Chapter 237: Mickey Mouse put on Donald Duck's beak!

Although radio has not entered the television broadcast as widely as it used to, it still has a large group of loyal customers. Not to mention that this is a national radio program, which will affect the judgment of many people who heard these remarks when they buy tickets to watch the film today.

Kenneth's remarks on the morning program of the American National Public Radio reached Michael Eisner's ears, making him furious.

What do you mean by not respecting history? Does *Titanic* respect history very much? You allow *Titanic* to film the tragic event of thousands of deaths into a love film, but you don't allow my *Zhenzhugang* to film a love main line?

These damn film critics all have shit in their brains!

Bet? My bet at the beginning was that if *Zhenzhugang* failed, I would resign. The opening weekend box office of *Zhenzhugang* being lower than *Pirates of the Caribbean* does not mean the project failed.

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At this time, Johnny Depp restored his spirited appearance, gestured with his hands and shouted: "Don't worry, the great Jack Sparrow will lead *Pirates of the Caribbean* to push open the door of victory!"

……

But now it encountered some twists and turns as soon as it was released, and there was a *Pirates of the Caribbean* that seemed to be performing quite well staring at it from the side.

"Resign? Why should I resign?

Keira immediately said excitedly: "No, of course I am happy! But how could this happen?"

"Then which film are you going to watch?"

"Could it be a mistake?! How is that possible!" Michael Bay roared again. But no one around him made a sound; everyone was silent like cicadas in winter.

Originally, in his view, this was not difficult. He had also seen the film after it was shot, and he felt it was not inferior to *Titanic*. They had big scenes, the war scenes were grand and heroic enough; they also had special effects, "Explosion Bay" was not called that for nothing, 40 minutes of explosions were enough to satisfy the audience; they had even more romance, and it was the combination of American local stars and English roses that the audience liked.

"*Pirates of the Caribbean*: A unique and charming sea adventure!"

Both he and Michael Bay had deep foundations. Even if a big production like *Zhenzhugang* failed, it would not have much impact, and they would still be guests of honor for big producers. As for Disney? May they bless themselves.

"Hello, may I ask which film you are here to watch today?"

However, Wu Yuchen didn't care about this. This praise was indeed what Depp deserved, and he didn't feel that Depp stole his limelight. Now promoting Depp was conducive to the continued rise of the box office of *Pirates of the Caribbean*.

"Hehe, we are on the road to victory, but you must promote hard to accelerate the pace of victory!" Wu Yuchen said to the few people beside him.

Michael Bay hurriedly picked up the investigation report and flipped through it……

"Opening weekend breaks records? 100 million in 5 days? *Zhenzhugang*'s boast has become a joke!"

Wu Yuchen also showed a bright smile at this time, and then said: "Now we are far ahead! Aren't you happy?"

"And the magical *Black Pearl* and the curse!"

"I heard that *Zhenzhugang* is a film that sells dog meat while hanging a sheep's head, and the reputation of *Pirates of the Caribbean* is better. I am very curious about what this pirate-themed film will be like."

"*Pirates of the Caribbean*: The perfect fusion of adventure, fantasy, romance, and pirate culture!"

"*Pirates of the Caribbean* not to be missed, the fascinating Captain Jack!"

"Peter Schneider: Is your resignation letter ready?"

"*Zhenzhugang*'s aircraft carrier and planes are no match for *Pirates of the Caribbean*'s skeleton pirates!"

Afterwards, Michael Bay looked at the 25.34 million single-day box office of *Pirates of the Caribbean*, and couldn't help but say bitterly: "I didn't expect that I would really lose to that guy this time……"

And just at this moment, a group of people also walked out of the cinema; they should have just finished watching the film. The reporter hurriedly walked up: "Hey, hello, may I ask which film you just watched? How do you feel?"

Wu Yuchen encouraged Depp. Today, when they went to run promotions, the audience was very enthusiastic after seeing Captain Jack, and the children kept surrounding him and shouting.

The woman said loudly with dissatisfaction: "Don't be unreasonable, okay? They thought the male lead was in trouble; he was just helping the male lead take care of her!"

After the old man finished speaking, he walked away, and the reporter caught a young couple: "Hey, hello, may I ask if you just finished watching *Zhenzhugang*? How was the viewing experience?"

Wu Yuchen snapped his fingers: "bingo!"

The secretary immediately said: "It has already had a certain effect. We proposed to donate 3 million US dollars to the Zhenzhugang Survivors Association to subsidize and take care of those survivor veterans who are living in difficulty, but the association wants 5 million."

Michael Eisner is now a bit distracted. *Zhenzhugang* is Disney's highlight this year and a big project that Disney has prepared with all its strength. Whether internally or externally, he has already boasted that he can guarantee it will achieve a good result.

