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Chapter 462 0452 [The Little Monster Movie Released]

The iPhone 4 will indeed need some time before the Chinese version is released.

Because Apple learned from last year's experience, it dared not cut back on Wi-Fi functionality again, so it had to be compatible with China's WAPI standard. From research and development to testing, it will take approximately three to six months.

Still early.

In early July, Toy Story 3's box office performance had already weakened, with 20 days remaining before the release of Aftershock.

The movie version of "Summer of Little Monsters" was released at this time.

The only truly competitive film of that era was "Triple Tap".

According to Chen Guiliang's plan, "Summer of Little Monsters" should have been released last summer, and he even specifically sought out Han Sanye to secure investment from China Film Group. The initial budget was 3000 million yuan.

But the geniuses at Breakthrough Animation Company started prioritizing artistic creation over box office returns. Not only did they extend the production cycle by a year, but the budget also jumped from 3000 million to 8000 million.

China Film Group added 1000 million yuan in investment and then stopped providing further support. The fact that they didn't threaten to withdraw their investment was already a gesture of respect to Chen Guiliang.

However, with Han Sanye's help, an investment of 800 million yuan was secured from Huaxia.

Chen Guiliang personally invested an additional 500 million yuan, and You Ke invested an additional 3000 million yuan. The remaining money was left for PoJie Animation to figure out on its own.

All the money that Breakthrough Animation has earned in the past few years has been poured into it...

A while ago, Chen Guiliang asked Han Sanye for help in getting some screenings. Han Sanye jokingly said, "Mr. Chen's childlike heart remains unchanged, and he's willing to accompany those kids in pursuing their dreams. That's great. Chinese animation needs this kind of dream-chasing spirit to rise. Losing money is inevitable, but I'll try my best to get you a few more screenings."

After all that rambling from Master Han, the key phrase is "losing money."

This animated film is almost guaranteed to lose money because its production costs are too high.

Both China Film Group and Huaxia Film Distribution arranged screenings for the film, and Huaxia Film Distribution even asked Chen Guiliang to help promote "Dream Back to Jinsha City".

"Dreaming Back to Jinsha City" is also an animated film with a production cost of 8000 million yuan. However, in another timeline, it only grossed 120 million yuan, a complete flop...

Chen Guiliang posted on his personal account: "Everyone knows what the state of the domestic animation industry is like. There are two groups of idiots who are spending 8000 million yuan to make animated films. I estimate they will lose everything. One is called 'Summer of Little Monsters,' and the other is called 'Dream Back to Jinsha City.' If you have the money, go support them and let them die with more dignity."

Wang Chenyu, CEO of Breakthrough Animation, replied: "Boss, how can you talk about your own movie like that? We will definitely make money."

In his response, director Chen Demin of "Dreaming Back to Jinsha City" took the opportunity to promote the film: "Mr. Chen, our film took five years to complete and was entirely hand-drawn. The entire team has a pursuit of excellence in art, and with its compelling story and grand theme, I believe it will be well-received by audiences. We are confident we will break even!"

Chen Guiliang tagged the two of them and replied in unison: "See? These two idiots are still thinking about recouping their investment. What's even more ridiculous is that their animations are being released at the same time."

The production costs of these two animated films exhausted the budget, leaving no extra funds for marketing and distribution.

We won't hold premieres or roadshows, because they all cost money.

Chen Guiliang could only try his best to shout a few times for them.

It really attracted a lot of attention from netizens, because Chen Guiliang's social media account has its own built-in traffic.

ByteDance has its own operating rules, while "Summer of Little Monsters" is a product of an animation company under Youke. If the animation production company doesn't spend money on promotion, ByteDance's websites might at most provide a little traffic.

Want more traffic? Money talks!
This is not 2025.

During the entire summer of 2010, only three domestic films grossed over 3 million yuan at the box office.

If blockbuster movies are doing so badly, animated films are even worse off.

An animated film with a budget of 3000 million might still make a profit, but an 8000 million production cost is almost guaranteed to lose money. It's just a matter of how much.

"These two directors are really crazy, spending 8000 million on an animated film?"

"Aren't their investors even crazier? They're obviously not short of money. They might as well throw it down the drain; at least they'd make a splash."

"How could you people do this? If Chinese animation is to rise, there must be people who will follow in its footsteps! I'm going to support both of your films!"

"Even with support, they'll still lose money. Toy Story 3 has been out for half a month and hasn't even grossed 100 million yuan. Can these two domestic animated films compare to the appeal of Toy Story? For them to break even, they need to gross at least 200 million yuan."

"Old Master Chen is actually right. Let's all go and support them, so they can die with some dignity. Consider it a proper burial."

"..."

Xu Fengyin is somewhat famous in the anime and gaming circles, but she's usually too lazy to manage her accounts. She also posted a Weibo message: "After I finish watching 'Summer of Little Monsters' and 'Dreaming Back to Jinsha City,' I'll come back and share them with everyone. Anyone want to watch them together?"

Dumpling quickly followed up with a post: "Supporting domestic animation."

Those celebrities who had dealings with Chen Guiliang also retweeted his Weibo posts. It was a convenient and cost-effective way to give Mr. Chen face.

In particular, Wang Wei, CEO of Tudou.com, posted three Weibo posts to help promote the website, as he himself is an anime enthusiast.

The hype was huge, and most netizens who frequently browse Weibo have heard of these two anime series.

