Huayu: The director just wants to save money

Chapter 885 We Didn’t Top the Ranking

"I would like to ask Director Zhou, do you have any expectations for the current box office of the movie "Three Kingdoms Wei"?"

This was the first question asked by an audience member at the roadshow on the second day after the first week box office of "Three Kingdoms" was announced.

As soon as the question came out, it seemed that all eyes on the scene were focused on Zhou Mo.

Obviously, it's not just this audience member who is curious about this question, everyone is curious.

Zhou Mo picked up the microphone and said bluntly:
“I expected to break the record, but I didn’t expect it to be broken by so much.”

"Then can I understand that the performance of "Three Kingdoms: Wei" is better than what you imagined?"

“Do you think Three Kingdoms: Wei has reached the full potential of the domestic film market?”

“Of course not. I am still very optimistic about the potential of the domestic film market, and it will definitely not be limited to the current figures of Three Kingdoms: Wei.

Besides, this year we also have Director Chen’s "Detective Chinatown 2", which has been performing quite well at the box office, almost reaching 40 billion yuan now, and the final box office will definitely exceed billion yuan.

40 billion is not a small number. A movie with a box office of billion can be called a successful commercial film in any way.”

Everyone felt something was not right when listening to Zhou Mo's words.

From the tone, it was clear that he was recommending the movie sincerely, but from the content, it sounded as if Zhou Mo was mocking others.

The host mentioned: "If there is no "Detective Chinatown 2" this year, will the performance of "Three Kingdoms: Wei" be better?"

Zhou Mo thought for a while and gave an answer that shocked many people.

"Maybe, maybe not."

"Well, what does this mean?"

“It’s like this, maybe some viewers think that if there is no competitor, the movie will be able to monopolize the audience of the entire schedule and the box office will also increase.

But a practical problem is that many viewers go to the cinema during the Spring Festival not necessarily to watch a specific movie, but rather regard the cinema as an opportunity and place for entertainment.

In this case, there actually needs to be enough movies released before audiences will go to the cinema.

It's like a store. Consumers will only go into the store to shop if there are enough goods in it. If there is only one product, many viewers will not enter the store to buy it even if the product looks good.

Take this year's Spring Festival period for example. It seems that the fewer competitors there are, the higher the movie box office will be. But overall, the total box office of the entire market this year is slightly less than last year.

This is the consequence of the reduction in the overall work.

So I don’t know what the box office will be like if there’s only one so-called blockbuster left.”

Zhou Mo briefly expressed his thoughts.

He always believed that the market needs to be maintained.

Consumers need more maintenance.

When the overall market conditions are positive, some operations that harm buyers may not cause any major consequences, but in fact, the hidden dangers have already become hidden dangers when the incident occurs and are hidden in the minds of consumers.

For example, stealing box office revenue, grabbing box office revenue, reversely educating the audience, etc.

When the market changes from an incremental market to a stock market, those hidden dangers will turn into small bombs that may explode at any time.

By then, the entire market will be affected.

At this time, an audience member made a joke.

“But Director Zhou, I heard that there were several highly anticipated movies that were originally scheduled to be released during the Spring Festival this year, but because of the news about Three Kingdoms: Wei and Chinatown 2, they finally decided to adjust the release dates.

"Three Kingdoms" and "Chinatown 2" are both Shanhe Company's films. Does this mean that Director Zhou and your company have driven away other films?"

This issue has actually been discussed many times on the Internet.

Shanhe Company has been developing better and better in recent years. Whether it is movies, TV series, or variety shows, it can produce at least one good work every year that makes the entire market boil.

In contrast, other entertainment companies have their own problems.

Therefore, some people believe that Shanhe Company has currently formed a semi-monopoly situation in the domestic entertainment market. Even if it is not a monopoly, it is very similar to dominating the charts.

Faced with this question, Zhou Mo thought for a while and spoke slowly:
“I don’t really agree with comments like invisible monopoly or dominating the charts. This is because it is not something that a company or a single person can achieve.

Our country has a huge market and a large number of moviegoers, which is enough to support sufficient box office revenue, but the prerequisite is to make movies that the audience likes.

