Huayu Entertainment: Tianxian really wants to improve

Chapter 356 Feng Xiaogang: Bad movies are bad because there are too many bad viewers.
"What else can happen? Tickets are incredibly hard to come by!"

Feng Xiaogang answered with great confidence.

Although the Weibo incident a few days ago left him speechless, the events of the past few days have brought his confidence to its peak!
Huayi's upcoming IPO brings him one step closer to becoming a billionaire.

The film 1942 had just been released and received a lot of positive reviews, causing many film critics who had previously looked down on it to turn around and praise it.

The success in gaining both fame and fortune finally allowed Feng Xiaogang, who had been nicknamed "Feng the Pants" since childhood, to truly feel triumphant.

He was no longer surprised at all whether the audience could accept the 1942 storyline.

"Xiaogang, don't let your guard down too much."

Wang Zhongjun remained calm and interjected, "Don't forget that Gu Bei's 'The Message' also has 30% of the screenings, only 5% less than your '1942'."

Moreover, judging from the media feedback this time, Gu Bei is taking a purely commercial approach.

"Those guys are just foreign worshippers. They only praise Gu Bei because he has won so many awards. Gu Bei's previous films only grossed a little over 100 million at the highest."

Feng Xiaogang retorted without holding back.

Wang Zhongjun's face darkened slightly, and he turned to glance at Wang Zhonglei.

Wang Zhonglei shrank back.

The unspoken understanding between the brothers allowed him to keenly sense his older brother's dissatisfaction.

After all, Feng Xiaogang is no pushover either.
Back then, in order to get into the screenwriting circle, I followed Wang Shuo around like a lackey every day.
He even secretly hid the script he had written, just to rewrite it with Wang Shuo. Once Wang Shuo agreed to give him credit, the script was immediately found again.

Feng Xiaogang is clearly becoming more and more confident, and his appetite is growing bigger and bigger. It won't be as easy to satisfy him as it was before.

In particular, Feng Xiaogang's transition has been very smooth.
Even with the banquet in between, that Waterloo of neither Chinese nor Western styles,

But the reputation of "Assembly" quickly recovered.

1942 is now being lauded by many film critics.

Now, if we want Feng Xiaogang to turn back and make a Feng-style comedy, we'll have to wait and see.
It's not like before when the two brothers could just open their mouths and that would be enough.

Before Wang Zhonglei could react,

Wang Zhongjun, who was dissatisfied, composed himself and said with a smile, "How could someone like Gu Bei, who grew up in North America, possibly be as familiar with the domestic audience as someone like Xiao Gang, who grew up in Kyoto?"

"Hey hey hey!"

Upon hearing this, Feng Xiaogang grinned.

Being a native of Kyoto was Feng Xiaogang's proudest label, especially since it surpassed his most longed-for North America, which made him even more smug.

He could already imagine that in a while, the media would report that he had defeated Gu Bei, the Hollywood genius director!

however,
Just the second day,

Box office figures for the first day of the National Day holiday, September 30th.

This completely shattered Feng Xiaogang's dream.

The Message grossed 2000 million yuan on its opening day.
It set a new record for the premiere during the National Day holiday.

The significance of this new record is actually no higher than the record of 1750 million in ten hours in 1942, and may even be lower.

But the key point is...
The box office on the same day in 1942 was only 1700 million, even lower than the box office for the first half of the day.
Based on past patterns, even if a film only runs for half a day on its opening day, or even if it runs for a full day, the box office on the 30th will still be significantly higher than that on the 29th.

"Mr. Wang, this box office data is incorrect!"

Feng Xiaogang had already arrived in Shandu with the 1942 film crew at this time.

Chongqing is one of the filming locations for 1942, and they plan to start their nationwide roadshow called '1942: A Nostalgic Journey' from Chongqing tomorrow, the 2nd.

Unexpectedly, the box office performance on the first day of the National Day holiday dealt him a heavy blow.

"Xiaogang, don't worry."

Wang Zhonglei quickly reassured him, saying that he was also puzzled by the box office figures and had immediately sent people out to investigate. "I have already asked the distribution specialists to collect audience feedback and to sample and record box office data to absolutely guarantee the authenticity of the data."

"Damn it, if I find out who's behind this, I'll blow them up."

Feng Xiaogang said, cursing and swearing, from across the room.

His first thought after receiving this box office data was, "Impossible!"

So the suspects naturally fell to the other two of the three films released during the National Day holiday. As for those earth-shattering, royal tattoo-themed films, he didn't even bother with them.

