The train driver in the courtyard

Broadway is a major thoroughfare that runs north-south through Manhattan.

More than a dozen cinemas are scattered throughout the area.

These cinemas belonged to different companies, including Schubert, Netherland, Paramount, and some smaller companies.

Each movie theater had neon signs displaying the movies showing that day.

Shuke did the math: fifteen theaters were showing "Spartacus" and three were showing "Kung Fu Panda." He wasn't surprised at all; on the contrary, he was shocked by the strength of Red Star Entertainment Film and Television.

These cinemas have close ties with film studios. Although Universal Pictures and Disney have not made any explicit statements, who doesn't have some personal connections?
Shuke chose the New Amsterdam Theatre, a Dutch-run theatre with little connection to Hollywood.

I sat in the prime central seat of the fifth row of the theater.

Shuke, who had already taken his seat, looked around at the bustling crowd and muttered to himself, "They really know how to ride the wave of popularity!"

Shuke is a native New Yorker and a junior artist at Disney's Hollywood studio.

The movie he chose to watch was none other than the recently much-discussed film, *Kung Fu Panda*.

As an animation artist and a fan of muscular action movies, he hadn't originally planned to watch this film.

But then his colleague Steve, who was sitting next to him, insisted that he come and see for himself.

at this time.

Hearing Shuke's complaint, Steve, who was next to him, spoke up:

"This isn't about riding the wave of popularity; it's about learning Chinese. Aren't you planning to study accounting and do bookkeeping part-time?"

It should be very clear that currently only Red Star computers have the accounting software; without learning Chinese, one cannot use the accounting software.

Like Shuke, Steve is a Disney artist, and he is also an outstanding graduate of the Red Star Chinese Training Program.

I often encouraged Shuke to learn Chinese and computers.

Shuke simply lacked a talent for languages, and after attending two lessons, he felt a real headache coming on.

Those Chinese characters are just too complicated.

The movie is dubbed in English and has both Chinese and English subtitles.

Steve invited Shuke to the movies today to show him the profoundness of the Chinese language and to compare it with their own production, "Sleeping Beauty."

"The instructors at the training course said the movie was very exciting, so there must be some inside information."

The training course has now attracted a large number of people, and the teachers and students chat like friends on a daily basis.

Shuke snorted: "Such a big mouth. If things don't look good later, I'll get up and leave right away."

Steve said calmly, "You'll find out soon enough."

He had great trust in those teachers.

They're right to praise Kung Fu Panda.

At this moment, the lights in the cinema went out.

Biu~ A faint light appeared on the curtain.

The words "Kung Fu Panda" appeared in large print, followed by director Wan Ming, screenwriter Li Aiguo, scriptwriter Li Aiguo, and main creator Li Aiguo. The distributor was Shanghai Animation Film Studio.

Following closely behind was the logo of Red Star Entertainment Film & Television, a glittering five-pointed star slowly rising from the mountains, radiating a golden light.

"The opening sequence is quite exquisite," Shuke said, sitting up straight.

Suddenly, a traditional Chinese ink painting appears on the screen—the gate of Qingcheng Mountain slowly opens, accompanied by a voice-over.

At that moment, a voice rang out: "A legendary tale tells of a legendary hero whose kung fu was unparalleled."

Then the screen brightened up.

A cute panda wearing a straw hat fights wild buffalo, helps the weak, travels the world, and seeks defeat in solitude.

Next, the panda was woken up by someone calling out to it; it turned out that it had just been dreaming.

Shuke couldn't help but laugh, yet he couldn't help but immerse himself in the dream. Having been bullied since childhood, he had had similar dreams countless times.

The opening dream twist instantly captivated the audience in the theater.

The kung fu displayed in the dream, in particular, was absolutely astonishing.

People started whispering among themselves, while Steve's eyes lit up. He turned to Shuk, a hint of smugness in his eyes, and said, "How about that?"

"."

Shuke was already recalling those moves, and he had to admit that Eastern Kung Fu looked particularly cool.

However, as an artist, he knew better than anyone that a good film needed more than just kung fu to be meaningful.

So Shuke said, "The design of Kung Fu is indeed good, and the visual effects are also very good, but it's not enough to convince me. You know, the muscle men in Spartacus next door are already grabbing their weapons."

Steve frowned.

He felt the movie was already excellent, but if Shuke insisted on thinking so, he couldn't really argue with it, because the opponent this time was just too strong.

