Chinese Entertainment: Academic Director

Chapter 493 Things No One Dares Not Do Without Capital

On its opening day, "Like Father, Like Son" broke the record for Chinese-language films, with some media outlets raising the figure to 3753 million yuan, including the box office from midnight screenings.

However, some media outlets argued that the midnight screenings' box office revenue should not be included, and that Sunday's total box office revenue should only be counted as 2900 million, while the 853 million from the midnight screenings should not be included in Sunday's total box office revenue.

Therefore, the 2900 million yuan opening day box office of "Like Father, Like Son" did not break the single-day box office record of 3400 million yuan set by "Assembly", a collaboration between Cao Yang and Xiao Gangpao.

As a result, some media outlets went to Hangzhou to interview Xiao Gangpao, who was filming "If You Are the One".

Little Cannon is actually quite concerned about the daily box office record for Chinese-language films, and also cares a lot about the overall box office record for Chinese-language films.

Both records were set by him in collaboration with Cao Yang on the film "Assembly".

For example, the record for the highest single-day box office for a Chinese film was something that I originally thought would be hard for any Chinese film to break in the short term.

Before "Assembly", his highest single-day box office for "The Banquet" was only 1200 million.

Zhang Yimou's highest single-day box office was 2100 million yuan for "Hero", 1500 million yuan for "House of Flying Daggers", and 2500 million yuan for "Curse of the Golden Flower".

Chen Kaige's "The Promise" achieved a peak daily box office of 2115 million yuan.

Interestingly, "The Promise" was released in 05. When "The Promise" was released, Zhang Yimou's "Curse of the Golden Flower" had not yet been released. In other words, Zhang Yimou's highest single-day box office at that time was 2100 million yuan, which was the highest of "Hero".

Do you see now? The "precise" box office of 2115 million for "The Promise" is exactly 2100 more than the 15 million for "Hero".

Chen originally wanted to outdo Zhang Yimou, but who knew that the following year, "Curse of the Golden Flower" would achieve a record-breaking single-day box office of 2500 million.

This made Old Chen very dissatisfied.

He had hoped to surpass Zhang Yimou's work with "Mei Lanfang," but the box office of "Mei Lanfang" was relatively low, and its highest daily box office could not possibly exceed that of "Curse of the Golden Flower."

This might have led Lao Chen to believe that only period dramas or blockbusters could easily become big hits in the Chinese film industry.

Therefore, this is another unspoken reason why Lao Chen chose to adapt "The Orphan of Zhao" next.

Old Chen is no longer interested in competing with Cao Yang, but he is still very willing to compete with Zhang Yimou.

As for Xiao Gangpao, apart from calling him an "opportunist," Old Chen had nothing else to say; he didn't even consider Xiao Gangpao an "opponent."

This isn't disrespecting the little powerhouse, well, it's just looking down on it.

Most directors with an academic background are not particularly fond of small, powerful shots.

This is also a hidden pain for Xiao Gangpao, which is why he has always tried his best to move closer to the "mainstream" and prove himself, not only in terms of box office but also in terms of awards.

Xiao Gangpao knew perfectly well that he was desperately trying to get close to Cao Yang and was willing to cheer him on, all in order to achieve something in terms of awards.

It's almost July, and the registration for the 27th China Golden Rooster Awards is about to close. His collaboration with Cao Yang, "Assembly," has been successfully registered, and it has also been submitted for the most important awards: Best Feature Film and Best Director.

Now everyone knows that Xiao Gangpao is a fan of Cao Yang.

With collaborations on films like "Assembly," "Aftershock," and "If You Are the One," this reputation is now permanently attached to him.

In particular, "If You Are the One" is marketed as a sequel to "On the Beach at Night Alone", and even the female lead and her lover are the original cast members, Li Xiaoran and Tian Zhuangzhuang.

In this situation, it becomes even more difficult to explain.

There are advantages and disadvantages.

The advantage is that the judges who decide the awards in China, out of consideration for Cao Yang, will most likely not dare to openly discriminate against him.

In addition, the Little Cannon has already tasted the benefits of the collaboration, at least in terms of box office success.

Furthermore, he was certain that the box office results of his collaborations with Cao Yang, "Tangshan" and "If You Are the One," would definitely be high.

The downsides are, of course, that becoming Cao Yang's "little brother" might damage his reputation as a "little cannon," and people might think that he, as one of the top directors in China, is too opportunistic.

But Little Cannon didn't care.

Because that's Cao Yang, the most outstanding commercial film director in the world today, and a globally recognized master of art.

But precisely because of this, Xiao Gangpao was certain that if he spoke ill of Cao Yang, he would not only be despised or even boycotted by people in the industry, but the audience would also naturally assume that he was ungrateful.

Therefore, he was very averse to the questions asked by reporters.

This is like digging a hole to bury me!

I should have known better than to give that interview just to promote "If You Are the One".

"Director Cao is a world-class director destined to leave his mark on film history. His films have broken a series of domestic records."

