Chapter 319: Premiere Breaks Records

"Fake pirates meet real pirates! 'Pirates of the Caribbean 2' robbed in the Bahamas!"

"The sequel to 'Pirates of the Caribbean' ignites before release—Captain Octopus becomes the new selling point!"

"2004 blockbuster box office predictions: Can 'Pirates of the Caribbean 2' threaten 'Spider-Man 2'?"

On television, Wu Yuchen was speaking confidently:

"Yes, in the second installment, Jack will face an even stronger enemy—a pirate captain far more terrifying than Barbossa from the first film. Will Jack be in mortal danger? I think you should find the answer in the theater~"

"We really did encounter pirates in the Bahamas; I don’t know if they came because of our fame, but fortunately, the crew only lost $20,000..."

"The screenplay outline circulating online? Oh, come on—I guarantee not a single one of those is real!"

"A third film? Not this year—it’ll arrive as scheduled next summer."

"Comparing box office with 'Spider-Man 2'? Oh, this question really puts me on the spot~"

"Sorry, I might not be a competent producer, but what’s the current box office for 'Spider-Man 2'? $389 million in North America, $806 million worldwide. Hmm, that’s an excellent result—I believe the final total will surpass the first film."

"Alright, if you insist I say it, then the box office for 'Pirates of the Caribbean 2' won’t be inferior to 'Spider-Man 2'. Yes, I have this confidence!"

Brookheimer watched Wu Yuchen on TV, his expression slightly furrowed.

To be honest, he felt he clashed with Wu Yuchen. Years ago, as producer of 'Pearl Harbor,' he’d directly competed with Wu Yuchen’s 'Pirates of the Caribbean' and suffered a box office disaster. But fortunately, his foundation was solid, his reserves deep, and he still held the reputation of 'Hollywood’s Number One Producer,' so it didn’t affect him much.

Now, his produced 'King Arthur' was set to clash again with Wu’s 'Pirates of the Caribbean 2'—he couldn’t help but call it fate’s cruel twist.

Brookheimer wasn’t foolish enough to directly collide with 'Pirates of the Caribbean 2.' 'King Arthur' would open a week earlier. When choosing the release date, there were major productions every week, leaving little room for 'King Arthur' to pick.

Then he recalled the box office performance of recent films and sighed—he’d known earlier that 'Catwoman' and 'Around the World in 80 Days' would flop, he’d have chosen last week’s slot, giving 'Pirates of the Caribbean 2' a two-week gap and minimizing its impact.

Now he could only pray that 'King Arthur' would strike first, securing a strong opening weekend and good word-of-mouth, so it wouldn’t suffer much from 'Pirates of the Caribbean 2.' Of course, if 'Pirates of the Caribbean 2' turned out to be a bomb, he’d be even happier!

As for whether 'Pirates of the Caribbean 2' could match 'Spider-Man 2's success, Brookheimer shook his head—there were plenty of bad sequels; how easy was it to produce two blockbuster sequels like 'Spider-Man 2' in one year?

So far this summer, multiple big-budget films had been released, but 'Spider-Man 2' remained the strongest, utterly unmatched—$800 million worldwide was no easy feat.

On the other side, Wu Yuchen was chatting with the marketing head of 'Pirates of the Caribbean 2':

"4,323 theaters—that’s the highest-level treatment in North America right now, even 200 more than 'Spider-Man 2'!"

Wu Yuchen then asked: "What’s the current market survey like? How’s the promotion performing?"

"Excellent! According to our survey, 'Pirates of the Caribbean 2' is the most anticipated film among audiences—78% want to see it!"

Hearing the 78% figure, Wu Yuchen nodded in satisfaction. This percentage was extremely high; North America’s market was large and fiercely competitive—if 78% of audiences actually went to theaters to watch 'Pirates of the Caribbean 2,' it would surely break new box office records.

In fact, promotion for 'Pirates of the Caribbean 2' had already begun during filming, with constant leaks: the pirate attack in the Bahamas, the leaked screenplay outline online, rumors that Keira Knightley had fallen for Hugh Jackman on set...

