Fooling Huayu for Thirty Years

Chapter 561 "Assembly Call" 4 million!
They're here! They're all here!
"Officers from a certain company watched the currently popular war blockbuster 'Assembly' today. The officers and soldiers said that the film portrays the spirit of never giving up..."

"Let's interview a fire brigade from our city who just watched this film... This movie is absolutely fantastic! I want to learn from the martyrs who sacrificed their lives for their country!"

"Dear viewers... the soldiers watched it all with tears in their eyes..."

The fact that the venue was booked out was more than just a private booking; it also attracted news reports from numerous television stations.

After all, this couldn't possibly be an isolated incident.

This will naturally produce a very good driving effect.

In addition to the previously installed TV programs.

In late August, the box office of "Assembly" continued to break records!

Moreover, it has finally been met with the powerful impact of Hollywood blockbusters!

The latest Harry Potter movie will be officially released in late August.

This is definitely a blockbuster that's coming on strong.

The key point is that this film does not conflict with "Assembly" from any angle.

The two movies were released with such a large time gap, right?

It can barely be considered a summer blockbuster.

As for the subject matter, needless to say, the two films are completely incompatible.

However, people in the film industry now generally know that these two films are rivals!

What are you fighting for?
market share!

Or you could say it's just a scheduling issue!
Yes, theaters are very pragmatic. They will only give a movie more screenings if it's good and has high attendance.

Of course, they will also allocate more screenings based on their judgment, especially when the film is a new release.

And so, this situation arose.

Harry Potter has just been released and has already gained a huge advantage in terms of screenings!

As "Assembly" has been in theaters for three weeks, it can be considered an "old" film.

That means fewer people will be assigned to the queue.

The two sides' screen share is basically half that of each other.

Overall, "Assembly" is only about 5 points better than "Transformers".

But the blockbuster "Transformers" is already nearing the end of its theatrical run.

But we have to admit that Hollywood blockbusters are indeed powerful; even if they have fewer screenings, their attendance rate is still quite high.

Regardless, this was in the early days of Harry Potter's release.

It certainly has a significant advantage in terms of scheduling.

but!

As time went by, especially on the Sunday of the first truly intense week.

The number of screenings has changed dramatically!

"Assembly" and "Harry Potter" are tied!
While it's impossible to achieve a perfect balance between the two films, the data suggests that they're close.

This……

That's right, it's directly related to booking out the entire venue!

After the fourth week, looking at the box office...

The box office of "Assembly" has reached more than 3800 million!

In other words, this movie grossed over 5000 million yuan at the box office this week!
It's certain that although the number of screenings declined at one point, it has rebounded!

So in the future... can it break 400 million?

……

"how so?!"

When Jia Yueting saw the current box office figures for "Assembly", he admitted that he was a little shaken.

The key point is that when he looked at this data, he actually felt a surge of excitement.

Because it felt like you could personally experience what was happening, as if it were a major battle.

"Assembly" is like a soldier who just held off "Transformers" when reinforcements arrived from the other side, "Harry Potter".

This feeling... shouldn't be happening!

Jia Yueting felt he shouldn't have acted this way, but since he was also intelligent, he was able to find the reason behind it.

That is... "Assembly" is a war epic, and it originally contained some scenes of the Korean War.

Although this part of the plot is not extensive, it is still very memorable.

Both Transformers and Harry Potter are American movies!
Yes, isn't that the irresistible feeling of excitement that arises?

Our domestic films are competing with American blockbusters.

Just like when we fought the American devils back then!
but……

Jia Yueting couldn't help but think, if Hollywood blockbusters were the villains in this battle...

But what is Jia Yueting anyway?
Traitors and lackeys?!
Oh no... this won't do!
Jia Yueting is quite good at self-hypnosis and immediately found an excuse for herself: I didn't import this Hollywood movie!

Moreover, our domestic film market now needs Hollywood blockbusters.

Make money!
It is indeed profitable. In fact, when the domestic film market was not doing well, it was Hollywood blockbusters that kept it afloat.

Given this history, looking at it now...

