Huayu: Starting from joining the mainstream entertainment industry in 96

Chapter 446, Section 444: A Storm is Brewing

In October, the capital city is already deep in autumn colors. Golden ginkgo leaves and fiery red maple leaves intertwine, rendering this ancient capital as vivid as an oil painting.

In stark contrast to this tranquil autumn scenery is the increasingly heated and almost frenzied activity within the film and television industry.

The drums of the Lunar New Year film battle are already clearly audible amidst the smoke of the initial skirmishes.

After several years of development, with China's accession to the WTO and the breaking of administrative protection and monopolies, the Lunar New Year film season has become a battleground for powerful film and television companies, concerning not only their reputation but also their financial gains and industry standing in the coming year.

This year's battle is particularly complex and eye-catching due to the confrontation between Shengying Media and New Pictures Film, as well as Shengying Media's own internal "fighting on both sides".

In early October, Shengying Media took the lead in launching the first signal flare.

The martial arts epic "Brotherhood of Blades," directed by Tsui Hark, is set to premiere in theaters nationwide on November 29.

This announcement, like a sharp slash of a blade, shattered the calm of the autumn market.

In the press release, keywords such as "new-style martial arts", "realistic fighting", "political suspense" and "human struggle" were repeatedly emphasized.

The official trailer, with its cold color palette, swift and sharp editing, the piercing sound of the Embroidered Spring Blade cutting through the wind, and the intense scenes between the characters, instantly captured the attention of many martial arts fans and film critics.

"Xu Ke's masterpiece, creating a new classic of martial arts fiction?"

"With another powerful addition to Shengying's genre film library, can 'Brotherhood of Blades' win the top prize during the Lunar New Year season?"

The media used eye-catching headlines to quickly generate buzz for "Brotherhood of Blades".

Sheng Ying's intention in choosing to release the film at the end of November is quite clear: to use "Brotherhood of Blades" as a "sharp weapon" to kick off the New Year's film season early, seize the market window, accumulate initial box office and word-of-mouth, and warm up the market and secure screening advantages for the next big film.

At the same time, this is also a test of director Xu Ke's integration into the "Shengying system", and a routine exercise of Shengying's own capabilities in genre film development, production, and distribution.

During an internal meeting, Wang Sheng only briefly mentioned the "Brotherhood of Blades" project: "Let Tsui Hark go all out. What we want is not just box office revenue, but also the quality of the 'Shengying Wuxia' brand."

The release date announcement for "Brotherhood of Blades" is like sounding the clarion call for Sheng Ying Group's offensive.

However, everyone knows that this is just an appetizer; the real feast and the head-on confrontation are yet to come.

Sure enough, just past mid-October, Zhang Weiping of New Pictures Film Studio unveiled his carefully prepared "trump card".

On October 18th, New Pictures, together with several media partners, announced that the epic martial arts film "Hero," directed by renowned director Zhang Yimou and starring top stars such as Jet Li, Tony Leung, Maggie Cheung, Chen Daoming, and Zhang Ziyi, will hold a grand advance screening on October 24th in Shenzhen, the forefront of China's reform and opening up in the south!

In terms of publicity, "Hero" was given grand labels such as "a milestone in domestic art blockbusters", "ushering in the era of Chinese blockbuster films" and "the ultimate feast of Eastern aesthetics".

Zhang Weiping spared no expense, launching a massive advertising campaign, from full-page newspaper ads to prime-time television slots, from giant outdoor billboards to headlines on online portals, creating a powerful momentum that was "highly anticipated and not to be missed."

However, it is clear to anyone with discerning eyes that the purpose of choosing to hold a limited-scale "test screening" in Shenzhen at the end of October is far more than simply satisfying the curiosity of domestic movie fans.

In his office on the top floor of the Jingxin Building, Wang Sheng stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling window, overlooking the bustling Third Ring Road.

Li Tingting placed a briefing on the test screening of "Hero" on his desk.

“Zhang Weiping’s move is rather hasty.” Wang Sheng turned around, picked up the briefing and glanced at it, a knowing sneer appearing on his lips. “The Pengcheng test screening? It’s nothing but a bait-and-switch. His real target is Hollywood, next year’s Oscars.”

Li Tingting nodded in agreement: "That's our analysis too. The end of October is just before the deadline for submitting films for the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film."

He needs to use this test screening to meet the Oscar requirement of having his film screened in a domestic commercial theater for more than seven consecutive days.

