American fame and fortune

The Boston Opera House was originally a movie theater, which showed excellent results in movies.

The sound of gunfire floated back and forth in the screening room. The male protagonist played by Martin single-handedly killed the owner of the flower shop and all the clerks, then called the heroine, tricked all the FBI through the heroine, and left with a large sum of money. Boston.

The hero throws away the constraints of Charleston and finally runs towards freedom.

There’s not so much art in it, the gunplay is intense, and the results are gratifying.

At the end of the film screening, there was warm applause.

Director Denis Villeneuve stood up and turned to look at the audience like a student waiting for his test results.

Then, he asked Martin unconfidently: "Did we succeed?"

Martin smiled: "The film was shot very well."

During the applause, producer Graham came over and hugged Villeneuve: "Man, you made a masterpiece!"

Villeneuve finally laughed.

Later, Martin and Graham led the crew on stage for the curtain call.

This concludes the premiere of "The Bitch."

The movie ended, the audience left one after another, and the crew and creators, who had been busy for most of the day, were also preparing to leave the opera house.

In the corridor, Villeneuve caught up with Martin in a few steps and said, "Let's have a few words alone."

"Okay." Martin glanced at the Daddario sisters on the left and right.

Catherine and Alexandra automatically slowed down.

Villeneuve looked a little anxious and said: "The film is completed and the premiere went well. My script is "Sicario"..."

Martin understood what he meant: "Of course what I promised is valid. Submit a detailed shooting plan to the studio, Dennis...well, the production budget is up to 35 million US dollars."

This number is already much higher than Villeneuve expected. He said: "No problem, I will give you a plan by the end of this month at the latest."

Martin still remembered the script he had read, looked back at Alexandra, and said: "The female role with the most important role, if it is suitable, use Alexandra."

Villeneuve also turned around and took a look. His acting skills were not particularly good, and his appearance was too prominent. Will his center of gravity be unstable during a tactical assault?

This is somewhat different from the heroine's setting.

But the director who has experienced ups and downs knows that as long as the casting is passable, especially in terms of male and female protagonists, his own opinions are not important, but the opinions of the producers and investors are the key.

The script rights of "Sicario" have been sold to Davis Studio. The producers are refusing to give the green light, and the director is also looking down.

Villeneuve only thought for a few seconds before making a heartfelt choice: "Alessandra is very suitable."

Martin nodded: "Give me a plan as soon as possible."

After coming out of the east gate of the Boston Opera House, Villeneuve got in the car first and left. Bruce drove an Escalade over. Martin and the Daddario sisters got in the car together and then returned to the hotel.

The three of them entered Martin's suite together.

Martin found a copy of the script from his suitcase and handed it to Alexandra: "Take a look. The female character named Kate in it is something I mentioned to you last time. I just talked to director Villeneuve about it." I said hello and he will contact you when the crew is established."

Alexandra looked at the cover of the script. It was indeed "Sicario" that Martin had mentioned to her before, and said: "I won't be polite to you, I want this role."

Catherine came over at this time: "Don't discuss work here, we obviously have more important things."

Alexandra put the script away, leaned into Martin's ear and said, "Catherine and I came up with a new game rule..."

"I'm interested," Martin said.

Catherine and Alexandra each took Martin's hand and dragged him into the room.

…………

In a suite downstairs, Denis Villeneuve kept walking around.

"Sicario" screenwriter Taylor Sheridan, who was sitting on the sofa, was helpless and said: "The premiere has passed and the audience statistics have become a foregone conclusion. Even if you crush this building, the result will not change."

Villeneuve walked behind the sofa opposite, clenched his fists and punched the back of the sofa: "The success or failure of this film will directly affect the "Sicario" we collaborated on!"

Taylor Sheridan poured a glass of wine: "Didn't Martin Davis agree to invest?"

"The initiative is in Martin's hands." Villeneuve saw it clearly: "Although we all think the film was well made, if the audience feels it is not good, the next "Sicario" will definitely be rejected by Martin Davis. Say stop."

Taylor-Sheridan drank the poured wine in one gulp: "The fate of us little people can seriously affect us in just a few words from the big people. They don't even need to say a word."

He raised his chin: "Homosexuality and shape-shifters are very popular now. Should we adjust the script and add a gay character?"

Villeneuve directly vetoed: "No! Taylor, we should focus on improving the content and quality of the film instead of these messy things."

Taylor Sheridan nodded: "Okay, you are the director, I will listen to you."

Villeneuve's phone rang with a text message alert, he quickly opened the message and opened his eyes, then let out a breath of relief.

Taylor-Sheridan asked: "How was it?"