Hey, why think about these things!
Zhang Zhao noticed Jia Yueting's hesitation, but given the current situation...

"Cough cough."

"Oh, Lao Zhang, about this situation..."

"Boss, it's not certain that it will break 4 million!"

Hearing this, Jia Yueting was happy again.

"How to say?"

"This private event may only last for a period of time, and... before, the competition was for publicity, but now the competition has changed."

Upon hearing this, Jia Yueting remembered.

"What we're fighting for now is screen time!"

Yes, that's not what we're arguing about.

However… Jia Yueting understood one aspect, but not the other.

Zhang Zhao was waiting for this, and immediately brought up the second point: "It's very simple. When we imported these blockbusters, there should have been some stipulations. Look at the contract terms; there will probably be some agreement on the number of screenings. We'll use that now..."

Good guy!
Jia Yueting was immediately delighted; this was a brilliant idea.

The competition for screen time has never been determined by the quality of a film.

This thing is subject to legal constraints.

There is no way.

Because obtaining the screening rights for a film requires some work from the theaters.

Previously, you had to shoot the first copy, but now with the theatrical release system, it's much more convenient.

But there are also many agreements.

It's just that some big companies and big stars want to get the rights to a movie, so they offer very good terms.

For example, the theater chain said, "If your film is released in our theaters, we guarantee at least 60% of the screenings for the first two weeks."

This is very common.

Of course, the specific details were all negotiated.

This involves China Film Group and the Chinese branches of Hollywood film production companies.

Jia Yueting and the others probably didn't know, but now...

Isn't this all for the sake of box office revenue?

"Old Zhang, I trust you. Go and get on with this."

"Okay, boss, don't worry!"

However, Zhang Zhao then mentioned something else.

"Boss, why don't we publicize our bet with Ma Xun?"

"Huh? Why?"

"Think about it, if this movie does well at the box office, and Ma Xun makes money, what will those guys on the internet think?"

"Yes!"

Jia Yueting slapped his thigh, realizing that the next move was probably even more powerful.

Let's do it!
Everything was arranged, and Zhang Zhao went to take care of his business.

But after Jia Yueting sat back in his boss's chair, he still felt strange.

That's right...

The more I think about it, the more I realize that Jia Yueting is more and more like a traitor and a lackey!
Because of the things he did... um? There seems to be a Captain Jia in a TV series?

Damn it! Don't even think about it!

...Assembly is still 20 million yuan short of 400 million yuan in box office revenue.

But then a message started circulating online.

"So that's how it is! If it exceeds 4 million, then Ma Xun will earn the most!"

"He must have used every trick in the book!"

"No wonder. I'd heard that Ma Xun had a powerful background, which is why his movie got on that show and was able to secure a private screening."

"What are you thinking! Who is Ma Xun? He's a big shot in Beijing! His background is incredibly powerful!"

"This time I can see it; his methods are truly endless!"

As expected, the exposure of this betting scheme had a negative impact.

The film "Assembly" has been unfairly maligned, but the meaning behind it is actually quite simple.

The goal is to attribute all the success of this film to Ma Xun alone.

You guys who buy movie tickets are idiots! You're just giving money away to Ma Xun!

Anyway, that's the gist of it.

What I'm saying is, anyone with a clear head can figure that out.

Isn't that what movies are all about?
That's just how it is; whoever invests more money should get more.

This situation is indeed somewhat special, but in reality, there has been no fundamental change.

If it can break 4 million, wouldn't Ma Xun be the one who deserves the most credit?

However, even after this so-called exposure, some people with ulterior motives still tried to steer the narrative.

That's where the logic gets distorted.

In short, by buying tickets you are just helping Ma Xun, this capitalist!

This even affected the Douban rating of "Assembly".

In addition, there is the Harry Potter counterattack.

It's very simple, just get screen time!

There was an agreement beforehand; some cinemas trying to cheat or shirk their responsibilities is unacceptable.

Under a double blow.

The box office of 2000 million seems to have become an unattainable goal.

But... that's normal.

You have to understand, these days, 20 million is a box office figure that more than 90% of movies can't achieve!

