this man is not calm

Chapter 418 Influence
Watching a well-made movie on a big screen is a completely different level of enjoyment than watching it on a small screen.

In order to attract movie fans to spend money to watch the show, Jin Shang and Nan Dabiao put in a lot of effort, including upgrading and renovating the theaters, introducing advanced filming equipment and 3D technology, exploring the potential of action directors, and investing heavily in digital post-production and computer special effects.

After such a huge investment and persisting for two years, I finally see the return on my investment.

Halfway through the movie, Jin Shang looked around at the audience's reactions. They were basically immersed in the movie scenes. To use a popular internet meme to describe it, "there were very few boring moments."

This "Changbanpo" is the masterpiece of the famous historical general Zhao Yun, in which Liu Bei, Guan Yu, Zhang Fei and Zhuge Liang all became supporting roles. When Dai Yiqun's handsome face with almost no dead angles, coupled with his heroic and both civil and martial personality, appeared in front of the audience again and again, Jin Shang knew that the result would not be bad.

Image design is the key. It took a lot of thought to find a balance between the images in historical novels, historical biographies, operas and the common people's cognition.

The heroic historical perspective is the only breakthrough point. The Three Kingdoms is the stage for countless historical figures to perform. When talking about Zhao Yun, just talk about him properly and don't talk about nonsense. The audience comes in to see how the ever-victorious general single-handedly kills Cao's army. If the focus is placed elsewhere, the show will become distracting and put the cart before the horse, and it will probably be over.

It is not easy to find a balance between art and business. Those who can master both are rare not only in China but also in the world. It was like this in the last life, and it is estimated that this life will not be too different.

More than 2,000 people gathered in the theater, but there was still no noise. Everyone's attention was focused on watching the movie, and they had no time to look around. Only the original soundtrack of the movie echoed around.

Just as Jin Shang was patiently waiting for the movie to end, Zhang Yu in the back row knocked on the back of the chair, then came over and laughed softly:

"Ashan, you are becoming more and more charming. When you left that day, several young girls asked me about you. Just now, someone also tried to get to know you. Is it because you have grown up, or is it because of your noble character? I see you often, and I don't think you have changed. In the eyes of outsiders, you are getting more and more attractive the more I see you."

"Mind your own business. When your brother's marriage is settled, it will be your turn. You can't run away."

"Hey, it's too early. I'm a celebrity now, so I can't have any scandals."

"What kind of celebrity is this? It's just a name. Wait until you release an album that sells over 10 million, then you can consider whether you are a celebrity or not."

"This... is too demanding!"

"My aunt is not someone who is easily persuaded. Don't talk nonsense."

"I'm not talking about you, why do you keep bringing it up with me?"

Zhang Wu muttered unhappily,

"You know what? I told you that you have a fiancée, but there are still some shameless people who are eager to try. People nowadays... are so shameless."

"What does it have to do with you? There are always people who want to take shortcuts!"

Everyone makes a living in this circle, and when they suddenly see a stranger sitting together with Nan Dalong, it is normal for people who don’t know them to have wild imaginations. Unfortunately, Jin Shang is not from the circle and will have no intersection with them at all.

If it weren't for the fact that the movie "Changbanpo" was very important, carrying the burden of IP development for historical blockbusters, and the higher-ups also attached great importance to its external cultural propaganda effect, Jin Shang would never have taken the time to come and watch the effect in person.

Hearing the teasing of his cousins, Nan Dalong couldn't help but burst out laughing:
"Ashan, if I had a face like yours, it would be easier for me to get by."

"Come on, handsome men and beautiful women are rare in other places, but in this industry... they have never been a scarce resource. Okay, I'll leave first. Let's get together backstage after this is over. The celebration party... I'll come back to see it after the promotion is over."

"Okay! It's a mess after the movie, it's hard to talk."

Then, Jin Shang followed the staircase and went out from the back to the renovated office preparation room in the backstage. He turned on the theater's backstage monitoring system. The real-time box office and pre-sales had exceeded 7 million. The box office for the first weekend should be between 40 and 50 million. The revenue contributed by the renovated and upgraded theaters accounted for 65% of the total.

Ever since Nanda Biao started investing heavily in building new cinema chains, it’s not that no one has tried to upgrade and renovate the original equipment, but the moves have not been that large-scale.

The situation is very clear now. Basically, those who followed have made money. The old cinemas are better than before, but also limited.

This year's total domestic box office may increase by 45%, and the films jointly released by Jinxi Culture and Changdi Culture will account for half of the total. Based on the conventional revenue ratio of 1 to 4, the total revenue may exceed 3 billion.

