this man is not calm

Chapter 396: Money
Not only in China, but also abroad, the total box office has shown a downward trend. Ticket prices have risen, the number of canvases has increased, but the annual total box office has remained the same or even slightly declined.

Overall, none of them are doing well, and domestic counterparts are particularly weak.

"Now, you all have almost realized why I am willing to sell everything I have to open a cinema chain, right? It may not necessarily make it, but without it, there is definitely no future. How can there be any development if the lifeblood is in the hands of others and we are controlled by others?"

Nan Dalong agreed and said:
"Indeed, ordinary cinemas are not enough. We must have high-end theaters and extraordinary entertainment, such as 3D giant screens, IMAX, and surround immersive experiences. Otherwise, how can we compete with TV networks and home theaters?"

You spend dozens of dollars to watch a movie, everyone gathers together, it's noisy, and there's no good experience at all. You might as well spend money to buy videotapes and DVDs and install high-end audio equipment, which are cheaper and you can watch the movie repeatedly as many times as you want. Why spend money to go to the cinema and suffer?

Nowadays, probably only young people who are dating like that atmosphere. Most people won’t go to the movies if they have nothing to do.

The main reason is that I don't have much expectations. It's better to wait for the community to hold activities during the New Year, such as movies going to the countryside, or watching open-air movies, and then go and watch it for free.

Not only do theaters need to be upgraded, but also shooting technology, film industry, publicity and promotion methods, peripheral development, etc., must keep up.

Box office revenue only accounts for about 20% of the revenue of North American film companies. For the cultural group jointly formed by Jin Shang and the Nan brothers, box office revenue accounts for about 35% of the total revenue, while other domestic peers account for more than 90%, which makes it very difficult to deal with.

Coupled with the fact that piracy is squeezing out market share, this industry is shrinking at a visible rate. If we don’t think of a solution, it will be the end of us.

Last year, the movies released by Changdi Culture accounted for 27% of the total box office for the whole year. It is quite an exaggeration for a film company that has been established for less than two years to have such an achievement. Among them, the first part of "Drunken Master" and another urban light comedy starring Dai Yiqun increased the box office a lot.

Without the support of superstars, it would probably be even uglier.

This is also the reason why, even though the second part of "Drunken Master" had a production budget of 18 million, there are still many investment companies willing to join at a premium.

The pursuit of success is even more obvious in the film and television entertainment circles.

After receiving the investment funds and attracting sponsorship, 60% of the theoretical costs had been recovered before filming began, so profit was not a problem.

The industry is so magical that blockbusters with big stars, big directors and big investments actually have lower risks than low-budget movies that are carefully calculated.

"During the summer vacation, the fourth part of Romance of the Three Kingdoms will be airing at a critical juncture. Brother Dai's role as Zhao Yun will be at its peak, and his popularity in the Greater East Asia region will rise to a new level. We should strike while the iron is hot and finish filming Changbanpo to release it. This year... we'll just have these two movies, right?"

"There's another realistic film, no big scenes, it should be done soon. This is to repay a favor, the script is not bad, so I took it. Also..."

"besides?"

Nan Dalong spread his hands helplessly and said:
"How little do you care about your film and television projects? This is clearly a TV series adapted from a popular novel that we're promoting here..."

"Really!"

Jin Shang scratched the back of his head awkwardly. The domestic film and television drama market is so small. Before the pockets of ordinary people become fatter, they don't have much money to consume cultural products. Today's cultural market is getting bigger and bigger, and it can't support the huge revenue just by making movies and TV series.

Precisely because of the temporary decline in importance, Jin Shang handed over the leading power to Zhao Rongzhen. Generally, unless it is a super large project, it will not come to Jin Shang.

"The TV series 'The World', adapted from the best-selling novel of the same name, is considered a realistic theme, isn't it what you asked for?"

"Hearing what you said, I have some impression."

After thinking for a moment, Jin Shang felt that he had seen it somewhere.

The original name was not this. In order to stand out among a large number of online articles of varying quality, it naturally had to have an eye-catching and straightforward title. Later, it was changed at Jin Shang’s suggestion. More than half a year has passed, and it has completed the journey from publication to drama adaptation?
Zhao Rongzhen also sought Jin Shang's opinion on whether to choose a few good themes and make a sequel to "The Story of a Noble Family". After being rejected, there was no further news. Jin Shang thought that it was over, but he didn't expect that it would be adapted into a TV series as a separate theme.

