Dragon Ball
Starlight Pictures was bustling with activity in May.
The sound of high heels clicking incessantly filled the air.
This kind of popularity only occurs when the film is released.
Li Chen doesn't have much financial pressure, so he doesn't need to produce shoddy work just to recoup his costs.
Moreover, Starlight Pictures does a great job with its annual film planning, prioritizing quality over quantity.
He wouldn't sacrifice quality for quantity like the later Skydance.
Of course, that's because the pressure from Skydance was too great.
Even though David Ellison is the son of the eccentric Larry Ellison, his debt burden exploded after he recklessly swung his checks to acquire Paramount and then forcibly took over Warner Bros..
Therefore, in order to recoup its costs and debts, Skydance has a crazy plan: to produce more than thirty films a year, or even more.
The sheer scale of this production process is unimaginable, given the immense pressure involved.
However, Li Chen was also well aware that David Ellison had accomplished a remarkable feat: he had removed another giant from Hollywood.
Why "again"?
Once upon a time, Hollywood had seven giants.
Disney, Warner Bros.., Paramount, MGM/United Artists, 20th Century Fox, Universal Pictures, Columbia Pictures.
However, in the new century, in just over a decade, the seven major Hollywood became six. When David Ellison merged Paramount and Warner Bros.., another giant was lost.
By that era, only four of Hollywood's traditional giants remained, and Netflix was one of the five.
This means that Hollywood is becoming increasingly monopolistic.
Moreover, unless a small company takes a radical approach like Netflix, it shouldn't dream of becoming a giant.
Just like A24, Lionsgate, and others.
Therefore, instead of trying to become a giant, it's better to directly acquire a giant.
That's the shortcut.
"Knock knock."
Li Chen let Gwen Stacy in.
Gwen Stacy also brought good news.
"The box office results for 'Lucy' are in."
Gwen Stacy's face lit up with joy, prompting Li Chen to pinch her cheek before taking the financial report.
Gwen Stacy pouted, but she wasn't angry.
Li Chen took it and looked at it.
"Lucy" was released simultaneously in most regions, and it even passed censorship in China.
Of course, the most important region is North America.
It grossed $19.71 million on its opening day in North America and $54 million over its opening weekend, topping the North America box office charts this week.
Although May is not yet the summer movie season, the film market is already heating up, and the competition is fierce.
Becoming this week's box office Champion is already quite satisfactory.
This box office figure means that the costs will be recouped very quickly.
While it can't compare to movies like "Superman" and "Batman," it's an original female-led film, and the female lead wasn't popular before.
The box office success is entirely due to the effective marketing and Ridley Scott's direction.
With its box office success in North America, other film markets are also doing well.
Americans have a point about why they consider themselves a beacon of freedom.
Popular works in the America often become global hits.
"Good."
Li Chen was satisfied.
He doesn't really have any requirements for these movies, as long as they don't lose money.
But now it seems that it's not just about breaking even, it's about making a profit.
North America is different from other places. Here, film companies are the big players because without them, such excellent works wouldn't be possible.
Therefore, in North America, the box office revenue share is usually highest in the first few weeks, with film studios taking the lion's share and theaters taking a smaller share.
In other markets, such as China, the situation is completely reversed...
There's nothing I can do. No matter how well you film it, if I don't let it be shown in theaters, you won't make any money.
Li Chen continues his legendary status of never losing money.
Moreover, I've accumulated a lot of reputation points during this time to prepare for the lottery, which is the most important thing.
The only important thing in the movie "Lucy" is one thing.
CPH4, that stuff that can develop the brain.
The only concern is that this stuff only works for the protagonist Lucy in the movie; for everyone else, it's just an addictive crop.
"Never mind, let's just pull it out first."
Li Chen thought to himself, although the concept of developing the brain is somewhat unrealistic.
But once it's extracted, it's real...
If you develop your brain to a certain level, wouldn't that be far superior to any other ability?
"Gwen Stacy, you've been making quite a splash in Los Angeles."
Li Chen snapped out of his daze and looked at Gwen Stacy.
"Whee."
Gwen Stacy simply smiled.
She went back to her old job in Los Angeles, spending her free time playing superheroes.
So much so that New York newspapers were exclaiming that Los Angeles had stolen their superhero, Ghost-Spider.
Since the Ghost-Spider left, New York's crime rate has increased significantly.
Although the area wasn't low to begin with...
"I'm glad you like it."
Li Chen shook his head. "Go call Katherine over here for me."
Not long after, Katherine from the animation department arrived.
Katherine, who is around forty years old, looks much younger and is in high spirits.
"Boss, is there a new task?"
"That's right."
Li Chen nodded, looking somewhat strained.
I didn't expect the animation department to be so enthusiastic.
That's understandable, given the current popularity of Starlight Pictures' works; they're highly motivated.
What is it?
Katherine's eyes lit up, and she took the plan from Li Chen's hand.
Li Chen began, "It's not just one work, but many. The expansion phase is over, and it's time to make plans."
"First, there's 'Re:Zero − Starting Life in Another World-', which is also getting a sequel."
Li Chen is a good man who sees things through to the end, so we can't end things here.
"Then there are other comics and anime."
Li Chen asked Katherine to open the plan.
"Our Starlight Pictures aims to be involved in various fields, not just action comics, but also other genres such as slice-of-life, romance, and family comedies, pursuing diversified development."
Li Chen was very clear about the major trends of the future.
Superhero comics will gradually decline, while Japanese comics will dominate the American comics market.
Since that's the case, we can't let the little life benefit from it.
"Dragon Ball?"
Katherine opened the first piece of work and immediately asked the question.
"That's right."
Li Chen smiled and said, "This work is of paramount importance; it has the potential to become a global phenomenon, just like Pirate King."
Unfortunately, this world didn't have Akira Toriyama, and naturally, it didn't create Dragon Ball.
It is no exaggeration to say that in Li Chen's previous life, Dragon Ball was far more popular in North America than Pirate King Piece and other similar titles.
Because it better suits the tastes of America.
It's action-packed and exhilarating to fight.
Unfortunately, the Dragon Ball IP wasn't managed well, and the manga adaptations weren't as good as the Pirate King -action One Piece.
Putting aside everything else, the live-action version of Pirate King at least had a good cast of actresses.
She's not only beautiful, but she also has a great figure.
Katherine glanced at Dragon Ball.