Chapter 792: Seizing Luck
Bad Monkey Culture.
In the office, Ning Hao was making tea smoothly, and sitting opposite him was Xu Zheng, who had a shiny head and looked increasingly wealthy.
In the past month or so, Ning Hao has been busy with the post-production of "My Hometown and Me" in the company.
He is the chief director of this tribute film. After the filming of the five units, the materials were summarized to him, and he was responsible for the final editing and production.
"Zhou Chu Eliminates Three Evils" has been a hit in recent days, and he is also keeping an eye on the box office performance of this movie.
"So, looking at Gu Wei's current box office performance, do you regret selling Lost in Russia to streaming services?"
Ning Hao brewed tea and filled the cups in front of himself and Xu Zheng.
The tea in the cup is golden and translucent, and a refreshing tea fragrance wafts out.
"When Lost in Russia was released, the situation was unclear, and no one knew how long the film would remain in the hands after missing the Spring Festival period.
At that time, I had already spent a lot of money on publicity and promotion, and if I withdrew the film from the schedule and put it back on, I would have to spend the money again.
Moreover, ByteDance paid enough money and showed great sincerity, so it will make a lot of money immediately after selling the copyright.
What would you choose?"
Xu Zheng picked up the teacup in front of him, blew on it, and slowly took a sip.
He didn't care about what Ning Hao said. Until now, he still believed that getting rid of "Lost in Russia" in time half a year ago was the best decision he had ever made.
"You! You're always too focused on immediate profits. Holding onto movies is a huge risk, but your actions have ultimately offended the theater chains. You're bound to be strangled by them in the future."
Ning Hao shook his head. Having known each other for many years, he knew his old friend's character very well.
Being smart, talented, serious about work and brave enough to try new things are the reasons why Xu Zheng can succeed.
However, he also has some of the problems of traditional Shanghai men. He values money over everything and is sometimes too calculative and only focuses on immediate interests.
"It doesn't matter. Zhang Weiping had already offended the cinema chain in the first place. He relied on Zhang Yimou to force the cinema chain to change the box office share ratio, otherwise he would not give them copies. In the end, the cinema chain gritted their teeth and agreed.
They couldn't do anything to Zhang Weiping.
So as long as there are good works in hand and they can help the cinema chains make money, even if they are not satisfied with the film this time, they will still welcome it with a smile when it is released."
“In fact, if we had waited just over half a year, the box office wouldn’t have been much different if it had been released now.
Gu Wei's film "Zhou Chu Eliminates the Three Evils" is expected to be another film with a box office of over 2 billion yuan."
Xu Zheng shook his head.
"It's different. Gu Wei's box office appeal is simply too exaggerated. A movie with him in it or without him will have a difference of at least hundreds of millions in publicity and promotion costs.
Having worked with him, I understand the difference best.
Even though "Zhou Chu Eliminates the Three Evils" is selling like hotcakes right now, if someone else plays the role and the quality of the plot remains the same, the movie will only gross 500-600 million yuan at most."
Ning Hao was surprised: "I didn't expect you to think so highly of him~"
“It’s not that I think highly of it, but I have some feelings after working with him.
When I was filming "Time Raiders", I never thought that the box office of that movie would exceed 2 billion.
This movie immediately made Su Lun famous.
She later compiled a script, polishing it over and over for more than two years, but was hesitant to start filming."
"Haha, Su Lun is in the club of domestic directors with a box office of over 2 billion with his debut film. It's reasonable for him to feel some pressure," Ning Hao said with a smile.
Xu Zheng put down his half-empty cup of tea and said, "The huge success of 'Zhou Chu Eliminates the Three Evils' is what everyone expected. After Gu Wei heated up the market, the backlog of domestic films over the past six months should all be scheduled for release."
Ning Hao nodded.
"As a tribute film, 'My People, My Homeland' has been scheduled for release during the National Day holiday. If the market maintains its current momentum and nothing unexpected happens, our film shouldn't perform worse than last year's 'My People, My Country'."
At the same time, all domestic film and television companies were paying attention to the performance of "Zhou Chu Eliminates Three Evils".
Mr. La from China Film Group felt that he had chosen the right person. His suggestion to the Film Bureau to let Gu Wei's film take the lead in opening up the situation turned out to be correct.
Wang Changtian of Guangxian Films is looking at the increasingly high box office performance of "Zhou Chu Eliminates the Three Evils". While feeling envious, he is also looking forward to the results of the release of "Detective Chinatown 3".
Yu Dong of Bona was glad that Gu Wei joined the "Changjin Lake" project.
Huayi Brothers.
"What's the real-time box office for 'Zhou Chu Eliminates the Three Evils'?"
"It has already exceeded 1.1 billion RMB, and the momentum in the second week is still strong."
Wang Zhonglei hesitated for a moment and asked, "Is the preview of [Eight Hundred] still going ahead as planned?"
"Of course, we will still follow the original promotion plan!
How many screenings can the cinema chain promise for the release of "Eight Hundred" next week? "Wang Zhongjun was not at all panicked.
