Huayu: Starting from joining the mainstream entertainment industry in 96

Chapter 394, Section 392: Mysterious Power from the East
The atmosphere was somewhat somber in a small conference room in the marketing department of New Line Cinema in Los Angeles.

The California sun shines brightly outside the window, but it seems unable to penetrate the gloom in everyone's hearts.

Zhao Jingsong, the head of Shengying Media's publicity team in the United States, is a capable man in his early thirties who studied media in North America. He is frowning as he browses the latest media data and theater feedback.

The furry prehistoric behemoth, Ice Age, practically drained the oxygen from the North American film market in late March.

The entertainment sections of major media outlets are filled with praise for the persistent squirrel, while "Shaolin Soccer," a fantasy comedy from the East, lacks heavy-duty promotional resources and is like a pebble thrown into the ocean, only causing a slight ripple in some Asian communities and cult film circles.

At New Line Cinema, Karen Lee, the head of marketing and distribution for the "Shaolin Soccer" project, also looked very serious.

Although she is of Chinese descent and has a natural understanding of film content, within New Line Cinema, resources are tilted towards films that are clearly destined to be hits.

The unexpected success of Ice Age led to a further reduction in the budget and media coverage she was able to secure for Shake Soccer.

“Zhao, the situation is not optimistic.” Karen pushed a report in front of Zhao Jingsong. “The number of screens for the opening weekend has been reduced to 60% of the original plan.”

Mainstream film critics showed little interest, and even those who did mostly focused on bland or slightly negative comments like "a peculiar visual mix" or "cultural barriers." Following this trend, we are very likely to…

She didn't finish her sentence, but the meaning was clear: a one-day run in theaters, followed by a quick removal from the screens, ending in a dismal box office performance.

After a moment's thought, Zhao Jingsong remembered the latest instructions from General Manager Wang.

"Non-mainstream," "special channels"... these words swirled in his mind.

“Karen,” Zhao Jingsong tapped the table, his eyes sharpening, “conventional advertising campaigns and film critic screenings have limited effectiveness under the pressure of Ice Age.”

We must change our approach and use a more incisive, faster, and more engaging way to bring "Shaolin Soccer" into the public eye.

"What are your thoughts?" Karen asked.

"Rant," Zhao Jingsong uttered two words, "in the form of a stand-up comedy."

"Stand-up comedy?" Karen was slightly taken aback.

“That’s right!” Zhao Jingsong’s thoughts became clearer and clearer. “It’s not the kind of serious recommendation, but one that’s full of exaggerated shock, confusion and complaints!”

Have you seen those scenes in the movie where they use kung fu to play soccer? For the average American viewer who's completely unfamiliar with this concept, the first reaction would definitely be, "WTF? What the hell is that?"

What we need to do is not to explain, but to amplify this 'WTF' shock in an entertaining way!

He quickly turned on his computer and pulled up information on several shows: "For example, 'The Daily Show with Jon Stewart'! Right now, they're going all out to criticize politics, but they also have a taste for popular culture. Their style is sharp, satirical, and gets straight to the point."

We can try to get them to approach the topic from the angle of 'interpreting a mysterious footballing power from the East' or 'no wonder the Chinese team made it to the World Cup!'"

This approach is extremely tricky.

The 2002 FIFA World Cup in Japan and South Korea is about to open at the end of May, and the global football fever is heating up.

The fact that the Chinese national men's football team, under the leadership of the legendary coach Bora Milutinovic, made history by entering the World Cup finals for the first time is a hot topic in the global sports world, especially in the United States, a country where the influence of football (in the English style) is not as great as that of American football or basketball, but is steadily growing, and which has a large immigrant population that follows the World Cup.

Making a nonsensical connection between the exaggerated and unrealistic "kung fu football" in "Kung Fu Soccer" and the historic event of the Chinese team's first qualification for the World Cup undoubtedly has strong topicality and dissemination potential.

"I see what you mean!"

Karen's eyes lit up too. "It's like...like finding a cultural singularity and using explosive吐槽 (tu cao, a form of humorous commentary) to spark curiosity."

The goal isn't to make them believe the kung fu in the movie is real, but to pique their interest in the film through this absurd connection and visual spectacle!

"That's right!"

Zhao Jinsong stood up excitedly, “We’ll immediately prepare a ‘roasting material package’ and edit out the most exaggerated and physics-defying football kung fu scenes in the movie, such as the classic ‘light-footed water-walking dribbling,’ ‘powerful Vajra leg shot,’ and the scene where the goalkeeper uses Tai Chi to make the opposing striker dizzy.”

Then, we proactively contacted the writing teams of shows like *The Daily Show*, providing them with this material and our 'theory'—'Mysterious Eastern forces helped Chinese football qualify for the World Cup, and the evidence is in this movie!'

This was undoubtedly a risk.

But as Mr. Wang said, when conventional paths are blocked, we must come up with unconventional solutions.

