The Wind of China Entertainment 2005

Chapter 507: The Banquet at Hongmen: Revitalizing the Costume Film Market

"Dragon Gate earned 2500 million yuan on its first day, followed closely by The Flowers of War with 1900 million yuan. Dragon Gate is currently leading the way."

——Sina Entertainment reports.

"As of December 12, four days after their release, both films have surpassed the 18 million yuan mark at the box office. Dragon Gate grossed 1.59 million yuan in its first weekend, while Flowers of War grossed 1.50 million yuan. The gap has not widened, and the trend is stalemate. The overall market performance has not met industry expectations."

——Beijing Daily.

"Theatrical releases were generally disappointing for the first week performances of Dragon Gate and Flowers of War. The two films had been competing fiercely before, but their performances were far less than the 1.67 million yuan in the first week of Love Is Not Blind last year, or the 1.8 million yuan of Let the Bullets Fly."

——Xiaoxiang Morning News.

"Lu Yuan was absent from the follow-up promotion of Dragon Gate. He recently appeared at the Capital International Airport with his girlfriend Liu Shishi and went to Thailand to complete the follow-up filming of Lost in Thailand."

——Liaoshen Evening News.

"According to analysis by cinema chain insiders, given the current situation, it is possible for the combined box office of the two films to reach the 10 billion yuan mark, but it is hopeless for either film to break this milestone alone."

--Southern Metropolis Daily.

"."

Very surprised!
Many people in the industry were confused.

In this box office battle, both "Dragon Gate" and "The Flowers of War" suffered losses, and the results of both films failed to meet expectations.

Generally speaking, a movie’s first-week box office revenue accounts for 30-40% of the total box office revenue.

Of course, we cannot rule out the possibility that the two pieces will break through market rules in the long run.

But at present, if the tug of war continues, subsequent Chinese and foreign films such as "Intimate Enemies", "Mission Impossible 4" and "Sherlock Holmes 2" will be released one after another.

The Chinese film market in December will face even more fierce competition.

The box office of "Dragon Gate" and "The Flowers of War" will most likely end up in the range of 5-6 million yuan.

Compared with the huge investment, big cast and audience expectations of the two films, such results are truly surprising.

Compared with the same period last year, this year's Lunar New Year box office is particularly poor.

Last year, "Aftershock" and "Let the Bullets Fly" stood out from the crowd with box office results of 6.73 million and 6.61 million respectively.

In contrast, this year, as of now, "The Founding of a Party" has ranked first in the box office with 4.23 million.

Before the movie was released, Zhang Weiping boasted that the box office would exceed 10 billion, which is a bit exaggerated.

But considering that the number of screens increases year by year.

The number one box office in 2011, how should I put it, 8 million, no, 7 million should be no problem.

People in the industry did not understand and fell into deep thought.

What’s going on in the market?
Is Chinese cinema going in reverse?
They can control release dates, influence film scheduling, and create publicity, but no one dares to say that they can predict what the audience will think.

"The Flowers of War" has received rave reviews and is hailed as Zhang Yimou's best work in the past ten years. Although the plot of "Flying Daggers of Dragon Gate" has been criticized, the 3D special effects are also quite good.

Overall, it's above average, but this is the only result. What's the problem?
Why was it different from what they imagined? Before the release, both sides launched an overwhelming publicity campaign, including verbal battles on Weibo, competition for awards, and even sex scenes.

The momentum is so huge that it is astonishing.

All he talks about is breaking through 10 billion.

All the hoopla was in vain when the harsh reality of the first-week box office lay before them.

At New Picture Pictures, seeing that the box office performance in the first week was unfavorable, Zhang Weiping once again raised the banner of public opinion.

He said that when "The Flowers of War" was promoted and released in North America, it was threatened by a Japanese company, which denied and threatened to ban the Nanjing Massacre.

Trying to arouse the emotional resonance of the Chinese people.

Netizens were excited, but the increase in box office revenue that day was not obvious.

Is this the feeling it gives everyone now?
It's like a man does a lot of preparation before going to bed, such as using essential oils, wax drops, and stockings, and doing two hours of foreplay, but in the end, it's over just when it gets close.

Hong Kong, Media Asia Entertainment.

The conference room was silent. Li Guoxin, who was sitting at the first seat, broke the silence by tapping the table with his knuckles.

"Everyone please share your views."

With only two months left before the release of "Time Raiders", "The Banquet" is already ready to go.

Although the two sides had a conflict because of "Far Cry" at the beginning, they decided to use "The Banquet" as a spear to target "Chrono".

Give a vivid "marketing lesson" to a new director from the mainland.

However, when the dawn of reason penetrates the haze of impulse.

Especially after seeing the tragic situation where "Dragon Gate" and "The Flowers of War" were released on the same day but both failed, I had more things to consider.

