Chapter 828 Released
In early July, Linghe released another film to the market.
This time, they are responsible for distributing the Italian art film, "Breath".
On its opening day, the box office was only 800,000.
Some people joked: "Linghe wouldn't claim to be profitable and not losing money with only 800,000 yuan in box office revenue, would it?"
Linghe reposted the post, saying: "Dear friends, we have reached a framework cooperation agreement with the Italian company Janko, and will be responsible for the distribution of their three art films in China. The cooperation model does not adopt the traditional distribution rights transfer, and there is no minimum guarantee, only revenue sharing. This means that even if there is only 1 yuan in box office revenue, Linghe will still make a profit! Thank you for your concern for Linghe. It is because of your concern that so many foreign film companies trust the Linghe brand and are willing to try new cooperation models with us."
To put it bluntly, Linghe didn't spend a single penny on copyright fees when distributing "Breath." They only invested in marketing and distribution costs, while Jan Erco in Italy enjoyed a higher revenue share than typical film copyright holders.
For an art film like "Breath," this is Linghe's exploration.
Under the traditional distribution cooperation model, Chinese film companies would basically not handle theatrical distribution for these art films, resulting in a loss rate as high as 99%.
Therefore, Linghe proposed this kind of cooperation model.
People are willing to try it.
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The summer movie season is the biggest movie season in China besides the Spring Festival season.
Of course, Linghe will not only release art films during this period.
In fact, Linghe has scheduled a major film for both July and August during this period.
July is the month of "Summer Night Villa Horror," starring Wang Jing.
August features the drama "If Love Has a Destiny," starring Yan Lingyu, Yang Shiyi, and Zhang Chun.
Lu Yanhe also has a book called "Dingfeng No. 1".
Chen Yin has high hopes for "Summer Night Villa Horror" because he believes that the film's biggest audience is the college and high school students who are currently on summer vacation.
This movie is about a group of students who stay in a villa during a study abroad trip, but unexpectedly discover a corpse in the villa, and the murderer is still in the villa.
Wang Jing plays the teacher leading this group of students, and is also the absolute protagonist of this film.
The others were all newcomers, true students.
For this film, which only cost ten million to produce, Linghe spent ten million on publicity and marketing.
Because they judged that the film's selling points were very suitable for publicity and marketing.
And that is indeed the case.
That's too much of a gimmick.
This genre has become the top choice for students to watch movies during holiday gatherings.
It grossed over 30 million RMB on its opening day, ranking fifth on the daily box office chart. If you ignore this ranking, the result is actually quite outstanding.
Of course, ranking fifth in daily box office during the summer season is quite impressive, especially for a film with a budget of only 10 million yuan and only one star, Wang Jing, carrying the box office.
It's fair to say that the film broke even on its opening day (excluding advertising and marketing costs).
And this movie is indeed very popular among students.
It's not just the subject matter, but also the film's male lead, 17-year-old Zou Xuan.
Because of his good looks and the highlight scene of saving his teacher in the movie, he became an overnight sensation. Not only did he trend on social media with many girls, but many people also started shipping him with Wang Jing.
Linghe had to "openly" introduce Zou Xuan, emphasizing that he is currently a senior high school student preparing for the art exam and the college entrance exam. It's a crucial time, so he won't be participating in the film's promotional activities. She also asked everyone to give minors some space and not disturb his normal life.
Wang Jing also directly announced that she was not single, putting an end to the imaginations of CP fans as soon as possible.
There wasn't a single scene in the movie that hinted at any romantic relationship between the two characters, but some people still think so.
no way.
Linghe can only try to adjust its publicity strategy.
Besides 17-year-old boy Zou Xuan, Jiang Ting, the girl in the movie who likes him, has also gained a lot of attention.
Lu Yanhe watched the movie and also thought the girl was a very talented actress.
The film grossed over 100 million yuan on its fifth day of release.
There has been a lot of discussion about this movie on social media, especially among students, who have found it to be one of the most talked-about topics.
Wang Jing has already starred in several films that grossed over 100 million yuan. From "Late Spring" to "Telephone," and now "Summer Night Villa Horror," she has collaborated with Lu Yanhe on several films, solidifying her status as a film actress. She is now basically on par with Ji Miao in terms of star power, and is one of the few recognized film actresses under the age of thirty.
