Huayu Entertainment: Tianxian really wants to improve

Chapter 319 A Mistake in the Stars Sweeps April Box Office

……

new York.

Nicole was standing in a daze in front of the popcorn stand.

She had previously wondered why the popcorn stand and ticket booth at the movie theater were separate.

Later, a senior sales clerk told her that before the advent of sound films, movie theaters were elegant places, similar to opera houses, and eating popcorn was considered undignified.

Popcorn stands only entered cinemas through franchising after movies became a popular form of entertainment, unlike now where they are mostly operated by the cinemas themselves.

"Give me a bucket of popcorn and a box of chocolate chips."

"Me too! Give me the same one!"

"I want a bucket too!"

Nicole stared blankly at the chattering teenage girls in front of her for a moment before getting busy.

While she was busy, she observed the young girls. Girls of this age rarely went to the movies in the past, and even if they did, it was usually with their boyfriends.

Places like this, where so many young girls gather,
They are usually lively parties.

Instead of a somewhat boring movie theater.

"Give!"

As Nicole received the popcorn, she couldn't help but ask curiously, "What movie are you watching?"

"A mistake in the stars!"

Oh, so this movie has been released!
Then there's no problem. Many of Bruce Gou's movie fans are girls of this age, who were converted from his book fans.

Nicole also loves his novels and movies.
This novel, in particular, made Nicole cry buckets back then!

This wave of young girls in the evening was just the beginning. As the opening hours approached prime time, the entire cinema seemed to be taken over by young girls.

And the majority of moviegoers in the past, young and middle-aged men, have become a green oasis in a sea of ​​flowers.

And at this time,
The group of girls who arrived in the evening had already left the movie theater.
All the girls had red eyes and tear-streaked faces, clearly having just cried their hearts out.

This scene has become a unique feature of the cinema.

Nicole called out to the girls who had just spoken to her, and asked curiously once again, "Was the movie good?"

This sentence was like a switch on a loudspeaker, opening up the floodgates of conversation for the silent girls.

"The movie was so heartbreaking! I couldn't stop crying from the moment Guts started holding his own funeral, and I cried until the end of the movie!"

"I felt the same way. The actress's performance completely resonated with me. What was her name again?"

"Liu-Yi-Fei! I think that's how it's pronounced. I heard she's also from New York. I really like her so much. I'm going to go to the front desk and buy a set of the movie illustration novel. The poster says that there are movie stills inserted in key plot points!"

"I declare her my idol, and I bet she will become the most successful Asian actress in Hollywood in the future!"

"And the mother in the movie, Michelle Young (Yang Ziqiong), is just too perfect. I really wish I had such an understanding mother, unlike my mother who only blames me!"

"The only drawback of the movie is that it's too short. Two hours is simply not enough to bring out all the plot points from the book!"

After seeing off these excited girls,
Nicole thought to herself, "Looks like I'll have to come to the movie theater early tomorrow!"

One of the perks of being a sales clerk is being able to arrive at the movie theater early and sneak in a free movie and popcorn before the shift ends, as long as the supervisor doesn't catch you in the act.

……

The ordeal of a New York movie theater
This is just a microcosm of countless cinemas across North America and even the world.

Although Twilight was released in the same time slot last year...
This has already proven that girls past this age also have purchasing power.
But people are forgetful and stubborn.
Most cinema managers still refuse to believe that hordes of young girls would walk into a boring movie theater instead of attending a party.

And cinemas that are willing to believe

They took this opportunity to make a fortune.

After all, this kind of movie is about the diving king.
The drop in popularity was even faster than the sequel to a big-budget movie.

Half of the box office revenue was concentrated in the first week.
Half of the box office revenue in the first week was concentrated on the first day.
By the time the cinemas tried to adjust the screening schedule the next day, it was already too late, because women often come in groups and make impulsive purchases at the first opportunity.

……

Rose Films.

Eric, the president of Peak Entertainment, paced back and forth in Gu Bei's office, looking restless.

He turned his head to look at the desk in the center of the office.
Liu Yifei was sitting in the middle office chair.
She was staring intently at the computer screen, her brow slightly furrowed.
He seemed to be contemplating something important.

