Chapter 743 Big Sales and Next Steps
"Brother Wei." Zhou Ye put down his phone with a touched look on his face.
She didn't expect that Gu Wei would post a Weibo specifically because she was scolded.
You have to know that with Gu Wei's fame and traffic, the influence of a Weibo post is very terrifying.
Especially this kind of Weibo post targeting a certain person can instantly turn an ordinary person into an Internet celebrity known by netizens.
"Okay, it's a piece of cake.
Besides, it’s not certain whether it will work or not. The most important thing in this kind of thing is that you have to have a big heart.” Gu Wei smiled and touched Zhou Ye’s head.
"Yes! I understand."
Zhou Ye nodded seriously, and the slight frustration he had just felt disappeared in an instant. He couldn't help but feel secretly happy in his heart.
"Sure enough, Wei Ge is a very gentle person, handsome, good personality, simply perfect, worthy of being my idol!"
The roadshow of [Better Days] lasted for 10 days, and the creative team traveled to several major voting-rich cities across the country.
The effect is also very obvious.
The movie was released for two weeks and the total box office was 1.689 billion yuan. The final box office forecast of "Better Days" by the Maoyan platform was 2.1 billion yuan.
It's a bit low compared to the current box office results, but it's normal.
The subject matter of "Better Days" is relatively niche, and after the first two weeks, it has obviously attracted most of the interested audiences to the theaters. The box office on weekdays in the third week dropped relatively significantly.
For the last stop, all the main creators returned to Beijing.
"Mr. Gu, thank you for your hard work these days!" As the box office of "Better Days" continued to rise, producer Xu Yuezhen became more and more flattering towards Gu Wei.
Based on the investment share, if the final box office of "Better Days" can reach 2 billion, then the profit of her and director Zeng Guoxiang's company will be as high as 400 million yuan.
In her eyes, Gu Wei was no longer just a filming partner, but a god of wealth.
No matter how you please, it's never too much.
"It's not hard work, it's what I should do, all for the good results of the movie."
Zeng Guoxiang smiled and said, "The high box office of our movie is all thanks to Mr. Gu.
I've spoken with Producer Xu about holding a celebration party after the film's release early next month. Is Mr. Gu available?"
"At the beginning of next month." Gu Wei thought about it and according to the plan, "Joy of Life" should have been wrapped up by then, so he nodded.
"No problem~"
"Okay, then it's settled!" Zeng Guoxiang smiled and clapped his hands.
The ten-day roadshow had a huge impact on him. It wasn't the hard work of running around, but the fact that he woke up every day and saw the box office of "Better Days" the day before. The surprises again and again made him a little numb.
Zeng Guoxiang first entered the entertainment industry as an actor and did not switch to being a director until 2010.
Before "Better Days", he had made three movies and one short film.
The most famous one is "Soul Mate", which has a total box office of 170 million yuan and won the two female leads Zhou Dongyu and Ma Sichun the Golden Horse Award for Best Actress.
The remaining two films, "Lover's Whispers" had a box office of 4.1 million in mainland China; "One Night After Drunkenness" had a cumulative box office of 9.82 million.
It can also be seen from these data that Zeng Guoxiang's previous performance in directing movies was indeed mediocre, and he also knew his own strengths and weaknesses.
Now, the box office of "Better Days" has exploded to such an extent, which is really beyond his expectations. It is a complete surprise among surprises!
Of course, he also understands who is responsible for the film's strong money-making ability.
For a feature film with a niche theme like "Better Days", if it is well-made and wins awards, it is a testament to his high level of directing skills. However, the fact that it has achieved such a high box office, even far exceeding those purely commercial films, is a complete reflection of the appeal of Gu Wei, the "box office king".
This was also the case with online public opinion in the 10 days after the movie was released.
The media and film critics praised the director's superb skills, and said he had presented another excellent film to the audience after "Suddenly Love You".
The audience and netizens' attention is all on the male and female protagonists, especially Gu Wei.
Many media outlets have repeatedly marveled at Gu Wei's immense box office appeal in their reports.
Some even compared it with Wu Jing's "The Climbers" from last month. After Wu Jing and Gu Wei, who are recognized as the two male actors with the strongest box office appeal in the domestic entertainment industry, separated, the gap between them was obvious when they were compared again.
Of course, this argument is suspected of being a form of slander and is not mainstream.
As the director of the film, Zeng Guoxiang felt a little unwilling in his heart, but this was the fact, and everyone, even himself, thought so.
He is not the first director brought up by Gu Wei. Tian Yusheng of "Ex-Files 3", Su Lun of "Time Raiders" and even Su Youpeng of the earliest "Left Ear" all had mediocre previous works, but their films became big hits after they collaborated with Gu Wei.
If you want to talk about the director's ability, after "The Left Ear", the box office of Su Youpeng's new movie "Suspect X" is only half of "The Left Ear".
The box office of Tian Yusheng's new film "The Great Wish" is only one-tenth of that of "Ex-Files 3".
