Extracting skills from movies

"Haha, Brother Long, you're too kind.

Compared with yours, my achievements are nothing."

Du Sheng responded with a smile:

"By the way, Brother Long, are you in Lighthouse Country or Neon right now?"

Cheng Long smiled bitterly:
"I'm still in Neon. I'm going to Southeast Asia next. Emperor Ying is pushing me hard.

Ah Sheng, when do you plan to go to the Lighthouse Country? "

Du Sheng smiled and said:
“I’ll leave after I finish the promotion in Korea and the premiere here. I will definitely not miss the movie promotion.

However, the early publicity work still depends on you, Brother Long."

Although the film was released in the Beacon Country at the same time, it was actually half a month later than in China.

Cheng Long laughed and said:
"Ah Sheng, I feel relieved that you are so positive.

But with our fame, we don’t have to worry about the film doing well in Chinese-speaking regions.”

Du Sheng raised the corner of his mouth and said seemingly unintentionally:

"In fact, compared to Asia, shouldn't you put more effort into publicity in the Lighthouse Country?"

"You sold all the North American rights to The Baby Project?"

Cheng Long was a little curious, but he didn't ask any more questions. He just smiled bitterly:
“I have been left out by the seven major companies and have no influence.

By the way, when this movie is released there, how many theaters will participate?"

Today, Jackie Chan has already shifted the focus of his career back to Hong Kong and the Asian market.

It’s just that he has high hopes for the “Baby Project”, so he has never stopped paying attention to the Lighthouse Country.

In fact, when he first learned that the movie would be released simultaneously in the Beacon Country, he was more excited than when he heard that it would be released in dozens of countries around the world.

After all, in the Chinese-speaking world, the name Jackie Chan itself is a very important brand.

Even if he does not personally participate in the promotion, the box office will continue to soar just based on the popularity of the summer season.

What's more, we now have Du Sheng, a rising star who is very popular in Asia, to help us!
Cheng Long himself feels that this combination is a powerful alliance that is invincible.

However, unlike his confidence in the Asian market, he is not calm about the performance of the film in the beacon country.

After all, the number of cinemas almost determines the fate of a film.

Maybe, he can use this to make a comeback in North America.

But if it was like the previous "Around the World", where the film only got the chance to be shown on three to five hundred screens, he wouldn't even be interested in promoting it.

Du Sheng didn't intend to keep the secret, and said directly:

"1900 family!"

When Cheng Long heard this, he suddenly stood up from his chair and asked loudly:
"Ah Sheng, you didn't lie to me, did you?!"

It’s not that he doubted Du Sheng’s words, but the story background of "Baby Project" has nothing to do with the Lighthouse Country.

In his expectation, it would be quite good if more than 1000 cinemas could participate in the screening.

Even if there are only 900 stores, he is willing to go there.

But 1900?
This is completely worthy of the treatment of a Hollywood B-grade production!
Du Sheng smiled and said:

"Brother Long, don't underestimate yourself. Popularity is something that will slowly accumulate."

Cheng Long is well aware of the cruel rules of Hollywood.

If a movie fails, it may mean a complete loss of cooperation opportunities.

So, he understood that there must be another reason.

However, since Du Sheng did not take the initiative to explain, Cheng Long did not want to ask too many questions on the phone.

"Haha, Ah Sheng, just ask the people from Sony to come to me, I will definitely cooperate with you to the fullest!
This time we will join hands and make great waves in the Lighthouse Country!"

Although Cheng Long is currently in a low period in his career, he recently received an invitation to collaborate on "Rush Hour 3", which rekindled his fighting spirit and filled him with confidence.

As long as this sequel can maintain its standard, returning to the top of Hollywood is not a fantasy.

Even though he was demoted from the leading role to the second role in this movie, he had no complaints.

If "Baby Project" gives another boost, it is not impossible for popularity to return to its peak.

In his eyes, as long as the film opens on a large enough scale, he will be confident of carving out a niche in the fiercely competitive market.

After chatting for a while, Du Sheng hung up the phone with a relieved smile on his face.

What he really wants is for Jackie Chan to give his full support to the film promotion.

After all, whether the leading actor is strong in publicity also has a significant impact on the box office.

Even in the era of highly developed Internet, with a wide variety of online promotional methods, the effect of artists’ personal promotion is still irreplaceable.

Many movies have created box office miracles. Behind them are the artists who work tirelessly, go to several cinemas a day, sleep less than 5 hours a day, and work hard to achieve the results.

As for the North American copyright of "Baby Project".

Although the distribution and peripheral authorization were handed over to Sony, Du Sheng still held the core copyright of the film tightly in his hands.

Having witnessed the shady operations of the entertainment industry in his previous life, he knew too well the value of the copyrights of a film series.

Especially in the highly commercialized market of Hollywood, it is simply a priceless treasure.

