Chapter 236: He was simply born for this role!

As the film opened, Chris saw a boy of his own age lying on a severely damaged, burning ship, hovering on the brink of death, while a little girl named Elizabeth saved him. Time flashed by; as they grew up, the two fell in love, but their different social statuses created an obstacle.

This setup of a poor boy and a rich girl falling in love is a trope that has been used to death in Hollywood and even across the world. Yet, the reason everyone keeps using it is because it is a classic; the key lies in how well you execute it. Wasn't *Titanic* from two years ago just like that?

Up to this point, the beginning of *Pirates of the Caribbean* could be considered standard. It just gave everyone the feeling that the costumes, sets, and props were quite meticulous. The film had a certain texture to it, making it quite comfortable to watch.

Next, the scene flashed. Chris saw a pirate standing on the mast of a clipper ship, wearing a tricorne hat, a long-faded red bandana wrapped around his head, and brown dreadlocks adorned with colorful beads fluttering in the wind. Amidst the stirring background music, he sailed across the sea with an air of dominance. It was none other than Captain Jack!

However, as the camera pulled back, one could only see his dilapidated ship constantly sinking, looking quite miserable. Yet, he didn't care in the slightest. As he stepped from the mast onto the dock just as they were about to reach Port Royal, his ship happened to sink right then and there.

Captain Jack's maverick style and this unique entrance instantly captured the attention of the entire audience. Chris was even more captivated; this unusual fellow looked much more interesting than the handsome men and beautiful women who had appeared earlier.

"Hmm, Kenneth, what you said sounds very reasonable. Then let's talk about *Pirates of the Caribbean*, shall we?"

Later, when Captain Jack escaped from the navy, grabbing a rope and swinging upward, downward, and outward like a child on a swing, the gasps and laughter on Chris's face never ceased. He just found this guy extremely entertaining!

Captain Jack's combat ability wasn't high; he was nothing like the fierce pirates of tradition, nor did he show any of the protagonist's halo or immense power. He could even be knocked unconscious by a drunken old sot in a sneak attack, looking completely unreliable. Yet, the audience just couldn't bring themselves to dislike him; instead, they found his chatty and cheeky demeanor quite joyful!

And this *Pirates of the Caribbean* wasn't just about Captain Jack. When the pirates on the *Black Pearl* suddenly transformed into half-human, half-ghost skeleton monsters under the moonlight, this eerie and terrifying scene caused many children in the theater to scream.

With Old Bush as the center, quite a few people gathered around. They first politely expressed their praise for the film, then began to shift the conversation to their own topics.

"Kenneth, the two most eye-catching films, *Zhenzhugang* and *Pirates of the Caribbean*, were both released yesterday. And this also involves a bet between Director Wu Yuchen and a Disney executive. Did you go see them yesterday?"

Looking at these protesters on the television, Eisner was instantly furious. Disney had kindly invited them to the premiere yesterday and provided a banquet, only for a group of people to turn around and crash their party!

Protests from the Japanese were one thing, but now you are protesting too? Damn it, we had 40 minutes of bombing, and you say we didn't capture the tragedy of Zhenzhugang?!

"I will tell all my classmates how cool Captain Jack is!"

However, the premiere was a bit late, and it wasn't possible to have extensive interaction. Wu Yuchen asked the audience: "My dear little sailors, do you like this *Pirates of the Caribbean* and Captain Jack?"

Keira Knightley had been running promotions all day, but looking at the praise filling the newspapers now, she felt most of her fatigue dissipate. Although most of it was praising Johnny Depp, her Elizabeth was also mentioned quite a few times; after all, she was the only female lead.

"Right at Zhenzhugang, and the television is broadcasting this event live right now!"

After seeing this number, Keira immediately looked at Wu Yuchen, not knowing what to make of it. She felt this opening day result was very good, but it wasn't as high as *Zhenzhugang*, so she didn't know if this counted as a success.

Eisner immediately roared: "Find someone to contact them, go and negotiate!"

"Thank you, your praise is the best reward for *Zhenzhugang*!" Eisner said sincerely.

This immediately cooled the enthusiasm of Keira Knightley, who had just received a great deal of praise. Then, the next moment, Wu Yuchen smiled and said: "However, the reaction from those children isn't fake~"

"*Zhenzhugang*: A romance film wearing the cloak of war?"

Listening to the noisy answers from the group of children below, Wu Yuchen smiled and said: "Then are you willing to recommend this film to your good friends and share the joy and happiness of this moment with them?"

Eisner frowned again. What did he mean by "rivals"? It should be "surpasses." Can't they write an article properly? It seemed he needed to give his publicity team a wake-up call!

