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Chapter 933: Warm-up and Premiere

Time slowly passed and May arrived.

A total of 19 new films were released during this year's May Day holiday, surpassing the record of 12 new films released in 2021, setting a new record for the number of films released during the same period in history, and is known as the "most crowded May Day holiday in history".

The new films cover a variety of genres, including action, romance, comedy, animation, crime, fantasy, and suspense, catering to audiences of different ages and preferences as much as possible.

Among them, the comedy film "Life is Unfamiliar" and the military-themed film "The King of the Sky" ranked first and second in the May Day box office with box office results of 5.1 million yuan and 4.66 million yuan respectively.

Besides familiar faces, both films featured different new generation celebrities.

【Life's Path is Unfamiliar】featured Fan Chengcheng and Zhang Jingyi.

Zhang Jingyi's popularity and online presence are average, but given that she is backed by Zhou Xun and Chen Kun's [Dong Shen Future], it's not surprising that she got this opportunity.

Fan Chengcheng is more popular. Although he has few works in the film and television industry, he has gained a large number of fans as a regular on the variety show "Running Man".

In addition, although his sister Bingbing is no longer in the Chinese entertainment industry, she still has connections and resources from back then, and has helped Fan Chengcheng a lot in many ways.

【King of the Skies】chosen Xiao Zhan.

Following the same logic, the film itself needs a young, popular actor as the lead to boost its popularity.

If he fails to make a comeback, the pie that originally belonged to him will naturally be given to someone else.

Zeng Shunxi accepted the role of "Enthusiasm," and then "King of the Sky" approached Xiao Zhan.

In terms of word-of-mouth, there were no outstanding films during this year's May Day holiday. The ratings for "Life is Unfamiliar" and "The King of the Sky" were not high. Their current box office performance is partly due to the strong support of the fans of popular stars, and partly due to the fact that they are the best among the worst.

However, due to the market recovery, the total box office for the May Day holiday still reached 15 billion yuan, ranking third in the history of Chinese film box office for the May Day holiday, close to the level of 2019 before the epidemic.

Shanghai Tingdong Film Industry Co., Ltd. became the biggest winner of this year's May Day holiday.

It was the primary producer of the May Day box office champions, "Life is Unfamiliar" and "King of the Sky".

Scheduling two of its own films for release in the same, albeit a minor, time slot is a baffling move by Tingdong Pictures.

However, the result was good; both films did very well at the box office, proving that this strategy was correct and wise.

The big boss of Tingdong Pictures is Han Han.

Since the collapse of [Sihai], Han Han has not appeared for a long time. Unexpectedly, he quietly made a comeback during the May Day holiday.

Compared to the May Day holiday season, which featured a large number of films but generally of low quality, domestic audiences are clearly more excited about the upcoming summer movie season.

On April 18, the action blockbuster "Extreme Rescue," starring Gu Wei, Yang Chaoyue, and Wu Zhenyu, released its release poster, announcing its release date of July 6.

Following closely, the highly anticipated film "Fengshen Part 7: Chaoge Fengyun", directed by Wuershan, announced its release date of July 20.

The comedy "Hot" directed by Da Peng and starring Huang Bo and Zeng Shunxi is scheduled to be released on July 28.

王保强自导自演的【八角笼中】定档8月2日，吴景和杰森斯坦森的【巨齿鲨2：深渊】定档8月4日。

Other films such as the anti-fraud film "All for the Winner," the animated film "The Longest Day in Chang'an," the drama film "The Genius," the comedy film "The Incredible Family," and the Hong Kong film "The White Storm 3: Drug Lords" have all announced their release dates, all concentrated in the two months of the summer season.

Starting with "Extreme Rescue," these films have successively released release posters and officially announced their release dates, gradually raising domestic audiences' expectations for the summer movie season.

The May Day holiday film season was just a lot of movies; the upcoming summer season will be the real blockbuster season.

On May 23, Gu Wei and the main cast of "Extreme Rescue" appeared at the 19th Huabiao Awards.

On June 1st, the production team of "Extreme Rescue" released a "Rescue" trailer, depicting a cross-border rescue of a kidnapped sister. The action scenes were intense and realistic, sparking much discussion among netizens.

On June 10th, the cast and crew of "Extreme Rescue" were invited to attend the 2023 Weibo Movie Night. Producer and lead actor Gu Wei, director Wen Muye, and lead actors Yang Chaoyue, Tian Xiwei, and Wu Zhenyu attended the red carpet and the grand ceremony together.

On June 15, the production team released a behind-the-scenes featurette titled "Sincerity and Genuineness," featuring a set of behind-the-scenes photos.

On June 18, the production team released a trailer titled "Battle in the Park" and a poster titled "All Members Assembled".

On June 20, the production team released the "Break the Boats" final trailer, officially launching pre-sales.

The capital city, [defending the world].

"The company focused its promotional efforts for 'Extreme Rescue' on online platforms, primarily targeting young people on platforms such as Weibo, Douyin, Kuaishou, and Xiaohongshu."

