Chapter 379: 379: He Yang's 28 Days

“Weekend Report: Moviegoers Continue to Sing ‘Firefly’ Praises, ‘Fantastic Four’ Dies a Bland Death” — Boxofficemojo; “North American Weekend Box Office Summary: ‘Firefly’ Holds the Crown for Fourth Week, ‘Fantastic Four’ Can’t Compete” — Yahoo Entertainment…

‘Firefly’ mesmerized audiences during its fourth weekend at the box office. Despite showing signs of fatigue with a 45.6% drop from the previous week, the film still raked in a stunning $38.5 million with an average of $10,714 per theater across 4,125 theaters (+50 theaters). It set a new cinematic record, surpassing the $28.71 million by ‘Titanic’ in 1997 and overshadowed ‘War of the Worlds’ ($30.46 million, -53%, an average of $7,792 across 3,910 theaters) and ‘Fantastic Four’ which scrounged up only $33.6 million, to firmly hold onto its number one spot.

The instantly maligned ‘Fantastic Four’ became the butt of the jokes among media and fans in recent days. Comparing it with ‘Firefly’ might seem both unfair and cruel, but just like “‘Firefly’ vs. ‘War of the Worlds’,” many have done it anyway. Especially considering its plethora of criticized issues, all of which seem to find perfect responses in ‘Firefly’. Richard Roeper said in his detailed movie review, “One big reason I like ‘Firefly’ is that it can render a dud like ‘Fantastic Four’ speechless and shame-faced.”

Can’t big productions have artistic depth? The first major problem, however, is the storytelling method. ‘Fantastic Four’, which cost $100 million to make, featured nearly 900 special effect shots—not as many as ‘Firefly’s over 1800, but still not a small number, considering ‘District 9’ had just over 800.

‘District 9’ distributed its special effects shots evenly, continuously stimulating the audience’s senses; ‘Fantastic Four’ also spread out its effects, but its story and pacing were blander than tap water, completely lacking any climax from beginning to end. This made it less effective than if the money and effects had been concentrated on climactic scenes—at least that would have kept the viewers awake for a few minutes instead of dozing off all night.

It had no subtext, no visual storytelling, and was barely comparable to even the soap operas on TV. Wesley Morris from ‘The Boston Globe’ gave it a quarter star: “There’s no worse adapted screenplay than this; it should be shelved for another ten years. What I’m curious about is, why did Fox Company spend $100 million and not hire a good director? Tim Story doesn’t understand what makes a superhero, he just made another ‘Barbershop’.”

“Why did Fox insist on hiring a USC director, and not Wang Yang?” ‘Fantastic Four’ comic fans have been complaining bitterly as of late, while Firefly fans are leaping with joy! We said it before! They sent out starring invitations to Jessica Alba and traitor Rachel McAdams, they brought in a USC director, ticking all the boxes of an impending Wang Yang storm, and indeed…

‘Fantastic Four’ met a bad end, and fans like Evelyn dominated the internet with their bold words: “So what about the fourth week! Still the champion! $1.3 billion in box office!”

First week KO’d ‘Batman’, second week KO’d ‘Bewitched’, third week KO’d ‘War of the Worlds’, fourth week KO’d ‘Fantastic Four’! The undertaker ‘Firefly’ is all-conquering! Who dares talk about Wang Yang encountering an office building curse now? No one; nobody wants to be the next one to be KO’d.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

This weekend, ‘Firefly’ expanded its international screenings to 76 countries and regions, grossing a massive $82.62 million (-35.4%) over three days. The overseas total rose to $773.2 million, and within 24 days, the film’s global box office reached $13.042 billion, ascending to a new level and moving towards an end of glory that no one knows yet.

“Ding, ding, ding—”

The morning in Toronto was filled with the sound of bicycle bells, and a lovely figure sped by on her bike along the shore of Lake Ontario. The cool breeze tousled her light golden bangs, but the beautiful scenery could not capture her attention, as she pedaled faster and faster.

