China Entertainment’s rescue plan is hard to come by

Chapter 871 The Lunar New Year Film Season Opens [Two Chapters Combined]

On November 29, "1942," which Huayi Brothers had high hopes for, and Lu Taro's "The Last Supper" were released simultaneously, officially kicking off the 2012 Lunar New Year film season.

Both films were marketed as "epic" by their distributors in an effort to attract audiences to buy tickets.

Many movie fans were indeed attracted by the film's promotion and all-star cast.

Director Feng Xiaogang has taken a rare serious approach, abandoning his usual advertising blockbusters and opting for more in-depth content, not to mention the cast is full of veteran actors.

Moreover, the recent revenue-sharing battle between the production alliance and the theaters has become widely known, which has indeed, in a sense, increased the film's visibility.

Many viewers who don't usually watch movies often choose to go to the movies out of curiosity.

Look at what these two sides are fighting over; they almost beat the dog's brains out of its head.

Therefore, on the first day of this year's Lunar New Year film season, the number of moviegoers increased by more than 30% compared to last year, giving many industry insiders a glimpse of a very promising industry outlook.

Logically speaking, Hua Yi should be the happiest person at this moment.

They secured the highest screening rate at the start of the Lunar New Year season, almost double that of the second-place film, "The Last Supper." Moreover, "1942" occupied the most prominent position on the screening schedules of major cinemas across the country, and its promotional posters were also prominently featured, making the film a common sight in almost every corner of the city.

However, the ideal is full, but the reality is very skinny.

Their screenings can only last for one day. After "Wolf Warrior" is released tomorrow, they will have to give up one-third of their screenings.

Huayi Brothers Film & Media Company.

The director of the distribution department is pouring out his grievances to General Manager Wang Zhonglei.

"Mr. Wang, Sun Yi did this on purpose. Why did he choose to move up the release date of 'Wolf Warrior' at this time, and the day after our movie was released? It's obviously targeting us. He has no shame at all."

Upon hearing the words "shameless," Wang Zhonglei's expression clearly changed.

If the publishing director in front of him hadn't been a long-time colleague who had worked alongside him for many years, he would have suspected that this guy was mocking him.

Wang Zhonglei also knew that joining the production alliance and agreeing to stand together through thick and thin, only to suddenly go back on his word and reach a settlement with the theaters in private, was indeed a bit shameless.

Originally, this wasn't his intention. He planned to stand up for himself and earn the money while maintaining his integrity.

However, his older brother disagreed, saying that he didn't understand, that movies were not as lucrative as finance and real estate, and that they should use the film industry to expand their network and resources, and then the company should transform into finance and real estate, which was the so-called "de-filmization".

Huayi has already invested in film studios and resort hotel projects in many locations across the country.

At this point, it's essential to cultivate good relationships with the major financial backers behind those cinema chains.

Wang Zhonglei felt somewhat helpless, but there was really nothing he could do.

Despite being the company's CEO, he only handles specific tasks. When it comes to the company's strategic direction, it's always his older brother who makes the decisions.

"Alright, alright, stop talking to me about the starry sky, Sun Yi, that's enough. Do you have anything else to say? If not, get out."

Wang Zhonglei himself was so annoyed that he had no time to deal with his subordinates.

When the distribution director saw that the boss was in a bad mood, he immediately and obediently retreated, making sure to gently close the office door behind him before leaving.

Wang Zhonglei irritably lit a cigar.

Now we can only pin our hopes on director Yu Xiaogang. Hopefully, he'll do a good job this time and get theaters to increase the film's screenings.

Increases are inevitable. After all, Huayi has already paid its dues, and the theater chains aren't foolish enough to turn their backs on them. At this point, Huayi's representative role is still very strong.

Many small production companies have already softened their stance, and it's believed that Enlight Media and Bona Film Group won't be able to hold out for much longer.

But how much to increase is a matter of debate, and it depends on how accepting moviegoers are. Otherwise, if it's just a few people "booking out" screenings every day, why would they increase the number of screenings? I'd rather increase the number of screenings for imported films and make more money, isn't that better?

As it turns out, Feng Xiaogang's serious work ultimately fell short.

Later that day, the first wave of moviegoers' reviews had already been released.

There were positive reviews, but not many.

Most of the comments were critical.

This film, set against the backdrop of the 1942 Henan famine, is a heavy subject with profound historical significance. However, its narrative pace is sluggish and its character portrayals are not nuanced enough. It fails to vividly present that heavy period of history to the audience, leaving them feeling dull and oppressed during the viewing experience.

Many netizens also directly criticized Feng Xiaogang, saying that he turned the difficulties into a PowerPoint presentation. In the movie, the characters were so hungry that they ate tree bark, but he was so hungry that he wanted to get a refund.

