Rebirth 2004: A lone figure in the literary world

Chapter 248: Using Gangs to Kill Gangs
Does piracy affect the box office? Of course it does. However, it generally affects the box office of bad movies during prime time, and has little impact on the box office of good movies.

This effect is especially evident after the advent of the era of online piracy.

Zhang Chao remembers that a few years later, "X-Men Origins: Wolverine" suffered the most serious film source leak in film history before its release. The high-definition version of the film with only some special effects completed was circulated on the Internet a month ahead of its release.

The producer, 20th Century Fox, desperately believed that this would be another "Cleopatra", but the final box office results were far beyond expectations: the film swept North America after its release, earning $9000 million in box office in just three days over the weekend, and the global box office ultimately fell to nearly $4 million.

Not only did it get the "X-Men" series off to a good start, but it also made the "Wolverine" standalone movie possible.

Later, various film originals and scripts were leaked frequently, but the quality of the film ultimately determines the box office. Therefore, the re-screening of "Titanic" and "Avatar" more than ten years after their release still achieved good box office.

To be honest, the films of Japanese teachers have been pirated for more than ten years, but it has not affected the production companies' prosperity, and they have expanded their business all over the world. It has also unexpectedly given many teachers the opportunity to model in China after retirement.

Therefore, the fear that piracy will affect the box office is more a product of inertia of thinking and misunderstanding of the new era of communication, and it has not actually happened.

Finally, there is another reason - counterintuitively, after piracy entered the Internet era from the disc era, the audience has actually become narrower, not wider.

In the disc era, piracy has a greater impact on box office sales, mainly because it is so easy to buy discs. Zhang Chao encountered this once at the south gate of Yanda University two years ago. It is easy to buy discs from 2 to 80 years old.

As DVDs and VCDs are phased out from households, downloading pirated content from the Internet has actually raised the threshold for watching pirated content rather than lowering it. The only people in China who are truly capable of searching and downloading content from the Internet are college students born in the 70s and 80s.

The older ones don’t even know how to use a computer; the younger ones are used to paying to watch movies.

The reason why Zhang Chao was still calm after watching the pirated version of "Your Name" was not because he was smarter than others, but because he had 20 years more experience.

Now it's the turn of other National Day movies to fail!

We learned from various channels that more than half of the commentary videos were produced by "Tide Culture" itself and handed over to major UPs for release or secondary creation. However, why this almost suicidal way of communication could achieve such miraculous results is beyond imagination.

Even Mr. Han Sanye of China Film Group was alarmed. He had not expected that a small cartoon would be put among his important affairs twice in a dozen days.

As the popularity of "Your Name" continued to rise, he had to make the final decision on how to schedule more films, adjust the time, and produce materials for the theaters. Han Sanye thought about it and decided to talk to Zhang Chao first. He also wanted to know how Zhang Chao came up with such a magical method to reverse the crisis under the shadow of piracy.

Does this mean that from now on, the promotion and marketing of movies has entered a new era? Zhang Chao is obviously the best person to answer his question.

However, when he called Zhang Chao, he unexpectedly learned that Zhang Chao had left Yanjing at such a critical moment and returned to his hometown Fuhai, so he had to postpone the meeting.

Mr. Han was completely confused as to why Zhang Chao came home during such a stressful time of the year.

Zhang Chao also felt a little regretful. No matter how controversial the character of Han Sanye is, he is indeed a person who "earns a living" for the entire industry.

But he had to go home this time - although he cleverly resolved and utilized the crisis of pirated resources of the Japanese version of "Your Name", it did not mean that he could swallow this.

As a veteran web addict with rich experience in downloading movies, Zhang Chao is very familiar with when a clear version of a movie will appear under normal circumstances. This time, the clear version of "Your Name" was leaked at least 2 weeks earlier than normal.

It would be strange if there were no ghosts here.

Zhang Weiguo and his wife were very surprised to see their son suddenly appear at home, but they quickly helped him pull the suitcase and asked, "What's going on?"

After sitting down on the sofa, Zhang Chao said, "It's nothing serious. Dad, is the old grandfather at Hua Bo's house still here?"

Zhang Weiguo was stunned. His son had never been very sensitive about relatives, so why did he suddenly ask about this? However, he still answered, "Yes. Seventy-seven, what's wrong?"

The "Hua Bo" mentioned by Zhang Chao is his father's cousin, Zhang Chao's "cousin uncle"; "Lao Agong" is the father of the cousin uncle, and is a person of Zhang Chao's grandfather's generation. Although he is not the highest generation, he is the grandfather who is in charge of the clan affairs in the Zhang family of Qingyun Road. In the local dialect, he is called "Lao Agong" or "Lao Taigong".

Zhang Chao said: "How is his health? I want to bring some things to visit him."