Zhao Jingsong and Karen immediately divided the work.

Zhao Jinsong led his team to work overnight to produce a "complaint material package," which not only included high-definition clips but also some highly guiding "notes," such as:

"Look closely at this bicycle kick; it's rumored to be a secret project in Chinese youth football training," and "Research shows that watching this clip will fundamentally change your understanding of football," etc., are all extremely ironic and humorous.

Karen then used her connections to urgently contact the writing team of "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart." Initially, they weren't enthusiastic about this "forced" movie promotion material.

But when Karen emphasized that it was related to current hot topics such as the "World Cup" and "China's historic breakthrough," and that the material itself was visually striking and comedic, the other party became interested.

……

A few days later, a miracle happened.

In a late March episode of "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart," midway through the program, Jon Stewart, as usual, used his signature raised eyebrow and helpless expression to joke about recent current events.

After discussing political topics, he changed the subject:
"Okay, guys, let's lighten things up. We all know the World Cup is coming this summer. (Crowd cheers) Yes, yes, it's exciting."

Moreover, this year, a team made history by qualifying for the finals for the first time... and that's... the Chinese team! (There were some surprised murmurs and discussions from the audience.)

Jon made an exaggeratedly confused expression: "I know, I know, this is a bit surprising."

After all, in most people's minds... (He shrugged, everything was understood without saying a word).

But! Recently I received some… uh… 'academic materials'? (Laughter from the audience) That might explain everything.

The big screen began playing a compilation of highlights from "Kung Fu Soccer" prepared by Zhao Jinsong's team.

The first shot is Stephen Chow playing the Fifth Senior Brother, delivering a powerful kick that sends the soccer ball flying into the goal like a cannonball, tearing the net apart. The goalkeeper dramatically slides down the goal frame.

"Wow!!!" Jon Stewart's eyes widened, and he made an extremely shocked expression at the camera. "My God! This...is this the secret training method of Chinese football?! This isn't playing football, it's launching surface-to-surface missiles! (The audience bursts into laughter)"

Next is a scene of players dribbling across the water as if walking on flat ground, causing defenders to fall into the water one after another.

"Look! They don't even need grass! They can train on water! No wonder their movements are so... graceful! (The audience laughs again)"

Then the goalkeeper used Tai Chi to deflect the incoming football in the air like kneading dough, creating a Tai Chi pattern before easily catching it.

"Oh! Look at this defense! This isn't goalkeeping anymore, it's a philosophical dialogue with the ball!" (Jon imitates a Tai Chi movement, eliciting even louder laughter.)

The short two-minute montage, coupled with Jon Stewart's precise and hilarious commentary, perfectly showcases the whimsical, exaggerated, and comedic style of "Shaolin Soccer".

He didn't directly recommend the movie, but instead used a "sudden realization" tone to link the film's absurd premise with the real-life topic of the Chinese team qualifying for the World Cup, creating a strong comedic effect and memorable moments.

It's similar to the reaction of the guy with hyperthyroidism when he watched "Shaolin Soccer".

At the end of the show, Jon shrugged and said to the camera, "So, maybe we've all misunderstood football before. It might not just be about skill and teamwork, but also... uh... inner strength?" (The audience burst into laughter)
If you want to learn more about this 'new' football philosophy, perhaps you can check out the movie called "Kung Fu Soccer".

At least, it'll make you laugh until your abs hurt before the World Cup even starts. (Pause) I swear, this is definitely not the Chinese team's actual tactics manual...maybe.

The program had an immediate and significant impact upon airing.

The Daily Show with Jon Stewart is a highly influential talk show among young people and intellectuals in the United States, generating tremendous exposure and discussion.

The clips were quickly shared and spread on various forums and blogs in the early days of the internet.

Headlines were mostly like, "Shocking! China's World Cup secret weapon exposed!" "Daily Show reveals the mystery of Eastern football!" "After watching this, I feel like all the football I've watched before was fake!"

This viral spread precisely targeted young netizens who crave novelty, love to criticize, and are sensitive to popular culture.

"Hahaha, Jon has gone mad! But I really want to see if this movie is really that outrageous!"

"So the Chinese team got into the World Cup because of their kung fu skills? What a logical genius!"

"This movie looks silly, but it seems kind of funny?"

"Anyone want to go as a group? Let's treat it as a warm-up for the World Cup!"

"Stephen Chow? I know him! The king of comedy in Hong Kong! His movies are just like that, nonsensical but very funny!"

The heated discussions online have even influenced some traditional media outlets and film critics.

Some entertainment reporters and independent film critics who previously ignored "Shaolin Soccer" have also begun to watch the film with curiosity and scrutiny.

New Line Cinema and Sheng Ying team keenly seized this trend and quickly adjusted their online promotion strategy. They also started playing with the "KungFuFootball" meme on official channels (if any) and partner media to guide everyone to explore the "truth".

(End of this chapter)