Huayu: Hard fight against Zhang Weiping at the beginning

Chapter 639 R-level Crisis

The first episode of "The Voice of China" achieved an average viewership rating of 1.7, ranking second among programs in the same time slot nationwide, second only to "Day Day Up," which can be considered a successful start.

Hunan TV was on high alert, and their feeling was right. From the second episode onwards, "The Voice of China" sparked a ratings frenzy.

This show relies on the contestants and the mentors equally.

After the first episode aired, viewers immediately summarized the personalities of the four mentors.

Surprisingly, Yehenala Ying was the most outstanding.

Yehenala Ying is a very competent tool. She knows that variety shows are scripted, and after the production team hinted that she could be a little sarcastic, she immediately embarked on the path of being sarcastic.

Of course, not someone like Coco Lee; that kind of person is just ill-mannered.

It's not like Ding Taisheng; Ding Taisheng's behavior was just rude.

Yehenara Ying is just a little bit strict; netizens call her sharp and straightforward commentary style.

He never hesitates to give honest feedback on the contestants' performances. He will point out the details and flaws in their singing without reservation. If someone sings very poorly, he will say that they sing very poorly.

She would point out to some students that their personal style did not match the songs well, without holding back.

Well, although she can sometimes make people feel a little awkward, every word she says is to the point and doesn't offend anyone, and she's very outspoken.

Sometimes, when someone comes up and starts telling a story, she will interrupt them and say, "This is a singing competition, not a storytelling session."

She really dares to speak her mind, which fits her persona as a tough girl from Northeast China.

Nowadays, talent shows often feature storytelling, with participants fabricating tragic tales for themselves, which viewers have long been unhappy about.

But no program team has ever done anything like "The Voice of China" before. The audience found it "exhilarating" and it became the most memorable aspect of the show.

The second episode of "The Voice of China" achieved a viewership rating that broke through 2%, successfully surpassing "Day Day Up" which aired at the same time and firmly occupying the top spot in the ratings chart for its time slot.

Meanwhile, "Running Man," co-produced by Star Entertainment and Dragon TV, also premiered and achieved phenomenal ratings.

The mystery guest is actually Jackie Chan?
As a "big brother" figure in the Chinese film industry, Jackie Chan's variety show debut attracted a lot of attention. In the show, he not only participated in physical challenges with the guests without any airs, but also shared many interesting stories from filming. His humorous and approachable performance instantly won over countless fans.

Driven by the powerful "Cheng Long effect," the ratings for the premiere of "Running Man" soared to 2.8%, surpassing not only "The Voice of China" but also Hunan TV's flagship variety show "Happy Camp," completely disrupting the original landscape of weekend primetime variety shows.

As a second-tier satellite TV station in China, Dragon TV has surpassed Hunan TV before, but never by such a large margin.

It was 0.8 percentage points higher than "Happy Camp".

Inside the office area, employees spontaneously organized a small celebration, and everyone from senior management to frontline staff beamed with joy.

It's quite exhilarating to defeat a dragon!
For many years, Hunan TV has been overshadowed by other satellite TV stations in the variety show field. This time, with the combined efforts of "Running Man" and "The Voice of China", Hunan TV has finally surpassed Hunan TV, which is undoubtedly a milestone breakthrough.

However, amidst the cheers and celebrations, the director of Dragon TV had very mixed feelings.

He looked at the viewership report in his hand, his face showing satisfaction, but his brows furrowed slightly.

According to the cooperation agreement previously signed with Star Entertainment, the higher the program's ratings, the higher Star Entertainment's revenue share. The current booming ratings mean that most of the revenue will flow into Star Entertainment's pocket. Although Dragon TV has gained a lot of reputation and viewership share, it seems more like it is "working" for Star Entertainment.

The huge profits contrasted sharply with the profits of Dragon TV itself, which made the station director feel distressed.

This ratings battle among variety shows has also caused a huge uproar online.

The trending topics on major social media platforms were dominated by related topics, with hashtags such as #Yehenalaying's sharp comments on The Voice of China# and #Running Man Cheng Long's famous scene# trending on Weibo, with both the number of views and discussions exceeding 100 million.

Netizens expressed their surprise in the comments section: "I always knew that Zhang Chen's Starry Entertainment was very powerful in the film industry, and every movie it produced was a box office hit. I didn't expect it to be so good at making variety shows, directly taking care of the weekend's happiness!"

"I originally thought that Hunan TV's dominance in variety shows was unshakeable, but this season's 'The Voice of China' and 'Running Man' have brought them down. It's so exciting!"

