Chapter 33 Touch 1
Chapter 33 Touch
A day later, Zhang Chen also accepted an exclusive interview with "Entertainment People Weekly" under Guangxian.
"Did you expect that The Darkness would be such a big hit at the box office?"
"Of course, I thought about this before I made this movie. Thrillers are actually very popular and have a large audience base, but there's nothing particularly outstanding about them."
"Thriller? I thought it was a horror movie."
"It's probably the same category, but the former focuses on shock. I positioned "The Dark Invasion" as a thriller. If you watch it carefully, you will find that there are actually no bloody scenes in the film."
There was nothing Zhang Chen could do about it. If he said it was a horror movie, then those viewers who didn't like horror movies might not even be interested in watching it and would just skip it.
"Is this for the box office?"
"Yes, horror movies are a niche after all. I wanted better box office results, so I leaned more towards the thriller side. Now it seems that this choice was the right one."
"Speaking of the box office, what are your expectations for the final box office?"
"One hundred million." Zhang Chen raised a finger.
"One hundred million?" The host was a little surprised. She didn't expect Zhang Chen to really say that, and she didn't expect Zhang Chen to be so bold to say it.
However, in the eyes of the host, Zhang Chen's behavior is undoubtedly socially dead. With a box office of 100 million, aren't you afraid of becoming a laughing stock?
But Zhang Chen didn't care. He had memories of later generations and knew that propaganda must be shocking.
How can you stand out if you don’t say this?
If he can't stand out, people won't remember him, so there's no point in this promotion. Is he just wasting time on the show?
"I have to say, the goal of 100 million is indeed..."
The host was at a loss for words for a moment, and Zhang Chen immediately continued, "It is indeed difficult to achieve. Director Yimou's "House of Flying Daggers" is about to be released. Zhang Weiping said that I was just playing house and overestimating my abilities. I think it's a good opportunity to give it a try. "Dark Invasion" is not without the ability to fight."
"Darkness Invasion" openly declared war on House of Flying Daggers, claiming that it was not without the ability to fight..."
'Young directors overestimate their own abilities...'
"Is it a newborn calf that is not afraid of a tiger or is it just the arrogant words of a young man..."
Early the next morning, various shocking headlines appeared on the headlines of the entertainment sections of major newspapers.
Along with this came the words Zhang Weiping said yesterday.
'College students playing house...'
"The Dark Invasion" is a low-key feeling...
'You dare call it a dark horse with 2000 million?'
'Genius or woodcutter?'
The spectators were enjoying the show very much, and everyone could feel a sense of impending storm.
The media is instigating a war of words between the two sides, and the audience is happy to see it. Their usually boring life urgently needs something to spice it up.
Dong Jianqiang called immediately and said, "Zhang Chen, Zhang Weiping is a mad dog. Don't respond to his words. The media wants us to have a war of words. Don't let them do what they want."
He thought Zhang Chen was young and couldn't stand the provocation, so he fell into the trap set by the media.
Zhang Chen was eating breakfast and reading the news online with great interest.
He stuffed a steamed bun into his mouth and replied vaguely: "No, we must respond. Zhang Weiping is a good person. I was just worrying about how to bundle marketing, and he extended an olive branch."
"?"
"How much is the publicity budget for House of Flying Daggers? How much is our publicity budget? We can't win in a head-on confrontation. What I have to do is to bundle House of Flying Daggers and The Darkness together. Everyone will compare these two movies. When talking about House of Flying Daggers, they will inevitably mention The Darkness. In this way, we will win."
"But ours is just a small production. House of Flying Daggers is the blockbuster of the year. How can it possibly beat it at the box office?"
"It's not like we're really going to win, it's just about publicity. And we're just not as good as him in publicity. If we really compete on the quality of the film, we're not bad."
Zhang Chen, who is familiar with various fancy operations in later generations, knows exactly how to promote his own movies.
Word of mouth can only determine the upper limit, while publicity and promotion can determine the lower limit.
Promoting a movie and creating topics are more important than the movie itself. After all, there are fewer screens at this stage and even fewer audiences who have the habit of watching movies. It is necessary to constantly create topics to attract them to buy tickets.
"Okay, this is definitely the right thing to do for publicity. Is that why you called me?"
"Well, no, there are other things."
Dong Jianqiang changed his mindset: "The plan to continue the hype with Fan Binbin has failed. We responded, but the other party didn't accept it."
Zhang Chen hummed, having expected this.
They have no relationship with him and he probably just said it casually during the last interview, but you are trying to blackmail him.
Dong Jianqiang continued: "Let me ask you first, how is your health?"
"Huh? Not bad, right? Why, are you going to use the beauty trap?" Zhang Chen thought that Dong Jianqiang was going to use the beauty trap on Fan Binbin, and he was a little excited.