Including the highest box office record, the highest single-day box office record, the fastest box office to reach 100 million yuan, the fastest box office to reach 200 million yuan...

After saying all this, Xiao Gangpao smiled at the reporter, but in reality, he was writing down the reporter's affiliation in his notebook so that he would never accept their interviews again.

He continued with a laugh, trying to crack a joke: "There are also records for the fastest box office to reach 300 million, the fastest to reach 400 million, and the fastest to reach 500 million..."

Haha, we all know that some movies can barely reach 300 million in box office revenue, like my film "Assembly." As for 400 million and 500 million, only Director Cao's films have achieved that.

The reporters below also laughed.

Everyone understands what "Little Cannon" means. At least for now, only three films directed by Cao Yang have grossed over 400 million yuan at the domestic box office: District 9, Inception, and Pirates of the Caribbean.

Only one film, Inception, has grossed over 500 million at the box office.

So Little Cannon is right.

The key point is that these are the box office and record figures for Hollywood films directed by Cao Yang in China, which doesn't relate to the question the reporter wanted to ask.

"Director Feng, regarding the opening day box office of Director Cao's 'Like Father, Like Son,' which was released on June 21, do you think the box office from the midnight screenings should be included? Do you think the opening day box office was 29 million or 3753 million?"

One reporter brought up again the purpose of their interview with Xiao Gangpao.

Little Cannon was furious.

But he can't show it yet.

Otherwise, in the reporter's writing, he might have been portrayed as angry, unhappy, jealous, dissatisfied, etc., because Cao Yang's "Like Father, Like Son" achieved high box office success.

Taking a deep breath, Little Cannon laughed and said, "I'm asking you, is midnight on June 21st June 21st?"

The reporters all nodded in agreement.

Starting at midnight, it definitely belongs to that day.

"Do you have any other questions?"

Little Cannon spread his hands nonchalantly and said with a smile, "Since midnight is already the 21st, why isn't it included in the box office for the 21st?"

He glanced at the reporters present and continued:

“I know that some people think that the midnight screening is a separate screening because most movies are not shown at midnight, but rather at eight or nine o’clock in the morning.”

Therefore, many people believe that midnight screenings should not be included in the day's box office figures, but should be calculated separately.

Then I'm wondering, why don't these movies choose to screen at midnight? Do they not like midnight screenings?

No, it's that they lack confidence in midnight screenings, fearing that low box office revenue will affect audience choices and overall box office returns. It's that cinemas lack confidence in the films they direct and are unwilling to increase additional screening costs.

Believe it or not, most movies, if shown at midnight, might not even make 100,000 yuan at the box office!
Therefore, midnight screenings are not special; they are simply the worst screenings of the day. Only directors who are confident in their films would choose to screen the least desirable midnight screening.

He glanced again at the reporters, who seemed stunned by his words, and said in a firm and resounding tone, "Just like 'Aftershock,' which I collaborated on with Director Cao, will be released on July 24th, with midnight screenings that day. And 'If You Are the One,' which I also collaborated on with Director Cao, is a sequel based on his first film, 'On the Beach at Night Alone,' and will also have midnight screenings on its release day, December 25th."

Whew, that feels so good!
Xiao Gangpao originally wanted to avoid the topic of single-day box office records for Chinese-language films. He knew that if he opened his mouth, he would have to admit that the midnight screening of "Like Father, Like Son" belonged to the daily box office.

He wanted to avoid the topic. He thought he would feel resentful and lose control of his emotions after being "forced" to lose the record for the highest single-day box office for a Chinese-language film.

To my surprise, it wasn't as painful as I had imagined after I told the truth.

Perhaps it's because Cao Yang broke the record.

Although Xiao Gangpao was indeed somewhat disappointed to lose the single-day box office record for Chinese-language films, he came to terms with it and realized that anything was possible as long as he cooperated with Cao Yang.

If it were Zhang Yimou, Chen Kaige, or a director from Hong Kong, Xiao Gangpao would absolutely not admit that midnight screenings should be counted in the day's box office.

Moreover, he used the topic to criticize other directors and then gave a fairly hardcore advertisement for "Tangshan" and "If You Are the One".

The following Monday, the box office of "Like Father, Like Son" did not drop much despite it being a weekday, probably due to the summer vacation. It grossed 2300 million yuan on Monday.

By Tuesday, box office revenue had dropped slightly again, but still reached 1900 million.

Whether it's Monday or Tuesday's box office, or even during the summer holiday season, it's a remarkable achievement.

If we're being serious, or if it were a film by another director, it would definitely have been heavily promoted. The 2300 million yuan broke the record for the highest-grossing Chinese film on Monday, and the 1900 million yuan broke the record for the highest-grossing Chinese film on Tuesday.

Furthermore, the box office of 2300 million yuan also broke the record for the highest-grossing Chinese-language film on a weekday.

However, Wednesday will be a big test, as "Transformers 2" will be officially released in China on Wednesday, the 24th, and on the same date as its North American release.

