Who said this top flow is crazy! This top flow is awesome!

Chapter 210 Pre-sales Surge: Top-Tier Star's Box Office Breaks Records

Movie promotion and TV series promotion may seem the same, but they are actually two completely different things.

The promotion and distribution of TV dramas emphasizes online data and rarely involves offline activities, placing more importance on fans' long-term follow-up and companionship.

Film promotion and distribution require concentrated consumption in a short period of time and rely on box office conversion rates.

Its target audience is broader, emphasizing nationwide movie-going and seeking real money spending, with consumers actually paying the bill. It focuses on being short, simple, and fast-paced—which is why the film industry despises everything and is aloof, and why countless traffic stars are scrambling to cross the threshold.

It's very simple; a film's success cannot be sustained solely by its fan base.

The marketing strategy for "The Boss" is the same as that for other movies: "explosive marketing".

That is, the process starts about a month before the release, reaches its peak 1-2 weeks before the release, such as pre-sales, large-scale previews, and celebrity roadshows, and the word-of-mouth after the release determines the long tail... For example, "Wolf Warrior 2" received a huge word-of-mouth explosion, and its box office performance was a crazy reversal, creating a box office miracle.

On June 10th, the official account of "The Boss" released the final trailer for the film. With only 5 days left until sales begin, the promotional strategy is solid and steady, and the hype and fan sentiment look very good.

On the same day, whether by coincidence or not, "The Fortress of Shanghai" also released a "special effects trailer", which was full of clips of the "sci-fi city" that they built with the help of the local government at great expense.

As soon as the trailer was released, it dominated the trending topics and was flooded with posts on Douyin. The popularity of "The Fortress of Shanghai" instantly overshadowed everything else.

This is the biggest difference between movies and TV series. Movies are never about popular stars. Even someone as strong as Chi Ye is no match for the marketing slogan of "China's first epic science fiction film".

This is not a contest of fan popularity, but rather a test of the support from Chinese moviegoers and the general public.

Domestic audiences have long awaited Chinese science fiction films, and "The Magic City Fortress" is their "hope".

That evening, when director Chen of "The Boss" learned of this news, he was furious and cursed: "You bastards! This is too much! Such a big-budget sci-fi movie, and the publicity team is trying to sabotage our efforts!"

Yes, outsiders may not be sensitive to this incident, but anyone in the industry can see that "The Fortress of Shanghai" is blatantly trying to steal the publicity and hype from "The Boss".

Relying on their terrifyingly high level of attention and topicality, they attacked as soon as "The Boss" was released. This was a blatant and open conspiracy, and there was no way to avoid it.

So, that very night, Chi Ye's fans and Yu Yan's fans got into a fight.

These two families have a long-standing feud. Ever since Chi Ye became a top star, Yu Yan's family has looked down on this guy who was just trying to ride on someone else's coattails. But when Chi Ye surpassed Yu Yan and dominated him in various fields, the roles between the two families were reversed.

But no matter how things turn out, these two are the two most fiercely competitive and most popular young male celebrities in the Chinese entertainment industry.

Furthermore, Yu Yanfang has the absolute "confidence" and "strength" to go head-to-head with Chi Yefang this time.

—What movie are we acting in? And what movie are you acting in?
A second-tier villain trying to piggyback on the pioneer of Chinese science fiction?
The two sides fought fiercely, and the conflict raged on until the day the pre-sales for "Big Boss" and "Fortress of Shanghai" began, with the smoke of battle still lingering.

It then became even more intense.

Because both films had a pre-sale date of the 15th, but "Big Boss" was released on the 20th, only 5 days in advance, while "The Fortress of Shanghai" was released on the 30th, half a month in advance.

Pre-sales, as the name suggests, are the sale of tickets in advance (included in the box office revenue on the first day of the official release). This process has nothing to do with the quality of the film. People are "buying in advance" and can't see the film content at all. The box office performance depends entirely on the fans and popularity of the lead actors. It is a means of "making money" that the film industry has specially launched since the advent of the era of internet traffic.

The meaning behind using popular actors as leads lies in this.

That night, after midnight, the pre-sale channels for the two films opened, and the data for "Big Boss" and "Shanghai Fortress" instantly soared ahead of the competition.

In just half an hour, "The Boss" broke 10 million yuan in pre-sale box office on its first day, leading "The Fortress of Shanghai" by 2 million yuan, and breaking the record for the fastest pre-sale box office to reach 10 million yuan in Chinese film history.

The previous record holder was "Detective Chinatown 3".

Subsequently, the two sides were neck and neck, and the extent to which Chi Ye's terrifying personal traffic overwhelmed Yu Yan was fully demonstrated in this pre-sale.

30 million in one hour, 50 million in five hours…

By the close of the first day of pre-sales, "The Big Boss" had already achieved a remarkable 90 million yuan in pre-sales, just shy of breaking 100 million yuan.