This is the movie recommended by the training course instructor.

It is indeed very good, but it doesn't seem enough to overshadow all the doubts.

If it can't surpass "Spartacus", the outside world will devalue this movie.

Steve began to worry.

Next comes the setup for the plot.

Although most people came for the Eastern kung fu, since they were already there, they still wanted to see what the movie was about.

Upon closer inspection, everyone's eyes widened in surprise.

What follows is incredibly captivating.

The main character is named Bao, an orphan who works as a noodle seller for Master Raccoon.

The video depicts some of A-Bao's situations in the form of everyday life.

He was kind-hearted, often helped the weak, and was also quite a goofball, causing a lot of trouble. You could say he was the village's source of joy.

Who wouldn't like someone like that?

Some moviegoers have already started asking if there are really animals as cute as pandas in the world.

The next scene shifts dramatically, with Master Raccoon and the Furious Five making their appearance, introducing the six characters in a fight scene.

Then Master Oogway and Master Raccoon revealed the prophecy that the local bully, Leopard, was about to seize the small mountain village.

Therefore, it was decided to hold a public election for the Dragon Hero, thus foreshadowing the secrets of the Dragon Manual.

"What are landlords and bullies?" Shuke, who was already immersed in the plot, couldn't help but ask.

“According to the teacher, before liberation, there were many rich, powerful, and particularly wicked guys in the east who made a living by sucking the blood of the working people. They didn’t work, but they could wear gold and silver, and they often bullied ordinary people,” Steve explained in a low voice.

"Isn't that our boss?!" Shuke's eyes were glued to the screen, and in his mind, he had already equated Canbao with the boss.

The boss, who had long since become a wealthy man, stipulated that they must work at least eleven hours a day and complete their tasks; failure to do so would result in a direct deduction of their wages.

As a painter, Shuke's income was even less than that of a house painter.

Shuke was sick a while ago and wanted to go to the hospital, but his boss refused. He couldn't hold on and fainted, so Steve took him to the hospital.

Looking at the small animals panicking because of the impending arrival of the leopard, Shuke seemed to see himself in them, and he couldn't help but worry.

With such a powerful boss who also has connections with the FBL, they have absolutely no ability to resist.

Can Po defeat the bully boss, the leopard?
The scene then shifts, and the story continues.

When news spread that Master Oogway was going to select the Dragon Warrior, all the residents of the small village went to watch, including the protagonist Po, while comedic scenes were interspersed throughout.

The previously oppressive atmosphere eased, and looking at the adorable Abao, Shuke couldn't help but laugh out loud.

The election officially began, and Po accidentally stumbled into the scene, resulting in Master Oogway directly selecting Po as the Dragon Warrior.

At the same time, humorous scenes are still interspersed.

Shuke felt like he had become the one having fun.

It was supposed to be a repressive film about rebelling against the boss, so why is it so cheerful?
The audience in the movie theater was also laughing continuously.

"I thought it was a kung fu animation, then it turned into a rebellion film, and now it's become a comedy."

"Wow, that's hilarious."

"This Abao is so cute."

"I never knew animated films could be so funny. Po has become the Dragon Warrior just like that."

"Oh no, oh no, Po doesn't know kung fu, how is he going to fight off the leopard?"

Shuke couldn't help but grab Steve's arm: "Please tell me, Po can definitely become a kung fu master, right?"

"Don't rush, keep reading." Steve smiled faintly.

The movie continues, and Master Shifu takes Po to the training room.

The various terrifying training tools terrified Po, and sure enough, he made a fool of himself in front of the Furious Five.

Feeling depressed, Abao went out and ate a lot of peaches under the peach tree.

Master Oogway came out to enlighten Po. After Master Oogway's advice, Po, who had originally planned to give up, decided to continue learning kung fu.

At this time, the local tyrant Canbao, coveting the wealth of the small mountain village, had already arrived outside the village with more than a dozen ferocious leopards.

At that moment, Shuke's heart leaped into his throat. The fierce gazes of those leopards reminded him of the lackeys under his boss.

Of course, they have a very formal name—department manager.

The invasion of the Leopard was quickly discovered by the residents of the small mountain village. The Furious Five fought the Leopard on the suspension bridge, resulting in another exciting action scene.

Unfortunately, the Leopard had too many henchmen, as well as ranged weapons such as bows and crossbows. In the end, the Leopard won and even used pressure point techniques to immobilize the Furious Five.

