Actor: Thank you.

The banquet hall of the Hilton Beijing Hotel.

The movie "If You Are the One 2" is holding a celebration press conference.

An "ice sculpture" was pushed up.

The characters, formed by quick-freezing with tap water, were arranged in a sequence of 300000000.

300 million in box office revenue!

The production cost of the film released by Huayi was 5500 million.

The actual filming cost was around 40 million, while the publicity and marketing cost over 10 million.

But what Huayi didn't tell everyone was that Feng Xiao earned 5000 million yuan just from product placement!
So the film broke even before it was released; the only question now is how much profit it will make.

How did Director Feng manage to rise from a marginal figure among the privileged children of high-ranking officials to become one of the top three directors and even a key figure in the film department of Huayi Brothers Media Corporation?

All because of one word: money!

Stop talking nonsense, whoever makes money is the best.

It's still showing in theaters, and it's already grossed 3 million yuan in just two weeks, which is quite impressive.

Although it didn't reach the box office of "Aftershock," which was also directed by Feng Xiaogang and grossed around 6 million yuan.

However, from a financial perspective, the filming, production, and marketing of "Aftershock" cost more than 100 million yuan.

Films like "If You Are the One 2" are more "efficient".

Today's press conference to celebrate is not only for the film, but also for the company.

Broadcasting this message can give investors (the "leeks") confidence.

They sell both types of tickets: movie tickets at theaters and stocks at trading centers.

A lot of people came to make this a spectacle.

Xiao Wang and Feng Xiaogang were naturally at the forefront.

Shu Qi and Ge You were both there. Sun Honglei and Yao Cheng were also there.

An Yixuan and Liao Fan, two supporting actors, also came to show their support.

The host is Le Jia, the bald guy from Jiangsu Satellite TV's "If You Are the One" program, also known as "Old Man Leftover".

The movie was originally named after this show, and the second movie also featured this person in a cameo role, so it's like using the same ingredients from the original show.

Princess Guarjia and Guan Xiaotong also attended as performers.

After all, Xiaotong and the two Wang brothers are from the same clan.

However, Mr. Guan Shaozeng was also a shrewd man, and he didn't let either side go, so he often arranged for Guan Xiaotong and Zhang Yuan to have contact.

Of course, this younger sister also likes to hang out with him.

Chen Shengsheng, a singer heavily promoted by Huayi Music, also performed the theme song to warm up the audience.

It was truly a scene of vibrant life and flourishing of all things.

However, when Xiao Wang glanced at everyone, a barely perceptible hint of helplessness appeared in his eyes.

Because not everyone was present.

The film was distributed by China Film Group. They invited Lao Han, but he didn't come.

The excuse is that they are too busy, but it's unclear whether they are genuinely too busy or if there was some unpleasantness caused by "No Man's Land" and other issues, and the problem remains unresolved.

The production company also includes Eagle King, so they invited Yang Shouchen, but he said he was unavailable and did not show up.

I don't know if they are genuinely too busy or if it's "inconvenient" for them to show up.

The reason these two big shots haven't shown their faces is mostly due to one person.

The ceremony proceeded quickly. The atmosphere was quite cheerful.

The female lead, Shu Qi, is one of the most popular Hong Kong and Taiwanese actresses in recent years, but as for her looks...

According to Zhang Yuan's aesthetic standards, his own Lin Yueru, also known as An Yixuan, was much prettier than her.

At most, he would sit at the same table as the "traitor" Yao Cheng.

Uncle Ge can be quite cunning; he gave her the nickname "flounder," which is quite fitting.

In fact, not only Shu Qi, but also several actresses heavily promoted by the imperial circle, including Zhou Xun, Shu Qi, Bai Baihe, and later Li Gengxi, were not considered great beauties.

However, these women share a common feature: they simply do not conform to Han Chinese aesthetic standards and are not considered beauties by the Han Chinese.