Therefore, even though Zeng Guoxiang felt a little unhappy in his heart, he was still able to recognize the facts rationally and actively establish a good relationship with Gu Wei.
"Xiaoye, go back and concentrate on preparing for [Zhou Chu]. I've already explained everything to Zhang Songwen. If you have any questions, just ask him."
"Don't worry, I will do my best!"
After the roadshow, Gu Wei also had to return to the crew to continue filming. Before leaving, he said hello to Zhou Ye and Zhang Zifeng.
"What about Zifeng? After finishing work here, you have to go back to school, right?
I remember you are in your third year of high school this year, and you will take the college entrance examination next year, which is the most important time."
Zhang Zifeng nodded and smiled widely.
“My academic performance is OK, and I’m more than qualified for the arts exam.
Yes, I have to go back to school, but I can only attend classes for about a month. I have two movies coming out at the end of next month, and I have to go out to promote them."
"Two movies? Zifeng, you're amazing!
You're already so strong before you even entered the film academy. I, your senior, am so far behind you!" Zhou Ye said enviously, hugging Zhang Zifeng's arm.
It's no secret that Zhang Zifeng wants to apply to the Beijing Film Academy. She has already told Gu Wei and the others that she will take the art exam and be a freshman next year, and Zhou Ye will just graduate.
"Why are you envious of me? I envy you for working with Brother Wei on a new movie."
"What kind of movies are they?" Zhou Ye asked curiously.
"One is a drama film called 'Happy New Year, My Love', which I collaborated with Bai Baihe and Wei Daxun, and the other is a romantic comedy called 'Beloved'."
"Zi Feng, remember to tell me when your new movie is released, and I will help promote it for you online." Gu Wei said with a smile.
"Well, okay, thank you brother!" Zhang Zifeng said happily.
"And me, I'll help you too. My followers on Weibo have increased a lot recently!" Zhou Ye reminded him not to forget himself.
It takes two and a half hours to fly directly from Beijing to Ningbo.
The remaining scenes of [Joy of Life] were all filmed at Xiangshan Film and Television City. Xiangshan does not have an airport, so the private plane had to land in Ningbo and then transfer to Xiangshan.
"Boss, these are the plays that have been approaching you recently. One of them is directed by Zhang Yimou. You need to consider it carefully."
On the private plane, Gu Wei was reading the script of "Joy of Life" carefully, and Yang Dan came over with a stack of other scripts.
Gu Wei was not surprised and took it and prepared to look through it slowly.
The one at the top is the play by Zhang Yimou that Yang Dan mentioned.
"[Above the Cliff]?"
Gu Wei looked at the name on the cover and read it out.
He had some impression of this movie. It was a spy movie with good box office and reputation.
However, he remembered that the male and female protagonists in the original time and space were Zhang Yi and Qin Hailu. If he replaced Zhang Yi, it would be unrealistic for him to play a couple with Qin Hailu.
"In this movie, Director Zhang invited you to play the role of 'Wang Chuliang,' one of the four special agents. If you look closely, you should consider him the second male lead."
Gu Wei suddenly realized that it was the original character Zhu Yawen, the one who was a couple with Liu Haocun.
He flipped through the script and his brows slowly furrowed.
The role of "Wang Chuliang" doesn't seem to be very good. It's very conventional and there isn't much room for the actor to perform.
It's not worth it to downgrade to play the second male lead for such a role, even though the director is Zhang Yimou.
Not long after, Gu Wei closed the script and put it aside.
"When will [On the Cliff] start filming?"
"Probably early next year."
"I replied to Director Zhang and told him that my schedule couldn't accommodate me. I regret this and hope we can work together again next time."
After hearing what Gu Wei said, Yang Dan opened his mouth and wanted to say something, but seeing the boss's indifferent expression, he didn't say it.
"clear."
Gu Wei continued to look at other scripts. Although there were many of them, only a few of them were worth his second glance.
"Haha, I have a strong connection with Liu Haocun. The only book I picked out is also related to her."
After reading all the scripts, Gu Wei only had one left in his hand, "Send You a Little Red Flower" written and directed by Han Yan.
After reading it, he handed the script to Yang Dan.
"Let's communicate with Han Yan's team. Let's follow the old rules. If they can accept it, we can cooperate."
Under the current salary cap order issued by the Radio, Film and Television Administration, the old rule for Gu Wei to accept a film is to have a minimum investment share of 30%.
His previous film "Time Raiders" was 30%, and "Ex-Files 3" and the currently popular "Better Days" were both 40%.
"Understood. I'll contact them once the plane lands."
Gu Wei tapped his fingers lightly on the table in front of him, thinking about something.
[Joy of Life] will probably be wrapped up by the end of November. From the start of filming in August to now, it has taken more than three months and more than 100 days to shoot.
After that, we should shoot "Zhou Chu Eliminates Three Evils". This has been decided long ago. The personnel and venue are ready, and it is planned to start in mid-December.
During this time, Gu Wei still had some other work to deal with.
As the global spokesperson, he couldn't miss the Paris Autumn/Winter Fashion Week at the invitation of LV.