The scene then shifts, and Master Raccoon decides to take out the Dragon Scroll.

Shuke got excited: "The Dragon Scroll records unparalleled kung fu. As long as I learn it, I can definitely defeat Canbao."

Even Shuke himself didn't realize that he now desperately wanted the villagers to defeat the landlord tyrant.

Breathing quickened in the theater as the audience eagerly awaited the unparalleled martial arts techniques revealed on the dragon scroll.

Then, something truly astonishing happened!

The scroll is blank!!
There are no unparalleled martial arts techniques listed above!
Faced with the sudden twist in the movie, all the audience members in the theater were stunned!
No one expected that the Dragon Scroll, which was supposed to be their last lifeline, turned out to be a scam.

Considering that Canbao was about to lead his henchmen in a second attack on the small mountain village, everyone became tense.

"Oh no! What do we do now?"

"The peaceful little mountain village is about to be destroyed."

"It's over, it's over."

"Where's Abao?"

"Ah Po isn't a kung fu master at all, what can he do?"

The story continues.

With no other options, Master Raccoon decided to personally confront the crippled leopard while sending his apprentices to evacuate the residents of the Valley of Peace.

The villagers began to evacuate, but Abao quietly broke away from the evacuation group and returned to the village.

Shuke couldn't help but exclaim, "What is Abao going to do? Doesn't he know how powerful Canbao is?"

At this moment, Ah Bao in the movie is him, a helpless little painter.

The leopard is the boss, with countless henchmen under his command.

It is clear who is strong and who is weak.

Ah Bao is just throwing an egg against a rock!
Outside the village, the battle between Master Raccoon and Leopard begins. Master Raccoon is completely at a disadvantage, and Leopard is venting his anger. At the critical moment, Po appears.

“My father told me that there is no secret recipe for noodles.”

At that moment, Abao remembered his father's words and was awakened.

"There are no unparalleled skills in the Divine Dragon Scroll. As long as you believe in yourself, you can do it."

At that moment, the shackles in A Bao's heart broke, and he transformed into a cannonball, rushing towards the remnant leopard.

"Where there is oppression, there is resistance!"

Shuke's body shuddered violently: "There's no such thing as unparalleled skill; as long as you believe in yourself, you can do it!" At this moment!
The entire theater erupted in gasps of shock; the audience gaped, their faces all equally stunned!

Everyone was stunned!
With a series of roars, Po unleashed his full power, engaging in a spectacular final battle with the leopard.

Finally, he knocked down the leopard and his henchmen with a single kick and drove them out of the small mountain village.

The screen gradually went black, and a line of text appeared on the big screen: "The true hero is yourself!"

The film ends with a beautiful oriental melody.

boom.

There was thunderous applause.

Shuke clapped for a full two minutes, until his hands were red, before stopping and looking at Steve: "This is the best film I've seen in years."

Beautiful Eastern music.

Amazing Eastern Kung Fu.

A superhero plot where the underdog triumphs over the strong.

Every single one of them captivated the audience.

The most crucial element was Ah Bao's line, which elevated the entire film to a higher level.

"There are no extraordinary skills, as long as you believe in yourself, you can do it!"

"Can I also rebel against my boss?!"

Originally, this question had a cruel and realistic answer, but that answer seemed to shatter into pieces when Po kicked the crippled leopard away, leaving countless question marks lingering in everyone's minds.

As Shuke walked out of the theater, he suddenly seemed to be possessed and grabbed Steve, who was also deep in thought: "Let's buy two more tickets for this afternoon's movie. I feel like I focused too much on the kung fu part at the beginning and neglected a lot of details."

"it is good!"

Steve nodded.

This movie takes the passion to the extreme, and the ending is a complete plot twist. The screenwriter simply used the line "Everyone is their own hero!" to subvert everyone's perception of themselves.

Including Steve.

This was also the first time Steve had decided to watch a movie a second time right after finishing it.

As the two left, they noticed that several other viewers had made the same decision: "I feel like I am A Bao. If I don't watch it again, I definitely won't be able to sleep tonight."

"I reckon 'Kung Fu Panda' is going to be a box office smash," Shuke said, buying another ticket as he looked at the huge queue behind him.

"Oh no! The box office results for the first screening of Kung Fu Panda are out. All three theaters in Hollywood are sold out, and forty-three theaters in fifteen cities, including Chicago and San Francisco, are also sold out."