The heated online discussions further amplified the influence of the two shows and also brought Star Entertainment's variety show production capabilities to the attention of the entire internet.

Faced with the strong competition from Dragon TV and Zhejiang TV, Hunan TV held an emergency internal meeting to respond.

Inside the meeting room, the station's core management team and variety show production team gathered together in a somber atmosphere.

With the continued popularity of "The Voice of China" and "Running Man", the combined viewership share of the two TV stations has exceeded 40%, directly "biting off" Hunan TV's 15% market share and completely rewriting the competitive landscape of the domestic variety show market.

The big screen was playing a loop of recent viewership data for various variety shows, with the declining viewership curves of "Day Day Up" and "Happy Camp" being particularly glaring.

"We must find a solution as soon as possible; we can't just watch our market share be taken away!" The person in charge of the meeting was still Long Danni.

Team members offered suggestions, with some proposing to upgrade the existing variety show content and add innovative elements.

Some have suggested increasing the number of guest invitations to compete for top-tier resources.

Others advocate launching entirely new variety show projects to break through the current predicament through differentiated competition.

"Xiao Li, how's the job of poaching a mentor going?" Long Danni suddenly asked in the middle of the meeting.

With the ratings of "The Voice of China" soaring, Hunan TV no longer insisted on defeating its competitors in a fair and square manner.

Black cat or white cat, a good cat is one that catches mice.

The most urgent thing now is to regain viewership, and we don't care if we have to resort to dirty tricks.

Hunan TV attempted to undermine the show's foundation by poaching several mentors with high salaries, offering them far exceeding the industry average.

I have to say, that was definitely a dirty trick!

If they actually manage to pull it off, The Voice of China's ratings will definitely plummet.

ATV's "The Legend of the Condor Heroes" used to have great ratings, and TVB used the same trick to poach the male lead, Norman Tsui. "The Legend of the Condor Heroes" almost failed, forcing the scriptwriters to say that he went into a qi deviation during his practice and his appearance changed drastically, which saved the day.

But not every show can be as lucky as "The Legend of the Condor Heroes".

Upon hearing this, Xiao Li looked somewhat troubled: "President Long, I contacted four mentors, but their answer was very clear: they are not considering switching jobs, as it would violate their professional ethics. However, I inquired privately about the reason, and it turns out that their contracts with Xingchen Entertainment are all revenue-sharing contracts..."

As soon as Xiao Li said that, Long Danni understood immediately.

At the same time, people are also amazed by Star Entertainment's generosity, as they are willing to deeply link mentors' income with the show's ratings. The higher the ratings, the higher the mentors' share of the revenue, and the higher their final compensation.

This "win-win" cooperation model not only motivates the mentors to be more involved in the show, but also ensures the stability of the "The Voice of China" team, further consolidating the show's competitive advantage.

……

All the variety shows produced by Star Entertainment have achieved excellent ratings, which is a huge deal for major TV stations, but Star Entertainment no longer cares.

Since the beginning of November, the entire company has focused on the promotion and distribution of "Pacific Rim 2".

Subways, buses, buildings—everywhere people can see is covered with promotional posters for "Pacific Rim 2," with huge, crimson storms visible everywhere.

Frankly speaking, the fallout from Hunan TV has had a significant impact. For one thing, it has created a lot of obstacles for film promotion.

Hunan TV will not only not help promote "Universe 2", but will also suppress it.

Other movies can be promoted on their variety shows, but Star Entertainment's movies can't.

However, in contrast, the other three satellite TV stations have given considerable support in this regard, thus making up for the part that Hunan TV lost.

While the company was busy promoting the movie, Zhang Chen himself was not idle either; he even contributed his private jet's delivery ceremony.

At Beijing Capital International Airport, the private tarmac was bathed in the golden light of the rising sun, and the roar of Gulfstream G650 engines echoed from the clouds.

On the ground, the waiting reporters and Pacific Rim fans instantly erupted in excitement.

Outside the cordon, fans holding up signs that read "Crimson Storm yyds" peered out on tiptoe, while photographers' telephoto lenses were already aimed at the sky.

This was not an ordinary private jet delivery ceremony, but a promotional extravaganza tailored by Zhang Chen for "Pacific Rim 2".

With a roar, the massive, crimson-red machine slowly landed on the runway. Before it could even glide to a suitable position, the media's flashbulbs were already going off.

Even reporters who were used to seeing luxury cars couldn't help but be amazed.

