Chinese Entertainment Intelligence King

Chapter 402 Mutual Praise, Empty Comparison, Fire Extinguishing Master
Yangjiaodeng Hutong in Beijing
After the second young master of the Yan family celebrated his one-month birthday, Yan Li felt the weather was nice, so he organized a family gathering. Qin Lan and Dong Xuan both brought their children to attend, and the two young masters of the Yan family had an epic meeting.

After placing the two children on the bed, everyone watched with anticipation as the children made their move.

Young Master Yan wasn't asleep, but he kept his eyes closed, humming and groaning, and didn't look at his brother at all.

The three-month-old Yan Dashao lay down and glanced at his little brother, then silently studied his own hands, showing more interest in the changing colors of the bed than in his brother.

Mr. and Mrs. Zhang were a little disappointed; they had wanted to see their two grandsons loving each other.

Yan Li remained calm; he had roughly anticipated this before he arrived.

The so-called epic meeting is just a term used by adults; in reality, the baby, who is only a month old, doesn't really recognize people yet.

The eldest brother can recognize people, but he doesn't like to talk to anyone.

This kid has been like this since he was born. Yan Li once thought he had autism, but after going to the hospital for a check-up and confirming through the system, he found that there was nothing wrong with him.

It's simply a matter of personality; I prefer quiet, am introverted and calm, and slow to warm up to people in social situations.

Yan Li was initially speechless when he heard the news.

He himself was known for his sociability and charm, while Qin Lan was a chatterbox who loved to talk, socialize, and be in a lively atmosphere. As a result, they had a cold and aloof young master.

However, the child is still young and may change as he grows up.

Take Yan Li as an example. He wasn't a naughty child from childhood. He was a well-behaved kid back then. In fact, compared to before he got the system, Yan Li's personality has changed a lot over the years. So, it's best to guide the child slowly.

In contrast, Yan Ershao, who is just a month old, is more like a normal child, crying and laughing as he should.

Because of this, Mr. Qin and Mr. Qin, who had just finished discussing the children's situation, couldn't help but feel envious of each other.

Dong Xuan envied Qin Lan for being so easy to manage. Apart from feeding and needing to use the restroom, Young Master Yan was hardly a nuisance, and she could play and sleep peacefully by herself.

Unlike Yan Ershao, who torments her from time to time, she's only a month old now, and there's still a lot of trouble to come.

Qin Lan was even more envious of Dong Xuan. She would rather Yan Dashao tease her. This child has always ignored everyone. Even though she knows it's not an illness, she can't help but worry.

Yan Li listened to the two men's expressions of envy and made a mental calculation.

At least each of them has one child, and I'm the father of two. I really don't know whether I should be happy or depressed.

However, seeing the two of them so harmonious, Yan Li was quite gratified. Now that Dong Xuan has finished her postpartum confinement and is recovering, he might be able to put together a limited-time baby shower.

After a while, both children fell asleep, and Qin and Dong chatted idly nearby, talking about the children and work.

Qin Lan's starring role in "Beauty's Rival in Palace" is about to be broadcast.

As the leading lady, Qin Lan can't stay out of the public eye completely. She has to go to Xingcheng tomorrow to record a program. She hasn't worked for over a year, and she's starting to feel a bit out of sorts.

She wasn't used to it, and Dong Xuan wasn't really used to it either.

"Double-Sided Embroidery" will also be broadcast in August, and she can't let Tong Yaya carry the show alone, so she has to make an appearance as well.

Moreover, Qin Lan is just not quite used to work yet; her overall condition is still good, after all, she has given birth more than three months ago and has plenty of time to recover.

Dong Xuan had just finished her postpartum confinement, so her condition and figure were fluctuating. She also had to market her sisterhood with Tong Yaya, so it was inevitable that she would feel pressured.

"Don't worry, you actually look better when you're a little chubby."