Inside the Box Office of the Hollywood theater chain.

Hollywood bigwigs gathered, and the phone rang incessantly.

The Box Office originally referred to the wooden box at the entrance of a theater that collected fees, but it gradually came to be a unit specifically for tracking box office revenue.

There is currently no global statistics company. Box Office has designed statistics offices in cinemas in 15 major cities across the United States to transmit box office data.

"What about Spartacus?" the Universal Pictures representative pressed.

The Disney representative also tensed up: "It should be full, right?"

While holding the phone, the box office statistician replied, "According to statistics, 'Spartacus' only had an 80% occupancy rate, especially in San Francisco, where the occupancy rate was less than 60%."

Upon hearing this news, the members of the cinema alliance all started making their own calculations.

"It seems that Kung Fu Panda may be better than we thought. Should we adjust the number of screenings?"

Here, everything is about maximizing profits.

The Box Office is established by theater chains to adjust the films shown in theaters based on real-time box office figures, thereby maximizing ticket sales and making more money.

Kung Fu Panda is clearly more popular now, attracting more viewers to buy tickets and making more money, so the number of screenings should be increased.

Upon hearing this, the Universal Pictures representative became nervous: "This is just the beginning. Kung Fu Panda's high attendance is due to riding on the coattails of Spartacus's popularity. People are looking for something new and exciting. There's no need for you to be in such a hurry."

The voice just fell.

The box office statistician reported on the pre-sale status of tickets for the next movie.

"Eighty percent of the tickets for the afternoon showing of Kung Fu Panda have been sold, and at least half of them are from people who saw the show in the morning. Ten percent of the tickets for Spartacus have been sold, and returning viewers make up less than five percent of the audience."

hiss.
Hiss. Hiss.
Hiss. Hiss. Hiss.
A collective gasp filled the air.

While audience attendance can be boosted through advertising, repurchase rate is absolutely related to the quality of the film.

A 50% repeat purchase rate is unprecedented in Hollywood's history.

exploded!

This animated film from the East is going to be a hit!
The theater chain representatives no longer even glanced at the Universal Pictures representatives.

It's important to understand that building a movie theater requires extremely high costs, and each movie screening also incurs operating costs.

Making money is the top priority.

They are indeed old friends with Universal Pictures.

but.

If their old friends dare to interfere with their making money, they'll kill their old friends in return!
"Notify the San Francisco side to add thirty-five more games."

"Hey, get me connected to Philadelphia. Take down the Spartacus posters immediately and replace them with Kung Fu Panda posters."

"Notify cinemas to open late-night screenings tonight."

As phone calls were made, movie theaters across North America updated their promotional posters.

This scene takes place in Little Mei's house, in everyone's house, and in John Bull's house all over the world.

Inside Red Star Entertainment Film and Television Company.

Lou Xiao'e was also nervously waiting for the box office results of the first screening. After receiving a call from the theater chain, she almost jumped up with excitement.

"Congratulations on your great success. Dear Manager Lou, given the current momentum, 'Kung Fu Panda' still has great potential to be tapped. We suggest that you raise the ticket price."

"No need, thank you for your concern." Lou Xiao'e was very polite and her attitude was firm.

If prices are increased at the last minute, it could easily provoke resentment from moviegoers and negatively impact the future development of Red Star Entertainment Film & Television.

The theater chain originally intended to take the opportunity to make more money, but they were not angry after being rejected.

"Manager Lou, this is your dedicated phone number. Please feel free to call if you need anything."

As a member of the cinema alliance, the other party was well aware that with "Kung Fu Panda," Red Star Entertainment Films was well able to gain a foothold in North America.

Establishing a good relationship with Red Star Entertainment and securing the premiere rights for the next film has been put on the agenda by the theater alliance.

After hanging up the phone, Lou Xiao'e took a deep breath, wanting to pick up the phone again to tell Li Aiguo the good news.

The thought of a second show in the afternoon forced her to suppress her excitement.

"I'll report the good news to Brother Aiguo after it's over."

The time in the east is 13 hours ahead of the time on the other side of the ocean, and the premiere at the Capital Theatre had already ended.

The premiere was a huge success, and leaders from both the railway and cultural departments praised it highly.
Li Aiguo did not rest at this time.

Instead, they were attending a symposium.

"Director Wan, Comrade Aiguo, you have pioneered a new era for domestic animated films this time." The leader from the cultural department nodded.

