The entertainment industry: My 99 future timelines!

The plane landed smoothly on the runway of Beijing Capital International Airport, and the slight tremor startled Li Xu from his reverie.

Outside the cabin was the familiar, slightly hazy sky of Beijing, a stark contrast to the clear blue sea and sky of Busan, yet it gave him a sense of grounded peace, an instinctive feeling of a wanderer returning to his homeland.

"We've arrived, Li Xu. Your phone's probably going to be ringing non-stop from now on."

Li Xu shook his neck to relieve the soreness in his cervical spine from sitting for a long time.

The next second, Jing Tian's voice came.

She casually closed a magazine and put it back in the seat pocket in front of her.

Almost immediately after Jing Tian finished speaking, Li Xu's phone, which was finally able to receive a signal, began to vibrate, with a barrage of missed calls and text messages.

Among them were media reporters he knew from the past, business partners he had worked with on films, and many more were numbers he had only met once or were complete strangers to.

Not only him, but Shen Ao and Liu Yifei's phones also rang one after another, and the cabin was immediately filled with various ringtones and message notifications.

Only Jing Tian's phone remained completely silent.

"See? What I told you?"

"The New Wave Award is certainly not familiar to audiences outside the film and television industry, and it cannot make them feel that China has gained another top director like winning the Cannes Film Festival, and they will cheer and celebrate."

"But in the film and television industry, this award already carries a lot of weight. You're going to be very busy from now on."

Li Xu took a deep breath.

Upon hearing this, he didn't rush to reply to the messages on his phone, whether from familiar or unfamiliar people.

They didn't ask Jing Tian why she wasn't receiving messages on her phone today; they just mentioned things like the customized paid whitelist.

As he prepared to disembark, he walked along, opened his laptop, and quickly browsed the headlines of some portal websites.

"Busan International Film Festival Concludes: Chinese-language film 'Love Announcement' Wins New Currents Award"

"Emerging director Li Xu rises to fame overnight, Liu Yifei's transformative work gains international recognition."

"Musical romance film 'Love Announcement' shines in Busan, overseas rights sold for a record price."

Overall.

The situation is quite good. Almost all domestic media reports are positive, focusing on the huge success of "Love Announcement" in terms of awards and overseas rights.

Only a few non-mainstream film and television industry personnel and media outlets have some dissenting voices.

For example, a moderator on the film and television section of Tianya Forum posted: "Does winning an award in Busan mean it's a box office magic bullet? Li Xu, a new director in the Chinese film industry, still faces challenges in his commercial debut."

There are also those who are just sour grapes, saying that the Busan New Wave Award is nothing special, it's not Cannes, and it's not worth praising.

Li Xu simply ignored this.

"It's normal for some people to be pessimistic."

"Li Xu, don't worry about these things. You've already succeeded a lot. I've been criticized before too."

Just as Li Xu was walking across the airplane jet bridge, engrossed in reading the reports, Liu Yifei suddenly leaned over. Her gaze calmly swept over the various reports on Li Xu's laptop before she spoke.

"Senior Yifei is right."

"We've already succeeded a lot. Don't listen to those sour grapes. So what if they can't have it? They haven't seen anyone win it. What's so great about Cannes? In a few years, I think you can do it too, junior."

Shen Ao chuckled and took over the conversation.

As for Jing Tian, ​​she didn't bring up this topic. She simply said casually, "Li Xu, I'm not in a hurry for you to reply to the company's matters immediately. You can take your time with this."

"The real important thing is the domestic release of our movie 'Love Announcement'. Once we get past this hurdle, many things will truly be different."

Li Xu nodded and said, "I know."

He didn't pay attention to Jing Tian's mention of "our movie," but he understood what Jing Tian meant.

The awards in Busan are just a bonus, a stepping stone, but the domestic box office is the true test, the real market recognition that determines how high and how far he can go, and also how the group should set sail if they really establish a "film studio".

As they chatted about these things, the group walked from the airplane jet bridge to the airport.

But as soon as they stepped out of the gate, a crowd of people, both expected and slightly exceeding their expectations, instantly flooded into Li Xu and his companions' eyes.

In addition to the airport pick-up personnel and vehicles arranged by Jingtian Company.

Surprisingly, there were more than a dozen media reporters waiting outside, staking out the area. As soon as Li Xu and his group arrived, they were immediately targeted by various cameras and microphones, with flashes going off everywhere and questions coming one after another.

