Generation Z Artists

Chapter 276

The domestic box office of "Hero" in the previous generation was already quite inspiring, with 2.5 million yuan.

Now, the box office is about to reach 4 million, which can be described as a national sensation.

Those who haven't lived through this era simply cannot understand the kind of oppression and despair that the 3.6 ​​million yuan box office of "Titanic" brought to Chinese filmmakers.

In the original history, the box office record of the large ship was not broken until eleven years later by the special film "The Founding of a Republic".

十一年间，02年的《英雄》2.5亿，06年的《黄金甲》2.9亿，07年的《变形金刚》2.82亿，08年的《非诚勿扰》2.5亿……

Are there any movies that come close to showing a large ship?
Strictly speaking, no.

The difference between 98 million in 3.6 and 08 million in 2.5 is like night and day.

Many spineless people often say dismissively, "How can a domestic film break 3 million? You know you can't break it, right?!"

It was early 2003, and the situation hadn't deteriorated to that extent yet, but the fact that domestic films were grossing tens of millions of yuan at the box office only made the gap seem even wider.

Dignified Chinese filmmakers dare not mention large ships in meetings.

Those who advocate opening up to the outside world always mention large ships when they hold meetings.

Who can imagine how embarrassing that is?

Fang Xinghe was one of those people who couldn't understand, so when he learned that "Hero" was about to hit 3.6 million yuan at the box office, he said "oh," nodded to indicate that he understood, and then turned around and plunged back into his career.

Such a casual remark, as if it were nothing to do with anything.

However, everyone except him started going crazy as soon as "Hero" surpassed 3 million.

"Holy crap! Could Heroes really sink a giant ship?!"

A casual comment on the internet sparked a frenzy of online box office tracking.

Every day, the most popular post on Tianya is the daily box office figures for "Hero".

In fact, once the box office reached over 3 million, those who wanted to see it had already seen it, and the daily box office of "Hero" dropped to around 500 million.

Even if there are two versions and the price is cut back and forth, only young people will buy it, and only urban youths have the spare money to watch it twice.

From anyone's perspective, the box office potential of "Hero" has already been largely realized.

Wei Ping gives interviews every day, chattering away, trying every possible way to boost the market, but the daily box office continues to decline.

Baby's breath?
Even the starry-eyed crowd couldn't resist. They watched the movie as soon as it was released, and then watched it more than once when the Fang version was released.

There are quite a few core fans in China, over ten million, but China today is not the prosperous era it will be twenty years from now; its economic strength is insufficient to support everyone's entertainment consumption.

According to Fang Xinghe's previous calculations, the maximum number of mainland "Full Sky Stars" (a term referring to fans of a certain type of idol) who are female, have a high enough level of fandom, have urban household registration, and have relatively good economic conditions is 100 million.

With the remaining 1000 million or so, their promotional efforts are useless.

In the pre-social media era, the only purpose of these fans was to refine and retain them for future use; expecting them to boost box office revenue and sales was pure fantasy.

Therefore, although China has a large number of children with autism, its contribution is far less than that of Japan and South Korea.

This is a very real problem. In many county towns, the old-fashioned cinemas with tickets costing 10 yuan each are a luxury that junior high school students cannot afford.

Around the time the total box office reached 3.3 million, the daily box office of "Hero" had already dropped back to around 300 million.

It seems that all we can do is wait and see.

At that very moment, the People's Daily reprinted a feature article from Film Weekly, suddenly sounding the clarion call to reach 3.6 million yuan in box office revenue.

"A shining example of Chinese cinema!"

The subheading following the main title is "Hero, with its all-Chinese cast, allows the world to rediscover China."

The title might not seem like much to Gen Z, but at this moment, the subtitle is full of sensitive words, making it too easy for Chinese people to get excited.

The article has only one theme—

Hollywood movies have been dominating us for so long, can you really stand it?
Essentially, it's all about playing with emotions, but this time, they really timed it perfectly.

"The weak Chinese film industry is like China itself, which was weak for a century. At that time, we had no choice but to open our doors and watch enviously as matches, liquor, and cigarettes became popular, while we watched helplessly as our handicrafts suffered under the threat of foreign guns and cannons..."

Essentially, the situation facing Chinese films today is no different from that of the past. Hollywood blockbusters are even more powerful than the coalition forces back then; they have long since breached the cultural doors of every country in the world without firing a shot, crushing all barren and backward markets with more sophisticated storytelling, more exquisite visuals, more dazzling special effects, and more formidable financial power…

The first half of the article is very pessimistic.

—Perhaps it shouldn't be described as pessimistic, because it states the facts, but it deliberately guides emotions.

Therefore, the second half of the climax was indeed exhilarating and liberating.

"Fortunately, in the world of art, capital, industry, institutions, experience, markets... everything must give way to talent."

A genius can overcome all unfavorable factors and achieve an unconventional comeback.

We usually call this kind of overtaking 'the crushing of standard work results by a flash of genius'. Hollywood has a powerful film industry, and we have geniuses.

