Chapter 851 - "Evan Almighty"

This year's movies are very interesting, it's like a big collection of "3". Besides "The Lord of the Rings 3", there's also Spider-Man 3, Shrek 3, Pirates of the Caribbean 3, Mission: Impossible 3, Rush Hour 3, Ocean's Thirteen... it seems like they're all crowded together. Oh right, there's also a movie called "300 Spartans", which still has some connection to the number three.

What's even more interesting is that many popular movies have scheduled their release dates either before or after the summer season to avoid clashing with the behemoth "The Lord of the Rings 3". For example, Spider-Man, Pirates of the Caribbean, and Shrek are all set to premiere in May, while Mission: Impossible and Rush Hour are set for August.

So, the only film that "Laila" really has to compete with is "Evan Almighty".

In Hollywood, making sequels to money-making movies is as normal as it gets. "Bruce Almighty" from 2003, starring Jim Carrey, grossed $480 million worldwide, which was a huge success considering its $88 million budget. So, after the film's success, plans for a sequel were immediately put into motion.

This year's sequel is once again directed by the original director, Tom Shadyac, but this time starring Steve Carell.

Many people applaud the courage of "Evan Almighty" for daring to clash with Laila's "The Lord of the Rings". Why is it that many big productions didn't dare to choose this time slot, yet you did? Haven't you seen what happened when Nolan's "Batman Begins" clashed with it?

That was Nolan's work, can you, Tom Shadyac, compare to him?

But an analysis report from "Entertainer News" makes the public see that "Evan Almighty" and Universal Pictures, the production company, didn't just choose this time slot because they were blinded by the previous film's good box office performance; they had their own plan.

The report raised several points.

Firstly, "Evan Almighty" is a comedy, which is a different genre from Laila's "The Lord of the Rings", so there isn't a direct competition between the two. People like comedy movies, and with the good word of mouth from the previous film, while the two movies clashing might have some impact, it's unlikely that "Evan Almighty" will be completely overshadowed.

Secondly, they also observed the exposure from the last time Nolan clashed directly with "Laila".

Yes, "The Lord of the Rings," whether in terms of director, actors, post-production effects, or fan support, is far superior to them in many ways. However, because the two films clashed last time, they received extensive media coverage, saving a significant amount of publicity costs and letting countless people know that the two films would be released in the summer season at the same time.

They thought they could hitch a ride on this publicity wave, and as long as the media mentioned them in passing while reporting on the success of "The Lord of the Rings", it would offset a significant portion of their advertising costs.

If the two films could be reported together again, it would only benefit them. Whether it's being criticized for overestimating their abilities or looking forward to seeing them become dark horses and defeat "Laila", an increase in exposure would achieve their goal.

Lastly, and most importantly, there are very few competitors!

How few are the competitors? So few that there are no heavyweight competitors for "The Lord of the Rings" before or after its release for two weeks. That's the magic of "Laila" and the respect others have for her strength. Not to mention movies with investments of over 100 million, even those with investments of tens of millions are not choosing to compete with her.

It's already difficult enough for everyone to share the box office, so why fight to the death? So, they would rather choose a time slot with another big production than directly compete with "Laila".

So, during the three to four weeks before and after the release of "The Lord of the Rings", apart from some small productions, there were no noteworthy competitors, unexpectedly creating a vacuum in the summer season that was supposed to be a fierce battle.

Even the best movie can't guarantee that everyone will like it, so what about those who don't like it and still want to watch a movie? Naturally, they would choose another movie. But during this period, only "The Lord of the Rings" appeared as a major production, which posed a difficult choice for young people who wanted to watch a big production in the summer season.

At this time, the appearance of "Evan Almighty" can perfectly capture the remaining box office, which is very beneficial to them.

The report made many people suddenly realize, that it is no wonder "Evan Almighty" dares to choose such a timing for its release, it turns out they're not just a bunch of reckless young people without a plan!

"Entertainer" is a newspaper under Moran's control, and if they write such a report, Moran, the director, must have seen it too. Everyone knows about this kind of thing, but it would be embarrassing if it were exposed.

But as long as the movie can make money, who cares if it's embarrassing?

As the person in charge of distributing "The Lord of the Rings", Louise met with "Laila" once after the release date of "Evan Almighty" was set, wanting to inquire about their strategy.

However, "Laila's" answer to her was - "Don't worry about them."

That's right, don't worry, don't bother, let them enjoy themselves.

This attitude of not even considering their competitors is quite refreshing. However, Louise didn't want their own movie to be affected by underestimating the importance of "Evan Almighty". The first two films were so outstanding, on the verge of becoming the highest-grossing trilogy in film history, if they were really overturned by a dark horse because of a momentary rival, they would become the laughingstock of everyone.

"They have secured screening rights in over 3,600 theaters, second only to us, so they will be a very tough competitor."

With no other competitors and the good box office results of the previous film, "Evan Almighty" has secured even more screens than expected.

"Their budget has reached $170 million, although it's a comedy, it's still not to be underestimated!"

Louise is very concerned about this competitor, perhaps because they only have this one competitor. It's even said that the other party's budget exceeds theirs, considering that their three films together cost only a little over $300 million to make, and with advertising, it's not even $500 million. It's hard to say where all that money went.

But "Laila" didn't share her concerns at all: "Hollywood success is never just about the amount of investment. Do you think Jim Carrey and Jennifer Aniston, can be compared to Steve Carell now?" Jim Carrey has achieved great success in Hollywood comedy films, and his box office appeal should not be underestimated just because he's a comedy actor.

"In terms of actors, I admit that they can't compare to the original, but the director is still the same. From 'Ace Ventura: Pet Detective' to 'Bruce Almighty', and then to 'Evan Almighty', the movies he's directed are loved by many people and he's a fairly successful director."

"Is that so?" "Laila" only responded with a "hehe" to express her feelings: "Then, do you think he can compare to me?"

Louise was speechless.