Chapter 388 There is a traitor, continue the transaction
Chapter 388 There is a traitor, continue the transaction
1.53 billion!
This one number directly ignited the Chinese Spring Festival prime time period.
As we enter the second decade of the 21st century, China's urbanization process is accelerating. While people are becoming more and more wealthy, society is becoming more and more atomized. This also means that traditional festivals are becoming less and less important in the hearts of the people.
The festive atmosphere of the Spring Festival is becoming weaker and weaker. After visiting relatives and friends, a large number of people are increasingly in need of new entertainment activities. Watching a movie together with the whole family during the Spring Festival has undoubtedly become an excellent choice.
At this time, a movie ticket only costs 3 yuan, or even yuan, and it is a D movie, which is completely within everyone's affordability.
Therefore, under the influence of many factors, on the first day of the Lunar New Year in 2013, "Gravity" directly set a new record for the first-day box office of a Chinese-language film in mainland China.
This combination of punches also directly confused other movies released at the same time.
Especially "Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons", which ranked second in the screening schedule. Although it had 30% of the screening schedule, its first-day box office was only a pitiful 20 million due to the ticket subsidy offensive of "Gravity".
The key is not just the box office subsidies. Just looking at the quality of the movie, there is a big gap between "Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons" and "Gravity".
On the first day of the release of Gravity, the official paper media mouthpiece People's Daily published an article titled "Our Journey is the Stars and the Sea", combining the movie Gravity with China's aerospace industry and praising it in great detail, especially highlighting the Chinese "space spirit" shown by Zhang Hanyu and others in the movie.
Then, CCTV News Channel spent a record-breaking three days reporting on the popularity of "Gravity" from three different aspects.
Although it appeared in the news for a very short time, this is undoubtedly the only work in the history of Chinese cinema that enjoys such an honor.
You have to know that Wang Hao’s previous film, “Inception”, achieved such excellent box office results overseas, but it only made the news twice.
No, not just the cultural sector.
Not to mention the cultural department, the aerospace department, the military, the Ministry of Science and Technology, and the Ministry of Industry all benefited from Wang Hao's movie.
On the night when the movie was on the news, Wang Hao received calls from leaders of various departments and received unanimous praise from them. He also received invitations from several departments after the New Year.
Obviously, Wang Hao, who has been able to firmly grasp the pulse of China's modernization development, maintain such an upright character, and at the same time be able to create and film it, has already caught the attention of many leaders as an outstanding talent.
Don't underestimate this point. The field of propaganda is also a position. China has always attached great importance to this area. In the past feudal era, this was the Confucianists' one-third acre of land, and now it is the pen that is as famous as the gun.
The abilities demonstrated by Wang Hao and his personal ideological inclinations have given him the foundation to replace Master Zhang, establish an unshakable position in the Chinese film and television industry, and become a leader in the industry.
And all this is because Wang Hao's version of "Gravity" is of extremely outstanding quality.
The scene is grand, the special effects are great, the emotions are real, the story is excellent, and the concept is high...
As a New Year's film and a science fiction blockbuster dedicated to China's space industry, "Gravity" undoubtedly far exceeds the passing requirements.
If movies are a barrel, then Gravity has absolutely no flaws on every plank.
Of course, some movie lovers may say that "Gravity" is too "glorious" and suspected of glorifying.
But what’s the problem with this in the country?
Is it true that there is no "greatness, glory, and justice" or no eulogy in Hollywood movies?
China's economy is developing rapidly and its aerospace industry is advancing steadily. Don't the Chinese people have the right to enjoy the happiness of this development?
Who doesn’t want to have some fun when watching a movie?
You can enjoy the thrill, visual feast and wonderful story in the movie while gaining a sense of national pride, and it only costs thirty or forty dollars. There is no such good thing in the world.
As for you saying you don't like it? If you don't like something that the people love, who do you think you are?
The audience will vote with their feet!
Although "Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons" released at the same time had the accumulated fame of "A Chinese Odyssey" and the blessing of Stephen Chow's reputation as the king of dramas, it itself was also full of flaws.
First of all, as a New Year's film released during the Spring Festival, although it is a comedy, its film images and some of the plots are filled with a sense of weirdness and darkness.
