Not only Lin Feng, but also the surrounding journalists nodded in agreement. From Matthew Horner's words and attitude, they felt something called sincerity. This superstar was indeed different from other Hollywood celebrities, coming across as genuine, like an old friend.
After returning, they all planned to highlight Matthew's words in their reports!
Matthew Horner seemed far more sincere than the Hollywood stars and directors who came to lavish praise on domestic films. While this sincerity might be limited, it was rare to find such a genuine attitude from a foreigner.
As someone who had internalized showmanship, saying lofty words had become second nature to Matthew. However, he was also self-aware, so he soon fell silent. Saying too much risked exposing his unfamiliarity with the topic.
The conversation then shifted entirely to the development of the offline film market.
Not only Chinese stakeholders but also representatives from other countries showed great interest in this topic.
Simply put, most people who invest in films worldwide are pursuing commercial profits. Outside of mainstream Hollywood commercial films, the offline market for other movies has generally been underdeveloped.
Matthew knew when to stop talking. A few suggestions might be taken as helpful advice, but saying too much could come off as condescending. Moreover, copying Hollywood's methods here would likely end in failure.
Different nations, different audiences, different markets.
However, establishing a derivative products market could give the film industry here a substantial boost. As local film investments continued to grow, relying solely on box office revenue to manage risk was far from ideal. If the market for post-release rights and derivatives could develop…
Matthew felt there was great potential for the local commercial film market.
He had kept tabs on the trends here and was aware of certain statistics. Revenue from derivative products in Hollywood mainstream commercial films accounted for 60 to 70% or more of total revenue, far surpassing box office earnings. Yet here, over 95% of film revenue came from domestic box office and product placement, with many films earning zero from derivatives.
This wasn't a sustainable development path.
Think about Disney's The Lion King, which made over $800 million at the box office but generated over $3 billion in derivative product revenue. Some even jokingly called The Lion King Disney's money-printing machine.
Without money, how can you make great films?
As for art films, he was clueless.
At 11:30, the morning session concluded. Matthew left the venue, had lunch with Nina, and then departed the Magic City Grand Theater.
Attending this film summit forum was mostly a matter of courtesy, given that the Magic City Film Festival had provided tremendous support to Fast & Furious 5. Mutual support is simply good manners.
Making a brief appearance on the forum's first day was enough. That afternoon, he and Justin Lin boarded a flight back to Los Angeles. Fast & Furious 5 was about to premiere in North America, and there were many promotional activities awaiting them.
Back in Los Angeles, Matthew took only one night's rest before diving straight into the North American promotional activities for the film.
He first attended an auction event with David Ellison. As the production company, Sky Dance sold some cars and props used in Fast & Furious 4.
Among these items, the two muscle cars driven by Matthew and Paul Walker during filming sold for over three million dollars each, and other props fetched between several thousand and tens of thousands of dollars.
This type of auction both promoted the film and satisfied fans' desire to collect memorabilia, while also providing direct profits to the investors.
In Hollywood today, auctioning off used props and costumes to cater to the growing fan collector market has become common practice. In fact, many Hollywood companies consider residual value before a film even begins production.
Matthew and David Ellison were relatively conscientious in this regard, as they ensured that the items sold were authentic. The two muscle cars, sponsored by Dodge and Mercedes, had undergone meticulous modifications. Even in the custom car market, they were considered premium.
Other productions often lack such standards. Some deliberately use cheap materials to create multiple versions of costumes and props during pre-production, knowing that fans would pay a premium to buy them back.
Although the auction featured props from Fast & Furious 4, fans' attention naturally shifted to its sequel, Fast & Furious 5.
A successful sequel has countless advantages.
Nowadays, Hollywood suffers from "sequel syndrome," with 60-70% of the top-grossing films each year being sequels, and the remaining 20-30% adapted from existing works.
Original films are becoming increasingly rare.
This approach of squeezing every drop of value from a film is what Hollywood calls "franchise culture," an idea they even labeled with a high-sounding name—artistic recycling.