Among them, "The Founding of a Republic" was distributed by China Film Group, which has never been known for its aggressive methods.

So, both Feng Xiaogang and Wang Zhonglei knew in their hearts who they suspected!
After a while,
Audience feedback and box office surveys are back.

"This……"

Upon seeing the email he had just received, Feng Xiaogang exclaimed in surprise and then fell silent.

Wang Zhonglei, like Feng Xiaogang, fell silent.

The audience feedback was that the movie was too sad, so they did not plan to recommend it to others, and even advised others not to watch it, saying that they should watch something uplifting during the National Day holiday.

The audience chose two other films.

The Founding of a Republic was for celebrities.
The rumors were that they wanted to see who would outshine whom in a scene between Liu Yifei and Zhang Ziyi.
There are no issues with the box office figures either.

The problem is actually with their 1942.

After all, in this chaotic era,
Everyone's gotten used to stealing from each other.
Since we're destined to be robbed anyway, we might as well strike first.
Steal some of other people's box office revenue first, just enough to balance out the box office revenue that was stolen by others.

However, the wind hadn't dried up at all.
Ironically, their 1942 film somehow managed to steal some of the box office revenue.

This result is a slap in their face.

In the end,
I realized I'd used all sorts of underhanded tactics.

The box office results weren't even as high as others' legitimate box office?
Isn't this just feeling ashamed of oneself?

"Weibo, it must be Gu Bei using Weibo to suppress us!"

After a moment of silence, Feng Xiaogang, still unwilling to admit his failure, immediately proposed a new possibility.

“I was worried about this before, so I’ve been having people monitor Weibo to see if they’ve restricted the flow of 1942’s propaganda.” Wang Zhonglei sighed and said helplessly, “In fact, they haven’t. Apart from your account being blocked, Weibo hasn’t taken any other action.”

Just think about it, even after Huayi went public, it still has a market value of several billion.
Once Weibo succeeds, it will be worth tens of billions. Gu Bei certainly won't risk losing more than he gains, so it's perfectly reasonable that Weibo hasn't made any moves.

After a pause,

Wang Zhonglei advised, "Xiaogang, don't worry about it. Just keep promoting the film and at least keep the second place in the National Day box office."

Feng Xiaogang immediately felt the pressure increase.

The present-day 1942 is just like the banquet back then.
The Banquet also grossed over 6000 million yuan in its opening weekend, but its total box office after its run ended was only 1.3 million yuan, becoming the first hurdle on his road to transformation.

Even the well-received "Gathering" only grossed 7000 million in its opening weekend, but ultimately earned 2.5 million.

This box office trend,

It's not something he can control just because he wants to.
But he couldn't just give up and force himself to keep going.
After all, Huayi Brothers recently held a price inquiry and promotional tour for the film "1942," which is touted as a big-budget film with an investment of over 200 million yuan and a marketing and distribution cost of 250 million yuan.

It just so happens to coincide with Huayi Brothers' IPO. If the box office is poor, then Huayi Brothers' issue price will be greatly reduced.

This is tantamount to taking money from a pocket that he had already prepared!

Feng Xiaogang gritted his teeth: "President Wang, I will definitely do my best to promote this!"

Wang Zhonglei breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this.

Wang Zhongjun is busy with the IPO process.
This film was a flop, and he had to hold on: "Xiaogang, this time it's up to us!"

After Feng Xiaogang hung up the phone,
He still felt very confused.

When I used to make comedies, you all said comedies lacked substance and that I couldn't make good movies.
Now I've finally filmed the story I've wanted to tell for over a decade, and it's the best film of my career. You all say it's my best movie, but why don't you come and see it?

Feng Xiaogang, seething with anger, logged onto Weibo, attempting to find clues to the reasons for this box office failure.

Then he saw many public intellectuals criticizing 1942, saying that he deliberately promoted suffering.
Some viewers who watched 1942 said it was too depressing.

"Ugh! You can't even handle this little bit of stress? And you say you like good movies? You deserve to watch trash movies your whole life!"

Feng Xiaogang grew increasingly indignant as he read on.
He really wanted to pick up a keyboard and argue with these people for three days and three nights.
Unfortunately, his Weibo accounts have all been banned, so he can't vent his anger now.

I was so angry.
This continued until the next day at the Santo roadshow event.
When asked by the media how he viewed the audience's opinion that 1942 overemphasized suffering,

Feng Xiaogang, who was holding back his anger, vented directly: "The reason why there are so many trashy movies in China is because there are too many trashy viewers who can't settle down and appreciate good movies."

