It's reasonable for me to be a three-time Golden Horse Award-winning director and an all-around

Chapter 292 Excessive Marketing Will Inevitably Backfire! Meeting the "King of Comedy!" (Seeking Monthly Tickets)
"This morning, the list of the first batch of outstanding post-80s elites selected by the Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee was officially announced. Congratulations to Lu Rui, Chairman of Rui Vision, for being on the list!"

"As of now, casting for 'The Witch' has been successfully completed, and the film will feature a cast including Liu Yifei, Tanya Roberts, Hugo Weaving, Henry Cavill, Ma Sichun, Bai Bing, and Ni Dahong."

"In its opening weekend, the film 'Secret,' directed by and starring Jay Chou, successfully surpassed the 10 million mark at the box office!"

"The action film 'Flash Point,' directed by Ye Weixin and starring Donnie Yen and Louis Koo, grossed 356 million on its opening day."

"The art-house romance film 'The Equation of Love and Death,' starring Fan Bingbing, grossed 547 million yuan on its opening day!"

...

In August, the film market was bombarded with a barrage of news, and the changes in the box office rankings were particularly nerve-wracking for the entire industry.

"Excessive marketing will inevitably backfire!"

This concept was a conclusion that Lü Rui came to in his previous life after combining the publicity and distribution cases of many movies.

Therefore, during the early promotion of "The Equation of Love and Death", he specifically instructed Cao Baoping and the distribution team of Enlight Media not to use any extremely exaggerated gimmicks.

Simply promote the plot and leverage Fan Bingbing's popularity for appropriate promotion.

And the current results have proven that his plan was correct!

After its release, "The Equation of Love and Death" received unanimous praise from the audience.

However, looking back at the "Secret" series, which had been heavily marketed in the early stages, it ended up being a huge flop.

Edko Films, the distribution company, once targeted the topic of Jay Chou's self-directed and self-acted film, as well as the gimmick of a musical fantasy film, for hype.

At the same time, even the topic of Jay Chou and Du Lunmei dating was pushed to the forefront.

Unfortunately, the film received a lukewarm reception after its release.

Apart from a group of fans clamoring to fully support it, the general public doesn't care about this film at all.

Jay Chou's attempt to transition from singing to acting and directing has been completely shattered.

On the other hand, the box office performance of "Flash Point" of more than 300 million yuan also dealt a heavy blow to Donnie Yen!
It's worth noting that this movie had an investment of 7000 million RMB, and based on the current trend, the final total box office will at most reach 4000 million RMB.

You don't even need to do the math to know that this movie is going to be a huge flop!
Even though the production company aggressively marketed the action scenes as the best on the market, no audience was willing to buy into it.

If Jackie Chan doesn't die, who will dare to claim to be the synonym for "kung fu"?
Although Li Lianjie has a controversial reputation, his fame is undeniable, and the movies he stars in already have a built-in fan base.

On the other hand, what does Zhen Zidan have?

Many mainland viewers have never even heard of him, let alone watched his movies.

Thus, against the backdrop of other films released at the same time, "The Equation of Love and Death," a pseudo-commercial film that combines artistic quality with suspenseful tension, stood out and became the biggest dark horse of the summer season!
And the one who benefits the most is undoubtedly the lead actress, Fan Bingbing.

In the film, she portrays Li Mi, a female taxi driver who endures the torment of waiting and perseveres in despair, with remarkable depth and nuance.

The pain of a missing lover, the elation and panic upon discovering clues, the devastation and relief after uncovering the truth... every emotional shift is natural, smooth, and highly infectious.

Especially the scene where she breaks down and cries at the police station.

In the footage, she completely shed her usual glamorous aura, her face was haggard but her eyes were burning, perfectly portraying the character's helplessness and resilience!

In a short time, Fan Bingbing, who originally became popular because of her looks and popularity, unexpectedly gained a reputation as a "talented actress".

Major media outlets published articles praising her for successfully breaking through her own limitations and possessing both beauty and talent...

But this situation completely broke Zhou Xun's defenses!

It should be noted that the role of "Li Mi" should have belonged to her, but Fan Bingbing snatched it away halfway.

Now, seeing the other party rise to fame, her resentment and unwillingness have only grown stronger!

Over the years at Huayi, she has always lived amidst various competitions, and resources have never been allocated to her.

Now, Fan Bingbing, after leaving the company, has successfully transformed into a "talented actress" with an art film, while I am trapped in the internal resource squabbles of Huayi Brothers, with no hope of a breakthrough...

In an instant, a thought quietly took root in her mind:
"Huayi is such a lousy place, it's a complete shoddy operation. Instead of wasting our time here, we should find a chance to rebel against them!"

Once this idea popped into my head, it started to grow wildly like weeds.

A resolute glint flashed in Zhou Xun's eyes. After filming "Painted Skin," she was determined to leave Huayi Brothers and find a platform that would truly value her and provide her with high-quality resources.

At worst, I'll just go it alone!

Who is afraid of whom!

"Achoo! Achoo! Achoo..."

Upstairs in his office, Wang Zhonglei was sneezing uncontrollably, and it took him a long time to stop.

"What the hell is going on lately? Why am I sneezing so much? Who the hell is talking behind my back?"

……

After the auditions for "The Witch" concluded, the production team immediately began a week-long intensive training program.

During this period, the lead actors need to repeatedly rehearse moves and refine their scenes under the guidance of the action director, and go all out to prepare for the pre-shooting rehearsal.

Of course, as the producer, Lü Rui didn't need to be involved. However, he was still quite busy.

