Huayu: Hard fight against Zhang Weiping at the beginning

Chapter 493: Academy Awards

The May Day holiday in Hong Kong is different from that in the mainland, as it only has one day.

So the release of "The Man from Nowhere" in Hong Kong was delayed a few days, to Friday, May 5th.

The film performed well at the box office, grossing 1020 million in its first weekend.

The Hong Kong media interviewed Hong Jinbao specifically.

After Cheng Long's mediation, Hong Jinbao and Zhang Chen have reconciled their past grudges and of course it is impossible for them to speak ill of each other again.

“I saw it, it’s a very good action movie, with a completely different filming style from that in Hong Kong.

The mainland has created its own style of action films. Whether it's "Taken" or "The Man from Nowhere", I noticed that they all like to use handheld cameras.

This is different from Hong Kong.

Hong Kong generally uses fixed camera positions. The advantage is that the resulting films are very visually appealing, but the disadvantage is that it places very high demands on the actors, who at least have to be well-trained.

The handheld method used in mainland China can create a sense of tension through fast editing and camera movement, which makes it easier for the audience to get into the film, and the actors don’t really need to know kung fu.

In the past two years, Hong Kong action movies have gradually declined, and the audience has become accustomed to our style. I think Hong Kong colleagues can also consider adding handheld methods to bring freshness to the audience, and perhaps bring a second spring to Hong Kong action movies..."

Hong Jinbao's words are quite pertinent, and he really loves Hong Kong movies.

Among Hong Kong filmmakers of the same period, there are not many who have continued to make movies until old age like him.

Many people dropped out midway for one reason or another.

Anyone who wants to stay in any industry for a long time needs to learn.

But it is human nature that while you may be able to be flexible when you are young, you are unwilling to learn new things after a certain age.

This is human nature!
Those who can force themselves to study are all great people.

……

While "The Man from Nowhere" was a huge success, other film and television companies were analyzing the reasons for its success.

Why is this action movie directed by a new director such a big hit at the box office?

First of all, it is a spin-off of a hit movie, which is very important and is equivalent to having a basic base.

The reason why Hollywood has been keen on shooting sequels in the past two years is because they have fixed fans.

Even without heavy promotion, a sequel will have a basic profit line.

The second is the action style.

The handheld shooting style, coupled with the flesh-and-flesh action, creates an infinitely realistic sense of reality.

They can’t make a sequel, but the shooting style can be copied.

The main action director Rui An is a free agent.

Many companies began to contact Ruian, and Ruian did not refuse.

Cooperation is possible, but signing with a company is not. Besides, I already have "Taken 2" in my hands, so cooperation will have to wait until I finish this work.

Sign up?

Yes, at the price of Hurricane 2.

Starting from "Taken", "The Walled City" and "The Man from Nowhere", Ruian's salary doubled with each movie.

By the time of "Taken 2", his salary was eight times what he earned from "Taken", and he was not inferior to some stars at all.

Another reason why "The Man from Nowhere" was able to beat "Spider-Man 3" was because of publicity.

At that time, Xingchen Entertainment invested a huge amount of money in publicity.

It cannot be said to be all-round and without blind spots, but it can definitely be called a grand project.

Almost all kinds of road sign advertisements were booked up, and no one was stingy with the rest of the posters and trailer releases.

The 2000 million yuan in advertising expenses made many companies jealous.

The publicity alone is enough to make a movie.

Appearing on shows, doing roadshows, these things will ultimately depend on attendance.

Zhang Chen had no way to issue administrative orders directly like China Film, so he could only make a bigger fuss.

In the original time and space, when "Red Cliff" was released, China Film Corporation directly issued tasks, requiring this cinema to achieve a performance of 2000 million and that cinema to achieve 3000 million.

As soon as "Red Cliff" was released, 81% of the screenings were scheduled. Oh my goodness~
Since Xingchen Entertainment doesn’t have this ability, it can only try to get as much exposure as possible to attract attention.

At this time, the benefits of occupying publicity resources become apparent.

At the entrance of the cinema, when couples choose to watch a movie, most of them will choose "The Man from Lone Star", because after being bombarded with it day and night, the name has long become a part of your subconscious mind, and you would feel sorry for yourself if you don't watch it once.

Plus the ground promotion of Light Media.

Before the rise of ticket purchasing through apps, the local marketing model was the most effective model for promoting movies.

Humans are emotional animals. If a good friend who you spend every day with asks you to do a small favor within your authority, such as putting the promotional poster of "The Man from Nowhere" in a more conspicuous place, would you not help?
He is usually provided with good food and drink, and is always called brother. What do they want? Isn't it just this?

