Chinese Entertainment: Academic Director

Chapter 490 Special Significance

After the premiere of "Like Father, Like Son".

Cao Yang learned another reason why "Like Father, Like Son" was featured on CCTV's "News Broadcast" when he was chatting with Tong Ju from the Optoelectronics Company.

"Like Father, Like Son" will be released on June 21, and three days later, on June 24, "Transformers 2," considered by many to be the most competitive Hollywood film of this summer's season, will be released in mainland China.

When Transformers 1 was released in China in 07, it grossed 2.81 million yuan at the box office.

With the expansion and prosperity of the domestic film market, "Transformers 2" is considered to have the potential to exceed 4 million yuan at the box office.

The point isn't to have "Like Father, Like Son" block "Transformers 2," but rather to see how much of a gap there is between China's top art films and Hollywood movies in terms of box office revenue.

Why expect an art film to perform at the box office like a Hollywood blockbuster with top-notch special effects?

That sounds like a joke.

There are historical reasons for this.

The rise of domestic commercial films is a recent phenomenon, occurring only in the last few years.

Prior to this, apart from the commercially successful "Little Cannon" series, which had its own distinctive features, almost all the films that achieved high box office returns in China were art-house films that received nominations or awards at the three major European film festivals.

In recent years, the box office of art films may not have increased much, but this is in comparison to the box office of commercial blockbusters, which often reach two or three hundred million.

In fact, the average box office revenue of art-house films has increased, and by a considerable amount.

That being said, the investment in art films can't compare to that of commercial films. Most commercially successful films have investments that can rival the total investment of dozens of art films.

However, it's not that art films can't compete with big-budget commercial films.

Cao Yang's "Joker," which has been a global box office smash, is currently ranked second in the world box office rankings, with a gross of over $15 billion. It is a standard art film.

This is also what the authorities want to see: to what extent can Cao Yang's top-tier Chinese art film achieve in the current Chinese market?

Cao Yang's award-winning Chinese art films basically represent the highest achievement of Chinese-language films to date, and their box office performance also shows maximum market potential.

This also gives a general idea of ​​the gap between Chinese-language films and Hollywood films.

Furthermore, it's not just Cao Yang's "Like Father, Like Son" that's being heavily promoted; when the right opportunity arises, a major Chinese commercial film will also be recommended, in order to finalize certain matters.

Don't think this is childish.

Some long-term plans are formulated by correcting mistakes and implementing them step by step using this seemingly "naive" method.

Previously, there were no "Cao Yangs" in China, so the planning of the film and television industry by the authorities is one approach.

Now that China has its own world-class director, Cao Yang, the planning for the film and television industry takes a different approach.

These are matters that involve the big picture, which are not familiar to Cao Yang.

He doesn't know if he had this plan in his past life.

However, the Chinese leadership believes in governing a large country with the carefree spirit of cooking a small fish. Many seemingly sudden rises in industries and other fields may have been planned more than a decade ago.

Sometimes, the forbearance of the moment is for the sake of a rise later.

Perhaps it's because Cao Yang has reached a certain level that he was able to be informed of certain information.

"What do I need to do?"

Cao Yang couldn't help but ask Director Tong.

As the head of the Film Bureau, Tong Ju was inevitably involved in many of the higher-ups' plans, so he must have had access to a great deal of information.

"Haha, no need."

Director Tong laughed and said, "Brother Cao, you don't need to worry about anything. Just do what you normally do: promote when you need to, and don't promote when you don't want to. Just do what you normally do."

Due to its unique nature, "Like Father, Like Son" is already a well-known film in China.

The purpose of the publicity is not to promote how good the movie is, but to let the audience who want to see the movie know when it will be released.

A single sentence from the CCTV Evening News has done this very well.

All we can do now is wait.

After saying all this, Director Tong felt inexplicably relieved after calling out "Brother Cao".

He knew that if he continued to call Cao Yang "Brother Cao" after a while, it would seem presumptuous of him.

Unless the two people have a very close relationship, it should only be done in private.

That evening, Cao Yang went to Li Xiaoran's place.

Before returning to participate in the promotion and premiere of "Like Father, Like Son", Li Xiaoran had been filming on location in Hokkaido with the crew of "If You Are the One".

