Huayu: Hard fight against Zhang Weiping at the beginning

Chapter 546 Complaints about Red Cliff

By the end of July and before August, the domestic box office of "2012" successfully exceeded million.

Star Entertainment is celebrating, and the media is speculating that the final box office of "2012" may exceed one billion.

Zhang Chen no longer cares about the box office.

He tried to persuade people to consume rationally for a while, but when he couldn't persuade them, he stopped.

Just like what netizens said, can you still stop our progress?

A media interviewed: "Do you think the box office of "2012" is normal?"

"Not normal~"

Zhang Chen is pragmatic, just like Xu Guangtou who was interviewed in "Lost in Thailand".

"Normally, the box office of 2012 is about 6-7 million, which is a reasonable range. But now, less than a month after its release, it has already made million. This is no longer a typical box office feature. It is all thanks to the enthusiastic netizens..."

After the interview was broadcast, some people were happy and some were disappointed.

The netizens were happy. Zhang Chen did not take all the credit for himself, but instead emphasized the role of netizens, making them feel like they had participated in creating history themselves.

Those who were disappointed were those who hoped that Zhang Chen would fail.

The success of "2012" touched the hearts of too many people, and these people wished that Zhang Chen would become arrogant and take all the credit for himself.

Sometimes, to destroy a person, praising him is more effective than suppressing him.

Unfortunately, Zhang Chen was very sober and generously admitted that the box office success had little to do with him.

This greatly disappointed those people.

If you are ambitious but not satisfied, are you still a young person?

Among the disappointed people were Wu Kebo and Wu Baige.

橙天
Wu Kebo: "The popularity of 2012 is too high. If it continues like this, it will definitely affect our Red Cliff. We have to find a way to cool it down..."

The slogan of Xingchen Entertainment now is to break one billion.

Although "2012" is already the number one in Chinese film history, whether it can break the billion mark is still a hurdle.

Chinese people love to round up numbers, so if the number doesn’t break 10 billion, people will just feel that this is an unprecedented event.

If it breaks 1 billion, it will be a monument in the history of Chinese film, the kind that no one can erase.

Even decades later, Zhang Chen can still brag about it.

Wu Kebo certainly didn't want to have such a huge mountain weighing on him.

Moreover, it's almost July. "Red Cliff" is scheduled to be released on July 7, but now public opinion is all about "7", which has seriously affected "Red Cliff". It would be strange if he is not anxious.

Seeing that Wu Baige didn't say anything, Wu Kebo urged again: "You have to come forward for this matter. Only you have enough weight to compete with Zhang Chen..."

Wu Baige pondered for a long time and nodded: "Please arrange an interview for me..."

Wu Kebo immediately said, "Okay, I'll arrange it right away. In addition, should we go to China Film Group again? Han Sanping can't be partial to one over the other. Red Cliff also has their investment. They should give Red Cliff the same treatment they gave 2012 when it was released..."

The treatment he was talking about was of course the first-day screening rate of "2012" was as high as 81%.

If "2012" is okay, why can't "Red Cliff"?

Wu Baige was not optimistic: "I'm afraid Han Sanping will really favor one over the other..."

The two drove to China Film Studio and returned angrily two hours later.

As soon as Wu Kebo returned to the office, he started throwing things around. His originally gentle face now looked a little ferocious.

"You really said that about this old man..."

Just now, the two of them went to China Film Corporation and talked to Han Sanping in person.

I hope the momentum of "2012" can be curbed and some of the public's attention can be given to "Red Cliff".

At the same time, we hope to get Han Sanping's guarantee regarding the first day's screening schedule.

But no matter how much he said nice things, Han Sanping just wouldn't give a definite answer.

Of course it's impossible to give a definite answer.

With the movie "Pacific Rim", Han Sanping completely established his foothold in China Film Group.

Although he is already the head of China Film Group, the company is not a monolithic entity.

When he invested in "Pacific Rim" before, there were a lot of complaints internally.

It was the 500 million box office of "Pacific Rim" that made these guys shut up completely.

The recent "2012" has made it even more difficult for any doubting voices to be raised within the company.

A success can be considered a fluke.
But continuous success can only be the result of real ability.

Zhang Chen is really good at making movies.

Han Sanping's investment vision is real.

The Third Master was once the most famous figure in China Film Group.

Not to mention that the box office of "2012" may exceed one billion.

