Chapter 290: A super production of 2.7 billion

The summer season in North America lasts from early May to Labor Day, which is the first Monday in September, one month longer than the summer season in the country.

The summer season in the country generally starts from June 1st and lasts until August 31st.

The summer season has always been the season with the highest film box office in North America. This is their tradition of family movie-watching for more than half a century.

*Inception* must be released during the summer season. This is a plan that Columbia and China Film Group have long formulated.

As early as half a year ago, Columbia had already started promoting it in North America, occasionally releasing posters and letting actors accept some interviews.

Not only that, Columbia also "used" Cao Yang and "used" the hot spots of Fox Searchlight.

In order to promote *Zhu Nuo*, Fox Searchlight arranged many interviews and shows for Cao Yang. Every time there was heat, Columbia would find some media to "by the way" mention Cao Yang's *Inception*.

As a super production with an externally claimed investment of 180 million US dollars, Columbia definitely attaches great importance to promotion and definitely does not want to mess it up.

After *Zhu Nuo* won the Oscar for Best Picture, Columbia took advantage of this heat and did a lot of marketing for Cao Yang and *Inception* behind the scenes.

Columbia initially wanted to set the release date of *Inception* on July 4th. This day is quite special for the Americans; it is their Independence Day, also known as the American National Day.

However, a super blockbuster with a production cost of 270 million externally claimed by Warner Bros. is to be released on June 28th, and this film is also the most popular superhero in America.

That is the DC comic-adapted Superman series film that has been restarted after twenty years, *Superman Returns*!

Warner Bros. should have made a lot of money in the past few years by relying on the stable series film *Harry Potter*.

In order not to be sucked dry by the parent company Time Warner, which suffered a huge net loss of 99 billion US dollars, they have invested in a super production almost every year in recent years.

For example, this restarted *Superman Returns* claims a production cost of 270 million.

270 million US dollars, not other currencies.

Many people don't understand.

What kind of film needs a production cost of 270 million?

Well, some "informed sources" revealed that the actual investment of the film is 220 million, and some say it is 250 million.

However, Warner Bros. has always insisted that it invested 270 million.

Regardless of whether the outside world believes it or not, anyway... what? Some high-level executives of the parent company also don't believe it?

Come, come, come, let me calculate it for you.

Superman has been sealed for twenty years. As a restart series, as a household superhero, we cannot let "Superman" be disgraced, so we have changed directors, changed leads, and changed scripts in the middle...

This is not excessive, right?

What? Still don't believe it needs an investment of 270 million?

Well, in fact, after re-shooting, a large part of the plot in the film is made by CG special effects, a very large part, and every second is burning dollars.

What? You ask where this large section of CG special effects is?

Well, deleted.

Later, during editing, considering that this large section of the plot was a bit dragging, the director deleted this section.

What? You say I am talking nonsense?

Oh, god, how can you think so?

Well, in fact, as everyone knows, in the past two years, our Warner Bros. high-level management has had some illnesses. We often change directors and actors for the films we invest in, and often delete and modify the plot. For us, this is a routine operation.

What? As a high-level executive of the parent company, you want to see the large section of CG special effects that were deleted?

Alright, I was prepared... no, I was prepared early.

Look, in the dark outer space, a spaceship flies slowly, flying around with a searchlight, without a single line of dialogue, and no background music. This spaceship is exploring so quietly.

Flying and flying, shining and shining, exploring and exploring, look, still exploring, still flying, the wreckage of Krypton is really big.

Don't worry, don't worry, look, didn't it encounter a giant fragment that turned into Kryptonite? At this point, the camera will cut to Superman being injured by radiation, setting an automatic return-to-Earth command for the spaceship before fainting.

Is this large section very long? Tell me, such a large section of CG special effects, without 50 million, it definitely won't work.

What? You say the special effects don't look very good? Like the screen of a low-quality web game?

You are an outsider for saying that. This is basic modeling, not rendered yet. After rendering, the effect will definitely be the same as the real thing.

What? You say it's not finished yet, why was it deleted, and why did it cost 50 million?

The director felt that this plot was too dragging, and after careful consideration, he didn't want it.

As for the 50 million spent, just for this large section of CG special effects, it only cost 50 million because it wasn't rendered. If it were rendered... well, it is estimated that it would cost 60 million.

It's not that he didn't want to report a higher price for this "wonderful" special effect, but the report was too unreasonable. That's just how it is.

In short, the total production cost of *Superman Returns* is 270 million.

Regardless of how the outside world guesses, before the film is released, whether it is the 220 million production cost guessed by the outside world or the 270 million claimed by Warner Bros., it all indicates that this is definitely a super-super-super blockbuster.