Qin Lan wasn't being sarcastic; she genuinely felt that Dong Xuan had an oval face, fair skin, and a slightly plump figure that made her look even more gentle and approachable, with a touch of maternal warmth. She had the air of a good wife, giving people a comfortable feeling.

However, her facial features and face shape are not suitable for being fat; she looks ugly when she gains weight, so she can only try to control it.

"is it?"

Dong Xuan thought about it and felt that Qin Lan's words made sense. Yan Li had been cuddling with her a lot lately, saying that she smelled sweet and milky, and that he felt secure sleeping with her in his arms.

Feeling pleased, Dong Xuan returned the compliment: "I think you're pretty good too. You're more mature and sexy than before, with a kind of mature and sophisticated charm."

There's a beauty in being older.

Qin Lan has a kind of late-blooming charm. She was not bad when she was young, but compared with other beautiful female stars, she was not particularly stunning. However, as she got older, her temperament matured, and her charm continued to increase.

After exchanging pleasantries for a while, the conversation somehow turned to Fan Xiaopang, and the cheerful atmosphere suddenly froze.

Compared to the two of them, Fan Xiaopang, who is nearly thirty, is truly stunning.

In his early years, Fan Bingbing was beautiful, but he was still a bit naive and even a little rustic.

As he grew older, Fan Xiaopang fully matured, his youthful awkwardness transformed into maturity, his aesthetic sense improved, his unfashionable style faded, and he even became a fashion icon.

What stands out even more is the change in her style and aura; she became increasingly confident and assertive, reaching her peak after becoming known as "Fan Ye" (a nickname implying she is powerful and influential).

This gives it a new and powerful core while maintaining its beautiful appearance, making its beauty more layered and giving it a unique and distinctive identity.

The success of his acting career and the increase in his net worth have also brought Fan Xiaopang a lot of glamour.

With top-notch hardware, software, and supporting facilities, and perfect timing, location, and people, Fan Xiaopang had transcended the normal logic of women's beauty comparisons and had become a standard of beauty and a symbol of the times.

Of course, this statement is somewhat exaggerated and controversial, and there are also those who do not agree with Fan Xiaopang.

But no matter what, Fan Xiaopang's charm is something the two of them can't compete with.

It's fortunate that they had a child; otherwise, even if the two of them joined forces, they might have been crushed by Fan Xiaopang, who was at the peak of his career.

"By the way, is her movie 'Go Lala Go!' airing today?"

"Ah."

Qin Lan nodded. It was because of the movie's release that Fan Xiaopang was away on a promotional tour and missed today's gathering.

Well, they might also use this as an excuse to avoid this gathering.

After all, today's gathering is mainly for children. The people present are either the children's grandparents or their parents. She has no direct relationship with the children, so she can't just make things awkward for herself.

"How much has the box office been?"

"How would I know? It just premiered today, and the statistics haven't been finalized yet."

"..."

After a moment of silence, Qin Lan spoke up: "How about... we ask?"

"Anyway, I have nothing else to do, so I might as well listen to it."

Dong Xuan took out her phone, and Qin Lan, not to be outdone, started sending text messages. The two of them couldn't compare to Fan Xiaopang in Yi'an, but they weren't just housewives waiting for news at home either. They dared not say more, but it was easy for them to find out some information.

"Excluding pre-sales, it's around 960 million, and the first day's sales are expected to be around 1800-2000 million."

Dong Xuan received the news even faster and learned about the situation directly.

Today, Yi'an not only has a top-ranking cinema chain business nationwide, but has also partnered with Weibo for online ticketing.

Online ticketing has been around for a while, but there aren't many large-scale operations. One of the more well-known ones is Gewara.com.

Meanwhile, internet platforms such as Tencent and Alibaba have similar businesses, but they are not even considered branches; they are just mini-programs, which clearly do not pay enough attention to them.

The same goes for Weibo. It started as an online ticketing program that combined a movie rating system with local information. Even the name was perfunctory: "Weibo Movie Tickets".

