February 4th
In its fourth week of release, "Saw" earned $12.5 million in North America, bringing its total to $109 million. It's expected to leave theaters within a week.
Overseas, premieres took place in South Korea, Japan, India, and Southeast Asia, but not in China, as it's difficult to bring an R-rated film there, and the earnings would be minimal.
Due to the one-month delay in the North American release, pirated copies have already spread, which will undoubtedly affect the box office.
This week, international box office earnings amounted to $44.75 million, bringing the overseas total to $99 million. This means that "Saw" has reached a global total of $210 million, which is an excellent result.
It's expected that the film will earn another $30-40 million worldwide, bringing the total to $250 million, surpassing analysts' forecasts of $220 million.
Today was a special day at the Hofft military base in Nevada.
Around 10 a.m., several vehicles of various sizes appeared at the base gates, all bearing the iconic lion's head logo.
When the MGM convoy arrived, numerous weapons were aimed at them from different angles, frightening the staff, who barely dared to breathe.
A single accidental shot from a soldier could cost them their lives.
In the passenger seat, Colonel Freeman made a call, and a few minutes later, the base gates opened, allowing Eric and his team inside.
"Follow me."
After exiting the car, Colonel Freeman led Eric to the base commander—a stern man named John de Fale Adams.
His rank was higher than Freeman's. Although also a colonel, Freeman said Adams would soon be promoted to brigadier general.
This was good news, as Adams wouldn't act rashly the day before a promotion.
After showing the Department of Defense order, they chatted briefly, and Adams agreed to assist with the filming.
But when Eric presented his filming plan, Adams immediately frowned.
"Director Eric, do you understand how absurd your demands are? We have no problem with soldiers—we have plenty of them. Carbines, Brownings, any weaponry—it's all at your disposal."
"But seven V-22 Osprey tiltrotors, at least five Black Hawk helicopters, a minimum of five low-flying Pave Low IV helicopters, a company of M60 and M1 Abrams tanks…"
"Are you kidding?"
Eric pointed to the plan. "Keep reading; there's more."
Adams continued reading and widened his eyes in astonishment. "An F-22 squadron? Are you sure you're making a film?"
Adams' reaction made Eric nervous. As a military consultant, Colonel Freeman had already seen the filming plan.
Freeman immediately noted the problem—there was too much requested equipment. Even in the U.S., there aren't many bases that can provide everything at once.
Especially the F-22 squadron—26 planes, which would be enough to destroy all of Africa.
But Eric had his reasons. The original "Transformers" was thrilling, but it always left the impression that the robots were too weak.
Apart from the impressive scene of the base destruction at the beginning, which made the audience feel the full power of the Decepticons, the rest was a letdown. Scorponok, with his chaotic shooting and flashy but ineffective combat, seemed to only highlight their impotence.
The most feared antagonist, Megatron, couldn't even handle a few rockets and was pushed back by tanks. But this is Megatron, the leader of the Decepticons, a mighty warrior from Cybertron.
How could he be challenged by ordinary human weapons? Where's his energy cannon? Where are his shockwaves and deadly beams?
The advanced alien weaponry seemed sealed away, and his combat abilities appeared weaker than those of his subordinates. In the end, the strongest Decepticon turned out to be just Blackout, and that was extremely disappointing.
According to Eric, this was the main failure of "Transformers." Rumors had it that Michael Bay used the film's budget for his own purposes. Thanks to good relations with the Department of Defense, he lobbied for Paramount's interests and pocketed the saved funds.
The question arose: allocate more funds for special effects with planes and tanks or leave everything as is but secure a solid personal income? The answer is obvious to any sensible person.
"Colonel Adams, we're making a movie about Transformers. I'm sure you watched it as a kid. Our opponents are aliens. If they can be defeated by a single tank or air strike, isn't that absurd?"
"Moreover, this film serves as an advertisement for the army. MGM and the Department of Defense have already agreed that we must showcase the full power of the U.S. armed forces. If we don't have enough equipment, neither citizens of other countries nor our own will believe it."
Colonel John Adams frowned. "No, other requests can be discussed, but a company of M1 Abrams tanks and an F-22 squadron—that's too much. It's simply insane!"
"Colonel Adams, without this equipment, the film won't achieve the desired effect. I understand I'm putting you in a difficult position, so the list also includes a carrier group and an AC-130, which you don't have. We'll find another solution for those elements."
Colonel Adams glared at the young director, thinking at least he understands that. After all, this is a military base; where would they get an aircraft carrier?
"In any case, it's impossible. A squadron is too much. The maximum I can give you is five planes."
"Colonel, that's not serious. The Department of Defense has already given its consent. Let's compromise: 22 planes."
"Ten!"
"Twenty."
"Thirteen!"
"Nineteen, and not a single one less!"
"Fifteen is the maximum. That's all the planes on the base, including those that just arrived. If this doesn't work for you, I'll explain the situation to the Department of Defense and ask you to leave the base."
Seeing that the colonel was starting to get angry, Eric quickly shook his hand. It wasn't worth upsetting the local commander.
"Deal!"
"Director, we've arrived!"
As Eric and Colonel Adams concluded their negotiations, Ryan Reynolds, Tom Hardy, Ben Foster, and Michael Fassbender approached them. They had been training on the base for a whole month, and now they exuded a special energy. With short stubble and in military uniforms, they could easily be mistaken for real soldiers.
Seeing their transformation, Eric smiled.
"Great, now you've got the aura of elite soldiers. How was the training?"
Ryan Reynolds, holding an M16, skillfully swapped the magazine with one hand in front of Eric and performed several tactical movements.
Eric couldn't say how accurate it was, but it looked pretty convincing. It would work on screen.
The other actors repeated the same with the same level of skill, showing their serious attitude.
"Excellent. Then we start shooting today at 2 p.m.!"
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