During my years at China Entertainment

Chapter 809 The Great Sage's Decline and Downfall: A Crushing Blow

Just as Jiang Zhiqiang had thought, Wei Jin had his sights set on Anle Cinemas from the very beginning.

Although Edko Films has not been operating in mainland China for very long, its cinema expansion has been very rapid.

In just five years, from 10 to the present, the company has not only developed several self-operated brands such as Broadway and Broadway, and owned 29 high-quality cinemas in first- and second-tier cities, but also absorbed 311 cinemas led by Red Carp, expanding into third- and fourth-tier markets.

However, like most cinema chains in China, in order to keep up with the expansion trend, most of Edko Films' cinemas are in cooperation with local capital, either through joint development or alliance operation. There are almost no cinemas that are truly wholly owned and directly operated.

This gave Wei Jin room to maneuver, since the multi-pronged "ban" would cause incalculable long-term damage to the film studio!
It's important to understand that if a cinema doesn't have any hit movies showing, it will definitely lose a lot of foot traffic, and even affect the cinema's revenue.

This loss is even greater than the loss of box office revenue alone, and no one can afford it!

In addition, Anle's policies of inflating box office figures and providing free screenings have not taken into account the interests of these cinemas, which has long made many cinema owners dissatisfied.

Some people may not understand why ghost screenings, box office manipulation, and paid private screenings are not good things for cinemas.

After all, under normal circumstances, even the best cinemas and the best movies cannot guarantee 100% occupancy, let alone a private screening with 15-minute intervals.

However, the reality is quite different, because the film production company paying for a private screening is completely different from other organizations or groups organizing screenings.

For legitimate organizations or groups booking entire theaters, that's a genuine movie-going expense.

Even though group bookings are cheaper, the influx of people is still very attractive to cinemas and shopping malls.

However, the paid private screenings at Ke An Le are different.

For example, if a company generates 10 million yuan in box office revenue, they only need to pay 3.3% of the cinema's business tax and 5% of the film special fund, so the actual cost is only 830,000 yuan.

At most, we can subsidize the cinema's operating costs and give some benefits to the people in charge of cinema management, but the total price is estimated to be no more than 200 million.

For producers, this certainly boosts box office revenue, but it also allows them to make more money through other means, such as stock price manipulation and whitewashing.

However, for cinemas, this seems like a double-edged sword, and it carries considerable risk. No cinema owner would willingly do this.

It was simply out of consideration for past cooperation and because they were lured in by Anle's promise of a joint listing that they reluctantly agreed to the deal.

Now, Anle is struggling to survive and is unlikely to recover. Should they stand with Anle against Mr. Wei's strong blockade, or accept the olive branch offered by Shanhe Cinemas?
This is not a difficult choice for franchised cinemas.

Therefore, even though Jiang Zhiqiang personally went to the mainland, played the emotional card, and promised many benefits, he could not prevent the disintegration of Anle's cinemas.

In just three days, 18 cinemas have voluntarily joined Shanhe Cinema Chain.

The alliance of 311 cinemas, led by Red Carp, has also distanced itself from Edko Films, maintaining only the status of ordinary partners.

Thus, this provocative war initiated by Anle has officially ended with its complete defeat!
However, those in the industry are well aware that although the war is over, Edko Films, which has dominated the film industry for decades, will never recover and will never regain its former glory.
"Brother, I heard that Jiang Zhiqiang even went to the General Administration to complain about Wei Jin's market monopoly and malicious competition, but he was directly persuaded to leave?"

In Huayi's office, Wang Zhonglei scrolled through the announcements of the eighteen cinemas and asked out of curiosity.

"Hmm. They're not thinking straight either, thinking that just because they're from Hong Kong and have made contributions, they can get preferential treatment? But the bureau has already shown favoritism once in terms of punishment, how could they possibly show favoritism again?"
Moreover, if we really talk about merits, although Wei Jin is young, he has won the European Grand Slam, the Oscar, and many Sino-foreign co-productions, which are among the top three in global box office. Isn't his contribution greater than Jiang Zhiqiang's?

These people, confined to that little pond of Hong Kong, have narrowed their horizons. They still think the mainland is like it was ten years ago? If you don't have the ability, don't jump around recklessly. Just admit defeat early on, and there'll be no point in making a fuss.

Wang Zhongjun felt no sense of shared sorrow, after all, although the relationship between Huayi and Weijin was not good, they kept to themselves and had little conflict.