Plus it is a household superhero Superman, who dares to bump into it during the summer season?

Moreover, the seven major Hollywood studios have an unwritten rule. As long as it is an A-level or higher production, everyone tacitly follows it. The release time of the two films is at least one week apart to avoid mutual destruction.

So, Columbia is also afraid.

Although the July 4th schedule is good, it is too close to *Superman Returns*, which is released on June 28th. This will break the tacit understanding between each other, which is undesirable and will become a common enemy.

Moreover, without having seen the film, no one knows what the 270 million *Superman Returns* is like.

But no matter how you look at it, the possibility of *Superman Returns* failing is minimal.

Initially, Columbia discussed with Cao Yang, how about we set the release date of *Inception* on July 21st?

They felt that on July 21st, *Superman Returns* had already been released for more than three weeks, which is considered a safe time interval.

The domestic box office market cannot accommodate two blockbusters in a short time, but North America is different. As the world's largest box office market, three weeks is enough to avoid mutual destruction, and it will almost not affect each other's box office.

Cao Yang thought about it. Others don't know the quality of *Superman Returns*, but he does, so he suggested advancing the release time of *Inception* by one week, placing it on July 14th.

In this way, it can not only form a contrast between *Inception* and *Superman Returns*, but also because there is a half-month release interval in the middle, *Superman Returns* will not cause a box office impact on *Inception*.

Columbia is still a bit worried, afraid that the 270 million *Superman Returns* will explode and squeeze the box office of *Inception*.

Therefore, there was a small trial viewing session where Cao Yang just finished the post-production of *Inception*, and Columbia and even the parent company Sony Entertainment dispatched high-level executives.

Mainly because they were worried.

It is only early June now, there is still a month and a half before the release of *Inception*, and there is still more than 20 days before the release of *Superman Returns*.

Before watching *Inception*, they were also worried that this film would not meet expectations.

After watching it, they were all relieved. Cao Yang is still reliable!

With the creativity of *Inception*, the visual special effects, and the acting skills of the actors, even if it bumps into *Superman Returns*, it is not impossible!

Director Cao Yang is as powerful as ever, as awesome as ever!

Originally according to the plan, Columbia expected to give *Inception* about 3,500 theaters for screening, and then decide according to the situation.

Now that the high-level executives have tried it, they unanimously decided to operate *Inception* at the highest level, not only increasing the premiere theater circuits but also adding another 10 million for the final promotion.

Columbia began to exert its strength. Depp, Mark Ruffalo, Tom Hardy, and Claire Danes started to promote it first, and shows, interviews, etc., were all arranged.

By the end of June, even Leonardo DiCaprio put down his work and invested in the promotion of *Inception*.

Wu Qihua and Fan Bingbing also came to North America to promote the film.

On the 28th, the third day after Fan Bingbing came to Los Angeles, she participated in an interview with Depp and others during the day to promote *Inception*. In the evening, Cao Yang took her to watch *Superman Returns*.

Today is the premiere day of *Superman Returns*. There are many people paying attention to this super-super-super blockbuster. Everyone wants to see what kind of amazing work the 270 million claimed by Warner Bros. can shoot.

"I thought this version of Superman was that kind of square face again. I didn't expect the director to choose someone quite good."

Coming out of the theater, this was Fan Bingbing's first impression of *Superman Returns*.

"You have seen other *Superman*? The most recent one was twenty years ago."

Cao Yang said casually. This *Superman Returns* is still the one in his memory, so he was relieved.

Fan Bingbing stuck out her tongue, held Cao Yang's arm, and said with a smile:

"I have only seen one, and I don't know which year it was. In my impression, although Superman is very powerful, he looks too square. I have also seen cartoons, and Superman is also a square face."

Cao Yang smiled. It is estimated that Fan Bingbing saw it on a big TV, and it might be a bit deformed. In his impression, the Superman in the cartoon looks okay, and in the live-action film twenty years ago, Superman was indeed a bit too square.

"What do you think of the film?"

Cao Yang asked: "Don't think about anything else, just talk from the perspective of the audience."

Fan Bingbing smoothed her hair and said: "Superman is very handsome, the special effects are good, especially the part where he carries the plane, which is a bit exciting. The plot..."

She thought about it. Except for the part where he carried the plane, she didn't remember any special plot, so she said: "The plot is a bit weak. You've seen it, and that's it."

Cao Yang nodded. What Fan Bingbing saw was only the surface. The director of this film is very bold and also added some religious implications. It can be seen that there are many ideas.

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 291 =====