However, these revenues are scattered across the numerous business segments of each subsidiary, and each one is not particularly prominent, but when added together they are quite considerable.

While I was drinking a cup of coffee, the movie outside was over. The main creative staff came forward to interact with the audience and express their gratitude. They left one after another after more than ten minutes.

Not long after, Dai Yiqun, Nan Dalong and Zhang Yu came to the office where Jin Shang was waiting.

Dai Yiqin greeted with a smile on her face:

“When I saw President Jin leave the theater midway through, I thought he was dissatisfied with the quality of the movie…”

"No, I've already seen it in advance, so I won't wait any longer. Let's not talk about this, just sit down, I have something to tell you..."

After asking the staff to serve tea to everyone, Jin Shang continued to explain,
"At the end of the year, there will be an international interactive exchange event involving economics and culture. The former includes topics such as e-commerce, instant messaging, SNS social networks, the deep integration of new energy and data centers into smart cities, and low-carbon and environmental protection exploration in the new era. We are working on these and rushing to complete them, so you don't need to worry about them. As for the latter, traditional culture is the top priority. In the past, some national musical instruments, local dramas, and folk music and art played the leading roles. This year, two themes, "The Legend of the White Snake" and "Romance of the Three Kingdoms", have been shortlisted. "Journey to the West" is still being sought. After the TV series is broadcast next month and there are actual results, we will talk about it again..."

"That's a good thing! We have a mature plan in this regard, just follow it."

Nan Dalong had not yet realized the crux of the matter, and said casually,

"Wouldn't it be better to let the creators come up with a few promotional themes?"

"How can it be that simple?"

Jin Shang responded slowly,

"This is a warm-up for next year's Asian Games, and a rehearsal for the cultural survey to apply for the 2004 Olympics. The vote was supposed to be made in July, but it was postponed to the end of November, or possibly the beginning of December, so..."

Jin Shang gave him a look that said "you know what I mean" and continued:

"It is very likely that some of the footage will be included in the final promotional video. Who knows, the International Olympic Committee may come to investigate. Of course, this is not what you should worry about. On the contrary, I have exaggerated the 'smart city' a bit, and everyone took it seriously. I have to produce something real. However, you should not be careless..."

"Ah, so you have to pay attention to your international image?" "If you do it badly, it may not be bad, but if you do it well, you may get candy."

Over the past few years, China's plus points on the international stage have always been largely history and culture, with little to show for its high-tech capabilities. However, no matter how good something is, it is always the same old thing, and people will get tired of talking about the same thing over and over again.

So, there has to be something new and attractive.

Although the capital is large, it is also limited. There are not necessarily many things that are really worth picking out and weighing.

"So...what should we do?"

"Brother Dai is well-known in the Asia-Pacific region, but less so in Europe and the United States. He seems to have gained some popularity this year. His celebrity appeal is unquestionable. In addition, there is the Three Kingdoms City tourism culture, as well as offline fan-organized activities, which can be guided appropriately when the time comes. I don't know how to do it specifically, but the main focus is on establishing the city's image, the spiritual outlook of the citizens, and enriching cultural life..."

"Since it's a hot topic right now, we naturally have to take on some social responsibility, right?"

"Well! Don't worry too much. I have some connections in the radio and television industry, and some senior people in the literary and art circles can also speak for me. It's best if foreigners like it, but it doesn't matter if they don't. It's normal for foreigners not to understand the breadth and depth of Chinese culture. It's only good if our own people think it's good."

"Now that you put it that way, I have an idea. I thought it was some big mission. Just don't have any inappropriate scandals in the near future and get more positive publicity. No problem."

Nan Dalong promised without hesitation, and Jin Shang said nothing more, just knowing what was going on.

"I'm very busy here, so I won't worry about the details. I'll seize Drunken Master 2 as it's the last chance to make a lot of money before the Spring Festival. I'll try to have a successful conclusion this year."

"Row!"

After finishing talking about the important things, Nan Dalong said in a relaxed manner,
"After these things, I understand why Ashang wants to control the pace of film releases. The market capacity is limited. There are only so many moviegoers in a schedule. If it is not planned properly, it will be a disaster for distribution."

Currently, the only time slots in China that can accommodate two movies with a box office of over 50 million yuan at the same time are the summer vacation and the Lunar New Year vacation. The other time slots are very limited. The quality of the films, the target audiences, the publicity and promotion strategies, the ticket subsidy methods, the release procedures, etc. all need to be controlled by experienced people in the industry.

