Domination in America, Starting from being a Boxing Champion

"God! No more letting Link take scripts at random."

This is the title written on the cover of "Complete Movie Magazine," which also chose him as their July cover person.

The main reason is his significant influence in the film industry this June.

First, the global blockbuster "Bridesmaids," in which he starred and invested,

accumulated $128 million at the North American box office and $207 million overseas, with a total box office of $335 million—over ten times the production cost—making it the most profitable film in the North American film market in May.

Rumors say if the film's box office hadn't been stolen, the global box office would have already broken $400 million, entering the top eight of the annual box office rankings.

Then there was "Midnight in Paris," in which Link starred and which had a limited release in North America on May 20, followed by a wide release on June 10.

After more than a month, the cumulative North American box office reached $50.89 million, with the current overseas box office at approximately $84.57 million.

These numbers may not seem high, but they mark the zenith of director Woody Allen's career earnings.

Since the 1960s, Allen has directed 43 movies, one per year on average, including "Annie Hall," "Play It Again, Sam," "The Purple Rose of Cairo," "Match Point," "Midnight in Barcelona," and others.

They received positive reviews, but their box office results were average, mostly below $100 million globally.

Yet, "Midnight in Paris," in less than a month after its release, broke $50 million in the North American box office, and its overseas earnings were soon to hit $100 million.

Compared to the production cost of $18 million, this film was undoubtedly a success at the box office.

"Complete Movie" magazine, comparing this film to Allen's previous ones, analyzed that the reason for the better box office was the choice of actors.

Previously, when Allen made movies, he usually directed and starred in them himself, and if a role wasn't suitable for him, he'd pick someone to play it for him, leading to uncharismatic male characters in his films that were much less appealing than the female roles.

In "Midnight in Paris," however, he took a risk by bringing world boxing champion Link into the crew as the male lead, portraying a writer, a screenwriter—a daring and innovative decision that proved successful.

Link is a global superstar with high recognition worldwide and substantial box office appeal, helping to open global markets for the film.

Add to that the fact that Allen is also a director with strong abilities and well-liked by audiences in Europe and America.

Plus the heavy-hitting support of France's number one actress Marion Cotillard and the powerhouse of a new generation, Jennifer Lawrence.

These three factors combined were keypoints in the success of the movie's sales.

"Complete Movie" also added at the end of the review that Link's face alone contributed at least 30% to the global box office.

After discussing "Midnight in Paris," "Complete Movie Magazine" continued to introduce three other films related to Link: "Mr. Tree," the newly previewed "Snow Flower and the Secret Fan," and "Captain America," which was set to release at the end of the month in North America.

Currently, "Mr. Tree" has accumulated $7.82 million at the North American box office.

Compared to the $150,000 rights fee and $1.8 million in marketing costs, the nearly fourfold box office return and the film's good reputation,

it performed even better than "The Tree of Life," which won the Palme d'Or at this year's Cannes Film Festival.

Without a doubt, Link picked up a gem at the Cannes Film Festival.

However, "Complete Movie" also stated,

Had it not been for Link, "Mr. Tree" would almost certainly not have been released in the North American region.

Had it not been for Link aggressively marketing the film with his championship hit song, "Mr. Tree" would not have made it past the preview phase and secured the chance to be shown in more theaters.

Thus, its success in the North American market was a low-probability event, unreplicable by others.

The phrase 'God! No more letting Link take scripts at random' on the cover was mainly in reference to the comments on "Snow Flower and the Secret Fan."

In the article, the editor of "Complete Movie" magazine unusually criticized Link's choice of scripts.

They believed he couldn't choose scripts at all, from "Deep Sea Quest 2" to "Valentine's Day," "Scandal Plan," "Bridesmaids," and this "Snow Flower and the Secret Fan."

Although his performances in these films were good, he wasn't suited for these supporting roles, and playing them would only push him further down the path of a male pinup.

The editor didn't even approve of his performance in "Midnight in Paris," considering that in that film, his looks trumped his acting, and the role that suited him best was the skilled mercenary in "The Expendables," hoping he would do more action movies in the future.

"Complete Movie" magazine's editor expressed strong anticipation for his new film "Captain America" at the end of the article.

They said that in this movie, one could see the strong physique that Link showed in "Fighter," the top-notch looks he had in "Midnight in Paris," and the clean, crisp fighting moves from "The Expendables."

"Complete Movie Magazine" Editor-in-Chief Perry Muller wrote in conclusion:

"This movie is unquestionably the best work that fully combines and showcases Link's advantages and talents... Letting 'Superman Link,' 'Super Boxer Link' play 'Captain America' is absolutely the most anticipated film role of 2011, without a doubt."

Reading this far, Link could basically determine that the article was a promotional piece written by someone arranged by the distributors of "Captain America," to help with the movie's publicity while simultaneously taking a shot at the just-released "Snow Flower and the Secret Fan."

From the reader's perspective, the article was both praiseworthy and critical, quite objective and neutral.

From the perspective of the distributing company of "Captain America," it certainly spoke well for the movie.

"Fighter," "Midnight in Paris," and "The Expendables" can be called Link's signature works, each grossing over $100 million worldwide, with "The Expendables" grossing over $300 million.