It was just terrible! She was in a total flop of a movie! Rachel pedaled furiously, venting her frustration. The seagulls flying and calling in the sky, usually so refreshing, were now annoying. Indeed, Wang Yang had predicted correctly—Fantastic Four had ruined everything! While filming on set, she felt that Tim Story was utterly nonsensical, even telling her not to have too many facial expressions, let alone any talk of acting inspiration! Now she couldn’t stop regretting joining this horrible film. Not only was it a waste of time, but why on earth had she appeared in such a disaster? Why not Firefly? Why not 500 Days of Summer?

Why! Why! Why! Rachel’s mood was super gloomy. After pedaling for a long while, she gradually slowed to a stop and, breathing somewhat heavily, she looked out at the vast expanse of blue lake, mumbling to herself softly, “Please, Rachel… please…” After a long time, she suddenly pulled out her phone, dialed a contact, and started pushing her bike as she walked. Once connected, she greeted with a smile, “Hi, good morning, Yang.”

At the Flame Film headquarters in Santa Monica, Los Angeles, due to the time difference, Wang Yang had just started his workday. Shortly after settling into his office, he picked up a document to glance over and greeted Rachel with a smile on his phone, “Hi, Rachel, good morning. What’s up?”

Upon hearing that familiar voice, Rachel immediately felt much better, the joy for him and for Firefly filling her chest again. She “Oh”ed, frowned, shrugged her shoulders, and not knowing where to start, she laughed out, “Nothing, just in a terrible mood…”

“Because of Fantastic Four?” They had hurriedly talked about this issue a few days ago. At that point, Rachel had been poking fun at herself, but Yang let out a light sigh, fully aware that one can’t have it all. He comforted her, saying, “Please! It’s not your fault, and your performance was already great, really!” He tried to cheer the girl up, “Isn’t this our plan?” Rachel laughed on the other end, “Yes.” Scratching his head, Wang Yang continued, “So now? It’s all my fault, I’m sorry. It was I, your agent, who screwed it up.”

Rachel guessed what game he was trying to play, pursed her lips showing her dimpled smile, and replied, “No, no, no, it was my choice! In fact, my popularity really did increase. I checked, and there are a lot more people both praising and criticizing me online, haha!” After a few laughs, she felt more relaxed, her mind clearing up, able to think of many things she hadn’t been able to before. Over a year ago on the phone, it had been made clear, but she always had that notion of “I can also star in blockbusters” haunting her. Rachel said softly, “You were right, this is our plan. I was too greedy.”

“It’s not like that, Rachel.” As he spoke, Wang Yang couldn’t help but smack his forehead—he knew Tim Story’s Fantastic Four would be a mess, and Rachel needed good movies, not popularity. He apologized, “It’s my fault. I didn’t clarify what you really wanted and confused you, preventing you from following your heart in making a choice.” Rachel just laughed on the other end, “Stop it, the amazing Yang! Who could confuse me?” She then added in a self-mocking tone, “Yes! Yes, you’re one of them… but.”

She stopped talking. It seemed she had really gotten angry these past few days, struck by a host of muddled emotions. Gradually feeling her inner calm returning, Rachel looked at the beautiful scene of blue skies, white clouds, seagulls, and the lake surface, and cursed with a laugh, “I’m just a bit angry, damn it!” Wang Yang also cursed with a laugh, “Damn it! So what do we do?” Rachel’s mouth formed an ‘O’, and she shrugged her shoulders as if driven to exasperation by him. She laughed and said, “Haha! What else can we do? I’m fine now, let’s look ahead! But I might have developed a phobia of blockbusters…”

“That won’t do!” Wang Yang interrupted her, speaking earnestly, “Our plan is to get you into more blockbusters.” Rachel, feeling helpless, cut him off, “Look at you! You just admitted you were wrong. Okay, forget that lost plan! In any case, I definitely don’t want to go down the sexy route again. I’m not up for it. That’s the mistake!” She altered her voice mockingly, “Like what someone said, ‘The tight-clothed Rachel McAdams reveals to us the fact that she’s underdeveloped.'”

