Huayu: Hard fight against Zhang Weiping at the beginning

Chapter 592 Tells a Short Story

The Wang brothers certainly didn't act ethically in this matter, but Stephen Chow himself isn't exactly a good person either. At most, it's a case of the wicked getting their just desserts.
In North America, "White House Down" opened in 3414 theaters, grossing $2060 million on its opening day.

It didn't surpass "2012," but that was expected.

"White House Down" was also quite good, with even more opening weekends than "White House Down" and a higher opening day box office of $2203 million.

Overall, they are evenly matched.

If we look at the costs in detail, White House Down actually wins, because White House Down cost only half the price of White House Down.

Emmerich loves making blockbusters; even action movies have to be blockbusters.

On the contrary, Zhang Chen did not have such concerns.

All he wants is box office success and to make money.
Film critics have given both films very low ratings, with their main criticism focusing on their plausibility.

How could the White House possibly be breached?
Are you kidding me?
Some extreme film fans even raised the slogan that a Chinese person and a German person taking turns launching terrorist attacks against the highest executive branch of the United States in the movie is a provocation.
Moreover, this kind of argument actually has quite a market online.

Many people are calling for Zhang Chen and Emmerich to get out of the United States.
The White House also jumped in to join the fun at this time, with the Secret Service's Twitter account posting a tweet that basically said, "It's just a movie, don't take it seriously."

We specifically simulated scenarios from two movies that weren't very friendly to the White House, and concluded that the White House is completely impossible to breach; it's all wishful thinking.

Then, he was ridiculed by countless American netizens.

If the Secret Service says there's absolutely no possibility of that, then what's the deal with the "free meal couple"?

The "free meal couple" scandal occurred after Obama took office, when the Indian Prime Minister visited the United States and Obama hosted a state banquet for him.

Then a couple from Virginia managed to bypass the security loophole and enter the venue.

He also took photos with the then vice president and a group of political figures, and posted the photos on social media.

This was a meeting at the level of heads of state, yet such a security lapse occurred.

No wonder the American public scoffs at it.

The Secret Service was thoroughly humiliated. They had originally wanted to step forward and show their presence, but instead, they had their past misdeeds brought up.

In the North American and European markets, the two films are locked in fierce competition.

Box office and critical reception were fairly similar in different countries.

But in Asia, White House Down is clearly more appealing.

Zhang Chen is, after all, the director of the action film "Taken", and audiences recognize him.

In contrast, while Emmerich is also a renowned director, he specializes in disaster films, making "White House Down" less convincing.

As for the Chinese mainland market, there is absolutely no competition.

Universal can achieve simultaneous release in other countries, but it's impossible in mainland China.

China Film Group didn't import it at all.

"White House Down" was invested in by China Film Group. Han Sanping must be out of his mind to import such a movie to compete with his own work.

The advantages of being both a referee and a player become apparent.

The film grossed 5300 million yuan on its opening day in mainland China. Although it did not surpass the box office of "2012", it has already surpassed the box office of most other films.

During this period, Zhang Chen and Jason embarked on a global roadshow.

They went from country to country, first the United States, then Japan, and then South Korea.

Despite their small populations, Japan and South Korea are major movie theaters with very strong consumer spending power.

However, the situations in the two countries are completely different.

Japan's film market has essentially become Hollywood's backyard, with domestic films almost disappearing.

South Korea is much better than Japan in this respect, with a huge film market and a well-developed domestic film industry.

This is mainly due to the financial crisis.

Since the financial crisis, many industries have been impacted, and investing in movies has become a new option for many conglomerates.

Don't assume that chaebols only engage in underhanded practices when they enter the film industry.
There are definitely unspoken rules, and they're quite elaborate.
However, the influx of massive amounts of money also helped the South Korean film industry enter a period of rapid growth.

Distribution and overseas copyrights are all industry chains that require massive amounts of capital to build.

With the support of the South Korean government's policies, a leapfrog development occurred, and many high-quality products emerged around 2000.

During this period, South Korean films consistently outperformed Chinese films, and even Asian films, holding a status almost equivalent to that of Hong Kong in its heyday.

It wasn't until Zhang Chen emerged out of nowhere that they managed to turn the tide.

"Taken," "Pacific Rim," and "2012" were all huge hits worldwide, leaving everyone speechless.

But South Korean filmmakers are actually quite resentful.

There are reasons for their dissatisfaction:

Before 2009, South Korea's total box office revenue was $15 billion, while China's was only $9 million.

South Korea has a total population of 5000 million, but on average, each person watches a movie a total of 3 times.

With a population of 13 billion, that means each person only watches 0.16 movies per year on average.