The production cost might be less than 10 million, so there's no need to ask Jin Shang for permission. A few supervisors can just discuss it and start working on it.

"How much is Brother Dai paid?"

"Friendship price two million!"

"That's quite friendly."

Smacking his lips, Jin Shang thought it was not a bad thing.
"I've read this novel, it's pretty good. If the screenwriter and director are good, the resulting series won't be bad either. There's a good chance there will be a sequel in the future, I'm very optimistic."

"As an art consultant, you should show up at the company more often. Many people don't recognize you anymore."

"Okay, once Jinxi Video is listed, I guess I'll have more free time."

With the business growing to this size, Jin Shang will not pay attention to every detail of every business segment, especially the film and television entertainment with very little revenue and profit. It will be enough to maintain market share and influence, and he cannot expect too much for the time being.

"Let's not talk about that anymore. How are the sales of Brother Dai's all-English album?"

Dai Yiqin smiled reservedly:
"Industry estimates are that sales during the three-month golden period will be around 16 million to 18 million, and around 30 million over the entire life cycle, but I personally think this is too conservative."

More than a decade ago, during the record industry's platinum era, there were super popular bands whose albums sold over 100 million copies worldwide, which was simply astonishing.

This kind of mythical performance is hard to come by, and there are no more than ten of them in total.

However, up to now, there are less than 60 albums with total sales exceeding 10 million. It can be seen that the pop music industry is also extremely concentrated at the top, where the winner takes all, and those who suffer from drought will die of drought, while those who suffer from floods will die of floods.

In the 1990s, there were only 20 albums with global sales exceeding 10 million, and Dai Yiqun accounted for 4 of them. The currently hot-selling "It's My Life" is the fifth. In addition to the two title songs "It's My Life" and "We will rock You" arranged by Jin Shang, the other songs in the super album are excellent works selected from the company's music library and excellent works purchased from outside.

With Dai Yiqun's current popularity, she no longer needs Jin Shang's guidance. It is enough for her to provide one or two classics. The rest is the responsibility of the professional team.

If the boss has to direct everything, and we spend so much money to support the team, is that just a waste of time?

"Eighteen million, this global sales volume is pretty good."

Dai Yiqin shook his head and smiled bitterly:
“The estimated sales volume in China and Greater East Asia is only 8 million, which is the same as Europe and the United States. Other places contribute less than 20%.”

"That is to say, although it failed in China, it sold well abroad."

Nan Dalong chuckled and responded nonchalantly: "A few million is also called a flop. I guess only Old Dai would have such a strict standard."

"Compared to before, it's definitely not as good as before!"

“It’s a foreign language album!”

“What is the analyst’s opinion?”

Dai Yiqin replied:
"The domestic market for foreign-language rock albums is not that big. This form of music is not well adapted to the local climate and has not been localized, so it is more or less unpopular."

This sales volume is achieved based on Dai Yiqun's super high popularity. If it were someone else, the sales volume might also be good, but the ceiling in China would only be two to three million.

"Cultural differences? They really can't be ignored!"

It’s not to say that Chinese people don’t like rock music, but it’s not to the extent that it overshadows other music styles, and it’s not even at the forefront.

“It’s a carnival for some people, a feast for the band, and the atmosphere of the live performance, but it can’t represent everything.”

Jin Shang agreed with Dai Yiqun's point of view, and he just confirmed it again this time.

"Rock is a basket that can hold anything. After all, we don't have the big distinctions about skin color, religion, and ethnicity that Europe and the United States have. We don't have a series of problems caused by discrimination. It's a fertile soil for the birth of genres like rock and hip-hop."

Imported products are not local products after all. They have not been "domesticated" locally. There is a layer of separation between them.

Unfortunately, most of the domestic rock bands and hip-hop players have only learned the superficial aspects, and the real essence has not been "transplanted".

This also leads to the fact that although there are some die-hard fans in the country who support the basic base, the general public still has a higher acceptance of folk, pop and ethnic styles.

What's more, rock music is not a monolithic genre. Punk is still the current mainstream in China, but many strange categories have emerged abroad. It's hard to keep up, so naturally people are too lazy to follow.