"The Fortress of Shanghai" only grossed 7000 million, firmly suppressed by "The Big Boss" in second place.

Meanwhile, the pre-sale results of "Big Boss" on the first day also successfully broke numerous Chinese film historical records.

For example, "the fastest pre-sale to break 10 million in Chinese film history," "breaking 20 million," "50 million," "90 million," etc.

The only pity is that, towards the end, Ikeno's fans really couldn't keep up, and it got stuck at a point of breaking 100 million views. Otherwise, the promotional effect of "Big Boss" would have been even better.

Of course, even so, such outrageous results, the first wave of "Professor Ji's" "traffic impact" on the film industry after "My Love from the Star" still left countless people inside and outside the industry stunned.

This is not what we expected!

Even with pre-sales, "Big Boss" can't surpass "Shanghai Fortress", right?

Yu Yan was a "previous generation star," but is there really such a big difference in popularity between the two now?
The Beijing elites were green with envy.

"Holy crap, Ikeno really knows how to monetize fans just as well as we do. 9000 million on the first day of pre-sales... all bought by fans... Dude, is the total investment for this movie really 9000 million? They've already broken even, right? And everything else is pure profit?!"

The crew of "Bureau 794".

Director Lu, itching to watch, noticed Peng Chen shamelessly fawning over the female lead and rubbed his hands together, lamenting, "Damn, if only Chi Ye had played the lead in 'Bureau 749'..."

Mine, all 9000 million is mine!

"He's a top-tier star, so pre-sales are all about the lead actor's popularity. But this kind of thing only goes so far, 9000 million. His fans have probably sold their underwear to support him... If he keeps cutting back like this, no one will ask him to cut back anymore..."

A friend nearby comforted him, saying, "Even if you actually act in our movie, you might not earn as much as Peng Chen."

Director Lu didn't reply, but his heart was still bleeding—there should have been a chance for my money! So many "records," if they were broken by "749 Bureau"... he could probably brag about it for ten years.

This Ikeno, he's killing me!
……

A production team for a historical romance drama.

"Pre-sales have exceeded 9000 million? That much?!"

Sister Pliers had just finished filming when she "accidentally" learned of this news from Chi Ye's fan assistant. Seeing that there were no outsiders around, she didn't hide her surprise: "Relying solely on fans, they sold nearly 100 million yuan worth of box office tickets on the first day of pre-sales?"

"...I bought three tickets."

The assistant blinked.

Shi Jinwei: “?”

Why three?

The assistant stammered, "One for you, one for Professor Chi, and one for me..."

Shi Jinwei: "...You've really thought this through."

"Sister Shi, I'm doing this all for your sake."

"What are you thinking about me for?"

Shi Jin was slightly displeased: "I have nothing to do with him... He... at most, he's just coveting me."

The assistant's eyes widened: "Huh? Covet? Sister Shi... explain what you mean by 'covet'."

Shi Jin paused slightly, then waved her hand excitedly and proudly: "Go away, don't ask questions you shouldn't!"

The assistant was still puzzled. Covetous? What exactly did she mean by coveting?

Why does Sister Shi seem so happy?

……

A beach abroad.

The lazy sunlight shines on the soft white sand, and the sea breeze carries the salty scent of the sea.

Shang Jie was wearing a blue bikini, which blatantly exposed her wicked little belly. A pair of sunglasses were casually perched on her nose. She lay on her back on the beach as if she were dead, without breathing or making any movement.

After a long while, she finally puffed out her pants, rolled over lazily, put down her phone, and muttered, "This trailer for 'The Boss' isn't good. Why is there no romance..."

"Movies without a romantic partner are no fun."

She shook her head in approval, then rolled over and raised her fair arm: "Give me another cup of... lemonade, thank you."

She paused abruptly, looking at the ebb and flow of the tide and the deserted private beach.

Suddenly overwhelmed with sadness, she felt inexplicably melancholic: "So, watching the sea alone really can be sad..."

"Just like my emotions, nobody ever cares."

not far away.

"Excuse me, this is a private beach and it has been rented. Please move to another area."

The team members kept a close watch, telling the other female staff, "Sister Shang said she stripped naked inside, and no one can see her like that."

……

"The Great Shanghai" is a spy film starring Sheng Ning and a middle school student.

The investment was neither too much nor too little, making it a medium-sized commercial film.

Sheng Ning is the second lead in this film, which she filmed last year. It is also her only film in the pipeline so far and her only hope of breaking the "soft ban" imposed on her by the Beijing film circle.

However, due to the subject matter and cast, Sheng Ning didn't dare to have high expectations, but she still had to maintain the proper professional attitude.

That day, after finishing her roadshow and returning to the lounge, she learned about the pre-sale box office results for "The Boss".

