Huayu became famous overnight

Chapter 228 We're Fighting the Elite

When the slogan of box office exceeding one billion spread online.

It did not cause as much of a stir as Xu Ming had expected.

For most people.

The number of billions a domestic film grosses has little to do with them.

For the remaining group, the possibility of domestic films breaking 1 billion yuan at the box office is also slim.

Fortunately, Xu Ming's slogan wasn't meant for the general public, but rather to motivate his own team.

With such a goal in mind, the atmosphere on the entire set changed.

For "The Unknown" to break a record is a piece of cake.

But if they want to break the 1 billion yuan box office mark, each of them will have to put in a tremendous amount of effort, and even then, it's not guaranteed they can achieve it.

Therefore, the box office revenue on the first day is extremely important.

The roadshow the following day.

After interacting with the audience, Xu Ming walked out of the theater.

They split into three groups.

Jiang Wen leads one team, he leads another team, and Ning Hao leads Qin Hailu and Wang Baoqiang in the third team. This way, efficiency can be maximized.

"How to say?"

"The statistics are still being compiled; the final results will be available later."

Xiao Juan came forward and answered.

"Yes, have Zhuo Wei keep a close eye on public opinion and be wary of online trolls smearing us," Xu Ming said in a deep voice.

In his view, the biggest advantage of "The Nameless" is not the lineup of the three musketeers.

Rather, it's the word-of-mouth effect that drives its growth.

Even if you don't create fake reputation, you can't let your competitors attack you.

Got in the car.

Heading towards the next screening room.

Jingle Bell!
Xu Ming, who had just closed his eyes to rest, took out his phone.

It was Han Han calling.

"Hello, Teacher Han, what's up?"

"I'm almost done with preparations for 'Duckweed' and plan to start filming tomorrow."

Xu Ming frowned upon hearing this: "I'm currently doing a promotional tour..."

“I know, you can focus on the promotional tour. I’ll finish filming the other scenes first.” Han Han paused for a moment. “I’m thinking that you’re aiming for the top of the charts this year, so let’s finish filming this movie as soon as possible. We can still release it by the end of the year.”

"Isn't this too much work for you?"

Xu Ming raised an eyebrow; he had originally planned to postpone "Duckweed" until next year.

Unexpectedly, Han Han volunteered.

"What hardship is this? It's not easy for us post-80s generation to finally have a chance to hold our heads high, so of course I have to help out," Han Han said with a smile.

He has had a good impression of the other party since making contact, and he is willing to contribute his efforts.

This was also for his own sake as a debut work.

Given Xu Ming's strong performance on the charts this year, his subsequent films will definitely receive nationwide attention; this level of popularity is something that can't be bought.

"Okay, I won't say anything more. We'll take it slow later."

Xu Ming was somewhat moved; the other party had indeed relieved him of some of his urgent needs.

After all, eight movies are better than seven dominating the charts, and maybe this one will be all that's missing.

hang up the phone.

Xiao Juan added, "Yesterday and today, Teacher Han forwarded your Weibo post promoting 'The Unknown' and encouraged fans to watch the movie. However, I was too busy yesterday, so I didn't report it to you."

In fact, she wouldn't have brought up such a trivial matter if it weren't for the fact that Xu Ming and Han Han were on the phone together.

"Although Teacher Han is not very clean, she has a very good character."

Xu Ming commented, "If we raise the level of cooperation to another level, after filming 'Duckweed,' we can deepen our cooperation and partnership, and make appropriate concessions."

Xiao Juan pursed her lips.

If Han Han heard his boss's comments, he would probably immediately show what it means to turn his back on someone like flipping a book.

Two hours later, the next roadshow ended.

Xu Ming walked out of the theater again.

Seeing Xiaojuan's face contorted with excitement, I felt much more at ease.

The box office performance on the first day should be pretty good.

"The first day's box office figures are in! Seventy-six million, Brother Ming!"

Xiao Juan's voice even became shrill. This box office performance can't just be described as explosive; it's practically a nuclear bomb.

"Stay calm. With such high pre-sale box office, it's normal for the opening day box office to be high as well."

Xu Ming was overjoyed inside, but his expression remained calm.

Pre-sale tickets are spread over several days, and given the current domestic cinema market, the number of viewers that can be accommodated each day is limited.

"This is normal..."

Xiao Juan's eyes widened; if it weren't for reason stopping her, she would have been fine.

Everyone wants to say, "Even at a time like this, you still can't resist showing off."

"Have the results for Transformers 3 been released yet?"

Xu Ming's question calmed Xiao Juan down.

"Transformers 3 grossed 8800 million yuan on its opening day, breaking the record for both opening day and single-day box office."

hiss~
This is a formidable rival.