"Hello, sir, may I ask what film you just watched? Can you talk about your thoughts?"

This scene made Eisner so angry that he pressed the television off directly. At the same time, through the reaction of the interview just now, a sense of crisis could not help but arise in his heart. After all, this time it was real word-of-mouth, not some film critic who was deliberately picking faults. Would *Zhenzhugang* really fail?

Thinking of this, he immediately picked up the phone: "Increase publicity! Increase public relations, and publicize away all unfavorable remarks as much as possible!"

Afterwards, Eisner pressed the remote control, flipping through channels randomly. After hearing a few words, he stopped and glanced at the channel logo. It was still Fox. He had just heard *Zhenzhugang*.

If the film fails, he, the producer, and the director Michael Bay will both be responsible. Reducing losses can also reduce their pressure a lot.

After *X-Men* last year, Hugh Jackman's fame rose again by virtue of the role of Wolverine, and he had already climbed to the front of the second line. And after *Pirates of the Caribbean*, he would completely step into the first line.

Afterwards, Wu Yuchen said to Keira Knightley: "Keira, this time you will become famous in one fell swoop. You will no longer be Natalie Portman's double, and your fans will be more than hers!"

Her boyfriend curled his lips when he heard this, and the reporter immediately asked: "Sir, what is your opinion?"

"How could this happen?!" Looking at the same piece of data, Michael Bay also showed an expression of disbelief.

"Of course!"

His girlfriend patted him when she heard this: "Hey, how can you think so! Since he loves her, he should accept everything about her. Your idea is too selfish and too narrow!"

Seeing that the two were about to quarrel, the reporter immediately slipped away, saying: "OK, let's look at other people's opinions!"

And now that Depp has spoken out, the media, who are not afraid of big trouble, naturally found Disney again, reminding them to remember the bet with Wu Yuchen and the boasts made at the beginning:

Depp is not a saint who doesn't take revenge. He remembers clearly that the other side sprayed him for not being able to carry the box office of big productions. Now that *Pirates of the Caribbean* has achieved great success, he naturally wants to push back!

In fact, while praising *Pirates of the Caribbean*, the media naturally also attacked and criticized *Zhenzhugang* in various aspects, roughly the same problems that Wu Yuchen said before, aiming at the dog-blood love triangle in the film.

The old man shook his head: "I just watched *Zhenzhugang*. To be honest, this film does not satisfy me. It is also a film about the Zhenzhugang theme, but it is far worse than *Tora! Tora! Tora! *. I thought that after 30 years, with the improvement of film technology, a better film would be shot. But apparently, this *Zhenzhugang* is a bit disappointing. War is not just explosions, and there won't be so much romance."

"Captain Jack is too fascinating! He is always cheeky, but people can't help but fall in love with him!"

The two said without hesitation: "*Pirates of the Caribbean*."

The person in charge of publicity nodded one by one. After he left, Michael Bay asked Bruckheimer: "Is it too late for us to do this?"

Just in the middle of talking and laughing, the staff walked over with the box office data for Saturday. Several people hurriedly gathered around, even Depp, who was too tired to speak just now, leaned over. He saw it written on it:

Not to mention Keira, even Depp and Hugh Jackman were stunned. After all, the publicity battle of *Zhenzhugang* had always been ahead of *Pirates of the Caribbean*, and they had always been rubbing against the heat of *Zhenzhugang*. They never thought they could lead by so much!

At the same time, he also highly praised Wu Yuchen, the director who created *Pirates of the Caribbean*:

"Wu Yuchen used *Pirates of the Caribbean* to prove his ability to control big productions. This pirate film, which perfectly integrates various elements, has created a fascinating new pirate world and shaped a classic pirate film!"

Another black man said: "*Zhenzhugang* is too white; it is completely a white history story. In contrast, *Pirates of the Caribbean* makes me feel more intimate~"

Peter Schneider actually wanted to hide, but he had no choice as he had to go to work. In the end, he was blocked by paparazzi and chased after him. However, this guy also had a hard mouth:

"Why choose *Pirates of the Caribbean* instead of *Zhenzhugang*?"

Keira shouted: "Director, I want a raise for the sequel!"

Then the reporter stopped two young black men: "Hey, hello, are you planning to watch any film?"

The woman smiled and said: "I think it's pretty good. It let me understand more history of the Zhenzhugang incident, and the romance in it is also very moving~"

【Garbled text】

On Sunday, despite Disney's pressure, the cinema line did not reduce the number of screens for *Zhenzhugang*, but it still could not save anything:

*Pirates of the Caribbean* 21.78 million;

*Zhenzhugang* 12.63 million.