Zhang Weiguo didn't know what his son was up to, but he still said, "He's still in good health. He's the one who takes the lead in the ancestral hall every New Year. He doesn't smoke now, he's quit; but he occasionally drinks a little wine. He usually drinks tea."

Zhang Chao said: "Okay, then I'll buy some good wine and tea later."

In the afternoon, Zhang Chao appeared at the old grandfather's house, dressed neatly and carrying local aged green plum wine and the best Dahongpao.

The cousin and grandpa were also very surprised by Zhang Chao's arrival, but they still welcomed him into the house warmly. There is only one Zhang family in Qingyun Road, and Zhang Chao's fame in the past two years can be said to have benefited the entire family.

His novels have greatly boosted the tourism industry in Qingyun Road. Many of his relatives took the opportunity to set up small stalls and open small shops. They may not make a fortune, but they can supplement the family income.

Even the county leaders come here to inspect from time to time, and solve many historical problems left over on Qingyun Road, such as aging water and power supply lines, and garbage removal.

Qingyun Road, a small town with a strong sense of history, shows signs of regaining prosperity.

Zhang Chao also set an example for the young people in the tribe, letting them know that having a skill can help them succeed.

Especially since Zhang Chao was admitted to Yan University and Yan Normal University that year, if the "Advanced Research Class" of Luyuan had not been opened in a hurry, the clan would have held a grand ceremony, written Zhang Chao's deeds on a yellow paper, and burned it solemnly for the ancestors.

Although Zhang Chao doesn't like red tape, he knows that in a region like Fuhai with a strong clan atmosphere, these are unavoidable.

The old grandfather is nearly 80 years old, with silver hair and a vigorous spirit. He is in charge of clan affairs not only because of his high moral character, but also because he went out to explore the world when he was young and achieved great success. He is a person of the older generation who has seen the world and is very decisive.

He knew that Zhang Chao would not come to visit for no reason, so after some polite conversation he asked, "Son, if you have any problem, just tell me. Grandpa will definitely help you if he can."

Zhang Chao stood up, bowed to the old grandfather again, and said in dialect: "Grandpa, I was bullied in Japan!" There was unspeakable grievance in his tone.

The old grandfather raised his eyebrows and asked, "Who? Who dares to bully you in Japan?"

Zhang Chao explained in detail how Your Name was pirated in Japan, and emphasized: "This movie is not only adapted from my novel, but I also invested millions of real money in it.

Now that it has been pirated and posted on the Internet for anyone to download, I'm afraid these millions of dollars will be wasted."

The old man didn't know much about the Internet, but he had seen the movie after all, and after Zhang Chao's description, he probably knew what was going on. He asked, "Are you sure it was pirated in Japan?"

Zhang Chao nodded, took out a document, and said, "I communicated with the Japanese side last week, and they have already found out which cinema the video was leaked from.

But they also said, they also said..."

The old grandfather asked, "What did you say?" Zhang Chao said a little embarrassedly, "They said that all the pirated Japanese movies are from Fuhai people...especially...Uncle Haidong's family..."

The old man was speechless for a moment.

Since the late 70s, due to the poor land and people in Fuhai, people have gradually gone to Japan through various means. Later, they gradually formed a group in Japan and became a force that cannot be underestimated.

In the 90s, the Japanese local gang Yamaguchi-gumi was even forced to call the police, which seriously affected Japan's underground order.

The biggest feature of the Fu Hai Gang is that the organization is highly dependent on clan and blood relations, and most of its members are very simple-minded and believe that although they chop gangs, sell pirated goods, and collect protection fees in Japan... they are not gangsters, it's just a job.

The money they made was saved and sent back home to build a small house. The status of Fuhai Gang members was temporary and would not be the same once they returned to China.

Therefore, although the Fu Hai Gang is developing overseas, no branch will bring this relationship back to the country; at the same time, because the "roots" are still in the clan, they attach great importance to the opinions and views within the clan.

The "Uncle Haidong" that Zhang Chao mentioned is a distant relative of the same generation as Zhang Chao's father Zhang Weiguo. He went to Japan in the 80s to open a tofu shop. Because he was dissatisfied with the protection fees collected by the Yamaguchi-gumi, he organized his relatives to overthrow the Yamaguchi-gumi, and thus became a figure with great influence in Japan's Fukukai Gang.

When Zhang Chao was informed of this situation by Kadokawa Shoten, he had never expected that the follow-up of the piracy incident would unfold in this way.

After hesitating for two or three days, he decided to go back to his hometown and leave the matter to his clan to handle.

The old man sighed and said, "Are the people under Haidongzi blind? Why are they pirating their own movies? I see. Leave the file here and I'll call him.

You are an innocent child, so don't contact your Uncle Haidong directly. If you have any requests, I will talk to him!"

Zhang Chao nodded repeatedly, handed the documents to the old man, bowed again, and then left the old man's house.