Zhang Chen's private jet has a very special paint job; it's not the usual white, but a replica of the classic paint job of the Chinese Jaeger "Crimson Typhoon" from "Pacific Rim":

The matte red background is adorned with silver-blue mecha joint patterns, and huge three-headed dragon totems are printed on both sides of the wings. The four gold-stamped characters "Crimson Storm" at the tail shine brightly in the sunlight, and even the landing gear doors are designed in the style of mecha tracks.

When the cabin door opened and the gangway was lowered, Zhang Chen, dressed in a mecha pilot's uniform, still looked clean and capable, even though it was just the inner set and he didn't have the exoskeleton on the outside.

"Director Zhang, why is this plane named 'Crimson Storm'?"

The first to rush forward was a reporter from "China Movie Report," who practically handed the microphone to Zhang Chen.

Zhang Chen smiled and pointed to the fuselage: "In 'Crimson Typhoon', the 'Crimson Typhoon' was the pride of China, with its three-headed arm, plasma cannon, and obsidian chain sword—it was incredibly cool. In 'Crimson Typhoon 2,' it will have an even more important role. This plane is its 'aerial clone.' When it goes around the world for promotional tours, it will be the most eye-catching billboard for 'Crimson Typhoon 2.'"

He paused, then raised his hand to indicate the LED screen behind him, which began playing the latest trailer for "Crimson Typhoon 2": the Jaeger battled monsters in the Otherworld, and the scene of "Crimson Typhoon's" two mechanical arms tearing apart the monster's shell drew screams from the fans in the audience.

"Look, the mechs in the movie can protect the world, and the real-life 'Crimson Storm' can take 'Pacific Rim 2' to even more audiences. By the way, do you want to see what it looks like inside?"

"I want to, I want to, I want to..."

Most people never see the interior of a private jet in their lifetime. Even though some wealthy people in China have already bought private jets, they are unwilling to show such a private space to ordinary people.

Zhao Benshan was the first to do this, and Zhang Chen was the second.

"Follow me~"

This promotional event was more like a fan carnival, with Zhang Chen inviting fans to take a close look at the aircraft's interior.

The cockpit's instrument panel background is the mecha's operating interface, the passenger seats are embroidered with the "Crimson Storm" logo, and even the tray table unfolds to reveal a line drawing of "Crimson Storm"; staff also distributed customized mecha model souvenirs, with the words "See you in the Lunar New Year" engraved on the base of each model.

These were all specially made for this event, and they alone cost a considerable amount.

While it's true that anything can be customized for a price, it's undeniable that private jets are expensive in every way.

After disembarking from the plane, the reporters finally got down to business.

"Director Zhang, the competition for this year's Lunar New Year film season is fierce, with films like *The Treasure Hunter*, *Mulan*, *Storm Riders 2*, *Pacific Rim 2*, *Avatar*, *Confucius*, and *My Tang Dynasty Brothers*..."

"With comedies, dramas, and foreign special effects blockbusters, what are your box office expectations for *Pacific Rim 2*?" The question came from a reporter from *Variety* China. Zhang Chen, leaning against the airplane stairs, replied confidently, "Expectations? My goal is for *Pacific Rim 2* to surpass *2012* at the box office!"

"Sigh~"

The reporters surged forward. What is "2012"? The box office champion in China, not just the annual champion, but the overall champion.

Total box office: 14 billion!

Zhang Chen said that the goal of "Cybernetic 2" is to surpass "2012", which means that the box office will be at least 14 billion yuan.
what is this?
Can only one break their own record?
But thinking about it, it seems quite normal.

《大船》的记录是《环1》打破的，之后张辰又用《2012》打破了《环1》的记录，现在再用《环2》打破《2012》的记录貌似也没什么。

"Director Zhang, do you mean that 'Ocean's 2' will beat 'Avatar'?"

Given the precedent set by "The Big Ship," truck drivers have a very strong reputation in China and a large number of loyal fans.

Although Zhang Chen's "Ring 1" surpassed "The Big Ship", that was many years later.

Now that Zhang Chen and the truck driver are facing off, many people are skeptical that "Pacific Rim 2" can truly surpass "Avatar".

Hearing this question, Zhang Chen smiled: "I haven't seen Avatar yet, but I've watched Pacific Rim 2 countless times. Let me put it this way, this movie is the best of all my films to date. It has the thrill of saving the world, the awe-inspiring spectacle of giant monsters fighting each other, the passion, and the camaraderie. I guarantee that in the days to come, when you talk about this year's Lunar New Year film season, Pacific Rim 2 will be an unavoidable topic. Remember my words, Jaegers can conquer all..."

