Who are you calling "little fresh meat"? I'm the king.

Chapter 581 They don't even look at me! (13)

"I think Mr. Yu underestimated how quickly the audience's aesthetic tastes have evolved! He also underestimated how quickly the market has grown!"

"Many people criticize 'Where Are We Going, Dad?' saying it's not a movie, and I also think it's not a movie, but it's a very good way to socialize..."

"IP films, including fan films, are only popular for a short period of time. Unlike other practitioners, I'm thinking about what to do if audiences lose interest in films one day? What should we practitioners do then?"

"It's not impossible! Since the Lumière brothers invented cinema, as a new thing, cinema experienced a period of rapid growth. Georges Méliès, Edwin Porter, and David Griffith all contributed to cinema. But by the mid-to-late 30s, cinematic narrative methods had reached their limit. With nothing new emerging, cinema was on the verge of collapse."

Then, Orson Welles appeared out of nowhere and saved cinema with "Citizen Kane," bringing it from the classical to the modern era. Non-linear narratives became widely popular, extending the life of cinema for decades, and this approach is still in use today.

But things from decades ago are inevitably somewhat outdated, which causes audiences to lose interest, and over time, they degenerate into so-called cinematic universes that are either sequels, remakes, or just repackaged versions of the same thing.

"I'm thinking, should the next step for film be to break the spatial narrative structure... but I haven't figured out a narrative vehicle yet."

"Don't think I'm exaggerating. In the realm of online public opinion, even if you release several films with decent reviews in a row, you can very well ruin your market image with just one bad movie. Especially those so-called epic bad movies, the consequences of which are very serious."

After all, most viewers don't usually pay attention to movie news. When they see that the movie news they see is all about bad movies going viral, they will instinctively think that there aren't any good movies in theaters and won't go to the cinema.

"This is how I am!"

"Furthermore, in the mobile internet era, audiences have increasingly diverse entertainment options; they don't necessarily have to choose movies..."

"Actually, what I'm most worried about is that in the future, some movies will buy their own box office revenue, hire people to inflate their ratings, and hire a bunch of online trolls to hype up the film, so that they can create a movie with great ratings and good box office but just not many people have seen it."

"Movies are merely entertainment, not necessities of life, and are easily replaceable. If a movie is not good, people can choose more enjoyable entertainment such as games, cards, or travel, without having to spend money to suffer in the cinema."

"Just take it as me being alarmist... Anyway, it's the Shanghai International Film Festival, so everyone can talk about whatever they want!"

Shen Yan jokingly revealed some of his true feelings…

Most people at the scene thought he was joking!

At present, the film industry is still very strong.

For example, at its peak, LeTV tried to imitate Netflix by breaking the "window period" and releasing movies online and offline simultaneously, but ultimately failed due to a boycott by theaters.

At present, the film and television industry is booming, with promising prospects, breaking various box office records, busy surpassing Hollywood, and having the confidence to refuse.

Therefore, Shen Yan's act of pouring cold water on things was actually inappropriate...

Even Ang Lee wouldn't dare to throw cold water on things so easily...

As for capital... Alibaba and Wanda are busy entering Hollywood, who cares about the quality of domestic films?

Furthermore, Shen Yan also said that 'the cinematic universe is just a rehash of old ideas'...

This is really annoying—there was a period of discussion about 'world film history not making room for Marvel' and 'Martin Scorsese criticizing Marvel movies as not art,' which was then ridiculed and questioned by a group of netizens…

Whether Marvel movies will leave their mark on film history is a matter of opinion...

But Kevin Feige will most likely be remembered!
……

"I haven't decided yet, it's most likely just a cooperative relationship..." After finishing his trip to the Shanghai International Film Festival, Ji Xiang talked to Shen Yan about BAT (Baidu, Alibaba, Tencent).

Yu Dong is quite right. Just look at the North American film market—Hollywood has been like this for a long time. Apart from Disney, which still has its own owners, most film companies are controlled by various forms of capital.

Why are BAT (Baidu, Alibaba, Tencent) entering the film and television industry?
On the one hand, they are rich;
On the other hand, the biggest demand for televisions, computers, tablets, mobile phones and other terminals during non-office hours is also entertainment, which includes games and movies.

And they genuinely believe that the film and television industry combined with IP development and big data has potential!
Oh, Ji Xiang asked Shen Yan which company he thought was the most promising...

"Actually, Ahri was very sincere; they invited us many times before..."

"I don't like Ahri..."

"What about the other two companies?"

"No rush, don't give a direct answer yet," Shen Yan added after thinking for a moment, "If they want to invest, ask them if they're interested in making a sci-fi film together..."

Ji Xiang shook his head: "All they're thinking about is collaborating with Hollywood... I doubt they have any ideas..."

"Never mind then... Let's rely on ourselves!"

At present, the top choice for BAT (Baidu, Alibaba, Tencent) is Hollywood production!
Logically, we should first establish a foothold in the domestic market before considering venturing overseas...

But they don't even care about the small share of domestic films...

They're always thinking about international perspectives, Hollywood...

Not only BAT (Baidu, Alibaba, Tencent), but in fact, a large number of so-called internet film and television companies, none of which have been established for more than six months, have announced ambitious film plans, almost all of which involve cooperation with Hollywood…

The most eager to act was Ali Pictures!

Jack Ma personally led a delegation that met with Lionsgate Entertainment, The Walt Disney Company, Paramount Pictures (a subsidiary of Viacom), Warner Bros. Entertainment (a subsidiary of Time Warner), Sony Pictures Entertainment, and Universal Pictures (a subsidiary of Comcast) over a period of half a month.

The intention is to acquire domestic distribution rights for American films and television programs, or to make equity investments in these production companies.

Later, they simply invested in Spielberg's Amblin Partners...

You're rich!
Not only internet film companies, but also state-owned enterprises have joined the fray. Hunan Broadcasting System signed a contract with Lionsgate, claiming that the two parties would invest $15 billion to produce 50 films. Shanghai Film Group also partnered with a company called Huahua Media to invest $10 billion in Paramount's film slate.

In this buying frenzy, everyone was afraid of being left behind. If they couldn't afford a company, a film slate agreement would do.

Of course, it didn't work out in the end...

Moreover, most of them suffered losses!

Take Alibaba Pictures as an example. After Alibaba Pictures invested in Spielberg's Amblin Partners in 2016, the film "The BFG," directed by the renowned director, suffered a massive loss from the outset: with an investment of $140 million, it only grossed $180 million worldwide, making it one of the worst-performing Hollywood films of the year. The nearly $100 million loss fell solely on the shoulders of Disney, Amblin, and Alibaba.

Including the film contracts signed between Ali Pictures and Paramount, such as "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2" and "Star Trek Beyond," the former, with a cost of $1.35 million, only recouped $2.45 million at the box office, resulting in a loss of tens of millions of dollars. The latter, with an investment of $1.85 million, only yielded $3.43 million in global box office revenue, directly causing the IP to be suspended to this day.

(End of this chapter)