"We have communicated with several major cinema chains including Yaolai, Xingmei, Jinyi, Dadi, and Wanda, and they should be able to guarantee a screening rate of more than 30%."
Wang Zhongjun frowned slightly: "It's a bit too little."
"There's no other way. Based on the current momentum of [Zhou Chu Eliminates the Three Evils], as long as the box office doesn't plummet this week, the cinema chain will have to reserve at least 40% of its screenings for it next week.
However, several companies have promised that if the preview of "Eight Hundred" is good, they will increase the screening schedule when it is released."
"That's all I can do. I believe in the quality of The Eight Hundred. With its director and the stellar cast, I'm sure the preview won't disappoint."
【The Crowd】The crew.
“.I’m over 30, without a stable job, and can’t afford the rent.
As an actor, he can't even play the role of an extra well.
You have an old face and your name is Xiao Meng, so it's only natural that you want to die."
In Chen Xiaomeng's room, Gu Wei, Zhang Songwen and Wan Qian were present at the same time, filming a scene at the beginning of the movie.
Wan Qian finally joined the crew a few days ago. After "Sisters Who Make Waves" ended, she successfully debuted as a member of the group.
However, the crew had a lot of missed scenes, so after joining the crew, they apologized in various ways, and then re-shot the previous scenes from morning to night every day.
The amnesiac killer played by Zhang Songwen finished his lines with melancholy, took a puff of cigarette, coughed violently twice because of discomfort, and a bitter smile appeared on his face.
“Now I even forget to smoke.”
Gu Wei, who was sitting opposite, smoked much more smoothly, and what Zhang Songwen said also aroused his thoughts.
"I have a friend who has also lost hope in life and wants to leave this world.
But he is worse off than you.
If someone lies on the railway tracks, the train will be diverted; if someone jumps off a building, the rooftop will be sealed off; if someone takes poison, the poison will expire.
I can’t die even if I want to.”
"What happened next?" Zhang Songwen asked curiously.
"Well, then he won the lottery."
After Gu Wei finished speaking, he sat down next to the other person.
"Don't be discouraged, have ideals. With ideals, there is hope!"
"Cut! This segment is over, ready to transition to the next shot."
When the director's voice came, Gu Wei and the other two in the field relaxed, and the staff also began to run around to pack up their things.
"Mr. Gu, are we going to have a live broadcast tonight?" Zhang Songwen asked Gu Wei.
"Yes, there's a live broadcast tonight with the main creative team of the drama "Zhou Chu". Your agent should have told you about it a long time ago."
"Yes, but I don't quite understand that live broadcast thing~" Zhang Songwen smiled bitterly. It was no problem for him to act, but it was difficult for him to handle some electronic products.
Gu Wei smiled and said, "We have a dedicated staff to help you debug the equipment. It's very simple. All you have to do is chat with everyone in front of the computer."
Wan Qian listened to their conversation with a curious look on her face.
"The movie you're talking about is 'Zhou Chu Eliminates the Three Evils,' right?"
Gu Wei nodded.
"Yes, the movie is currently in theaters. Given the current climate, it's difficult to go on roadshows, so we've arranged an online livestream with the main cast tonight to promote it."
"This movie is so popular now. I went to see it after "Sisters Who Make Waves" ended. It was so well made!" Wan Qian said with emotion.
Gu Wei and Zhang Songwen looked at each other and smiled. It was a very pleasant thing to be praised in person for the movie they acted in.
"Teacher Zhang Songwen's performance as the Venerable Master in the film was so captivating. Before coming here, I was still thinking about how to work with you as a couple. I was afraid that during filming, I would mistake you for the leader of a cult."
“Haha~ I still remember when we were filming [Zhou Chu], we were discussing how to play the role of the Venerable.
At that time, director Wen Muye told Zhang Songwen to just let go of his acting and bring out the feeling of being a teacher in class.
The result is that he has become the leader of this cult that is misleading people.” Gu Wei laughed and recounted the funny things that happened during the filming.
Zhang Songwen used to run a training class in Hengdian to teach acting, and he was well known in the industry.
"The main reason is that the core of this character is quite rich, and I just performed step by step."
Zhang Songwen smiled modestly.
In the evening, there was a live broadcast, and main creators such as Gu Wei, Zhou Ye, Zhang Songwen, Wang Qianyuan, and Wu Zhenyu showed up.
Everyone first exchanged a few polite words with each other, and then began to answer questions raised by netizens.
[Zhou Chu Eliminates Three Evils] has been very popular recently. There are a lot of viewers in the live broadcast room today, and the enthusiasm of netizens is extremely high.
After answering the questions one by one, Gu Wei gave a summary at the end.
".The girl was rescued from the claws of a tiger, but she didn't know what freedom was.
In the Jiaolong Cave, believers were persuaded to return, but they would rather die than blindly follow superstition.
The Venerable Master said that he would let go of greed, anger and ignorance, but he did not let go of the true gold and fire.
Believers can let go of worldly material things, but they cannot let go of self-hypnosis.