Xu Ming touched his nose. Damn it, if he had known this guy was this fierce, he would have avoided him.

When two blockbusters are released in the same period, it's easy for them to end up losing both.

But thinking about the contingency plans he had made before, he managed to dispel any feelings of regret.

"Report our box office results to the guys on the other two routes."

"Let Guangying Ticketing Network put together the daily box office and total box office data of 'The Unknown' and 'Transformers 3' for comparison."

"Contact major media outlets and marketing accounts to publish more comparisons of the two films, highlighting the competition between domestic and Hollywood films, but without influencing the audience's choices."

Xu Ming pondered the information from his previous life about "Transformers 3". This movie was still directed by Michael Bay and was the second movie after "Avatar" to break 1 billion yuan at the box office in mainland China.

With a global box office of $1.1 billion, it is undoubtedly a Hollywood blockbuster.

While "The Unknown" may not be able to compete with its rival globally, it might not be so in mainland China.

In particular, if "The Unknown" wants to break the 1 billion mark, simply relying on hype and slogans is not enough; it needs a stronger stimulus.

This opponent was carefully selected by Xu Ming.

Despite his statement that he would not deliberately guide the audience's choices, the two films, one domestic and one imported, were still competing at a crucial moment when they were vying to break the 1 billion yuan mark at the box office.

He sold the same movie ticket in conjunction with the cinema chain for less than "Transformers 3", and it received good reviews and high popularity.

It even has more screenings than the latter, so there's no need to wait in line.

He doesn't believe the audience won't ask themselves if he doesn't ask them.

Should we show our patriotism?
Those viewers who came specifically for "Transformers 3" are also included in his target audience.

The two sides joined forces to stimulate an even higher box office ceiling for this year's summer movie season.

But this bowl of rice has to be fought for.

A cold glint flashed in Xu Ming's eyes as he said in a deep voice, "Let's also stir up the topic of scalped tickets for Transformers 3, and say that these foreigners are taking advantage of Chinese audiences."

"Furthermore, the main creators have a bias against China, but are more fond of and enthusiastic about the Japanese market. I don't need to tell you how they will imitate it, do I?"

Amitabha Buddha, it is better for a fellow practitioner to die than for this humble one. Please do not be offended.

"Huh? Really?" Xiao Juan was taken aback.

"Does it matter?" Xu Ming asked rhetorically.

"clear."

Xiao Juan suddenly realized something.

Yes, the boss has spoken, so there are options even if there aren't any.

While being wary of others smearing them doesn't mean they can't smear others. It's not a turn-based game.

When the opening day box office results of "The Unknown" were reported to the other two channels...

Instantly, both groups of people were as if they had been injected with chicken blood.

Not only them, but also the cinemas, the media, and netizens were all stunned.

This result means that Xu Ming's previous prediction of breaking one billion yuan in box office revenue may come true.

If it comes true, it will be the first domestic film to break 1 billion yuan at the box office.

It even surpasses a host of imported blockbusters, with only Avatar above it.

Just as Xu Ming had thought, there was no need for him to promote it.

When the media discovered this possibility, they spontaneously promoted "The Nameless".

Every time a record is broken, it's a media frenzy.

What they always want is buzz, and that's exactly what Xu Ming can provide.

A group of people were running around.

Friday's box office figures are in: 80 million.

The increase was only four million.

Transformers 3, however, broke the 100 million mark, reaching 102 million.

The online ticketing platform Guangyinggou.com put the box office data of the two films side by side. While the slightly inferior box office of "The Unknown" made everyone proud, the box office of "Transformers 3" next to it was glaring.

Netizens and media outlets were caught in a dilemma.

On the one hand, it's because domestic films can compete with Hollywood blockbusters, making people feel that domestic films have finally stood up.

On the other hand, it's really not a good feeling to watch Hollywood blockbusters dominate domestic films on our own turf.

If "The Nameless" were bad, that would be one thing, but it's full of sincerity.

It was in this contradictory state of mind that I found myself in this situation.

Saturday has arrived.

The box office figures for both films are being closely watched by all parties.

Its influence even extends beyond the film market.

Many people who don't normally watch movies have started paying attention to the competition between domestic films and Hollywood blockbusters.

In 2011, three years after the 08 Olympics, the domestic economy began to take off, and national confidence grew stronger day by day.

Everyone harbors a burning desire to surpass Britain and the United States.

This energy would usually build up without a trigger, but under Xu Ming's control, a single spark was sent flying towards the fuse.

"On Saturday, 'The Unknown' grossed 8400 million and 'Transformers 3' grossed 11500 million," Xiao Juan reported.

Her face already showed her resentment.

The gap between the two sides is widening, and if this trend continues, the latter will eventually take all the spoils.