The pre-sale for "The Great Shanghai" just started a couple of days ago, and the results... are pretty good, with 3000 million yuan sold, mostly by her fans.

嗏

Compared to the 9000 million a day that "Big Boss" earns, it seems a bit low.

and.

"He's going to get messed with again."

Sheng Ning spoke casually, only glancing at the trending topics before predicting Chi Ye's upcoming "encounter".

"Am I going to get messed with again?"

The assistant beside him asked, puzzled, "Um...why?"

Sheng Ning said casually, "A film with a small investment has 90 million yuan in pre-sales on its first day, and its box office on the first day of release is estimated to exceed 200 million yuan... It breaks even in one day, and then it's all a huge profit. Do you think the Beijing film circle will be willing to accept that?"

"Moreover, the slogans of 'The Fortress of Shanghai' are so grand... If 'The Boss' surpasses 'The Fortress of Shanghai,' those Chinese movie fans will not be satisfied."

Sheng Ning sneered: "Traffic is one thing for acting in dramas, but acting in movies is a sin in itself. If it exceeds 'science fiction masterpieces,' it's an even greater sin."

The assistant seemed to understand, but was also a little surprised by the point that Sister Ning was focusing on.

Yes, "The Boss" broke numerous records in its first-day pre-sales, stealing the spotlight. The Beijing entertainment circle was envious, Sister Pliers was surprised, and Sister Business was focused on the plot…

Only Sheng Ning immediately thought of the problems Chi Ye might face in his career.

Her focus is different from everyone else's... but the same as Ikeno's.

"—Continue to intensify efforts to hire online trolls to insult us."

After learning this news, Ikeno confessed to Coco.

Before they could even make a move, trending topics on Weibo included #ChinoPresale#, #TheBig BossPresaleSurpassesTheFortressOfMagicCity#, and #WhereIsTheFutureOfChineseCinemaGoing?#, which didn't seem very friendly.

The Beijing entertainment circle, and even the Verna group, have started buying negative trending topics, but these negative trending topics are different from ordinary ones.

Because typical negative trending topics only affect fan groups; the impact on ordinary people who don't follow celebrities is very small.

Moreover, Ikeno's public image has remained quite good since the Golden Melody Awards.

But this time it's different.

This time, the negative trending topic was "valuable" and "high-level." They didn't even buy much; they just started it. Later, there were bystanders who stood up for the "Chinese science fiction masterpiece."

"I didn't expect 'The Big Boss' to surpass 'Shanghai Fortress' in pre-sales. Surpassing it is one thing, but to drag 'Shanghai Fortress' down with it?"

"The Fortress of Shanghai is a pioneer of industrialized Chinese cinema; there's no need for traffic-driven films to compete head-on."

"I also like 'My Love from the Star,' but it's really not good to use pre-sale hype to criticize other films... Audiences still want to see films with real substance."

"I've become a bit of a hater of Ikeno. They released a movie not long after 'My Love from the Star' was filmed. Their intention to fleece fans is too obvious."

"No, I just find this strange. Isn't the pre-sale competition all about who has more fans and buys more? You, Yu Yan, haven't even competed, and now you're starting to morally blackmail me? Have some shame."

"I'm also surprised by how quickly public opinion has shifted. Didn't people actually pay for the pre-sales of 'The Boss'? They like this type of movie, bought tickets, and it's a crime for it to surpass 'Shanghai Fortress'?"

"Being better is fine, but what do you mean by comparing us in trending topics? Besides, 'The Fortress of Shanghai' is not Yu Yan's work. Yu Yan may not be as good as Chi Ye, but 'The Fortress of Shanghai' is the pioneering work of Chinese science fiction films. It is a representative of the maturity of our country's industrialized film industry. It can't be compared."

"Movies require acting skills. What kind of values ​​does Ikeno have to play a villain? He's not even worth a hair on the head of 'The Fortress'."

"..."

As the topic escalated, Ikeno was criticized several times on "Singer" for "riding the wave of popularity," but his opponents couldn't do anything about it.

This time was no different, but the roles were reversed. Ikeno's "enemies" suddenly realized that it wasn't Ikeno's fault for being valued, because this value... was indeed useful!
There's no way to refute it. Standing on the moral high ground, if you refute it, you're not supporting the future of Chinese science fiction films, and you're guilty.

Ikeno's fans were "defeated" by the onslaught of casual viewers. Three days later, the pre-sale box office of "The Fortress of Shanghai" exceeded 200 million yuan, directly surpassing the 100 million yuan pre-sale box office of "Big Boss".

This is the result of passersby standing up for the cause and supporting "The Fortress of Shanghai".

Moreover, this level of support continues to grow and increase with the new promotional efforts invested by the producers of "The Fortress of Shanghai".

And so, the date came to June 20th.

On this day, "The Boss" was officially released.

(End of this chapter)