After Wu Yuchen explained, the people around him also suddenly realized that it was the core of the *Zhenzhugang* film itself that had a problem.

After interviewing several more people, they were obviously full of praise for *Pirates of the Caribbean*. The reporter said to the camera:

"This film is too cool! It perfectly fits my fantasy of the pirate world!"

"Captain Jack has infinite charm, Johnny Depp is popular in North America!"

"I brought my son to see it, but I completely forgot about him and was very fascinated!"

The reporter said, and stopped a young man who was about to enter the cinema: "Hello, are you here to watch a film?"

The reporter showed an understanding smile, watching the little boy pull his father and rush into the cinema happily.

Bruckheimer also shook his head. If there were no *Pirates of the Caribbean* this time, then in the absence of competitors, they could have used the advantage of publicity to occupy the schedule alone, and even if the film had some problems, it could attract most of the passersby.

Michael Eisner said with a gloomy face: "Give it to them, let them quickly appease those troublemaking veterans. I don't want to see any more protest voices! Also, let this Zhenzhugang Association cooperate to speak out, let ABC television broadcast it live, and report our good deeds immediately!"

"*Zhenzhugang* has not failed yet! It's only been 3 days. I believe *Zhenzhugang* can achieve high box office in the subsequent long run!"

The opening weekend three-day box office is out: *Pirates of the Caribbean* 65.05 million, *Zhenzhugang* 48.25 million.

*Zhenzhugang* wants to learn from *Titanic* and take the love route to attract the audience. In fact, this is completely fine. But the love triangle they set up is too dog-blood. In *Titanic*, although there is also a love triangle relationship, Jack and Rose are always in love, and there is no flaw in their love, which is extremely moving!

And what about *Zhenzhugang*? The female lead first falls in love with the male lead, then falls in love with the second male lead, and even has a child. Finally, after the second male lead dies, the female lead returns to the male lead's embrace. There may be many women who think this tortuous love is moving, but I dare to guarantee that most men will definitely not think it is moving!

Not to mention that for the sake of this love triangle, other structures of the film have made sacrifices."

"Hey, Depp, very good! Now you are simply the audience's favorite!"

"*Pirates of the Caribbean*."

"Hello everyone, with the release of two 140 million big productions, *Pirates of the Caribbean* and *Zhenzhugang*, the cinemas this weekend are exceptionally lively. Now we will also conduct random surveys and interviews with these people coming in and out."

Wu Yuchen laughed when he heard this: "Of course!"

*Pirates of the Caribbean*, 25.34 million;

*Zhenzhugang*, 16.92 million;

Keira looked at this number and rubbed her eyes in disbelief. She could understand that *Pirates of the Caribbean* could overtake *Zhenzhugang*, but how could this number exceed so much at once!

You know, yesterday, *Pirates of the Caribbean* was still nearly 1 million behind *Zhenzhugang*, and today it directly overtook by more than 8 million! This made Keira doubt whether she was dazzled!

"Oh my god! Director, is this true? I'm not dreaming, am I?" Keira covered her mouth and screamed.

Just because of this incident caused by this group of people, he felt that the box office would be reduced by at least 10 million. In order to cut off the influence quickly, he could only use money to fill their mouths first. Now it is to let them cooperate with the publicity of *Zhenzhugang* as soon as possible to minimize the negative public opinion, let the impression of potential audiences be reversed again.

"Wow! From the feedback of the audience, Director Wu Yuchen really subverted the cognition that pirate films are box office poison, and brought a pirate film that is very popular with the audience! And I have a premonition that Johnny Depp is likely to rise to a higher level of fame by virtue of this *Pirates of the Caribbean*!"

This time *Zhenzhugang* has already invested 250 million, and more importantly, it has been promoted for so long. Everyone knows that it is a project benchmarked against *Titanic* that he, Eisner, has put all his efforts into creating, and it must not fail!

……

"A very great pirate fantasy adventure film, perfect in all aspects, plot, actors, score, and special effects, especially the instant transformation into skeletons under the moonlight, which really left a deep impression!"

Two teenagers shouted to the camera: "*Pirates of the Caribbean*! Great Captain Jack!"

Depp directly called out to Disney at this time: "Now I want to ask Peter Schneider of Disney, can Johnny Depp serve as the male lead of a 140 million dollar big production?"

On the other side, Bruckheimer gathered with Michael Bay and the person in charge of publicity. Bruckheimer said: "Now we need to adjust the publicity strategy, and then focus the publicity on the special effects of the film as much as possible, and the romance will be gradually faded. Also, put pressure on the cinema line so that they don't reduce our number of screens……"

"*Zhenzhugang* is not so respectful of history, and triggering protests is just one of the reasons. But its biggest problem lies in the love triangle they set up itself.

