Chinese Entertainment

Chapter 729 Lionsgate’s Response

2.13 million in the first three days of the weekend.

After the box office results were announced, the Hollywood film and television industry was numb, the media was excited, and the audience was crazy.

This shows that on Saturday and Sunday, the box office trend of "Rise of the Planet of the Apes" was stable and rising, and it had almost no rivals in the same period.

This made the distributor Warner Bros. very excited, and Mike, who was responsible for "Rise of the Planet of the Apes", was constantly praised by the company's senior management.

A very crucial point is that Warner's box office performance this summer was poor.

Last year's summer movie season, Warner Bros. won the championship.

But this year, box office revenue has fallen sharply.

Needless to say, the box office results of "Godzilla" and "Edge of Tomorrow" were far below expectations.

It can be said that if there was no "Rise of the Planet of the Apes" this year, Warner's final result would have changed from last year's champion to this year's fourth.

Although many senior executives will not resign because of this, it is still not good for their reputation and it will also affect their bonuses.

Now that "Rise of the Planet of the Apes" is a huge hit at the box office, everyone is naturally stepping up publicity efforts and promoting it as much as possible.

And by this time, no one would doubt the market performance of "Rise of the Planet of the Apes".

Some low-cost films that have been rescheduled are secretly glad that they made the original choice to escape.

Next, the pressure came to Lionsgate's "The Hunger Games 3". When a group of Warner executives were interviewed, they all teased several executives of Lionsgate.

After all, according to the thinking of Warner executives, judging from the overall Hollywood market this year, unless "The Hunger Games 3" suddenly becomes a hit, it will definitely not have a chance to surpass "Rise of the Planet of the Apes."

On the other hand, the producers and distributors of the upcoming "The Hunger Games 3" feel like they've been screwed.

There was no way. Both sides had already announced a head-on confrontation, and it was too late to escape now.

What's more, Lionsgate has promoted "The Hunger Games 3" as a fighter who is not afraid of special effects blockbusters.

Lionsgate is a Canadian entertainment company that originated in Vancouver.

Headquartered in Santa Monica, California, USA, it has branches in the UK, Colombia, the United States, and Canada.

As of 07, it is the most commercially successful independent film and television company in Hollywood.

Although the company has changed its leader in recent years and has had Jon Feldimer as president, its development momentum has declined, but it is still one of the most successful independent film companies besides the Big Six in Hollywood.

At this time, Lionsgate Films headquarters.

Jon gathered everyone together to discuss countermeasures urgently.

"Everyone, Rise of the Planet of the Apes is coming at us like crazy. We are in a desperate situation. Let's talk about what we should do?"

A group of executives looked at each other in bewilderment. After a while, someone spoke up, "Boss, I think The Hunger Games is good. It hasn't been released yet, so it's hard to say who will win in the end."

Some people may think that since the movie hasn’t been released yet, it’s hard to be sure whether the box office will be high or low.

However, the box office of "The Hunger Games 2", which was so popular at the time, only reached 1.61 million in the first three days of its weekend, which is a full million US dollars less than the current "Rise of the Planet of the Apes".

Even the president of Lionsgate Entertainment is not sure that "The Hunger Games 3" can surpass its rival. With all the data on the table, we can only hope that "Remember the Game 3" can become a hit.

Moreover, before each movie is released, major companies will conduct market research. Although the results may not be accurate, they do have some basis.

Seeing that no one responded, Jon nodded and said, "That's right. The movie hasn't been released yet, so we haven't lost yet. Besides, there's a half-month gap between their release and ours. This is our chance."

"Boss, do you mean using public opinion to win?" Thorne, the head of the propaganda department, seemed to understand something.

"Smart! Remember Warner was called "American traitor" some time ago? I think this is a good entry point." Jon said directly.

As soon as the voice fell, everyone whispered, and soon someone asked a question: "But "Rise of the Planet of the Apes" is not "The Wandering Earth", it is a Hollywood movie."

"But the main investor of this movie is Tomorrow's Star Films, and the boss of this company is the director from the East." Someone figured it out instantly.

“That’s right.” Jon was full of confidence at this moment. He felt that by making good use of this, he could not only reduce the box office of “Rise of the Planet of the Apes”, but also increase the popularity of the upcoming “The Hunger Games 3”, killing two birds with one stone.

"Haha, boss, you are so smart. This plan is perfect. It only costs a little bit of public relations fees and you will get unexpected results..."

"That's right. Warner is harming the interests of major Hollywood companies. We want to call on the audience to boycott it together."

"Hollywood belongs to us. We don't allow the yellow-skinned people from the East to show off here..."