Choosing Shenzhen was probably due to its proximity to Hong Kong Island, making it convenient for international media and judges to attend, and also to leverage the influence of the Special Administrative Region to generate buzz. "A 'bid film' costing thirty million US dollars to produce." Wang Sheng tossed the briefing back onto the table, his tone flat but tinged with sarcasm, "Zhang Weiping wanted to replicate the success of 'Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon,' using the Oscar aura to boost domestic box office, but unfortunately..."

"What should we do?" Li Tingting asked for instructions.

“No need.” Wang Sheng waved his hand. “His bid for the Olympics is an open scheme, we can’t stop him, and there’s no need to. Let ‘Hero’ test the waters first. We’ll proceed at our own pace. We should pay close attention to the media feedback after the screening in Shenzhen, especially regarding the film’s narrative and core themes.”

"clear."

……

On October 24, the preview screening of "Hero" was held in Shenzhen as scheduled. The event was grand, with a star-studded lineup, attracting a large number of domestic and foreign media.

After the screening, the reviews quickly became polarized.

Critics marveled at its magnificent visuals, exquisitely beautiful colors, philosophically rich compositions, and star-studded cast, calling it "every frame wallpaper-worthy" and "ushering in a new era of visual aesthetics in Chinese cinema."

Critics, on the other hand, bluntly stated that the film "prioritizes form over content," "has a pale and empty story," "dehumanizes characters into symbols," and "sacrifices the most fundamental narrative logic and emotional resonance in the name of so-called artistic sense and philosophical speculation."

This immense controversy, while bringing unprecedented attention to "Hero," also sowed considerable seeds of trouble for its Oscar bid and subsequent theatrical release.

Just as the media frenzy sparked by the preview screening of "Hero" in Shenzhen had not yet subsided, on October 31st, the last day of October, Shengying Media and China Film Group jointly released a piece of news that shook the global film industry:

Directed by Wang Sheng and starring international superstar Jackie Chan, the Chinese fantasy blockbuster "Night at the Museum," with an investment of up to 12 million RMB, has officially announced its release date of December 13th. It will be released simultaneously in mainland China and several major box office countries in North America, Europe, and Asia!

This announcement, like a bomb dropped into deep water, instantly overshadowed all the previous commotion.

"Simultaneous global release"—these six words represent strong capital confidence, top-notch production standards, precise global distribution coordination capabilities, and absolute confidence in the universality of its content.

公告详细披露了《博物馆奇妙夜》的宏伟计划：影片将依托新线影业成熟的全球发行网络，在北美超过2000家影院、英国超过500家影院、德国超过400家影院、法国超过350家影院、澳大利亚超过300家影院、日韩各超过500家影院同步开画！这将是华语电影有史以来最大规模的全球同步发行盛举！

The promotional materials repeatedly highlighted selling points such as "a wonder of Eastern civilization", "a perfect blend of Jackie Chan-style action comedy and fantasy" and "a family-friendly feast suitable for the whole family".

In his director's statement, Wang Sheng said, "We hope that audiences all over the world can go to the cinema on the same weekend to experience the profoundness and wonder of Chinese civilization and share a night full of laughter, warmth and thrills."

At the same time, the brilliant success of "Shaolin Soccer," a collaboration between New Line Cinema and Shengying Media, in North America was once again widely publicized to prove the feasibility and appeal of "Wang Sheng's production" and "Shengying model" in the global market.

The release date announcement for "Night at the Museum" has ignited the enthusiasm of the media and the public, and has also raised the expectations for the Lunar New Year film season to their highest point.

"A head-on clash! Night at the Museum opens globally, going head-to-head with Hero!"

"Wang Sheng VS Zhang Yimou, the ultimate showdown between commercial blockbusters and art films!"

"The landscape of the Lunar New Year film season is already set: will it be a three-way battle or a two-horse race?"

The media excitedly outlined the upcoming box office battle, with headlines that were increasingly sensational.

Faced with the strong release date announcement of "Night at the Museum," the crew of "Hero," who had just finished the preview screening in Shenzhen and was still immersed in the vortex of public opinion, felt unprecedented pressure.

Privately, Zhang Weiping was extremely anxious. He had originally hoped to use the Oscar halo and the positioning of "art blockbuster" to create a differentiated advantage, but the "global simultaneous release" and "family-friendly" attributes of "Night at the Museum" undoubtedly have a wider audience base and stronger market penetration.

October drew to a close amidst falling autumn leaves and media frenzy.

(End of this chapter)