Huayu: Hard fight against Zhang Weiping at the beginning

Chapter 543: Zombie movie?
The premiere was quite useful. The audience who attended the premiere last night all turned into movie fans and spontaneously acted as tap water.

"Brother, listen to me, if you watch the movie tomorrow, you will definitely say 'F*ck'~"

The famous Xici Hutong Forum, where someone expressed his feelings.

As soon as the post was published, someone immediately responded below.

"Fuck, brother, you really said what I was thinking. I've already said fuck tonight..."

"It seems like you are also attending the premiere tonight. I can only say that this movie is so awesome~"

Some people couldn't help but wonder: "How does it compare to The Day After Tomorrow?"

"'The Day After Tomorrow' is not even worthy of carrying his shoes. To put it bluntly, I couldn't believe that this movie was shot by a Chinese director..."

"Yes, an epic disaster film. With my thirty years of experience in watching movies, 2012 is definitely a benchmark movie~"

Not only netizens commented on the incident, but the media also reported on it intensively, and everyone had a different perspective.

[The premiere of "2012", the first interactive link between China and the United States~]

[Big names gather to discuss Zhang Chen’s status in Hollywood~]

[The first disaster film in history came out~]

[I predict that a new film history record is about to be born~]

[Shocked! Cheng Long's transformation work is a huge success! ]

[Sure enough, only our great China has the industrial strength to save the world~]

After the premiere, it received unanimous positive reviews.

We all got paid, and the quality of the movie is indeed good, so of course we have to say good things.

It’s not that there are no media outlets that have thought of taking a different approach and singing a different tune from everyone else.

But after weighing the pros and cons, they all gave up.

Xingchen Entertainment is now a giant in the domestic entertainment industry. Singing a different tune may indeed gain attention in the short term, but you will inevitably be blacklisted by Xingchen Entertainment. In the long run, the gains will outweigh the losses.

Apart from anything else, Xingchen Entertainment will not invite the blacklisted media to its premieres in the future. This alone is enough to give the media a headache.

You know, they make money from news.

You can’t even get first-hand news, what does this mean? It means you have lost your ability to generate revenue.

No matter how large an organization is, if it loses its ability to generate revenue, the end result will be that it becomes a pool of rotten meat.

The hype from netizens and the media infected a group of netizens.

These netizens immediately ran to buy tickets for the midnight show, but found that they had to queue.

Why are there so many people watching the midnight show?
Then someone came up to me stealthily and said, "Brother, do you want tickets for the midnight show of 2012?"

cattle?

Nowadays, anyone who can watch the midnight show comes from a fairly well-off family.

Apart from anything else, if you want to watch the midnight show, you at least need a car.

At that time, there were few taxis, let alone public transportation.

Without a car, you really can’t watch the midnight show.

When asked by scalpers, netizens were not vague: "How much?"

"Not expensive, 160~"

After some bargaining, the deal was settled at 120.

120 to watch a movie, some people must think it's crazy.

Don't be surprised~
In 96, "Titanic" was already selling for 60-80 million.

Of course, ordinary movies are not that expensive.

Movie tickets at this time usually cost 25-30 yuan per ticket.

But some popular Hollywood blockbusters, especially those with special effects, will increase in price.

In first-tier cities, blockbusters can be sold for up to 80 yuan, and in second-tier cities they can be sold for 60 yuan.

The scalpers only doubled the price with tears in their eyes, mainly because they were afraid that if the price was too high, no one would buy it.

These guys did this before with Pacific Rim, and by 2012, it was even easier for them.

If we were to say who is most looking forward to Zhang Chen's movie being released soon, this group of people would definitely be number one.

Every time Zhang Chen’s movie is released, it is a good opportunity for them to make money.

Even though the price doubled, some people still gritted their teeth and bought it.

It’s the midnight show, you can watch it in a few hours.

You can brag after reading this, right?
The same situation was happening in front of major cinemas, with long queues of people buying tickets forming outside the ticket windows.

Those who have money to spare no trouble simply buy scalper tickets.

But more people lined up obediently to buy, because 120 yuan is still too expensive for ordinary people.

However, most of the cinemas in China only sell tickets for the day.

Because cinemas adjust their screening schedules at the last minute and the show times for the next day are uncertain, it is impossible to sell movies.

On June 6, the first day box office was released.

6310 million, breaking the first-day box office record of "Pacific Rim".

The industry estimates that the box office of "2012" will be between 6 million and 7 million yuan.

The media was jubilant, netizens were celebrating, and Zhang Chen once again became the center of attention.

The industry is silent.

They have become numb.

Last time on "Pacific Rim", Zhang Chen set enough records.

Breaking his own record again doesn't seem to be a surprise.

As for catching up, haha, I don’t even have such an unrealistic idea.

……

in the hotel

There were fireworks in Yang Xiaomi's mind all night long, and even in the morning, she was forced to turn on the phone.

