Reborn in the Chinese Entertainment Industry: My Childhood Sweetheart is Boss Yang

The doors to the Beijing Film Academy's standard screening room were tightly closed, with only a sliver of light occasionally piercing through the cracks.

Gu Heng sat in the last row, next to Ning Hao, who was nervously picking at his fingers.

The cigarette pack in this guy's hand was already crushed. If smoking wasn't strictly prohibited in the screening room, he probably would have smoked himself into a chimney.

Gu Heng didn't make a big fuss about this internal screening.

He originally wanted to skip this step, since he knew the film was of very high quality.

But Ning Hao absolutely refused, insisting that he wasn't confident and needed the school teachers to check on him, otherwise he was afraid of wetting the bed at night.

Gu Heng couldn't refuse him, so he invited Wang Jinsong, the director of the acting department, and several photography teachers who were involved in the production.

Of course, the people from China Film Group didn't forget that they had to give people an explanation, after all, the other party invested one million and also took care of the publicity and distribution.

On the screen, as Blackie uttered his classic line, "Brand, Baleno," a burst of suppressed laughter suddenly erupted from the front row.

Gu Heng leaned back slightly, feeling comfortable.

It's a good thing they didn't invite those teachers who still talk about art all the time. If those old men had seen it, they probably would have ridiculed Ning Hao to death.

Ninety minutes later, the lights came on.

There was no serious criticism as expected, nor was there that suffocating silence.

Wang Jinsong stood up, rubbed his stiff face, turned to look at Ning Hao huddled in the corner, and said only one sentence: "Ning Hao, you've gone a bit too far this time, but... it's fucking hilarious!"

This sentence is interesting; it's more effective than any gold or silver award.

What followed was perfectly logical.

China Film Group was extremely efficient, perhaps because of Han Sanping's influence, or perhaps because they couldn't let that million-dollar investment go to waste; the review process went incredibly smoothly.

A week later.

North Third Ring Road, China Film Group Building.

Gu Heng, accompanied by Ning Hao, sat opposite Ma Jie, the distribution manager of China Film Warner Hengdian Film & Television Co., Ltd.

Ma Jie is a typical seasoned veteran in the industry. He's in his forties, wears gold-rimmed glasses, and looks quite refined, but his eyes are full of cunning and shrewdness.

China Film Group is a large and powerful organization, and small films with budgets of a few million yuan are not something that the top leaders need to worry about. It was only because of Gu Heng's connection with Beijing Film Academy, and because Han Sanping casually mentioned taking care of his junior, that Ma Jie personally received him.

"I've seen the film, and it's really good; the editing is very innovative."

Ma Jie pushed a film schedule in front of the two men, speaking in a businesslike tone: "Let's be frank. The schedule is a bit tight. Before us is Harry Potter, and after us is a battle of titans: Chen Kaige's 'The Promise' and Zhang Yimou's 'Riding Alone for Thousands of Miles,' both are going to be released in December."

Upon hearing those two names, Ning Hao couldn't help but shrink back.

This is like ants getting into a pile of elephants; one step can crush a whole bunch of them.

"Mr. Gu, according to our previous schedule, it's December 1st." Ma Jie tapped the table. "During this gap, I can only offer three percent of the screenings."

Three percent.

Ning Hao's eyes dimmed slightly.

There are only about 2600 movie screens nationwide. 3% means there are less than 80 screens per day. And that's with screens scattered all over the country. Cinemas in slightly remote areas probably don't even bother to put up posters.

What's the difference between this and burying it directly?

Just as Ning Hao was about to speak, Gu Heng spoke up before him.

"Mr. Ma, let's be frank."

"3%, that's the treatment given to those unknown DV films. Since Mr. Han invested the money, he certainly doesn't want to just get nothing in return, right?"

Ma Jie smiled, unmoved: "President Gu, it's not that I don't want to help. Normally, we give 2% as a trial for these low-budget comedies. This extra 1% is just to give Chairman Han face."

Ning Hao, who was standing next to Gu Heng, was already trying to tug at his sleeve to signal that it was enough, lest they piss him off and lose even that three percent.

Gu Heng seemed oblivious to Ning Hao's subtle gesture, and held up five fingers: "Five percent."

"Mr. Ma, don't be in such a hurry to shake your head."

"Although this film doesn't have any big-name stars, I have a trump card here: Liu Yifei and Huang Xiaoming."

Ma Jie was taken aback: "Weren't they just making cameo appearances? Their total screen time probably doesn't exceed five minutes, right?"

"What's wrong with five minutes?"

Gu Heng's lips curled into a wicked smile, a smile that exuded the air of a shrewd businessman. "The audience doesn't know."

"I have the editing rights to the trailer. Even though they're just making cameo appearances, as long as this gimmick is released, it'll definitely fool... oh no, attract the first wave of viewers."

"Once they get in and realize they've been fooled... oh no, once they realize it's a great film, our reputation will naturally be established."

Ma Jie pondered for a moment, his fingers unconsciously drawing circles on the table.

They use popular celebrities to lure people in and then kill them.

As long as the film is of high quality, viewers may at most criticize the trailer editor for being incompetent, but they will most likely become fans of the full film.

This trick may be a bit underhanded, but it's absolutely effective.

"5% of the screenings, in exchange for a chance at a potential blockbuster." Gu Heng pressed his advantage, "If the box office is bad on the first day, you can cut the screenings on the second day, and I won't say a word."

Ma Jie finally relented, "Okay. As long as the promotional materials keep up, I'll talk to the various theater chains and try to get 5%."

Ning Hao let out a long sigh of relief; his back was soaked with sweat.

They've already won?

But he didn't expect that Gu Heng wasn't finished yet.

"There's one more thing. In addition to the national 5%, I also want special treatment for the Sichuan-Chongqing region."

"Sichuan and Chongqing?" Ma Jie raised his eyebrows.

These days, the issuance strategies are basically focused on the major ticket markets of Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen. I've never heard of anyone actively requesting to tilt towards second-tier inland cities.

"Yes, Sichuan and Chongqing."

Gu Heng nodded. "You've seen this movie too. It's mostly in Chongqing dialect and Sichuan dialect. That has a natural affinity in the Sichuan-Chongqing region."

"I want to suggest scheduling films in the Sichuan and Chongqing region. We should concentrate our limited resources on this area."

Ma Jie stared at Gu Heng for a full five seconds.

By avoiding direct confrontation and exploiting the advantages of local dialects to gain a decisive advantage in specific battlegrounds, the strategy can then be leveraged to launch a nationwide counterattack based on word-of-mouth.

This move was so skillful, it was unlike anything a student would make.

"Interesting." Ma Jie's disdain completely vanished. "President Gu, it seems you should take the position of manager of the distribution department at China Film Group."

Gu Heng smiled, reverting to his innocent, student-like demeanor: "Mr. Ma, you're joking. I was just thinking about it. So, what do you think? Is this deal feasible?"

"Do it! I'll contact the people in the Southwest region right now, and I'll give you a detailed scheduling plan tomorrow. As long as the attendance rate stays stable, I'll allocate all promotional resources to Sichuan and Chongqing!"

……

Stepping out of the China Film Group building, the early winter wind was a bit harsh, stinging my face.

Ning Hao stood by the roadside, lit a cigarette, but his hands were still trembling slightly.

Those last half hour were more tiring for him than filming for three months. The battle of capital and the game of numbers were completely unfamiliar battlefields for him.

Gu Heng, on this battlefield, was practically a god of war.