For example, the production of "Changbanpo" was a step slower. The domestic IMAX theaters were first occupied by "The Legend of White Snake", and later "The Substitute Prince" filled the vacancy. It was not until late September that there were enough screenings for it to be released.

It is difficult to make changes, as one small move will affect the entire body. If you act rashly, you may suffer losses of tens of millions, and the rhythm of publicity and promotion will also be disrupted. If you fail to catch the hot spots, the invested funds will be wasted.

In the three-month contracted screening period, the first month accounts for 70% to 80%, and the first two weekends account for half of the first month. There are occasional deviations, but this is roughly the case.

There are even some films that have signed dynamic profit-sharing plans, with the profit-sharing ratio being 91% in the first two weeks and then reversed or abandoned entirely thereafter. Different agreements lead to different publicity and promotion routines.

As the Legend of White Snake is about to be released, the well-made DVDs and videotapes have begun to be shipped, and will be put on the shelves of various rental and sales outlets when the time comes. Online pre-orders have already been opened, and they are just waiting for the official delivery.

As for the online viewing resources of Jinxi Video, they are released three months later than DVDs and videotapes. The reason is that offline channels are too profitable these days, and online on-demand viewing is not yet popular. Launching online half a year later is already the limit.

"That's it. On the first of next month, Journey to the West will be broadcast during prime time on the general channel. Everyone, please take some time to mobilize your friends and family to watch it. I have higher expectations for this film than for The Legend of the White Snake..."

Hearing this, Dai Yiqin asked curiously:
"Do you want me to promote it in public?"

"It's not a good idea to advertise bluntly. How about this? After the show airs, post a daily update without mentioning the promotion. Just put a clear TV picture in the background."

"Soft advertising?"

"It's like the product placement in movies and TV series. You just need to figure out how to do it based on your own situation."

In fact, online promotion and the saturated exposure matrix of traditional media have been implemented for some time, and everyone should know about it.

With Jin Shang's strong support, the filming costs were sufficient, many detours were avoided, the script was more substantial, and a total of 107 episodes were filmed. It really took a lot of effort. The biggest difficulty was not the action effects, but a lot of time was wasted on the selection of actors.

In addition, the real-life shooting of the Xieyue Sanxing Cave, Lingtai Fangcun Mountain, Lingxiao Palace, Huaguo Mountain, etc. are all built with a one-to-one restoration of the real thing. Once the IP becomes popular, it can develop tourist attractions and projects, enclose the surrounding land, build villas and sell houses, etc. Anyway, the selected shooting locations are all real Feng Shui treasures.

"I have to go to a meeting, so I'll leave now. Please work hard these days. It's the fourth quarter, and this year is a good year. Don't let things fall apart at the last minute. By the way..."

Jin Shang glanced at Zhang Yu who was busy with the scene.
"My aunt asked you to call back. Your uncle is celebrating his 60th birthday next month. He said he hasn't seen you and cousin Yunying for a long time. Are you not going back to your hometown and are developing your career outside? You should go back and show up when you have nothing to do. Don't lose your connections in your hometown. If you are wronged outside and then want to go back to repair the ancestral hall, it's not sincere."

"You are not qualified to say such things."

Zhang Wu gave Jin Shang an unpleasant look.
"Every time I go back, my aunts and uncles are very enthusiastic about introducing their relatives to me. It's nothing serious except blind dates. I already knew it."

"Go back with your aunt. She will protect you. The Zhang family is not someone that anyone can mess with. Don't worry."

After saying goodbye to everyone, Jin Shang got into the business car, and then called Hao Qilian, but the call didn't go through. Then he called Sun Daqi.

"Hey, Brother Sun, I'll leave right away and be there soon..."

"Foreign Trade and Economic Cooperation, China Development Bank, China External Development Bank, and sovereign investment funds... In addition to these, are there any other companies that need to be paid special attention to?"

"Got it, see you later!"

After hanging up the phone, Jin Shang felt peaceful.

Today's culture is growing stronger and stronger. Not to mention offline physical manufacturing and sales channels, the internationalization of online e-commerce and surrounding applications is getting faster and faster. Many things can no longer be done by one's own efforts or remote control.

The need to introduce strategic investors is urgent, not because of a lack of money, but because of a need for credibility endorsement.

With the current scale of Jinxi Mall, there is no problem in calling for a valuation of 20 billion yuan, and there are people who would accept 30 billion yuan. The only problem is that it is difficult to find qualified investors.

Not only the Today and Yesterday Mall, but also the data center and energy development plans require sufficient funds and allies to promote them.

(End of this chapter)