As someone deeply involved in this, Matthew was well aware. It was like everyone was figuring out how to extract money from everything.
To maximize returns, Hollywood's mainstream commercial films are now commonly shot in 3D.
While North America's annual box office revenue is increasing, actual audience numbers are declining, and Hollywood needs new ways to boost ticket sales. Their solution was to resurrect an old innovation—3D.
With this revived technology, audiences pay more; 3D tickets generally cost at least three dollars more than regular tickets.
Then there's revenue from product placement.
Hollywood movies now earn about $2 billion annually from product placements, with mainstream commercial films contributing 99% of that.
Fast & Furious 5 alone received $50 million in advertising sponsorship, among the industry's highest levels.
The film had already been released across the Pacific, and not many had complained about the product placement. This meant that the ads were well-integrated into the film's content.
Many audiences may recall the classic product placement in E.T., where the protagonist used candy to lure the alien. That was an iconic example from the 1980s.
Nowadays, though, a bag of chocolates wouldn't be nearly enough. Brands must offer much bigger incentives.
Interestingly, in April, Morgan Spurlock released a documentary called The Greatest Movie Ever Sold, funded entirely by $1.5 million in sponsorships. The documentary's theme? Satirizing product placement…
Few in Hollywood believe they can make money solely from box office revenue. Product placement is a necessary component of business operations. After all, someone has to pay for this content creation, right?
In the week leading up to Fast & Furious 5's North American release, Matthew and the film's cast were exceptionally busy, attending two promotional events daily and even appearing on The Ellen Show together.
Unlike Matthew's star status, which made him stand out, during the promotional events, both he and the cast emphasized the concept of family and teamwork.
As Matthew put it, "A team's strength is what really shines."
So what does it mean to be "a gathering of heroes"? For Matthew, it meant bringing together a team and making them a force to be reckoned with! This spirit gave rise to the Fast & Furious "family," a blockbuster that was wildly exhilarating, a prime "popcorn movie."
At the same time, Matthew and David Ellison also announced that the script for Fast & Furious 6 was in the works. Director Justin Lin confirmed in an interview that he would return to direct the sequel.
"We will keep moving forward; that's a sure thing," Justin Lin said confidently in the interview. "In the fifth installment, we reached new heights. The film continues to grow, and the fans want more. This journey isn't over yet."
At the end of June, a week after Transformers 3 premiered, Fast & Furious 5 held its grand premiere in Los Angeles, with the entire racing family gathered.
As the leading actor, producer, and investor, Matthew gave an interview to ABC at the premiere.
A red-haired reporter asked, "What do you think is the essence of this franchise?"
"When people think of Fast & Furious, they picture fast cars, beautiful women, handsome men, and tough guys," Matthew replied with a smile. "But for me, the core of this franchise is 'family,' just presented in an unusual way."
The concept of family definitely resonated, so he emphasized this. "In this series, we present a new take on family, where the team plays a unique role in the family dynamic. You could analyze this with a postmodern lens. For example, the fourth film was about sacrifice and self-sacrifice, while in the fifth, we explored the concept of 'freedom'—how each family member seeks freedom. This journey excites me, and I love doing it."
The reporter continued, "Do you enjoy street racing yourself?"
"I'm not really a fan of street racing," Matthew admitted. "But in Los Angeles, everyone loves cars. It's a cultural thing. What you drive says a lot about who you are. Working on this film introduced me to many car enthusiasts whose work, life, and love revolve around cars. They have an endless passion for them, and I enjoy that energy."
He specifically mentioned Paul Walker. "Paul is a top car enthusiast. He has a garage full of cars, but he signed a safety agreement with the production team not to race while involved in this series. He still complains to me about that."
At this, Matthew chuckled. It wasn't just about what had happened during the filming of Fast & Furious 1; after filming these last two movies together, his bond with Paul Walker was incredibly strong. There was no way he'd stand by and let Paul get into another tragic situation.
That publicized safety agreement was also a means of applying a bit of extra oversight.
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