This also shows the importance that Paramount and DreamWorks, the studios behind "Transformers," place on the mainland Chinese market.

Although Transformers 2 and Like Father, Like Son are different types of movies, one is a commercial blockbuster that sells itself on special effects and explosions, while the other is an art film that features warmth and emotion.

However, the release of Transformers 2 will definitely affect the box office of Like Father, Like Son.

The number of cinemas is fixed, and the prime-time screenings are fixed every day. The large-scale release of "Transformers 2," especially on its first day, is bound to squeeze out the prime-time screenings of "Like Father, Like Son."

Especially for special effects blockbusters like "Transformers," the first week usually sees the highest number of viewers. Therefore, theaters will allocate the best screenings to Hollywood special effects blockbusters in the first week based on actual box office performance.

And that's exactly what happened.

The premiere of Transformers 2 is on a Wednesday, which is a weekday.

Even on a weekday, Transformers 2 still grossed 3370 million at the box office.

Affected by the release of "Transformers 2", "Like Father, Like Son" only grossed 800 million on Wednesday, 1900 million less than Tuesday's 1100 million.

This drop is somewhat unusual.

That's really unusual.

For a time, some media reports suggested that "Like Father, Like Son" was completely defeated by "Transformers 2".

Mr. Han was very angry about this.

He was currently busy with the post-production of "The Founding of a Republic" and only found out about it after his secretary reminded him.

So he made a special call to Cao Yang.

Some domestic cinema chains have gone too far. They have no shame and are even disobeying China Film Group's orders. This is something China Film Group absolutely cannot tolerate.

At this stage, China Film Group has plenty of ways to manage these cinema chains.

China Film Group (CFG) controls the import of foreign blockbusters, especially Hollywood blockbusters, and almost every major Chinese-language film produced each year involves CFG's investment.

Without any other means, the simplest solution is to cut off the supply of good films to such cinemas by China Film Group, and these private cinemas will face certain death.

These days, President Han is extremely busy. After all, "The Founding of a Republic" is too important; it's a film that even the highest levels of government are paying attention to. He has to make sure the film is as flawless as possible.

Therefore, he devoted all his energy to this film, and thus made no special arrangements for the release of Cao Yang's "Like Father, Like Son".

In his view, the significance of "Like Father, Like Son" is so different that even its premiere can be featured on the evening news, which shows how much importance the higher authorities attach to it. How can those private film and television companies ignore this?
In the end, he overestimated the political acumen and greed of these private companies.

According to his investigation, some private film and television companies, not to mention prime-time slots, have even scheduled all the slightly better time slots of the day for "Transformers 2".

And what about "Like Father, Like Son"?

On the surface, they still maintained a 36% screening rate for "Like Father, Like Son" overall, second only to "Transformers 2" with a 62% screening rate.

However, such a little trick could not fool President Han.

He quickly discovered that some cinemas in prime locations were showing "Transformers 2" almost all day long.

In order to maintain its screening rate, the film "Like Father, Like Son" was shown more often in cinemas with poor locations, thereby increasing its screening rate.

As a result, "Like Father, Like Son" still maintained a 36% share of screenings overall.

But let alone cinemas in the city center, even cinemas in slightly better locations almost never screened "Like Father, Like Son" all day.

This is also why President Han was angry.

Transformers 2 was imported and distributed by China Film Group.

The release date was deliberately chosen to showcase the gap between Chinese-language films and Hollywood movies.

But what do we see now?
The cinema chains under China Film Group certainly wouldn't dare to do such extreme things. At least the cinema chains under China Film Group know what they can and cannot do.

However, some private cinema chains are outwardly compliant but inwardly defiant.

President Han must not let Cao Yang misunderstand.

"Don't worry, brother, I'll give you an explanation."

After saying that, Mr. Han hung up the phone.

Cao Yang looked at the ringing phone and couldn't help but want to laugh.

He never imagined that his film would one day be treated differently.

This was something Cao Yang had never expected.

Capital can be truly insane at times; there's nothing they wouldn't dare to do.

If "Like Father, Like Son" hadn't done well at the box office, that would have been one thing, but clearly that's not the case; "Like Father, Like Son" has maintained a strong box office performance.

There's absolutely no need to exclude "Like Father, Like Son" from mainstream locations; even just scheduling one or two screenings would be fine.

However, Cao Yang had seen this kind of thing many times in his previous life, and even after 2020, there were so-called "private screenings".

That "private booking" is different from the current "private booking".

The later "booking out" refers to the exclusive booking by the distribution company. In other words, the distribution company can buy out certain prime time slots in theaters, during which the designated film must be shown and other films are not allowed to be shown.

There are many such "private events".

This is also one of the reasons for the decline of the Chinese film market in later years.

Of course, this is only one of the reasons. There are other reasons, such as the rise of short videos, which has reduced many people's desire to watch movies, resulting in a geometric decrease in the number of viewers going to the cinema every year.

(End of this chapter)