Seeing this, Wu Yuchen smiled and said: "Not bad. Why are you all not reacting?"

Someone nearby agreed: "Right, that's how the world is now. And I also heard that in order to earn money from the Japanese, Disney beautified them. The film didn't dare to reveal how much harm the Japanese caused us because they were afraid the Japanese wouldn't walk into the cinema to contribute to the box office!"

Another person shrugged, looking as if they had seen through it all, and said: "This is Hollywood. It only cares about money, and for the sake of money, it will fabricate some romantic, specious things."

Bob Kinzler, president of the Zhenzhugang Survivors Association, said, "We don't need a love story; it should have been a war film. Of course, some romantic elements could be added, but they shouldn't have become the theme of the film while ignoring history itself. This is a desecration of the fallen soldiers!"

That evening, some evening newspapers published related news one after another:

"Pirates aren't just fierce and treacherous; there is also Captain Jack!"

After seeing everyone off, Wu Yuchen breathed a sigh of relief. Then, Keira Knightley, who was beside him, asked excitedly: "Have we succeeded?"

At this moment, it wasn't just Eisner watching the live broadcast on Fox News. After watching it, Wu Yuchen clapped his hands in approval and hurriedly summoned the head of his publicity team: "Find some media and spread the impact of this matter as much as possible to attack *Zhenzhugang*."

"Like it!"

"Sorry, Mr. Eisner! A large group of World War II veterans have gathered and are protesting against *Zhenzhugang*!"

"I originally had high expectations for *Zhenzhugang*. After all, it was Memorial Day, so I went to see the film as soon as it was released, but it disappointed me so much!

183 minutes, with 153 minutes spent talking about a love triangle, and the remaining half hour was Michael Bay's explosions. Honestly, the explosion effects lived up to Michael Bay's nickname, 'Explosion Bay,' and the score was quite good, but that long and vulgar love triangle really didn't make one feel any affection!

I know Disney and Michael Bay were trying their best to imitate *Titanic*. They thought disaster plus romance was the golden road to the box office, but they chose the wrong film!

This is *Zhenzhugang*; this is a war film; this is Memorial Day! Why did everyone go to see it? It was to review history, to commemorate the Zhenzhugang incident, and to watch war with a heart full of passion, not a love triangle that sells dog meat while hanging a sheep's head!

If the 183-minute film had been cut by an hour, removing the female lead to emphasize brotherhood, or removing the love line between the female lead and the second male lead, the entire film could have been elevated to a higher level."

"Welcome to the morning program of the American National Public Radio. Next, Kenneth will bring us his views on this week's films."

This made Elizabeth smile again. She wasn't a novice who knew nothing; she knew that in the summer blockbuster season, if a film could win the love of a large number of children, the box office wouldn't be low. Because one child often represents 2-3 movie tickets!

Negative news about *Zhenzhugang* was increasing on the very first day of its release. In contrast, there was *Pirates of the Caribbean*:

"*Pirates of the Caribbean*: The best summer blockbuster of the year! Johnny Depp's performance is beyond praise, absolutely worth the price of admission!" — Alan Morrison of *Empire Magazine*.

Inviting Old Bush to attend the premiere of *Zhenzhugang* this time was also because it coincided with the 60th anniversary of Zhenzhugang. Old Bush was also willing to take this opportunity to gain a good reputation in front of the public, showing that he did not forget history and expressing his care for these veterans. Otherwise, do you really think any film could invite him?

Undoubtedly, Depp had now become the most popular and beloved person on the scene, and he kept waving to the children below.

"This *Zhenzhugang* only focused on the love triangle and only aimed the camera at the two male leads. It didn't show how painful the real war was at all. They didn't give these soldiers the recognition they deserved!"

Seeing this headline, Eisner frowned, then smiled with disdain. This was clearly a PR piece bought by the other side during the release period, and he couldn't even be bothered to glance at the content.

"I love him to death!"

At this moment, on an aircraft carrier at Zhenzhugang in Hawaii, the film *Zhenzhugang* had just come to an end.

……

The premiere of *Zhenzhugang* last night went on very late, so Michael Eisner didn't get up until noon the next day. After finishing lunch, he picked up a series of newspapers organized by his secretary and started flipping through them.

Wu Yuchen smiled at her and said: "At the premiere, no one will say bad things; everyone will offer praise!"

Upon hearing this, Eisner was shocked: "What? What happened? Where are they?"

"Of course, I have seen both films. What I want to say is that Peter Schneider can already write his resignation letter!"

"Good morning, Kenneth!"