Wen Muye's film "The Accidental Murder" will be released in early December.
At the end of the year, the company still has a lot of things that need him to deal with.
[Zhou Chu Eliminates Three Evils] is scheduled to shoot for two months and will normally be wrapped up around February next year.
However, Gu Wei is well aware of what will happen at the beginning of next year. When work and production are suspended, filming will certainly not be able to continue. It is normal to be delayed for one or two months.
After [Zhou Chu], Gu Wei originally planned to shoot [The Wind Chaser].
This TV series has already started preparations due to the investment from [Wei Ming Tian Xia]. When Gu Wei asked last time, director Yao Xiaofeng was considering the issue of actors.
If I take on "Send You a Little Red Flower" now, the filming of "Storm Chasers" will have to be postponed.
There's nothing wrong with our own films.
"Communicate with Han Yan and try to schedule the filming around April next year."
Thinking of this, Gu Wei explained to Yang Dan again.
"clear."
Han Yan is not an unknown person.
He graduated from the directing department of the Central Academy of Drama and is a professional. He shot his first movie in 2002 and then directed the romance film "The Eternal Wave", which gradually made him famous.
In 2015, he directed the romantic comedy "Go Away Tumor" starring Bai Baihe and Wu Yan, which was a huge success.
That year, the film represented mainland China in the competition for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 88th Academy Awards.
In 2017, he wrote and directed the film "Animal World". Although the box office was not very high, the word of mouth was quite good.
Han Yan is a very famous commercial director of the middle generation in the domestic entertainment industry. His fame and status far exceed those of Zeng Guoxiang.
"Old Han, I have good news for you.
Gu Wei's team sent a message saying that he is very interested in "Send You a Little Red Flower" and plans to take on this film.
Xi Jialin pushed open the door with some excitement. He was Han Yan's assistant director and had followed him for many years.
Han Yan, who was originally writing something with his head down, raised his head and took off his glasses.
"Really? That's good news indeed.
I heard that Gu Wei rarely takes on outside productions. With so many crews looking for him every year, it's truly rare that he's interested in our show!"
"Haha, when we first discussed sending him the script, I didn't have much hope. You know what our play is about.
Gu Wei has only made commercial films before, so it’s hard to imagine him taking on a subject like ours.”
Xi Jialin was smiling, obviously still excited.
"I don't think so. I think it was probably because of this subject that Gu Wei became interested in it.
He has been making commercial films for so many years, and has reached the pinnacle of domestic entertainment in terms of box office, which is unmatched. Perhaps he wants to make a breakthrough in his acting skills in the past two years, so he will consider taking on some literary and artistic feature films.
Isn’t the movie “Better Days” that is currently airing the best example?”
Xi Jialin nodded in agreement.
"Maybe you're right. No matter what the reason is, the fact that he's considering accepting [Send You a Little Red Flower] is great news for us!"
The two chatted for a few sentences, and Xi Jialin told Han Yan about Gu Wei's conditions.
“Isn’t a 30% investment share a bit high?
There are already many investors in this film, including China Film Group, Tencent, Hengdian Film Group, Ruyi Film Group, etc. If they want to take out 30% of the share, the proportion of other investors will be greatly reduced."
Han Yan is a relatively pure director.
[Send You a Little Red Flower] Although he is in charge, there are many investors behind him.
"Do you know what the current real-time box office of [You Without You] is?"
"How many?
I haven’t watched it today.”
“It’s already 1.8 billion, and it should break 2 billion by the end of this week.
Movies of this genre can bring in over 2 billion at the box office, so which investor wouldn't want Gu Wei to join and take a 30% investment share?
Han Yan nodded slightly and said with a smile: "You are right.
No matter how the investors distribute it, this 30% will definitely be left to Gu Wei.
Any other requests over there?"
"There's another shooting time, but it's not too far from what we originally planned. We'll have to discuss the rest in detail later."
"Gu Wei!
To be honest, I am looking forward to working with him, but I still have some concerns."
Han Yan's expression was slightly complicated.
"What are you worried about?"
"I was worried that he was too big a star. I heard that when he was filming Better Days, he was dissatisfied with the actress and directly replaced her. Even Tsang Kwok-cheung couldn't persuade him.
He was also very strong at one point during the filming.
Working with such a big-name actor, if it goes well, it’s fine, but if it goes badly, it’s difficult for everyone.”
"There are gains and losses in this. We are envious of Gu Wei's strong box office appeal, so we naturally have to endure some possible consequences.
Gu Wei is also a director. Even as an actor, he has his own unique views on movies, and it is inevitable that there will be some conflicts with the director.
This requires us to communicate and resolve the conflict."
Han Yan sighed and laughed again.
"You're right. If I hadn't been envious of the 1 billion or 2 billion box office, I wouldn't have invited him. I'll pay attention to it when the time comes. If we can communicate well, there shouldn't be any problems.
I heard that Gu Wei has a very gentle personality, but his ideas are more correct."
(End of this chapter)
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