"Director Lee, how do you feel about winning the Busan New Currents Award for your first feature film?"

"Ms. Liu Yifei, what does this award mean to you? Does it help you overcome the controversy surrounding some of your previous works?"

"What was the specific amount sold for the overseas copyright? Was it as rumored, exceeding 20 million RMB?"

"The film is scheduled for release in China on November 1st. What are your expectations for its box office performance?"

Li Xu did not say much about this.

He gave a brief response, thanking the Busan International Film Festival for the recognition, acknowledging that the film was the culmination of the team's hard work, and hoping for more support when it was released in China. He then passed the problem on to Shen Ao to solve.

Liu Yifei followed closely behind, quickly answering two questions and also managing to slip away.

Jing Tian, ​​needless to say, completely ignored the media reporters, who didn't seem to care about her much either. She quickly got into the waiting vehicle in a few steps.

Shen Ao was the only one who suffered, spending another half hour answering questions from reporters outside before finally managing to escape and get into his car.

"Shen'ao, you've had a tough time. The company will give you a raise in the future."

Jing Tian's eyes sparkled with laughter as she spoke in a mischievous tone.

Li Xu didn't have time to worry about all that. After giving Shen Ao a brief greeting, he...

He began replying to the important messages on his phone one by one.

Mu Deyuan sent a congratulatory text message, encouraging him to avoid arrogance and impetuosity.

Wang Jing, the film production manager, excitedly reported on the latest adjustments to domestic promotional materials over the phone, as well as the good news that several major cinema chains had softened their stance on scheduling screenings after seeing the news of the award.

Wang Lihong also sent a message to congratulate Li Xu on winning the film award, and reminded him to pay attention to the later ranking of the song, while also inviting him to participate in the upcoming concert in 2008.

First, quickly reply to Mu Deyuan and Wang Jing's messages.

Li Xu hesitated for a moment before agreeing to Wang Lihong's reminder and invitation.

The copyrights for the songs "The Things You Don't Know" and "Midnight Bookstore" were clearly agreed upon at the beginning of their creation.

Wang Lihong owns the performer's rights and the right of attribution, but all copyrights of the song (including adaptation, film and television use, commercial licensing, etc.) belong to the film's production company.

The substantial "commission and copyright buyout fee" that Li Xu initially paid was to ensure that the film could use these high-quality original songs without any obstacles and enjoy all the derivative benefits they brought.

As for the concert, Li Xu was indifferent to it, but he thought that by agreeing to Wang Lihong's invitation, he could both try out his current music and improve their relationship, as well as prepare for the songs for his upcoming movie. So he didn't refuse.

Jing Tian's driver first took her home, and then took Liu Yifei, Shen Ao, and Li Xu home one after another. After all, Beijing is only so big.

-

48 hours after returning to China.

Li Xu spent almost all his time working non-stop.

Winning the Busan New Currents Award was just the beginning. In order to release the film, he had to meet with the China Film Group distributor and publicity team to finalize the trailer, poster and press release.

He also gave exclusive interviews to two major print media outlets.

In addition, he also had to work with Wang Jing to finalize the film scheduling negotiations with the heads of several major cinema chains.

Fortunately, the Busan New Wave Award has a real impact on the industry.

Previously, some theater managers who had reservations about the "new director + Liu Yifei" combination have now become noticeably more enthusiastic.

After several days of effort, Li Xu and Wang Jing finally secured a 22.3% nationwide screening rate for "Love Announcement" on its first day of release.

In the late 2007 release window, with the lingering popularity of "Lust, Caution" preceding it and other blockbusters like "The Warlords" and "Assembly" vying for attention, this figure was quite good for a romance film, especially considering that director Li Xu was still a newcomer.

"To get this screening slot, awards account for 40%, Liu Yifei's popularity accounts for 40%, and the rest only accounts for 30%. These days, it's better to have something that's popular abroad than at home. Foreign awards are more effective at attracting audiences."

After getting this matter settled.

Wang Jing also breathed a sigh of relief and couldn't help but joke with Li Xu.

Upon hearing this, Li Xu's lips curled slightly. Indeed, that's how the Chinese people are these days.

But in the future, the people's sense of patriotism and honor will awaken.

-

"Love Announcement" was not released directly or had a premiere.

