Director of Photography Department of Huayu

Chapter 473 Wanda Lecture
In September, the mainland film market was swept by a hurricane, with the official release of "The Founding of a Republic".

The number of copies of the film released broke historical records, and almost every major cinema in every city was rushing to reschedule the film.

Group ticket bookings are in high demand, with schools, enterprises, institutions, and state-owned enterprise unions placing orders one after another. Cinema managers' phones are ringing from morning till night.

The box office figures for the first day, which was not on a weekend, immediately caused a sensation in the industry.

The figure of 21 million appeared on various cinema chains and box office statistics lists, which was only 270,000 less than the opening day box office of "Red Cliff (Part 1)".

Everyone in the industry was shocked.

No one expected that a film like this could rival a purely commercial blockbuster like "Red Cliff" in terms of preview screenings and opening day box office, especially considering it was a weekday.
There are also various unit ticket purchases and even key extensions for weekends and subsequent events.
"They're not really going to do it, are they?"

"Given this reputation, a box office of 400 million seems not impossible, comparable to 'Red Cliff'!"

"If all goes well, there is indeed a chance to become the number one domestic brand in history!"

"."

The media quickly followed up with reports:
[The Founding of a Republic opens with a stunning 2100 million yuan, showing strong box office performance!]

[Over 20 million on a weekday! The patriotic film's opening day box office is close to that of "Red Cliff," and Wu Chen predicts that 400 million is not impossible.]

Laughter erupted from the chairman's office in the China Film Group building.

"Hahahaha"

Looking at the data, Han Sanping couldn't stop smiling. His mind was now filled with Wu Chen's prediction of 400 million in box office revenue.
Damn it, if this makes 400 million, at this crucial moment of the National Day holiday, who can stop "The Founding of a Republic" from stealing the spotlight?

Meanwhile, in the conference room inside Huayi, Wang Zhonglei was also quite shocked.

"Brother, although 'The Message' is released at the end of the month, given the current momentum, it seems 'The Founding of a Republic' still has staying power."

Bloodsucking is definitely inevitable.

The period following the National Day holiday is a peak time for group tickets, organized movie screenings by enterprises, institutions, and schools. Under these circumstances, it is difficult for the National Day film season not to lose some of its audience.

"Hmm, I didn't expect Han Sanping to achieve such results after an eighteen-year hiatus from directing."

A hint of disdain flashed in Wang Zhonglei's eyes when he heard Wang Zhongjun's words.

In his view, much of the success was due to the star-studded cast, with the help of Wu Chen and Chen Kaige. Wu Chen's powerful vocals alone contributed significantly to the film's reputation and box office success.

"Let's not worry about those things for now. 'The Message' should be pretty good. The success of 'The Founding of a Republic' isn't all bad for patriotic films. Right now, the main focus is on the IPO."

News came from the village that Huayi's initial public offering application might be reviewed at the end of the month.

At this point, the two brothers' eyes lit up with excitement.

More and more people are eyeing the film market, and Wanda has officially announced the establishment of Wanda Film Media.

This means that this rapidly expanding private cinema chain has begun to venture into the upstream film production sector.
The news caused quite a stir in the industry.

Some welcomed it, but many more were not so welcoming and were quite wary of it.

Wanda being both a buyer and a seller is certainly not a good thing for production companies these days.

Because you can't afford to offend them, and if they do something like that when scheduling screenings, you'll be in big trouble.
Moreover, once it produces its own films, it can leverage its screening advantage to aggressively promote them, leaving other companies with virtually no bargaining power when negotiating with Wanda for films.
The industry is very worried.

Hollywood once had a "vertical integration" model, where the eight major studios monopolized the production, distribution, and screening of films, making it almost impossible for independent films to enter theaters.

Finally, it also mandates that major film studios sell their cinema chains and are no longer allowed to engage in the three stages of "production + distribution + exhibition".

When Lu Zheng invited Wu Chen and Liu Yifei to the opening ceremony of Wanda Film Media, he immediately brought up the concerns within the industry.

"Wanda wouldn't be that domineering."

Wu Chen nodded with a smile.

