Chapter 373 Blockbuster Confrontation
Next to the monitor on the set, Brother Chen Kai picked up a piece of food with chopsticks and was about to put it into his mouth. He caught a glimpse of his wife who had returned here from the corner of his eye, slowly put down his chopsticks, and shook his head slightly.
"Do you really need to try to please Master Liu like this? You even specially prepared some special food for her."
"The more courtesy, the less blame!" Chen Hong sat down elegantly on the folding chair, with a slight smile on her face: "You are just stubborn! If you don't want to please her, would you be patient enough to explain the play to her?"
Chen Kai's face turned red, and he snorted in dissatisfaction: "This is my professional ethics. It is the director's responsibility to guide the actors in acting."
"Forget it." A half-smile appeared on Chen Hong's delicate face. How could she not know the character of the person next to her?
In the past, when filming, there was no time to explain the scenes in detail to the supporting actors. If they didn’t perform well, we would just give them face by scolding them with a gloomy face.
Brother Chen Kai didn't say anything. He picked up his chopsticks and started eating his lunch box.
Chen Hong looked at the busy staff in the distance and said to herself, "In the past two years, the industry has become increasingly confusing. I don't know if it is right or wrong for us to reject Jiang Wenli's proposal and completely tie ourselves to New Classics Media?"
Previously, Jiang Wenli had visited the couple, hoping to integrate the resources of the Northwest circle and establish a large film and television company based on the team of the Xi'an Film Studio, but the conditions offered by New Classics Media were too tempting.
Chen Kai swallowed his food and turned to look at his wife: "Without any theaters or channels, what can Jiang Wenli use to compete with the Beijing and Shanghai circles?"
Director Chen was full of disdain for Jiang Wenli's naive ideas. He signed a contract with New Classics Media to direct seven films, and the other party gave him 21 million in signing fees alone.
Moreover, if these seven movies are profitable, he can share the net profit in proportion, while the losses will be borne by New Classics and investors. Can Jiang Wenli offer such conditions?
Not only that, for every movie, his director's salary and his wife's producer's salary are exactly the same. With such a sure-win deal, why would he take the risk and work with Jiang Wenli!
Chen Hong nodded in agreement. The reason her husband could become a top-notch director in the industry and accumulate such a huge fortune was not only because he was good at making movies, but also because he had the wisdom to judge the situation.
Brother Chen Kai was very shrewd: "As long as we can please that No. 1 actress, and we don't offend a giant company like Tengda, cooperating with Xinli will be enough for me to display my talents."
"Yes, it's a pity that Tengda focuses on the system rather than famous directors, and also vigorously supports young directors. Otherwise, cooperating with Tengda would be a good choice."
Chen Hong sighed, "I heard that Zhang Jiayi has also signed with New Classics. I'm afraid that the Northwest Alliance that Jiang Wenli has been dreaming of will not be realized. There is also news that Zhang Yimou and Zhang Weiping have parted ways, and the newly established LeTV Pictures is in contact with Director Zhang."
"Yimou should have cut ties with people like Zhang Weiping long ago. How can film creation be hindered by businessmen!" Brother Chen Kai and Zhang Yimou admire each other. He believes that in the entire Chinese-language film industry, only one or two directors like Zhang Yimou can be compared with him, and the rest are not worth his attention!
Chen Hong sighed for a while, then changed the subject: "By the way, because of Liu Shishi's Reuters material, 'Search' has become a hot search. It's very popular right now. Should we take advantage of this wave of traffic?"
"You arrange it." Although Brother Chen Kai looked down on hype and other means, he had to admit that this thing was indeed useful and could increase a lot of exposure for the movie. Even if he was self-righteous, he had to bow to the market.
Chen Hong thought about it and asked her husband in a solicitous tone: "Aren't Gao Yuanyuan and Zhao Youting in a relationship? Since they didn't intend to hide it, then..."
"Just give them a heads up in advance to avoid any unpleasantness." Director Chen is, after all, a respectable man, not the kind of second-rate director who would do anything to gain popularity.
Chen Hong smiled knowingly: "Okay, I'll go talk to them. If the movie is popular and has good box office results, they will benefit too!"
Over there, Liu Shishi was enjoying the exquisite meal that Chen Hong had specially sent her. It was quite sumptuous with four meat dishes and four vegetable dishes. She waved to her assistant, "Xiaoxiao, sit down and eat with us."
"Sister, please eat."
"There are so many dishes, how can I finish them all by myself? It would be such a waste."
Seeing that Yijie insisted, Su Xiaoxiao sat down respectfully and started eating with her chopsticks. It was a rare benefit for her to be able to enjoy such a special meal on the crew.
As they were eating, a melodious cell phone ringtone rang out. Liu Shishi looked up and saw the caller ID: "It's Sister K."
Reaching out to swipe the screen and turning on the hands-free mode, Cai Yinong's familiar voice came from the receiver: "Shishi, is filming in Ice City going well?"