If you don't support good movies, good movies won't have a place to exist; the current situation is that good movies often don't get much at the box office.

These words resonated deeply with Feng Xiaogang.

He instinctively felt he was about to become a billionaire.
And having already made a film that he is satisfied with, 1942.

They are now qualified to start giving their opinions on China's film market.

however,
Feng Xiaogang was really pleased with himself.
The result was that the audience was unhappy.

The 1942 film was already gripping, leaving many viewers who were hoping for a grand spectacle like Assembly Call greatly disappointed. They could have forgiven it because of the overall quality of the 1942 film.

But after hearing Feng Xiaogang's words, the audience immediately objected and began to fight back against him.

Immediately, Weibo was filled with discussions about Feng Xiaogang's "trash movie, trash audience" statement, with everyone expressing their disgust at his act of moral blackmail.

The box office figures also provide a more direct reflection of this.
On the 2nd, the box office was still able to reach 1800 million.

By the 3rd,
The box office had already dropped to 1500 million that day.
On the same day, the film *The Message* grossed 3000 million yuan at the box office.
It was exactly double the box office of 1942, and on the same day, it broke the 100 million mark at the box office.

"The show broke 100 million in four days, and my mom asked us if we should hold a celebration banquet?" Liu Yifei asked. They were still in the van on their way to the roadshow venue, and they could see each other just by turning their heads.

"Let's wait a couple of days."

Gu Bei shook his head.

The record of breaking 100 million yuan in four days is second only to the record of breaking 100 million yuan in three and a half days in "The Founding of a Republic".
Behind the scenes were Chibi Shang, which broke 100 million in four days; Chibi Sha Yi, which broke 100 million in five and a half days; and Golden Armor, which broke 100 million in six days. These were all beyond the reach of 1942.

After all, 1942 has grossed 8500 million in five days.

If the price continues to fall tomorrow, it will take seven days for 1942 to break the 100 million mark.
It's completely out of touch with the box office inflation of 2009.

Gu Bei turned to look at the computer screen.
The above is a discussion about Feng Xiaogang's "trash movies, trash audience" comment.

He smiled slightly, thinking to himself, "I didn't want to compete with you unfairly in the first place, but you've brought this upon yourself. It would be a real shame not to help you gain some popularity this time!"

Gu Bei wouldn't be foolish enough to ask Weibo to limit traffic to "1942" in order to win the National Day box office battle.

After all, limiting traffic means that Weibo users' discussions cannot receive positive feedback, which will only reduce the frequency of Weibo users' use and weaken the value of Weibo itself.

And increase the discussion of negative news,
Although both aim to weaken the opponent, the underlying logic is completely different.
At the very least, Feng Xiaogang's remarks could spark heated discussions among Weibo users, which would boost Weibo's data.

Not only to help Gu Bei weaken his competitors,
At the same time, it is also enhancing the value of Weibo.
This is a win-win situation.
Gu Bei won twice!
"What kind of wicked trick are you plotting now!"

Liu Yifei could tell at a glance what plan Gu Bei was plotting.

"It has nothing to do with me. I didn't lay a hand on him. He stabbed himself twice!"

Gu Bei spread his hands.

He wore an expression that made him look completely innocent.

"What do you mean, stabbing yourself? That's an exaggeration!"

Liu Yifei laughed; Gu Bei's description was just too apt!
"And if we don't crack down on them, the cinemas won't give us enough screen time!"

Gu Bei turned to look at the film schedule data on the computer.

After deducting the fixed 25% for "The Founding of a Republic" and the 10% for other films, only 65% ​​of the screenings are left for the two companies to compete for.

Modern cinema managers don't have nearly as much data as those of later generations, and their scheduling relies more on experience. The idea that Feng Xiaogang equals box office success is a common misconception among many cinema managers.

The Message only just overtook 1942 in terms of screenings today.
But that's not enough.
The potential of the wind is far greater than that!
It's important to know that the original Message was a film with a very long run.

The original "The Message" followed almost the same release strategy as the current "Back to 1942": it was released on the 30th, but on the 29th, it was released a day earlier.

Its box office on its opening day was only 1200 million!
Let alone comparing it to 1942 now,
It can't even compare to Painted Skin, which was released during the 2008 National Day holiday.
Both films starred Zhou Xun, but Painted Skin opened with 15.2 million yuan, less than 80% of the original The Message's box office. However, Painted Skin eventually surpassed The Message in the end, which shows the long-term potential of The Message's script.

To unleash this potential, the rumors must be allowed to significantly impact the entire market's film scheduling!
(End of this chapter)