Chinese Entertainment: Academic Director

Chapter 418 New Record for Midnight Performance
April is not a traditionally good time for movie screenings.

But this year is a bit strange, as there are quite a few competitive movies scheduled to be released in April.

On April Fool's Day, Cao Yang's "Love in a Seaside City" and Wang Xiaoshuai's "Left Right" will be released. Both of these films won the Silver Bear at this year's Berlin Film Festival and will compete on April 1st.

Two movies were also released on April 3.

One is the epic film "Three Kingdoms: Resurrection of the Dragon," which boasts an investment of 1.7 million yuan and is entirely based on the Romance of the Three Kingdoms. The film brings together a host of big names, including Liu Dehua, Hong Jinbao, Pu Cunxi, An Zhijie, Yu Rongguang, Yue Hua, and Di Long.

The other film was a $4000 million co-production between China, Australia, and Germany.

Directed by renowned Hollywood director Roger Spottiswood, who previously directed "007: Tomorrow Is Not Enough" and "The 6th Day," "The Children of Huang Shi" stars Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Zhou Runfa, Radha Mitchell, and Michelle Yeoh.

On April 24th, there was also a film called "The Forbidden Kingdom," which claimed to have an investment of 500 million RMB and starred Jackie Chan, Li Lianjie, Liu Yifei, Li Bingbing, Zou Zhaolong, and others.

Look at this cast: Jackie Chan, Jet Li, Zhou Runfa, Liu Dehua... If you didn't know the release date, you'd think this was a summer or Lunar New Year release.

The domestic box office market today, not to mention the distant past, has almost doubled in total box office revenue compared to two years ago. It is no longer the era when if one movie became a hit, the box office revenue of other movies released at the same time would be "sucked away".

However, it's unrealistic to expect three or four films to be box office hits in the same period, especially in April, a relatively "quiet" month.

In addition, with the support of several "positive factors," the March release of "The Fault in Our Stars" directly boosted the box office to 370 million yuan. The film's release will be extended this month, which can be considered as "overdrawing" some of the box office revenue for April.

Therefore, media and industry insiders predict that all of the above films, except for Wang Xiaoshuai's "Left Right", have the potential to be big hits. However, the market certainly cannot accommodate so many blockbuster films at the same time.

Most likely, only two films will be big hits.

Because in today's market, accommodating two blockbuster films simultaneously is no problem at all.

As for which two movies will be big hits, that's more of a debate.

However, most media outlets and industry insiders believe that whichever of the two films emerges victorious, one of them will inevitably be "The Forbidden Kingdom," starring Jackie Chan, Jet Li, Liu Yifei, and Li Bingbing.

On the surface, this conclusion seems quite easy to reach.

There are too many factors that make "The Forbidden Kingdom" a "must-have" blockbuster.

Firstly, in terms of release date, "The Forbidden Kingdom" successfully avoided the most intense "battle" between several films. By the time it was released, those films had mostly reached their "weak period" and were no longer a significant threat.

Secondly, it's the cast of the main actors.

This is the first collaboration between Jackie Chan and Jet Li, two of the only Chinese actors who have established themselves in Hollywood. Add to that the popular actress Liu Yifei and Li Bingbing, one of the new "Four Great Actresses," and the expectations are simply off the charts.

Finally, there's one more thing: Jackie Chan's Best Actor award at the Berlin Film Festival.

Although it wasn't "The Forbidden Kingdom" that won Jackie Chan the Best Actor award at the Berlin Film Festival, it was such a coincidence that the film was released right after he won it, which definitely boosted its popularity.

The other three films also have their own selling points.

Cao Yang's film "Love in the Seaside City" won the Best Director award at the Berlin Film Festival and also helped Jackie Chan win the Best Actor award. Logically, it should have been well received by the media and industry insiders.

The problem is, this is an art film.

In recent years, the upper limit of Chinese-language art films seems to have been set.

Even last year's highly anticipated film, "Pieta," directed by Lao Tian and produced and written by Cao Yang, only managed to gross a mere 3000 million yuan at the domestic box office despite winning the Golden Lion.

With the rapid growth of the domestic box office market, art films have not only failed to usher in a spring, but have instead faced a "severe winter".

At first, many people couldn't understand it either.

Before the film box office market grew significantly, let alone winning major awards at the three major European film festivals, almost any film that received a nomination for the main competition had a low box office.

So what's going on now?
Then, more and more industry insiders found the reason.

It's actually very simple. We're no longer in an era where there were no choices when it comes to movies. In short, there are many more movies to choose from!
Previously, there were very few commercial films in China, and the selection was almost nonexistent.

Films that received nominations or awards from the three major European film festivals were the best form of publicity. People who had spare money to watch movies at the time were either middle-class or had some financial security, and their thinking was more influenced by Europe and America.

To put it simply, many petty-bourgeois or intellectuals in China at that time still held the belief that "the grass is always greener on the other side."

Therefore, films recognized by the three major European film festivals, which are considered "high-end," are definitely worth watching for them.