"It went well! Everything is fine."
After asking about Yijie's life on the set, Cai Yinong got down to business: "Both Xu Ke's Flying Swords of Dragon Gate and Zhang Yimou's The Flowers of War are scheduled to be released on the 15th of this month. Both have invited you to attend the premiere. Shishi, which one do you want to go to?"
Liu Shishi paused with her chopsticks in her hand, slightly surprised: "Has the issue of the box office share of "The Flowers of War" been resolved?"
"It remains the same, the producer's 43% share of the box office remains unchanged." Cai Yinong said with a hint of sarcasm, "Southern Cinemas doesn't buy Zhang Weiping's account at all!
In addition, the other seven major cinema chains jointly boycotted the film, and the pressure on the producers to recover the money was too great, so New Picture could not hold on and had to give in. "
The first sister shared the same hatred and had a very bad impression of Zhang Weiping's new picture: "If I had known this would happen, why would I have made such a fuss!"
Cai Yinong wondered, “It’s strange, both movies are big productions, and they’re released at the same time, so they’re bound to affect each other’s box office performance.
Why would Tengda Culture use its own movie to compete with The Flowers of War? That is the national master! A big production colliding with the schedule will only hurt both sides. "
Liu Shishi understood and revealed some inside information to Sister K: "Sister K, you don't know that Tengda Culture has evaluated that "Charlotte's Troubles" has great potential to break the box office record of Chinese-language films.
That’s why “Flying Swords of Dragon Gate” was released in December. It’s better to compete with the national master than with one’s own people.”
Previously, Liu Rong and director Ma Xin had discussed that there would be no major movies released in January and February next year, and as a family comedy, "Charlotte's Troubles" would have an astonishing box office without any rivals.
"Can it really break the box office record?" Cai Yinong's voice suddenly rose, unable to hide his surprise.
The achievements of our own brother and sister on the small screen are beyond reproach. If they can really have a masterpiece with amazing box office on the big screen, it will be an immeasurable boost to their star career, and they will instantly become the best among the first-line stars.
Liu Shishi shrugged: "Anyway, that's what Tengda Culture planned, otherwise they wouldn't have sacrificed the box office potential of Flying Daggers of Dragon Gate!"
"Great!" Cai Yinong was very excited. "When it comes to movies, Tengda Culture's market analysis has always been accurate. Since they are so confident, I think it is almost certain. I will tell Hu Ge to fully cooperate with the movie promotion."
After a pause, he sighed with a hint of regret: "It's a pity that Tangren doesn't have the resources for movies. Otherwise, Hu Ge could take advantage of this opportunity and play the leading role in one or two more movies. As long as the box office is good, he can gain a foothold on the big screen."
Liu Shishi didn't care: "If you want to make a movie, just invest."
"Shishi, making a movie is not that easy." Cai Yinong smiled bitterly, "Let's not even talk about whether the movie can be shown in theaters after spending money on it. Even if it is successfully released, the return rate of domestic theater movies is less than 30%, and the box office profits are concentrated in a few top movies."
Cai Yinong felt helpless. Film production is a typical high-risk and high-return industry. Although she prefers Hu Ge, she will not use the family fortune that Tangren has worked so hard to accumulate to pave the way for Yi Ge to appear on the big screen.
"Then just focus on filming TV series. As long as the ratings are good and you act well, you will still be popular."
Liu Shishi picked up a piece of broccoli and spoke in a relaxed tone. She was not as obsessed with the big screen as other actors. She felt that she could still attract fans if she performed well in TV series.
Cai Yinong shook his head secretly. TV series are not that easy to shoot. Not to mention the extremely long payment cycle, no film and television company can guarantee that every TV series will have good ratings, not even Tangren!
After all, Yijie is high up in the world, and in some aspects, she is still out of touch with the real world. Cai Yinong didn't want to talk to her about this topic: "That's too far off topic. Which of the two movies are you going to attend the premiere of?"
"I don't want to go anywhere! I'd rather go home and spend more time with my husband. I haven't seen Mr. Song for a week!"
Liu Shishi pouted her lips, revealing a rare coquettish look. At this moment, she was deeply in love with her husband and felt as if they had been separated for three years since they last saw him for a day.
"It's up to you. If you don't want to go, I'll help you turn it down."
"Then just turn it down. Anyway, I'm not familiar with the leading actors of the two movies, so I won't join in the fun."
A few days passed quickly. On December 15, when Liu Shishi was concentrating on filming "Search", the film market ushered in the most intense Lunar New Year showdown of the year.
The first day's report showed that "Flying Daggers of Dragon Gate" slightly beat "The Flowers of War" with a box office of 23 million, thanks to the high ticket price advantage of IMAX 3D technology, with 19 million.