【Garbled text】

Eisner immediately turned on the television and found the Fox News channel. He saw a large group of elderly veterans gathered in front of the camera, holding banners that read "Protest *Zhenzhugang*!", and the leaders among them were being interviewed.

Although Eisner was arrogant, that depended on who he was in front of. The person in front of him was someone at the very top of America. Although Old Bush had already stepped down as President, his son, Little Bush, had just taken office this year!

"Damn bastards! We want to protest; this film doesn't deserve to be released on Memorial Day at all! This is an insult to the soldiers who defended Zhenzhugang and died there!"

Mentioning *Pirates of the Caribbean*, Kenneth's tone became noticeably more cheerful:

"I'm going to call Jenny when I get back!"

At this time, Hugh Jackman said: "I wonder what the situation is like over at *Zhenzhugang*?"

……

At this moment, the cinema was filled with the excited shouts of children. However, when Wu Yuchen led the main creative team onto the stage, the audience still erupted into thunderous applause, and many children kept shouting: "Captain Jack! It's Jack Sparrow!"

"Oh, yes, it's so cool!" The father also stared unblinkingly at the big villain Barbossa on the screen. He saw him pour wine into his mouth after turning into a skeleton, and then the wine all slid down along his skeletal body. This scene looked eerie yet funny; it was really very interesting!

As the plot unfolded, the entire audience followed Captain Jack on an unknown, mysterious, and surprising adventure.

"I love Jack!"

At this moment, Michael Eisner was talking to Old Bush beside him. He saw Old Bush smile at him and say: "Eisner, a pretty good film. I think everyone will like it on Memorial Day."

*Pirates of the Caribbean*: 17.93 million.

The people from Disney were all busy greeting those celebrity guests and didn't notice these dissatisfied veterans who had already linked up.

But clearly, Disney didn't choose to do so. And the joint protest of the Zhenzhugang survivor veterans was the proof of their film's failure. A *Zhenzhugang* that even the Zhenzhugang veterans were dissatisfied with—can you still expect everyone to believe it?"

"There are many fictional elements here, and Zhenzhugang should not coexist with fiction. This film doesn't give me a sense of pride, as if only Affleck and Hartnett were fighting there that day, and everyone else was irrelevant."

"Wow, Kenneth, are you so sure? You know, the opening day box office for *Zhenzhugang* was even higher than *Pirates of the Caribbean*!"

In fact, for the premiere of *Zhenzhugang* this time, Disney also invited quite a few surviving World War II veterans, especially those who were present at the Zhenzhugang incident. It's just that Eisner was busy dealing with these big shots; how would he pay attention to those ordinary veterans?

At this moment, after watching the film, some veterans didn't look too happy and were gathered together exchanging thoughts. A survivor of the Battle of Zhenzhugang said angrily:

"What are they filming? What do they treat the Zhenzhugang incident as? A background to show how great and moving their bullshit romance is? Fuck them!"

Some timid ones even covered their eyes directly, but many gaps appeared between their fingers, and they kept looking at the screen through the gaps, looking like they wanted to watch but didn't dare to.

"*Pirates of the Caribbean* really gave me a big surprise. It should be said that it is the most surprising film of the year so far! I'm not saying it has high artistry, but it lies in two points.

After roaring, Eisner simply made the calls himself, but unfortunately, the replies he got from some government personnel were all perfunctory, saying they would appease them as soon as possible, but they couldn't give any guarantees.

"I am very angry because too many of our people died at Zhenzhugang. I joined the suicide squad. I saw many bodies being carried away, many wounded soldiers bleeding on stretchers, and others desperately jumping into the burning sea of oil. But this film only told the story of two people, as if no one else existed."

Afterwards, he flipped through several more newspapers and saw the flattering articles about *Zhenzhugang*, all of which made him show a satisfied smile.

"Japanese American Citizens League protests *Zhenzhugang* for smearing the image of the Japanese, accusing Disney of deliberately inciting racial hatred!"

Chris shouted to his father beside him: "Dad, this is so cool!"

The next morning.

More than 2 hours passed. Amidst the embrace and kiss of Will and Elizabeth, and Captain Jack driving the *Black Pearl* sailing toward the direction of freedom, when the stirring score sounded again, the film came to an end.

Wu Yuchen shook his head slightly and smiled: "It's only natural that the opening day box office of *Zhenzhugang* is higher than ours. Do you really think their 100 million dollar publicity fee was spent for nothing? If the protest hadn't happened today, it's very likely it would have been over 20 million on the first day."