This is also a kind of aesthetic "correction" and cultural cleansing.

clap clap clap!
Xiao Wang, Feng Xiaogang, and the two lead actors, Shu Qi and Ge You, forcefully smashed a 3 million yuan ice brick, symbolizing that the box office would continue to rise.

During the interview, they talked at length about the hardships of creating the work.

Everything proceeded according to procedure, until... a reporter stood up and asked a question.

"Director Feng, as a perennial winner in the Lunar New Year film season, what are your thoughts on the changes in this year's Lunar New Year film season?"

"Especially the fact that your films are no longer number one at the box office."

Most press conferences have these "troublesome" reporters who ask sharp questions.

But this question is a bit too pointed.

This made Xiao Wang look very unwell.

Feng Xiaogang, however, immediately changed his expression!
"Good movies shouldn't rely solely on hype, especially celebrity scandals."

"Works that rely on hype can never surpass works that are created with care."

He stood up angrily and replied.

Feng Dapao lives up to his reputation; he never holds back when he opens his mouth.

It's either "launching satellites" or "cursing in the street."

This kind of talk now falls into the category of "street swearing," and the target is very clear.

The flashbulbs were going off nonstop in the audience, all waiting for Feng Dapao to speak!
Xiao Wang, who was standing to the side, did not stop the reporter, but felt that the reporter's words were hurtful.

Just a few days ago, the company held an internal meeting to mark the New Year.

At the meeting, as a senior executive of the company, he distributed this year's financial report to the shareholders.

The results were good, especially since the box office curve and estimated results of "If You Are the One 2" were also included.

Xiao Wang thought to himself, "Now they should finally give me a nice look, right?"
Money, money, money... Now you see, I made money, I didn't lose money.

It's just that the company invested a lot, especially in buying office buildings, but those are fixed assets, so it wasn't a waste of money.

Of course, we won't go into details about how they cashed out to buy luxury cars, mansions, antiques, and jade artifacts.

In particular, the two brothers also have special channels, one of which is through Ma Ye Ma Weidu, a veteran player in the entertainment circle.

If you visit a museum and see something you like, just tell him, and he'll find a way to get it for you.

The museum has a collection of rare items, but it doesn't claim they're authentic. As for where the authentic ones are...

It's worth noting that Tang Sanzang's wife, the famous Beijing entrepreneur Mrs. Chen, is also from the same clan as Hua Yi and his brother.

The reason why Hong Kong has so many cultural relics is because of the people who transferred them.

Why do the homes of the super-rich maintain such privacy, preventing interviews and filming? Even when they want to make a TV show, they rent a separate house to pretend it's their own.

Because some things have been seen by the people, and the truth will be exposed.

People have to wonder, is the Forbidden City in the capital the Forbidden City, or is your family's collection room the Forbidden City?

Xiao Wang believed that internal stability was the prerequisite for external defense. Once this report was released, the shareholders would be reassured, and he would have time to deal with external matters.

But things didn't go as planned. Soon, a shareholder looked at him with a sour expression and opened his mouth.

"Mr. Wang, I have a question?"

"Our Huayi is known as the largest and strongest film and television company in the country."

"That's why we invested."

"Yes, we are the biggest and strongest."

"Then why did Huayi Brothers perform so poorly in this year's Lunar New Year film season?"

Xiao Wang was stunned after hearing this.

Not good?

Costs of 5000 million, profits several times higher, is that considered poor performance?

This is the problem between the two brothers; they have just entered the capital market and their thinking has not yet been fully assimilated.

What does capital want?
It's not about making money, but about continuously making more money.

What they want is profit margin, not profit volume; they want capital growth rate.

Capital perfectly conforms to the second law of thermodynamics, also known as the law of entropy increase.

Entropy will continue to increase, irreversibly, just like capital's desire for wealth.

Life feeds on negative entropy, while capital feeds on entropy, therefore capital "eats people," and thus capital and laborers are naturally in class opposition.

