Chapter 92 North American Release

Chapter 92 North American Release

Chapter 92 North American Release
2004/ 10/ 1

The first day of the National Day holiday

"Kekexili" is officially launched.

Lu Chuan was very excited. Strictly speaking, "Kekexili" could be considered his first film as a director. "Looking for the Gun" did not count as that was the work of Jiang Wen.

The only downside is that there are not many theaters showing it.

I feel unhappy whenever I think of Lu Chuan.

He realized this very early on and even asked his father for help, but it was of no use.

There were quite a few theater managers who came, but not many were willing to schedule films for him.

To put it bluntly, theaters are not optimistic about this type of film, and they think the box office will not be very good.

Seeing the attitude of the theaters, the distributor also stopped.

Lu Chuan said a lot of nice things, but to no avail.

Nonsense, publicity costs real money.

The distributor pays the distribution fees in advance, and if the film fails at the box office, the distributor will not even be able to earn back the distribution fees.

But it was finally released.

The distributor was not completely idle either, and also helped arrange some interviews.

Lu Chuan was interviewed:

[The entire filming of "Kekexili" was carried out on a plateau above 3800 meters. The crew also filmed at Bugedaba Peak above 6200 meters above sea level. 30% of the film was shot in uninhabited areas.]

[There are only 3 professional actors in the entire crew, and the rest are non-professional actors. We want to present an original and real state...]

[Even real rangers need oxygen in that environment and have nosebleeds. During the filming, crew members fainted and were rushed to the nearest hospital for treatment, which reduced the number of crew members from more than 100 to 60.]

It's just self-boasting anyway.

To be honest, he didn't think about how much the box office would be.

Lu Chuan knew very well that this film was aimed at winning awards.

This kind of realistic film that reflects acute social issues is very popular with awards both at home and abroad.

The domestic media were also very respectful and immediately praised "Kekexili" to the sky after the interview.

【Rare realistic themes~】

【Focus on a unique perspective~】

The media also praised Lu Chuan generously, and commented on her: "Kekexili" is a tragic film that Lu Chuan made with her life experience. China's sixth generation of directors have finally matured, and the future development of Chinese films depends on them.

For a time, it seemed as if Lu Chuan had become the representative of the sixth generation of directors, and had taken over the banner of revitalizing the film industry from the fifth generation.

……

Zhang Chen is answering the phone.

"Boss, Lionsgate contacted me and wanted to buy the script of Orphan, but I didn't agree right away. I asked them to wait a little longer~"

"How much are they asking?"

"20 US dollars is a fair price. You may not know that the average script price in Hollywood is between 20 and 30 US dollars. But I think it is still too low. We should wait a few more days until the box office of "Dark Invasion" comes out..."

"The Darkness" is also released today in the United States.

The industry was shocked by Lionsgate's "Saw", which cost $120 million and grossed $1.02 million worldwide.

An absolute money-making tool.

So Columbia was also interested and bought the copyright of "The Darkness" without hesitation. They studied it internally and felt that this film had the potential to be a big hit.

The hottest movie season in North America is the summer season from May to September every year, which is a must-win for major Hollywood companies.

After September, it is the off-season, and theaters are used to showing some low-cost horror movies...

"Darkness" happens to be in this period.

The first "Saw" opened in 1400 theaters. When it came to "The Darkness", Columbia, although a large company, did not dare to be too radical and arranged 1700 theaters.

Everyone was hopeful; horror films were known for being a way to make a small fortune, and if the bet was right, the revenue from a single film could be as much as a year's worth of hard work.

"Are you so confident?"

"Of course. That's the Saturn Award for Best Horror Film. Over the years, the Saturn Award has never let us down. The movie will definitely trigger a viewing craze after it's released. When the movie becomes popular, the price of your script will also increase."

"OK, you are a professional, everything is up to you."

"Don't worry, boss. I won't let you suffer any loss, nor will I let my own wallet suffer any loss."

"What about the new line?"

"They are probably waiting too."

The new line is indeed waiting.

Although New Line is affiliated with Time Warner, Time Warner does not manage them, so although New Line belongs to the six major camps, it still mixes in the independent film circle.

They don't suffer from big company problems and are more willing to have equal dialogue with filmmakers, but that doesn't mean they are willing to give up their interests.

If it were just the script and the director, New Line would be acceptable.

After all, there is the gimmick of the Saturn Award for Best Director.

But Zhang Chen also wants a share of the box office revenue and peripheral profits such as DVDs, which is too much.

How dare a new director make such an excessive request?

Box office revenue share? Also, revenue share from DVDs and peripherals?
Although they don't have much ability to develop peripheral products, DVDs are the biggest source of revenue, and the profits even exceed the box office.

But they are not unaware of the need for flexibility. They know that Lionsgate has also been in contact with Diane, but no cooperation has been reached. They are probably also waiting for the result of the film's release.

No one is stupid. The performance of "Dark Invasion" in North America directly determines their attitude towards Zhang Chen.

If the movie is a box office hit, it means that Zhang Chen's film style is suitable for North American audiences, and then everything can be discussed.

If the box office fails, then I'm sorry, just accept the current conditions or go back to your hometown.

The current "Darkness Invasion" is affecting the hearts of all parties.

Zhang Chen, Diane, Lionsgate, New Line, Columbia...

Although the North American box office also receives attention for the first day, the first weekend box office is the recognized authoritative data.

In other words, Zhang Chen only has to wait until the 4th, when the box office for the first weekend comes out, to know the direction of things.

Zhang Chen simply went into the studio to make the final touches on the film.

His version of "The Shallows" added many special effects shots compared to the original version, and the sharks had more opportunities to show their faces.

But the real attraction is not the shark.