Besides occasionally drawing storyboards for Jiang Wen's "Let the Bullets Fly," there was another very important matter that had been piling up for a long time, which he needed to handle personally.

Benshan Holding Co., Ltd., Shenyang, Liaoning Province.

Lü Rui led Hou Hongliang through Shanhaiguan and finally met Zhao Benshan, the "King of Comedy" who was rarely seen in the entertainment industry.

Since filming "Falling Leaves Return to Their Roots" last year, he has not appeared in public again, but instead returned to work on "Country Love 2".

Lu Rui admired him from the bottom of his heart!
Born into humble circumstances, he lost his mother when he was young and his father left for distant lands. He was practically an orphan venturing into the world, a truly disastrous start!

But through his own hard work, he rose from a folk opera performer to the Spring Festival Gala stage, becoming a household name as the "King of Comedy Sketches"!
Now he is a producer, director and lead actor all in one, his talent is like the Yellow River flowing endlessly, and he has created a film and television ecosystem that belongs to the Zhao family!

This skill is absolutely amazing!
"Haha, Director Lü, welcome, welcome, a warm welcome."

In the office, Zhao Benshan saw his secretary leading Lü Rui and Hou Hongliang in. He immediately stood up and strode forward to greet them, his face full of the typical Northeastern enthusiasm and generosity.

"Haha, Teacher Zhao, it's great to finally meet you."

Lu Rui reached out and shook his hand tightly, feeling the thickness and strength of the other's palm.

In fact, Zhao Benshan is only 50 years old this year, in his prime, but because of his appearance, he looks exceptionally mature.

"Sit down, sit down!"

After exchanging pleasantries, Zhao Benshan warmly invited Lü Rui and Hou Hongliang to sit down and instructed his secretary to pour tea.

However, after only a few words, seeing the clock hand pointing to noon, he immediately slapped his thigh again:
"Come on! Director Lü, I've set up a table at the hotel. Let's eat and chat over there!"

"Do not bother……"

Lü Rui politely declined.

"Hey! What's the trouble?" Zhao Benshan grabbed his shoulder and started walking out without saying a word. "Since you're here, you're a friend. How can we let our friends talk business on an empty stomach? We have to go!"

Lu Rui, who was from the three northeastern provinces, was all too familiar with the unavoidable hospitality of the Northeasterners, so he simply didn't refuse any further.

Moreover, the atmosphere at a dinner table is often more relaxed than in the office, making it easier to achieve twice the results with half the effort when discussing business.

Zhao Benshan didn't arrange for any extra people to accompany him for drinks; he simply called the manager in charge of the Zhao family's TV drama business.

Inside the private room, large platters of Northeastern Chinese dishes filled the entire table, including many rare and unusual items that are hard to find in the market, and most of them came from the mountains.

After several rounds of drinks and dishes, the atmosphere gradually became lively.

Seeing that the time was right, Lü Rui took the initiative to mention the core purpose of his trip:
"Teacher Zhao, I'm here today to talk to you about the online broadcasting rights for the TV series 'Liu Laogen,' 'Ma Dashuai,' and 'Country Love,' as well as the classic sketches and Errenzhuan works of your Zhao Family Troupe. We at Ruishijie want to acquire the exclusive online distribution rights."

To be honest, even if he went to visit in person, Lü Rui wasn't very confident.

After all, in the current Chinese TV drama market, there are several big names whose works have no trouble selling.

Zhao Benshan was one of them.

This is because he not only has a deep partnership with CCTV, but also has a well-established network of connections in the three northeastern provinces, and even wields considerable influence throughout the northern market.

Furthermore, given that Zhao's troupe has always been conservative and insists on a workshop-style business model of "producing and distributing their own products," it is easy to imagine how difficult it would be to get a share of the pie from them.

However, to Lü Rui's surprise, Zhao Benshan was unusually straightforward after listening to his request.

He waved his hand dismissively, his tone crisp and decisive: "No problem! Anyway, it doesn't matter who gets these copyrights. It's an honor for my Zhao family to cooperate with the renowned Ruishijie!"

In fact, Zhao Benshan had long had this idea.

Because he had done some research during this period, especially after seeing that Deyun Club's crosstalk became a hit on online platforms and then in turn supported offline performances, he keenly realized the potential of online channels.

Although he came from the countryside, he had been in the industry for decades and had long since developed a keen eye for trends.

A new era is dawning, and those who cling to traditional distribution models will inevitably be eliminated sooner or later.

With its resources in cinema chains, film and television production, and online channels, Ruishijie is the best partner for Zhao's team to break through its future bottlenecks!
Instead of remaining stagnant, it's better to bravely step out.

Lu Rui hadn't expected things to go so smoothly.

After a moment of stunned silence, he immediately raised his glass and said, "Teacher Zhao, I'd like to toast you to thank you for your trust in Ruishijie!"

But the next second, Zhao Benshan gently pressed his hand down, a shrewd glint in his eyes: "Chairman Lü, please don't be in such a hurry. I have another favor to ask."

"Please tell me."

Lu Rui's heart skipped a beat; he knew the real key had arrived.

Zhao Benshan put down his wine glass, leaned forward slightly, and said in a sincere tone with a hint of expectation:

"To be honest, our Zhao Family Troupe has reached a bottleneck in its development, and now we also want to move towards the broader field of the big screen."

And my apprentices, besides acting in TV dramas and performing Errenzhuan (a traditional Chinese folk art form), are all talking about wanting to try their hand at the big screen. I wonder if Chairman Lü would be willing to give them a hand?

(End of this chapter)