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

Chapter 316 We surrender!

The business world is like a battlefield; though there is no gunpowder, there are undercurrents.

Whenever something new arrives or a new era begins, there are always people who gamble everything, betting all their chips in the turbulent current.

Some were caught off guard and their forces were routed in the hasty battle.

5 month 13 day.

For the entire Chinese film industry, it was the craziest and bloodiest day ever!
The moment Zhou Yang stood at the entrance of [Xuanshi Mall], passionately announcing its opening and launching various promotional activities...

On the internet, countless netizens were completely ignited by this unprecedented wave of discounts.

When the first batch of consumers who participated in the event shared their incredible offers from [XuanShi Mall], such as "buy movie tickets and get a 100 yuan voucher" and "watch an IMAX movie for 12 yuan," on social media, the related topics instantly went viral across the internet.

Offline, the word spread like wildfire, with elderly people lining up for the free eggs and young people frantically shopping at brand stores with movie tickets in hand. Every corner of the mall was packed with people rushing to buy.

This viral spread made the name "Xuanshi Mall" an overnight hot topic of discussion. Countless netizens were shocked and even incredulous at the daily necessities and fresh food gift packs that were as low as 30% of the market price!

This is hardly a commercial promotion.

It's practically a money-spending frenzy!
Many people traveled from other cities to Yanjing specifically to witness firsthand the phenomenal success rumored online; while even more consumers purchased movie tickets through local cinema alliances and, with a try-it-out mentality, visited participating stores, only to be pleasantly surprised!
You can actually enjoy amazing discounts of up to 70% off with your movie ticket!

……

The sudden opening of [Xuanshi Mall] was like a nuclear bomb, causing an unprecedented impact on the entire cinema market!
Capital keenly sensed that Zhou Yang's move was aimed at the three major cinema chains, and Hong Kong stock capital immediately began a frantic exodus...

Starting from the 11th, the stock prices of the three major cinema chains plummeted by 15% at the opening, and then experienced a precipitous drop for two consecutive days.

At the same time, the three major cinema chains were hit by an unprecedented wave of ticket refunds, with the pre-sale refund rate for "Star Wars" soaring to 50%.

Theater managers' phones were bombarded with angry calls from audiences, with questions like "Why do others get to watch IMAX for 20 yuan?" echoing everywhere.

The most terrifying thing is that the eight small and medium-sized cinema chains that had previously stood on the neutral side suddenly switched sides overnight.

These opportunists who once struggled to survive in the cracks have now collectively joined Zhou Yang's camp, wielding the sword of price cuts and plastering "Watch Star Wars for 20 yuan" advertisements all over the city's bus stops.

They even copied Zhou Yang's tactics, such as exchanging ticket stubs for hamburgers, and all the products they sold were from Zhou Yang's partner brands...

The three major cinema chains are driven to the brink of despair!

If you follow, you'll lose everything!
If you don't follow, the market will collapse immediately!
……

5 month 14 day.

Faced with overwhelming refund requests and public pressure, the three major cinema chains were ultimately forced to announce comprehensive price reductions.

In the early hours of May 14, Huaying International held an emergency press conference to announce that it would lower the ticket price for "Star Wars" to 20 yuan, adjust the price of IMAX screenings to 40 yuan, and launch a promotional activity of "buying a ticket and getting free popcorn".

However, this hasty response not only failed to gain market approval, but also drew ridicule from netizens.

Compared to the luxurious package of "movie ticket + 100 yuan voucher" offered by Zhou Yang's system, the meager offer of only "small bucket of popcorn" from the three major cinema chains seems particularly laughable.

Seeing that the wave of ticket refunds has not been effectively contained, the three major cinema chains hurriedly began contacting brand owners, attempting to emulate the consumer voucher model, and even offering generous cooperation incentives and subsidies.

However, to the shock of the executives of the three major cinema chains, the entire market landscape has undergone a fundamental change.

On the one hand, the negotiation process for cooperation with major international brands is inherently complicated, usually taking several weeks to reach an agreement. It's impossible for them to immediately participate in promotional activities and lower prices, unless they pay to buy the goods and then sell them at a loss...

On the other hand, the core brands, led by [Bingbing Yang Kele], have issued a statement overnight, clearly stating that they have established an exclusive partnership with [Xuanshi Mall] and will no longer cooperate with other cinema chains, except for the [Cinema Alliance] and its friendly partner cinemas...

This statement...

It was like a slap in the face, a hard blow to everyone's face!
..............................

Early in the morning of June 5.

Huaying International

The air in the conference room was so thick it was suffocating.

The CFO of Huaying International slammed a stack of quotations on the table; the densely packed numbers on them were shocking…

There are brands that will only cooperate with you if you offer three times the subsidy...

Some merchants have even demanded exorbitant prices, such as a subsidy of NT$30 per ticket. Even the most inconspicuous convenience store brands have taken the opportunity to raise prices, requiring a deposit of NT$50 before they will put promotional flyers on the shelves.

They wanted to emulate Zhou Yang's strategy of partnering with various businesses to offer promotional activities...

However, these people also knew they were backed into a corner, and seized the opportunity to make exorbitant demands...

Just when everyone felt they couldn't breathe...