From Zhang Chen, she learned a lesson:
The bulging veins are not necessarily on the arms.

The person who stabs you in the back may not be a knife.

While Zhang Chen was in the bathroom, Yang Xiaomi hurriedly sat in front of the computer and pretended to browse the web.

There was a noise behind him and Zhang Chen came out of the bathroom.

Feeling her ankle being grabbed again, Yang Xiaomi immediately said, "Come and see, there are negative reviews about 2012 online..."

This sentence really worked, and the ankle was loosened.

Yang Xiaomi gave up her seat and Zhang Chen sat in front of the computer to browse.

Mainly complaints about scalped tickets.

[120 per ticket, too much~]

[I work in BJ, my salary is 3800, 120 per ticket, which is barely acceptable, but it still hurts~]

[I bought it for 180, which was even more of a loss. Fortunately, the movie did not disappoint me. Although it was expensive, I accepted it...]

Zhang Chen frowned. When Pacific Rim was being filmed, some people had complained about the issue of scalped tickets, but the company didn't take it seriously because the scale of the issue wasn't large.

"2012" is different, it seems to be on a larger scale.

It seems that we need to emphasize this to the theaters.

But the cinema chain probably doesn’t have any good solution, as such things usually involve collusion between insiders and outsiders.

Zhang Chen had already made up his mind. He looked up and was about to look for Yang Xiaomi again, but he saw that she was already standing at the door dressed neatly:
"Director Zhang, I have an audition this afternoon, so I'll leave now. You should have a good rest..."

After Yang Xiaomi finished speaking, she ran out of the door without waiting for Zhang Chen's response, as if she was afraid that Zhang Chen would stop her if she was a step late.

Zhang Chen was a little confused by this abrupt scene, and then he burst into laughter.

You sent the text message, but you are a deserter on the battlefield. You are so inexperienced and playful.
Outside the door, Yang Xiaomi saw that Zhang Chen did not chase out, and finally patted her chest fearfully.

I really don't want to be taught experience anymore.

The movie is still in theaters, and as more and more people have watched it, the discussion online has become even more heated.

[This is a disaster movie that is so extreme that we know what we are going to see, but we are still shocked when we see it.]

[In fact, what I admire most in the film is the guy in Yellowstone Park in the United States and the wise lama in our XZ. Their madness and calmness before the disaster are the same, and they are actually the highest wisdom of mankind. ] [The sentence that impressed me the most: This job should really be handed over to China, and only China can complete it]

【《2012》: There has never been a savior, and we don’t need gods or emperors. To liberate the world, we have to rely on ourselves. 】

Yes, Zhang Chen’s little thoughts in the movie were seen by others.

In the face of disasters around the world, only the Chinese government has prepared hot air balloons.

Although there are only a few shots, there is no in-depth elaboration at all.

But people have already figured out the answer.

The box office legend continues, breaking 100 million in two days, 200 million in three days, and 300 million in seven days.
Apart from the producers, the happiest people are the cinema chains.

Especially those who joined Golden Harvest.

According to the normal historical trajectory:
In 2004, there were 2349 screens in China.

In the following years, the number of screens increased at a rate of about 500 per year.

By 08, it was about 4500 yuan.

In 09, it increased by 700 yuan, and in 10, it increased by 1000 yuan. After that, it was out of control and became more than yuan in a few years.
In this life, because of Zhang Chen's intervention, the early birth of domestic blockbusters stimulated the market. Coupled with the organized participation of coal bosses, the cinema industry developed much better than in the original space.

In 08, there were already 6000 screens.

Many coal bosses tasted the sweetness of success with "Pacific Rim" and immediately invested in a second and third cinema.

Normally, these new cinemas would need to be promoted after they were built, and it would take at least half a year to gather a certain amount of popularity, but they were lucky enough to catch up with "2012".

There is no need for any promotion at all, as audiences will spontaneously seek out movies to watch.

"2012" is equivalent to directly advertising these newly established cinemas.

With the experience of Pacific Rim, these new theaters are able to handle the situation with ease.

There are various comments online, and some people in Baidu Tieba are seriously discussing the possibility of escaping by hot air balloon.

Then someone extended the topic - if the doomsday crisis really happens in China, how should we deal with it?

There were all kinds of comments below. Zhang Chen was quite interested in this topic and decided to reply personally:

It depends on what the crisis is.

If it was the sun exploding, then don't mess around with it. Maybe if you knew about it 100 years in advance you could still have fun.

If natural disasters such as floods, volcanic eruptions, and tornadoes occur one after another, there is a high probability that you will need to move underground.

If it is the kind where strange beasts are rampant, then it is very likely that hunting teams will be derived, the profession of hunter will reappear, and it will also drive the development of a large number of supporting industries, such as equipment, medicine, black market, catering...

There might be a few more pages in the human recipe book.

If it were a zombie outbreak, the city would probably be locked down for the first month, and then the People's Liberation Army would take over the country.

A month later, various factories started to produce fences on a large scale.