She will stay with the crew for three days to promote the film, and then on the fourth day, after finishing the promotion in Hangzhou, she will stay and meet up with the "If You Are the One" crew in Xixi Wetland in Hangzhou for filming.

It's been a while since I've seen Li Xiaoran. Cao Yang has been busy filming "A Bite of China" all over the country these days, and then he's been busy with post-production. He really misses Da Bai.

A piece of red silk, strong and beautiful; a light railing, white and gleaming.

It means that its rosy luster is like silk and its whiteness is like jade, which expresses the author's homesickness.

Yes, a subtle praise for the beauty of the cafeteria.

After a long while, Cao Yang buried his head in the dining hall.

He was breathing heavily.

Li Xiaoran lovingly stroked Cao Yang's head and pressed it down gently.

"Phew, are you trying to murder me?"

Cao Yang broke free and let out a long breath.

"Hehe, I saw you were using so much force, so I thought I'd help you save some energy."

Li Xiaoran chuckled and glanced down.

"Oh dear, look, there are hickeys on it again. I won't be able to wear a low-cut dress when I promote the movie tomorrow."

Cao Yang laughed, looked at his masterpiece, nodded with satisfaction, and said insincerely, "Well, there's nothing I can do about it. Who told you to have such fair and radiant skin? I haven't even used any force yet. I really didn't mean to."

"Hmph, you did it on purpose."

Li Xiaoran bared her teeth, gritted her teeth at the air, glanced down, and said meaningfully:

"I've got it. Don't worry, I won't retaliate, hmph." "Really? I don't believe you. I'll collect some interest first..."

“No…ah…”

After playing around for a while, the two of them lay down again, both feeling a bit out of breath.

"When will your new Pirates of the Caribbean sequel start filming? I've seen news online that a lot of people are looking forward to the sequel."

Li Xiaoran turned around, cupped her flushed face in her hand, and looked at Cao Yang, feeling like she couldn't get enough of looking at him.

"It's almost done. In fact, preparations are almost complete, and the actors' schedules have all been cleared. We're just waiting to start filming."

Cao Yang flicked Li Xiaoran's nose and said with a smile, "I'm just waiting for my doctoral defense now. The defense notice has already been issued, and after the defense, it will be about time to go to Los Angeles."

What if I fail my defense?

Li Xiaoran asked on a whim.

Cao Yang hadn't really thought about this question. After thinking about it seriously, he said, "If my defense really fails, I guess Hou Keming and Tian Zhuangzhuang will have to retire early, right? The experts on the review committee will probably be unemployed in the future too."

Li Xiaoran stuck out her tongue and said in disbelief, "That serious?"

"It will only get worse than this."

Cao Yang said with a smile, then changed the subject and asked, "By the way, how's the filming of 'If You Are the One' by Xiao Gangpao? Are you getting used to it?"

Upon hearing Cao Yang mention this, Li Xiaoran couldn't help but purse her lips.

"Not very good. I originally thought he could make a very artistic film, but from what I saw during filming, there are artistic elements, but not many. There's more comedy."

"Yes, I've read the script. It does have a bit of an artistic flair. The male lead's blind date journey is full of absurdity and humor, but it reflects social issues such as materialism and emotional deprivation."

He said he would strive to portray the confusion and search for love in modern people, to achieve emotional redemption through the conflict between morality and emotion, and to pursue the true meaning of companionship and responsibility in love… Anyway, that's what he told me.”

Cao Yang still remembers that when Xiao Gangpao was discussing the script with him, he talked a lot, spitting as he spoke, making you feel that he wanted to make a film that exuded an artistic vibe.

"He's a braggart. You know him. I've worked with him on several films, so I know him a bit. He's a braggart who's obsessed with saving face and has a very thick skin."

"What do you mean by 'full of artistic flair'? You shouldn't have let him make it as a sequel to 'On the Beach at Night Alone'. He can't capture that kind of artistic flair; all he does is wallow in self-pity. It's completely different from our film."

Li Xiaoran complained somewhat resentfully, and finally added, "It's a complete waste of our movie."

Cao Yang smiled. Of course he knew Xiao Gangpao's character and why Li Xiaoran harbored such deep resentment.