Not to mention the ugly fish monsters and pig monsters, there's also Zhu Bajie's black shop where people are roasted in a hanging oven, as well as all kinds of bloody, violent, vulgar and dirty jokes. Showing this kind of movie on such a festive day as the New Year isn't afraid of scaring the children.
The key point is that the movie also makes the Monkey King, who was originally a great hero in the hearts of Chinese people, into a monstrous appearance. To put it nicely, it is classicism and fundamentalism. The original "Journey to the West" is like that.
To put it bluntly, this is vilifying the heroic image of Sun Wukong.
Moreover, although "Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons" piggybacks on the fame of "A Chinese Odyssey", its story has nothing to do with "A Chinese Odyssey".
The touching love between Sun Wukong and Zixia in "A Chinese Odyssey" does not exist at all in "Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons". The feelings between Tang Sanzang and Miss Duan come inexplicably and for no reason. Shu Qi's performance is thousands of miles behind that of Athena Chu. They can only rely on an old song to sell feelings and force emotions.
As for the special effects technology, which is the selling point of the movie itself, it was even more beaten by Galaxy Group's "Gravity".
Not to mention that "Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons" is a pseudo-3D movie, there is not much 3D effect at all, and the modeling of many special effects scenes is so rough that it looks fake at first glance, just like a 3D animation.
Yes, I'm talking about the Tathagata Palm and the gorilla in the later part of the movie.
You say you don't have the technology, but you can ask Xingguang Huancai for help. As long as the money is in place, it is not impossible to take orders from competitors. Besides, the Galaxy Group doesn't consider them as competitors.
With special effects like this now, if the only blockbuster movie to watch during the Spring Festival is "Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons", the audience will not say anything.
But once compared with "Gravity" released at the same time, the difference in special effects between the two is so obvious that even an outsider can notice it.
It is no surprise that "Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons" was defeated by "Gravity" in terms of box office performance, as it was beaten in all aspects including the plot, camera shots, visual effects and even the concept of the work.
Even though Zhou Xingchi is famous, he did not appear in "Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons". Why should the audience spend more money to watch a movie that is inferior to "Gravity" in every aspect?
And to be honest, Wang Hao and [Galaxy Cinematic Universe] have far surpassed Zhou Xingchi in terms of the quality of past works and national popularity and reputation.
His last movie "CJ7", in which he starred himself, had just so-so box office reputation and performance. This time, I don't know where he got the confidence to represent the Hong Kong film and television industry to challenge Wang Hao, and he even said "let's try it".
The first day box office results were a heavy blow to the investors of "Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons", and also a slap in the face to Stephen Chow, making him realize clearly how much he weighed.
"Fuck your mother!" In the chairman's office of Bigo Group, Zhou Xingchi, who had just become the chairman of the group company by backdoor listing, slapped the cup on the desk in front of him after seeing the specific first-day box office report of "Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons".
The white porcelain cup collided with the carpeted floor, still making a crisp sound and shattered into pieces. The deputy general manager who came to report on his work was also startled and quickly lowered his head, not daring to look at Zhou Xingchi.
He knew how difficult this guy was to deal with. He was usually very mean to his employees and subordinates. Not to mention that "Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons", the first big-budget movie after the group went public, had such a low box office performance on the first day. Not only would the BiGao Group's investment be likely to suffer losses and a sharp drop in market value, Zhou Xingchi's own value as a director would also plummet.
Under the double blow, it is normal for Zhou Xingchi to be furious, and it is certain that these small fry will be taken out on.
Fortunately, this is only the first day of the film’s release, and Galaxy Group’s ticket subsidy strategy did catch them off guard, but this does not mean that the winner has been decided.
"Hurry up and contact Huayi, we also want to make up for the ticket loss!"
Zhou Xingchi quickly calmed down from his anger and panic and quickly gave orders.
"What are you still standing there for? Go quickly!"
The deputy general manager hesitated for a moment, then said, "We have contacted Huayi, and they are unwilling to make up for the ticket price."
"Don't want to? Why?" Zhou Xingchi widened his eyes.
