Capítulo 72: Chapter 71
In a previous life, La La Land had a budget of $30 million but ended up grossing over $400 million worldwide.
It debuted at the Venice Film Festival in September 2016 to positive reviews and premiered in North America on December 16th. However, its first weekend brought in only $4.1 million at the box office.
Thanks to excellent word-of-mouth, the box office soared in the following weeks, making it a classic case of a low-budget film achieving high returns. La La Land went on to receive 14 Oscar nominations.
If not for the Best Picture mishap at the Academy Awards, La La Land would have been the biggest winner of 2017.
Xu Can hadn't held high expectations for a musical with such a literary tone. His main motivation for producing the movie came from a promise to collaborate with Sister Shitong on a project.
In terms of box office, Xu Can predicted an opening weekend gross of over $20 million, which would be an excellent result. As long as the film's total earnings exceeded $500 million, it would bring in massive profits.
After all, the original budget was only $30 million, much of which went toward the salaries of stars like Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone. Both had joined the $20 million per film club, and even with lower pay, they each commanded $10 million. After accounting for their salaries, the production cost of the film was reduced to around $10 million.
Fortunately, Xu Can and Emma starred in the film for free. With Xu Can's directorial skills and Emma's acting, the movie was filmed quickly, with a total investment of less than $10 million.
Earning $30 million would recover the initial cost, and if it surpassed $500 million, the profit margin would be astronomical.
But what Xu Can didn't expect was the film's box office skyrocketing past $100 million in its first weekend. A netizen humorously remarked, "Huh?"
After some reflection, it made sense. Domestic entertainment circles had seen box office successes for stars with no acting talent, like Chen Qing Ling grossing over $400 million and Man Jiang Hong being pushed to $4 billion by fan support.
Xu Can had become a top Hollywood star in recent years. Of course, his fan base would contribute to his film's box office success.
"Xu, you're underestimating your own popularity," Happy teased.
Given Xu Can's recent streak of successful releases, this result wasn't surprising. "Xu Can's productions are always top quality," said fans who continued to support him without hesitation. Xu Can had never disappointed them.
Before La La Land premiered, media predictions pegged the main competition as Raiders of the Lost Ark 4 from Paramount and The Chronicles of Narnia 2 from Disney. Both films were expected to dominate the weekend box office, leaving no room for a musical like La La Land to compete.
But nobody anticipated that a musical could outperform these big-budget popcorn films.
Raiders of the Lost Ark 4 managed a decent $70.37 million in its first weekend, while The Chronicles of Narnia 2 fared worse, bringing in just $30 million—not even as much as La La Land made in a single day.
As the Los Santos Times noted, "Xu Can continues his streak as a box office hitmaker, turning even musicals into money-making machines."
According to analysts, La La Land was expected to gross between $600 and $700 million worldwide. It topped the box office charts in various countries, even in the mainland market, where musicals typically struggle, grossing 50 million RMB.
Upcoming blockbusters like Red Cliff (Part 1) and Painted Skin were so spooked they postponed their release dates to avoid competition. Ironically, they failed to anticipate Spider-Man 2 at the end of July, which presented another major challenge.
Back in Los Santos, Xu Can enjoyed a candlelight dinner with Emma Stone, savoring the quiet evening.
"Honey, how's filming in New York? Did you miss me?" Emma asked playfully.
"Of course, I think of you every day," Xu Can replied with a grin.
Emma quickly changed the topic, teasing, "So, how's working with Anne Hathaway? She's very gentle, right?"
Xu laughed, trying to dodge her suspicion, "What are you thinking? She's just a professional colleague."
"Hmmph, I bet if you work on a few more films together, I'll barely rank in your life," Emma said, half-jokingly.
Xu Can reassured her with a smirk, "You'll always come first to me."
Later that night, Xu Can visited Taylor Swift. He found her in a low mood and comforted her by holding her close. Swift opened up about her fears: "Do you think we'll end up parting ways because of our dreams?"
Xu Can responded thoughtfully, "But aren't we both pursuing what we love? There's no conflict between our dreams and us."
Swift nodded but was still emotional. "You and Emma are great together. I can see how much she cares for you. I bet she's feeling the same way right now."
Xu Can was caught off guard but quickly turned the conversation lighthearted, reflecting on his relationship with Emma and how these overlapping dynamics with his co-stars sometimes blurred the lines between personal and professional life.
At the same time, Xu Can was juggling his career, preparing for Iron Man 2 and Captain America, both of which were in pre-production. Jon Favreau, the director of Iron Man, had been confirmed to helm the sequel. Though nervous about living up to the expectations, Favreau was confident in Xu Can's belief in his abilities.
Meanwhile, Xu Can's busy schedule left little time for anything else, but he continued making strides, cementing his reputation as Hollywood's most in-demand filmmaker.
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