Chapter 157: It will be the Big Three soon

When "Sweetheart" was officially released, Jessica celebrated her 21st birthday and May, Wang Yang also devoted himself to the editing work of "The Ninth District", spending almost all eating, drinking and sleeping in the editing room, making editor Lee Smith joke that "we are quarantined." The rough cut version of "The Ninth District" lasts more than 4 hours, and now the job is to cut it into a theater version of about 120 minutes in the 4 hours and the lens material library.

From the arrival of alien spacecraft in Los Angeles, human attitudes changed; to the relocation and demolition, the entire story of deformation. More than 800 special effects shots will be distributed evenly, striving to achieve a "satisfactory" effect.

The allocation of special effects shots is very important. When creating storyboard scripts, you must consider it well. Why do some large-scale special effects movies look dull? It seems that after spending so much money, there is only one or two battles, and others are as empty as DV movies. It is because its special effects shots are not arranged reasonably and cannot maintain the sensation of the audience's sensory nerves; while some small-cost productions will be very comfortable and memorable, that is, they are integrated into the story and use the money and special effects shots in the right place.

While Wang Yang was fighting for the editing of "The Ninth District", the first week of the 2002 summer vacation period also ended from May 3 to 9. Without any surprises, "Spider-Man", which opened in the first week, topped the list with a box office of 151 million US dollars, just like a deep water bomb that detonated the calm sea during the summer vacation, and also set a new North American box office record, including a 110 million opening weekend box office, as fast as 100 million (3 days), as fast as 150 million (7 days), and so on.

The second-ranked weekly list is "Sweetheart", which was screened in the second week. With the nearly monopoly market of giants like Spider-Man, it received another $20.58 million, with a total box office of 50.22 million, which is in line with the expectations of Flame Movie. The third place this week was "Scorpion King", which was 8.79 million.

When the new week begins from May 10 to 16, several movies will be released on a large scale, "Infidelity" by Fox 2,617 theaters, Sony 2,687 theaters, and the youth campus comedy "The Newcomer Arrives" starring Eliza Dushku and Zoe Descher; and the family cartoon "Ice Age" by 3,012 theaters of the Flame Movie.

In September 1999, Flame Movie acquired Blue Sky Studio for 100 million US dollars, and 65 million was used to produce "Ice Age". The industry was in an uproar at that time, and many media commented on "magic and crazy". The reason is very simple. The transaction between Flame Movie is not only a snake swallowing an elephant, but also overestimating one's own ability. Not everyone can play CG animation movies. First of all, the long production cycle requires a stable supply of funds. One of the characteristics of CG animation movies is that once they lose money, it will be very miserable. Can a small independent company of Flame Movie maintain blood supply?

There are many studios that can produce CG animation movies, because animators and technical engines are not difficult to find, but how many major companies have been tragically tragically and discouraged over the years? The 20th Century Fox, which was the first to acquire Blue Sky Studio, made its own 75 million-dollar "Frozen Planet", which eventually only had a box office of 36 million yuan. After this crushing defeat, Fox directly disbanded its animation department and has no new animation plans yet.

This is because the market for cg animated movies is elusive. Everyone knows "family, children, comedy", but how to do it? What kind of story, what kind of characters, and what kind of cartoon image are? Maybe you have grasped the market taste in 1999, but after a long period of production, the release date has reached 2002. The set of children who liked it in 1999 was behind in 2002 and was no longer popular. Children twisted their heads aside when they saw it.

Funds, technology, stories, and accurate grasp of the market... Only Pixar (a cooperatively issued by Disney's Bowei company) and DreamWorks are able to do all of this well.

In May 2000, Disney's "Dinosaur" produced by homemade for 127 million yuan received 340 million yuan worldwide. Although it was a small profit, it relied more on the effect of the brand "Disney". "Dinosaur" was criticized by the audience, which made Disney dare not act rashly and instead focused on cooperating with Pixar. In December 2001, "The Genius Jimmy" produced by DNA and invested and issued by Paramount, with a cost of 30 million yuan, and currently has a global box office of more than 90 million US dollars, which seems to be a small profit, but if you calculate the promotional cost, it is not difficult to understand why Paramount no longer cooperates with DNA.