A significant amount of money is spent on online promotion to ensure the film's popularity online.

The effects are evident so far.

Taking Douyin as an example, since the release of the poster for the movie "Extreme Rescue", in the past two months, topics related to the movie have exceeded 10 billion views, the official account of "Extreme Rescue" has accumulated over 100 million likes, 187 trending topics, and 274 viral videos.
Several trailers have garnered over ten million views across the internet.

Among them, the fight scenes of "Boss" and the scene of actor Wu Zhenyu worshipping the gods received the most discussion.

As of today, the number of people who want to see the movie on Maoyan has exceeded 100 million, ranking first on Maoyan's list of movies that people want to see, more than 70 more than the second place.

From any perspective, "Extreme Rescue" is the most talked-about and anticipated film among all those scheduled for summer release.

After listening to Yang Liwen's report, Gu Wei nodded.

What about the screening schedule?

"We've set the release date for July 6th, which marks the start of this year's summer movie season."

Originally, "The White Storm 3" was scheduled to be released on the same day, but after "Extraction" announced its release date, "The White Storm 3" changed its release date and moved it to June 22, during the Dragon Boat Festival.

Several other animated films were released in the same period, including "The Longest Day in Chang'an", "Flying Rabbit Alliance", and "Kelly and the Super Little World".

The only new film released on July 6th was "Extraction".

According to the communication between the company and the theaters, "Extreme Rescue" will be able to get at least 40% of the screenings on the day of its release, and most of them will be prime time screenings.

The theaters have high expectations for this film and believe in the owner's box office appeal.

Don't think 40% isn't much. Although only one movie, "Extraction," was released on July 6th, there were actually a dozen or twenty movies showing at the time.

However, everyone avoided Gu Wei's film and did not want to be released at the same time as it.

Yang Liwen's emotions also rose when she talked about this.

"Actually, the release date for 'Extreme Rescue' is very good."

"The White Storm 3" and "The Longest Day in Chang'an" were released two weeks earlier, while "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade," "The Invisible Couple," and "The Power Code," which were released a week earlier, didn't seem like movies that would be big hits.

Therefore, as long as "Extreme Rescue" gets a good opening weekend at the box office, its screening share will definitely reach over 50%, and it might even be higher!

Gu Wei nodded slightly: "Very good. This summer's movie season is packed with blockbusters, making it relatively crowded."

The screening schedule for "Extraction" is already quite good, allowing ample time for box office revenue and avoiding direct competition with other popular films.

Yang Liwen smiled and complimented, "It's mainly because your title of 'King of Box Office' is so resounding, boss."

I've never failed in all these years.

Other companies, driven by profit considerations, were unwilling to release "Extraction" at the same time, thus avoiding direct competition.

According to the film schedule for the summer season.

【Fengshen: The Legend of Chaoge】 and 【The Incredible Family】 were released on the 20th and 21st respectively, two weeks after the release of 【Extraction】.

【热烈】28日，【巨齿鲨2】8月4日，【孤注一掷】8月8日，还有【学爸】、【燃冬】等几部影片在8月中下旬上映。

Everyone tacitly gave "Extreme Rescue" two weeks, and then the summer movie season will become increasingly crowded.

As Yang Liwen spoke, she seemed to remember something, her brow furrowing slightly: "There's just one thing, director Bao Qiang's film 'In the Octagon' is scheduled for release on August 2nd. It's facing stiff competition from films like 'The Investiture of the Gods' and 'Hot,' and 'The Meg 2' and 'All or Nothing.' This film is a realistic drama, so I'm afraid it will struggle to get good screenings and box office returns."

In "The Octagonal Cage," Gu Wei is the largest investor besides Wang Baoqiang, holding one-third of the shares. "Wei Ming Tianxia" is also the film's distributor.

It's described as realistic because the film is based on true events; more accurately, it's a sports-themed inspirational film.

"The promotion of [Octagonal Cage] should focus on word-of-mouth."

The film was scheduled for preview screenings across the country starting in early July.

A month is enough time for the film's word-of-mouth to fully develop!

Gu Wei certainly knew what made the [Octagonal Cage] so popular.

Wang Baoqiang is very popular, but his box office appeal cannot be demonstrated if he doesn't make comedy films.

Moreover, his previous self-directed and self-acted film, "Buddies in India," eroded the trust of many viewers, which is why he lacked funds and couldn't secure investment when filming "The Octagonal Cage."

However, he did a really good job with "The Octagonal Cage," which is worlds apart from "Buddies in India."

As long as word-of-mouth spreads for this movie, box office success won't be a problem.

On July 4th, the premiere of "Extreme Rescue" was held at the Beijing Stadium. Hundreds of celebrities from the entertainment industry attended, along with over 5000 ordinary audience members.

"Mr. Gu, your movie is probably going to break records again."

"With only two days until the official release, the pre-sale box office has already exceeded 600 million yuan! That's incredible!"

Inside the venue, Wang Changtian, the CEO of Enlight Media, chatted with Gu Wei, his words filled with envy.