When the shareholders of Huayi Brothers saw that "If You Are the One 2" was doing well at the box office, their first reaction was joy, because they could make money.

But the next reaction was, why can't we make more money?

What they want is not quantity, but rate.

When shareholders turned their attention to the Lunar New Year box office, they discovered that Huayi was not number one in market share.

Even disregarding overall market share, the market share of a single production company is not the highest.

It wasn't like this before!

From "The Dream Factory" to "Big Shot's Funeral," from "Assembly" to "If You Are the One 1."

Director Feng and Hua Yi have always been kings of the Lunar New Year film season.

Especially after Zhang Yimou "retired," these past few years have basically been dominated by Director Feng.

But today is different!
Since the end of November, the single production company that has earned the most box office revenue during the Lunar New Year film season is Cross-Strait Films!
At this point, "Let the Bullets Fly" and "Ip Man 2" together had grossed over 7 million yuan at the box office.

From the shareholders' perspective, "If You Are the One 2" became a case of "why is it only 3%?" How come 7% belongs to someone else?
"Why has the Lunar New Year film season, which has always performed strongly, seen such a significant drop in market share this year?"

"Yes, Mr. Wang, you need to give us an explanation."

"Why does this emerging hybrid film company have a higher box office share than us?"

It's easy to rise to a high position by leveraging the power of others, thanks to the combined resources of others.

But what is the price?

They will be manipulated by capital.

Xiao Wang was speechless!

In terms of market share, they are indeed not as good as before.

But the results weren't bad.

Therefore, the conclusion is that "it is not that we are incompetent, but that the enemy is too cunning."

"Hmph!" one of the shareholders snorted coldly.

"No wonder Zhang Yuan said in an interview that if 'Let the Bullets Fly' did not perform as well as 'If You Are the One 2' at the box office, he would go bungee jumping in the suburbs."

"It turns out they saw through our problems."

"Otherwise, how could someone so young have helped the company make so much money?"

Capitalists are always looking at what others have while eating what's in their own bowl.

Especially Alibaba.

Because Ali has a tradition called "Give me a fight or die."

Therefore, Alibaba has been constantly creating "enemies" for itself in order to motivate and unite its internal staff.

"I wonder who should bungee jump," the representative from Alibaba said sarcastically.

Zhang Yuan's words came true.

Fighting within the film industry isn't a skill; we're all about making money at the box office.

After the meeting, Xiao Wang, who had been quite happy, turned gloomy and called Director Feng to his office to inquire about the situation.

He recounted how he had been unfairly treated by the shareholders.

"Why did 'Let the Bullets Fly' and 'Ip Man 2' have such high box office numbers?"

"You even went and filmed 'Let the Bullets Fly'."

“I’m under a lot of pressure right now, and the board of directors is even bringing up your dividends.”

"If I hadn't suppressed it, ha."

Director Feng's face darkened upon hearing this.

I rub!

The box office was clearly very good, but they said it was bad and even wanted to use my film's profit sharing as an excuse.

Am I becoming like Zhang Yimou?

He started cursing on the spot.

Of course, the criticism was directed at those board members.

Director Feng is cunning; he not only criticizes himself, but he also knows that Xiao Wang is dissatisfied with this group of people.

After he finished venting, he felt better, and the boss felt much better too.

Fortunately, he also opened his own studio, so any future projects he makes will be in collaboration with the company, and he can also be a producer, no longer just an employee.

But the thorn still stuck in my heart.

So the reporter hit his sore spot with just one sentence.

He immediately denounced other films for hype.

At the same time, it also serves as an excuse for oneself.

It's not that our box office performance is bad, but that we don't engage in those underhanded hype tactics.

However, after his words were reported, he was ridiculed by many of his colleagues.

"He's getting anxious, he's getting anxious."

"Hehe, they start cursing because their box office numbers aren't as good as others."

"Practice more if you are good at it. If you can't afford to lose, don't play."