Support, must support.

Anyway, whether selling "Spider-Man 3" or "The Man from Nowhere", the theater's revenue is the same.

The gap widened little by little.

The number of screens in the country is fixed, with 36 cinema chains, and a limited number of screenings per day.

If you play one more show, I will play one less show.

On paper, that's real box office revenue.

After three days, the gap gradually became obvious and word of mouth began to emerge.

Is Spider-Man 3 a bad movie?
Of course not bad.

But the quality of "The Man from Nowhere" is not bad either.

What to look at at this time?
Watch the roadshow.

It is impossible for the actors of Spider-Man to come to China for a roadshow, but it is possible for The Man from Lone Star.

……

Seeing that "The Man from Nowhere" was selling well in Hong Kong, a group of people became anxious.

Academy Awards Organizing Committee.

It’s understandable that none of Zhang Chen’s projects were registered for the Academy Awards this year, after all, most of them are mainland films.

The only Golden Harvest film, "Extreme Job," did just okay at the box office in Hong Kong and didn't even make it into the top ten.

But The Man from Nowhere is different.

The box office revenue of HK$1020 million in the first weekend can be considered a huge success.

In Hong Kong today, a movie can be considered a big hit if the local box office exceeds 2000 million.

With over 3000 million, it is almost the number one local film in the annual box office.

With the momentum of "The Man from Nowhere", it should be able to make at least HK$2000 million.

Then there is no problem in making the top ten.

And the influence is not small.

"Taken" and "The Man from Nowhere" have a large number of fans among young people in Hong Kong.

It would be really embarrassing if such works still do not participate in the Academy Awards next year.

It would have been fine if the Academy Awards Organizing Committee had not admitted its mistake before, but now that it has, it doesn’t matter.

In the evening, Zhang Chen received a call from Cheng Long.

"Uncle Long?"

He was a little surprised to see that the call was from Cheng Long.

"Haha, let's just call him Brother Long, we can be friends as equals~"

As Zhang Chen's status rose, it was no longer appropriate to call him "Uncle Long".

He has to be very capable to deserve to be called uncle.

In fact, after entering society, basically no one calls others "uncle" anymore. No matter how old you are, you are still a brother. The most powerful one is the eldest brother, and the oldest one is the elder brother.

But when Zhang Chen and Cheng Long met, he was still a little Karami, with a student vibe, and he hadn't graduated yet, so this name has been used all the time. Not only Cheng Long, Zhang Chen also calls Zhang Guoli "Uncle Guoli", which are all special products of a special period.

But Zhang Chen is now the top director in China and is about to enter Hollywood. They dare not respond if he calls them uncle.

"Okay then, from now on I'll call you Brother Long, and don't call me Director Zhang. Just call me Zhang Chen or A-Chen~"

"Okay then, I'll call you A-Chen from now on."

After getting the name, Cheng Long said, "I haven't congratulated you on the success of your movie yet~"

"Thank you, thank you. Is Brother Long in Hollywood or China now?"

"In China, Rush Hour 3 has already been completed, and I just joined the crew of The Forbidden Kingdom a few days ago."

Jackie Chan has been very busy this year, starring in two consecutive Hollywood blockbusters, and he didn't even attend the premiere of "The Man from Lone Star".

"Won't we be able to see Brother Long's two masterpieces at once next year?"

"Haha, maybe not. We'll see how the situation turns out~"

Actors act and stay on the crew for such a long time that they know best what the play is like.

The experienced actor already had an idea of ​​the final box office performance before the filming was completed.

It's almost the same with Jackie Chan. The cost of "Rush Hour 3" is higher than its predecessor, but its box office may not be higher than its predecessor.

Moreover, the story involves the triad, and Cheng Long was not sure whether it would pass the review.

As for "The Forbidden Kingdom", he was very clear that the movie was made for foreigners to watch, and it would be good enough if it was not criticized in China.

"Director Yimou called me a few days ago and said that he had designed a program for me in the closing ceremony plan you provided..."

Zhang Chen suddenly realized: "Oh, that's it. You won't blame me for reporting you without your consent..."

"How could that be? I should be thanking you for letting me show up at such an important event..."

What Zhang Chen did was equivalent to making him famous. He should be grateful, but how could he blame him?

Seeing that Cheng Long didn't look angry, Zhang Chen said, "It's nothing, actually. I just think that you have such a great influence internationally and have so many fans. It would be a good idea if you could do your own signature moves at the closing ceremony..."

Cheng Long on the other end was also somewhat yearning: "Indeed, but my previous classic shots were too dangerous, the organizing committee may not agree..."