However, after Weibo and Yi'an Cinemas partnered, combining online and offline channels, both companies reaped the benefits. Yi'an Cinemas saw a significant increase in occupancy and box office revenue through Weibo's traffic, and its operational efficiency also improved dramatically by incorporating online ticketing data.

Weibo's online ticketing also generated some revenue, with the cinemas paying a service fee for each ticket sold.

At the same time, Weibo can also hold ticket subsidy and other activities with cinemas to increase user activity, which is also beneficial to some publicity and distribution businesses.

Both parties saw that the cooperation was promising and should continue to push forward to compete for market share.

In fact, Yan Li, who had seen the future intelligence from Enlight Media and Wanda Group, knew the importance of online ticketing systems for future film distribution.

However, he felt that the mobile internet was still in its infancy and the online ticketing market was still small, so it was enough to just open a channel; it wasn't time to put in the effort to support it.

Even if you get it first, it's useless. This business has little value. With all the giants getting involved, it's a fierce competition, and the so-called first-mover advantage is not very useful.

Who survives to the end doesn't depend on who plans first, but on who has the strength, resources, and can afford to wait.

But since Weibo and Yi An had already put together the platform and done a pretty good job, Yan Li still offered some support.

Weibo and Yi An did an even better job than Yan Li had imagined.

Weibo's ticketing system, through its partnerships with various cinema chains, has been continuously expanding in the online ticketing market, quickly gaining a significant market share and becoming the preferred choice for many people to buy movie tickets online.

This was achieved by Weibo through only minor ticket subsidies and internal traffic generation. If large-scale ticket subsidies and promotion were implemented, the impact would be even greater.

But it's unnecessary, because people are more used to buying tickets at the cinema now. You can spend money on promotion and cultivate people's consumption habits in advance.

Then just wait for the big players to enter the fray, using their votes to subsidize free rides and vie for the market you've worked so hard to open up.

That's how unscrupulous the internet industry is!
Therefore, Yan Li simply instructed Weibo and Yi An to follow the trends of the film market and find ways to consolidate their own advantages. There was no need for them to selflessly and blindly boost the overall market.

Yan Li likes to operate in large markets, but only if he can maintain them and takes the lion's share. Otherwise, he won't be taken advantage of.

Although its online ticketing strategy is conservative, Yi'an, with its offline cinemas and a share of the online box office market, can be said to be the company with the fastest and most accurate film-related data in the industry.

Normal film companies might not even know the initial box office figures in the short term, but Yi An not only knows, but also has relevant data to make judgments, and can even arrange and interfere with some of the screenings in the following days.

To be honest, if other film companies knew about Yi An's current situation, they would have been cursing them out long ago.

When Yi An first entered the film distribution industry, its strategy was anti-theft + on-the-ground promotion. In a relatively rough distribution era, it carried out refined distribution and promotion to create a differentiated competitive advantage.

Later, Enlight Media and other companies followed Yi'an's distribution strategy, and Yi'an started to combine distribution with cinemas, connecting the midstream and downstream of the industry chain.

This strategy is unaffordable for most people, but it has been adopted by powerful companies such as Huayi Brothers, Wanda Group, Star Media Group, and Orange Sky Entertainment.

However, before they could figure out the new model, Yi'an began to try to implement a new approach of "Internet + cinema".

Moreover, this new approach is not simply a technological or business model innovation, but rather a direct attempt to create a new industry system.

They're practically making it impossible for anyone to survive!

Of course, Qin and his colleague didn't understand any of this, nor did they care about the intricacies involved; their focus was entirely on the film's box office performance.

Dong Xuan hasn't acted in many movies: "2000 million, that's not a lot."

"This is just one day's box office."

Qin Lan was a bit more knowledgeable: "Today is Friday, and the next two days are the weekend, so the box office should be even higher. If all goes well, it should break 100 million within a week, which is already quite good."

"If it breaks 100 million in a week, wouldn't that mean 200 to 300 million in box office revenue?"

