Huayu: Starting from joining the mainstream entertainment industry in 96

Chapter 161, page 159: Exploding Shanghai Master's Gold Coins!

In the third week of December 1997, winter had arrived, but inside and outside Suzhou, a strange current of excitement was surging due to a carefully planned "cross-border movie-watching" competition.

Xiang Qianjin, the vice president of Suzhou Film Company in charge of publicity and distribution, is a native of Suzhou. He is slightly overweight and always wears the amiable smile typical of businessmen, but his eyes reveal a tenacious spirit that refuses to admit defeat.

After receiving Wang Sheng's call about "exploding Shanghai's gold coins," he not only didn't see it as a problem, but was also incredibly excited, as if he had been injected with adrenaline.

He had long been fed up with the arrogant attitude of the Shanghai Film Company!

As major economic centers, why should we have to cater to your attitudes?
With the support of the Beijing Film Studio Alliance and Wang Sheng, and with the trump card of "30 Days," he was determined to vent his anger and give the Suzhou film market a boost!

Wang Sheng's idea was actually very simple, but extremely ingenious: since the Shanghai side was blocking the market and preventing us from entering, then we would open the door and invite, no, "lure" the audience in Shanghai to come over on their own!
Taking advantage of the near-identical geographical proximity between Suzhou and Shanghai, with the two cities only about 80 kilometers apart and a journey time of just over an hour by both road and rail, a "movie-watching siphon effect" can be created targeting Shanghai.

Moving Forward deeply understands the essence of Shanghai culture—people from the magical city have an innate nature to pursue fashion and not be outdone.

They have an extraordinary curiosity and possessiveness toward new things, especially those that are hyped up by the media but not seen around them.

The controversy surrounding "30 Days" is currently raging. Stephen Chow's name is well-known, and the more fiercely the newspapers in Shanghai criticize it, the more it is actually promoting the film in reverse, making many young movie fans eager to watch it.

This mentality of "the unattainable is always more alluring" is precisely the key that can be exploited.

Just do it.

Xiangqian immediately mobilized all its connections and resources, and began a frantic operation across departments and industries.

First, he contacted the Suzhou Railway Bureau and the long-distance bus company.

This is easier said than done.

Organizing dedicated "movie trains" or "movie buses" involves a series of issues such as vehicle scheduling, ticketing integration, security, and even local reception, requiring coordination from multiple departments including transportation, public security, and culture.

With his silver tongue and the support of the Suzhou Film Company and even the city government behind him for this "cultural offensive," Xiang Qianjin went from one company to another, obtaining approvals layer by layer.

He told the leaders of the railway branch, "This is a great opportunity to boost cultural and tourism consumption in Suzhou! One train can bring in the spending power of hundreds of Shanghai residents. After watching the movie, won't people want to have a meal or buy some local specialties on Guanqian Street? This will boost Suzhou's economy!"

He told the head of the passenger transport company, "Our long-distance buses have fluctuating occupancy rates. By opening up a few fixed 'movie-watching routes,' we can stabilize passenger flow, enhance our service brand image, and achieve both fame and fortune!"

He even brought in people from the tourism bureau and the commerce bureau to describe the potential of the "overnight economy" brought by busloads of Shanghai audiences—after watching a late-night movie, staying overnight and then leaving, wouldn't the accommodation, food, and shopping expenses all be left behind?

Under the high-sounding reasons of "developing the local economy," "meeting the cultural needs of the people," and "exploring new models of cross-regional cultural cooperation," as well as some unspoken "relationship smoothing," Xiangqianjin miraculously managed to get all the links through in just a few days.

The "Suzhou-Shanghai '30 Days' Movie Viewing Express" project has been launched quickly!
Regarding the railway, adding more trains was definitely out of the question. However, they did manage to display eye-catching posters of "30 Days" inside the carriages, and each train also had a dedicated guide who would introduce the film and information about cinemas in Suzhou.

Long-distance bus services are more flexible, with pick-up points for the "30 Days" Suzhou movie bus set up at several major transportation hubs in Shanghai. Several buses depart each morning and afternoon, with a journey time of about one and a half hours, directly reaching the vicinity of key screening venues such as Suzhou Kaiming Grand Theater and People's Cinema.

The tickets are bundled with the movie tickets to form a "round-trip transportation + movie ticket" package. The price is cheaper than the price scalpers in Shanghai charge, and the tickets are guaranteed to be genuine and have good seats.

A publicity campaign was then quietly launched in Shanghai.

Not daring to advertise openly in mainstream media in Shanghai, Xiangqian adopted an "underground" and "precise" strategy.

He hired some people to secretly distribute beautifully designed flyers in shopping districts, university campuses, and near upscale office buildings in Shanghai where young people gather.