In this age where interests are paramount, the competition for face seems insignificant.

Besides, he is not the only investor in this play.

Li Guoxin is well aware of the pros and cons of this matter, so he hopes to hear everyone's opinions.

Publicity Director Xie Tang coughed and cleared his throat, drawing everyone's attention.

He stood up and led everyone to focus their attention on the huge display screen in the conference room.

"I did a market survey, please take a look."

The interview clips were played one by one on the display screen.

A middle-aged man said: "I don't like Zhang Yimou's usual routine, using history, culture and art as the stage, and power, capital and consumption as the performers."

A man dressed as a student was furious: "I am a fan of martial arts. This year I watched "Guan Yunchang" and "The Heroines of Yang's Family" with great enthusiasm, but I almost vomited blood after watching them. I really dare not watch "Flying Daggers of Dragon Gate" again. I refuse to be fooled again!"

An old man said hurriedly: "I don't like Nanjing! Nanjing!, so I won't watch The Flowers of War, it's that simple."

Another young man appeared on the screen: "3D doesn't appeal to me. A great director at this age shouldn't be rehashing old stuff. Lu Yuan's performance is outstanding, but if the plot is not good, it won't work. I won't pay for a star's participation, even if I have a good impression of Lu Yuan."

"."

End of interview segment.

Xie Tang said: "Directors and leading actors have always been important factors for audiences to choose movies, especially big directors. Their star effect even surpasses the leading actors in many cases. At the same time, negative reviews are also continuous."

“Audiences refuse to watch The Flowers of War because they don’t like Zhang Yimou’s The Hawthorn Tree or Three Shots at a Time.

Or maybe they were disappointed with Xu Ke's recent works such as "Women Are Not Bad", and thought that Xu Ke had run out of ideas, so they rejected "Dragon Gate".

Li Guoxin held his chin, pondered for a moment, and said in a calm tone: "We can't do anything about this. There are only a few directors with appeal in the market. It's impossible for them to spend tens of millions to bet on a new director like a big star."

As he spoke, he laughed to himself.

Xie Tang added: "Also, although the two films are of different genres, they are equally good in quality and have their own advantages. If they compete head-on, the box office will naturally be divided. Although the number of screens has increased dramatically in the past two years, the market is far from saturated."

Li Guoxin said, nodded slightly, and glanced at everyone in the conference room, and asked: "So, everyone thinks we should release it on the same day as "Out of Time" as originally planned, or adjust the schedule."

“I advocate that there is no need to stagger.”

The short-haired middle-aged woman from Starlight International on the left said confidently: "In recent years, the costume film market has suffered from its reputation due to its eagerness for quick success and shoddy production, but we are different. We are here to revive the costume film market." The Hongmen Banquet has an investment of 1.2 million yuan and a luxurious lineup, with a number of big-name stars such as Leon Lai, Zhang Hanyu, Liu Yifei, Feng Shaofeng, and Huang Qiusheng joining in.

Lu Yuan is indeed the most popular, but with so many celebrities gathered together, how could they not be able to compete with him? As for Liu Shishi, who is she? Why should we be afraid of his small production of 3000 million yuan? "

She changed the subject and said, "The reason why Love Is Not Blind has become so popular is due to its accurate positioning and effective publicity. I think the online rumors about Lu Yuan's box office appeal are exaggerated.

In "Flying Daggers of Dragon Gate", he was a hot topic and his role as Yu Huatian also attracted much attention, even overshadowing Jet Li, but his direct role in boosting the box office was not that significant. The audience is rational, and what they value in the end is the story itself."

The meeting room was silent for a long time, and everyone turned their eyes to the first seat.

Li Guoxin hesitated for a moment and then made a decisive decision.

"In that case, our plan remains unchanged and we will release it on the same day! We will use The Feast at Hongmen to crush it."

December 12, Bangkok, Thailand.

Lu Yuan was also listening to Zhang Wenbo's telephone report.

According to Zhang Wenbo's investigation, the role of Yu Huatian had a significant impact on the box office of "Dragon Gate".

"Flying Swords of Dragon Gate" and "The Flowers of War" were released at the same time. The ticket prices for these two movies are very high, forcing many viewers to make a choice during the Lunar New Year holiday.

Cultural workers prefer "The Flowers of War", while men in science and engineering prefer "Dragon Gate".

Moreover, their selection tendencies are often influenced by their significant other.

When the two parties disagree, they can either see which movie starts at a more coincidental time after entering the theater, or see who is more powerful between the couple in the end.

In most cases, women can easily take the dominant position, and men will not argue with their wives or girlfriends about this.

In addition, the character of Yu Huatian is indeed unique and charming, and Lu Yuan’s popularity among the public is quite terrifying.

Therefore, many viewers who originally planned to watch "The Flowers of War" bought tickets for "Dragon Gate".

