This actor has something

Chapter 434 Can we get a billion?
The box office success of Painted Skin quickly shocked a large number of people.

Even those who don't follow the entertainment industry know that there's a movie that grossed 200 million yuan in four days. Not only are people in the industry stunned, but even people from other industries have started to seriously study the soaring box office of domestic movies in the past two years.

Nobody doesn't love money, especially big money.

He Daqi's phone has been ringing off the hook these past few days. Some calls could be deflected to the company and asked to contact Liu Ying and Wang Jinghua, but others couldn't be deflected and He Daqi had to handle them himself.

The most frequently asked question was actually about ticket subsidies.

Unlike advertising on other channels, which, no matter how good the content is, can only attract moviegoers who already want to see a movie, this approach is different. For them, they're going to see a movie anyway, so it doesn't matter which one they watch. If the ad happens to be right in front of them and they like this type of movie, they might as well go to the cinema.

Normally, this is the traditional model for film promotion and distribution. The difference in the past two years is that online promotion and distribution have accounted for a larger proportion.

Everyone believes that the future growth in box office revenue will only be related to the increase in the number of movie screens and the improvement of residents' living standards, and will be a steady development.

Things are different now. Asia Pacific and China Film Group's strategy of throwing money at box office revenue is somewhat like hurting the enemy a thousand while hurting themselves eight hundred.

With the large-scale ticket subsidies, many people who didn't usually watch movies were willing to spend a low price to sit in the cinema. Suddenly, cinemas across the country that entered the ticketing platform basically benefited from the subsidies.

If Painted Skin's box office can reach 700 or 800 million as Han Shanping said at the press conference, then what's the point of everyone playing it?
If everyone does this, how will production companies make money? Will it become a situation where whoever has the most money is right, and will the industry be reshuffled, with everyone just following the lead of capital? Otherwise, if everyone just throws money at ticket subsidies, who will follow that path?
The relationship between the ticketing platform and He Daqi and his wife was not kept secret, so a little investigation would reveal the truth.

Those with some ability, after investigating this matter, immediately suspected something was amiss. They suspected that the ticketing platform's subsidy amount might be lower than people expected, suggesting there was something fishy going on between the cinema and the platform. Alternatively, they suspected that Asia Pacific Cinema and China Film Group were just exaggerating and using the subsidy as a gimmick.

The problem is that the box office figures have indeed increased, and by a significant margin. With so many people watching, anyone who wanted to falsify them would have to think twice.

So those who don't understand the ins and outs are now calling to find out if they can get in and share in the profits.

Is there a trick to this? Actually, there is!

There are two reasons why Asia Pacific and China Film Group could achieve such good results by investing so much money.

The first one is pretty much what everyone guessed: there's a little something going on between the ticketing platforms and the cinemas.

For cinemas that originally had high attendance rates, the platform fully paid for the ticket subsidies when the movie was first released. However, as the data declined, the cinemas had to pay a portion of the ticket subsidies.

For cinemas with low occupancy rates, the ticket subsidy amount was paid by the platform and the cinema on a proportional basis from the beginning. It was equivalent to advertising together, increasing occupancy rates and driving traffic to the cinema.

This model is good for both the platform and the theaters, as it allows for high sales volume with low profit margins, and the subsidies from the production company can be used for a longer period of time, making it a win-win situation for all three parties.

Of course, if this is the only way to provide large-scale ticket subsidies, it won't last long.

After all, this kind of money-spending method is extremely costly and disruptive, completely prioritizing box office revenue over profit. If that's the case, He Daqi wouldn't really care; he'd just treat it as spending money for fun.

The problem is that there's a second trick to this: Han Shanping was too audacious and did the same thing as Zhang Weiping before him, secretly negotiating the revenue sharing of the movie Painted Skin with major cinema chains.

Is this feasible? Yes, it is! And it's a good thing for the production company, as it can indeed help them earn more money.

But Han Shanping shouldn't have done this! No wonder he's so audacious! He was completely blinded by the desire to boost box office numbers.

After the cinema chain vaguely informed the ticketing platform about the matter, and with Wang Rui, He Daqi, and He Daqi's uncle already forming a cinema chain, He Daqi now knew exactly what Han Shanping had been up to.

Damn it! He was honestly doing his roadshow, but the partner went straight into a minefield. No wonder He Daqi is in a bad mood right now.