Yan Lingyu is a top film star in their age group.
It's too popular.
Among actresses under the age of thirty, none can compare to her.
Whether it's popularity, buzz, or actual achievements.
You mean awards? In the face of absolute commercial value, awards are nothing more than something that looks good, but their absence makes no difference whatsoever.
Lu Yanhe couldn't even imagine how thick Yan Lingyu's buff would be after "The Classic" was released.
Her debut film was "Late Spring," a major award-winning production at the Venice International Film Festival. Then came "Chinese Paladin" and "You Are the Apple of My Eye." In another timeline, there aren't many female characters who could achieve such explosive popularity, giving actresses such a powerful and visceral experience. "The Classic," on the other hand, is a "powerful" production for Son Ye-jin, who is known as "Son Fairy" in South Korea.
Actually, these films should have been played by different actresses.
This way, more A-list actresses can emerge.
Originally, this movie was also written for Su Xiao, and Su Xiao was asked to write it.
However, because Su Xiao's agent had booked two idol dramas for her, and the schedules clashed, they couldn't coordinate it, so they asked Yan Lingyu to step in.
This movie can't keep waiting for Su Xiao.
From God's perspective, Lu Yanhe could only sigh that Yan Lingyu was incredibly lucky.
How come all these roles ended up in Yan Lingyu's hands?
In terms of acting skills, three Yan Lingyus combined can't compare to one Wang Jing.
However, Yan Lingyu has more roles and resources in movies than Wang Jing.
Lu Yanhe himself couldn't help but sigh.
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With the summer movie season officially underway, "The Wind Rises" has begun its intensive pre-release promotional campaign.
However, the promotion of "Dingfeng No. 1" did not follow a large-scale marketing approach.
This blockbuster film already has a well-established reputation.
Especially on short video platforms, no highlights of "Dingfeng No. 1" were released.
There's only one trailer.
All footage from the main feature film is kept strictly confidential.
The publicity mainly consisted of the main creators, including Liu Bige, Miao Yue, Lu Yanhe, and Wen Shengming, interacting with the audience at Zhenhua University and the screening venue.
Wen Shengming, who had just weathered a previous media storm, was greeted with cheers, applause, and loud encouragement from the audience as soon as he appeared.
The two women who previously reported and accused Wen Shengming have now "disappeared" and are no longer speaking out.
The reason why the situation has become like this is actually quite clear.
The voices calling for a boycott of "Dingfeng No. 1" that had previously appeared online have all disappeared.
Longyan, on the contrary, used this as a topic to create a hashtag: #WenShengmingStarsInAMovieAfterEightYears#.
They want to tap into the market of moviegoers over forty years old.
Wen Shengming wields extraordinary influence within this group.
When Lu Yanhe saw Longyan's promotional tactic, he thought of another time and space, where a marketing campaign had also appeared, claiming that everyone owed XXX a movie ticket.
Regardless of the nature of this tactic, it ultimately resulted in real box office revenue.
The approach being taken in Longyan now is similar in principle.
Of course, you can do this in Longyan too.
Indeed, Wen Shengming had just experienced such a wave of scandals, which was precisely when his public favorability was at its highest.
Using the gimmick of Wen Shengming, a leading figure in Chinese cinema, starring in a film again after many years as a promotional gimmick will surely attract many middle-aged and elderly viewers.
Moreover, this is a film featuring two male leads who won the Best Actor award together in the main competition at the Venice International Film Festival.
For the first time, top-tier actors from both the older and younger generations of Chinese cinema have collaborated, sharing the screen and delivering powerful performances.
There are no grand scenes, no special effects, and it's not the kind of subject matter that's commercially viable.
However, no one would think that this isn't a blockbuster.
From the director and screenwriter to the lead actors and the award-winning Venice International Film Festival, everything demonstrates that this film is a top-tier blockbuster in China.
Therefore, all parties have high hopes for the film's box office performance.
Everyone thinks this movie will gross at least 500 million.
Otherwise, it would be a disservice to this lineup.
Such a number is not actually an overstatement of their popularity.
Even Longyan believes that this movie will definitely gross over 500 million.