Fang Xinghe, a genius actor, screenwriter, director, and action choreographer, added a crucial soul to what was originally just a visual spectacle, "Hero," in his first collaboration…

I'll omit a thousand words of praise for Brother Fang; the truth will finally be revealed at the end of the article.

"Fang Xinghe has done everything he could. The overseas success of 'Hero' is his medal of honor. He has fully demonstrated that Chinese filmmakers are fully capable of making world-renowned films."

Now it's our turn to do what we should do—tell the world that Chinese film fans have aesthetic sense, passion, and attitude, and are willing to contribute to good domestic films.

We will launch an attack on the mountain that has been weighing on our heads for four years, completely overturn it, and continue to encourage all Chinese filmmakers who wholeheartedly explore the boundaries of film and make good films with their hearts, telling them to just focus on creation...

Throughout history, the Chinese nation has never allowed heroes to fight alone. Fang Xinghe has already launched an offensive against Hollywood and even the world. As for me, I will never stand by and watch, be cowardly and afraid to fight, be sarcastic and cynical.

I will do my utmost, speaking out whenever I have a voice and contributing whatever strength I have, to be a naive idealist, an ordinary person behind a hero, and a happy movie fan...

Yes, I am lucky, and you are lucky too. We are fortunate to live in such a wild and untamed era. Everything is just beginning. You and I will be the joint witnesses and creators of this miracle.

And to do all this is so simple—go to the cinema, genuinely enjoy this heroic spectacle, and leave the rest to time, to the leader, to the genius…”

We still live in a text-based age, where people prefer reading long articles that convey strong emotions rather than summarizing their feelings with a simple emoji.

Therefore, after this article was widely reprinted, ordinary people suddenly became agitated.

Watching movies equals patriotism equals cultural confidence—the equation is simple and straightforward, yet remarkably effective.

From the perspective of public opinion, Fang's version of "Hero" is indeed a good movie. The visuals are stunning, the action scenes are amazing, and the story is complete. Even if you particularly dislike the ending, you won't feel like you wasted your money.

Given that the quality is excellent enough, and that it's so easy to perform a patriotic act, many people would be willing to take action.

As a result, a large number of ordinary people began to go to the cinema.

The "ordinary people" here refers to non-enthusiasts who do not usually watch movies and watch at most one movie a year.

They were either middle-aged couples, busy blue-collar workers, or heavy users of pirated DVDs. This time, driven by a wave of patriotism, they entered the cinema with a great sense of novelty.

The box office of "Hero" suddenly rebounded to tens of millions.

In just 3 days, it easily surpassed 3.6 million!
The day Titanic was finally dethroned as the number one film of all time, cheers erupted everywhere.

On the internet, there are Tianya, voice chat, QQ, StarNet...

In reality, these "spiritual shareholders" (a term referring to enthusiastic followers) are calling on friends and family in high spirits... Newspapers and television stations are broadcasting the news across all channels, with all sorts of creative congratulatory messages appearing...

Hero grossed over $4 million worldwide, but its $3.6 million domestic box office was less significant.

Because the meaning is exceptionally different.

However, it's still not over.

On the night of February 15th, CCTV's evening news program devoted five minutes to detailing the domestic and international achievements of Fang's version of "Hero," describing it as "a major victory on the cultural front."

The people became increasingly excited. Apart from those so-called cultural elites, urban petty bourgeoisie, and foreign-worshipping lackeys who couldn't stand Fang Xinghe no matter what, the ordinary people were all overjoyed.

The number of viewers who spontaneously went to the cinema has further increased.

In three days, the box office will reach 400 million.

When it broke the 4 million record, its box office potential was truly exhausted.

However... our country has its own unique circumstances.

Suddenly, the education authorities started organizing students to watch movies, citing a very compelling and legitimate reason—a directive from an official document.

"The Chinese culture, history, and consciousness showcased in the outstanding Chinese film 'Hero' serve as the best form of patriotic education for middle school students. Since ancient times, the idea of ​​a unified empire has been a cultural gene deeply rooted in the blood of the Chinese nation..."

Yes, the education sector specifically brought up the idea of ​​unification.

After a chaotic battle, Fang Xinghe's "The Sino-American World" still failed to subdue the stubbornness of the domestic cultural compradors. The fighters who shouted for freedom were still excited and passionate, but the authorities stopped playing with them and directly stepped in to define and set the tone.

Although the education authorities may not be that authoritative, they can influence a lot of students!
In an instant, the box office of "Hero" was revitalized and soared all the way up.

The students were satisfied—especially the elementary school students.

No classes, and I got to watch a kung fu movie like "Hero"—it couldn't be happier!

If parents don't take them to see it, but the school organizes it, they can go home and rave about it afterward. Maybe that will pique their parents' interest and get them to see a second showing.

Although other government departments did not speak out, they also began organizing unit-level movie screenings.