Nowadays, with the expansion of the film market, or rather, with the achievements of reform and opening up over the years becoming more apparent, people have some spare money, and the group of moviegoers is no longer limited to the "petit bourgeoisie".

Movies have gradually become a genuine form of entertainment.

In addition, the government has actively promoted this initiative—the increase in cinema chains, the rise of private film companies, the convenience for Hong Kong and Taiwanese filmmakers to travel north, the influx of capital, and the growth of films and "blockbusters," among other things.

The film market has improved and grown exponentially, but given the choice, the number of people watching dull art films has not actually increased.

This has led to a general lack of optimism towards art films from both the media and industry insiders.

Just like Wang Xiaoshuai's "In Love We Trust," which won the Silver Bear for Best Screenplay at the Berlin Film Festival, if it had been released a few years ago, it would have been much more competitive with the Silver Bear.

What now?
While it's not fair to say no one is interested, it's true that the general consensus is pessimistic, including among cinema managers.

Of course, Wang Xiaoshuai is Wang Xiaoshuai, and Cao Yang is Cao Yang.

No one dares to ignore Cao Yang; even if his film is an art film, it is definitely among the most competitive films...

If people don't have a good opinion of art films, why did "The Fault in Our Stars," which is also an art film, become such a big hit?

Yes, it's very simple.

The domestic box office market has grown, and the audience has increased. These new viewers no longer blindly believe in the "dull" art films of the three major European cinemas, but they look at Hollywood blockbusters with a different eye.

Domestic Chinese-language "blockbusters" are limited by funding – if Chinese-language films invest too much, they will definitely not be able to recoup their costs, and their special effects and "excitement" will certainly not be able to compare with Hollywood blockbusters for the time being.

Whether they are new viewers or the original "petit bourgeois" audience, they all share a common characteristic: they all have a high opinion of Hollywood movies and movies that have won Oscars.

This is another important reason why "The Fault in Our Stars" was a huge hit in China.

Compared to Cao Yang's "Love in the Seaside City" and Chow Yun-fat's "The Children of Huang Shi", the industry and media actually have higher hopes for "Three Kingdoms: Resurrection of the Dragon".

This movie boasts a star-studded cast, including Andy Lau, who has a strong box office appeal. The director is Lee Yan-kong, a well-known figure in Hong Kong who has directed films such as "Black Mask," "Moonlight Express," and "A Tiger's Tale."

In addition, it's based on the well-known Three Kingdoms theme and has a large investment... all the factors for success are there.

Therefore, more people are optimistic about this movie.

Following the premiere on March 31, "Love in the Seaside City" was scheduled for a midnight screening on April 1.

Of course, at present, midnight screenings can only be shown in about twenty major cities across the country. Smaller cities are not lacking in the conditions for midnight screenings, but rather in the fact that there are fewer viewers, so there is no need to arrange midnight screenings.

Cao Yang went to see the midnight showing.

I went to see it with Jing Tian.

They chose a cinema in Beijing's Stellar Cinema, which had midnight screenings and had four screening rooms open.

Two large screening rooms and two small screening rooms.

Cao Yang went to the large screening room, and when the movie started, he made a point of observing it.

The 440-seat screening room was surprisingly well-occupied, probably over 9% full.

A movie achieving this level of attendance during prime time is already excellent, let alone a midnight screening; this attendance rate speaks volumes.

Huang Yali is a top student from Beijing Normal University. After graduation, she worked for a foreign company in Beijing.

During this time, a guy from the company next door, which is also a foreign company, started pursuing her, and she felt pretty good about him.

After some back and forth, although we haven't officially agreed to anything yet, watching "Love in the Seaside City" together tonight says it all.

Well, at least her phone was fully charged before she arrived.

"Love in a Seaside City" sounds like an incredibly romantic movie, and with Cao Yang directing it, its quality is at least guaranteed.

After watching such a romantic movie, isn't it only natural that they would fall in love in a seaside city?

At first, Huang Yali and her fiancé both thought the same thing. "Isn't the male lead played by Jackie Chan working abroad, meeting his girlfriend in a foreign land, and then their romantic love story unfolds?"

Huang Yali asked her fiancé in a low voice.

The boyfriend turned to look at Huang Yali, smiled, and then reached out to tentatively grab her hand. He saw that she only pulled away slightly and then did nothing more.

"Probably so. It's very lonely in a foreign country, and it's easier for two people to develop a romantic love story."

As her fiancé held Huang Yali's hand, he thought to himself that tonight was all set.

Of course, we can't let our guard down at this point. My second brother's happiness will depend on his performance from now on. We should press on with our remaining strength.

"Our relationship will definitely be like the male and female protagonists in this movie, it will be incredibly romantic."

Huang Yali pursed her lips, feeling a sweet warmth in her heart. If it could really be like the movie title, "Love Ties to the Seaside City," that would be wonderful.

"I hope it will have a romantic beginning and a happy ending, just like in the movies."

