Nobody knows movies better than me

Chapter 119 Cultivating a Cult of Personality

In early June, a one-hour meeting was held in the conference room of Guanzhi Pictures.

There was only one issue: whether or not to hold the premiere of "Bad Genius," and how to do it.

This shouldn't be controversial.

Zhang Jun's current standing in the film industry is undeniable; his previous film, "Reign of Assassins," grossed over 100 million yuan, and his film before that, "About Time," further solidified his reputation.

It almost broke 100 million.

Including "Little Miss Sunshine" and "Sherlock on the Plains", he has a record of four consecutive films without a failure.

For a director like this, it's perfectly reasonable to hold a premiere for his new film.

But the problem lies in the scale of investment in "Bad Genius".

The film kept its total cost under control and didn't hire any big-name actors; the biggest star was actually the director himself.

In the past, a film of this scale would only have a media screening, or at most a meet-and-greet with the audience.

"I mean, let's do it."

He Xuan spoke first: "It's not about money, it's about saving face. Zhang Jun is now a director with hundreds of millions in revenue, and his new film doesn't even have a premiere. What will outsiders think?"

They thought we were insecure and lacked confidence in the film.

Jiang Tao nodded: "I agree, and the premiere itself is also part of the publicity. There hasn't been much activity in Chinese-language films in the first half of the year; the best one, 'Protégé,' only grossed a little over 60 million."

"Now that we've built up momentum, it'll be perfect for filling the void."

The head of the publicity department opened the folder in his hand: "The current popularity data is good. The discussion volume on Tieba and forums has been rising, and pre-sales have exceeded ten million."

Holding the premiere now will generate even more buzz.

Several people looked at Zhang Jun.

Zhang Jun leaned back in his chair, expressionless: "It's fine to do it, but don't make it too extravagant. With such a cast, making it too grand will only seem superficial."

He Xuan understood what he meant: "Okay, keep it within a reasonable range. Invite more media, fewer celebrities, and focus on the film itself."

That's settled then.

The premiere of "Bad Genius" will be held on June 23rd at Cinema 2 in Beijing's Chengxin Plaza. Cinema 1 is an IMAX theater, but "Bad Genius" is not available in IMAX format.

Although Hall 2 is smaller, it has new equipment and is considered one of the most luxurious cinemas in China.

Holding the premiere here is also a way to promote the integrity of the cinema chain.

Warner Bros., forced by the stringent scissors of its policies, had no choice but to withdraw from the Chinese cinema market. Although Warner Bros. appealed to more official and international organizations, it was to no avail.

To make matters worse, Warner Bros. was so eager to enter the Chinese market that they didn't even set a hefty penalty for breach of contract when they signed the agreement.

Therefore, this is equivalent to Chengxin Cinemas acquiring a mainstream cinema system and the latest equipment for a very small amount of money, making Chengxin Cinemas one of the best cinema chains in China.

Most importantly, Chengxin Cinemas maintains its partnership with IMAX, and the two sides continue to exchange ideas on IMAX filming and projection technologies.

Although Big Scissors' thoughts were hard to fathom, he had done something good this time, and Zhang Jun had to give him a thumbs up.

There was one more thing before the premiere.

During a meeting of the publicity department, someone proposed a plan to shift the focus of publicity from the film itself to the director.

"Director Zhang's personal appeal is stronger than that of most actors."

A young planner from the publicity department pointed to the data: "We've done a survey, and among young viewers, Director Zhang has a particularly high level of recognition and favorability."

Because he's young, has a good image, and the films he makes are genuinely good.

Another planner added: "People online are already spontaneously praising Director Zhang. Saying things like, 'Anything produced by Zhang Jun is a masterpiece,' and 'Zhang Jun has never disappointed me.'"

We can take advantage of this momentum and encourage this trend to continue.

He Xuan didn't rush to express her opinion, but looked at Zhang Jun.

Zhang Jun thought for a moment and nodded: "We can decline, but there's a condition: only talk about me, don't drag others into it."

The planner paused, then asked, "What do you mean?"

"It means don't compare me to other directors."

Zhang Jun explained, "Don't say anything like 'Zhang Jun is worse than Zhang Yimou' or 'Feng Dapao is not as good as Zhang Jun.'"

We only speak well of ourselves and never speak ill of others.

He Xuan understood his concerns: "Are you afraid of offending people?"

Zhang Jun nodded: "There's no need to make enemies for yourself, and once comparisons start, public opinion can easily go astray."

Our goal is to get audiences interested in the film, not to create controversy.

The planner wrote it down in his notebook: "Understood, only praise Director Zhang, don't put down others."

After the meeting, some details were discussed, including what slogan to use, on which platforms to focus efforts, and how online trolls would create momentum.

While Zhang Jun listened to their discussion, he was thinking about other things.

He certainly knew what the consequences of this kind of "cult of personality" propaganda would be.

The fan culture of the past started with this kind of routine. First, they would praise the male lead for being handsome, then praise the female lead for being beautiful, then they would start comparing billing order and competing for resources, and finally it would develop into mutual attacks and online insults.

He'd seen it too many times.

Yang Mi went through a lot of these things during those years.

The battle for top billing among the actresses born in the 1980s has erupted on Weibo, Douban, and Xiaohongshu, with fans leading the charge and their teams fueling the fray.

On the surface, it seems to be a spontaneous event by fans, but those in the industry know perfectly well who is directing it and who is investing money.