In terms of efficiency, the gangs are more efficient. Zhang Chao returned home and had just taken a nap. Before dinner time, the news came back from Japan.

The person who bribed the projectionist to copy "Your Name" was indeed a subordinate of Zhang Haidong, called "Single Eyed Boy". He got the task from "Shanghai Boy" in Hong Kong, and paid three times the usual price to get the opportunity to enter the projection room to copy the film.

"Shanghai Boy" is surnamed Guo, and his ancestral home is Fuhai. He got the nickname "Shanghai Boy" because he followed his father to Shanghai to do clothing business for two years. It was with his identity as a Fuhai person that he got in touch with the Fuhai gang in Japan.

Zhang Chao listened patiently to the complicated story and was overwhelmed. After the old grandfather finished speaking, he asked, "Your uncle Haidong asked me to ask you, what should we do with this 'one-eyed boy'?"

How about I cut off a finger and give it back to you?"

Zhang Chao was startled and waved his hands repeatedly, saying, "Don't do that. I just want to know the whole story. He was just paid to do the job. The real bad guys are the 'Shanghai Boy' and the people who ordered the 'Shanghai Boy'."

The old grandfather said, "So we're just going to let him go?"

Zhang Chao thought for a long time and said hesitantly: "Japan is also investigating the film leak. It would be great if he could provide evidence to the Japanese police.

But if there is a threat to his personal safety, forget it. Money matters are not worth risking one’s life. Cultural matters should be resolved internally as much as possible.”

The old grandfather gave Zhang Chao a deep look and said, "You are indeed a kind-hearted child. Okay, I understand what you mean. I will go talk to Haidong and ask him to handle it properly so that you won't suffer any loss."

Zhang Chao thought to himself, "I didn't suffer any loss," but he still said, "Then thank Uncle Haidong for me!"

The next day, Zhang Chao received good news. Zhang Haidong not only asked the "single-eyed boy" to organize all the evidence, especially the records of him sending pirated resources to "Shanghai Boy" and receiving funds from "Shanghai Boy", but also sent them all to Kadokawa Bookstore.

Then they sent the "single-eyed boy" back to China to avoid the limelight. This not only fulfilled Zhang Chao's goodwill, but also provided support for Zhang Chao's subsequent actions.

After thanking the old grandfather, Zhang Chao returned to Yanjing with the evidence and made an appointment to meet with Mr. Han San as soon as possible.

"Can you ensure that these evidences are true?" Mr. Han San asked solemnly as he flipped through the documents in front of him.

Zhang Chao nodded and said, "I can guarantee it." Then he recounted the entire process of his return to Fuhai.

Mr. Han put the file back on the table and asked, "People in Hong Kong, you have nothing better to do than to make such a fuss about a mainland animation of yours - so you also know who is behind this?"

Zhang Chao nodded and said, "There is only one movie in the same period as Your Name that has such a motive - although there is no direct evidence pointing to them at the moment."

Mr. Han asked again: "What are you going to do?"

Zhang Chao looked at him strangely and said, "I thought I would be the one asking you this question."

Mr. Han San said calmly, "If this piracy caused Your Name to suffer substantial losses, I would naturally come forward to resolve it without you asking. But now... at least I'm not that anxious.

Let's wait until the movie is out. They won't admit it. They are not gang members, and they can't even cover up their actions. This little evidence can't be traced back to them."

Zhang Chao thought to himself that he was really an old fox. This time, "Your Name" was introduced in the form of a split-revenue film. After the box office expectations were greatly raised, the actual benefits that China Film could obtain also exceeded expectations.

Han Sanye is a filmmaker and a businessman. Now that he has escaped danger, he should carefully consider going to war with his peers.

But Zhang Chao certainly would not give up, and instead asked back, "I want to know, what measures do you mean by 'coming forward to resolve the issue'?"

Han Sanye smiled slightly and did not answer Zhang Chao's question. As the actual controller of China Film Group, he naturally had many ways.

But why should we talk about these methods with a little kid like Zhang Chao?

Zhang Chao sighed, stood up and said, "You have your concerns, and I have my persistence. Since you think they can get away with it by doing something that will only hurt them, then I can only try it myself to see how much pain I can cause them."

Han Sanye's expression froze. He didn't expect Zhang Chao to be so resolute. Of course, this was also related to the fact that he was not from the literary circle. If Bai Ye was next to him, he would definitely shout in his ear: "Promise him! Promise him! Promise him!"

However, Zhang Chao's attitude did attract his attention. He quickly stopped Zhang Chao and said after a long pause, "How about this, we hold a press conference and severely condemn the piracy based on the existing evidence.

We have been cooperating with relevant departments in Hong Kong in terms of copyright protection. I can use my connections to ask them to give a warning to that guy, "Shanghai Boy", right?"

Zhang Chao reluctantly nodded in agreement after hearing what he said. But in his heart, another plan began to take shape...

(End of this chapter)