Zhang Chen also felt the same way: "Yes, so we have to design it carefully~"

"Well, I will follow your design then~"

Zhang Chen thought to himself that, judging from the looks of it, Zhang Yimou probably agreed with his plan, otherwise he would not have sought Cheng Long's opinion.

Cheng Long said again: "Achen, I actually have something else to talk to you about today~"

"what's up?"

"One is my own business, and the other is something I was entrusted by someone else~"

Zhang Chen waved his hand, indicating to continue.

"I still want to work with you. When you were filming Taken, you said that my illegitimate daughter was not suitable for the role of Brian, and I accept that.

But the final result proved that although I was not suitable for this role, my vision was fine.

Tony became an instant hit for the role of Brian, and even a Hollywood company invited him to act in a movie.

I was thinking, can we work together once? I can accept any role~"

Hearing Cheng Long say this, Zhang Chen felt a headache. Why was his brother still thinking about this?

He had no resistance to working with Jackie Chan, his only worry was that Jackie Chan's personal style was too strong.

If this problem is not handled properly, the resulting movie will be a mess and an absolute rubbish.

He wanted to refuse, but before he could say no, his elder brother said, "I know you are worried about the style. I have no problem with it. Since I want to cooperate with you, I will do whatever you say..."

I really didn't expect that my brother would be so respectful this time.

You know, all the people who can make a name for themselves are strong-willed people.

No matter which industry, the awesome people are definitely those who stick to their principles.

It's impossible for a good guy in the traditional sense to make it.

When Cheng Long first ventured into Hollywood, he simply left and returned to Hong Kong because Hollywood directors did not respect him at all and completely ignored his suggestions.

The same Cheng Long compromised with himself this time.

Zhang Chen couldn't say no.

Big brother also needs to save face.

If I really refuse this time, it will be difficult for us to meet again in the future.

"Are you serious?"

"Real, more real than pearls~"

This guy suddenly made a humorous remark and actually said lines from "Wulin Waijiao".

Zhang Chen pondered: "Let me think about it, I'll give you an answer later~"

The eldest brother was overjoyed when he heard this.

"No hurry, no hurry. I just happen to be filming The Forbidden Kingdom right now. Tell me when you've made up your mind and what time slot you need. I'll reserve it for you..."

Zhang Chen nodded, thinking about how to cooperate with Cheng Long.

He used to be weak and Cheng Long was strong.

When the two of them work together, no matter how respectful the eldest brother is, Cheng Long is definitely the one in charge.

This is determined by the status of the two people.

But now his status is no less than Jackie Chan, so it is possible to cooperate with him, but we have to think of a good subject matter.

Cheng Long wants to cooperate with him because he wants to combine the two forces and make the effect of one plus one greater than two.

If this effect cannot be achieved, it is better not to cooperate.

Zhang Chen promised him that he had another idea, which was the closing ceremony of the Olympic Games.

Cheng Long's signature moves are indeed iconic, but as he said, they are too dangerous and the preparation team may not agree to them.

And there is a possibility of failure.

If the two really work together, it would be best to create a signature move that is not too dangerous but recognizable enough.

But this still needs long-term consideration.

"By the way, you just said there is another person who has entrusted you with this?"

"Yes, yes, I almost forgot~"

I was so excited that I almost forgot about the things that others had entrusted me with.

Cheng Long cleared his throat, and this time his expression was much more serious.

"The Academy Awards Committee commissioned me. They want to make peace with you~"

Seeing Zhang Chen rolled his eyes, he immediately added: "I know you had a very unpleasant quarrel with them, but this time they are very sincere."

"Very enough? Tell me about it..."

"Well, they are willing to make a public apology as you said before..."

"And they also promised that they would give you some compensation at next year's Academy Awards..."

Zhang Chen didn't say anything.

Cheng Long said: "The previous chairman of the Academy Awards has resigned, and no one is willing to continue to be the chairman, so they found me and entrusted me to be the acting chairman. In fact, I know that they want me to help talk to you..."

"Then you're still coming?"

"Listen to me~"

"I, Cheng Long, will never let my brothers suffer any loss. They have wronged you before, so I told them that I can be the chairman and help resolve the conflict, but they must show their attitude...

The attitude they have shown is to publicly apologize and compensate for the award. I think it is at least sincere. Since its establishment, the Academy Awards has never publicly apologized to anyone. If you are not satisfied and have any other requests, you can raise them again and I will help communicate..."

After a pause, he said: "The Academy Awards is a symbol of the Hong Kong film industry. It has witnessed the rise and fall of Hong Kong films. I really don't want it to decline.

That’s why I agreed to help them.”

(End of this chapter)