There are many factors behind how the cooperation among these 1900 cinema chains was achieved.

The biggest reason why the box office is more than twice that of "Flash Point" is the resources that MGM has after its reorganization.

Of course, Sony played a big role in this, after all, it was still the dominant company at MGM.

In addition, its Columbia Pictures also contributed half of the theaters.

Du Sheng and Shi Jinge are currently in the golden period of cooperation, and the two sides have a tacit understanding.

What's more, the other party had previously promised to help distribute the two films for free.

"SPL" used up one quota, and this time the last quota was used for "Baby Project".

And unlike a year ago, the battle between Shringer and the former head of Sony has gained the upper hand, and Columbia Pictures has long been firmly under control.

So as early as two months ago, the two sides negotiated on the distribution matters of major theaters in North America.

Normally, many cinemas would not be interested in a purely Chinese-language film.

However, when they heard that the male lead was Cheng Long + Du Sheng, their attitude immediately took a 180-degree turn!
But even so, the two major cinema chains were initially only willing to offer a screening scale of 1300 theaters.

the reason is simple:
On the one hand, the film’s story does not take place in the Beacon Country like “Rush Hour”.

On the other hand, apart from Cheng Long and Du Sheng, there is no white or black person, which undoubtedly increases the risk of political correctness.

However, with the outbreak of "SPL" and "Flash Point", the situation gradually turned around.

In particular, the other male protagonist of "Baby Project" is now very famous in the Beacon Country!
No matter how Du Sheng became popular, the key is to make the audience remember this.

This is crucial to attracting audiences to the theaters.

In addition, after Du Sheng's performance in the NBA Celebrity Game, his identity as the "mysterious master from the East" was further confirmed.

This series of changes made the situation clear in an instant.

After two rounds of negotiations, we finally managed to convince 1900 theaters to agree to release the film in July.

Although this number is not as large as the scale of many A-level productions that have 3500 or even 4000 theaters, it is basically the same as the scale when "Rush Hour" was released.

More importantly, the timing of its release is perfect.

After all, he is still reaping the benefits of the NBA, and the ultimate showdown between Du Sheng and Tyson has attracted countless attention.

Of course, this popularity cannot last long.

If he doesn't show up for two months at most, or even a month, the audience will probably forget about him.

Therefore, while the craze has not yet dissipated and while the audience is still impressed by it, we must hurry up and release the film!
Du Sheng carefully analyzed the factors that influenced the box office of "Baby Project" in North America.

First of all, Cheng Long's strong appeal accumulated through his famous work "Rush Hour" series is a plus point. With him, the film has a solid audience base.

After all, audiences are always more willing to pay for familiar stars.

Second, the two major streaming platforms have extensive publicity and promotion.

Sony is a little jealous about this.

For example, the viral marketing plan developed by the Hearst sisters.

They quietly launched a small game called "Baby Plan" on the two major streaming platforms.

In the game, players need to play the role of the male protagonist, overcome numerous difficulties, defeat the "murderer", and successfully retrieve the abducted cute baby.

This game is not only fun, but also cleverly integrates with the theme of the movie.

In order to further stimulate enthusiasm for participation, they also set up a series of reward mechanisms.

All players who successfully complete the event before the deadline will have the opportunity to participate in the lucky draw and win exquisite souvenirs sent by the crew.

What’s even more surprising is that there are twenty super lucky prize places.

The winner will be invited to Los Angeles to attend the premiere of "The Baby Project".

The travel and accommodation expenses are entirely borne by the crew.

This creative move not only attracted a lot of attention, but also turned the audience's interest in the movie into actual action, adding fuel to the popularity of the film.

It was precisely because of the money-making potential that Sony persuaded the two major cinema chains to increase their investment.

The third point is the role played by Du Sheng’s own influence.

Thanks to the dual effects of boxing champion and music, it is estimated that tens of millions of people in North America are already familiar with him.

Although it is impossible to know exactly how much it can contribute to this film, its potential impact was already verified in the "SPL" series.

To be honest, these factors all carry a certain degree of uncertainty.

Du Sheng himself could not accurately predict what the final box office would be.

However, he knew in his heart that even if calculated based on the profit sharing, the income would not be lower than what could be obtained from directly selling the copyright.

Now that the release date is approaching and there is still some time before the final showdown, the right thing to do is to hurry up and promote it.

For example, the upcoming roadshow in the Korean Country and the talk show in the Lighthouse Country.

A week passed by in a hurry.

After completing their respective promotional schedules, the main creative teams returned to their nests like birds.

The mainland premiere of "Baby Project" was like a star-studded carnival party.

When Cheng Long and Du Sheng appeared on stage together with Gao Yuanyuan and Twins, the audience's enthusiasm exploded instantly and the cheers were like a surging wave.

