This year's summer movie season did not start off well, with two main-theme blockbusters released on July 1, the Party's Founding Day, both failing at the box office.
Among them, [1921] is a joint production of Shanghai Film Group and Tengxun Films, directed by Huang Jianxin, starring Huang Xuan and Ni Ni, and brings together a number of well-known actors such as Chen Kun, Liu Haoran, Li Chen, Dou Xiao, Wang Junkai, and Zhu Yilong.
With an investment of over 400 million yuan, the final box office barely broke 500 million yuan, resulting in a loss of more than 200 million yuan.
The other film [Revolutionary] is not as good as [1921].
Produced by Light Media, directed by the famous director Guan Hu, and starring Zhang Songwen, Tong Liya, Li Yifeng, Peng Yuchang, Bai Ke, Han Geng, Qin Hao and other stars, the cost is as high as 500 million.
As a result, the final box office was less than 200 million, which was a terrible failure.
The failure of these two main-theme blockbusters at the box office also made everyone realize the fact that it is not so easy to make money from main-theme movies.
The reason why movies like "Wolf Warrior 2", "Operation Red Sea" and "My People, My Country" sell so well is that they really touch the audience.
Simply piling up stars and playing the patriotism card will not make a movie a big hit.
In the second week of July, "Chinese Doctor" was released.
This erotic film is considered the first big hit at the box office this summer.
The total box office exceeded 800 million yuan in two weeks after its release, and the word of mouth was also quite good.
Unfortunately, according to the box office trend, the final box office of "Chinese Doctor" is unlikely to reach 1.5 billion, and Maoyan's box office forecast for the movie is 1.3 billion.
This result can be considered a big hit for an ordinary movie, but it is still more than 1 billion yuan short of the box office of "The Captain" with a similar theme.
The overall market data of the summer season has not been improving, and the theaters are also very anxious. Everyone is placing their hopes on "Life Events" and "Raging Fire" which will be released at the end of the month.
[Raging Fire] is a pure Hong Kong-style police and gangster film. After 7 years, director Benny Chan returns to his best police and gangster action movie. With the starring roles of Donnie Yen and Nicholas Tse, the film has been very popular before its release.
The subject matter of [Life Events] is actually not very appealing, and as a pure drama, it usually does not do much at the box office.
But since the protagonist of the movie is Gu Wei, no one doubts his box office appeal now.
The previous "Better Days" and "Send You a Little Red Flower" are both reality-themed movies, and they still sold well at the box office.
This year's "Life Events" has naturally become the most anticipated movie of the summer season.
"The character I play is called 'Mo Sanmei'. She is a released prisoner and works in a very special industry, the funeral industry, which specializes in funerals."
Gu Wei finished recording "Fifty Kilometers of Peach Blossom Village" in Hainan and flew back to Beijing to accept an exclusive interview with the film channel on "Major Events in Life".
".The film mainly tells the story between Mo Sanmei and the little girl Xiaowen."
"Third Brother's life was a failure. He always felt that he was an unimportant person, but in the process of getting along with Xiaowen, he gradually discovered that Xiaowen needed him.
Being needed by others is actually a very happy thing. Later, he found that he could not live without Xiaowen.
In this way, the two of them helped each other and grew together."
“Regarding the role of Third Brother, I didn’t specifically say that I wanted to challenge a different look or a different personality.
Because I had already had a buzz cut when I was filming "Better Days" and "Send You a Little Red Flower".
Mainly, the story of [Life Events] is very good and I like it very much.
Because funeral services is a very special industry, and the theme of the film is life and death, it is actually quite heavy.
But the story itself, because of the interaction and emotions between the little girl and the third brother, brings more warmth to everyone."
“There are definitely gains, I feel like I gain something from every film I make.
Through filming [Life Events], I learned more about the funeral industry.
We come into this world with dignity, and they will let us leave with dignity.
So I have more respect for this industry.”
In fact, interviews can sometimes really reveal an actor’s level.
There are some traffic stars in the circle who have no culture and no brains. If they don’t memorize the script in advance during media interviews, they have no idea what to say.
When people asked him what he was acting in, he didn't know.
I still feel confused as to what the character's mental journey was like.
Anyway, when filming, you just do whatever the director asks you to do. If you can't memorize the lines, you can still count numbers.
Of course, this has nothing to do with Gu Wei. After so many years in the industry, he is already very familiar with handling interviews.