In an interview, Lu Yanhe said, "I don't know how much box office 'Dingfeng No. 1' will ultimately achieve. That's not my biggest concern right now. What I care about most is whether the film itself can be recognized by the audience. If it's recognized, the box office will naturally be good. If it's not recognized, a high box office doesn't count as a success. 'Dingfeng No. 1' was never a film aimed at box office success. If it were, it wouldn't have been changed to its current style. Initially, the producers hoped to make this film a more commercially viable spy thriller with a faster pace and more plot twists. I think everyone shouldn't be misled by some of the publicity. This film is essentially an art film that isn't particularly visually appealing or thrilling."
Lu Yanhe's words displeased the publicity team in Longyan.
They immediately contacted Lu Yanhe, hoping that he could cooperate with Longyan's pace during the publicity phase, rather than "going against the grain".
Lu Yanhe: "..."
He never expected that simply saying a few words would be interpreted by the Longyan propaganda authorities as "singing a different tune."
Wang Biao said, "Brother Lu, but what they said actually makes sense. Your direct accusation that the current propaganda is misleading the audience does make their job very difficult."
Lu Yanhe: "Alright, then I won't say anything more."
However, while Lu Yanhe could choose not to say these things, he would never say anything he disagreed with, in accordance with Long Yan's intentions.
There's no way Longyan can force him to do anything about it.
On the opening day of "Dingfeng No. 1", Lu Yanhe posted a Weibo asking for everyone's support, and then flew to the United States.
Because the release date of "Calm Wind No. 1" in the United States was the same as that in China.
Lu Yanhe still needs to go there to do promotion.
Midoriya is the distributor of "Crystal One" in the United States.
They have extensive experience in distributing Lu Yanhe's films and Chinese-language films.
In addition, Schmidt Laurie himself had seen the movie and liked it very much.
He opened "Calm Wind One" in 924 theaters in the United States, which is an extremely high honor for a serious foreign film.
"The Wind Rises" grossed 78.24 million yuan on its opening day in China. This figure was achieved on Friday, and everyone believed that the daily box office would exceed 100 million yuan the following day.
"Calm Wind" also performed well at the US box office, grossing $1.57 million in over 900 theaters.
Schmidt Laurie told Lu Yanhe, "This film should be able to break ten million dollars at the North American box office."
Lu Yanhe nodded.
If "The Wind Rises" really does break ten million dollars at the North American box office, Lu Yanhe will be laughing in his sleep.
Lu Yanhe knew very well that his films had previously relied on a lot of clever tricks when they were released in North America, either because the subject matter was attractive or because they caught a social trend.
Everyone says he has a proven track record in Hollywood, but Lu Yanhe knows very well how much of that success is due to his own appeal.
Currently, the film "Calm Wind One" is basically relying on him to generate box office revenue in North America.
How could Lu Yanhe not be happy that he could carry nearly ten million US dollars in box office revenue?
He recently said that box office revenue wasn't his main concern.
Wow, box office revenue is so important.
Lu Yanhe felt like he was being slapped in the face.
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The box office of "The Wind Rises" dropped significantly on the second day, failing to even break 100 million yuan, and its performance was worrying.
"Why did 'Calm Wind No. 1' fail to sell well at the box office?" As soon as the box office results were released on the second day, various analytical posts appeared on short video platforms.
Some people even pointed the finger at Lu Yanhe.
"Lu Yanhe has become too popular in the past two years. I'm tired of seeing him. Why is he involved in every movie? He's involved in everything."
Lu Yanhe sneered silently.
Even though they were viewers on the first day of the movie, they came back and told their neighbors that the movie wasn't that good, which is why this situation occurred.
Lu Yanhe thought to himself, "I told you long ago, 'Dingfeng No. 1' shouldn't be marketed like a blockbuster. And it turns out, many viewers simply don't understand the film; there are tons of subtle details and foreshadowing."
There are more and more analytical posts about "Dingfeng No. 1".
The scenes featuring Lu Yanhe and Wen Shengming in a dramatic performance have been widely praised.
In order to generate more box office revenue worldwide, Lu Yanhe and Wen Shengming traveled to eight countries to promote the film.
I ran six kilometers and walked nearly 20,000 steps today. I'm so sleepy my eyelids are drooping. That's all for today.
(End of this chapter)
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