During his tenure, the domestic film market produced films that grossed over 1 billion yuan. What a great political achievement and honor this is.

Zhang Chen can brag all his life, and he can do it too~
In comparison, Red Cliff seems insignificant.

My biological son is about to become the top scholar, so what’s wrong with my godson suffering a little bit of grievance?

The two Old Wus were humiliated by Han Sanping and were furious but helpless.

It is better to rely on oneself than on others, so Chengtian started to spend money on publicity.

Do whatever it takes to attract media attention.

Now that the money has been spent, journalists are of course happy to write.

There is more and more news about "Red Cliff".

Even many old things were dug up - Zhou Runfa quit playing Zhou Yu.

Chengtian started to rehash the old stuff.

Strictly speaking, this isn't hype at all.

This is a scandal.

It was a big fuss at the time.

On the first day of filming for "Red Cliff", Zhou Runfa, who played Zhou Yu, resigned, which shocked the entire crew.

Producer Zhang Jiazhen loudly complained to the media:

"It's fine that the pay is high, but they also made more than a hundred requests, even asking for a motorhome to be used as a toilet~
Zhou Runfa was promoted by Ah Sen, "A Better Tomorrow", "Hard Boiled", "Gun God"...

I also helped him run around in Hollywood, helping him organize the "Chow Yun-fat Film Retrospective" in Chicago, New York, and Boston, connecting him with William Morris, and helping him connect with "The Replacement Killers" and "Anna and the King"...

We treated him as one of his own, but what did he treat us as?"

Zhang Jiazhen was heartbroken and said he was deeply hurt and would no longer believe in brotherhood.

But the fact is, poor Chow Yun-fat was exploited again before the movie was released.

Chow Yun-fat said innocently: When I was filming "Curse of the Golden Flower", I signed the contract with these conditions. If you think it's too expensive and troublesome, why did you sign it?

The crew of "Red Cliff" was indeed in the wrong.

But this guy is actually not a very honest person. He announced publicly that he quit the role because he could not reach an agreement with the crew.

But the truth is, this guy received an invitation to play a role in "Pirates of the Caribbean 3". After weighing the pros and cons, he felt that supporting roles in Hollywood blockbusters were more promising than leading roles in domestic blockbusters, so he ran away.

By the beginning of July, the box office of "7" exceeded 2012 million and was slowly moving towards billion.

Everyone is looking forward to it, including Han Sanping.

There is a joke in later generations that when a movie has a box office of 80 or 90 million, whether it can break 100 million actually depends on the attitude of China Film.

Or in other words, Han Sanping's attitude.

So many movie company bosses would ask, "Master San, just give me a clear answer, can my movie break 100 million?"

Usually at this time, the Third Master would ask, "How much is it now?"

"More than 90 million~"

If the Third Master says it is possible, then it is definitely possible.

Even if the movie is released two days later, it can still make over 100 million yuan at the box office.

But if they say it can’t be done, then it really can’t be done and the film will be taken off the screen immediately.

But that was only 10 or 20 million. In a situation like this where there is a shortfall of 100 million, there is nothing the Third Master can do.

Can only be left to fate.

The premiere of "Red Cliff" was held in a fancy way, taking place at the quaint Wuhou Temple in Chengdu.

I don't know what you were thinking. You found a small script to play the role of Wu Hou, and chose to premiere it at the Wu Hou Temple. Are you trying to make Prime Minister Zhuge Liang resurrect after being angered?
However, China Film Group did a good job of controlling the screen and did not allow this kind of emotion to continue to build up, so no accidents happened at the premiere.

And Han Sanping didn't completely ignore "Red Cliff". It's just that when "Red Cliff" and "2012" were shown together, he supported "2012". Without "2012", he still cared about "Red Cliff".

He attended the premiere, suppressed negative comments, and gave 63% of the screenings on the first day.

It's actually pretty good.

Unfortunately, although the premiere was star-studded, it was not a success.

Throughout the premiere, reporters kept chasing Tony Leung to ask about the wedding.

There were rumors before that his wedding with Liu Jialin would be held in Bali, and the rumors sounded very plausible.

Compared to the movie, the media is obviously more interested in this.

Hmm, why does it look so familiar?
Because a similar scene happened at the premiere of "Assembly" not long ago. The media only focused on Deng Chao's love affair and were not interested in "Assembly", which made the angry Xiao Gangpao lose his temper on the spot.