No matter what questions the reporter asked, he could answer them eloquently.
"Teacher Gu Wei, thank you for taking the time out of your busy schedule to be interviewed."
After the last question, the female reporter from the movie channel smiled and thanked Gu Wei.
"You're welcome. I also hope that '6th Princess' can help promote [Life Event]."
"Of course. Your interview will be airing in the next couple of days. It will be helpful to [Life Matters] in some way."
After the most important interview with the film channel, Gu Wei and the director of "Life Events" Rao Xiaozhi accepted interviews from several online media.
The two then joined the rest of the film's creative team to embark on a week-and-a-half-long nationwide roadshow.
As early as the end of June, "Life Events" released the release poster, officially announcing that the film will be released nationwide on July 30.
Then, they released the trailer of "Remembering You", the poster of "Looking at You", the special of "Wishing Stars into Dreams" and the MV of the movie promotional song "Going to Heaven".
On July 24, the film began its national roadshow with Beijing as the first stop, and the popularity of "Life Events" gradually reached its peak.
"Our drama was finished filming in 2019, and now it can finally meet the audience!" After the roadshow in Beijing ended, Rao Xiaozhi said with emotion on the plane to the second stop, Wuhan.
He has always had a special view on this funeral-themed movie he directed, and discussed the release of the movie with Gu Wei many times after it was finished.
Now that the film is about to be released, it can be considered as one of his wishes coming true.
"Good things are worth waiting for. The movie is undoubtedly excellent. I waited for two years just to choose a suitable time," Gu Wei replied with a smile.
“I understand that.
I am not worried about the box office performance of our movie. In fact, I am more looking forward to the audience's feedback and the evaluation of the movie's reputation after the release of "Life Events".
Just like a chef prepares a dish, what he looks forward to most is the diners’ reactions when they taste it!
Gu Wei couldn't help laughing when he heard what Rao Xiaozhi said.
He could completely understand the other person's feelings.
[Life Events] is undoubtedly excellent in Rao Xiaozhi's eyes, and may even be the most satisfying movie he has made.
That's why he is so looking forward to the release of the movie.
To put it simply, I finally made such an awesome film, so of course I have to show it to everyone as soon as possible to receive praise and applause.
Seeing through it but not saying it out loud, Gu Wei smiled and turned to other topics.
"[Wanli Return] How are your preparations going over there?
When are you planning to start filming in the second half of the year?
“That’s pretty much it.
The actors have all been confirmed and the crew has been formed.
I flew to Ningxia some time ago to select a site, and some venues are being built there now.
I guess the filming will start after October 1st."
Gu Wei nodded.
[A Thousand Miles Home] tells the story of the evacuation of Chinese nationals from Africa. However, it is still somewhat inconvenient to film abroad nowadays, so filming in China saves time and effort.
Even if a location is built in Ningxia to replicate the African environment, it would be more economical and safer than filming abroad.
"Who are the actors confirmed?"
"Zong Dawei, I found Zhang Yi. His acting skills and fame are both good and suitable for this role."
Having said that, Rao Xiaozhi glanced at Gu Wei and continued.
“Originally, I thought Zhang Songwen from the company could also play this role, but as you know, the two movies released at the beginning of this month did not do well at the box office.
He has starred in all of them, and in one of them he played the male lead.
I think his fame and appeal are still a little behind Zhang Yi's."
Gu Wei noticed Rao Xiaozhi's concerns and waved his hand. "I didn't participate in [A Thousand Miles Homeward Bound], but since you're the director, of course you have the final say on who to choose."
It can be said that Zhang Songwen was unlucky. The ratings of the two movies "Revolutionary" and "1921" were actually good, and his performance in them was also fine, but unfortunately the box office was not good.
As the leading actor in one of the films, he has to bear some responsibility.
“But I asked Zhang Songwen to play the role of the first-class secretary Zhang Ning.
Zhang Tianai plays Bai Huanding, who has the most screen time among the female characters.
I personally auditioned Zeng Shunxi, a young artist under the company of newcomer Cheng Langding, and he performed quite well."
Gu Wei looked at Rao Xiaozhi in surprise.
He did not interfere at all in the preparation of "A Thousand Miles Home". Although Rao Xiaozhi was the director of this drama, it was originally Guo Fan's project, and Lu Yang was also involved.