After hearing what the executives said, Jon also felt that his plan was perfect. "We need to make targeted speeches and contact our media at the same time..."

“Is our media alone enough?”

"No problem. As long as the publicity is in place, I believe many media will follow suit, just like the Wall Street stock market. All we have to do is take the lead."

"Hahaha, let's do it."

"A perfect plan..."

...

That afternoon.

Just when the popularity of "Rise of the Planet of the Apes" was at its peak, several media outlets began reporting differently.

“We are confident that we can take on ‘Rise of the Planet of the Apes’.

Because the two films have different styles and target different audiences..."

“Everyone in the company suggested rescheduling the film, even at the cost of losing tens of millions in publicity and promotion expenses.

They say that Rise of the Planet of the Apes was too ruthless in its box office haul, but I strongly disagree.

I just said one thing, my fans are waiting for me, I can’t let them down, and I believe they won’t let me down…”

First, Jennifer Lawrence gave interviews in public and frequently appeared in the media, posing as a member of a vulnerable group and promoting "The Hunger Games 3" with all her might.

Later, she called on fans on social networks to support her movie. When a fan asked about the box office, Jennifer shouted out the slogan: "Our goal is to be the box office champion, and we have the ability to do it."

Afterwards, the head of the publicity department of Lionsgate Films said that if the box office reaches the target, there will be surprises for everyone, and someone at the scene even said that they would give everyone a wonderful photo album of the heroine.

In short, the promotion was quite eye-catching, prompting fans to leave messages on Jennifer's social media account, saying that they would definitely go to the cinema to support the film.

Finally, after the normal interview and publicity methods were exhausted, a media outlet suddenly published a report titled "The box office success of "Rise of the Planet of the Apes" has seriously harmed the Hollywood film industry." In the report, the famous film critic who published the content said: "Director Gu Wei from the East has stolen a lot of profits from Hollywood in recent years, which has led to a decrease in the total box office in the Hollywood market this year...

The other party spent a lot of money on public relations and won several Oscars, making the Oscars lose their fairness...

The biggest investor behind "Rise of the Planet of the Apes" is Tomorrow's Star Films, whose boss is none other than Gu Wei...

After Gu Wei came to Hollywood, he used his job at Warner as a cover for more than a decade, invested in several science fiction blockbusters, all of which sold well, and transferred billions of dollars, which should have belonged to many Hollywood film and television companies..."

A single stone can cause a thousand ripples. Although the media that reported this article was not big, several major media outlets, including the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, and Washington Times, joined in.

There are more and more news online about Warner being a "traitor to the United States" and Orientals stealing Hollywood's interests...

……

At the same time, domestically.

Ye Ning, general manager of Wanda Pictures, was meeting with Jiang Wen privately. What they were discussing was not the screening schedule of "One Step Away", but Wanda's consideration of guaranteeing the film.

In the original time and space, before the premiere of "One Step Away", all media were very optimistic about the film. Not only did the critics unanimously praise it, but it was also said that Wanda Pictures also offered a 10 billion guarantee for the film.

As a result, the film received poor reviews and box office after its release. Prince Wang of Wanda even started a war of words with the production team of "One Step Away" on Weibo, and it even developed to the point where they exchanged swear words, which was considered to be the final farewell to "One Step Away".

However, this is just a rumor. It is unclear whether Wanda Pictures has put out 10 billion to guarantee the box office of "One Step Away".

Netizens also made various speculations. Some said that Jiang Wen’s previous work "Let the Bullets Fly" had a box office of 10 million yuan, so it was normal for Wanda Pictures to offer a guaranteed price of billion yuan. Even if it was not billion, it should be million yuan.

However, some so-called "industry insiders" revealed that Wanda Pictures is only one of the co-producers and co-distributors, and has never given any guarantee.

And in this time and space, Ye Ning did consider offering the other party a guaranteed issue price of 10 billion.

"Mr. Ye, 10 billion is too little. The goal of 'One Step Away' is 20 billion. Even if I take a step back, the minimum must be 15 billion." Jiang Wen's unique voice sounded.

Ye Ning's mouth twitched when he heard this. He felt that the other party was talking nonsense.

"Director Jiang, do you think 20 billion is possible? Even 15 billion is impossible. I heard that "One Step Away" has been reviewed again by the higher-ups, and they may have to cut a lot of footage before it can be released..."

When doing business, it is natural for both parties to bargain back and forth. Ye Ning only picked out the disadvantages of "One Step Away" and his words showed that he was not optimistic about the movie.

It would have been fine if this matter had not been mentioned. When Jiang Wen heard Ye Ning's words, he became angry. The other party was right. Seeing that "One Step Away" was about to be released, the General Administration made trouble again and insisted that he delete Wen Zhang's scenes.