On July 7, "Red Cliff" was officially released.

The box office on the first day was 2700 million, and the box office in the first three days of the weekend was 1.08 million. Actually, it is not bad, but it depends on who you compare it with.

It can be said that it is much better than "Assembly" and "The Forbidden Kingdom", but it is still a long way behind "Pacific Rim" and "2012".

Wu Kebo was a little worried because considering the cost, the box office was not ideal.

Wu Baige didn't know whether to be happy or sad.

This result did meet the passing line in his mind, but it was still far from Zhang Chen’s two films.

It was as if he was telling everyone, look, Wu Baige is just no match for Zhang Chen.

……

China Film Group, in Han Sanping’s office, an old man and a child are drinking tea.

Han Sanping: "It is right to stagger the release dates of Red Cliff and 2012..."

He was glad for his decision.

Although the box office performance of "Red Cliff" is also good, it is definitely a dead end compared to "2012".

Zhang Chen curled his lips: "As long as the Three Kingdoms theme is not too bad, it will definitely make money~"

At that time, he wanted to release the two films at the same time to teach Wu Baige a lesson, but unfortunately, San Ye disagreed.
"Then why didn't you do it then?"

Zhang Chen shrugged: "I don't dare, I'm afraid of being scolded~"

"Ok?"

"Haven't you seen the reputation of Red Cliff these days? It's full of criticisms on the Internet..."

How could Han Sanping not know this? He also sighed.

Wu Baige is so bold that he even wants to adapt a famous work of art.

Why did Cao Cao want to fight at Red Cliff?
After Liu Biao died, his second son Liu Cong succeeded him but was weak and incompetent. He surrendered to Cao Cao with the support of aristocratic families such as Kuai Yue and Fu Xun.

Cao Cao easily obtained the Jingzhou navy and the strategic city of Jiangling, and had the conditions to attack Jiangdong.

He wanted to unify the country. If he took Jingzhou, he could threaten Jiangdong and seize Yizhou.

So this battle must be fought.

This is the general consensus!

Anyone who has read Romance of the Three Kingdoms knows this.

Then when it came to Wu Baige, the reason for the war became Xiao Qiao.

A war for a woman!
Come on, this is the Battle of Red Cliffs, you thought it was 'Troy'.

“I heard that Wu Yusen’s theme for Red Cliff is peace and anti-war!”

Zhang Chen's words made Han Sanping's face turn red.

The theme of "Red Cliff" is indeed anti-war. He knew it and did not object.

"He said we need to have an international perspective~"

"International vision is bullshit, isn't this nonsense? You are a movie about war and political conspiracy, but the theme is anti-war, isn't this crazy?
The Romance of the Three Kingdoms, one of the four great classics, is so popular among the people.

Your theme can be unifying the world, or stopping war with war, I can understand all of that, but you came up with peace and anti-war, are you crazy? This is the Three Kingdoms, not a Western war film..."

Zhang Chen felt that Wu Yusen was brainwashed by the Western stuff.

Westerners like to promote anti-war ideas in war films, expressing the cruelty of war.

But this is an Eastern story.

Although the East also has the concept of "when a country prospers, the people suffer; when a country perishes, the people suffer", it is more of an identification with the great unification.

No matter who you are, if you are born in troubled times, you will definitely want unification.

If you want to live in peace in a corner and become a warlord, all your subordinates will rebel against you.

Zhang Chen told Han Sanping a little story:

A white couple, both lovers have been childhood sweethearts and are very much in love.

The woman is pregnant and a new life is about to be born.

Then the war broke out.

Although the man was reluctant, he had no choice but to enlist in the army, leaving the pregnant woman to live alone.

The woman was very strong. She endured it all silently and the baby was born.

At the happiest moment, what awaited her was the news of her husband's death.

The woman became a widow and raised her children alone. The thing she did most often in the second half of her life was to run to the cemetery, stroke her husband's tombstone and whisper to herself.

"If this little story were made into a movie, what do you think Western audiences would say?"

"Sympathize with this couple and raise questions about the war~"

"Yes, Westerners will definitely use it as an anti-war propaganda film to publicize the cruelty of war."

"But what if someone from the East sees it, like us Chinese?"

Han Sanping was confused and thought about it, but didn't know how to answer.

"The answer from our compatriots must be - the male enemies in the film have been killed by our heroic soldiers of the People's Volunteer Army!"