"What a bullshit honey trap. If there is a honey trap, I will do it myself."
Manager Dong was very confident: "Our movie has reached the most critical time and needs to be promoted more. I will arrange for you and the main creative staff to go on a roadshow in major ticket-buying cities across the country. You will be very busy next."
"Okay, I get it now."
Zhang Chen's tone was filled with disappointment. How could the promised beauty trap be gone?
Let’s get back to the point. It’s not like I haven’t done a national roadshow before.
Uh, it seems I have never experienced it.
Online movies don’t need roadshows.
However, he also understood why they had to do this. There was no roadshow in the beginning because both the director and the actors were newcomers, and no one would watch the roadshow, so it was meaningless.
It’s different now. "Dark Invasion" had good results in the early stages. Both he as the director and Che Xiao and Zeng Li have gained some popularity. It is the best time for roadshows.
At this stage, cinemas have not yet fully reopened, and movie box office is mainly concentrated in a few box office cities.
The so-called roadshow is to attend events in popular cities and promote the film in person. This thing first appeared in 02 when "Hero" was released. Before that, there was basically no roadshow promotion for movies.
But frankly speaking, the effects are completely different with or without a roadshow.
……
North Fourth Ring Road, Wudaokou
Because there are many universities and international students nearby, this place has become a gathering place for diverse cultures, so it is called the center of the universe.
There are shops and restaurants of various styles in this area. Among them, there is a Korean barbecue restaurant called "Xiang Zhu Fang" which has a good reputation and is authentic Korean style. Many Korean students will visit this restaurant to look for memories of their hometown.
Of course, it is also possible that they just come here to have fun. After all, prices in China are cheap. The first thing many Korean students do when they arrive in China is to go crazy with fruits and barbecues. When they return home, they generally gain a lot of weight.
The place where Zeng Li and her sisters had dinner was this Xiangzhufang.
The time she booked was quite special, and when she went up to the second floor, there weren't many people in the store.
Zeng Li found a table in the corner and sat down, taking off her sunglasses.
When Zeng Li saw the sunglasses, she thought of Zhang Chen again. What he said really came true.
He said that after the movie was released, he would have to wear sunglasses when going out. I thought it was a joke, but it turned out to be true.
When I went shopping in the supermarket yesterday, I was recognized by people. It felt good to be surrounded by people and take photos with them.
"Li Zi, you came so early." Ma Yili and Mei Ting came together.
The three women gathered together and chattered. The boss looked over here a few times, but didn't seem to recognize them.
Among the three, Zeng Li is a little unknown. Ma Yili is a little better than her, but also limited. She will not become really popular until next year's "Qiao Family Courtyard". The most famous is Mei Ting. "Don't Talk to Strangers" directly made her famous, but she was wearing sunglasses.
This meal was arranged by Zeng Li. Their originally planned dinner was cancelled because they were recognized while watching a movie the day before yesterday, so they made up for it today.
"Let's eat quickly. This restaurant doesn't have private rooms, but I chose this time on purpose so we won't be disturbed."
In order to have a peaceful meal, she deliberately chose two o'clock in the afternoon. This time was just past mealtime and there should be few people coming to dine.
"Big Pear, you are really popular~"
The sizzling barbecue was oozing with oil. Ma Yili picked up a piece, dipped it in the sauce and put it in her mouth. The fragrance produced by the Maillard reaction stimulated her taste buds, leaving a lingering fragrance in her mouth.
"Yes, Li Zi, there are a lot of discussions about you on the Internet now. Some people even sent razor blades to the director because of you..."
The two of them were discussing in surprise, and Zeng Li next to them said with a smile: "Yes, I was recognized when I was shopping in the supermarket yesterday, and I was asked to take a photo with you."
"Hey, Dalizi, you are so proud~"
"Hey, why are you blushing..."
Being teased by her bestie, Zeng Li stretched out her hands unconvinced and twisted the two's arms, causing exclamations and bell-like laughter.
"Oh my, the beautiful Zeng wants to kill someone to silence him..."
Only when she is with her girlfriends can she let go so easily and is no longer the dignified and quiet beautiful Zeng.
Both the host and the guests enjoyed the meal very much. When Zeng Li returned home, she thought about the jokes her best friends had told her.
"Big Pear, it's not easy to come across a good script, and it's even harder to come across a good director. If you think he's not bad, take the initiative."
"Yeah, it's not shameful to take the initiative. We are actresses and our status is very awkward. If we have a director boyfriend, it will be completely different."
"Xu Fan can do it, Jiang Wenli can do it, Chen Hong can do it, why can't you?"
Yeah, why can't I?
(End of this chapter)