"Mr. Wang, you flatter me too much. It's all thanks to the audience."

Everyone believed in me, I believed in Director Wen, and I believed in "Wei Ming Tian Xia" (卫明天下), which is why the pre-sales have achieved such good results.

I'm also a little nervous, and I hope that "Extraction" won't disappoint the audience after its release.

Wang Changtian laughed and said, "President Gu is too modest."

I spoke with Director Yuan before, and he said that the action scenes in your film are exceptionally well done, and are among the best in the world.

With you in the lead role and Wen directing, the movie is bound to be good.

I think it has a chance to surpass "The Battle of Chosin Reservoir"!

Gu Wei smiled but didn't respond.

After chatting for a few more minutes, Wang Changtian brought up "Detective Chinatown 4" again.

"The script is still being revised, but filming will definitely begin no later than next year!"

After seeing Wang Changtian off, Gu Wei went on to greet the other friends from the film and television industry who were present.

There were so many people here today, including bosses and presidents of major film and television companies, big directors and stars in the industry, and some artists and celebrities who have worked with [Wei Ming Tian Xia].

Wu Jing has also been promoting "The Meg 2: The Abyss" recently, but with a month to go before the movie's release, he's not too busy.

"How did they handle it in North America?"

He specially wore a very formal suit today to support his good friend.

"Lionsgate is in charge of the publicity there, and the main focus of the current publicity is on the Internet, and the effect is acceptable."

Because of the songs I released before and the movie "John Wick: Chapter 4" released last year, I have some fame there.

As you know, this movie is part of the setup for my film. The main promotional material in North America is that it's a spin-off of "John Wick 4".

All I need to do is go there for a few promotional tours after the movie is released.

Wu Jing nodded, and said with some envy, "You still have considerable fame in North America, while I'm finished."

"In *The Meg 2*, it was all thanks to Jason Statham's fame that nobody knew me."

Gu Wei patted him on the shoulder: "If your movie is successful, things will be different next time."

The number of celebrities attending the premiere was comparable to that of some small parties and ceremonies.

Many people who knew each other gathered together to exchange pleasantries and chat.

"Director Zhang Yimou is here too. And isn't that Director Chen Kaige and his wife? Didn't they say he and Wei Ge don't get along? Why are they here to support Wei Ge's movie today?"

Dilraba arrived early and sat next to Yang Mi, observing the other celebrities present while chirping crickets with Yang Mi.

"I guess Gu Wei's company sent the invitation to Director Chen out of courtesy, and they didn't expect him to come."

However, Director Chen's arrival dispelled speculation that the two were at odds.

A person who is good at handling situations.

Yang Mi said in a low voice.

She noticed Arthur next to Chen Kaige and his wife: "Of course, it's also possible that he's thinking about his son's future development."

After all, given Gu Wei's current status and the size of his company, it would be extremely difficult for someone who has a conflict with him to go far in the industry.

Chen Kaige doesn't care; his son is no good.

Arthur is still young, so he can't just make movies; he'll inevitably have to act in idol dramas as well.

Several major platforms have good cooperative relationships with [Weiming Tianxia].

Dilraba blinked and asked curiously, "I heard that Director Chen and Brother Wei didn't get along when filming 'The Battle at Lake Changjin.' Is that true?"

Yang Mi thought for a moment and nodded: "It's true."

The main issue was who held power within the production team at the time.

As a renowned director, Director Chen was naturally dissatisfied when he discovered that Gu Wei, the lead actor and producer, had more influence than him and that everyone else listened to him.

Furthermore, after the film's release, everyone attributed the film's box office success to the two lead actors, Gu Wei and Wu Jing, which made him even more resentful.

During the interview, I couldn't help but make a few sarcastic remarks.

I heard that after the release of "The Battle at Lake Changjin," he prepared another film on the same subject, about the Korean War. Everyone knows why.

Dilraba nodded, then suddenly noticed a figure in a long black dress standing next to Gu Wei.

"Sister Mi, Liu Yifei is here!"

Yang Mi squinted at it, then curled her lip in disdain: "You've gained weight again. You really don't care about your figure at all when you're not filming. How arrogant!"

Dilraba had a pretty good impression of Liu Yifei; she was still in school when "The Return of the Condor Heroes" and "Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils" were airing.

However, she also knew that her sister Mi and Liu Yifei did not get along.

Although she thought Liu Yifei, who was a bit plump, was still very beautiful, she couldn't say that in front of Sister Mi.

"what?

Why didn't Nazha come today?

There's no reason for her not to attend such an occasion.

Dilraba looked around but couldn't see Gulnazar anywhere.

In the past two years, she has had less and less contact with Gulnazar due to her busy work schedule, but their relationship remains the same.

She felt somewhat guilty towards Nazha.

"He must have other work," Yang guessed.

Reba nodded.

Unbeknownst to her, her best friend was already in France, pregnant and resting.

"How was your trip?" Gu Wei asked Liu Yifei, who was sitting next to him.