There is no need to say much about the action superstar Cheng Long, who always creates a frenzy every time he appears.

Du Sheng is now very popular in the Asian entertainment circle, attracting the eager attention of countless young fans.

Gao Yuanyuan's popularity has skyrocketed thanks to dramas such as "The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber", "The Number One Under Heaven" and "Struggle", which has also made many loyal fans excited.

Twins, which only entered the mainland market last year, was still surrounded by many reporters and asked constant questions, although the cheers they received were slightly weaker under the spotlight of the stars.

However, Gillian Chung and Asa don't care about the gap at all.

They snuggled intimately in Du Sheng's arms, with confident and bright smiles on their faces.

Gu Tianle and Wu Jing stood aside.

Although the former has achieved some success with several movies, there is still a big gap between him and Du Sheng, let alone Jackie Chan, so it is natural for him to make a cameo appearance.

And what about Wu Jing?

After playing supporting roles in several films, I am already satisfied to be able to participate in such a big production.

It was the first time for him to witness such a grand scene. Hearing the deafening cheers and looking at the almost crazy fans, he was deeply shocked and his eyes sparkled with longing:
In the future I will definitely make my works win such enthusiastic responses!
After Du Sheng and Gao Yuanyuan sat in the front row, Cheng Long took the initiative to approach and said:

"Ah Sheng, I have already communicated with my agent about the promotion of "Baby Project" in the Lighthouse Country. I will go there next week and promote it with all my strength!"

When Du Sheng heard this, he immediately gave a thumbs up and praised with a smile on his face:

"Brother Long, you are still reliable!
With you here, I don't have to run around in the Lighthouse Country."

Cheng Long laughed:

"You are really amazing. You managed to get Sony to arrange so many theaters to support us!"

Gao Yuanyuan, who was standing by, couldn't help but ask curiously:
"Ah Sheng, this movie still needs to be promoted in the Lighthouse Country?"

Du Sheng responded with a smile:

“Brother Long is a top star in Hollywood, of course he has to go!

Do you want to come along then?"

Gao Yuanyuan quickly shook her head:
“I’m not going!

If you hadn’t invited me, I wouldn’t have wanted to go out today.”

Since becoming a first-line actress, Gao Yuanyuan's pace of life has become leisurely and comfortable, and she prefers the present relaxing and comfortable days.

Of course, what she looks forward to most is having a cute baby by her side.

Just like in the movies.

People try to avoid hard work like publicity as much as possible.

Du Shengyuan also guessed that this would be the case and stopped forcing it.

When Ah Sa heard this, her beautiful eyes lit up:

"Brother Sheng, can I go to the Lighthouse Country with you?"

Their purpose is not just to promote the movie, but to be with Du Sheng at all times.

Du Sheng glanced at her sideways, and did not refuse directly, but said slowly:

"I went to the Lighthouse Country not only for the movie, but also for the promotion of 'Ultimate Fighter'.

I'm busy on both sides, so I don't think I'll have much time to spend with you."

After hearing this, the twins looked at each other and became a little hesitant.

After all, they have just entered the mainland and are in a critical period.

If neither side can please each other, then there is little point.

So I stopped dwelling on this topic.

The lights gradually dimmed, the cinema fell into silence, and the movie officially began.

From Du Sheng's perspective, this version of "Baby Project" is indeed much better than the previous version.

Although the main plot is generally similar, still with Jackie Chan's comedy style and life and death redemption, the previous life's story was dragged out, slowing down the pace.

This version has fewer redundant scenes and is more compact and smooth overall.

As for the action scenes, when filming in the previous life, Cheng Long, who was already 50 years old, was inevitably limited in physical strength, and many of the high-difficulty actions were discounted.
In addition, the actor acting opposite him was not an action actor, so some shots seemed a bit awkward.

But now?
Cheng Long's action scenes are as exciting as ever, but the difficult fighting scenes are basically concentrated on Du Sheng.

Directly highlight the areas where each person is good at.

For example, scenes such as "a shovel thug jumping off an air conditioner", "five cars collide in a row", and "Ferris wheel battle" cleverly combine thrilling fighting actions with funny plots, bringing a strong visual impact and viewing pleasure to the audience.

In addition, Du Sheng also borrowed the plot of the "Prison Break" series, adding a lot of roles for himself, switching between self-redemption and gags, which enhanced the appeal of the story and the emotional resonance of the audience.

And last but not least, the cast is truly luxurious.

Gao Yuanyuan, Twins, Gutian Le, Zhang Baizhi, Wu Jing, Xie Tingfeng and many other stars have joined the show, and its overall strength far exceeds that of the previous version.

Compared to the time-consuming and laborious promotion in North America, Du Sheng can really do nothing to promote in the Chinese-speaking region.

………(End of chapter)