"Yeah, if you're just ripping off the box office, people will just complain a bit. But stealing the box office is really disgusting, especially when you get caught red-handed."

However, Wei Jin won this battle brilliantly. Although they lost some box office revenue, the addition of 18 cinemas to the network caused Shanhe Cinema Line's stock price to surge, meaning they made back most of the profits.

Upon hearing his brother mention the stock market, Wang Zhongjun's mood immediately soured.

Although the stock market hasn't been in a continuous crash recently, it hasn't shown any signs of improvement or recovery.

Huayi's market value also plummeted from just over 90 billion to below 45 billion in just over a month.

In contrast to the resilience of Shanhe Cinemas, this is very frustrating and helpless!

"By the way, how's the preparation for Xiaogang's film 'I Am Pan Jinlian' going?"

"The script is still being worked on, but he has already started scouting locations. By the way, Liu Zi is with the crew this time."

"Okay, just follow along. That's what I promised Lao Zhang."

Wang Zhongjun nodded, then instructed, "Take some time to talk to Xiaogang about setting up the new company, and try to get it settled before filming starts, so we can all catch our breath."

"Yes, I understand. But he certainly won't refuse such a win-win situation."

Wei Jin was naturally unaware of the Wang brothers' thoughts; at that moment, he was enjoying some entertainment online.

Since the press conference for the production of "Three Lives Three Worlds, Ten Miles of Peach Blossoms" (also known as "Three Lives Three Worlds, Ten Miles of Peach Blossoms"), the film and television industry has been bustling with activity.

This is because Ali adopted a brand-new casting model—combining offline research, interviews with book fans, and a two-week online vote to determine the final cast.

Celebrities can't participate in research and interviews, but voting is simply a matter of national popularity, public image, and fan base.

As the online voting deadline of August 1st draws ever closer, all the actors who are interested are taking action like crazy.

The various press releases online were incredibly diverse, making Wei Jin want to laugh as he read them.

The male actors were a bit better, not so explicit; but the female actors were very direct, each one trying their best to emulate the female lead in the original work.

Those with similar personalities, who are fans of the original work, whose characters fit the role perfectly, who have good looks and figures, and whose aura and temperament are a good match.
And the fans are really something else; the voting hasn't even started yet, and they're already tearing each other apart.

"Boss, who do you think will win in the end?"

Bao Tianqi, the assistant who was massaging Wei Jin, looked at the screen on his phone and asked a question out of curiosity.

"It's hard to say, the voting hasn't even started yet, but I imagine the more Weibo followers someone has, the higher their chances of winning will be."

"Yeah, I think so too. I reckon Sister Tian Tian and Sister Yi Fei are practically guaranteed a spot in the top three. They really are a good match." This amused Wei Jin. "If that's the case, then I can only say that Ali's first online poll is doomed to fail halfway through, hahaha!"

Bao Tianqi understood what his boss meant; Jing and Liu definitely wouldn't be able to act in this play, and he couldn't help but feel a little envious.

It's truly a case of some suffering from drought while others are drowning in floods.

"However, Sister Liying should also have a pretty good chance. 'The Journey of Flower' was really popular, even Yuqi became famous."

Wei Jin highly agrees with the previous judgment. In the nearly 40 to 50 days since "The Journey of Flower" aired, Zhao Liying's fan base has skyrocketed.

Even if her appearance isn't her biggest advantage, her chances are still quite good.

But the last sentence made him feel a little ashamed, so he hugged his assistant and comforted her, "Tianqi, don't worry. What Yuqi has, you will have too, believe me."

Wei Jin's words were not unfounded. While "Together Through Windows 2" might not make Bao Tianqi a superstar, it would definitely allow him to make a name for himself in the industry and become a third-tier star.

Don't underestimate her just because she's only a third-tier actress. She's risen to this level in just two years as an assistant, which is definitely not unfair to her.

Moreover, there are even more resources to come.

"Boss, I know."

Bao Tianqi understood this perfectly, and with a sweet smile, he said in a coquettish tone, "I was just thinking that when the show starts next month, I won't be able to be by your side, and I'll be a little sad."

"Really? I don't believe it."

Looking at Wei Jin's teasing gaze, Bao Tianqi understood perfectly what his boss meant.

The following day, the animated film "Monkey King: Hero Is Back," which had been in development for many years, was finally released.

Because it's an animated film and has the added bonus of being based on the Journey to the West, the promotional strategy for this movie is different from the past, focusing primarily on online promotion.