On the flyer, the smiling faces of Stephen Chow and Li Xiaoran are particularly eye-catching, and the large headline is extremely enticing:

[Can't see it in Shanghai? Let Suzhou show you!]

[Official authorized screening of "30 Days" - No piracy, live coverage of the premiere!]

[A weekend getaway, easy round trip, experience the authentic feel of a blockbuster Lunar New Year film!]

The following details the departure times, locations, package prices, and registration hotlines for the "Movie-Watching Express" and "Movie-Watching Bus".

The flyer ended with a special note: "Limited quantity, first come, first served! Experience a movie-watching craze never before seen in Shanghai!"

This combination of techniques had an immediate and noticeable effect.

The first to respond were fashion-conscious, well-informed young white-collar workers, college students, and die-hard "star fans" in Shanghai.

They had been eagerly anticipating "30 Days," and the local online arguments only fueled their rebellious spirit and curiosity.

Seeing such "thoughtful" services available today, where one hardly has to worry about transportation and ticketing, people are flocking to them.

The phone line for registration was quickly overwhelmed with calls.

On the first weekend (December 20-21), several "movie-watching special trains" and dozens of "movie-watching buses" were almost fully booked!
The scene was quite spectacular: On a Saturday morning at Shanghai Railway Station, a green train carriage was filled with enthusiastic young people, holding uniform movie tickets and exchanging their expectations for the film, creating an atmosphere like a spring outing.

The train departed from Shanghai, passed through the water towns of Jiangnan, and arrived at Suzhou Station an hour later. Staff and volunteers from Suzhou Film Company were already there to greet them, guiding them to take the arranged shuttle buses or public buses to various cinemas in the city.

Similarly, "movie-going buses" departing from various points in Shanghai were also full of eager viewers, speeding along the Shanghai-Nanjing Expressway.

Several core cinemas in Suzhou, such as the Kaiming Grand Theater and the People's Cinema, have seen an unprecedented influx of "Shanghai audiences".

These young people, speaking in their soft Wu dialect or trendy Mandarin, flocked to the cinema, instantly elevating its level of sophistication and making it more lively.

They bought snacks and drinks without hesitation, and their laughter and reactions during the movie were exceptionally enthusiastic—it was a kind of cathartic release that had been pent up for a long time.

After the movie ended, many of the Shanghai audience members were still enjoying themselves and were not in a hurry to return home.

They either sampled Suzhou cuisine on Guanqian Street or strolled and shopped in commercial areas such as Guanqian Street and Shilu. A significant number of them actually chose to stay overnight in Suzhou to experience the fun of "A Tale of Two Cities".

Suzhou's catering and hotel industries have unexpectedly experienced a mini-boom.

More importantly, just as Wang Sheng predicted, those who "watched" the book immediately became the most effective "word-of-mouth advocates" for "30 Days" after returning home.

In the office, they excitedly described to their colleagues how "different" Stephen Chow was this time, and how "funny and touching" the movie was; at gatherings with friends, they boasted about their "expedition" to Suzhou to watch the movie, describing the packed theaters; their words were filled with a sense of superiority that said, "You guys haven't seen it, have you?"

"It's really good! Xingxing's acting has improved!"

"The story is very down-to-earth, and Li Xiaoran is so beautiful!"

"The effects at Gusu Cinema are great, and most importantly, you can actually watch movies there!"

"I didn't expect Suzhou to be so close. It's quite convenient to go there to see a movie."

This information gap—where "some people have seen it and some haven't"—along with the genuine feedback from firsthand experience and observation, creates a powerful word-of-mouth effect and psychological suggestion.

It silently mocks the doubts and criticisms of the local media in Shanghai—if the movie is really as bad as they say, why do so many young people in Shanghai spend time, effort, and money to go see it? And why do they all come back saying it's good?

More and more Shanghai residents who were initially hesitant have become interested, and their resolve has begun to shift.

The number of people signing up for the "movie viewing express" surged on the second weekend.

To move forward, we had to urgently coordinate and increase the number of bus services.

A powerful "movie-watching siphon" is quietly forming.

The defenses that Shanghai film companies attempted to build with administrative barriers are beginning to crack in the face of the reality that audiences are voting with their feet.

Wang Sheng's "besieging the city to attack reinforcements" strategy, leveraging Suzhou's geographical and administrative flexibility, precisely hit the pain points of the Shanghai market and the psychology of the audience, with surprisingly good results.

Looking at the ever-increasing "cross-city movie viewing" data in his hand, as well as the box office and peripheral revenue of local cinemas in Suzhou that surged again due to this extra flow of customers, Xiang Qian was all smiles. He admired Wang Sheng, who was far away in Beijing, even more.

(End of this chapter)