Vastly different~
Furthermore, South Korea's total box office revenue per screen was approximately $830,000, while China's was only $190,000. South Korea, with a smaller population, generated a higher total box office, and its per-screen efficiency was more than four times that of China, indicating that its market is more saturated and its audience's viewing habits are more mature. In comparison, China lags far behind.

It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say they were completely outmatched.

Until Zhang Chen appeared~
Zhang Chen is an anomaly.

His films seem to transcend geographical boundaries, selling well worldwide without any barriers.

Previously, this situation had only occurred in Hollywood movies.

Moreover, the Chinese box office for the movie "2012" actually surpassed that of all other countries, becoming the second highest after the United States.

This really puts Korean filmmakers on their toes.

It's normal to feel unbalanced when a subordinate who used to be constantly beaten down is suddenly about to surpass you.

Therefore, some tension was inevitable during today's roadshow.
A reporter asked, "Director Zhang Chen, are you familiar with South Korean directors?"

"of course."

Zhang Chen assumed it was just Korean pride acting up again and replied directly, "Directors Bong Joon-ho, Lee Chang-dong, and Park Chan-wook are all directors I admire very much..."

"So, who do you think will achieve the most in the future among these three?"

Zhang Chen hadn't expected this question and shook his head, saying, "I don't know about that. It mainly depends on the future development of each director..."

"So, which of the three do you think is most likely to make it to Hollywood?"

The reporter used a different phrasing, but the core of the problem remains the same.

Zhang Chen wasn't fooled: "Everyone in the film industry dreams of conquering Hollywood..."

The so-called proof of the Way is the proof of the Way of Hollywood.

Before the media could say anything more, they were stopped by CJ's men.

For the film projects that Zhang Chen participated in, the South Korean partners were basically CJ Entertainment.

CJ Entertainment is once again in charge of promoting the film in South Korea.

It was just a normal roadshow, but the Korean media kept trying to get him to rank Korean directors.

Another reporter followed up with a question: "Director Zhang Chen, how do you balance the tastes of audiences around the world?"

The others nodded in agreement, clearly indicating that this was also the question they wanted to ask.

Cultural products, after all, have a strong local character.
That's why many kung fu movies made for foreigners are considered trash by Asians.
Faced with this question, Zhang Chen held the microphone and remained silent for a moment:

I don't know the answer to this question either.
Movies are actually a very personal thing.

It's impossible to please everyone.
If the dollar can't please everyone, a movie certainly can't either.

It's already quite an achievement to be liked by most people.

If a movie is liked by audiences in the home country, it is highly likely that audiences abroad will not like it.

I don't have any particularly good experience in this area. I can only say that it still comes down to talent. The topics I chose just happened to be popular with everyone..."

The media were not entirely satisfied with Zhang Chen's answer, which he hesitated for a long time before giving it.

Talent? Who are you trying to fool?
Someone immediately followed up with the question: "Does Director Zhang Chen think talent is very important?"

"of course."

"But in South Korea, we value hard work. We believe that hard work is far more important than talent. What do you think?"

What do I think?
I'm standing and watching!
Zhang Chen didn't immediately deny him, but instead said, "Does everyone know the story of the Three Kingdoms?"

Seeing the people below nod, Zhang Chen continued, "Then I'll use the Three Kingdoms period as an example for everyone."

You were born during the Three Kingdoms period. You were stronger than your peers from a young age, and as an adult, you were invincible throughout the county.

At that time, I thought I was cut out for martial arts, so I confidently joined the army, thinking that I could eventually become a general.

As soon as he entered the military camp, he was dumbfounded. There were many powerful people here. With his skills, he wouldn't even make a splash in the crowd. Not to mention his own leader, Pan Feng, who could easily defeat him with a flick of his finger.

You trained relentlessly for years, and finally caught Pan Feng's eye, becoming his right-hand man.

Later, Pan Feng led you to fight against Dong Zhuo. Unexpectedly, in just three rounds, Pan Feng, whom you considered invincible, was killed by a man named Hua Xiong.

Just when you start to doubt your life, a burly man with a red face slashes Hua Xiong with a single stroke.

Just when you thought the red-faced giant was the best in the world, you heard that he and his two brothers, even working together, failed to kill a man named Lü Bu.

Do you still think that hard work is more important than talent at this point?

Zhang Chen's little story was incredibly vivid, and everyone present understood it.

The Three Kingdoms period is very popular throughout the East Asian cultural sphere; almost everyone knows about it.

Japan, in particular, has taken the Three Kingdoms theme to its extreme.

The games include the Romance of the Three Kingdoms and Dynasty Warriors series, and the comics include Dragon and Wolf Legend. Wu Baige's Red Cliff sold well in Japan because of the popularity of the Three Kingdoms.

Among them, the Dynasty Warriors series developed by KOEI TECMO is even more popular than their own Samurai Warriors.

(End of this chapter)