Basically, in the Chinese music circle, most of those who copy others completely fail miserably, while those who borrow from others and do their own thing are mostly okay.

Dai Yiqun's super album "It's My Life" is intended to expand her popularity abroad and is closely related to the company's global layout.

The current hot sales of MP3 players overseas are closely related to Dai Yiqun’s endorsement advertisements.

Correspondingly, Jinxi Music, messaging chat, blog and other applications have also successfully entered the overseas market and established a firm foothold.

There was a phenomenon that made Jin Shang feel deeply moved.

The global sales of MP3 players are currently around 3 million, but the sales of Dai Yiqun's electronic albums have exceeded this number. The sales of some of her popular singles are dozens of times the download volume of MP players and computer clients.

The song with the highest purchase volume was "A Man Should Be Self-reliant". For some unknown reason, a wealthy fan bought more than 300 copies in one go. I don't know if he gave them all away for promotion.

It can be seen that the so-called online electronic music is truly a powerful "sickle" in the era of traffic, and its efficiency in "cutting leeks" is too high.

"Actually, I don't think I have 7 or 8 million fans in China who can understand foreign languages ​​and appreciate rock music. Most of them support me because of my personal fame. Next time I release an album in foreign languages, I have to be careful. If I do too much, it will consume my popularity."

It is impossible to go against the market by force, even if you are a superstar.

"Overall, the effect is OK, but... abandoning the domestic market and catering to the preferences of foreign fans is a bit putting the cart before the horse. There are sporadic criticisms circulating at present."

It may not be a big deal, but it is an attitude after all and cannot be completely ignored.

Indeed, we can’t be so biased in the future.

It would be fine if her popularity was not so high, but for a national idol like Dai Yiqun, there are so many people interpreting her every move.

Today's public opinion atmosphere is no longer like that of the past when people were saying "the moon is rounder in foreign countries". The market for "export-to-domestic sales" is not large, and only by establishing a foothold locally can one survive.

"Don't worry, this is just a beneficial attempt. It's not a failure, but the side effects are a bit big. There are also many benefits. There are more calls for concerts abroad. There weren't so many before."

The title of international superstar is still very useful. It makes money, which is not shameful. Foreign leeks are also leeks and should be treated equally. Moreover, there is no guilt in harvesting them.

Of course, the foreign rock songs that Jin Shang chose for Dai Yiqun to support the sales of the super album were all classics that had been tested by the market in the previous life, were popular all over the world, and were also very popular in China. The success rate was still quite high.

As for other money-making plans at the music level, Jin Shang will release an album called "The Sea" at the end of the month, which will include all of Bao Ge's more popular songs, such as "Fish Swimming All Day Long", "My Future Is Not a Dream", "Miss You Everyday" and "Still Friends". He will make an album with all the popular songs and sell them whole.

As for the first album released this year by the Xiao Ma Zha band for Mei Shuying, they copied the unpopular singer's first three albums, picked and chose, and then asked the lead singer to pick a few songs she liked from the company's music library, and matched them with original lyrics and music written by herself, and named it "Kite", and it will soon meet the fans.

Summer vacation is coming soon, and a large number of young students have free time to listen to music, watch movies and chase stars. Singers and actors are also about to concentrate on their work.

"It's all about money! Oh, and we have to keep up with the release of video games. The long-awaited "StarCraft: Brood War" should be released soon. If we don't develop it, what will Internet cafes have and what will Internet users play?"

"You……"

Hearing Xiao Jin's exaggerated tone, Nan Dalong laughed and said,

"Young people are indeed very good at understanding the preferences of their peers. After trying the beta version, Xiaojie is almost addicted and is waiting to play online with his classmates. This year's academic performance... I guess I'll be scolded again."

"Blame me."

Without video games, are there no other pastimes that affect children's learning?
It doesn’t cost much, it saves trouble, and there’s no danger. As long as you can find the right balance between work and work, it’s not a bad thing, right?
"Xiao Biao, which children do you think are screened out during the primary and secondary school stages?"

Without waiting for an answer, Jin Shang answered on his own:
"Children whose parents don't care about them are most likely to fall behind. Don't be misled by some so-called self-motivated top students. For children with poor self-control, parental discipline is far more important than strict teachers at school. Playfulness is human nature, and proper guidance and reasonable control are the key..."

(End of this chapter)