So how about Blue Sky Studio? In the past three years, the rampant Flame Movie has not only not fallen, has no losses or debts, but is on the contrary, it is full of vitality, and has continuously launched blockbuster movies, investing heavily in making small-cost independent movies, and has a faint smell of becoming the leader of independent film companies. It naturally provides enough blood to Blue Sky, and has also established an i&b technology research and development company.

So "Ice Age" was produced in a stable and good environment, but what is the difference between small companies such as Blue Sky and DNA? What is its ability to share the market share of CG animated movies with Pixar and DreamWorks? Did Fantastic Yang and Flame Movie buy a toy for 100 million US dollars? All film companies are paying attention to this cartoon.

20th Century Fox naturally hopes that it will be collectively cursed by the audience, and even loses its underwear, just like "Frozen Planet"; Pixar and DreamWorks will not have any blessings, and they do not want a new competitor to emerge; Paramount, Warner Bros. and other large-scale filmmakers are watching coldly. If "Ice Age" is successful, it opens more roads to the success of CG animated films, and lets people know more secrets; if it fails, it is very good. Welcome to join the camp of losers!

No matter how the outside world views it, Flame Movies and Blue Sky have been silently carried out, and the promotion of "Ice Age" has already begun. After a long period of negotiations, McDonald's still rejected the various cooperation plans proposed by Flame Movies, such as the "Ice Age Package", because McDonald's and Disney are marketing partners, and Disney, as the publisher of Pixar movies, did not sit idly by.

However, without McDonald's, an animation has various promotional methods, and it is obvious that Disney has no power to monopolize the entire United States.

In addition to the normal promotional package of "poster + TV + event", Flame Movie simply looked for several different brands with a certain market share to cooperate, such as potato chips, drinks, and dog food. The packaging was printed with cartoon animals such as "Ice Age" squirrels, hairy elephants, saber-toothed tigers, and held some lottery events, ranging from a complete collection of toy collector's editions, to digital cameras, laptops, and a sports car; and premiere tickets.

Wang Yang did not give up on the "Treasure of the Store" viral marketing. At the end of last year, he asked his Tinder Game Company to develop a casual game "Ice Age", which was also launched on the Internet in early February this year. Users can download it for free on the official website. This small game "Squirrel Collecting Fruits" with a fresh and beautiful interface, simple but fun operation, and has been online, and has been praised by many netizens.

Now all the work is done, and it is the season for harvesting results. Is this fruit sweet or sour? On May 10, when night falls in North America, "Ice Age" fully landed in 3,012 cinemas in all cities and cities.

The light was dim and the screening room that could accommodate 500 people was full. The audience burst into laughter from time to time. There were children's youth and adult maturity. Many viewers were parents, who brought their children to the theater to prepare for a happy Friday night. This prehistoric cartoon did not seem to disappoint them, and the slogan "the-coolest-event-in-16,000-years" was not bragging either.

The story mainly tells the dangerous ice age, because a sudden abandoned human baby, a kind and sarcastic hairy elephant Manny, a feasted sloth Sid and a vicious saber-toothed tiger, Diago, three animals reluctantly walked together to send the baby back to his father. But it was not so easy to be a hero. They had to face all kinds of dangers and even conspiracies along the way.

On the big screen, a long-haired elephant sucked a cute little baby with his nose and placed him on a high branch on the edge of the cliff. The little baby laughed happily and fun. The long-haired elephant said, "The owl will eat you! Humph, you little devil is quite brave." At this time, the picture changed, and a giant sloth ran quickly. It saw the saber-toothed tiger in front of it and hurriedly said, "Thank God, thank God! Oh no... There is a tiger, a tiger!" It waved to the back for help, shouting: "Help, help--"

Listening to the funny and exaggerated dubbing of sloth Sid, the audience immediately smiled again. Many children imitated Sid's movements and said with joy: "Help, help!"

"It seems she's having a great time." In one of the audience, Joe Dougt looked at the face of his 6-year-old daughter, who was smiling beside her. She shook her feet happily and followed Sid's words. He couldn't help but give a thumbs up to his wife sitting on the other side of her daughter and said, "It's a good choice." His wife Jilian shrugged with a smile. She touched her daughter's blonde hair and said, "This is your daughter's choice."

The film's advertisement appears on the packaging of potato chips that their family has been buying, and then their daughter Rona yells to see these prehistoric animals.

Seeing Sid and Diago cheating two rhinos and the three animals were about to set off again, Joe Dougt was also attracted by the funny and humorous stories on the big screen, and praised in his heart: "I didn't expect that the cartoon of the Flame Movie is also quite good. What is the company called? Blue Sky?"

