I'm just trying to ride the wave of popularity!

Chapter 223 Box Office!

The wind at dawn.

It carried a slight chill.

In the office, Liu Jinghua stared intently at the data sent by Li Wei.

The Lord of the Rings: The Two Rings grossed over 5 million!

On the 14th, the opening day, "The Lord of the Rings: The Two Rings" grossed 4.5 million at the box office, and now it has just over 5 million!
It increased the box office by 50 RMB!
The Lord of the Rings has surpassed 3000 million RMB, just 150 million short!
The atmosphere in the office gradually became oppressive, and Liu Jinghua's hand holding the data trembled slightly!
"Yesterday, six cinema chains scheduled screenings for 'The Lord of the Rings: The Two Rings,' mostly for late-night or midnight screenings, which are usually less popular times. But... the addition of these cinema chains still helped 'The Lord of the Rings: The Two Rings' rake in 500,000 RMB at the box office!"

Despite the overwhelming publicity and hype surrounding "The Lord of the Rings," this movie still sold out every single showing!

"Their movie tickets are a bit cheaper than ours. If we convert the number of people to our movie ticket prices, it's exactly 150 million!"

"And if we use that 1.5 million to fund 'The Lord of the Rings: The Second Ring', it will bring the total to over 30 million!"

"..."

On the other end of the phone, Li Wei's voice was slightly hoarse, as if he couldn't believe it.

After listening, Liu Jinghua put down her phone and silently sat down in her chair.

After a long silence, Liu Jinghua stared at the set of data on the computer screen again, especially at the six cinemas.

In 2004, although the number of cinemas was increasing, there were still only 30 cinema chains in China. Even the box office revenue generated by epic films was actually limited.

Those six theater chains allocated a significant number of screenings to "The Lord of the Rings," while "The Lord of the Rings: The Two Rings" received fewer screenings and fewer showings...

But, dramatically, the crucial 150 million yuan in box office revenue was stolen...

Daily box office of 3000 million RMB and 2850 million RMB!

Although it's only a difference of 150 million!
But they are worlds apart!

A record-breaking victory!

And the other...

It's just average, even worse than "Digital Empire"!
After a long silence in the office.

Liu Jinghua's eyes were bloodshot, but she eventually calmed down.

She dialed the number.

"Tell those six cinema chains!"

"Make those six cinema chains adjust their screening schedules!"

"We at [Washington Brothers] absolutely do not criticize them for directing 'The Lord of the Rings: The Second Ring,' but we hope they will cooperate with us..."

"..."

After making that call, Liu Jinghua stared intently at "The Lord of the Rings: The Two Rings" and then dialed the legal department's number.

"Why has the accusation that Zhou Yang deliberately confused the Lord of the Rings IP to mislead the audience lost its impact?"

"Also, why hasn't there been a response yet regarding whether Zhou Yang's film used unauthorized racing car brands or music copyrights... Did it use them, or not?"

"..."

There was a long silence on the other end of the phone.

Immediately afterwards, the sound became extremely bitter!

"The Lord of the Rings: The Two Rings is really useless. There aren't any clear legal provisions saying we infringed on copyrights. There are similar film cases in Hollywood, but they all eventually fizzle out..."

"What about Audi's copyright? Zhou Yang beat Audi with a domestically produced car, isn't that a slap in the face for Audi? Why isn't Audi's official website making any statement?"

"We've complained to the official channels, but Audi's official website seems to be very vague... It seems like someone is mediating between us, and that person seems to have a high position in the Chinese automotive industry... Moreover, many of our complaints to various organizations about 'The Lord of the Rings: The Two of the Rings' have been suppressed..."

"what!"

"..."

....................................

"Mr. Kevin..."

"As a leader in the Chinese automotive industry, well, a leader in the racing field, I must say something..."

"Personally, I don't think Zhou Yang's 'The Lord of the Rings: The Two Rings' insulted Audi cars at all. On the contrary, it showcased the performance of Audi cars to the extreme. The real reason for the victory wasn't the car itself, but the driver's unconventional 'technical operation'..."

"Yes, we tested it on the track. With the same handling, that [Qinzhou G1] simply can't win!"

"Of course, I'm not biased towards anyone. I'm analyzing from an objective and fair standpoint, especially in several scenes, such as when turning... the Audi handles it with ease, while the flaws and engine failure of the Qinzhou G1 are very obvious. This movie is quite fair..."

4 month 16 day.

Eight o'clock in the morning.

In the office of the Shanghai F1 International Racing Car.

Last night, when I saw on the internet that people were attacking the movie "The Lord of the Rings: The Two Rings," and even being reported...

He immediately used his personal resources to suppress a series of disturbances, trying his best to minimize the impact of the situation and resolve it peacefully.
He knew very well what the emergence of "The Lord of the Rings: The Second Ring"—China's first racing-themed film—meant!
after all!

This movie has only been in theaters for two days!
However, in the past two days, the number of users visiting the [racing] related forums has exceeded 2.4!
In addition, more and more internet users are discussing keywords such as "drifting" and "racing" online. In fact, the popularity of F1 racing has skyrocketed in just two days, and a series of racing videos posted online have received unprecedented attention!
Although some users are just there to watch the excitement, I believe that as they learn more, they can all become spectators!