"Daqi, congratulations! Painted Skin's box office is a huge success. I heard it's at least 700 million, more than doubling the original record."

"It's just people talking nonsense. The final figures are still uncertain. Everyone's just praising it too much." He Daqi couldn't stand the word "explosion" right now, so he responded very perfunctorily.

"Haha, you're being modest. Chairman Han told me that he'll do whatever it takes to boost the numbers for this movie, even if it costs a fortune. We just hosted the Olympics this year, and Chairman Han said he wants to take this opportunity to deliver a perfect performance, which will significantly increase China Film Group's international influence."

He Daqi's teeth ached from listening, and he didn't know how to respond for a long time.

"Daqi, are you still listening? No signal? Hello? Hello?"

“Yes, yes, Mr. Yu, please continue. The signal was bad just now,” He Daqi said, his lips twitching.

"As I just said, Chairman Han said that this year..."

"I heard that, going beyond Asia and into the world, huh? Um, Mr. Yu, I heard you've been quite busy lately, studying ENA at a business school and even getting into Tsinghua University's CEO program. What brings you here today to chat?"

He Daqi didn't want to listen to Yu Dong continue rambling. If they weren't talking about serious matters, the two of them, who both grew up in the hutongs of Beijing, could chat for hours on end. Now, He Daqi wanted to end the conversation as soon as possible, so he directly asked why Yu Dong had suddenly called.

"Daqi, is something you're busy with?"

"Pretty much. I'm on a bus now, about to get on the highway, so I'm worried the signal might be bad later."

"Oh, I see. Now let's get down to business. Daqi, how did you negotiate that ticket subsidy program? I've been researching it for a while and it doesn't seem to be profitable. Why is Chairman Han so determined to throw money into it? After all, China Film Group isn't having an easy time right now."

He raised an eyebrow upon hearing this. It seemed that Han Shanping hadn't told Yu Dong about the shady things he'd done.

"The specifics of the ticket subsidies are negotiated between China Film Group and the ticketing platform. Asia-Pacific Film Group didn't invest much, but there are definitely some tricks to it. Um, Mr. Yu, I'll give you the phone number of the manager on the ticketing platform who is in charge of this business. You can go and find out more details."

"Okay, thank you for your help, Daqi."

After giving the phone number, He Daqi hung up.

Turning his head, He Daqi saw Zhou Huimin smiling at him. He clicked his tongue and said, "These bastards are really annoying. Can't they just say what they want from the start? They have to keep me talking for so long. How am I supposed to know if they want to cooperate with Asia-Pacific or ask for the ticketing platform's phone number just by chatting?"

"You should learn from me, just put your phone in airplane mode and everything will be fine."

“If we both switch to airplane mode, what if the family calls? If Huanhuan and Lele want to talk to us, they’ll throw a tantrum if they can’t get through.”

Seeing He Daqi's current melancholy look, Zhou Huimin knew he wasn't in a good mood. Suppressing a laugh, she put her arm around He Daqi's and rested her head on his shoulder, saying softly, "Then you should put in more effort and answer more calls. Things will get better once this period passes." He Daqi didn't respond, staring blankly out the window, wondering if he would be hated because of Old Han's wicked behavior.

After thinking for a long time, he decided to find someone to explain things quickly. Asia Pacific and China Film Group are not the same. Asia Pacific and the cinema chain are partners, while China Film Group and the cinema chain are superior and subordinate.

Old Han's actions clearly indicate that he doesn't want Ya Yue to get off the Zhongying car. If he doesn't explain it clearly now, there will be a lot of miscellaneous troubles later.

Especially since Asia Pacific is preparing for its IPO this year, it's best to play it safe.

Thinking of this, He Daqi picked up his phone and called his uncle, Zhao Niansheng.

"Uncle, could you do me a favor and talk to the other theater managers..."

……

……

Because the Olympics had just been held, there are still quite a few foreigners in Beijing right now.

Even though it's past 10 p.m., you can still see groups of blond-haired, blue-eyed foreigners stopping curiously in front of the barbecue stalls, gesturing and talking to the owner, wanting to try this unique late-night delicacy.

Businesses like other things aren't doing well right now, but setting up a barbecue stall is a good business.

The city of Beijing is already crowded, and now there are still so many tourists who haven't left. In this brightly lit summer night, going out for an ice-cold beer in the middle of the night is simply too enjoyable.