It's impossible in the country, given that there's the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television in front of it.

"Wanda's involvement proves that the film and television industry is indeed recovering and can accommodate more capital. We also hope that Wanda can help expand the market."

"I knew it! Director Wu has such a grand vision, unlike other production companies in the industry!" Lu Zheng exclaimed repeatedly. In his opinion, most production companies in the industry were too stingy, as if they were afraid someone would come and take a piece of the pie.

Moreover, he has witnessed it firsthand these days.

A historical script, they searched for a director for so long, but still couldn't find a suitable candidate.
In late September, the wind in Beijing was already carrying a hint of coolness, but the campus of Beijing Film Academy suddenly became bustling with activity overnight.

Inside the studio, Wu Chen was watching the camera crew simulate the long take's trajectory, holding a storyboard for training, and occasionally giving Zhang Yi and Li Gan pointers on the rhythm of the movements.

"Let's work on it a bit more. Later, we need to go to Changbai Mountain to scout out the location and get used to the terrain. The training ground will be right at the filming location."

Before Wu Chen could finish speaking, his phone vibrated in his pocket.

"teacher."

Mu Deyuan's familiar, slightly deep voice came through the receiver: "Next semester is coming up, and the school has already announced your lectures for the second half of the year. Why don't you start? The younger students are all waiting."

Wu Chen was slightly taken aback; he had almost forgotten about this matter. He then glanced at the film crew and thought he should hurry up and take care of some miscellaneous tasks.

Wu Chen thought for a moment and said, "Teacher, how about coming back for National Day? Is the 8th okay?"

"to make!"

Mu Deyuan was very happy.

Wu Chen's agreement quickly spread throughout the school about the science fiction lecture.

As a current star of the Beijing Film Academy, Wu Chen wields considerable influence on campus, especially among the cinematography and directing departments, even though he rarely returns to school.
The early autumn wind on the Beijing Film Academy campus caused the various notices posted on the campus bulletin board to flutter slightly.

A new, large lecture notice with red background and black lettering was prominently displayed in the most conspicuous position:
[Announcement of Invited Lecture at Beijing Film Academy]

Speaker: Wu Chen (Internationally renowned director, screenwriter/director of "The Martian," "Black Peony," and "Now You See Me")

Topic: Science Fiction Films and the Future of the Film Industry

Time: 2 PM, October 8th

Location: Beijing Film Academy Auditorium
Under the sunlight, the red posters fluttered gently in the breeze. A group of students gathered around the bulletin board, some taking photos with their phones, and others letting out small screams.

"Holy crap, it really is Senior Brother Wu Chen!"

"I'm so lucky to be able to attend this lecture right at the start of the semester!"

"I like this lecture on science fiction films. I think only Wu Chen can talk about this in China; other directors can't do it."

"Cherish it while you can, your senior will graduate next year, and you probably won't see him so easily again."

"."

The various group chats were quite lively.

At that moment, Zhang Huijun stood in his office, holding his phone, looking out the glass window at the bustling students in the school, a smile appearing on his face.

"Old Xu, this is the only thing I can mention to you. You know, Wu Chen is often unable to find the time these days. The Beijing Film Academy has been trying to book this lecture for him for quite a while; we talked to him about it earlier this year, and only now have he had the time."

Zhang Huijun said it half-truthfully.

He wasn't surprised that the Central Academy of Drama also wanted to invite Wu Chen, and he guessed that all the major art schools had the same idea.

This is actually a reflection of the school's soft power.

Because when an industry giant or authoritative expert stands on the podium, universities can enhance their social influence through media and press releases.

For students, parents, governments, and businesses, this is an important indicator for measuring a school's "soft power."

Some lectures are even included in the university's "scientific research, social service, and internationalization" indicators, which affect discipline evaluation and ranking.

Art schools are especially important because they are closest to the industry and their goal is to cultivate truly capable professionals in the field.

The Beijing Film Academy's consistent top ranking among world art schools is largely due to the frequent visits of renowned directors such as Wu Chen, Zhang Yimou, and Chen Kaige to the school to share their experiences.
(End of this chapter)