Some people even posted a link to "Hidden in the Dust," saying that they should learn from Sun Yi what a real film about suffering should be.

Moreover, no one expected that this move would actually give "Into the Dust" a boost in publicity, raising its Douban rating by 0.2 points to 8.8, a stark contrast to "1942's" 6.4 on its opening day.

The other film, "The Last Supper," was released on the same day, and netizens didn't even bother to criticize it.

"The Chu-Han Contention was filmed like a children's game; it's not as exciting as watching 'Animal World' on CCTV-1!"

On the first day of the Lunar New Year film season, both "epic" blockbusters flopped.

This has also negatively impacted the overall reputation of the production alliance, with many netizens siding with the theaters, saying that such film content should not be subject to revenue sharing, as it is shameful.

At this moment, Sun Yi hadn't had time to pay attention to these matters; he was busy apologizing.

"Brother Jing, Sister Nan, I'll drink this first as a sign of respect. The decision to move the film's release date forward was my decision, and using 'Wolf Warrior' as a bargaining chip was also my decision. If you have any complaints, just blame me."

After saying that, Sun Yi tilted his head back and downed the wine in his glass. Liu Yifei followed suit and drank a glass as if she were his wife, and then poured another glass for Sun Yi.

Wu Jing and Xie Nan had previously invited Sun Yi and Liu Yifei to their home, and they had been planning to reciprocate.

After all, this isn't the kind of dinner party or family banquet you'd have for social occasions. It means the relationship between the two sides has reached a certain level, and whether out of politeness or Chinese tradition, there should be a give-and-take.

Unfortunately, the two of them were busy all year, and Wu Jing and his wife were also working hard on "Wolf Warrior". The schedule didn't match up, and they only had time when the movie was about to be released.

Wu Jing downed a cup of bitter wine; to be honest, he really felt terrible.

This is my first time directing a movie, and it's just like my own child. Which parent doesn't hope their son will become a dragon and their daughter a phoenix?

The original plan was to release the film a week after Huayi Brothers' "1942" to avoid direct competition, but now it has turned into a battle with Huayi Brothers.

Although he was confident in his film, the number of screenings had been reduced by more than half, which would also cause the film's box office to plummet.

"Alright, alright, that's enough." Wu Jing quickly stopped Sun Yi when he saw that Sun Yi was about to drink more. "Between us, there's no need to say so much. I understand. This is a strategic need of the company. It's a critical moment for the production alliance's revenue sharing negotiations. That bastard Huayi betrayed us like that. How can we not teach him a lesson?"

“It’s just that my film happened to be released at the right time. I believe you would have done the same if it were your film.” “Indeed, Brother Jing.” Sun Yi nodded. “In this situation, Starry Sky only has the film. No matter whose it is, I have to promote it. I would rather lose the box office than let Huayi be comfortable. If it weren’t for the fact that the release date of ‘Edge of Tomorrow’ was so far away, I would have been prepared to release it.”

"No, no, that's a key project for the company, it needs to be used wisely." Wu Jing pretended to be nonchalant, poured himself half a cup of wine, and then said with a wry smile, "This is also my first time directing, it's just a practice project, so it's good to make the most of it."

Seeing Wu Jing say this, Xie Nan, who was standing next to him, felt very sorry for her husband.

She knew all too well how much hard work her husband had put in to make this movie.

Not only did he train and eat with the army for more than half a year, but he also injured his eyes during the filming of an explosion scene. Not to mention this movie, although Starry Sky had a large portion of the investment, Wu Jing still mortgaged their wedding house to invest in it in order to show his determination.

Xie Nan will never forget the night the movie started filming, when Wu Jing half-jokingly and half-seriously told her, "Honey, if this movie flops, I'll not only lose Sun Yi's favor, but I'll also go bankrupt."

She remembers replying, "I'll take care of you."

Therefore, she knew all too well what this movie meant to her husband.

Xie Nan picked up her wine glass, about to speak. Wu Jing, who was beside her, immediately stopped her and gave her a special look.

Their subtle actions did not escape the notice of Sun Yi and Liu Yifei.

The girl secretly nudged Sun Yi under the table with her toe, urging him to speak.

"Sister Nan, sister-in-law, you don't need to say anything. I'm a director too, I understand."

"Yes, Sister Nan, Sun Yi had no other choice."

Sun Yi and Liu Yifei raised their glasses together, while Wu Jing and Xie Nan, a married couple, had red eyes.

"Brother Jing, sister-in-law, although we're at the dinner table today, I'm not just saying this drunkenly. Whether our 'Wolf Warrior' makes a profit or a loss at the box office, I won't say I'll make up for your investment, Brother Jing. I believe that would be insulting to you, but I can make a promise: whatever you want to make next, Brother Jing, the company will definitely invest, with no upper limit on the budget!"