Then about 3 months later, zombies will enter the laboratory and achieve some research results.

One year later, zombies will no longer appear in the public eye.

Then a few years or a dozen years later, a large wave of new drugs are invented.

Zhang Chen’s answer immediately received a lot of likes.

Zhang Chen personally replied using his real-name authentication account, which immediately made the poster very excited.

Zhang Chen's answer was pinned to the top, followed by a bunch of replies:
Well said, you understand China.

Have you ever considered making a zombie movie?
Zhang Chen replied again using his real name, saying that he had considered it, but it would definitely not pass the review in China.

Moreover, a story about a zombie apocalypse would work fine in any country except China, because with China's mobilization capabilities, the zombies would be wiped out before they could even form a scale.

Netizens were excited to see Zhang Chen reply again.

Someone immediately offered suggestions:

If it’s not possible in China, you can put it abroad.

It can be the United States, Europe, or Asia, but Asia is best because there has not been any zombie movie produced in Asia so far.

Zhang Chen did not reply. He suddenly remembered The Walking Dead. Diane had said before that she had reached an agreement with the author of The Walking Dead, but he had not paid attention to what happened afterwards and did not know whether it had been put on the agenda.

However, just after I thought about it for a while, there was a knock on the office door.

"Please come in~"

As the words fell, Dong Jianqiang appeared outside the door.

"Boss, do you have something to talk to me about?"

Dong Jianqiang walked in with a thermos cup in his hand, smiling: "Nothing, I just heard that you were going to make a zombie movie, so I came to ask about it?"

"Ah, did it reach your ears so quickly?"

Dong Jianqiang sat down opposite him and said, "No, I was just browsing that forum and happened to see..."

"This world is really small~"

Zhang Chen smiled and said, "Whether to shoot it or not is still up for debate. I was just talking about that topic and mentioned it by the way..."

Dong Jianqiang laughed and said, "You think you just mentioned it casually, but believe it or not, it has spread all over the Internet now..."

"No way?"

Zhang Chen reopened the browser uncertainly, and the headline of Sina Entertainment had already changed to "Zhang Chen's new work has been confirmed, a zombie-themed apocalyptic disaster film"~
What the hell is this?

Zhang Chen’s eyes widened.

At the same time, the phone next to him rang. It was Lei Zhenjian.

"Why didn't you tell me in advance that you were going to release a new film so that I could write a special topic for you? I actually heard such important news from other people. It's really not nice of me..."

Zhang Chen smiled bitterly: "I don't have any~"

"No? Then why is it that the internet is going crazy about your next work being a zombie movie, and there are screenshots as proof?"

"I was just replying to a post, how did it get spread as a rumor that I was going to make a zombie movie? Besides, don't you know that I will start shooting Pacific Rim 2 in the second half of this year..."

"I thought you changed your mind."

After Zhang Chen hung up the phone, he saw Dong Jianqiang on the other side looking gloating.

But it doesn't matter. For things like this, it's okay to just clarify them during the interview.

But zombie fans may be disappointed.

"The news about the zombie movie is fake, but the news about the kung fu movie is always true. I heard that you invited Wang Baoqiang to star in a kung fu movie at the premiere?"

Dong Jianqiang is still very well-informed.

Zhang Chen nodded: "I do have this plan, but I'm not in a hurry. I have to wait until the filming of "October Besieged City" is finished~"

Suddenly, I noticed that Dong Jianqiang frowned and asked, "Why, you don't want to use him?"

Dong Jianqiang shook his head: "That's not the case, I'm just a little worried about his acting skills. Can he play a villain?"

It turned out to be because of this. Zhang Chen happily leaned back in the boss chair: "Be more confident and remove the "ma"~"

Dong Jianqiang was surprised: "Really?"

"Why not? Don't be fooled by his stereotyped image. This guy's acting skills are actually pretty good."

Of course it’s good, it can kill Zhen Zidan in seconds, do you think it’s okay?
Zhang Chen was talking about "A Man's Martial Arts", in which Wang Baoqiang held the whole show by himself and beat Donnie Yen in every aspect.

"Okay, if you say yes~"

Dong Jianqiang no longer cares about Zhang Chen's vision in movies.

"Okay, nothing else, I'll leave first~"

Dong Jianqiang stood up and was about to leave, but was stopped by Zhang Chen.

"Wait a minute, you're here just in time. I have something to discuss with you~"

"What is it?"

Dong Jianqiang sat down again.

"It's about the scalper ticket~"

"You mentioned this. I've noticed it, and I've repeatedly stressed it to the theaters, but the effect is not good, as you know..."

Dong Jianqiang is a qualified CEO and he would not wait for the boss to discover the problem before solving it.

Not only had he discovered the problem of scalped tickets long ago, he had also taken corresponding measures, but the effect was limited.

Zhang Chen didn't respond at all and said directly: "I want to acquire an online ticket purchasing platform~"

(End of this chapter)