Even Wang Rui quite liked this arrangement. When he heard that Lin Jie was going out for barbecue with Chen Shuangxi today, Wang Rui decided to join them after finishing work.

The three of them were from the same place. They ate barbecue and drank beer while chatting in Cantonese about things in Hong Kong and Macau. It was quite a leisurely and comfortable experience.

Just as they were getting into the conversation, Wang Rui led the group in clinking glasses. He was about to take a sip when he saw Lin Jie and Chen Shuangxi, who were sitting opposite him, put down their glasses and suddenly stand up.

Wang Rui was taken aback. His first thought was that someone was drunk and causing trouble, and that a fight had broken out, and that they were heading in his direction.

He glanced at it casually, then immediately put down his cup and stood up.

A row of luxury cars had been parked along the roadside at some point. The rear window of the middle extended version had been rolled down, and a thin, old man was sitting inside.

The old man wore gold-rimmed glasses, a black suit, and his gray hair was neatly combed with hair wax; he looked like a respectable person.

You could only call them respectable people; otherwise, who would wear such thick clothes in this sweltering heat?

"Uncle Tong, what brings you here? Why didn't you let me know in advance?" Wang Rui walked to the car in a few steps and asked with a smile.

"Grandpa." X2
After Wang Rui finished greeting everyone, Lin Jie and Chen Shuangxi then greeted the old man in the car.

"Haha, are you guys having dinner? I'm hungry too, get in the car, let's go somewhere else and get something to eat together."

The old man first patted Wang Rui's hand, which was holding onto the car door frame, with a smile, then nodded to Lin Jie and Chen Shuangxi behind Wang Rui and gave them instructions.

Wang Rui and Lin Jie didn't say much, quickly opened the door and got into the car. Chen Shuangxi quickly paid the fare and also got into the car.

The convoy slowly drove off, leaving the barbecue street behind.

In the car, the old man looked at Wang Rui with a smile, without saying a word, until Wang Rui felt a little uncomfortable, then he said, "Arui, I came here specifically to see you."

"Uncle Tong, what are your instructions?" Wang Rui asked calmly, his eyes darting around.

"How about coming back to Haojiang with me?"

Upon hearing this, Chen Shuangxi stared in surprise, while Lin Jie remained expressionless, glancing at Wang Rui out of the corner of his eye.

The old man observed their reactions and, having made up his mind, turned his gaze back to Wang Rui, who was smiling, awaiting his response.

"Uncle Tong, don't joke around. I've invested all my savings here, and many people trust me and have invested with me. You're suddenly asking me to go back? Are you kidding me?"

Wang Rui responded with a gentle tone, half-joking and half-serious, but in his heart he kept thinking about whether something had happened in Hong Kong or Macau that he didn't know about.

Why are you suddenly asking me to go back? Is it because the one in Hong Kong died suddenly from an illness, or the one in Macau died suddenly from an illness?

Moreover, this illness is not easy to tell outsiders. It is estimated that he will go crazy soon and needs to go back temporarily to help him transition. Otherwise, Wang Rui cannot imagine what other situation could happen so suddenly.

It's highly likely that the leader from Hong Kong suddenly disappeared, because if it were from Macau, they could find someone else to fill in, instead of having to rush over to talk to me in person.

In the time it took Wang Rui to say a few words, his mind had already gone through countless twists and turns.

After figuring it out, his expression became a little more serious. After all, it was fine for the old man to smile about this, but he couldn't have a smile on his face.

"Why are you so serious? What are you thinking about? You always overthink things. I was just asking casually." The old man noticed the change in Wang Rui's expression and smiled particularly brightly.

Very rarely, Wang Rui's eye twitched slightly.

Before Wang Rui could speak, the old man continued, "I came here today to talk to you in person about the ticketing platform you're running. I heard that it's possible to make a betting pool of seven or eight hundred million through this platform?" At this point, the old man's smile faded, and his expression became serious.

"It's not the betting odds, it's the box office of a movie." Wang Rui instantly understood why the old man had rushed over, and explained somewhat speechlessly.

The old man nodded indifferently: "Tell me the details of how to play it later when we eat. For example, can we raise the ceiling a bit higher? Let's get one movie to make a billion or two billion, one or two movies a month, and ten or twenty movies a year."

(End of this chapter)