In early June, a six-minute montage of "Monkey King: Hero Is Back," accompanied by the transcendent theme song "Wukong," was released and immediately went viral across the internet.

Whether it's major video websites, portal websites, or platforms like Weibo and Tieba, it dominates the top spots in film and television news and trending searches.

The number of views, clicks, topics, quantity, and the film's popularity all exceeded expectations.

For more than a month, the official Weibo account of "Monkey King: Hero Is Back" has been filled with the anticipation of moviegoers and fans.

Just days before the film's release, behind-the-scenes stories about its creation circulated online.

These contents mainly tell the story of the arduous journey of the entire October Culture team in producing "Monkey King: Hero Is Back".

Despite facing difficulties such as insufficient funding, team members leaving, and the project stalling, the creative team persisted in their ideals, moving countless netizens to tears and generating considerable buzz.

Undoubtedly, this is a form of marketing, but this kind of marketing, which is imbued with sentiment and attitude, will undoubtedly boost box office revenue beyond imagination.

As it turns out, this was indeed the case; "Monkey King: Hero Is Back" became an instant hit upon its release!

"The animated film 'Monkey King: Hero Is Back,' produced by Shanhe Media and October Culture, raked in 8944 million yuan at the box office on its opening day with a 31.1% screening rate!"
"Monkey King: Hero Is Back has made a strong impact on the domestic film market, and the film has received rave reviews and overwhelming praise!"

"Many cinema chains have indicated that they will increase the screening rate of 'Monkey King: Hero Is Back' as appropriate to meet the needs of the majority of moviegoers."

As a new day dawned, and the opening day box office results of "Monkey King: Hero Is Back" were widely reported by the media, the industry seemed to have been hit hard by the Monkey King and collectively fell silent!
Honestly, with the booming film market, opening day box office figures of 200 million or 300 million are not unheard of in the industry.

But for an animated film to achieve such success really feels somewhat unreal.

Keep in mind, this is just a weekday. Once it gets to the weekend, the box office will surely skyrocket!

Moreover, judging from its high rating of 8.6 on the Impression website, "Monkey King: Hero Is Back" is almost certain to achieve a box office of at least 10 billion yuan.

There is even a high probability that the 15 billion mark will be broken directly.

For a time, countless industry peers had mixed feelings, including envy, jealousy, admiration, and excitement.

Tian Xiaopeng's team was also very excited and surprised.

They originally thought that a box office of 500 or 600 million would be enough, but they didn't expect it to be aiming for more than 1 billion.

Wei Jin himself, however, was not surprised at all.

Despite not having an advantage in terms of screenings, production, or release date, the previous film, "Monkey King: Hero Is Back," managed to become a dark horse and the first animated film in Chinese film history to gross over 10 billion yuan.

Now that Shanhe Media is in charge, they have a huge advantage in terms of scheduling alone. If they still can't surpass the achievements of the previous life, wouldn't that be a waste?

Moreover, looking at the competitors in the current film market, there really isn't a single one that can compete.

Despite its good word-of-mouth, "Seattle 2," which has been in theaters for more than 20 days, has seen its daily revenue drop below 20 million, but its total box office has already surpassed the 900 million mark, reaching 9.51 million.

The film "Jianbing Man," which received mixed reviews, has already surpassed 1 billion yuan in box office revenue in just over ten days since its release, but its daily revenue has already fallen below 10 million yuan.

As for "Gardenia in Blossom" and "Tiny Times 4," let's not even mention them; they both ran out of potential and were pulled from theaters early several days ago.

The former ultimately grossed 1.86 million yuan, while the latter also failed to surpass 300 million yuan, taking in 2.93 million yuan.

As for "Monster Hunt," its daily box office was quite good, reaching 40 to 50 million, but does that performance really count? How many viewers actually went to see it?

Even the film "Only You," produced by Huayi Brothers and starring Liao Fan and Tang Wei, has seen a dismal box office performance, with less than 50 million yuan grossed in almost a week.

The most outrageous film was "The Crossing Part II," which was released on the same day as "Monkey King: Hero Is Back." This film completely redefined Wei Jin's understanding of blockbusters.

This film not only had a screening rate of only 6.6%, but also grossed less than seven million at the box office.

This wave of "The Crossing Part II" won't even cover the publicity costs, let alone break even. I wonder if La Peikang will go after Han Sanping and fight him to the death.

Of course, the most tragic figure was Wu Baige, the director. From that moment on, he had no place in the Chinese film industry.
(End of this chapter)