In a sense, The Shallows and The Darkest Place are the same. The former is not about sharks, and the latter is not about monsters. The real attraction of these two films is the tense atmosphere that makes people unable to breathe. For horror films, if the atmosphere is well created, the film is half successful.

I haven't seen so many horror movies in later generations that are deliberately mysterious, with things like sleepwalking by mental patients or things like it was all a dream. The plots are all very lame, but as long as the mystery is good, people will watch it.

In this movie "The Shallows", he didn't make it so bloody and violent.

But "Darkness" does have it. Although those impressive shots were cut when it was released in China, they were all included in the version provided to Columbia.

The tactics Zhang Chen used were the same as those used in co-productions.

In 04, when co-production films just started to emerge, dual versions were popular for a period of time. The ones released in China and Hong Kong were different. For example, the version of "Lust, Caution" released in Hong Kong was more explicit than the one in mainland China, so many people flew to Hong Kong at that time just to experience the art.

After I came back, I understood what art was. It turned out to be paper clips.

After 06, dual versions are no longer allowed. Co-productions must abide by the rules. If you want to make this money, you have to follow our rules.

But no one cares now. The films Zhang Chen provided to Columbia, including the one he took to participate in the competition, were all bloody versions of "The Dark Invasion".

These are standard features of horror movies.

There is no way in China, it is a special situation.

If he took the domestic version to show abroad, he would definitely be criticized.

Westerners buy into this.

Eastern horror films and Western horror films are two completely different forms of expression.

Western horror movies are like this: six people enter a room, and only one is left when they come out.

Eastern horror movies are like this: six people enter a room and come out as seven.

Zhang Chen had just finished adjusting the video when Cao Bingkun suddenly came over.

"Are you done?"

"I'm done with my work, what's the matter?"

"When you're done, go watch a movie with me."

"Watch a movie? What to watch?"

"Kekexili, the homework assigned by the teacher."

Cao Bingkun looked unhappy, but there was nothing he could do since Lu Chuan also graduated from Beijing Film Academy.

Of course, schools and teachers should support the works of graduates.

When Zhang Chen's "The Dark Invasion" was released, the teachers also asked us to watch the movie and then come back to submit a film analysis.

Zhang Chen was dragged to the cinema by Cao Bingkun.

I bought the ticket and found that the movie attendance seemed not very good. It was the weekend, but there were only a dozen people in the entire theater.

This is normal. The attendance rate of this type of movie cannot be high.

The surrounding lights went out and the factory logo appeared.

First it was China Film, then Huayi Brothers, and then Columbia.

He had the impression that this film was invested in by Huayi Brothers and Columbia. In an interview later, Lu Chuan said that these two companies had invested in the film at the beginning. Huayi Brothers obtained all domestic box office and copyrights, while the overseas copyrights belonged to Columbia.

But in this world, there is also China Film.

Moreover, China Film Corporation seemed to have invested two million yuan. Han Sanping said at the time that the cost of "The Shallows" and "Kekexili" were both 1000 million yuan, and China Film Corporation also invested 200 million yuan in support.

After 85 minutes, the screening ended.

Cao Bingkun still couldn't believe it.

“This movie is pretty good~”

Zhang Chen nodded: "Indeed."

Focusing on poaching, the subject matter itself is rare.

Lu Chuan also used the form of a pseudo-documentary in a very showy way.

It is indeed novel. Although the conflict in the story is not that intense, it seems more real.

It is still shocking to see the rangers leaving or dying one by one.

Especially the captain's death at the end.

If it were a commercial film, it would definitely be a life-and-death battle, with a huge disparity in the ratio of the enemy and our side, but the fight was evenly matched, and in the end the captain was outnumbered. But in this film, it just took one shot.

One shot solved it.

As a movie it might feel a bit anticlimactic, but it makes it all the more real.

"Kekexili", "Tengu", and "The Glorious Fury" are three major domestic films that "expose dark forces".

What a pity, it would have been better if it wasn’t taken by Lu Chuan.

Cao Bingkun has already figured out how to write a film analysis:
There is no trace of performance, no criticism that occupies the moral high ground, and the fierce shock brought by the roughness and simplicity, and it doesn't even give you a sensational moment that can make you cry.

Living people walked into the quicksand and blizzard, and people outside the screen began to suffer from lack of oxygen.

The two tried to follow outside, but were stopped by a reporter.

"Hello, I'm a reporter from NetEase Entertainment. I think you two just finished watching "Kekexili". What do you think?"

Cao Bingkun looked at the other party and said, "Well, I think it's well shot. After watching the movie, many details are still fresh in my memory."

"For example?"

"I won't spoil the story." Cao Bingkun politely refused.

The reporter was still not giving up and turned his attention to Zhang Chen: "What about you?"

She obviously didn't recognize who Zhang Chen was, and guessed that he was a new reporter who had just entered the industry.

Zhang Chen thought about it. He didn't want to say anything, but seeing the eager eyes of the female reporter, he decided to say a few words...

"The director chose a very good subject, and also met a group of excellent actors."

It is a relatively fair evaluation, neither praising nor criticizing.

It was time for the show to end, and more and more people gathered around. Zhang Chen didn't want to stay any longer, so he was about to leave after he finished speaking, but the reporters seemed to have identified him and blocked his way.

Then he asked: "So what do you think the final box office will be?"

Zhang Chen was stunned, looked up at the female reporter, and then looked at the camera.

It seemed like the other party was having a fight with him.

I'll just be honest: "The final box office is not expected to be very good. The box office was doomed when the director chose the pseudo-documentary format. After all, up to now, there has been no precedent of a documentary with high box office, whether in China or abroad."

(End of this chapter)