Seeing his assistant's expression, Xu Ming's lips curled up in a smile.

That's the spirit of defiance we're after.

"It's normal. It would be strange if our movies didn't fall short compared to series like Transformers 3. To be honest, the fact that we've been able to compete this far has already exceeded my expectations."

Xu Ming wasn't lying. In his view, it was an extraordinary achievement that his own film didn't fall behind.

In this situation, his chances of winning became increasingly higher.

"This is not normal at all. Our movie is worse than that broken robot. It keeps exploding all the time," Xiao Juan said angrily.

Xu Ming raised an eyebrow, looking at the other person in surprise: "You've aided the enemy?"

He knows the plot so well, no one would believe he hasn't seen it.

However, he immediately shook his head in denial, saying that the two of them hadn't been apart for long these past few days, except when he was sleeping and the other person secretly went to the movies.

"I... I received pirated resources from someone else."

Xiao Juan blushed slightly. As someone working in the film and television industry, it was somewhat inappropriate for her to lead the way in watching pirated content.

Xu Ming's focus wasn't on integrity; he was more concerned with the term 'pirated resources'.

Pirated copies of Transformers 3 have already surfaced just three days after its release.

These pirates are incredibly resourceful.

"What about our movie?" Xu Ming asked hurriedly.

If pirated copies of "The Nameless" were released, the negative impact would be far greater than that of the original.

There's not much difference between watching a drama film in a theater and watching it at home.

Movies like Transformers 3 with special effects are different.

"No, our film crew is very strict about it, who would dare to mess around?" Xiao Juan said smugly.

Well, conversely, other movies turn a blind eye, and anyone can do whatever they want.

tsk...

Before the main players have even made a move, their teammates have already started to provide assists.

"Tell me honestly, is there anything else you haven't reported to me?" Xu Ming said seriously.

Looking at Xiao Juan's darting eyes, you can tell that this girl is definitely hiding something.

"Go ahead and tell me, I don't blame you."

“Wanda and Stellar Media have given us most of their screening slots. Transformers 3 is either scheduled for mealtimes or midnight screenings…”

"Okay, stop talking."

Xu Ming raised his hand to interrupt, his face righteous and awe-inspiring: "I'll pretend I didn't hear this time, but don't let it happen again."

Xiao Juan resisted the urge to roll her eyes and responded with a sound of agreement.

"Let Guangying Ticketing Website add another function to show the exact difference in box office revenue between our movie and 'Transformers 3'."

Xu Ming squinted. He had originally planned to wait a little longer, so that the spring would be pressed down a bit more and the rebound would be faster.

But now it seems that the teammates' rebellious sentiments have been aroused, and I believe the public's sentiments are similar.

Why not sound the horn of counterattack today?

"How's the press release I asked you to prepare coming along?"

"President Zhuo is personally in charge, so it can be released at any time."

"Release the press releases from both sides first, and release the ones from the creators that seem to be discriminating last."

Xu Ming made arrangements, then added thoughtfully, "Talk to other cinema chains about rebates, and tell them that if they don't take sides this time, they shouldn't blame us for being ruthless in the future."

"Oh, well..."

As soon as Xiaojuan agreed, she realized what she had promised and couldn't help but look up at her boss.

Xu Ming had an innocent look on his face, as if he knew nothing about it.

Without even a second thought, she knew that if the rebate were given to other cinemas, "Transformers 3" would soon receive the same treatment as Wanda, Stellar, and other cinema chains.

It really came down to a bloody battle.

……

on Monday.

Xu Ming met up with Ning Hao, Jiang Wen, and others, and they moved from Tianjin to Shanghai.

All three of them looked extremely tired, a stark contrast to their initial excitement at the premiere.

Roadshows, this kind of high-intensity promotion, are much more tiring than filming; you're either moving between locations or on your way to one.

"The opening weekend box office figures should be out by now. Do we have a chance of breaking 300 million?"

Ning Hao laughed after he finished speaking. Judging from the current trend, it would be good if the box office didn't drop.

"Losing is not shameful. You're wrong if you think we're going up against Bomb Bay, Shia LaBeouf, and Josh Duhamel."

Jiang Wen's voice was even hoarser than before, "Our opponents are Megatron and Optimus Prime, so we'll need to switch to the four-man pilgrimage team to make things work."

"It's only been four days since the film was released, so it's too early to talk about winning or losing."

Xu Ming smiled, appearing more relaxed than the other two: "It's the toughest bones that are worth chewing, and we're targeting the elite."

Hearing the former's arrogant remarks, the two of them twitched their lips.

For some reason, my previously exhausted body actually started to show some energy.

Damn it.

(End of this chapter)