The movie produced by Ran Keqing is called "The Demonic Transformation", which is also scheduled to be released on January 26, competing with "The Youth in the Capital of Gods" during the Spring Festival!
The publicly announced production cost of "The Devil Transforms" is as high as 120 million.
The production cost of "Shendu Youth" is only 60 million, which is exactly half of the other one.
Of the 60 million yuan cost, 5 million went to Wen Ying's script. Lead actor Yun Chen received 2.4 million yuan, lead actress Xu Mei received 1.8 million yuan, and supporting actress Zhang Yangning received 1 million yuan. These three would earn significantly more for a TV series, and their willingness to do so is purely a way to elevate their status. Acting in movies and TV is different, after all. Furthermore, since this was a film the company co-invested in, Yun Chen and Zhang Yangning's salaries were discounted.
As for Xu Mei, Charles Schwab did not invest, but Xu Mei is not a fool. The future boss lady is a movie screenwriter, so Xu Mei will not ask for such a high salary!
The salaries of these three leading actors can be saved, but it is difficult to save on the salaries of other actors who are not under the company's name. Even a stingy person like Mr. Zhang has to pay them according to the market price.
After deducting these unavoidable expenses, the remaining money can be used for filming and production.
Mr. Zhang is known in the industry for being stingy and controlling filming costs. He will not spend a dime if he can avoid it. Even so, after the completion of "Shendu Youth Journey", he had already spent nearly 50 million yuan.
Mr. Zhang can cut down on daily costs and squeeze out the cost of costumes and props, but he can’t cut down on the cost of special effects.
Domestic special effects technology is very immature, so Mr. Zhang hired a foreign special effects company. Every frame of the movie that requires special effects costs a lot of dollars.
The more than 10 million yuan that Mr. Zhang, a stingy man, saved a lot of money and couldn't put it in his pocket safely. This was the publicity and promotion expenses that Mr. Zhang saved for the movie.
“My heart aches!”
Mr. Zhang's eyes shone with tears: "Special effects are really expensive, and capitalism really bullies people!"
Wen Ying was speechless.
Liansheng is also a capital, but it's not as wealthy as Huanyu. Huanyu has money, so Miss Ran can spend more money on filming. This makes sense!
Seeing Mr. Zhang's indignation, Wen Ying was very curious: "Can 'Demon Transformation' really cost 120 million?"
Ten years later, it would not be uncommon to make a movie with a budget of 120 million. But it is not even 2009 yet, and a filming cost of 120 million is terrifying.
Maybe it’s because the actors’ pay is particularly high?
Mr. Zhang curled his lips and said, "No matter how high an actor's salary is, it's still finite. Ran Keqing's 120 million yuan cost is a lot of water. I guess their cost is around 80 million yuan at most... At least 20 million of that is publicity and promotion expenses!"
The 80 million yuan cost was advertised as a 120 million yuan investment, which is itself a publicity strategy. When the audience heard that the film cost 120 million yuan to make, they would inevitably want to go to the cinema to see it with their own eyes to satisfy their curiosity.
Another possibility is that 120 million yuan was really spent, at least on the books, and some of the funds passed through the crew's account and then flowed out again.
Wen Ying and Yuan Fenghui looked at each other, and both understood Mr. Zhang's subtext.
It's hard to say anything without evidence. This kind of thing is not only done by "Huayu" in the circle... Wen Ying and Yuan Fenghui's focus is still on the promotion of "Shendu Youth".
Wen Ying’s appeal is already very strong.
In addition, Yun Chen, Xu Mei and Zhang Yangning all have quite a few fans.
However, Ran Keqing's film, "The Devil Transformation," featured a cast of award-winning actors and actresses. It's safe to say that half of Mr. Zhang's estimated 80 million yuan budget went directly to the actors' salaries. These big names combined have a strong box office appeal. Furthermore, Huanyu's cinema chain backing ensured that "The Devil Transformation" would initially receive more screenings than "The Young Man in the Divine Capital"!
Screening schedule is an important factor affecting movie box office.
For movies released in the same period, the one with more screenings will have higher box office. Movie theater chains are not random when scheduling screenings. The screening schedule can basically show the theater chain's box office forecast for a movie.
The works of big directors, starring big stars, large investments, etc. are all reasons for the high screening schedule.
In comparison, the investment in "Shendu: Youth" is not as good as "The Devil Changes", the actors are not as famous, the director is not as famous, and Ran Keqing is backed by "Huanyu"... It is obvious that the screening schedule of "Shendu: Youth" will be lower than the other one!
If the screening schedule is not as good as others, you lose at the first step.
However, none of Wen Ying, Mr. Zhang, and Yuan Fenghui wanted to admit defeat.
Having a lower screening schedule doesn’t mean you’re doomed to fail. There is another way to turn things around, and that is to catch up at the box office even though the screening schedule is not as good as the other films, so that the theater chains can see the box office potential of “Shendu Youth” and actively increase the screening schedule after the movie is released!
"I have confidence."
Mentioning the publicity and promotional spree makes Mr. Zhang want to curse. But when it comes to the film's quality, Mr. Zhang's indignation turns to elation: "Those people are so shortsighted. They questioned why I spent 5 million on the script. They don't understand that the core of a film is the story. I can't wait to see what those critics will say after the movie is released."
This is the first time that Mr. Zhang, who has been so smart in his life, has been called a fool. He has been holding this anger for a long time!
Yuan Fenghui smiled. "Mr. Zhang, you're already a veteran in this industry, don't you understand what those reporters are saying? Once we're successful at the box office, they'll immediately change their tune. By then, everyone you look around will be praising you. You better be prepared!"
After Yuan Fenghui said this, Mr. Zhang became even happier.
The movie hasn't been released yet, but these two people are already very confident that it will be a box office hit. Wen Ying is itching to make it.
“When can I see the finished film?”
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