For Li Xiaoran, "On the Beach at Night Alone" has extraordinary significance. It is not just about winning her the Best Actress award at the Berlin Film Festival, but also one of the most unforgettable memories of her life.

She would never forget that afternoon when she was alone in her seaside villa on Ludong Island, watching a movie she loved and cried over, and then Cao Yang pushed open the door and walked in.

Sunlight suddenly poured down through a gap in the clouds, casting his silhouette as a blurry golden outline. The tips of his hair shimmered with a fuzzy halo in the backlight, like an angel who had suddenly appeared to save her.

That moment was one that Li Xiaoran would never forget.

The significance of "Alone on the Beach at Night" to her is something most people cannot understand.

“I know he can’t make it, but the market needs to have more types of movies. We can’t only have art films, nor can we only have commercial films with fixed formulas and comedies with local characteristics.”

Cao Yang pinched Li Xiaoran's nose and said with a smile, "Besides, if you hadn't taken this movie, I would never have let him use the name 'On the Beach at Night Alone' to promote it."

"Can his film create a new film genre based on commercial films?" Li Xiaoran asked incredulously.

"It's not that exaggerated, but it can be considered a model for traditional romance films and universally appealing comedies."

While "If You Are the One" may not be a great classic, it is still much better than the numerous youth abortion films and so-called romance films that will appear in the future.

Cao Yang continued to explain, "No matter what, his movie will definitely do well at the box office. If this movie becomes a box office hit, you will become the most box office-reliable actress in China."

"I don't care about box office revenue."

Li Xiaoran pursed her lips and muttered something.

At this time, the hottest topic on "Cao Yang Bar," the largest online forum in China, was the upcoming release of the film "Like Father, Like Son."

As a giant among domestic online forums, "Cao Yang Bar" has over 3000 million registered users and millions of posts per day, making it arguably the "number one community on the Chinese internet".

The focus of "Cao Yang Bar" has evolved from initially discussing only Cao Yang's movies to now encompassing all aspects of society; almost all hot social topics can be found on "Cao Yang Bar".

Even the people who originally created "Cao Yang Bar" probably never imagined that this "small bar" with professional attributes would turn out like this.

"The film 'Like Father, Like Son,' which cemented Cao Yang's legendary status in the art-house film genre, is about to be released. Anyone in the same city want to go see it together?"

"Is 'Like Father, Like Son' going to be released? It's been a long time coming. I've been waiting since the beginning of the year. Do you know how I've been waiting? Even though I don't live in the same city as you, I'm going with you."

"Cao Yang really has influence; the premiere of 'Like Father, Like Son' was even mentioned on the evening news. Let's go together."

"Definitely, the significance is completely different. This is the movie that made Cao Yang a legend. Let's go together."

"What are you all going together for? You're not even from the same city as the original poster. I'm from the same city as the original poster. Original poster, leave your contact information, I'll come along."

"Can't we go together just because we're not in the same city? Watching the same movie at different theaters in different cities at the same time is still going together. By the way, the person upstairs is a guy, so watch your backside, OP. Going together."

"A man? That would be even better! Haha, let's go together."

“I’m still hesitating. Have you forgotten the lessons of ‘Secret Sunshine’ and ‘Seaside Town’? ‘Like Father, Like Son’ looks heartwarming, but who knows if that guy Cao Yang will turn it into another tearjerker.”

"Even I would accept it. After all, this movie has a different meaning for Cao Yang. As his die-hard fan, I definitely have to support him. By the way, if he dares to make me cry again, I will definitely teach him a lesson he will never forget."

"I'm just curious, upstairs, how did Cao Yang make you cry? Did he use a lot of force? Come with me."

Jing Tian had just sent the message when he saw someone commenting on it in the forum.

After reading the comments, Jing Tian felt her face flush as she recalled certain scenes that made her blush and her heart race.

But on the internet, you don't know who I am, so you can speak freely.

This is also the origin of the term "keyboard warrior".

Of course, the premise is that your identity cannot be exposed, otherwise it won't just be a matter of social death.

Jing Tian thought for a moment and replied directly: "Yes, Cao Yang is very strong."

After replying, Jing Tian felt his face getting even hotter.

However, a sweet smile still unconsciously appeared on her lips.

(End of this chapter)