"Then was then, and the present is now."

Previously, people thought Zhang Yuan was still a young man who was quite capable of causing trouble.

But it's still very difficult to surpass those established companies.

But now that the results of the Lunar New Year film season are in, it's not a difficult problem anymore; in fact, it has already surpassed that range.

What's even stranger is that Hua Yi, who has always had a bad temper, has been silent and has not made any moves recently.

Has the world really changed?

Everyone felt that the last quarter of this year brought about a dramatic and bizarre turn of events.

Jiang Zhiqiang called Zhang Yuan, who had already returned to the film set in Northeast China to start work, to congratulate him.

The company is currently filled with a festive atmosphere. Even though it's not Chinese New Year yet, people greet each other with "Wishing you prosperity and good fortune" when they meet.

The two films together have grossed over 7 million, but they haven't finished airing yet; they're still playing and even have room to grow.

With a potential income of at least several hundred million, how could I not be happy?

"I've seen you defeat the opponent three times in just a few months."

"Really?" Zhang Yuan knew who he was referring to on the other side.

The third round Jiang Zhiqiang counted was the one with Ning Hao.

The Hundred Flowers Award was awarded twice.

But Zhang Yuan did not consider the Hundred Flowers Award a victory.

Does it count as a victory if I take back what I deserve?

As for box office revenue...

Is it really a lot for "Let the Bullets Fly" to have earned hundreds of millions at the box office?
"Director Feng publicly said you were hyping things up, what do you think?" Boss Jiang said jokingly.

"Let him say what he wants, I'll just fire him, what can he do about it?"

"I like the way he looks at me with dislike but can't do anything about it."

Go ahead and get angry; if you get too angry, you have medical insurance.

"Hehehe, you're still the same as always." Boss Jiang appreciated his nonchalant attitude.

"It's not just being hyped up before, it's going to be hyped up again later."

"His criticism of me only proves that I did the right thing."

"Come and learn if you dare!"

"Would he dare to expose his own scandals?"

"They dared to expose his extramarital affairs with several actresses, and dared to mention his boss's sexual orientation..."

Before Zhang Yuan could finish speaking, the person on the other end of the phone started laughing.

He was confident and justified, and he was in the right.

Because in terms of private life and personal morality, he is better than those older generation.

At least I'm not married!

The two films together grossed 7 million yuan at the box office?
It's far from my limit.

"You guys seem to have forgotten how I got 'Ip Man' to gross over 200 million at the box office." Zhang Yuan shook his head and put down his phone.

Meanwhile, Huayi was not idle either.

They contacted the poet Chen.

Losing money in the past is a thing of the past. Now we still have a certain level of cooperation. After all, as we say in Beijing, we are the "chickens in the nest".

Chen Shiren's "The Orphan of Zhao" has just been released and includes a large number of current or former artists of Huayi.

The two sides discussed starting with the theater chain.

Aren't you good at creating hype?

Let's stir-fry it.

We directly secured the theatrical release schedules for "If You Are the One 2" and "Sacrifice".

We'll take turns attacking this kid, one in front and one behind, while he's fighting like he's in "Ip Man 2"!

Once the number of screenings decreases, his box office performance will also decline.

Many movies have great box office curves, but they can suddenly plummet.

It's the theater chains that are handling this.

Jiang Wen is one of us, so let it go.

You're not one of us, and you even have a grudge against us, so isn't that perfect?

It's now two against one, but the advantage is still in my hands!
It's common for a local tyrant to use tricks.

The film industries on both sides of the Taiwan Strait are more focused on the southern market, and they simply cannot compete with these two companies and the companies behind them in the north.

Even with China Film Group involved, it's impossible for them to monitor every single cinema every day and prevent theaters from engaging in any underhanded tactics.

Therefore, Zhang Yuan had no idea what they were doing and did not take any precautions.

It wasn't until he saw the daily box office figures that he realized something was wrong... (End of Chapter)