“To a small extent, maybe.” Yang laughed back to her, but instantly Rachel let out an offended “Hmm,” and he quickly responded seriously, “No, I mean, they should have given you the Bruce Lee version. You know, it fits perfectly with the invisibility effect.”

Rachel couldn’t help but laugh out loud. Running a yellow light wasn’t against traffic rules unless it turned red the moment you crossed the line, but still, many people gunned it at a yellow light. She was having a blast when she heard Wang Yang seriously add, “Top it off with a pair of Superman undies, officer, and you’ll be rich.” Rachel burst into even more laughter, “Hahahahaha—” Chatting with him, even the worst things became amusing. Rachel laughed for a good while before she managed to catch her breath and say, “Oh my… thank you, I’m alright now, really, I am!”

Wang Yang muttered to himself, “Seems like I could take up a career in fashion design, too? And save a bundle…” Rachel didn’t pick up on his cue, suddenly asking instead, “Yang, is there a role suitable for me in ‘500 Days of Summer’?” She didn’t think he would misunderstand her intentions or anything like that; she felt there was no need for too much talk between them. Of course, Wang Yang really didn’t, but he frowned and answered earnestly, “Rachel, the movie is centered on the male protagonist’s perspective. There’s only room to develop one female lead, Summer.”

“Oh!” Rachel nodded her head in disappointment, gripping the handlebars of her bicycle tighter without realizing it, and looked up at the sky with a smile, “OK, alright… How has Jessica been doing lately? We chatted a few days ago, and she was really happy.”

The topic immediately brought a grin to Wang Yang’s face. He instinctively adjusted his posture, alternating between leaning on his elbows on the desk and leaning back in his chair, and laughed heartily, “Yeah! She’s been too happy lately, ‘Firefly’, and the baby! That girl’s been all over the place prepping for the baby, I’m telling you! She’s nuts, bringing home a ton of baby stuff every day, bottles, clothes, toys… just piling up over there! When I asked her, ‘What about your baby shower gifts, what will other people do?’ she was like, ‘Yeah! I might have bought too much.’ And then she just kept buying. Who knows what she’s up to, maybe she’s planning to open a baby supply store or something?”

“Hehe! Haha!” Rachel couldn’t stop laughing as he went on and on about Jessica’s recent antics and quirky ideas—weighing the baby, charting belly changes. Wang Yang finally laughed out loud, “Oh my God! Do you think she’s gone crazy?” Rachel, with a teasing tone, said, “But I heard from Jessica that you’re the one who’s gone crazy? Worried about the baby’s future dates on Monday, scared she’ll turn into Paris Hilton on Tuesday, plotting out the feasibility of ‘The Princess Diaries’ on Wednesday…”

“Hahaha!” Wang Yang laughed uncontrollably, and after she had finished, he laughed and said, “That was all a while ago. These past few days, I’ve been thinking about how to foster the baby’s interest in basketball. You know, some girls don’t really like it, but I really hope that in the future, we can all watch NBA games together, as father and daughter, as a family, and not just cheering for the Los Angeles Lakers!” His voice rose with excitement, “We are Golden State Warriors fans! But Joshua, that jerk! He’s been plotting how to turn his niece into a Lakers fan.” He clenched his teeth, “I won’t let it happen!”

Rachel, recalling Jessica mentioning this as well, and worried that Yang and Joshua might come to blows, couldn’t help reflecting, “Jessie is truly fortunate.” She smiled, pushing her bike along and said softly, “When I first met you guys, Jessica wasn’t like this. She was open, straightforward, good at conversation, but sometimes a little anxious. Now she’s completely different; she’s found her way in life and is wholeheartedly absorbed in her happiness. She might seem dizzy with it, but no, Yang, I don’t think she’s crazy.”

“Yes, thank you, I know,” Wang Yang tenderly kissed the wedding ring on his left ring finger and joyfully said, “I always tell her, if you get lost while out, just call 911, or 01189998819991197253.”