In fact, with the attention on *Zhenzhugang* so high now, even if they didn't do it, media would have popped up to report on this matter. But now that *Pirates of the Caribbean* is competing with *Zhenzhugang* for the box office, the sooner they can crush the other side, the more fruits of victory they can obtain!

……

Eisner looked at the television station broadcasting live. If this were ABC, he could have had someone cut it off directly, but unfortunately, this is Fox News, which specializes in news!

"*Pirates of the Caribbean*, the greatest pirate film in history!"

"*Pirates of the Caribbean*: Opening a new era of pirate films!"

Looking at this news, Eisner couldn't help but curse in his heart. He had even modified the film to cater to the Japanese mood, but he didn't expect them to still be ungrateful!

However, just at this moment, his secretary ran in hurriedly. Seeing this, Eisner asked with a bad tone: "Why didn't you knock? What happened?"

"The magical *Pirates of the Caribbean*: mysterious treasure, skeleton pirates, eerie coin curses, thrilling and intense sea chases and fights, elegant and free-spirited English fencing duels, the passionate and handsome Will, the beautiful and persistent Elizabeth, and the legendary and humorous pirate Jack—all the attractive elements can be found here!"

Unknowingly, she didn't even notice that time had passed from Friday to Saturday. When the staff walked in with the opening day box office data for Friday, Keira was startled awake and immediately gathered around. She saw it written on the paper:

A smile immediately appeared on Keira's face: "I was still worried that the box office wouldn't be as good as *Zhenzhugang* and that you, Director, would be unhappy~"

Kenneth Turan, film critic for the *Los Angeles Times*, chairman of the *Los Angeles Times* Book Prize, and also a film commentator on the morning radio program, is known for being fair, objective, and sharp-tongued. He has quite a few fans and is also a very well-known figure in the North American film criticism circle.

To be honest, Wu Yuchen would have felt it was normal even if the opening day box office of *Pirates of the Caribbean* and *Zhenzhugang* differed by 3 million. As a result, it was now within 1 million, and he was already very satisfied. Even if negative news came out over at *Zhenzhugang* today and the word-of-mouth for *Pirates of the Caribbean* exploded, it would still take time to ferment.

"We are evil spirits who do all kinds of evil, big bad guys. Come and drink to your heart's content, and enjoy the life of a pirate! Big bad guys who do all kinds of evil! Oh!"

The film length of *Pirates of the Caribbean* is 143 minutes, while *Zhenzhugang* is a full 183 minutes, 40 minutes longer than *Pirates of the Caribbean*.

Afterwards, Eisner saw the evaluation of *Zhenzhugang* in the newspaper: "An epic disaster film comparable to *Titanic*!"

Therefore, the box office for the next two days is crucial.

"Good morning, David~"

"Wow, Wu, I never imagined that a pirate film could be shot like this! I have a premonition that it will become a blockbuster of the summer season!"

*Zhenzhugang*: 18.70 million.

"Three hours of war film, two and a half hours of love triangle."

Because Chris had the baptism of *The Mummy*, he was not afraid of this, but felt extremely excited. Especially when hearing these pirates singing together:

"Willing!"

"The whole film revolves around their love triangle! Do you really think we are all idiots whose brains are full of sperm and hormones?! Why didn't they film more scenes of other soldiers' casualties in the *Zhenzhugang* incident? Many people were bleeding and sacrificing, but these films didn't reflect it at all; all the shots were following two people!"

Wu Yuchen smiled upon hearing this, then said confidently: "Just do our own part well, and we will win this victory!"

"Wu, this *Pirates of the Caribbean* of yours is really great; it's the best pirate film I've ever seen!"

"*Zhenzhugang* faces joint protest from survivor veterans!"

Many of them didn't know what Johnny Depp was called, but now, they all remembered Captain Jack Sparrow!

"Johnny, congratulations! Your Captain Jack will become the children's favorite this year!"

First of all, it completely surpassed all previous pirate-themed films. Director Wu Yuchen perfectly integrated elements such as pirates, adventure, romance, handsome men and beautiful women, action, naval warfare, and fantasy legends, bringing the audience into a mysterious, bizarre, and humorous adventure full of thrills. I bet this film will be the favorite of children this summer! Of course, it is not childish at all and is very suitable for adults to watch.

And the most brilliant point of this film is undoubtedly its male lead, Jack Sparrow! Never has anyone played a pirate like him: romantic and unrestrained, loving freedom, chatty and cheeky, yet brave and fearless; although he loves to play tricks, he occasionally reveals a kind side. Captain Jack is simply too charming!

Depp was simply born for this role!" ===== CHAPTER 237 =====