I really didn't even dare to imagine it.

So, is that the end of "Assembly"?
On this day, Ma Xun hosted a banquet for his guests at Xiaotangshan.

Who are the guests?

Zhang Hanyu, Bao Qiang, Deng Zhuo, Zhang Yi, Zhang Guoqiang, Lan Xiaolong, Kang Honglei... and so on.

That's right, it's the creators of our "Assembly"!

As for Feng Xiaogang and Chen Guofu... they all said they had something to do.

Why did Ma Xun invite everyone to a banquet?
"A victory celebration!"

"..."

Everyone was taken aback when they heard this name.

It wasn't initially said to be a celebration party; in fact, some people wondered if Mr. Ma was unhappy and was going to give everyone a lecture.
Now, at this victory celebration...

"Alright! Everyone, give a round of applause!"

The seventh brother was quite good; he led the applause.

Actually, his family used to be in the Peking Opera industry. Although he was admitted to the local drama academy in Longjiang, he was still a greenhorn back then.

Later, I came out with an older brother... Hey, not bad.

After acting in the TV series, I found that he was actually quite good.

The role of Lao Qi is now truly ingrained in him.

As expected, many people responded when he called out.

Clapping.

Ma Xun raised his glass with a loud laugh, "Come on, let's have a drink!"

Is he... really happy?

Baoqiang was a little confused. "Boss, isn't this... the opposite?"

"Rebel? Rebel against what?" Ma Xun was stunned.

After all, the issue of Baoqiang is quite strange.

The seventh brother tried to stop him, but it was no use.

"Yes, actually you're feeling a little down."

Baoqiang said this.

The atmosphere at the scene suddenly became tense.

Ma Xun burst into laughter, "No! Absolutely not! What are you thinking? Even now, don't you understand? 'Assembly' is currently number one on the box office charts for domestic films!"

Ah this...

Oh yeah! How could I have forgotten about that!

That's right. Although it didn't break 4 million, it still won the box office champion!
It was "Curse of the Golden Flower" that was directly squeezed out.

In fact, Ma Xun remembered very clearly that in the original timeline, after the release of "Assembly", it was ranked second, below "Curse of the Golden Flower".

Now, because of his arrival, our domestic market has grown bigger, and the movie has also been adapted and has become number one.

Awesome!
But what about the four hundred million?

Everyone's happy now, and they've started drinking. Anyway, let's celebrate taking the top spot on the box office charts.

But... here it comes!
Ma Xun raised his glass again, this time a whole bottle, and solemnly announced, "Everyone! Let's celebrate our film 'Assembly' achieving 4 million yuan at the box office!"

what?
4 million?

Some people were confused, but some started using WAP to check the news.

result……

"It really broke 4 million?"

"The poster is out!"

"Did they really send it?"

Huh? Why is that?
Everyone looked at Ma Xun.

Ma Xun laughed and said, "Have you all forgotten? This movie has been released on the other side of the strait. Currently, our mainland box office is still more than 1000 million short, but the movie's box office on the other side is quite good..."

Furthermore, the box office performance in Hong Kong was also very good.

Isn't that also four hundred million?

Right!

Of course it's four hundred million!

Everyone was even happier!
"Ha...Come on! Drink!"

Even Baoqiang couldn't hold back anymore.

This has really turned into a victory celebration!
But will they accept this 400 million?

……

"4 million? Mr. Ma, are you mistaken?"

"I do not have it."

At the celebration party, Jia Yueting called, clearly angered.

How could Ma Xun deny it?
"Mr. Ma, this..."

"Take a closer look."

Look closely? How closely?

Soon, Jia Yueting on the phone was speechless.

Because the poster stated that it included Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan.

It's just that the words are a bit small.

That's right, Ma Xun hasn't won this bet yet.

but!

Once this poster is released... hehe, all that black water you guys used before will be useless.

Indeed, now when you open a webpage, all you see are celebrations and attacks on those haters!
Even if someone could see that something seemed off, they couldn't say anything.

What, isn't this 4 million?
Suddenly, the dark clouds dissipated...

(End of this chapter)