Zhang Chen did not disparage Avatar, even though such things have already begun to be done in the propaganda of both China and the United States, but he did not need to do it personally.

He could only praise his own movie; his last sentence already showed his confidence.

So what about Avatar?
The original Avatar's box office record was over 13 billion, and without the butterfly effect, it wouldn't even have surpassed 2012.

Zhang Chen is also confident that Pacific Rim 2 will achieve impressive box office results.

The truck driver was truly amazing; his forward-thinking skills propelled the entire 3D film industry to new heights.

But Pacific Rim 2 is not bad either. It's hard to say about the overseas market, but Zhang Chen is confident that he can beat the opponent in the domestic market.

Zhang Chen's words immediately became a trending topic, with the hashtags #ZhangChenSaysMechsCanDefeatEverything and #StormRedPrivateJet garnering a combined total of over 2 million views.

After the pre-sale link for "Pacific Rim 2" was opened, the box office exceeded 10 million yuan on the first day.

Just as everyone in the company was happy about this, Zhang Chen received a call from David.

David was a Warner Bros. producer on "Universe 1," and the two later collaborated on "2012" and "Universe 2," maintaining a very good relationship.

Not long ago, he was promoted and is now the president of Warner China. It's hard to say whether his promotion is closely related to his cooperation with Zhang Chen.

Zhang Chen was not surprised to receive a call from David, as David usually represented Warner in communicating with him.

Today, David was calling to praise the collaboration between the private jet and "Pacific Rim 2" for promotional purposes. But as soon as the call connected, he heard a frantic voice on the other end: "Zhang, something terrible has happened!"

?

David's tone was urgent and heavy, completely unlike his usual relaxed manner.

"what happened?"

"The North American rating for 'Ring 2' is out; it's rated R."

"what?"

Zhang Chen's smile froze instantly, and the atmosphere in the van suddenly turned cold. "Say it again? R-level?"

"Yes, the MPAA just issued a notice, citing 'excessive violence and some gory scenes' as the reason."

David's voice was tinged with helplessness, "I've already confirmed it; it's not a misjudgment, it's an official rating."

"how is this possible?"

Zhang Chen's first reaction was that the other person was joking, but his tone didn't seem like it, and then he felt a sense of absurdity.

The first game was rated PG-13, and it even had a scene where a mech beheaded a monster. Even so, it was rated PG-13. The second game followed the first game in this respect, so how did it become R-rated?
He immediately asked his assistant to pull up clips from "Pacific Rim 2" and quickly watch them.

The so-called "excessive violence" is nothing more than the metal collisions and sparks flying when the mechs fight the monsters. Even the monsters' "blood" is a blue energy body that the special effects team specially processed, and there are no bloody scenes at all.

"There's definitely something fishy going on here."

Zhang Chen's tone turned cold, and his first instinct was to point the finger at Universal Pictures.

"Isn't Avatar 2 being released at the same time as us? Universal is the distributor of Avatar, and they're deliberately causing trouble because they're afraid Universal 2 will steal their box office!"

When "Universal" was released, it clashed with a major Universal film. Ultimately, "Universal" outperformed the other film at the global box office, creating a rift between the two companies.

With both "Universe 2" and "Avatar 2" targeting the Lunar New Year holiday season, Universal has no reason not to be prepared.

“We also have this suspicion. Of the seven judges on the rating committee, three are former senior executives of Universal Pictures, and one is the head of a special effects company that Universal has partnered with. They all have a conflict of interest with Universal.”

"You all knew about this and didn't take any precautions?"

When questioned by Zhang Chen, David's expression became somewhat unnatural: "We were careless. 'Ultraman 1' was PG-13, and we thought 'Ultraman 2' would be fine. We didn't expect Universal to play tricks in this area."

"Then you can give them a taste of their own medicine. He messed with our 'Ocean's 2,' so we'll mess with his 'Avatar.' If we all die together..."

David was even more embarrassed: "The review for Avatar is out, PG-13..."

"Damn! Those MPAA bastards!"

Zhang Chen couldn't help but swear, "Universal is one of the Big Six, but isn't Warner one too? What is your company doing? How could you let people from Universal manipulate the ratings!"

Zhang Chen's tone was full of anger: "David, did I hear that right? There are four of their people on the judging panel! Warner just lets them manipulate the ratings? Doesn't Warner have any say in the MPAA? What have you been busy with all this time?"

David was silent for a few seconds on the other end of the phone before sighing helplessly: "Zhang, I want to resolve this matter even more than you do, but now is not the time to assign blame."