“Hehe!” Rachel chuckled, feeling chatty and seemingly not causing any disturbance, she didn’t feel like ending the call. She shifted the topic, “Yang, can we talk about ‘500 Days of Summer’? I’m really interested.” Wang Yang, obviously intrigued, started discussing it with her, “It’s mainly an exploration of love…”

Time on the wall clock ticked by second by second. They talked for quite a while, and then the phone rang again. Wang Yang bid Rachel goodbye, ending the call and picked up the call from the agent. He quickly said, “I’m afraid it’ll have to wait, ‘500 Days of Summer’ doesn’t have a suitable role for her. Yes, I’m serious, I’ve got some things to attend to… Mhm, bye!” Putting down his phone, Wang Yang let out a sigh, he was quite popular! But regarding casting for this film, what he really needed to think about now was, who to invite to play the male lead?

The male lead, “Tom,” was an average man from the ’80s, a mature neighborhood big boy. So those who were too handsome, too tall, too muscular were immediately ruled out, as were those who were too goofy, too depressed, too lacking in confidence. In fact, the candidate list was never that long, only the two leads from ’10 Things I Hate About You,’ Heath Ledger and Joseph Gordon-Levitt. In terms of appearance and temperament, undoubtedly the original Joseph was more suitable…

“Tap, tap.” Just then, someone knocked on the office door, and Wang Yang called out, “Come in!”

“Jack-of-all-trades” Nancy Reno walked in with a stack of documents, smiling at him, “Yang, here are the materials you requested.”

These past few days, she had truly been busy to the point of death! Wang Yang’s energy was so vigorous, his train of thought so quick. Behind the high-speed output was an immense workload. Plus, he was the type of boss who was willing to delegate and encourage his subordinates to act, so there were always numerous, endless new tasks every day. Sometimes she even felt like she had become Andrea; thankfully, Wang Yang wasn’t a devil-like boss like Miranda, and indeed, she had learned so much that she actually enjoyed it.

Nancy placed the documents on the desk and saw Wang Yang nod, lost in thought and not saying a word. She quietly left, but after a few steps, Wang Yang suddenly called out to her again, “Hey, Nancy! I have a question for you.” Nancy turned around inquiringly, “What?” Looking at the girl in the fisherman’s hat, Wang Yang beckoned her over and asked directly, “Who do you think is more suitable to play Tom, Joseph Gordon Levitt or Heath Ledger?”

“Um…” Nancy rolled her eyes in thought, flipping through Tom’s character setup and comparing the two actors in her mind. After considering for a while, she responded, “I think it’s Levitt!” Wang Yang asked, “Why?” Nancy shook her head uncertainly, “On one hand, it’s intuition. Tom strikes me as the kind of average-sized guy; although Ledger’s acting inspires more confidence and anticipation, he’s too tall. His appearance and aura don’t fit.”

She pursed her lips and continued, “On the other hand, Ledger was a playboy before; now he’s about to be a dad, whereas Tom is a romantic idealist. Even if Ledger is a genius, I feel Levitt can better grasp the character’s mindset.”

“Hehehe, a USC graduate, be confident! I’m just a dropout.” Wang Yang clapped lightly in jest, widening his eyes in encouragement. With a smile on her face, Nancy listened to his earnest guidance, “Don’t forget to consider the chemistry between Tom and Summer. Ledger is a bit too harsh and cold; his presence is inherently strong, but Tom’s presence should be weaker, to better highlight Summer’s coolness and unpredictability…”

As days passed by, while Wang Yang was busy with the preparations for “500 Days of Summer,” a new weekend arrived, and the period from July 8 to 14 came to an end.

“Firefly” completed its fourth week of battle and unsurprisingly maintained its weekend advantage, crushing the newly released “Fantastic Four” to become North America’s box office champion for the week! It once again made its rivals enact a despairing Shakespearean tragedy; in the overseas markets, these tragedies rose and fell one after another, almost covering the entire globe.

Looking at these box office charts, the media and movie fans could only exclaim that “28 Days with Yang” could be a great comedy or a great tragedy, depending only on whether you are a “Firefly supporter” or “supporter of other films.” (