The Third Master was stunned for a moment, then burst into laughter.

I always feel like something is wrong, but I also feel like this is the normal reaction of our people.

He understood very well what Zhang Chen meant. Although he had never been to the battlefield, his father joined the Red Army at the age of 14, and his mother joined the revolutionary team at the age of 16. He had been influenced by them a lot in this regard.

Yes, when Westerners look at war, they only look at the war itself.
When we look at war, we look at why we are fighting and whether it is necessary to fight. If we need to fight for our country and for the next generation, then we should fight...

……

In the second week of the release of "Red Cliff", word of mouth about the film began to ferment and finally affected the box office.

Because it is the first blockbuster film based on the Three Kingdoms theme, many people were full of expectations for it.

But too many people were dissatisfied after watching it, which led to a collapse of word of mouth.

In the first week, not many people had seen it, so it was not noticeable.

By the second week, the impact of word of mouth began to show.

Bad word of mouth led to a decrease in the number of moviegoers and a drop in attendance.

Wu Kebo is pinning his hopes on the second week's box office, fantasizing that it will break 200 million, or at least 100 million.

But the actual box office was only over 50 million, which was directly cut in half.

The total cost of the two parts of "Red Cliff" is 8000 million US dollars, about million RMB.

The cost of making "Red Cliff" was about 300 million.

According to the box office sharing rules, the box office of the upper part must reach at least 5 million to break even.

Given the current situation, 5 million is unlikely, and 3 million is even a stretch.

This made Er Wu very anxious.

Especially the cinema chain didn’t give any face at all, and immediately reduced the screening schedule when the attendance was not good.

The current screening schedule of more than 2012% is actually almost the same as "".

Come on, 2012 has been out for a month, okay?
You can't be so biased.

Well, the first to do so was Golden Harvest.

Wu Baige was extremely angry and publicly criticized the cinema chain during a media interview: "The film schedule should be chosen by the audience, not by the cinema chain. "Red Cliff" is a good movie, but it was deliberately targeted in the second week of its release. This is unfair competition..."

"Unfair competition? Are you scolding us?"

Dong Jianqiang sneered after seeing the news.

"2012" has barely broken through billion so far, so both the cinemas and Star Entertainment have no other expectations and certainly won't resort to any tricks.

Chen Xi, who has a hot temper, immediately retorted: "Stand at attention when you are beaten~
If you are not good enough, just admit it. If the box office is not good, it is unfair competition to say so.

Do you want me to show you the attendance figures? If I really want to target you, you won’t even get 100 million in the first weekend. Do you believe it?"

"This guy is putting pressure on the cinema chain, making innuendos. Although he didn't mention us, every word is about us. The great director is really cultured..."

"Bullshit, if you are really cultured you wouldn't make a shattered version of the Three Kingdoms~"

The person who said this was Ning Hao. He also watched "Red Cliff" these two days and was quite shocked by it.

Ning Hao commented: "It is better than Resurrection of the Dragon, but Wu Baige and Li Rengang have the same problem of not respecting history.

The Battle of Red Cliffs was changed to Troy, the Self-Torture Scheme was changed to the Beauty Scheme, and the final Huarong Pass was also changed away.

How dare he?"

Zhang Chen shrugged: "It's not completely useless actually, the beginning was pretty good.

Cao Cao's sword and shoes entering the palace, Emperor Xian of Han being controlled, and using the emperor to control the princes are all very remarkable.

But some of the plots about Zhuge Liang, Xiao Qiao, and all of Sun Shangxiang's plots are just a bunch of shit. And the final scene of capturing and releasing Cao Cao, instead of filming the good plot about Guan Yu at Huarong Road, what was filmed instead?
It would be fine if you could really modify a plot that is even more awesome than the one in Huarong Pass, but you didn't. I seriously doubt Mr. Lu Wei's screenwriting ability. Is this still the Lu Wei in Farewell My Concubine? "

Zhang Chen's evaluation of "Red Cliff" is that it is half a good show.

The first half is well-laid out and the atmosphere is very good.

I really can't say the second half is good.

Forcibly elevate Xiao Qiao's role because a woman lost a crucial war.

The screenwriter's vision couldn't be smaller, and the plot of releasing Cao in the end was even more outrageous. There is absolutely no political common sense at all. The fact that it was unpopular only shows that the audience's logic is normal.

……

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(End of this chapter)