After saying that, Sun Yi tilted his head back and drank the wine in one gulp, and Liu Yifei followed suit with another drink.

Hearing Sun Yi's promise, Wu Jing's eyes reddened even more, this time out of excitement.

For a director, being able to invest in whatever they want to film, with no budget limit, is simply heavenly.

After practicing this time, Wu Jing had many new ideas he wanted to try, and with Sun Yi's promise, he was overjoyed.

His lips curled into a wide grin uncontrollably, making Xie Nan both annoyed and amused.

"Sister-in-law, you can rest assured now." Liu Yifei comforted Xie Nan at the right time, which made the latter nod repeatedly.

Wu Jing casually pulled out a wine glass, neatly arranged it in a row in front of him, and then began pouring wine.

Xie Nan rolled her eyes in disgust.

My husband drinks whether he's unhappy or happy.

Sun Yi was stunned when he saw this and waved his hands repeatedly.

"Brother Jing, it's not that bad, it's not that bad, let's take it slow, let's take it slow..."

Sun Yi had no intention of competing with this drunkard; when this guy got into a good mood, he could drink baijiu like beer.

Sun Yi's words initially made Wu Jing hesitate a bit, but he couldn't resist the help from his teammates.

"It's alright, Brother Jing." Liu Yifei pursed her lips and waved her hand, looking like she was enjoying the show. "If he drinks too much, I'll take care of him."

Sun Yi's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.

No way, Liu Qianqian, how can you do this? Whose wife are you anyway?!

The following day, "Wolf Warrior" held its premiere at the Starry Sky International flagship store in Chaoyang District. The promotional lineup was unprecedentedly strong, with all the actors present, including the lead actors Wu Jing and Yu Nan, as well as the villainous supporting actors Wang Qianyuan and Ding Yongdai.

Moreover, Sun Yi brought Liu Yifei, along with all the artists under Starry Sky Entertainment who had time, such as Zhou Xun, Zhang Yi, Yang Mi, and Chen Shu, to attend and show their support.

It can be said that it has raised the film's level of sophistication by a whole new level.

Looking at this promotional lineup, no one would guess that the director of this movie is a complete newcomer.

The movie is indeed very exciting and full of tough-guy vibes. The only thing that made Sun Yi feel a little out of place was Wu Jing's baby face.

If I wait another two years and my face shows more signs of aging, this problem won't exist anymore.

Overall, the film is very well-made with a clear theme. Although the story is not particularly original, Wu Jing's efforts are evident in everything from scene arrangement to camera details.

Overall, it's still a pretty good film.

The audience at the premiere were very impressed, feeling that it had been a long time since they had seen a domestically produced action-packed film, and that it was quite good.

The current rating is above 7.5.

The media mostly said positive things about it.

The only drawback was that, because it had to directly compete with Huayi Brothers and reduce the screenings of "1942," it suffered heavy losses on both sides. Its opening day box office was only 1560 million, barely exceeding half of "1942's" total.

However, Sun Yi had already spoken with Chairman Han in advance. Given the same occupancy rate, China Film Group's Stellar Cinemas would increase the number of screenings of "Wolf Warrior" to a certain extent. At the same time, its own Starry Sky International would also prioritize screenings of "Wolf Warrior" without even considering the occupancy rate.

Thanks to Sun Yi's management, although "Wolf Warrior" never surpassed "Back to 1942" at the box office, it was still very close. By its second week of release, the box office had exceeded 100 million yuan. The internal evaluation team of Starry Sky Entertainment estimated that the film would eventually gross around 200 million yuan, barely breaking even.

Being able to break even was already a pleasant surprise; Sun Yi had originally planned to accept the loss.

Even if the box office barely breaks even, the subsequent copyright transactions and distribution channels will still generate profits, which is enough.

On December 6, "The Last Tycoon," produced by Bona Film Group, directed by Wang Jing, and starring Chow Yun-fat and Huang Xiaoming, was released, but theaters still only allocated 29% of its screenings to it.

Anyway, as long as your production alliance doesn't withdraw from the negotiations, no one's film can expect to exceed 30%.

Yu Dongchou's face was swollen. He called Sun Yi several times, saying, "Why don't we each take a step back, compromise, and talk about 1%?"

Sun Yi replied: "This is not a matter of a few percent. Taking a step back means taking a step back. Right now is the most critical moment. It depends on who can hold on."

Even so, at this moment, he also felt considerable pressure.

Three days later, Sun Yi finally received the long-awaited text message.

“My dear Sun, I will be landing at Beijing Capital International Airport tomorrow. I hope it will be a pleasant trip.”

(End of this chapter)