In that era, one either had to maintain a clean reputation but be ignored, or actively engage and be drawn into the vortex. Most celebrities chose the latter, because they had no other choice.

In this day and age, the Internet is still relatively simple.

Forums, Tieba, and QQ Space are the main battlegrounds, and netizens have not yet been bombarded by various marketing tricks.

A few lines like "Anything produced by Zhang Jun is guaranteed to be a masterpiece" can set the tone for something that will be unimaginable ten years from now.

But it is precisely because of this simplicity that we must exercise even greater restraint.

Zhang Jun doesn't mind using these methods to promote the film, but he doesn't want to prematurely usher in that chaotic era.

The publicity and distribution department has strong execution capabilities.

Within a few days, posts with a unified narrative began to appear online.

"Zhang Jun's films have never failed, and this one will certainly be no exception."

"I've watched the trailers for 'Bad Genius' several times. I'm really looking forward to it. Zhang Jun is truly a genius director."

"Other directors make one film and then take a break, but Zhang Jun makes one or even two films a year, and every single one is a masterpiece. If we don't support a director like that, who should we support?"

Similar comments are everywhere on Baidu Tieba, Tianya, and Douban.

At this point, the concept of online trolls was no secret among major entertainment companies. After all, Guanzhi Pictures used online trolls to promote its movies, and everyone was learning from them.

However, the general public is still unaware of what online trolls are. Although a small number of clear-headed individuals question this, the majority still accept similar statements.

Given Zhang Jun's impressive past box office performance, the dissenting voices were quickly drowned out.

Someone posted, "Zhang Jun isn't that amazing, he's just lucky."

Someone immediately replied, "Go and try your luck!"

"Little Miss Sunshine grossed 42 million, About Time 95 million, Reign of Assassins grossed over 100 million. Is that what you call luck?"

Some people also said: "Zhang Jun's films cover too many genres and he doesn't have his own style."

She was retorted again: "What style? As long as it looks good. I go to the movies to enjoy myself, not to attend an aesthetics class."

Of course, there are also a few objective evaluations or criticisms.

Some people said, "Zhang Jun's film is indeed good, but there's no need to hype it up like this," while others said, "This kind of promotion looks a bit strange and feels too deliberate."

But these posts either received no replies and sank to the bottom, or were drowned out by rebuttals.

He Xuan had people monitor public opinion trends daily and report back regularly.

"It's okay for now."

She told Zhang Jun on the phone, "It's mostly under control. Occasionally, someone might use you, Zhang Yimou, and Chen Gezi..."

Feng Xiaogang is better than Feng Dapao.

But someone quickly corrected them, saying, "Don't compare yourselves; just focus on filming your own scenes."

Zhang Jun nodded: "Keep an eye on it, and deal with any instances of comparison or disparagement promptly."

"clear."

After hanging up the phone, Zhang Jun leaned back in his chair and looked at the posts on his computer screen.

"Zhang Jun is the best director right now, no arguments allowed."

He smiled and closed the page.

The best director? He himself wouldn't dare say that yet. Given time, perhaps he will be able to.

But if the audience wants to say that, then let them say it.

Ultimately, whether a movie is good or not depends on its box office performance.

June 23rd arrived quickly, and on the afternoon of the premiere, people began to gather at the entrance of Chengxin Cinema.

The first to arrive were a few male college students, carrying backpacks and holding drinks they had just bought. They stood at the entrance for a while before being guided by staff to the red carpet area.

Gradually, more and more people started to come.

Upon closer inspection, most of the audience members were under 3,000 years old, and many were holding up signs featuring Zhang Jun, which proves that Zhang Jun has a strong appeal among young people.

While making movies, Zhang Jun also shot covers for fashion magazines and took on a few gigs to earn some extra money, which is unimaginable for a director.

Generally speaking, a director's commercial value is reflected in his films, but Zhang Jun has demonstrated his commercial value in himself.

No wonder some media outlets say he looks more like a star than a director and should become an idol. However, his films are so good that these doubts about his talent and ability quickly disappeared.

The weather in Beijing was very cooperative; although it's the height of summer, it was surprisingly cool today. Even more remarkable was the clear weather and the absence of severe smog, allowing everyone to go out without masks.

Once the number of spectators who came to watch the ceremony had increased and the reporters in the media area had almost all arrived, the band that had been invited to the scene began to perform, keeping the atmosphere lively.

The staff at the event were very thoughtful in distributing drinks to the attendees, and passersby curiously gathered around to get a drink.

Although a small bottle of beverage may seem insignificant to an individual, it represents a sentiment. This humble approach, showing respect for the audience, has earned widespread praise.

Starting at 4 p.m., guests for the premiere began to arrive one after another. Most of the guests were people that Zhang Jun had worked with or knew.

Yang Mi also has connections; she invited Huang Xiaoming and Liu Yifei, who had worked with her on "The Return of the Condor Heroes," to the premiere under the guise of being good friends.

When finalizing the guest list, Yang Mi said to Zhang Jun, "I know Huang Xiaoming and you have a good relationship, and Liu Yifei is also flirting with you. To cover for you, I'll invite these two over!"

Zhang Jun was completely confused: "What do you mean? Liu Yifei is fine, but Huang Xiaoming and I have a legitimate relationship, there's nothing between us."

Yang Mi stared at Zhang Jun suspiciously: "I didn't say you two were related, why are you explaining so nervously?"

"I----"

Zhang Jun was speechless, and finally pinned Yang Mi down on the bed and gave her a good scolding.