In major anime and manga communities, a large number of enthusiastic supporters have emerged.

In particular, the short film "Summer of Little Monsters" has garnered a large number of loyal fans. Now that the theatrical version is about to be released, these die-hard fans are actively posting to promote it.

The evening of July 7.

A large group of people, including Chen Guiliang, Bian Guanyue, Tao Xue, Xu Fengyin, Xie Yang, Guo Feng, and Ao Yanzhen, went to see a movie together. Guo Feng, for the first time ever, brought his girlfriend along; it was the first time she had participated in an activity with everyone.

Wang Chenyu and his team from Breaking Boundaries Animation Company also arrived, each one both expectant and apprehensive.

"The occupancy rate is very high." Xu Fengyin looked around.

Chen Guiliang said, "This is Zhongguancun, a place where a large number of white-collar workers gather. They have money and leisure time, and they are more accepting of animated films. If there are no seats here, other cinemas will definitely be in even worse shape."

Wang Chenyu said, "We won't really lose money, will we?"

Chen Guiliang said, "Even if you barely break even, let alone make a profit, you'll still be remembered in Chinese film history. It's outrageous, an 8000 million yuan production cost. The box office needs to be in the top three during the summer season just to break even."

Wang Chenyu hesitated, but ultimately kept quiet because he felt guilty.

He wanted to stick to the budget, but his friends swayed him, and he impulsively pursued an artistic vision. He went for a pure hand-painted ink wash style and even hired several big names as consultants.

One of the prominent figures was Wu Guanzhong, who, despite being ill, provided guidance to them for two weeks early last year. He passed away just two weeks ago.

Chen Guiliang still maintained his principles and didn't use Mr. Wu's passing for publicity. He only offered condolences and thanks at the end of the film.

"President Chen! President Guo! President Xie! And Master Xu... Holy crap! I work at the company downstairs from you."

The movie theater lights were still on. A viewer in the front row walked to his seat and suddenly saw a row of familiar faces sitting behind him.

His shout attracted the attention of many viewers, and quite a few recognized Chen Guiliang.

The audience for this event was almost entirely composed of white-collar workers from Zhongguancun, and Chen Guiliang was particularly well-known in Zhongguancun.

Immediately, someone stood up, took out their phone, and took a picture of Chen Guiliang. Then, they posted it on Weibo.

Chen Guiliang was also posting photos of his tickets on Weibo, and at that moment he was smiling and waving to everyone.

The guy in the front row was taking a selfie, leaning to the side so that Chen Guiliang was also in the picture. He then turned to Chen and said, "Mr. Chen, the HarmonyOS system is incredibly awesome after this update. Especially the free cloud backup space—what a generous capitalist!"

Chen Guiliang laughed and said, "When you hang streetlights in the future, you'll make me look even better, right?"

"Hanging a street lamp?" That guy didn't understand the joke.

Chen Guiliang said, "Aren't capitalists just there to hang streetlights?"

The guy was a bit lost in thought and froze, unsure how to respond.

"Old Master Chen, look this way!" someone shouted again.

Chen Guiliang turned his head and looked over, not only smiling but also making a peace sign.

Bian Guanyue said, "I think waving is more natural than making a peace sign."

Chen Guiliang said, "That's exactly the feel we're going for, down-to-earth. Once the streetlights are installed, they won't be able to touch the ground anymore."

Guo Feng's goddess whispered, "Is your boss a little out of his mind?"

“Yeah, I’m much more normal than him. I can never catch his jokes when he’s talking,” Guo Feng agreed.

Suddenly the lights went out and the big screen lit up.

Whispers and the sounds of popcorn being eaten could be heard in the darkness, which quieted down slightly when the movie started.

The movie version of "Summer of Little Monsters" is similar in plot to "Little Monsters of Langlang Mountain", but Wang Chenyu and his team also added some creative touches.

They poured all their insights from years of pursuing their dreams, only to fail repeatedly, into this project.

Gradually, the screening room became quieter and quieter, with only the sound effects of the movie remaining.

Over 90% of the audience members were from the workplace, and they deeply resonated with the film. They laughed and then wanted to cry, because they had completely immersed themselves in the story.

Chen Guiliang, however, was mainly focused on the animation effects. Damn, the 8000 million yuan production fee was definitely not for nothing. Breaking Boundaries Animation couldn't handle everything themselves, so they hired some outsourcing teams.

From a purely artistic and technical standpoint, this film is absolutely a masterpiece.

It is much better produced than "Dream Back to Jinsha City".

Although "Dream Back to Jinsha City" cost 8000 million yuan, it took too many detours in five years. The director changed several animation teams, none of which could satisfy him, and the first two years were basically a waste of time.

The guy sitting in front of Chen Guiliang, who used to be quite talkative, is now not even eating popcorn and is staring intently at the big screen.

He watched the short film version when he was in college. Although he could understand it at the time, he found it difficult to empathize with the emotions.

Now that I'm working, watching the theatrical version again gives me a completely new understanding.

He didn't leave his seat until the end credits rolled, but instead joined everyone in applauding.

Only after leaving the cinema did he post a picture of his ticket stub on Weibo, saying: "The best domestic film in recent years, bar none. Those aren't monsters, they're us working people."

Suddenly, he laughed again and posted another Weibo post: "I finally understand why President Chen said that capitalists should be used to hang streetlights!"

(End of this chapter)