These were all Hollywood’s standard tricks, yet audiences ate them up.

Wu Yuchen then asked: "What about our rivals? What’s their situation?"

"'King Arthur' opens on July 2, one week before us. But since 'Troy' underperformed in North America, audiences have grown skeptical toward epic films."

Wu Yuchen smiled upon hearing this: "'Troy' was already the last profitable epic film; every one after it flopped harder—'King Arthur' is no exception. So I say:"

Good. Keep spreading the idea that epic films are boring—make audiences lose interest. When the time comes, be ready to crush it with public opinion the moment it shows weakness.

A dead 'King Arthur' is a good 'King Arthur.' If there’s no strong film the week before, it’ll be even more favorable for 'Pirates of the Caribbean 2'—more viewers who skipped last week’s movies will flock to it.

The head then told Wu Yuchen about the next release: "On July 16, one week after us, Will Smith’s 'I, Robot' will open. His box office draw is still very strong, and the sci-fi genre attracts many viewers."

Will Smith—the most bankable black star in Hollywood today. 'Bad Boys,' 'Independence Day,' 'Men in Black'—all launched him to superstardom; almost none of his films lost money, and 'I, Robot' is no exception.

In his past life, 'I, Robot' cost $120 million and grossed $350 million worldwide—just box office revenue covered costs, not to mention DVD and other rights.

But that was without 'Pirates of the Caribbean 2.'

Wu Yuchen smiled. Though Will Smith was formidable, facing 'Pirates of the Caribbean 2,' this time he’d taste defeat!

Whether 'King Arthur' or 'I, Robot,' both were spaced a week apart from 'Pirates of the Caribbean 2,' avoiding direct confrontation—no other competitors in the same period.

Wu Yuchen thought 'The Bourne Supremacy' was smarter, scheduling its release a full month after 'Pirates of the Caribbean 2.' But then again, Universal had seen the finished film—they’d never dare pit 'The Bourne Supremacy' against 'Pirates of the Caribbean 2.'

After Wu Yuchen finished his discussion, he noticed Keira Knightley and Hugh Jackman chatting nearby and walked over with a grin: "Hey, are you two really falling for each other off-screen?"

Keira rolled her eyes: "Director, that’s not funny~"

She added: "We’re talking about recent films. Hugh’s complaining—he thinks 'Van Helsing' might fail."

Wu Yuchen recalled how he’d comforted the female lead of 'Van Helsing' in bed last time; now he had to comfort the male lead? Was this really his job?

Still, he patted Hugh Jackman’s shoulder and smiled: "Hugh, don’t look so gloomy—'Pirates of the Caribbean 2' will make up every penny you lose on 'Van Helsing'! You won’t be affected at all~"

Hugh Jackman gave a bitter laugh—could it really be calculated like that?

If 'Pirates of the Caribbean 2' succeeds, it might restore some of his prestige, but he wasn’t the core lead here. 'Van Helsing' was his solo box office vehicle—its significance was different.

Still, Wu Yuchen was right: with 'Pirates of the Caribbean' and 'X-Men' carrying him, even if 'Van Helsing' failed, it wouldn’t hurt him much.

Wu Yuchen added: "You’re not a monster hunter anymore—you’re Will Turner. Pick up your spirit—you’ve got to save your princess."

Hugh Jackman raised his hands in surrender: "Alright, alright—I’m Will Turner. I’ll forget 'Van Helsing'—I’m all in for 'Pirates of the Caribbean.'"

Keira Knightley sniffed: "I’m the one who’s all in for 'Pirates of the Caribbean!'"

Wu Yuchen knew immediately—Keira had a hidden meaning, still harboring resentment over past events.

Last year, Hugh Jackman joined 'Van Helsing' in January, came to the 'Pirates' set in late April, then returned to 'Van Helsing' for reshoots in May—he’d been juggling two films in quick succession.

Keira had also received offers—for the role of Guinevere in 'King Arthur'—but Wu Yuchen forbade her to take on extra projects, so she turned it down.

Her remark just now was a subtle expression of dissatisfaction.