Railway officials also agreed: "Kung Fu Panda has been very well received in China, and local authorities are now requesting more screenings."

"These achievements are all thanks to the care and support of our leaders." Li Aiguo wasn't being modest; from production to overseas distribution, leaders from the Ministry of Railways and the Ministry of Culture provided significant assistance to "Kung Fu Panda."

In particular, Li Aiguo also received news from the meteorological bureau that a while ago, in order to promote the animation overseas, Leader Teng had a heated argument with a leader in Beijing.

"He's humble and unassuming; he's a promising talent. No wonder he's achieved so much," a leader from the cultural department exclaimed in admiration.

One of the leaders raised his hand: "Judging from the time, the North American premiere should have already ended. I wonder what the attendance was like?"

As soon as he finished speaking, a clerk dressed in a gray Zhongshan suit walked in.

"Comrade Li Aiguo, a phone call from Gangcheng."

Leader Teng pointed to the telephone on the conference table: "Bring it in."

The call was transferred to Li Aiguo, who picked up the phone.

The call was from Lou Xiao'e.

Li Aiguo picked up the phone, listened for a while, and nodded, saying, "Thank you for your hard work."

hang up the phone.

Facing a pair of eyes, Li Aiguo said slowly, "Currently, the box office on its opening day in North America has reached $800,000."

"what!"

"Earned eight hundred thousand dollars in one day?!"

The leaders present all gasped in shock.

"This is the box office revenue. We also have to give a share to the cinemas and pay taxes. In the end, we can only get about 50%," Li Aiguo explained.

"Only 50%?" the railway department leader exclaimed in surprise.

Wan Ming, who was familiar with the situation in North America, explained, "Fifty percent is already quite a lot. We didn't do any large-scale publicity or promotional activities."

In some films in later generations, in addition to sharing revenue with theaters and doing publicity, film companies also had to actively give up profits to secure screenings, and even buy box office receipts. Getting 30% was considered lucky.

A leader in the railway department was particularly good at accounting, counting on his fingers: "Fifty percent is four hundred thousand US dollars, which is almost equivalent to the monthly output value of a large steel plant."

The leaders of the cultural department were also quite good at calculations: "It's 400,000 a day. Your filming period is 300 days. Even if you take into account the decrease in attendance later on, wouldn't you still be able to earn nearly 100 million US dollars?"

The leaders all praised the figure repeatedly.

Li Aiguo simply smiled.

The film market is a market where big fish eat small fish; an excellent film may even see its attendance increase over time.

In particular, there are already large-scale ticket queues in North America.

As for the final total box office, Li Aiguo is not worried.

After all, Cinderella had already grossed $1.095 million in 1950.

However, Li Aiguo didn't care about these things; Lou Xiao'e was already capable of handling things on her own.

Compared to box office revenue, Li Aiguo was more concerned about the situation at Disney and the activities of the North American working class.

At this very moment, it is 3 p.m. in North America.

In Burbank, California, a truck bearing the Hextech logo roared into the front of a dealership.

The workers, who had been waiting to unload the goods, opened the carriages.

"Is this a pepper sprayer? How come it's so big?!" a young man exclaimed in surprise.

"What's so strange about that? I've heard that our big boss is a real man and likes big things." An old employee boasted about the inside information he knew.

The younger employee knew that the "big boss" the older employees were talking about wasn't the boss of Hextech. He had met that boss before; he was quiet and reserved, like a pretty boy.

The real boss is said to be from the mainland, namely the inventor of the Red Star Computer.

"Hurry up and unload it." The deputy manager, speaking fluent Chinese, came out and called to them, "After unloading, everyone take a break and put the flyers on the door. Starting tomorrow, there will be a free lucky draw."

"Hurry up, I bought tickets for the late-night showing of 'Kung Fu Panda' and I'm taking my wife and kids to see it."

Upon hearing this, the employees got busy.

"I bought one too, but I can only get a ticket for the day after tomorrow."

"Yes, I heard they're in high demand."

“A friend of mine has already seen it and even learned a few kung fu moves. Eastern kung fu is really awesome.”

"That's right. I heard that Red Star Entertainment and Film are from the same company as our 4S store. How could the things we produce not be good?"

The young people were also excited about "Kung Fu Panda" and carried a box of pepper spray.

He looked up, and the sun in the sky seemed even brighter.

(End of this chapter)