Villeneuve said directly: "Disney Pictures received 132 feedback points in the theater, and the average score from movie fans was 83 points."

"Wow, man, that's a high score!" Taylor-Sheridan's impression is that if a commercial-oriented movie can get such a score, the market response will usually be good: "Dennis, you bastard is going to take off!"

Villeneuve also understands what this score represents. This is not a score from the media, let alone a score from film critics who are out of touch with the market, but a score from ordinary movie fans, which is quite representative of the market.

Add to that a string of rave reviews from test screenings, and the results are clear.

He picked up the bottle of wine on the coffee table, poured half a glass, and said: "I am 45 years old. Starting from the filming of my first short film in 1988, I have been a director for more than 20 years and finally made my mark."

Taylor Sheridan stood up and clinked glasses with him: "Man, here's to the success!"

"Success!" Villeneuve drank all the wine in the glass in one breath.

After more than 20 years of directing career, I can finally take off.

Taylor Sheridan added: "Next step, you take me off."

Villeneuve laughed: "We will all succeed!"

…………

"Fast and Furious 6" still dominates the North American film market these days thanks to the death of Vin Diesel.

Come Friday, "The Bitch" opened in 3,772 theaters in North America.

Although it is not as good as the 4,000 openings of "Fast and Furious 6", it is the first level of opening scale among R-rated movies.

This also shows that everyone from Disney Pictures to theater managers have confidence in Martin's new film.

Among the films in major North American cities, the number of tickets sold by "The City" in its first week was no less than that of "Fast and Furious 6" which entered its second week.

On the one hand, Martin's appeal and the appeal of his new film are large enough.

On the other hand, the enthusiasm for mourning created by Universal Pictures and the crew was largely consumed in the opening weekend.

Like The Dark Knight Rises, it's hard to maintain this mood for long.

Even continuing to create it may be counterproductive.

On the Internet, there are already voices saying that Universal Pictures is "making money off dead people", calling for no more excessive marketing and letting the dead rest in peace.

On its first day of release, "The City" broke the dominance of "Fast 6" in the North American film market, with a revenue of US$20.25 million, surpassing the latter's US$18.45 million.

At the same time, Disney Pictures began to work hard on word-of-mouth marketing of the film. From print media to television to the Internet, it received continuous praise.

Boston's local "Boston Globe" praised: "The quality of the film is as outstanding as "The Departed". This is another letter written by Martin Davis to Boston with a poison pen."

"Variety" said: "Several main characters in the film are brilliant, and Martin Davis once again demonstrated to everyone his outstanding acting skills and ability to create characters."

"Box Office" magazine, which mainly depends on market response, put it succinctly: "A captivating and sensational crime thriller that will surely be one of the most successful movies of the year."

Various reviews and ratings of the film have been released one after another.

The Rotten Tomatoes freshness score is 89%, the IMDB score is 8.3, and the MTC media comprehensive score is 75 points.

"Box Office"'s comments are not wrong at all. "The Robbers" has sufficient appeal to North American audiences.

The problems in the film are not limited to Boston, but occur in many cities in the United States. Many people from ordinary backgrounds may have faced similar choices when growing up.

Let alone someone like Martin who comes from the bottom, most of the time he has no choice.

The film may not be as well received outside of North America, but it is very popular in North America.

"One of the best movies of the same genre, Martin puts on a hood and becomes a gangster, and he plays it so realistically!"

"I originally bought the ticket with the idea of ​​supporting Martin, but the movie was unexpectedly good!"

"Martin is good at tense robbery and shootout scenes, but his delicate writing made me see the Oscar-winning Best Actor in "The Martian" again."

This is a commercial film, and its success or failure ultimately depends on the market.

The good reputation of the audience has driven the stable trend of the box office.

After Saturday, the box office of "The City" increased by 22.11 million U.S. dollars, still beating "Fast 6" which was released the next weekend.

After the latter's audience enthusiasm was greatly consumed, the single-day box office showed a continuous downward trend.

Martin and his team also left Boston and headed to Chicago to continue the film's promotional tour at the pace of one city every two days.

A new week has arrived, and new box office statistics are out.

In the three days of its opening weekend in North America, "The City" earned US$58.77 million in 3,772 theaters!

This figure surpassed the US$49.85 million of "Fast and Furious 6" in the second weekend, becoming the top of the North American box office list that weekend.

No one was surprised by the success of the film starring Martin.

However, Denis Villeneuve, a new director who is no longer young, has finally attracted the attention of Hollywood.

After the box office in the first week was released, Davis Studio officially announced a cooperation project with Denis Villeneuve - "Sicario".