The joyful laughter sounded in the screening halls in 3012 cinemas. Both adults and children were more interested in watching it, and more fun and devoted. The theaters that held the premiere were no exception. Ordinary audiences who enjoyed the movie and picky film critics were amused and smiled, and they were fascinated, as if they had returned to the prehistoric ice age.

In the middle of the front row of the audience, there were the main creators of "Ice Age", Chris Wedge, director of Blue Sky Ceo and director, and co-director Carlos Schaldanha; voice actors Ray Romano, Dennis Leary, Jack Black and others; there were also stars invited to help. As investors and popular idols, Wang Yang also attended with Jessica. Everyone was handsome and beautiful suit and evening dress.

"Hahaha." Listening to the chuckles in the theater and looking at the cute scenes on the big screen, Jessica remembered something and couldn't help but glance at Wang Yang next to her. He said: "This is a gift for our daughter. The animation of Blue Sky Studio will accompany her growth and give her a beautiful childhood." If Juno really came to this world, she would be three years old now, and she could sit among them and watch and laugh together.

Thinking of the beautiful scene, she immediately laughed and looked at him happily. He would call his daughter to be "Baby? Sweetheart? Or..." Wang Yang noticed her weirdness and asked, "What's wrong? What's the dirty thing on my face?" Jessica shook her head and smiled, looking back on the screen with her eyes, and said, "No, nothing."

Wang Yang smiled. He was very happy to see the audience so involved in "Ice Age". The cartoon can be said to have achieved great results. The summer vacation schedule of the Flame Movie was successful again! He looked at Chris Wedge on the left and whispered a little excitedly: "Chris, maybe we should think about the next plan of Blue Sky Studio."

"Oh?" Chris Wedge was stunned when he heard this. The movie has just been released and the first one has not been finished. It is still hard to say what kind of results can be achieved. Although he is confident, he is also worried that this will be the second "Frozen Planet". In that case, the Flame Movie is very likely to lay off employees, and the Blue Sky retreats back to a small studio that produces TV commercials and animation special effects...

That wasn't something he wanted to see, so recently he couldn't sleep well at night and had the same nightmare several times, with the newspaper saying: "Flame Movie announced the sale of Blue Sky Studio at a low price." But now the young man has already said the next plan! And it doesn't look like a joke. Chris Wedge wondered in doubt: "You talk about the next CG animation movie?"

"Of course! Is Lantian still engaged in the catering industry?" Wang Yang laughed, and the laughter immediately attracted curious eyes from Jessica, Carlos Schaldanha and others around him. He apologized: "Sorry!" After suppressing his voice, he said to Chris Wedge again: "I think it's time for Lantian to expand its scale. 500 people are too small, because we will make two movies at the same time next."

Chris Wedge was shocked again, if there were two more movies? Even if "Ice Age" was a great success, it did not mean that Blue Sky Studio will not mess up any movies from now on. No company dared to say that, so every plan was very cautious. Now... he stretched out his two fingers and asked, "Two?"

"Well, yes." Wang Yang nodded. The way to get snowballs quickly was to spend money. "Ice Age" would make as much money as it earns, and to start a new plan. He planned a little and said, "Ice Age will make a series, 2345... until it is over. "Ice Age 2" is a plan; and the second plan, well, I don't know, but we can all start thinking about it."

Looking at his serious expression, Chris Wedge finally confirmed that this was not a joke. The young man never joked about this. He couldn't help but "Wow" and a whole body felt excited, saying, "Two movies? Two movies! Do you know why I didn't go to Pixar? Even if I could become a partner? Because I just don't want anyone to monopolize CG animation. But Pixar wants to do this now..." He suddenly became full of confidence in the future and smiled: "Monopoly? no! Pixar can't do, DreamWorks can't do, and Blue Sky can't do."

"This is cool!" Wang Yang smiled and patted Wedge's shoulder, looked at the big screen and other animals, and said, "It will be the Big Three soon."

Jessica next to her kept hearing their conversation and couldn't help but smile sweetly. Will everyone still call him "crazy"?

When all the 90-minute videos were screened, thunderous applause suddenly sounded in the theater where more than a thousand audiences sat, covering up the brisk soundtrack. The cast of the crew rolled on the screen, Wang Yang, Chris Wedge and others stood up with applause and turned to thank the movie fans. After the cast of the crew rolled, the flame movie and the blue sky appeared again on the big screen. Under the beautiful pastoral scenery, moths and butterflies danced happily together and flew towards the blue sky.

