie series.

There is nothing to pick from these project invitations.

These hit movie series, every department is done by the best people in the industry, the foundation is all there, it's impossible to be bad.

It just depends on whether Lu Yanhe wants to take it.

The salary offered by these movie series is also very high, all starting at 5 million USD.

For a blockbuster, an actor who is not playing the lead can be offered such a high salary; on one hand, they don't save money in this regard, and on the other hand, they see Lu Yanhe's box office appeal.

But Darren Wilson still picked and chose, looking at what the positioning and style of the entire movie series are, what type of role is being sought, and also having to screen whether there is any discrimination against Asians among the main creators of the movie.

Darren Wilson knows Lu Yanhe cares about these things.

The performance contract Lu Yanhe signed with Hollywood will have a clause that does not allow content that smears or attacks the image of Asians.

After him, the contracts signed by Jiang Jun, Jiang Yuqian, Li Zhibai, and others he brought with Hollywood studios also required this clause.

After picking and choosing like this, only two projects were left in the end.

Darren Wilson sent them to Chen Ziyan, telling her that both projects can be chosen, but it is recommended to only act in one.

Scarcity makes things valuable.

Actors are the same.

In Darren Wilson's view, Lu Yanhe now only needs to continuously use successful projects to maintain his status in Hollywood.

After all, Lu Yanhe still has the lead in "The Mist 2" and the lead in Green Valley's "Godless" series, so he is not lacking in exposure for commercial blockbusters.

But he needs to take on a new project.

"This is a signal, a signal releasing how successful the movie 'Hurricane 2' is and how much contribution Yan He has made to this success." Darren said to Chen Ziyan on the phone, "Other movie companies throwing out olive branches is a solid signal, and we can also use the salary of such a new project to stabilize Yan He's salary quote, which has already risen several times this year."

Since winning the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor at the beginning of the year, the successive successes of "Home Alone" and "Buried"—even if Lu Yanhe's role in these two movies was as a screenwriter, the fact is that Lu Yanhe's appeal to movie audiences in the film field is getting bigger and bigger.

Therefore, his salary quote has also been adjusted several times.

But because Lu Yanhe hasn't taken on any new Hollywood films in the middle, this matter hasn't been determined in an objective form.

"For a cameo lead role like 'Hurricane 2', the salary for 'Hurricane 2' was 1.5 million, and now Yan He's salary can be increased to 5 million." Darren emphasized, "But this 5 million must be determined by contract, according to Hollywood rules, before it will be recognized."

Chen Ziyan understood Darren's meaning.

With this 5 million, Lu Yanhe's salary in Hollywood can be further increased in the future.

Otherwise, his quote base is still the 6.5 million lead base salary for "The Mist 2" and the 1.5 million cameo lead salary for "Hurricane 2".

After the limelight of "Hurricane 2" passes, the so-called 5 million will be greatly discounted.

Chen Ziyan immediately communicated this matter with Lu Yanhe.

"Darren makes sense. Our purpose for acting in 'Hurricane 2' was to further consolidate your box office appeal. Now the results have met the standard and have also fed back into your salary. We should take on another drama."

"Okay." Lu Yanhe nodded, "However, Sister Ziyan, which one do you think I should take?"

Chen Ziyan said: "My standard is still relatively simple. These two scripts are what remained after Darren's screening, and both are projects that are good in all aspects. So my choice is to see which series has more influence and a higher status in film history in the future. After all, this means whether you will become a member of a certain 'big family', and many times, this significance is quite important."

Lu Yanhe understood Chen Ziyan's meaning.

This is the same as actors who participated in the "Lord of the Rings" series, the "Harry Potter" series, and even the later Marvel series. Whether you are a member is not only the actor's own obsession but also a sign of whether you are truly accepted.

He has a role in a recognized classic series, his existence must be acknowledged, and his value as an actor will inevitably "appreciate" along with the movie.

Just like the Oscars.

Actors who have won Oscars will inevitably be "protected" by people in the Oscar system, regardless of whether this person was really considered worthy of an Oscar by the Academy before winning the award.

Chen Ziyan said: "I am more inclined for you to choose the movie 'Cloud Sea'. The other project, although also very popular, is an action series. In an action series, how should I put it, the core characters steal the limelight too much. A non-core lead might be popular for a while, but cannot leave a longer-lasting memory."