Gu Bei then moved a chair over and sat down to the side.
Pointing at the computer screen:

"Trust me, you definitely have to plant the Sunflower first, then the Peashooter..."

Eric asked the two men helplessly, "Bruce, this is your first novel adaptation. Aren't you worried at all about the impact of reduced screenings?"

He then looked at Liu Yifei: "Crystal, this is your first movie as the lead in Hollywood. Aren't you worried that the movie won't be popular?"

"But the box office figures for the first day are already set; it's just that the data hasn't been compiled yet. There's no way we can improve things by being anxious now. Why can't we just stay calm?"

Liu Yifei looked up and smiled at Eric.

Eric was slightly taken aback upon hearing this.

If you think about it carefully, this is indeed the case.

But while people can understand the principles, very few can actually put them into practice.

He said with a hint of helplessness, "If only I could be as indifferent as you when I was young."

Gu Bei shifted his gaze from Plants vs. Zombies on the computer screen to Eric, asking, "Eric, why haven't I seen you before? Why are you so concerned about the box office results of The Wrong Star?"

"I'm currently negotiating with theaters to increase my share of the Twilight box office revenue!"

Eric pulled out a chair and sat down opposite Gu Bei, truthfully explaining the reason for his anxiety: "I hope that, like other blockbusters, we can increase our share of the opening week's box office to 85%."

However, only some theater chains agreed; others remained unwilling to acknowledge that Twilight could possess the same box office appeal as the Big Six's Harry Potter, Batman, and Transformers series!

85%?

You're really ruthless!

Gu Bei thought of the fact that the production and distribution companies in China only took 39% of the box office revenue.
In comparison, North American movie theaters are still living a very cramped life.

They're practically begging the publisher for food!
However, it should be noted that
This 85% share is subject to deductions for fixed fees at each screening.

Fixed costs include equipment depreciation, utilities, etc., and the specific amount varies for each cinema, so the contracts signed by distributors are also different.

However, the dominant position of North American publishers lies in...

They will compare the high commission rate after deducting fixed fees with the low commission rate rate without deducting fixed fees.
Whichever is higher, that's how the publisher gets the prize money.

In this situation, the showrunners really don't make any money; they rely entirely on popcorn and other related products to generate revenue.

However, this revenue-sharing model in North America is most beneficial to Gu Bei.
He naturally supported Eric in securing that profit-sharing ratio: "Now you can relax!"

Gu Bei said with unwavering confidence, "Even though the box office figures aren't out yet, based on yesterday's data from Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube..."
The opening day box office for "The Wrong Star" has far exceeded all of your expectations!

at this time,

Eric's cell phone rang.

What a coincidence!
Speak of Cao Cao and he will appear?
Gu Bei gestured for Eric to answer the phone.

"Hmm!" "OK!" "Good!"

Eric nodded in response, a slight smile playing on his lips.

Then, after hanging up the phone, he looked at Gu Bei with a smile.

Look at that mysterious expression,
They're clearly keeping us in suspense.

They waited for Gu Bei to take the initiative to ask him about the phone call he had just received.

Gu Bei didn't mind and asked directly, "Speak, what good news do you have?"

Eric stopped beating around the bush and replied with a smile, "Just now, the president of AMC Theatres agreed to my request to increase Twilight 2's opening weekend box office share to 85%!"

AMC Theatres, the chain that will be acquired by Yida in the future, is the second largest cinema chain in North America, second only to Imperial Theatres.

With the interests of the cinema chains aligned, the fact that the second-largest chain has invested creates a loophole in the alliance, making it only a matter of time before other cinema chains accept it.

The reason why theaters reacted so quickly is

This is because the data was originally sent from the theater manager to the distribution manager.

Theaters are the source of the data; they know better than anyone which movies are box office hits.

After a while,

Gu Bei and Eric both received an email from the distribution manager.

Open it,
The Fault in Our Stars grossed $3850 million on its opening day.
The box office per theater exceeded $10,000, making it an absolute must-see hit!