The miracle of a bullet jam is just around the corner, and the cult of self-deception has a shortcut.
Everyone is obsessed with narcissism, lust and fantasy, longing for redemption, rebirth and the creation of a new self.
However, the path and the truth are more powerful than the ferocious tiger and the cunning dragon.
Even Zhou Chu, who eliminated the three evils, could not escape such a fate.
Thank you all for your love for "Zhou Chu Eliminates the Three Evils." There are a thousand Hamlets in the eyes of a thousand people. I hope more people can go to the cinema to support this movie!
Ten days after its release, the box office of "Zhou Chu Eliminates Three Evils" exceeded 1.8 billion yuan, and its popularity was unprecedented.
Under such circumstances, "The Eight Hundred" was released.
Huayi Brothers attached great importance to this film. They previewed it nationwide a few days in advance and held a large-scale premiere ceremony in Beijing, inviting many big stars in the circle to attend.
After the premiere, everyone gave it good reviews, and the attendance rate for the preview screenings over the past few days was also very high.
On the first day of its release, "The Eight Hundred" achieved a box office revenue of 137 million yuan, maintained a good reputation, and received a high score of 7.8 from Douban.
In the following week, the entire film market was dominated by two films: "Zhou Chu Eliminates Three Evils" and "Eight Hundred".
More than 80% of the country's screenings are divided among these two films.
The results are also very encouraging.
[Zhou Chu Eliminates Three Evils] The box office broke 2 billion and quickly approached 2.5 billion.
[Eight Hundred] grossed 800 million in 7 days, which was also a pretty good performance.
In the original time and space, after the epidemic was temporarily suspended and theaters reopened, only one domestic film, "Eight Hundred", took the lead. Relying on the support of all parties and extremely high theater screenings, it achieved a final box office result of 3 billion.
However, the current "Eight Hundred" obviously cannot do this.
Due to the early release of "Zhou Chu Eliminates the Three Evils", the excellent quality and hot box office results made theaters regard this movie as a life-saving straw. Even the release of "Eight Hundred" failed to shake the position of "Zhou Chu" in the hearts of theaters, and the screening schedule has always been far ahead.
Sometimes being one step ahead means more steps than before. The advantage is like a snowball, and once it starts, the gap will get bigger and bigger.
Apparently, this is the situation with both films right now.
[Zhou Chu Eliminates Three Evils] has a profound meaning, but on the surface it is a thoroughly enjoyable film and is very watchable.
Many viewers commented that this film is a perfect combination of commerciality and artistry.
The film was of good quality, the audience enjoyed watching it, the theaters gave strong support, and Gu Wei had strong box office appeal. All these factors combined were the reason why "Zhou Chu Eliminates the Three Evils" was a huge hit.
Of course, although the luck of [Eight Hundred] was taken away, its quality is still good.
Moreover, the current film market does not encourage competition. What is needed is the emergence of more excellent films.
The scale of the domestic film market is sufficient to support two blockbuster films.
The box office performance of "Eight Hundred" is still good, but it is impossible to reach the height of the original time and space.
"Gu Wei, do you think "Eight Hundred" is good?"
In the hotel room at night, Gu Wei was reading the script, Reba was leaning beside him and browsing her phone, and suddenly asked.
"Why do you ask?" Gu Wei asked casually, his eyes still on the script.
"The online reviews are very extreme. Some say the film is wonderful, while others say it is sensational for the sake of sensationalism, disregarding logic and truth."
After hearing this, Gu Wei put down the script in his hand and looked at Reba with a smile.
"Well, actually, neither statement is wrong."
Reba became even more confused.
Gu Wei explained with a smile: "How to evaluate "Eight Hundred" depends on what you focus on when watching the movie.
If the focus is on the movie itself, then "Eight Hundred" is undoubtedly an excellent work.
After all, Guan Hu is a senior director with rich work experience and has produced many excellent works.
After years of polishing, "Eight Hundred" is remarkable in terms of war scenes, film scheduling, leading actors' acting skills, and narrative rhythm."
"Then it should be a good movie?"
Gu Wei shook his head.
“It’s a shame, after all, The Eight Hundred is a movie adapted from real historical events.
After the warriors retreated to the British Concession, they were completely abandoned by the authorities, and most of them ended up in a tragic way.
There are inherent problems with the narrative stance of the film, otherwise the release date wouldn't have been changed several times before.
When Director Guan started filming, he was probably aiming for the Golden Horse Awards, but he didn't expect the Golden Horse Awards to ruin him because of his previous shady behavior, so he couldn't win the award.
Reba suddenly realized: "Is that so? Director Guan is also an experienced director, doesn't he know the problems of shooting like this?"
Gu Wei sneered, "Some people regard themselves as international citizens, thinking they are the only ones looking at things from an impartial perspective.
Little do people know that there is no real justice in this world. Everyone is born with a stance. One person’s hero may be my enemy.
This has been the case since ancient times.
If you don’t understand this principle, you will suffer backlash sooner or later.”
(End of this chapter)
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