His initial idea was to let them do it themselves, and [Weiming Tianxia] would just provide the money and manpower.
Now that Rao Xiaozhi has signed so many actors under the company, it is likely that Yang Liwen found him.
They are from the same company. As the general manager of the artist management company, Rao Xiaozhi must give face to Yang Liwen.
"Okay, as long as you think it's appropriate." Gu Wei nodded.
Speaking of which, the three young male actors under his company all have big movies to star in in the second half of the year.
Xiao Zhan successfully auditioned for "Unknown" and will be working with Liang Chaowei; Zeng Shunxi will be starring in "The Journey Home" with Zhang Yi; and Peng Yuchang will be starring in Wen Muye's new film "Miracle·Stupid Kid", in which she will definitely be the leading role.
After the release of these three movies, the status of the three people will be raised to some extent.
The second stop of the roadshow was arranged in Wuhan because it was the filming location of "Life Events".
The film was shot in Wuhan, and actors such as Gu Wei also spoke Wuhan dialect in the play. The local Wuhan audience who attended the roadshow showed great enthusiasm.
At the scene, when the movie ended, the audience burst into long and warm applause.
"Director Rao, can you tell us about the special meaning of the movie title?"
After the main creators came on stage, it was the turn of reporters and audience to ask questions.
"There's a saying: Nothing matters more than death in life. Our film tells the story of the funeral industry, and this industry faces death every day.
Xiaowen's grandmother died, and Mo Sanmei's father also died. What the movie wants to tell us is: fear death and live in the present."
After he finished speaking, the reporter turned the topic to Gu Wei.
"Teacher Gu Wei, how do you understand the theme of the film: The Man Who Planted Stars?"
Gu Wei took the microphone from Rao Xiaozhi and thought about it.
“You can understand it as all the stars in the sky are our deceased loved ones.
This expresses a unique view of death, in which people's physical form disappears but their spirit lives on.
Just like the various forms of funeral culture in our country, whether it is burning paper or offering sacrifices, what they express is nothing more than the grief of the living for the loss of their loved ones.
No matter if they are in the underworld using the huge amount of money and luxury cars we burned."
Everyone laughed when they heard this.
The most typical feature of traditional Chinese funeral culture is burning things. It is believed that deceased relatives are in the underworld, and burning gold, silver and treasures made of paper can send money to them.
Of course, people also burn other things, from cars and cruise ships to paper people and paper horses.
“Even if it turns into stars in the sky, the emotions it represents remain unchanged.
This is what the movie wants to tell each of us.
There is nothing more important in life than death. We should cherish everything we have and the people around us.
Life will eventually fade away, but love will last forever."
After he finished speaking, the audience burst into applause again.
After all the procedures were completed and the last roadshow of the day ended, the creators prepared to return to the hotel to rest.
"That's very well said. I was so moved when you answered the question on the stage just now that I almost cried."
Xin Zhilei came up to Gu Wei and said.
"Is it that exaggerated?" Gu Wei glanced at her.
"You think I'm flattering you? I'm really touched!"
"Why didn't I realize you have such a low tear point before?"
"An elder of mine passed away some time ago. Watching our movie and listening to what you said, I couldn't help but feel a little emotional." Xin Zhilei sighed slightly.
"Um, I'm sorry." Gu Wei looked at her and said apologetically.
Xin Zhilei smiled instead: "What are you embarrassed about? It has nothing to do with you.
I don’t feel too sad now, just like you said, only love is immortal.
Living well and cherishing those around you is the best way to remember the loved ones you have lost."
Gu Wei looked at her and nodded.
As the roadshow progressed, [Life Events] launched large-scale preview events across the country.
This is also one of the promotional strategies before the movie is released.
Preview screenings are sometimes a magic weapon to win at the box office, and sometimes the culprit for a movie’s failure.
Not all released movies dare to use it.
The reason is simple.
If the quality of the movie is good, like "Dying to Survive", previews are naturally a good way to promote it.
When everyone sees the movie early, word of mouth spreads first, and it will naturally have better box office results after it is released.
However, some bad movies, such as "Tiny Times", will inevitably suffer a serious decline in reputation as they are released on a large scale.
Everyone knew it was a bad movie before it was released, so they stopped watching it after it was released.
"Life Events" is undoubtedly the former. Although its quality may not be as good as "Dying to Survive", it is definitely a very good domestic film. (End of this chapter)
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