Then, as the movie started playing, things seemed to take an unexpected turn.

Where's the romance I was promised?

What happened to the promised "affection"?

The seaside city is here, but what about my romance?

Then, the children were burned to death.

Then, his wife became his ex-wife.

Then, he ran into his ex-wife.

Then, his ex-wife got pregnant.

Then, he encountered his ex-wife pushing the child in a stroller.

……

Her fiancé was completely dumbfounded.

He really wanted to question Cao Yang: "We came here for the 'Love' series, and this is what you show us?"

"Waaah... The male lead is so pitiful. He lost his child, his wife, and he doesn't even have a loving brother... He still hasn't moved on. You live like you have no soul..."

While wiping away tears, Huang Yali leaned on her fiancé's shoulder, seemingly seeking solace.

Her fiancé was slightly taken aback, then naturally put his arm around Huang Yali's shoulder and comforted her, "It's okay, don't worry, the movie will definitely have a happy ending, he will definitely get through it."

He will definitely get through this!

The boyfriend told himself that he actually felt sorry for the male lead; Jackie Chan's acting skills really brought this tragic man to life.

That kind of oppressive feeling is something you can easily empathize with if you pay even a little attention to the plot.

"No wonder everyone says Cao Yang is good at training actors. He can even train a big comedic star like Jackie Chan to have such acting skills. He's really amazing."

The soon-to-be boyfriend couldn't help but sigh.

As the plot unfolds, everything seems to be moving in a positive direction; however, until the very end, this "positive" outcome never truly materializes.

It seems the male lead still can't get over it!
"Why? His ex-wife has forgiven him, and his nephew is much more sensible now. So much time has passed, why can't he get over it?"

Huang Yali's eyes were red, and she was still feeling uneasy. She looked at her boyfriend and couldn't help but ask, "Didn't you say there would be a happy ending?"

The lights in the movie theater came on, but unlike other movies where people get up and leave as soon as the lights come on, most people remained seated.

The boyfriend also felt a bit depressed, as if he had a lump in his throat that he couldn't let out.

After a moment of silence, he reached out and pulled Huang Yali up, sighed softly, and said, "His heart may have died long ago. He just can't forgive himself, and he probably won't get over it in his entire life."

"How could they do this? The director is too cruel. Why couldn't they give him a chance to do it again?"

Huang Yali murmured.

It was only then that she gained a better understanding of the phrase "heartbroken".

The audience in the screening room then began to stand up, walking out silently one by one. Most of the girls had red eyes, and the men were almost all silent as well.

Those who don't know the situation might think it's a memorial service.

"Isn't time supposed to heal all wounds? Why can't we give him a second chance? He already knows he was wrong, he's genuinely repented, and he's been punishing himself... "

On the way back, Jing Tian's eyes were red, and while wiping away tears, he couldn't help but ask.

She had already read it once, but reading it again still left her feeling just as heartbroken.

Sometimes, especially when the plot of a movie is paired with suitable music, the expressiveness can be multiplied.

"Some mistakes can be healed by time, but for others, the heart is already dead, and time is just time."

Cao Yang thought for a moment and then said.

"You are so cruel."

Jing Tian pursed his lips, but still managed to say those words.

Am I heartless?

I have something even more ruthless to come; you'll find out soon enough.

However, before Cao Yang could make Jing Tian cry out in pain with something even more ruthless, he received a series of phone calls.

The conversation was very simple; it was as if the other party had arranged it beforehand, saying only one sentence each time before hanging up.

You're so heartless!

After Cao Yang answered the phone, Li Xiaoran only said this one sentence before hanging up.

She recalled when she starred in Cao Yang's first film, "A Night Alone on the Beach," this cruel man "locked" her up, making her watch sad movies and listen to sad music all day long, and forbidding her from contacting the outside world...

Are you heartless?

This is a call from Sister Fei Hong. She clearly went to see the midnight showing too, and she was quite angry about it.

How could you do this? You're so heartless!

Gao Yuanyuan said in a slightly sobbing tone, and then hung up the phone without hesitation.

"The male lead is so pitiful, you're so cruel."

Dong Xuan also called.

Fat Bing didn't call. She flew directly to Los Angeles a few days ago to play a psychiatrist in "Joker," and missed "Seaside Town."

In fact, apart from "Nine-Tailed Fox" which had one midnight screening, Cao Yang's later films have never had a midnight screening.

It's not that I don't want to, but that there's no need.

This was also an experiment. Cao Yang wanted to know if art films really had a so-called "bottleneck," or if it depended on the actors.

The midnight session is an opportunity to test the waters.

In the past two years, thanks to Cao Yang's behind-the-scenes efforts, almost all cinemas in China have been connected to the internet, making box office statistics more intuitive.

After showing Jing Tian how "ruthless" he was, President Han called before dawn the next day.

"Junior brother, a new record has been set for the midnight screenings: 630 million! That's 410 million more than 'Nine-Tailed Fox'! Congratulations!"

(End of this chapter)