Huayu: A Commercial Director

Chapter 363 The Smoke-Filled Lunar New Year Film Season
The Golden Horse Awards have caused quite a stir, at least domestically. Chen Shouzhe, who is abroad, has not been greatly affected, and he has already expressed his stance on Weibo.

Just like with the Hong Kong Film Awards, these two brothers need to reflect on their actions together.

He spent almost a month in the United States before returning to China. The post-production of "Operation Red Sea" was not yet finished, and he also had to work on the post-production of Shen Yijie's "Blood Mine".

The Golden Globe nominations are on December 11th, and the awards ceremony is on January 7th. He will be coming to the United States again after New Year's Day.

Of course, if there is no nomination, they will not come. As things stand, the probability of being nominated is very high, and the probability of winning is also very high.

Upon returning to China in December, Huang Bo immediately came to see him.

"Director Chen, you have to help me with this publicity campaign!" Huang Bo said anxiously.

"What, does a Golden Horse Best Actor need me for?" Chen Shouzhe looked at him and couldn't help but laugh.

Huang Bo went to the Golden Horse Awards right after his debut. Generally, the first award you win is called a "protégé".

Huang Bo won the Best New Performer Award and the Best Actor Award at the Golden Horse Awards. He even hosted events there a few times. Overall, he has a very good relationship with the Golden Horse Awards.

It's quite awkward now. After that incident at the Golden Horse Awards, Huang Bo, as a close associate of the Golden Horse Awards, has naturally faced criticism.

The impact on Huang Bo will definitely not be too great, as it has little to do with him.

But his movie is about to be released. What if someone deliberately stirs up trouble and throws mud at him?
It will definitely affect the film's box office performance, so Huang Bo doesn't dare to act recklessly. He has invested a lot in this film and still wants to make a breakthrough.

This year's Lunar New Year film season is packed with strong contenders: Poseidon on the 7th, Alita on the 21st, and Blue Planet II on the 25th—three Hollywood blockbusters releasing at the same time.

The domestic film and television industry is already filled with complaints and everyone is cursing.

The one who received the most criticism was naturally La Dong, and Huang Bo is also complaining about this now.

"Director Chen, please don't make fun of me. I really regret it now. Who knew December would be so competitive? It's all foreign films. The beginning was okay, but Alita: Battle Angel and the second Blue Star movie are no match for it. And then there's director Jiang Wen. There are more than a dozen movies in the same release window. I'm wondering if I should change the release date," Huang Bo said.

"Do you think the higher-ups will allow you to make changes? The Spring Festival film season will definitely be reserved for domestic films. There's a lot of pressure from overseas, and the cinemas are also putting pressure on us. China Film Group is no longer under Chairman Han's control." Chen Shou shook his head.

"Ultimately, it's still China Film Group's problem. They can't do what they used to do and stop these foreign blockbusters." Huang Bo cursed, without naming names, but it was clear who he was referring to.

Chen Shou smiled. Things are different now than before; some people do indeed have a bad reputation in the industry.

He did try, putting many foreign films in undesirable release slots.

March, April, June, and November are all relatively unpopular release dates. China Film Group Corporation, which manages the import and export rights of films, usually puts these films into these periods, releasing several at the same time to compete with each other, thereby protecting domestic films.

But filmmakers abroad aren't stupid either; distributors certainly won't allow that, so they'll compete for prime release dates.

Especially the Spring Festival film season, which is a period that all foreign film companies covet.

They definitely won't get the Spring Festival slot, so we can only settle for second best and ask that their blockbusters be put into the New Year's Day slot, which is their Christmas slot.

Chinese New Year is equivalent to their Christmas, and China Film Group couldn't withstand the pressure and had to compromise.

Aquaman was released on the 7th, and the two movies that followed put a lot of pressure on Huang Bo, whose movie was about to be released. Jiang Wen is probably glad that he guaranteed the minimum for the movie, and all the pressure is now on Alibaba.

“They’re not stupid. They must know the importance of the schedule. And you guys have to go. Even if the competition is strong, you have to step up. I’ll help you with the publicity.” Chen Shou said.

"Really?" "When is the premiere?"

"number 15."

"What about the premiere?"

"number 20."

"Released even earlier than them?"

Chen Shou was somewhat surprised. The 21st was a Friday, so they could eat until the 22nd and 23rd, which were two days off. The 25th was Christmas Day. "Blue Star Man 2" was aiming for the global box office. When the first movie was released, it caused a sensation all over the world. It was the world's first 3D movie and broke various world records.

It was the highest-grossing film in China at the time, but Chen Shouzhe's sudden emergence broke the box office record previously held by foreign films.

Now that the second installment is here, how can domestic filmmakers not be worried?

However, the second film is not as groundbreaking as the first one, which is good news. But there is also bad news: there are more 3D screens in China now. If domestic films don't perform well, they could easily be overshadowed by the first film.

Theaters aren't charities; to cover their enormous expenses, they don't discriminate between foreign and domestic films when scheduling screenings.

Huang Bo clearly chose a good time to strike first. Although there will be a long overlap, if he strikes first and overwhelms the opponent in publicity, he can still compete with them in terms of box office.

"Actually, the filing was moved up; it was originally scheduled for the 24th," Huang Bo said.

"Four days in advance doesn't matter much. If we can't change it, then we'll fight them head-on. I still believe in you," Chen Shou said with a smile.

"Actually, I trust you more." Huang Bo gave a wry smile.

The pressure is immense. While the audience may not feel it, the film industry is in a state of panic, knowing full well that this year's Lunar New Year film season is going to be crushed by foreign films.

The invitations to the premiere were sent out not in Huang Bo's name, but in Chen Shouzhe's name to invite domestic actors.

"It seems Huang Bo is under a lot of pressure."

Inside the China Film Studio, Han Sanping was drinking tea, with Director La sitting next to him. An invitation was on their table, and the two were chatting casually.

“I know everyone is criticizing me, but domestic films can’t be protected forever. Apart from Chen Shouzhe, are there no other films? After getting the news, they were all thinking about how to change the release date. China Film Group also put the second season of Partners on the schedule. But these people just want to desert.” Director La said angrily.

"It's normal to feel pressured, after all, it's all real money invested. They're aiming for world records. How many domestic films can actually go global? Huang Bo's film was already scheduled a long time ago, but you didn't inform him and let him continue with the Lunar New Year release. The same goes for Jiang Wen. With so many films all at once, it's no wonder you're getting criticized. This time, you've really messed things up for Huang Bo and the others." Han Sanping shook his head.

"With Chen Shouzhe's script and Huang Bo's film appeal, they should be able to withstand the pressure."

"What if they can't withstand it? Who do you think they'll blame?"

"It's their own fault for not being ambitious enough."

Han Sanping shook his head. How could he blame himself? If anyone should be blamed, it's you for putting so many foreign films in a popular release window.

Even Chen Shou wouldn't dare to go head-to-head with them. The global film market wouldn't allow two big directors to clash directly. The domestic film and television industry is all waiting to see the show. The premiere will be grand to promote Huang Bo and suppress them in terms of publicity.

(End of this chapter)