Li Xu chose the large-scale preview screening method, which was not very popular at the end of 2007.

The film was scheduled to be released three days before its official premiere, directly covering fifteen major cities across China, including four megacities and other first-tier cities.

The aim is to generate positive word-of-mouth in advance, thereby attracting more screenings and audience interest.

On the day of the preview screening, Li Xu and the main creative team went to different cinemas.

Li Xu chose a cinema in Beijing that has an IMAX theater.

He wore a low-key hoodie and lined up with ordinary audience members to enter the theater, sitting in the back row of the auditorium, trying to capture the audience's most direct reactions.

The lights dimmed, and the screen lit up.

When the familiar melody and images reappeared, Li Xu's heart still involuntarily skipped a beat.

Although he had watched it countless times in the editing room, and although it had already been screened once in Busan, and although the film "Love Announcement," which had a total investment and marketing cost of only 1100 million, had already fully recouped its costs and even made tens of millions more in profit.

But in the domestic market, facing these unfamiliar audiences who have paid real money for their tickets, he couldn't help but feel a mix of excitement and slight nervousness.

However, Li Xu's feelings did not last long.

As the film "Love Announcement" began playing, there was some background noise in the movie theater at first, but as the plot progressed, the theater quickly became completely quiet.

Aside from the kiss scene in the rainy night, Lee Wook could faintly hear some audience members sobbing.

And at the end, when Du Minghao and Song Qing return to the Midnight Bookstore, Du Minghao has a burst of inspiration and writes the song "Midnight Bookstore." When the background music of "Midnight Bookstore" plays at just the right moment, you can hear some audience members laughing softly and contentedly. Throughout the entire performance, the audience watched very attentively.

Not only did no one leave early, but very few people even went to the restroom during the session. It truly deserves to be called a show with no dull moments.

At last.

As the end credits rolled and the lights came on, the audience rose to their feet, laughing and discussing, satisfied with the perfect ending.

Li Xu listened to their hushed conversation:

"It's better than I expected! Liu Yifei's acting this time is really on point."

"The song is so good! Did Wang Lihong write it? Has it been released as a movie soundtrack?"

"I really liked the ending. It wasn't one of those clichéd happy endings; it warmed my heart."

"The director is really something; the combination of visuals and music is fantastic."

"There aren't many screenings, so I want to recommend it to my best friend, but I'll have to pick a time to watch it..."

As Li Xu listened, a smile couldn't help but appear on his lips.

Although not all the comments from the audience were positive, with some feeling that the pacing was "a bit slow" and that "some plot points were too idealistic," Li Xu didn't pay any attention to these minor dissenting opinions.

After all, even the greatest works, such as "Forrest Gump" and "The Godfather," will have people who find them unwatchable. As long as most people think it's good, that's already a good thing.

And the next day.

The online feedback after the preview screenings quickly confirmed Li Xu's observations.

Because he was confident enough in the quality of his film, Li Xu did not ask anyone to contact Douban to delay the release of its rating.

By noon on the second day, the Douban rating for "Love Announcement" had already appeared, and it quickly soared to 8.2.

The short review section below was almost entirely filled with keywords such as "unexpected delight", "a sincere work", "Liu Yifei's breakthrough", and "musical genius". There were only a few negative reviews, but they were quickly overwhelmed by positive ones.

"Tap water" began to appear.

Although in 2007 it wasn't called tap water yet.

One by one, they began to spontaneously recommend it on Baidu Tieba, Renren, and the newly emerging beta version of Weibo:

If you enjoy beautiful music and touching emotions, don't miss "Love Advisor"!

"It's not the whiny, self-pitying pain of youth; it's a fairy tale and a source of healing for adults."

"Give a shout-out to Liu Yifei's acting and the songs in the movie!"

As the distributor for China Film Group, under these circumstances, they followed Li Xu's advice and immediately stepped in to increase publicity efforts while the iron was hot.

The film's two main theme songs, "The Things You Don't Know" and "Midnight Bookstore," have begun to appear on major music radio stations and charts, and their play counts have been rising steadily thanks to their catchy melodies and the film's popularity.

Especially in nighttime emotional programs and music charts, it quickly squeezed into the top ten, and the situation is very promising.

As for the undercurrents and jealousy among film industry peers, they are nothing compared to the publicity and distribution efforts of China Film Group, Li Xu's awards, and Jing Tian's methods.