Zhang Wenbo and his colleagues in the studio's publicity department agreed that the core reason why the box office fell short of expectations was that the current film market could not accommodate the competition between two domestic blockbusters at the same time.

Of course, overly high box office expectations are another important factor leading to this result.

Wait for Zhang Wenbo to finish reporting in detail on recent work dynamics and the progress of publicity for "Out of Time and Space".

Lu Yuan hung up the phone and looked towards the set.

He and his girlfriend arrived in Bangkok last night. He had a scene to shoot this morning and Liu Shishi also came with him.

In front of me is a river about ten meters wide, with turbid and fast-flowing water.

The scene to be filmed today is Xu Lang and Wang Bao riding an elephant across the river.

Unexpectedly, he was startled by Gao Yuan's sudden flying knife and fell off the elephant's back, and was then swept away by the surging river.

After a struggle, they finally climbed to the shore, but accidentally rolled down the hillside. The two walked along the stream, and the unlucky Xu Lang was bitten by a snake.

The river crossing scene has just been filmed, and next we have to move to the jungle.

At this time, the crew members were busy packing up the props, while Liu Shishi was riding the elephant with a smile on her face under the guidance of the elephant trainer.

The crew rented the elephant from a local source. It was tamed and had a gentle personality. There was a white spot in the middle of its trunk, as if it had been sat on and its skin was rubbed off.

There is a seat on the elephant's back, with the passengers' feet roughly resting on the back of its neck.

Liu Shishi was not used to the ups and downs of the elephant, so she held the guardrail tightly with both hands for fear of slipping.

Thailand's hot and humid climate, coupled with the drizzle in the early morning, makes the air filled with stuffiness and humidity.

She was wrapped up tightly, with sweat all over her forehead. She motioned to her boyfriend, "Come up and play with us."

The elephant trainer was thin, with dark and rough skin. He sat on the elephant's thick neck, but the elephant stopped without him making any movement.

"You can have fun by yourself. I've ridden this before in Chiang Mai and I'm tired of it." Lu Yuan shook his head.

The first time I rode an elephant, I felt it was novel, but after a few times, it became boring. It was not comfortable and was very bumpy.

Moreover, the process of taming these elephants is quite cruel, and after understanding the situation, I was even more reluctant to ride on one.

Mahout trainers separate calves from their mothers and place them in separate squeeze cages, chaining them down.

In the squeeze cage, the baby elephant can only remain standing with no extra space to move around, and only has a small amount of water and food during this time.

The mental torture will continue for up to half a year, using methods such as piercing the elephant's skin with hooks and hitting its nose with wooden sticks, which will gradually break down the elephant's willpower and make it lose its resistance and aggressiveness.

After taming the baby elephant, they use the elephant hook to control it and train it to perform various actions.

Liu Shishi wrinkled his nose, and felt bored. He said something to the elephant trainer and let him go: "Carry me down."

Lu Yuan was too lazy to pay attention to her. What a psycho! An elephant's shoulder is two meters tall. What a waste of time it takes to hold a hammer in it.

He is not the Hulk who can grow bigger or smaller.

"Brother is the best." Liu Shishi hung on her boyfriend in a princess-carrying position, hugged his neck, and rubbed her forehead against his cheek. She was covered in sweat.

Lu Yuan was helpless. He tilted his head back, put a little force to carry her on his shoulders, and got down steadily from the rock. The expression on his face showed disgust.

"Don't move, or you'll be thrown down."

"Hmph, if you dare, I'm going to move." She tossed around like a mad sow in the pigsty during New Year's Day.

"Snapped!"

Okay, Miss Liu has been obedient.

Lu Yuan walked forward carrying his girlfriend. A Thai man was standing on the other side of the river, shouting some strange words in a peculiar tone.

At this time, Wu Lang hurried over and saw the boss carrying the boss's wife with his hands on her hips, looking embarrassed.

Liu Shishi turned her head and looked shyly, and urged in a low voice: "Put me down quickly."

Lu Yuan was as thick-skinned as a city wall. He continued to bear it and asked nonchalantly, "What's the matter?"

Wu Lang looked away and replied, "It's all packed and we can leave anytime."

Liu Shishi pinched the dog's back lightly before jumping off the ground, smoothing her hair, and finding a random topic to talk about.

"What is that person on the other side shouting?"

Wu Lang turned his head and said with a smile: "He is a psychopath."

"Neuropathy?"

"He is the driver hired by the crew, a local, and his nickname is psycho because he always likes to say weird things."

Seeing the proprietress becoming more and more curious, he explained, "For example, right now, he is predicting the weather and says there will be a flood today."

"Is this true?" Liu Shishi's face tensed and she subconsciously grabbed her boyfriend's hand.

"Anyway, I don't believe it. Yesterday he told me that the world would end in 2012."

Liu Shishi: "."

(End of this chapter)