The deputy general manager cursed in his heart, why else could it be? Of course he was not optimistic about "Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons" and didn't want to be the scapegoat.
Of course, that's not the way to say it.
"Huayi said that the ticket subsidies for Gravity were not paid by the distributor, but by Galaxy Pictures itself. According to the information they got, Galaxy Group prepared 30 million for this ticket subsidy."
As the deputy general manager spoke, he glanced at Zhou Xingchi and saw that the chairman's cheeks were twitching and his expression was very distorted. This made him secretly happy because he knew that his chairman was a stingy person. Asking him to pay another 20 million at this time would be more painful than killing him.
But if we don't pay this money, there are still 6 days left in the Spring Festival holiday. The original expected box office of "Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons" was million to million. But if "Gravity" continues to suppress it, I'm afraid it will be impossible to even recover the cost.
When things developed to this point, Zhou Xingchi even felt a little regretful.
When the movie was scheduled to be released, Huayi, as the mainland distributor, had actually reminded him and suggested that "Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons" be postponed to Valentine's Day, February 2, to be released a few days later to avoid the edge of "Gravity".
But he didn't listen, and now he realized it was too late after being beaten.
At this point, it is impossible to cancel or postpone the release of "Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons". But in Zhou Xingchi's opinion, he can still struggle.
Thinking of the instigation of a group of people at the cocktail party not long ago, Zhou Xingchi felt regretful but still had some confidence.
At such an important time, those people have to at least stand up for themselves. Otherwise, if he is really hit too hard by Wang Hao, the northerner, the Hong Kong entertainment industry will have no chance to raise its head in the mainland.
The deputy general manager looked at Zhou Xingchi without saying a word. Zhou Xingchi was silent for a moment, knowing that he could not be timid at this time and had to make a decision as soon as possible, so he said with great pain:
“We will pay part of the ticket subsidy, and Huayi will have to make an offer to pay part of it as well, and we will make up for it from the subsequent box office revenue share.
After all, when the film was distributed by Huayi, they promised that they would be able to distribute it well. "
"Chairman, how much do we have to pay?"
"1500 million, let Huayi make up 2000 million."
"Okay, I'll go inform Huayi right away."
……
"Okay, okay, Mr. Li, let's do this. Don't worry, this is also a project issued by Huayi. We have already paid a deposit of 4000 million.
This... okay..."
After hanging up the phone with the deputy general manager of Bigo Group, Wang Zhongjun couldn't help but reveal a sneer on his face. After thinking for a moment, he picked up the phone and dialed again.
"Hey, Director Wang, I have something I'd like to trouble you with.
It's not a big deal. I just want to use your Tao Piaopiao channel for movie promotion and distribution.
This... I won't hide it from you, Bigo Group wants to arrange ticket subsidies for "Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons" as well.
Yes, their plan is 2000 million, the other party will pay 1000 million, and we will pay 1000 million.
Oh, if you ask me, the ticket subsidy for "Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons" is complete nonsense. How can it compare to your "Gravity" by Director Wang? I have watched your movie, and I have only one word to say: I am convinced!
But it seems that Director Zhou is still a little unwilling, OK, OK, thank you, thank you!"
After hanging up the phone with Wang Zhongjun, Wang Hao shook his head helplessly and chuckled.
He originally thought that Zhou Xingchi and the Hong Kong circle would launch a more fierce counterattack, but now there is a traitor on their side, so his methods cannot be demonstrated.
Yes, Wang Zhongjun made this call to surrender.
Only he could take the ticket subsidy funds for "Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons" and ask Tao Piaopiao for help in ticket subsidies. It is equivalent to giving money to Tao Piaopiao.
However, Huayi actually has no better solution except surrendering and sending money.
Wang Hao looked at the documents on hand again. On February 2, which is today, the screening schedule of "Gravity" has increased from 11% to 43.7% due to the huge box office success on the first day, continuing to lead the market.
So far, "Gravity", "Inception" and "Wolf Warrior" produced by Galaxy Group have taken the top three places in the first-day box office of Chinese-language films in mainland China.
Galaxy Group is well-deserved of its reputation as the number one private film and television company in China.
(End of this chapter)