There is a saying that it is difficult to satisfy everyone. It is impossible for so many audiences to all like the same movie or the same style. The two movies, "Three Kingdoms: Wei" and "Chinatown 2", actually represent two styles at most.

One, a historical special effects blockbuster.

A family comedy of sorts.

There are many audiences who like to watch these two types of films, and there are also many movies that are not interested in these two themes and styles.

Again, the first thing to do if you want to get a box office return is to identify your target customers and then make a movie that meets their expectations.

Just like our current first-line gatekeeper in the film market, "Boonie Bears", which is released on time every Spring Festival and achieves very good results every year.

This is a great example of identifying your target audience and putting in the effort.”

……

The content of the roadshow that took place on February 5 was quickly spread by the media to major platforms, and then caused heated discussion within half a day.

As a person who has repeatedly broken records in the market, Zhou Mo's grasp and understanding of the market is obvious to everyone.

It’s just that this guy rarely releases anything about this, so every time he makes an announcement, it attracts a lot of attention and discussion from people in the industry and enthusiasts.

This time, it's the same.

Many well-known users in the field of film and television have participated in team-building activities with netizens and fans after the interview materials came out.

Most of these users have previously complained openly or secretly about Shanhe Company's monopoly.

"I used to think what you said made sense, but now Zhou Mo has responded directly, saying that they have a monopoly. What does Boonie Bears say?"

"Before, you dared to say that Zhou Mo didn't dare to respond to these comments, and even dared to @Zhou Mo. Now that he has said it, why don't you say anything?"

"I remember you are a fan of Lu Tailang, right? All you do all day is clamor for Zhou Mo to ban your good director. Don't blame Lu for your popularity. No one is stopping you from making movies. If you can't make a movie that is accepted by the market, you blame others for dominating the charts?"

"You're right. I like watching soft science fiction movies. Why can't there be any on the market now? As long as someone makes it and the quality is good, I will guarantee the market movie tickets!"

Zhou Mo hadn't expected that a discussion at a roadshow would be so lively.

His original intention was just to remind his many colleagues in the film and television industry not to do too many things that would hurt the market. If the market is really dragged down, no one will suffer.

Of course, it is predictable that many people will just turn a deaf ear to Zhou Mo's words, or adopt what they like to hear and ignore what they don't like.

But if you don’t want to listen, then don’t listen. It doesn’t really matter.

Shanhe Company, which produces more than a dozen TV dramas and variety shows a year, likes to teach those crews who try to dig holes in the market a lesson.

In the next few days, the daily box office of "Three Kingdoms: Wei" continued to decline, and on average, it remained at around 3 million.

Calculating the total, the movie has been released for half a month and the total box office has exceeded 65 billion. On the evening of February , Zhou Mo and Da Tiantian finished their promotional tasks during the day and rushed to the airport to catch a plane.

There is just over a day left before this year's Oscar awards ceremony will be held.

In other words, they currently have less than two days left.

Halfway through the journey, Da Tiantian felt inexplicably nervous.

"Oh, if I had known I would have set out the night before yesterday, otherwise I wouldn't have been in such a hurry."

Zhou Mo had just charged his mobile phone and glanced at Da Tiantian when he heard this.

"Sister, are you embarrassed? We originally agreed to promote until the 5th, but on the 2nd you heard that fans wanted a roadshow, so you happily added several more roadshows. Otherwise, how could we be so nervous?"

According to Zhou Mo's original plan, their roadshow would end on February 5th, and then they would take a flight to America that day.

By then, there will still be three or four days before the prize draw, so you can do anything with ease.

result……

Under Zhou Mo's gaze, Da Tiantian coughed twice.

"It's not that Three Kingdoms is so popular, and our roadshow has also increased the box office for the movie, so it's not too bad."

There is nothing wrong with this sentence.

Perhaps it was because February 6th and 7th were weekends, or perhaps it was because of the roadshow on those two days, the box office of "Three Kingdoms: Wei" did achieve a certain degree of reversal in those two days, adding more than 100 million to the total box office of the film.

Zhou Mo handed Da Tiantian a bottle of water and patted the back of her hand gently.

