NOVPUBAfter the WBA Heavyweight Boxing Championship, Link returned to the United States with the Golden Belt, successfully transitioning from Light Heavyweight Boxing King to Heavyweight World Boxing Champion.
Compared to light heavyweight, heavyweight matches have a higher level of spectatorship and a broader audience, mainly due to the differences in the entertainment value of the matches.
Take the middleweight as an example.
Middleweight boxers weigh under 75 kilograms, with punches mostly under 800 pounds.
Due to the cushioning of the gloves, an 800-pound punch will feel lighter and inflict less damage upon hitting the opponent.
Additionally, middleweight boxers are smaller and lighter, with agile footwork, making it easier to dodge.
Middleweight matches rarely result in injuries or blood splatters; most victories are achieved through point decisions.
On the other hand, heavyweight boxers weigh over 91 kilograms, with punches around 1500 pounds.
The slight difference in glove ounces also leads to the heavyweight boxers' punches being more lethal, with a higher likelihood of injuries and bleeding occurring during fights.
Such matches tend to be more thrilling and visually appealing, which easily attracts attention.
Link's match against Povetkin reached a total of 4.54 million PPV sales in the European region, setting a new PPV sales record, and sold 2.41 million copies in North America. Globally, 160 million people watched the live broadcast via the Show Time online platform, establishing a new pay-per-view record for boxing matches.
Within one month after the match, video plays exceeded 1.2 billion views, yet another record for this type of content.
Additionally, in terms of advertising sponsorships, ticket sales, and merchandise, revenues reached over 400 million US Dollars.
According to sports website ESPN, the commercial value generated by this match exceeded 1 billion US Dollars, higher than the commercial value of Link's previous matches.
Link's earnings from this match also increased, receiving a share of 220 million US Dollars.
Including the match against Deontay in April, his total earnings from two matches this year amounted to over 400 million US Dollars, surpassing the revenue from six light heavyweight fights.
This is one of the benefits of competing in heavyweight matches.
The downside, however, is that he got injured.
He suffered from swelling in the left masseter muscle, minor nosebleeds, and slight injuries to the shoulder and left ribs. Although not severe, it was his first time experiencing such injuries after a match.
This has resulted in Ivanka, like Taylor, not supporting his continuation in boxing. With a net worth of over twenty billion, owning several major companies, and the ability to earn billions of US Dollars each year without doing anything, there's no need to risk life and limb in the ring for a few hundred million dollars. If he were to suffer serious injuries from an opponent, the loss would outweigh the gain.
However, Ivanka's persuasion was very gentle, not resorting to arguing or getting angry like Taylor.
Link smartly stated that he would fight more sensibly in the future, trying to avoid injuries. If he suffered serious injuries in a match, he would consider retiring early, not risking his health or life, and not wanting to worry her and the children.
Ivanka was quite satisfied with his response and immediately reciprocated with tender kisses and soft caresses.
Link spent the night in bed with Ivanka despite his injuries, and by the next day, his condition had mostly recovered. This was one of the benefits of ongoing training. As his physical strength and stamina improved, so did his recovery and self-healing abilities.
This is why he is fearless in bloodied bouts against opponents.
Post-match, the American media also covered the fight extensively.
On one hand, they recounted the brutality and highlights of the match, continuing to promote boxing and expand Link's international influence.
The rest of the coverage mostly praised his strength and influence.
"Boxing Ring" magazine called him an unmatched giant star of the 2010s boxing world, establishing a new height for the sport through his influence.
"BOXING" magazine described Link as the 'Caesar' of the boxing world, conquering super middleweight and light heavyweight and continuing his triumph in heavyweight, facing no match under his offense.
Some media also discussed his potential matches against the Klitschko Brothers, analyzing both parties' strengths.
Due to the injuries sustained in his match with Povetkin, and for dragging the match to the fourth round for the first time, along with achieving a TKO victory over the opponent for the first time, the media believed that even if he could defeat Big Klitschko, it would be a pyrrhic victory. As for Little Klitschko, they considered the two to be evenly matched, and for Link to defeat Little Klitschko and unify the heavyweight titles, it would be quite challenging.
These reports are also part of the boxing match promotion; for this, Link participated in two interviews, one with People magazine, and one on the CBS television program The Ellen Show, discussing the match, his work, life, and gossip.
After wrapping up boxing-related work, Link rested at home for a few days, continuing to prepare for the filming of American Sniper, practicing with the sniper rifle, and undergoing military training.
As the real-life figure Chris Kyle was from Texas, he also needed to learn the Texas accent and understand his personal habits and preferences by talking to Chris Kyle's wife and comrades-in-arms—such as liking to inhale loudly through his nose, enjoying listening to rock songs by Linkin Park and Staind, as well as a few of Link's rock songs.
However, since Link is the lead actor in the film, placing his songs in the movie would be rather jarring, so they won't be added.