As the audience grows, this small market with only a few thousand people will see a resurgence, and may even bring this niche market to international recognition.

This is trending!

It's also an opportunity!

It's no exaggeration to say that this opportunity was entirely brought about by the movie "The Lord of the Rings: The Two Rings"!
At this critical moment, if The Lord of the Rings: The Second Ring is indeed reported and taken down!
that……

Wasn't it all for nothing?
Sunlight shone on Lin Guodong's face. After finishing the phone call, Lin Guodong looked at his assistant who walked in.

"Spread the word! Say that the [Shanghai F1 International Racing Committee] is protecting this movie, and we will promote it publicly!" "Also, have Hancheng continue to support this movie... We're originally a niche track, and it's rare to have such a big buzz now, we can't let that buzz be suppressed!"

"..."

After listening, the assistant nodded, then his eyes showed some complexity: "Mr. Lin, I think the timing of releasing 'The Lord of the Rings: The Second Ring' is a bit unfortunate. Right now, the Hollywood film 'The Lord of the Rings' is at its peak, its popularity completely overshadowing 'The Lord of the Rings: The Second Ring.' It's unwise to compete with an epic Hollywood film like 'The Lord of the Rings.' If it had been released earlier, perhaps our film would have generated more buzz..."

Lin Guodong smiled and said, "By the way, have you contacted President Zhou yet?"

"Not yet, it seems that President Zhou is not in China..."

"Not in China?"

"Um……"

Lin Guodong frowned slightly.

A moment later, I looked at the trending topics on the internet.

"Keep contacting Zhou Yang's side, wait, never mind, just announce it directly: we hope Zhou Yang can become the image ambassador for our [Shanghai F1 International Racing], and the endorsement fee will not be less than 3000 million! I'll pay for it myself!"

"besides……"

"We will apply again for the Formula 1 International Championship in June this year..."

"Last year, because of our weak foundation in China and the small number of spectators, the international organizing committee wouldn't have given us this opportunity, but this year..."

"As long as we secure Zhou Yang's endorsement!"

"I believe!"

"The hype won't be small!"

....................................

Audi, China headquarters.

General Manager Kevin hung up on Lin Guodong.

After hanging up the phone, Kevin silently looked at the relevant information and videos of the movie "The Lord of the Rings: The Two Rings".

Although the video shows that their Audi A8 ultimately lost, as Lin Guodong said, while the film favored the Qinzhou G1, it didn't intentionally belittle the Audi A8...

Moreover, he was well aware of the impact this film would have on Chinese Formula 1 racing.

Lin Guodong, a figure of absolute authority in the Chinese motorsport world, has been preparing for a series of Formula 1 international racing events since the turn of the millennium, dedicating himself wholeheartedly to this cause…

His face.

Kevin would naturally give it to him.

"Mr. Kevin, are we really not going to sue?" The head of the company's public relations department looked at Kevin.

Kevin didn't speak, but instead looked down at the complaints and infringement reports from [Huashang Brothers] and shook his head.

“There are many cases like this every year, and a lot of time is wasted…”

“Even if we win the case, we will only receive a small amount of compensation… More importantly, it will leave a negative impression on our clients, making them think that we lack the magnanimity of an international brand…”

After Kevin finished speaking, he stood up and looked at the tall buildings in the distance.

After an unknown amount of time, he seemed to realize something...

"By the way, I remember last year, this 'director' named Zhou Yang seemed to have a picture related to our Audi A6, and it seemed to be very popular?"

The head of the public relations department was taken aback when he heard this, and after a brief moment of thought, he nodded: "Yes!"

"Please contact the marketing department and check the sales figures for the same Audi model and color during the period when this photo was at its peak popularity!"

"it is good!"

……

Three hours later, Kevin, who was looking at Zhou Yang's information online, received a phone call.

Immediately afterwards...

He opened the email.

Then I saw the sales chart from June 2003, as well as the chart showing the most popular date of Zhou Yang's picture!
As he looked at the data, he narrowed his eyes. The data showed that from August to September of last year, sales of the same Audi A6 model increased by 30% compared to the same period last year…

That period was precisely when that online image was at its most popular!
He then contacted the data department and asked them to analyze the correlation of this set of data!

About half an hour later...

"30% of new users are young users, and the number of male users of the same red sedan has increased by nearly 15% compared to the same period last year!"

"Many of these users shared their photos on social media..."

"And among these young people, many male users are imitating Zhou Yang's pose leaning against that car wearing sunglasses... even their expressions are imitating him..."

"..."

When I saw this scene!
Kevin narrowed his eyes!
"Please check the sales figures for products related to Zhou Yang. I need very detailed information!"

"it is good!"

One hour later.

Kevin looked at the newly transferred data on his computer!

He was taken aback when he saw the sales figures above.

I immediately thought I was seeing things!

(Ahem, the update is a bit late...)
(End of this chapter)