"Okay, now that the promotion is over, don't think too much about it. Just focus on preparing for the Oscars."

Speaking of Oscar, Da Tiantian's brows, which had been gradually relaxing, quickly frowned again.

"Zhou Mo, do you think we have a good chance of winning the Oscar this time?"

Zhou Mo asked her back.

"Which award are you asking about?"

"All."

Zhou Mo thought for a moment and said, "If it's a few supporting awards, I think it's okay. The competition this year is not as fierce as you think. Among the best supporting actress, the strongest competitor is Laura in Marriage Story.

She acted well in that scene, and the subject matter is also quite good, telling the story of a couple's demise and eventual divorce from a child's perspective..."

Zhou Mo gave Da Tiantian a brief account of the plot of "Marriage Story".

After hearing this, Da Tiantian's expression felt a little awkward and she couldn't tell what it meant.

"Well, what's your reaction?" Zhou Mo was a little surprised.

"I just feel like this movie seems a bit more normal, without so many weird elements and buffs."

Zhou Mo suddenly realized that this was what it meant.

The facts are indeed as Datiantian said.

Compared with some works nominated for Oscars in previous years, the content of "A Time to Live and a Time to Die" is indeed quite positive.

The continuation of marriage, the relationship between husband and wife, and the care of children have always been a relatively easy-to-win award-winning subject in Hollywood, the Oscars, the Golden Globes, and even in Europe.

Some people consider this topic to be within the scope of political correctness.

Actually not.

This subject, or related topics, has long been a popular subject in the European and American film industry.

Because this movie is really close to real life, and the sample size is large enough, it is rich in content and stories that can be explored.

Including "She Disappeared" filmed by Zhou Mo that year, it can actually be considered a work within this theme.

Although "Her" contains some suspense elements, including the heroine's disappearance at the beginning, the heroine setting up a trap to put the hero in jail, and the hero being arrested, etc.

But in essence, "She Vanished" is still about the feelings and life between husband and wife.

After Da Tiantian and Zhou Mo communicated for half an hour, the pressure in their hearts suddenly began to rise.

She found that the subject matter of "A Record of Marriage" was indeed excellent and that the chances of winning an award were indeed very high.

Plus, Laura’s acting skills are indeed higher than hers.

For a moment, her heart was beating fast, and she felt that the goal of Best Supporting Actress was quite far away from her.

"Zhou Mo, tell me, will it be possible..."

Before she could finish her words, Da Tiantian felt her hand being held.

Zhou Mo looked at her and said softly, "Don't worry too much, nothing is certain until the award is announced.

Laura's acting is pretty good, but in Parasite, your acting is definitely not bad at all, so don't underestimate yourself and have some confidence in yourself."

"Is that right?"

Da Tiantian recalled her performance in "Parasite" in her mind.

She thought about how she had acted during the shoot.

From the initial confidence and satisfaction, to the later insufficiency, and then to the subsequent lack of confidence.

This reaction is exactly like that of a student after taking an important exam.

"No wonder you said I was like a student. As expected, when it comes to exams, I get more nervous about my grades."

“Since you are nervous, let me tell you some good news. The subject matter of ‘A Time to Live and Die’ is indeed timeless, but it is precisely because of its timelessness that it is inevitably tainted with some stereotypes or role templates.

For example, the heroine comes from a good family and is placed high hopes by her parents, but because she is not understood, she tries to escape from her role but fails and eventually suffers an emotional breakdown.

The male protagonist is extremely talented and capable, but he neglects his family, takes everything for granted, and does not attach much importance to the feelings of his family.

The two sides do not understand each other, hurt each other, and do not forgive each other. At the same time, they torture each other, tearing the family apart.

How about it, are you familiar with what I said above? "

Da Tiantian pursed her lips and expressed her feelings.

“I seemed to hear another version of ‘She Vanished’.”

"Yes, this is the theme, or the natural factors and templates of the middle-class white family divorce movie. At least seven out of ten movies have these contents.

As for Parasite, there is no such situation so far. In terms of subject matter and content, our film is undoubtedly more novel than A Time to Die. "

(End of this chapter)