"These bastards!" Liu Minghui, chairman of Tianxing Film and Television, slammed his fist on the table, his face grim. "Damn it, they're kicking us while we're down! And they're jumping on the bandwagon to raise prices, do they really think we're easy targets! Damn it!" Deng Baichuan of Tianyu Entertainment looked ashen-faced, staring at the price list over and over, his body trembling uncontrollably.
He had anticipated that brand owners would take advantage of the situation, but he never expected that even small supermarkets on the street would dare to charge exorbitant prices.

The secretary nervously handed over the latest data: if these conditions were implemented, the three major cinema chains would suffer a daily loss of over 20 million, while Zhou Yang's [Xuan Shi Mall] was gaining momentum due to its first-mover advantage.

And more importantly...

Most of the products on [Xuanshi Mall] are invested in by Zhou Yang and the coal mine owners behind him, or are long-term brand owners who have a very high level of loyalty to Zhou Yang. While this event appears to be a huge investment by [Xuanshi Entertainment], in reality, the brands are actively participating at their own expense. Zhou Yang's actual investment is not significant. Moreover, as long as Zhou Yang's brand remains strong, this subsidy period is very likely to continue for an even longer time…

In contrast, the three major cinema chains have to subsidize the brands out of their own pockets, putting them in a more passive position.

The data on the projector was still flashing, with the refund rate exceeding 61% and the stock price evaporating by nearly 3 million in a single day.

In the corner, the representative from [Fengyu International] took a deep breath: "President Liu, now is not the time to put on airs. Zhou Yang's consumer vouchers have spoiled the audience's appetite! If we don't spend more money now, the audience won't even come in tomorrow!"

After saying this, he looked at Li Minghao, who was in the main seat.

At this moment, Li Minghao's face was deathly pale. Seeing everyone staring at him, he took a deep breath: "Sign! Contact the bank to mortgage assets, put all the cash you can get your hands on into it! Tell those brand owners that we'll give them three times the subsidy—but they must sign an exclusive agreement. Anyone who dares to take Zhou Yang's business again can forget about ever entering our cinemas again! Also, after signing, the advertising billboards must be placed at the entrance of every shopping mall and supermarket tonight, so that all movie fans know that we're going all out!"

The CFO stared at Li Minghao in shock!
Triple subsidies mean losing 50 yuan for every ticket sold. This is not business; it's suicide!

But when he looked up and saw the ferocious expressions on everyone's faces, he finally lowered his head.

He knows very well...

In this battle, they must hold on, give capital enough confidence, and then come back to continue supporting them!

If they lose!

Then, there will be endless troubles, and they might not even be able to operate next year!
……

4 points in the early hours.

Exhausted, Li Minghao returned to the villa after the meeting and lay down on the bed.

Over the past three days, they have been caught off guard by Zhou Yang's sudden move.

The three major cinema chains were holding emergency meetings almost every night, which had exhausted him.

Since starting his business, he has never encountered such a huge crisis.

Just as he was about to close his eyes and rest...

Suddenly, the telephone rang urgently!
He answered the phone immediately!
"problem occurs!"

"What happened!"

"Right after we announced the signing of the brand contract and released the announcement of massive subsidies across the board, Zhou Yang's second offensive has begun! Damn it, they're targeting us and want to kill us!"

"What second round!"

"..."

When Li Minghao heard this, he suddenly stood up, his pupils shrinking sharply!
Immediately afterwards, he hurriedly put on his clothes and rushed towards the office!

The equally exhausted marketing manager, who was looking worried, seemed to have found a pillar of support when he saw him come in, and hurriedly grabbed his notebook and went over to him!
……

Early morning on December 5th.

Countless filmmakers in China stared blankly at the latest news on the internet!
Everyone clearly realized that this was a new capital system centered around Zhou Yang, which was now carrying out a near-devastating strangulation of the cinema industry, led by the three major cinema chains!

The moment the three major cinema chains announced that they would follow Zhou Yang's activities and continue to increase their investment, the second round of offensive from the capital system behind Zhou Yang was about to begin!
At 3:15 a.m., the three major cinema chains announced the event!

4am!
[Cinema Alliance] suddenly announced a new "Early Bird Special": the first 100 viewers each day can enjoy a super low price of 6 yuan for a movie ticket and receive an additional brand gift package worth 200 yuan. In addition, there are continuous extra discounts, and you can even get Zhou Yang's autograph...

This powerful blow directly shattered the psychological defenses of the three major cinema chains!
At noon that day, the stock price of Huaying International plummeted by 20%, triggering a circuit breaker. The other two cinema chains also experienced a stampede of capital flight. Not to mention the wave of ticket refunds, the pre-sale tickets for the new day were almost impossible to sell.

Li Minghao of Huaying International, who hadn't slept for three days, fainted briefly in the emergency meeting room due to anger.

When you get up...

Li Minghao's face was frighteningly pale...

this moment!
An indescribable sense of despair welled up inside me!
For some reason, they discovered that Zhou Yang's every move had preemptively blocked all escape routes—by the time they had even thought of consumer vouchers, the other party had already built a complete business loop.
Just when they were about to grit their teeth and buy the subsidy, the other party launched an even more aggressive early bird offer. And just as they were about to buy the early bird tickets...

Who knows what Zhou Yang will do next!
This overwhelming, "one step ahead, every step ahead" approach completely destroyed any possibility of counterattack for these traditional cinema chains, pushing them directly into the abyss!
He took a deep breath, and finally relaxed his clenched fist.

"Get me contact Zhou Yang, I want to talk to him personally..."

(End of this chapter)