Lu Yanhe understood.

Just like "The Expendables".

In the "Lord of the Rings" series, a stream of fleeting supporting roles all left a deep impression, and their roles also became one of the actors' representative roles.

For example, the Elf Queen for Cate Blanchett.

This is the difference in movie types and the difference in character types.

In "The Expendables", there is a uniform group of tough guys, only distinguished by personality. In "Lord of the Rings", race, gender, image, skills, functions... the differences are huge, so every character has a memory point.

This "Cloud Sea" that Chen Ziyan chose is a fantasy blockbuster.

"Of course, I have another reason for choosing 'Cloud Sea'. The role in the action series that is looking for you also sacrifices itself at the end of the movie." Chen Ziyan said, "You have already sacrificed once in 'Hurricane 2', it is not a good thing to sacrifice a character in a row to leave such an impression."

Lu Yanhe nodded.

"Then 'Cloud Sea'."

Chen Ziyan: "Okay, I'll go tell Darren and let him start the negotiations."

Lu Yanhe: "Good."

Chen Ziyan: "Do you think there is a suitable male actor for that role in the spy series?"

"Me?"

"Hmm." Chen Ziyan said, "They modified the script for you and changed this role to an ethnic Chinese. If you don't act, their thinking has already changed to finding an ethnic Chinese or even a Chinese actor, replicating the route of 'Hurricane 2', opening up the Chinese market. We might as well take the initiative while the information is in our hands. We won't act, but we can push other actors to act."

Lu Yanhe thought seriously and said: "Speaking of which, actually, I have talked to Yan Liang, he can try to take the action actor route in the future, his image and temperament fit."

Chen Ziyan nodded, "Okay, now Yan Liang doesn't have an agency overseas. How about this, I will ask Darren to recommend Yan Liang's profile."

"Will he be willing?" Such a thing without profit, even if Darren succeeds in pushing, he won't earn Yan Liang's commission.

"It's a convenient matter, he won't refuse." Chen Ziyan said, "You are a big client to him, he won't be unwilling to do this small favor."

Lu Yanhe nodded.

Chen Ziyan said again: "In mid-September this year, you have to go film 'Godless'. You have quite a lot of scenes in this movie. Although you are not the lead, you are also one of the most important characters. The first installment will take 150 days to film in total, and your scenes will be finished in three parts: from mid-September to early October, you have to go film for ten days in November, and then it's next January, when you have to go film for twenty days."

Lu Yanhe nodded, "Understood."

"The schedule was coordinated for a long time because you happen to be filming 'Friends' at the end of the year, and at the end of December, there is the release of 'The Mist 2', too many things." Chen Ziyan was a bit helpless, "Fortunately, it was coordinated."

Lu Yanhe said: "Sorry for the trouble, every year at the end of the year is the busiest time."

"Do you really intend to keep filming 'Friends'?"

"Hmm, I don't have any plans to stop for now." Lu Yanhe said, "This drama is of great significance to me."

"I know that." Chen Ziyan nodded, "The performance of this drama on overseas streaming media is also getting better and better, opening up a lot of popularity for you."

If streaming media also has a sinking market, what "Friends" opened up on Maxine is the sinking market.

This drama has more and more viewers, and unlike many streaming dramas that have white-collar and elite classes as the main viewing group, most of the people attracted by "Friends" are ordinary people, especially high school and college students.

The audience of this drama overseas is very different from these few movies of Lu Yanhe.

Chen Ziyan said: "Okay, since that's the case, I will try my best to coordinate the schedule for you."

Lu Yanhe nodded with a smile and said: "Sorry for the trouble, Sister Ziyan."

"What trouble am I? I'm just a small trouble, but you are the one who has been working hard." Chen Ziyan asked, "How have you been recently?"

"Not bad, actually I feel I have already rested." Lu Yanhe said, "Before, I only didn't feel tired when filming; filming was like a vacation, but now I feel that as long as I am not filming, I can completely relax."

"Seeing the mountain is the mountain, seeing the mountain is not the mountain." Chen Ziyan laughed, "You are truly starting to be an actor now."

Recommending the old entertainment-themed book "I Became a Scandalous Female Lead Overnight" (End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 763 =====