However, the latter showed stronger audience appeal and continued to lead in attendance. The theaters quickly adjusted their strategies, allowing "The Flowers of War" to quickly surpass the latter in terms of screening share.
When the first week's box office data was announced, the situation had already reversed: "The Flowers of War" narrowly beat "Flying Daggers of Dragon Gate" with a box office of 150 million to 142 million. The two films together swallowed up 97% of the market share, almost monopolizing the box office for the entire period.
Faced with the sluggish box office, director Xu Ke could no longer sit still and urgently appointed producer Shi Nansheng to fly to Beijing to discuss countermeasures with the investor Tengda Culture.
Zhongao Building, President's Office.
Liu Rong was receiving this senior producer from the Hong Kong film industry: "Mr. Shi, why bother you to come here in person? If there is anything, can't it be solved with just a phone call?"
"Thank you." Shi Nansheng took the tea handed to him by Liu Rong. He did not dare to put on airs as a senior in the circle and was humble.
"Mr. Liu, the current screening schedule for Flying Daggers of Dragon Gate is 10% less than that of Flowers of War. At this rate, the total box office revenue may not exceed 600 million."
Liu Rong slowly sat down opposite Shi Nansheng, his expression calm, "Boss Shi, it is a fact that the attendance rate of Flying Daggers of Dragon Gate is not as good as that of Flowers of War, and it is inevitable for the theaters to adjust the schedule."
Shi Nansheng held the teacup, feeling the warmth of the cup passing to his palm, and carefully considered his words:
“Mr. Liu, Flying Daggers of Dragon Gate is a project fully invested by Tengda Culture after all, so I hope you can come forward and communicate with major theaters to stabilize the screening schedule.
As long as the box office exceeds 600 million, it will basically be the annual box office champion, and you will be proud of it, right?"
Liu Rong shook his head slightly. After a week of market testing, the box office potential of "Flying Daggers of Dragon Gate" is basically clear and can be predicted. It will be difficult to break 600 million.
If the Tiangong Special Effects Group had not given a discount on special effects production, saving 10 million in costs, "Flying Daggers of Dragon Gate" would definitely not have made back its investment relying solely on domestic box office revenue.
Judging from the current situation, it can barely break even, but fortunately with the overseas copyright, it can make a small profit.
Seeing Liu Rong's clear attitude, Shi Nansheng still did not give up: "Boss Liu, if Flying Daggers of Dragon Gate was not released at the same time as Flowers of War, its box office performance would definitely be more than this."
Business analysts generally believe that the first-week box office of both films fell short of expectations, and were far lower than the 180 million yuan level of "Let the Bullets Fly" last year. The number of screens at the end of this year has increased significantly compared to last year, and it is obvious that the clash of blockbusters has caused losses to both sides.
Liu Rong frowned slightly, looking displeased: "If you want to blame someone for this, blame Zhang Yimou and Zhang Weiping. The release date of Flying Daggers of Dragon Gate has been set long ago.
Tengda Culture has a careful plan for how many movies to release each year and when they will be released, so how can they withdraw them at will?
If it weren't for Zhang Weiping's sudden change of mind, "The Flowers of War" would have been released in early November and would not have conflicted with "Flying Daggers of Dragon Gate" at all.
Seeing Liu Rong's tone turn cold, Shi Nansheng's heart tightened, and he quickly explained: "Mr. Liu, you misunderstood, that's not what I meant."
Liu Rong said calmly, "Mr. Shi, there's no need to say more. Tengda Culture is sure to make money on the Dragon Gate Flying Daggers project. You and Director Xu don't need to worry too much about whether the box office can go further.
We have once again witnessed Director Xu's box office appeal, and we hope to continue working together if there is an opportunity in the future."
Shi Nansheng smiled bitterly. For Tengda Culture, this was just an investment that would protect capital and make a small profit, but for her and Xu Ke, "Flying Daggers of Dragon Gate" was a complete failure.
Directed by a famous director, starring Kung Fu Emperor Jet Li, and co-starring first-line stars Zhou Xun and Chen Kun, the film was distributed by Tengda Culture, which has the strongest publicity and promotion capabilities in mainland China, but in the end the box office could only barely break even.
This undoubtedly punctures the industry myth of "big director + big star = box office guarantee". It can be predicted that major film and television companies will re-examine the market and adjust their strategies.
Liu Rong personally escorted Shi Nansheng to the elevator and watched her step into the elevator. As she watched the heavy alloy door slowly close, her expression suddenly became subtle. She understood the reason for Shi Nansheng's anxiety, but this was also a test by Tengda Culture.
If "Charlotte's Troubles" can really sweep the market as expected in a month, it will be enough to prove that the "IP+traffic star" model will be the mainstream in the future.
If the combination of Xu Ke and Li Lianjie is so bad, how much box office appeal can the so-called big directors and big stars have? At that time, why should Tengda rely on these traditional resources?
(End of this chapter)
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