Wu Yuchen didn’t blame her—he laughed: "Keira, in a few days, you’ll thank me!"

"Thank you for what?" Keira asked, puzzled.

"Thank me for saving you! 'King Arthur' will flop badly—far worse than 'Van Helsing.' Then you’ll miss how good I was!"

Keira smiled: "Then I truly hope you’re right—the more 'King Arthur' fails, the happier I’ll be~"

Wu Yu chuckled: "Good, good—that’s my leading lady!"

A few days later, Keira widened her eyes: "Did I misread? $4.82 million?!"

"If you doubt your eyes, go find a magnifying glass," Dipp said beside her.

"But how could it be so low?! This is Brookheimer—Hollywood’s Number One Producer! A $120 million production, and only $4.82 million on opening day?!"

Even though Wu Yuchen had warned her 'King Arthur' would fail, she hadn’t expected it to be this bad!

Wu Yuchen smiled: "How many big-budget flops have we seen this summer? With 'Around the World in 80 Days' and 'Catwoman' already out, one more 'King Arthur' doesn’t matter. Even Hollywood’s Number One Producer has failed before."

Keira now felt immense relief—thankfully Wu Yuchen had stopped her; if she’d taken 'King Arthur,' she’d be worse off than Hugh Jackman!

'Van Helsing' could at least break even through DVD sales; 'King Arthur' was a total write-off.

Keira blurted out: "Director, I think Brookheimer will avoid you from now on—he’s lost twice because of you!"

Wu Yuchen frowned: "What’s that got to do with me? 'Pirates of the Caribbean 2' hasn’t even opened yet!"

"Because it’s too close to you!"

Wu Yuchen shook his head in disbelief—Hollywood had plenty of people who believed in unscientific superstitions.

Wu Yuchen then said: "Alright, guys, another obstacle on our path is gone. How big a success 'Pirates of the Caribbean 2' becomes depends on us!"

On the evening of July 9, Hollywood’s Chinese Theatre was packed with stars.

Depp appeared in a gentleman’s suit, mature and handsome; Keira, in a white backless dress, linked arms with Hugh Jackman, elegant and dazzling. Wu Yuchen walked the red carpet in simple casual suit, not intending to steal the spotlight.

Besides the main cast, stars from all walks of life showed up: Spielberg, Schwarzenegger, Leonardo DiCaprio, Tom Hanks—all arrived, along with singers invited by Depp.

Of course, for most audience members entering theaters that night, what they truly awaited was the film itself.

Tom’s mood was excellent—what could be better than enjoying popcorn with his best friend Jerry, watching a movie he’d waited three years for? Of course, it’d be perfect if the kid in the back row would stop yelling, "When’s Captain Jack coming?!"

Two and a half hours later...

"It’s over? Really over?!"

"Oh! Why did it end so soon? I wanted to see what happened next—what happened to Captain Jack after the giant octopus swallowed him?!"

"And how did Barbossa come back to life? Why end it here?!"

Many viewers voiced their complaints, like fans furious at an author who ended a chapter at its climax.

"When I get home, I’m going to online rant at Wu Yuchen—leaving the cliffhanger like this!"

"Oh, Tom, understand Wu—he wants us to come back for the third film. I think 'Pirates of the Caribbean 2' has already met, even exceeded, my expectations!"

"I’m not saying it’s poorly made—it’s because it’s so good that I want more! Thinking I have to wait another year makes me miserable~"

After a few complaints, Tom exclaimed excitedly: "That was amazing! The Flying Dutchman, the Kraken—the pirate world is truly mysterious and thrilling!"

"And Captain Jack—still as charming as ever! His scenes with the natives on the island were hilarious!"

"The fantasy plot and special effects—I give it 95 out of 100!"

The two chattered away, and in the 4,323 theaters, countless viewers were buzzing just like them.

The next day, the box office results for 'Pirates of the Caribbean 2'—the entire Hollywood’s focus—topped entertainment headlines:

"'Pirates of the Caribbean 2' Shatters Records with $60.8 Million Opening!"