Although Dong Xuan didn't quite understand the rules of movie box office, she remembered that movies like "The Message" and "Painted Skin" broke 100 million yuan in just a few days.

Can Fan Xiaopang's box office performance be this impressive on his own?

"Don't even think about 3 million. Given the current market size, it's too difficult to reach 3 million. However, 2 million is still possible, although the probability is not high."

At this moment, Yan Li's voice came from the side. Chairman Qin was a little embarrassed, but he still couldn't help but ask.

"Can it really reach 2 million?"

Of the domestic films released this year, the highest-grossing one so far is "Ip Man 2," produced by Yi An.

Released in early June, the current box office estimate is 250-270 million yuan. Many people are quite disappointed that it was released too early. If it had been moved to the summer vacation, it might have reached 300 million yuan.

The next two domestic films, "Little Big Soldier" and "14 Blades," both grossed around 150 million yuan.

Although movies that gross over 100 million yuan are no longer a novelty, in the context of the overall market, it is still a respectable achievement, and grossing over 200 million yuan is barely enough to be considered a blockbuster.

"Have the opportunity."

Seeing that Chairman Qin still didn't quite believe it, Yan Li shook his head: "You underestimate her too much, and you underestimate Yi An too much."

Although Fan Bingbing is a bit frail now, she is indeed the most commercially successful female movie star, and can attract a certain number of viewers to the theaters.

Yi An's various promotional channels should not be underestimated.

If it weren't for the fact that "Du Lala's Promotion Diary" has a specific target audience, Yan Li genuinely believes it could have grossed 2 million.

Another crucial point is that the mainland Chinese film market is constantly changing.

The release of "Avatar" at the beginning of the year has already proven the potential of the mainland market. In the past six months, new cinemas have been continuously put into operation. With more cinemas, more people are willing to watch movies, and the foundation for box office revenue is naturally incomparable to what it was before.

If last year's "The Message" were released today, I dare not say it would be worth tens of millions more at the box office.

It is widely acknowledged in the industry that domestic films will definitely gross over 5 million yuan this year, either during the summer or the Lunar New Year season.

More ambitious production teams and companies have already set their sights on Avatar.

In this situation, the film market will produce many lucky winners, but also see many projects fail.

It's understandable that Fan Xiaopang's "Du Lala's Promotion Diary" won't surpass 200 million yuan, but it's not hard to understand if it does.

Chairman Qin was somewhat upset. They had thought they could see Fan Xiaopang make a fool of himself, but instead, they were the ones who got slapped in the face.

With the two of them working together, "The Message" raked in 3 million yuan at the box office, and everyone was praising Fan Bingbing so highly. If she were to carry 2 million yuan on her own, that vixen would be on top of the world.

Yan Li smiled and said, "Why are you two sighing? If the box office is high, I'll make money, and you'll benefit from it. Isn't that a good thing?"

"Don't worry, there's no need to worry about her using this to mock you. Compared to the two of you, her real rivals are the Four Dan and Two Bing."

Fan Xiaopang's new movie was a success, so it didn't hurt Qin Dong that much, since the two of them had always been rubbed off by Fan Xiaopang in this regard anyway.

The real collapse was caused by the four actresses and two soldiers; they were Fan Xiaopang's true rivals in his career.

It's foreseeable that "Go Lala Go!" will be a box office hit, and these guys will be getting a dressing-down from Fan Xiaopang's fans again.

At this point, Yan Li sensed that the two were in a bad mood, so he quickly steered the conversation to another topic.

These two are so foolish. They finally have Fan Xiaopang away, and instead of trying to be happy, they make themselves uncomfortable.

In the end, Fan Xiaopang felt uncomfortable because the child didn't come. The two of them compared themselves and were filled with resentment. All three of them were unhappy and would take it out on him later.

However, Yan Li wasn't too afraid, as he was most skilled at using fire to fight fire.

No matter how angry you are, he can extinguish it all...

(End of this chapter)