"So what can we do?"

"As per their request, some shots that crossed the line were cut."

"I spent eight months creating the particle effects and the scene of the mecha tearing apart the monster, and you want me to cut it?"

Those old guys at the MPAA don't even understand the definition of 'violence.' There are tons of things more violent than those in *Pacific Rim 2*, and they're all PG-13. But my Jaeger just spews out a plasma cannon and it's R-rated? So Universal's 'consulting fees' are worth more than Warner Bros.' sincerity, huh?!"

He paused, then lowered his voice even further, “American film companies are all talking about one thing right now: that ‘Pacific Rim 2’ is a ‘cultural invasion’.”

"Cultural invasion?"

Zhang Chen was stunned for a moment, then found it absurd. "Just because Chinese people are piloting mechs to save the world in the movie? That's cultural invasion? What about all those Hollywood movies where American heroes save the world?"

“I know it’s absurd, but a lot of people believe it.”

David's voice was weary. "Warner Bros. has split into two factions. I and a few executives who support you are trying to get the cut resubmitted to try and keep the PG13 rating."

But Mark, the vice president in charge of North American distribution, kept trying to persuade others to either withdraw 20% of their investment or drastically cut the Chinese elements from the film, such as reducing the scenes of 'Crimson Storm' and 'The Great Wilderness,' and changing the protagonist's Chinese background to a neutral nationality.

Zhang Chen's brows furrowed into a knot. He finally understood that Global Times was not only waging a rating war, but also a propaganda war.

The so-called "cultural invasion" is most likely a rumor spread by Universal to disrupt Warner Bros., force them to cut Chinese elements, or simply withdraw their investment, making Universal Pictures 2 uncompetitive.

"Why would Mark do this? Is he colluding with Universal?" Zhang Chen asked.

“It’s not necessarily collusion, but Mark has always had a problem with ‘China-led blockbusters.’ He thinks there are too many Chinese elements in Pacific Rim.”

David sighed. "Universal just happened to use this as an excuse to give him a 'way out,' and he naturally went along with it."

After the call ended, the office was silent.

Zhang Chen looked at the street scene outside the window, his mind racing:

If the withdrawal of funding is accepted, the post-launch marketing and distribution funds for "Planet Ring 2" will be insufficient.

If you cut out the Chinese elements, the movie will lose its soul, and all the previous publicity will have been wasted.

An R rating directly impacts box office revenue—viewers under 17 in North America cannot watch the film alone.

There's a saying in the US: the ceiling for an R-rated movie is $1.2 million.

Although there is no rating system in mainland China, R-rated films are subject to restrictions on screenings in other countries, resulting in at least a 30% reduction in box office revenue.

The rating directly impacts box office revenue, which is why David is anxious.

"We can't just let this go."

Zhang Chen suddenly opened his closed eyes, his gaze hardening. "Universal wants to cause trouble, and Warner wants to sabotage us. Then I'll go to America and confront them face to face."

He immediately called his assistant: "Notify the 'Crimson Storm' crew to prepare to fly to Los Angeles, the sooner the better. Also, help me post a Weibo message saying 'Going to America to cause trouble, then reporting the results,' along with a picture of the plane."

Four hours later, Zhang Chen reappeared on the private tarmac of Beijing Capital International Airport, accompanied by David.

The "Crimson Storm" was ready for takeoff, its engines restarting and emitting a deep roar.

The cabin door closed, and the plane slowly taxied toward the runway.

Zhang Chen sat by the window, watching the scenery on the ground grow smaller and smaller until it became a blurry patch of light.

He knew that this trip to the United States would not be easy; he would have to face the machinations of Universal, the internal strife within WarnerMedia, and the pressure of public opinion regarding so-called "cultural invasion."

But he was even more aware that "Pacific Rim 2" was not just a movie, but a flagship film for Chinese mecha and a budding seedling of Chinese science fiction.

He will definitely not allow someone to destroy this promising young plant.

“Just wait,” Zhang Chen said softly, looking at the clouds outside the window. “This time, we must take back the dignity of ‘Crimson Storm’ and the dignity of Chinese cinema.”

The roar of the engines suddenly increased, and the "Crimson Storm" soared into the sky, flying towards the United States on the other side of the Pacific Ocean, and also towards a "mech war" without gunpowder.

At the same time, the last post on Zhang Chen's Weibo account in China was a simple sentence: "Pacific Rim 2 has been rated R. Someone is pulling strings. I have to go to North America to fight them. Wait for my good news~"
(End of this chapter)