I am a historical film director in the entertainment industry.

Seeing that Jiangsu Ying accepted the gift, Cheng Sheng said, "By the way, I have some small gifts in my office. You can give them to the company employees!"

Those gifts weren't worth much money; they were all items worth a few thousand yuan. We bought them as a benefit for the employees.

"Ok."

After Jiangsu Film Studio left, Cheng Sheng went to Xing Aina's office. Seeing that she was busy, Cheng Sheng put the gifts he had bought for her and Ning Hao on the table and said, "Sister Na, these are the gifts I bought for you and Director Ning in Cannes."

"thank you boss."

Xing Aina looked up and said something, then went back to her work.

Cheng Sheng smiled slightly. He really liked these hardworking oxen and horses, after all, they were working for him.

Afterwards, Cheng Sheng left the company and went to China Film Group to meet Master Han.

First, I gave the gifts I bought in Cannes to Master Han, and then we talked about the plagiarism issue and the screening schedule of the movie "Three Kingdoms".

Because of "Red Cliff", the number of screenings for "Three Kingdoms" is slightly lower, but as long as the movie does well at the box office, the theaters will naturally increase the number of screenings for "Three Kingdoms".

Once a film's release date is set, cinemas will conduct a comprehensive assessment of the film's overall commercial appeal.

First, consider the star power and national recognition of the director, actors, and other on-screen personnel, as well as the box office performance of their past works.

Directors like Zhang Yimou and actors like Jackie Chan are more likely to be favored by cinemas, which will naturally give them more screen time.

In terms of both director and actors, "Red Cliff" is superior to "Three Kingdoms". If it weren't for Han Yu's help, the cinemas would probably have scheduled "Red Cliff" first and then "Three Kingdoms".

Even with Han Sanye's help, the cinemas still gave "Red Cliff" more screenings than "Three Kingdoms".

Secondly, the film's subject matter and genre must be attractive and have broad appeal. High-quality films, such as last year's "A World Without Thieves," will also attract more screenings.

Finally, consider the production and distribution team behind the scenes. Are they established players? Are there ticketing platforms involved? Companies like Maoyan, Lianrui, and Luhua have film acquisition and distribution capabilities that are fully recognized in the industry. Naturally, cinemas are willing to give them appropriate screen time.

Based on these assessments, cinema professionals with years of experience and historical data reserves basically had a good idea of ​​how many screenings this film would receive initially.

However, the film schedule is not static.

The subsequent release will affect the number of screenings.

Occupancy rate is always king.

Regardless of the initial screening schedule, the proportion of all screenings will eventually converge with the occupancy rate data, meaning high occupancy rates result in high screenings and low occupancy rates result in low screenings. The only difference is the speed at which the data reverts to its previous state.

This is why some movie screenings are scheduled for 6 p.m. on Fridays, because this time allows for more available screenings rather than during daytime working hours, thus increasing attendance.

Some movies even start showing on Saturdays, also for the sake of occupancy rates.

Cinemas are the group that keeps the most close eye on occupancy rates, and dynamic scheduling based on occupancy rates in real time has become the norm for many cinemas.

There's also the feedback from the public's opinion.

It's important to note that public opinion is crucial. Douban ratings are just one factor to consider. There are quite a few movies that may have low Douban ratings but decent overall public opinion, so theaters are more willing to give them more screenings.

This requires cinema operators to judge the film's reputation based on observations from multiple platforms, dimensions, and perspectives.

Especially now that many films' reputations are intertwined with controversies surrounding political and gender issues, cinema operators need to carefully consider their decisions to make the right choices. For example, a film might be heavily criticized on Hupu (a Chinese sports forum), but casual viewers might not care at all, so it should still be shown in theaters. Many cinemas have their own fan groups, and cinema operators also have a large number of regular customers and audiences on WeChat Moments. When a film is released, cinema operators will naturally pay close attention to the feedback in these groups and on WeChat Moments to see which films people like and how much they like them.

What specific demands do the audience have? For example, do they want to see 2D? Do they want to see the Cantonese version? Do they prefer the screening to be in the evening or during the day?

Cinemas will naturally adjust their film schedules in a refined and targeted manner to meet specific needs.

Therefore, while early screening schedules are important, the later release dates are the key to success.

For example, if a bad movie has poor box office performance and terrible reviews after its release, the cinema may directly pull the movie from the theater or cut half of its screenings and give the other half of the time to movies with high attendance.

After leaving China Film Group, Cheng Sheng went to the school, met with teachers Zhang Yang and Yang Chao, and gave them the gifts he had prepared. He also gave gifts to the other teachers.

Seeing how capable Cheng Sheng was, the other teachers praised him highly.

At noon, Cheng Sheng had lunch with his school teachers and attended a class. Ten minutes before the press conference, he returned to the company.

Many reporters were already waiting downstairs at the company building.

When the time came, Cheng Sheng, Jiangsu Ying, and Xing Aina appeared in front of the building.

"Director Cheng, some people say that 'Romance of the Three Kingdoms' is plagiarized? Is that true?"

A reporter saw Cheng Sheng and asked him the question first.

"I plagiarized?"

Cheng Sheng said with a mocking expression.

"The eyes of the masses are discerning. My script has long been recorded by the authorities. That guy who distorts the truth, he just opens his mouth and says it's his, do you think we'll believe him?"

"Director Cheng, we believe you wouldn't plagiarize, but there's a huge uproar in Hong Kong right now. Is there anything we can do to help you?"

Another reporter said.

Seeing the reporter's kindness, Cheng Sheng smiled and said, "Thank you, but it's not necessary. Besides, I don't want anyone to get into trouble because of this."

"Director Cheng, you said 'causing trouble'? What do you mean?"

Some reporters understood, while others did not.

“From the beginning of this public opinion, I suspected that there was someone behind the scenes trying to stir up trouble and incite conflict between Hong Kong audiences and mainland audiences. Such people have very malicious intentions.”

"And those people in Hong Kong, I feel they're a bit brainless, like leeks being harvested. Not only did they help the schemers, they also got themselves involved. In the end, they'll be the ones who suffer."

"Those Hong Kong spectators who are causing trouble now are just tools used by conspirators. I urge them to calm down and not be used by others."

"Also, when you report, you must report the facts and never let personal feelings get in the way."

"Alright, that's all I have to say about the plagiarism issue. Does anyone have any other questions?"

"Director Cheng, do you have a new film project planned? Is that true?"

"Uh! I guess so!" (End of Chapter)