"This is a good movie for all ages and young, bringing together many cute prehistoric animals, which makes people shine." - The Washington Post; "If you always complain about its thin story, then you will miss a very interesting, full of wisdom and joy." - Michael Dekuna, "Movie Threat"; "Although it won't surprise you, it can warm your heart, and I strongly give you a recommended thumb!" Richard Roper, the famous movie review program "ebert & roeper".

After the release of "Ice Age", fans and critics all went out to give their own reviews on the Internet and various media. Imdb's rating users quickly rose to five digits, with an average score of 7.8, a score that can be called a classic. Rotten Tomatoes included more than 160 reviews in the commentary circle, with a freshness of 80%, and full of praise.

"Cute, warm, touching, funny, humorous." The five words produced by the New York Times are the key to the praises given by many film critics. They generally believe that although the technology of "Ice Age" is rough, the story is a bit old-fashioned and weak, and it lacks deep meaning. Overall, "as well as Pixar, DreamWorks are not a competitor of the same league", but the characters are cute, the dialogue and dubbing are very funny, and they bring warmth to people. "It is a pleasant and friendly family journey."

And the 20% film reviews divided into rottenness capture the shortcomings of technology and story to amplify.

"There is no visually attractive, the story is unbearable, without a little surprise, only some cheap laughter." - Jim Rhine, Sacramento News Review; "I don't want to say that "Ice Age" has no beautiful pictures, but the bad thing is that it has no stories, and it doesn't really tell the lives and stories of ice age animals." Alex Sandel, "New Age"; "It's almost in the primitive stage of digital technology, is this really a CG movie? Prehistoric CG movie?" Jeffrey Jon, "Window of Movie."

Blue Sky Studio’s rough technology is well known, which is why no one was interested in acquiring it back then, and why Flame Movie was ridiculed for spending 100 million yuan, thinking that it was found treasures; clichéd comedy stories, some say that they are warm and humorous, some say that they are boring and boring... If you only read the 20% of the reviews, it seems that "Ice Age" is dead, even worse than "Frozen Planet", it is a movie that is immediately swept into the trash can.

But what is the result? There is no false moisture in the 7.8 points and 80% freshness, everything is reflected at the box office. With these "primitive technology" and "cheap laughter", "Ice Age" frantically received 51 million box office this opening weekend!

No matter what the critics say, the hearts of many film companies twitched a little. They now know that Fanqi Yang and Fire Movie "really picked up treasure!" This is another big dark horse that will be extremely dazzling.

When the week ended from May 10 to 16, "Ice Age" really slapped those who once said that "buyed a toy for 100 million yuan", and received a box office of 62.73 million US dollars in one week! It ranked second in the North American box office weekly list. The champion position continued to be "Spider-Man", which swept 82 million yuan in box office this week; the third place was "Star Wars Prequel 2: The Clones' Attack", which held a small premiere, which received a box office of 30.14 million yuan.

"Sweetheart" in the third week of the screening received another 12.03 million box office, with a total box office of 62.25 million; other movies were somewhat of afflicted. The newly released "Infidelity" and "Newcomer Arrived" had only 9.4 million and 5.08 million box office respectively. The sixth place was even more terrible, with most of them only one million and hundreds of thousands of box offices.

This is not surprising. Those who watch visual effects blockbusters choose "Spider-Man". Star Wars fans even want to rush into the cinema with guns, pointing at the boss's head and saying "It's screened today!"; families want to celebrate the weekends, "Ice Age", the best choice; young people who want to watch youth idols buy tickets for "Sweetheart", "Newcomer Arrives"? Is there magical? No, but there is a heroine in "The Hand of Leisure" and a big supporting role Zoe Dancer in "Singing and Dance" Zoe Dancer.

The achievement of "Ice Age" naturally made Flame Movie and Blue Sky Studio excited all the people; this also highlighted the desolation of Fox's CG animation movies. There are hardcore fans of Flame Movie on the Internet to find out the news reports of that year. Fox spokesman James Finn said: "It is indeed regrettable that Blue Sky did not join Fox, but we themselves have an excellent animation department. "Frozen Planet" will be launched in the market next year..."
Chapter completed!