Because of this matter, Jiang Wen has been running to the General Administration quite often in the past two days. He was also thinking of taking Gu Wei with him when he comes back. After all, the other party is also one of the investors, and he should contribute when it is time to contribute.

"Boss Ye, I won't hide it from you now. Director Gu is actually very optimistic about "One Step Away" and told me personally that the starting price is 2 billion..."

Hearing this, Ye Ning's eyes widened instantly, and he frowned at the other party, meaning that I am not well educated, so don't lie to me. How come I have never heard of such gossip! !
"Is it true?" Ye Ning was silent for a while, still asking in an unbelieving tone.

"Of course it's true. Moreover, Yifei also made a cameo appearance in this movie. According to her fan data, it can increase the box office by at least 100 million or 200 million..."

"As for the issue of review, I went to the General Administration to inquire about it, and it's not a big problem..." Jiang Wen began to deceive. If Gu Wei was present, he would definitely mock the other party for not telling the truth.

"Wait, wait, the review is not a big problem? That's impossible. According to what I heard, the higher-ups asked to delete all of Wen Zhang's scenes. That would have a huge impact."

Jiang Wen kept talking, so Ye Ning had to interrupt him, otherwise he would probably have talked all day.

"How could that be? Even if I promised Director Gu, I would not agree to it." Jiang Wen waved his hands. On the surface, he seemed calm, but he was actually unsure in his heart. The waters in the General Administration were too complicated and he couldn't grasp it.

"Director Jiang, whether the problem is serious or not is not up to you or me. Wanda is very sincere in offering a 1 billion guarantee. If you don't believe me, look around in the industry and see who can offer such a high price."

Seeing that the topic had come to this point, Ye Ning directly gave his bottom line.

In Ye Ning's opinion, there is only one Xingchen Film and Television in the mainland. If this movie is directed by Gu Wei, Wanda would dare to directly offer a guarantee of 3 billion.

But Jiang Wen can't do it because his skills are not good enough.

"Mr. Ye, my bottom line is 15 billion. We can't negotiate a price lower than this." Jiang Wen also revealed his bottom line.

"Wolf Warrior" currently has a box office of over 1.8 billion yuan, and the director is newcomer Wu Jing. Jiang Wen does not think he is worse than the other.

In his opinion, giving 15 billion yuan was considered to be taking care of Wanda, after all, he still had to rely on the other party to schedule the films.

"Director Jiang, please think about this carefully. This opportunity may never come back again." Ye Ning's words were self-evident.

"Boss Ye, go back and discuss this in a meeting. There are quite a few companies out there that want to guarantee the release of One Step Away."

The two men didn't reach an agreement and shook hands and parted with a smile on their faces.

...

On the other hand, since LeTV acquired part of the share of "The Great Wall", the indirect impact has been the surge in popularity of "The Crossing".

In addition to a large amount of ticket subsidies, the film was promoted by director John Woo, Huang Xiaoming, Zhang Ziyi, Jin Chengwu and others.

More and more netizens are looking forward to the release of this movie. Sometimes, that's how the butterfly effect comes about. Perhaps LeTV tried every means to get investment in "The Great Wall" and also had this consideration.

Anyway, no matter what the outcome is, the popularity of "The Crossing" has completely risen.

After the release of two consecutive trailers, "The Crossing" has been hailed by the media as the "Titanic of the East".

LeEco Inc.

"Mr. Zhang, the market feedback is very good. Should we increase the ticket subsidy?"

In the conference room, the head of the publicity department said directly.

"Yes, it is very necessary to increase the investment. The filming of The Great Wall has not started yet. If the box office of The Crossing is average, who knows what might go wrong along the way." Zhang Zhao had many issues to consider, and the most important thing now was to stabilize the situation.

"No problem, Mr. Zhang. According to our research, the marketing department believes that The Crossing has the potential to surpass the box office performance of Wolf Warrior. We have to say that investing in The Great Wall is a stroke of genius."

"Yes, Mr. Zhang made a very wise decision. It is not long before LeTV becomes one of the best film and television companies in China."

The free flattery came out without hesitation. Even though Zhang Zhao was a little cautious, he couldn't help feeling a little proud when he saw the current good situation.

Even Zhang Zhao privately thought that in terms of story background, investment, topicality, actors, and director, even if "The Crossing" was not as shocking as "Titanic", it should not be much different.

Since the latter was re-released in 3D, it was able to rake in nearly billion RMB at the box office.

There is no reason why The Crossing can’t surpass it! Even if it doesn’t sell well overseas, it should at least make 2 billion in China.

.........

(End of this chapter)