This work is extensive, diverse, and also very important; only by understanding the subject in enough detail can the character be more rounded and three-dimensional.
By early June, the filming of American Sniper officially started. Directed by Clint Eastwood and written by Jason Hall, the film stars Link, Sienna Miller, and Luke Grimes, among others.
The main shooting locations are in Rabat, the capital of Morocco, Santa Clarita in Southern California, and the town of El Centro in Imperial Valley—these places substituting for Iraq's battlegrounds.
"Scene one, take one, Action!"
On the desolate Gobi Desert of Southern California, the filming officially began.
——
During the production of American Sniper, the North American movie market entered the highly competitive summer box office season.
Currently leading the summer box office ranks is Disney Pictures' Captain America: The Winter Soldier, which had a production budget of 180 million US dollars, released in early April, with a North American box office of 302 million US dollars and a global box office of 813 million US dollars.
Ranked second is Sony Pictures' The Amazing Spider-Man 2, with a production cost of 230 million US dollars, released in early May, with a current North American box office of 187 million US dollars and a global box office of 668 million.
Warner Bros. Pictures' Godzilla is in third place; the film had a production budget of 160 million, released in mid-May, with a current North American box office of 162 million US dollars and a global box office of 428 million US dollars.
Lionsgate Films' release of Divergent: Insurgent is temporarily in fourth place, with a production budget of 78 million US dollars, released in early May, with a current North American box office of 162 million US dollars, and a global box office of 305 million US dollars.
At the end of May, Lionsgate Films released their eighth film, The Neighbor, which talks about a young couple with a newborn daughter fighting fiercely to defend their personal space against a bunch of hot-blooded university students living next door. It's an R-rated comedy.
The film was directed by Nicholas Stoller, who wrote The Muppet Movie and The New Scamming Couple, and starred comedy star Seth Rogen, Rose Byrne, Zac Efron, and others.
The film was released on May 30th, earning 51.07 million US dollars in its first weekend in the North American region, topping the box office charts, and also becoming the best-performing R-rated comedy film in US cinema history at the time of its release.
Ranked second is last week's release of X-Men: Days of Future Past, with a weekend box office of 46.67 million US dollars and a total box office of 192 million.
Fifteen days after the release of The Neighbor, the North American box office surpassed 100 million, reaching 103 million US dollars, making it Lionsgate Films' fourth film this year to surpass 100 million in the North American box office.
The film also performed well at the overseas box office; within two weeks of release, the cumulative overseas box office reached 84.44 million US dollars, making it currently the top-selling comedy movie in the overseas region.
The total box office is expected to be around 280 million US dollars.
The production cost of the film was 18 million US dollars.
With a return on investment ratio of 1:15, it is a box office dark horse that has sold better than The Millers and Escape From Planet Earth.
In the first half of the year, Lionsgate Films released a total of eight movies, seven of which surpassed 50 million in the North American box office, and four films exceeded 100 million in the North American box office. This performance made the competitors very envious.
Lionsgate Films invests only a bit over 600 million US dollars into film production every year but often manages to release blockbuster hits, with three such surprises this year.
Meanwhile, the Big Six Studios spend over a billion each year on film production; aside from a few commercial blockbusters doing well, their lower budget films' box office performances are mediocre, with six out of ten making losses, and the remaining four films have box office return ratios all within 1:3, which combined still fall short of The Neighbor's box office.
The executives of the Big Six Studios are quite helpless, and so they have sought Lionsgate Films out, hoping to learn some insider knowledge and also trying to collaborate with Lionsgate Films, following the example of Paramount and Warner Bros., aiming to catch a ride on Lionsgate's success.
As for Lionsgate Films, being just a small company, they are indifferent; as long as they can make money and satisfy the shareholders to avoid being fired, nothing else matters.
Therefore, Lionsgate Films received multiple collaboration offers from the Big Six.
Taking advantage of the Big Six Studios' need to lower their heads, Lionsgate Films once again applied to join the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA), offering to help supervise the management of American films and contribute to Hollywood's development.
After some deliberation, the executives of the Big Six Studios reluctantly accepted Lionsgate Films as an MPAA member, but only giving it the treatment of a regular member, with only voting and advising rights, no specific positions or powers, and not responsible for internal MPAA management, while representatives sent by the Big Six Studios assume positions like chairman, vice-chairman, and director.
Link and Ivanka were not concerned about this; firstly, securing a firm footing within the Motion Picture Association of America was important, and powers and positions could be pursued slowly. As long as Lionsgate Films continues to develop well and lead the box office ahead of competitors, there's no need to worry about not having power.
Influenced by Lionsgate Films joining the MPAA, Lionsgate's chairwoman Ivanka continued to rank first in the Hollywood Power List published by the Hollywood Reporter, becoming the first woman to retain the top spot on this list.