Bruckheimer patted Michael Bay on the shoulder: "It doesn't matter, it's just a failure, summarize the experience and come again next time."

Just as he was speaking, another group of people walked out of the cinema, and the reporter went up again. The first one interviewed was a gray-haired, elegant old man who looked old.

Johnny Depp waved his hand. He was already too tired to speak. Being popular is popular, but being tired is really tired!

Wu Yuchen smiled when he saw this, and then said to Hugh Jackman: "Hugh, this *Pirates of the Caribbean* will become your representative work, taking your career to a higher level and completely stepping into the first line of Hollywood!"

A black man said with a question mark: "Protest? Honestly, I don't know this history. I only care about whether the film is good or not. My friends around me are all saying that *Pirates of the Caribbean* is great, which is why I chose to watch *Pirates of the Caribbean*."

"*Pirates of the Caribbean*: Creating pirate classics and reviving pirate genre films."

Hearing the answer of this young man on TV, Eisner couldn't help but curse damn it. It was all caused by the protesting veterans yesterday!

At this time, the reporter stopped a middle-aged man, and he saw that he was holding a little boy by his side.

The media and public opinion naturally sang praises for *Pirates of the Caribbean*:

Before the middle-aged man could answer, the little boy shouted impatiently: "*Pirates of the Caribbean*! I am here to see Captain Jack. Chris told me he is very interesting!"

Bruckheimer sighed: "Save as much as you can, I just hope the loss of this film is as small as possible."

"Because *Zhenzhugang* itself had a problem." Wu Yuchen explained to the people around him with a smile.

And once this result came out, the winner and loser between the two were clear at a glance. Those media that had not yet commented due to various reasons began to appear one after another:

"*Pirates of the Caribbean* crushes *Zhenzhugang*, topping the list with 65.05 million in the opening weekend!

"*Pirates of the Caribbean* completely abuses *Zhenzhugang*, a complete victory!"

The two said one word after another, looking very excited.

"Why not *Zhenzhugang*? Is it because of the veterans' protest yesterday?"

And at this time Hugh Jackman said: "Plus we have such a wonderful *Pirates of the Caribbean* competing with it!"

The man rolled his eyes: "Come on! When the male lead's life and death were unknown, the female lead got together with his good brother. What a pair of dog men and women!"

After the secretary left, Michael Eisner couldn't help but curse. Son of a bitch survivor association, taking advantage of this time to come and beg for money! Why didn't you bastards all get blown up at the beginning!

However, Eisner also comforted himself that as long as the small trouble of the protest was solved, *Zhenzhugang* would still get rich returns like *Titanic*!

The middle-aged man smiled at the reporter and said: "Actually, I am more interested in *Zhenzhugang*, but as you can see, my son has been looking forward to *Pirates of the Caribbean* all day after calling his friends~"

Michael Eisner immediately asked the secretary beside him: "How is the negotiation with that group of protesting veterans?"

But now, because of the existence of a strong opponent like *Pirates of the Caribbean*, *Zhenzhugang* would lose its reputation if it made a small mistake, losing a large number of audiences that should have belonged to them.

Famous film critic Roger Ebert of the *Chicago Sun-Times* praised Depp's performance:

"It can be said that (Depp's) performance is original in every place. In any other film, there has never been a pirate or anyone like him…… His behavior shows a lifetime of practice."

"*Pirates of the Caribbean*: The search for freedom, adventure, and charm!"

At this time, producer Bruckheimer came over with an investigation report, and then showed a tired and frustrated look, and said to him: "Michael, look at this first."

"Very great, it is also a fantasy adventure film. I think it is better to watch than *The Mummy*. Captain Jack is too charming!"

Johnny Depp is indeed glorious now. His performance in this *Pirates of the Caribbean* has won so many attractive praises, and everyone even says that without Depp, the charm of this *Pirates of the Caribbean* would be reduced by at least half.

"So, we have won now?!" Keira asked.

The man continued to mock: "Oh, yes, he even took his good brother's girlfriend to bed! What a moving brotherhood!"

The reporter interviewed three times in a row, all of whom were here to watch *Pirates of the Caribbean*, which made Eisner in front of the TV almost unable to hold on. But fortunately, a couple came over the next moment, saying that they were here to watch the love story of *Zhenzhugang*, which made Eisner look better.

The man didn't hold back and said directly: "I don't think their love is moving at all; it's too dog-blood! I think the male lead's brain is flooded! He even helped others raise children; he is just a big injustice!"

These remarks naturally attracted ridicule from all sides, and the media also reported on this:

"Stubborn Disney should put Donald Duck at the company gate!"

"Mickey Mouse put on Donald Duck's beak!" ===== CHAPTER 238 =====