It's no wonder that the president of AMC Theatres switched sides so easily. For two consecutive years, Twilight and The Wrong Way of Our Stars have been released in April, proving the feasibility of this subject matter.

AMC is the major theater chain with the most extensive multiplex strategy.
They have only over 300 cinemas, but nearly 5000 screens.
With an average of 15 screens per theater, it is the most reliant on these hit movies, and therefore also the one that switched sides the fastest.

And Disney's Hannah Montana movie

It ranked second, with a box office of $1600 million.

Originally, both in terms of box office predictions and IP popularity, Hannah Montana was expected to be better than The Fault in Our Stars.

But the result was that it was easily crushed by Starship, with less than half the box office of Starship.

As for the increase in the number of theaters and screenings this week, it even squeezed out Fast & Furious 4's screenings, ranking third and taking in $1060 million at the box office on that day.

"I told you so!"

Gu Bei said to Eric beside him.

"That's insane, absolutely insane!"

Eric shook his head repeatedly.

He felt he couldn't quite understand the market anymore.

He could understand why Twilight was such a big hit, because a fantastical love story between handsome men and beautiful women is bound to attract attention.

But the love story of two terminally ill teenagers, which ultimately ends in an absolute tragedy, has still managed to generate such huge box office potential, which is quite surprising to him.

Most importantly, the production cost of Starship was only $1500 million.

The cost can be recovered in one day.

There's even more profit to be made.

From now on, every single day will be pure profit!
Then, he looked up at Liu Yifei, who was still engrossed in the game: "Crystal, you're about to become an idol for all the girls in North America, just like Christine!"
This year's MTV Best Female Performance award might just be yours, Crystal!

The MTV Movie Awards are awards presented by MTV (Mall, Taiwan).

It is somewhat similar in nature to China's Hundred Flowers Awards for Popular Films.
It's an award entirely decided by audience votes, so popularity carries more weight than acting skills.

Moreover, unlike film awards during the awards season, which usually take place between November and March, the MTV Movie Awards are held in early June, which is just the right time for Star to catch up with the awards.

Robert and Kristen from last year's Twilight.

The two of them together won the Best Male and Best Female Performance awards.

Twilight 2, being released during the summer season, is ineligible for this year's MTV Movie Awards and can only participate in the 2010 MTV Movie Awards.

"what?"

Liu Yifei raised her head, blinked her big eyes, clearly still not recovered from the intense thinking in the game, and looked a little dazed and cute.

Gu Bei couldn't help but smile: "It's okay, you can keep playing!"

……

The box office figures for the opening day of Starship were released.
The industry was once again shocked.

Rose Pictures has made another Twilight movie?
On Saturday, just like Twilight, Starship's box office plummeted, dropping by nearly 50% to only $1950 million.

This diving data,
It's even more ruthless than the 40% in Twilight.

But that doesn't stop the stars from sweeping the film market this week.

Fast & Furious 4, the only popcorn movie of the week, steadily raked in $1000 million at the box office, ranking second.

The Hannah Montana movie, also an IP film, experienced a 40% drop, falling to third place with a box office of $960 million.

Although my diving statistics are terrifying, what can I do when the base number is so large?

Sunday is generally the worst day for box office revenue over the three-day weekend.
The stars have actually stabilized somewhat.
Despite a mere 30% drop, it still grossed $1400 million at the box office.

This day is truly the most auspicious day according to the horoscope.
It swept the entire North American film market.

Second to fourth place: Fast & Furious 4, vs. Aliens, and Hannah Montana: The Movie.
The three movies combined are barely comparable to one movie, Starship.

That's right, Hannah Montana's Big Movie was the biggest drop-off movie on Sunday, falling from third to fourth place, even worse than DreamWorks Animation's movie which had been in theaters for seventeen days.

So far,

"Mistaken Identity" grossed $7200 million in its opening weekend.

It surpassed Fast & Furious 4's $7095 million to become the best opening film of April!
This news immediately reached China and made the front page headlines.

[Liu Yifei's new film opens with 5 million yuan in box office revenue, surpassing Jackie Chan's Rush Hour 2 to become the highest-grossing opening film for an Asian face!]

(End of this chapter)