When the central and state-owned enterprises saw this trend, they thought, "Well, the company isn't short of funds, so let's book the whole venue and join in the fun!"
Thus, the treatment that only "The Founding of a Republic" could enjoy was enjoyed by "Hero" four years earlier.

On top of the 4 million yuan domestic box office, an additional 8000 million yuan inexplicably appeared, leaving the big ship far behind.

This is truly the limit of the current market. Half of the year's box office revenue came from "Hero," making the entire industry green with envy.

Fang Ge's nickname "Ziwei Star Lord" stuck firmly, and various collaboration invitations poured into the company like snowflakes.

However, the impact of this event goes beyond that—the more Yangba is in mainland China, the more panicked Hong Kong and Taiwan become.

Domestic state media, concerned about the potential impact, and foreign media with connections to Hong Kong and Taiwan, all kept quiet about the matter. However, the three provincial newspapers in Northeast China were not so lenient with them.

The usually weakest and least influential Ji Bao took up a big knife and rushed to the front, piercing through the unspoken understanding.

"Facts have proven that Hong Kong and Taiwan directors, capital, and stars are not necessary factors for success. There is no such thing as an 'Eastern Hollywood.' Mainland filmmakers can also make great films that will shock the world..."

He launched into a tirade, even directly naming several Hong Kong stars who had engaged in anti-China behavior.

Do you think Gigi went too far?

wrong!
Even more impressive were Yunyun, Guigui, and Chuanchuan, who unleashed their ultimate attacks right up to the enemy's face.

"No film from Hong Kong has achieved even a tenth of the success of 'Hero,' and no star from Hong Kong or Taiwan has reached even a tenth of Fang Xinghe's influence. A narrow land cannot breed heroes with broad minds. Jin Yong's martial arts and Yuan's kung fu are all in the past. The future of Chinese films lies in the mainland, and the future of Chinese films lies in Fang Xinghe's hands!"

You bunch of frogs in a well, it's time to take Director Fang's ban seriously!

The letter of intent has been signed, but the money hasn't arrived yet. Therefore, the three brothers from the Southwest are eager to make a name for themselves and are overdoing it, which I think everyone can understand.

Only Hong Kong and Taiwan don't understand; they've broken through the defenses quite badly.

"Hero" only grossed 4500 million RMB in total in the two regions, which shows how strong their boycott was.

Logically speaking, a kung fu film like "Hero" should not have any issues with its adaptation to local tastes and should have grossed over 100 million yuan, no less than "The Lord of the Rings".

But the truth is, the media didn't praise it, the public didn't care, and its overall performance was far inferior to other films of the same level.

Well... that's quite ambitious.

When Brother Fang heard about this, he laughed and replied, "Let them be. You see, they're really nothing special, right?"

The person speaking to Fang Xinghe was Chairman Han.

He shook his head and smiled bitterly, sighing, "You...you gave me both the golden cudgel and the tight headband, what am I supposed to do?"

This is a happy kind of trouble.

"Hero" has erected a monument, proving that an all-Chinese cast can also succeed, and those Hong Kong and Taiwan filmmakers can no longer be arrogant.

Not only have they stopped being arrogant, they've even started to behave themselves with a bit of humility.

This year, a total of three major films will be approved, all of which will be funded by Hong Kong, based in Hong Kong, and feature Hong Kong stars. In the past, the other side would have already been very demanding, making all sorts of requests and taking most of the benefits.

But now, everything is negotiable.

Why?

They lack confidence.

Old Han was happy because he finally had a way to control them, but he was also troubled because there was only one Fang Xinghe, and he couldn't manage to deal with him all at once.

—Anyone who misbehaves will be grabbed and slapped, either dead or crippled.

Moreover, who would dare to have a crooked mouth?
Fang Dasheng's intimidating power was fully demonstrated at the seminar at the end of February.

That day, when Han Sanping called, he specifically reminded him: "Xiao Fang, there's a meeting later, you have to come."

"I might not have time..."

You decide the time!

"Alright, what kind of meeting is it exactly?"

"Symposium on the Analysis of the Hero Phenomenon and the Summary of Successful Experiences".

"..."

Even with Fang Xinghe's strong mental fortitude, he was momentarily speechless.

How presumptuous!

Did I agree to this and you're just making a mess of things by holding meetings?
He didn't mince words at all, directly complaining: "Boss, we haven't even had our victory celebration banquet yet, and you're already in such a hurry to start one?"

Old Han knew what kind of person this guy was, so he quickly warned him in advance: "This is not something I can decide. Leaders from the Film Bureau, the Cultural Bureau, and the Foreign Affairs Bureau will all be attending. You better watch your step and don't start anything reckless!"

"Okay, I won't open it. I'll be honest and only bring my ears."

Everything seemed fine when they agreed, but on the day of the meeting, things still went wrong.

The main problem was that among the attendees were traitors, internal spies, and external troublemakers, all chattering away, trying to make their presence felt. So, Fang Laohu (Fang the Tiger) subtly displayed his power…

**********
Seasonal routine collapse
(End of this chapter)