Huayu: Starting from joining the mainstream entertainment industry in 96

Chapter 448, Section 446: The Wind of Blades Rises, the Might of the World Turns Tide

On the last day of November, the temperature in Beijing was close to zero degrees Celsius. The howling north wind swept up withered leaves, adding a touch of desolation to this ancient city.

However, what was even colder than the weather was the atmosphere inside the New Pictures Film Studio offices.

Zhang Weiping stared at the "China Film News" that had just been delivered to his desk. Wang Sheng's film review column about "Brotherhood of Blades" seemed to be burning with heat, stinging his eyes.

The article's title is simple—"The Bones and Flesh of New Wuxia: A Review of Tsui Hark's 'Brotherhood of Blades'"—but its content carries immense weight.

Wang Sheng did not dwell too much on the sword fights in the film, but instead focused on the word "realism".

He praised Tsui Hark for "putting aside his fantastical imagination and returning to the essence of martial arts – humanity" in this film, analyzing how the daily lives of the Imperial Guards in the film, including "salary, promotion, and infighting among colleagues," collide violently with the romantic symbols of "flying fish robes and embroidered spring knives," creating a unique dramatic tension.

He commented that the fight scenes "abandoned the flying and diving of wires, and pursued the texture of the clash of weapons and the danger between the fights", saying that it "redefined the violent aesthetics of martial arts films in the new millennium".

More importantly, he pointed out that the success of "Brotherhood of Blades" lies in "constructing a believable martial arts world, which is not in the mountains and wilderness, but in the imperial court, and the enemies of the heroes are not the evil cult, but the dark side of the system and human nature."

This film review is less a critique of "Brotherhood of Blades" and more a way for Wang Sheng, using Tsui Hark's words, to launch a slash at "Hero" from afar.

After the preview screening of "Hero" in Shenzhen, although it was a huge hit, the feedback circulating in the industry cast a shadow over Zhang Weiping's mind.

Those who praise the visual aesthetics and color composition are always accompanied by whispers of "thin story", "empty characters" and "form over content".

Wang Sheng's emphasis on the "solid narrative," "well-developed characters," and "realistic texture" of "Brotherhood of Blades" is like stabbing "Hero" in the most vulnerable spot.

"What did the theaters say?" Zhang Weiping asked the publicity manager beside him, rubbing his throbbing temples.

The publicity manager looked troubled and whispered, "Mr. Zhang, the situation isn't good. The scheduling managers from several major cinema chains reported that 'Brotherhood of Blades' is receiving rave reviews, especially on the 'Maoyan' platform, where it has a score as high as 9.0."

They're all waiting for the opening day data for "Brotherhood of Blades." If it performs well, "Hero" might get more screen time later on...

Zhang Weiping slammed his hand on the table: "What are you afraid of? This is Zhang Yimou's movie! It's 'Hero,' which will usher in the era of Chinese blockbusters! Don't they understand?"

The PR manager remained silent, but secretly thought to himself: times have changed.

A few years ago, the title of Imperial Advisor would have been invincible.

But now the market has changed. After the cinema chain reform, those managers are all more cunning than monkeys, only recognizing occupancy rates and box office data.

Wang Sheng's "China Film Prosperity Cinema Circuit" is like a ferocious catfish, stirring up the entire market and forcing other cinema circuits to become more market-oriented.

"Brotherhood of Blades" is backed by Sheng Ying, a major film production company. It already has guaranteed screenings through the "China Film Shengshi" affiliated cinema chain. In addition, the precise marketing and pre-sale hype brought by the Maoyan platform make it inevitable for other cinema chains to follow suit.

What made Zhang Weiping feel even more suffocated was the relentless pressure from "Night at the Museum".

That movie is scheduled for release on December 13th, a week earlier than "Hero". Both are special effects blockbusters, one is a family-friendly fantasy comedy, the other is a heavy historical martial arts film, one has a huge global simultaneous release, while the other is stuck in the domestic market and has received controversial reviews... It's obvious which theater manager will choose.

"Hero" seems to be caught in a carefully woven encirclement: "Brotherhood of Blades" took the lead, diverting audiences and word-of-mouth from the martial arts genre; "Night at the Museum" followed closely behind, crushing it head-on with its stronger entertainment value and global momentum; by the time "Hero" is released, how much market heat and screening space will be left?
Zhang Weiping could only desperately throw money at the problem, using titles like "Zhang Yimou," "Martial Arts Special Effects Blockbuster," and "China's First Truly Artistic Blockbuster" to promote the film in an attempt to reverse its decline.

But he knew in his heart that he had almost lost all his advantages in the hard-fought battle of theatrical distribution channels.

Wang Sheng doesn't play games; he directly used channels and content ecosystem to corner him.

……

October 12th, Sunday.

Despite it being the weekend, almost all of the core members of New Pictures Film Studio were present, and the atmosphere was so tense it was almost palpable.

At 10:00 AM, the box office data for "Brotherhood of Blades" on its opening day, which had been preliminarily verified by the Special Fund Office, finally arrived on the desks of the heads of major film and television companies via fax and internal communication.

Zhang Weiping stared at the thin sheet of paper, his fingers trembling slightly.

Box office figures for "Brotherhood of Blades" on its opening day (Friday, November 29th):
Statistical scope: 3072 valid movie screens nationwide.
Screening share: 61.5%
Opening day box office: 7,650,000 yuan (approximately 765 million yuan)
“Seven million six hundred and fifty thousand…” Zhang Weiping muttered to himself. This number was like a heavy hammer, hitting his heart hard.

He stared intently at those key figures: the number of effective screens nationwide had surged from 2672 six months ago to 3072!
The credit for these 400 new screens goes largely to Wang Sheng's efforts in promoting "China Film Grand Century" and other cross-provincial cinema chains, which have aggressively expanded into second-tier cities in economically strong cities such as Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Shandong, and Guangdong, opening modern multiplex cinemas.

The increase in the number of screens has directly boosted the market's daily box office capacity.

With the screening advantage of Sheng Ying Group and the super high pre-sales brought by Maoyan platform, "Brotherhood of Blades" won more than 60% of the screening rate and won 765 million yuan in box office on its first day with an average ticket price of 15 yuan!

This means that its first-day attendance rate reached an astonishing high level!

This is a phenomenal start that would drive any film company crazy!

It not only proves the quality and market acceptance of "Brotherhood of Blades" itself, but also confirms the powerful closed-loop combat capability formed by Wang Sheng's "Shengying Model" - from content production (genre film exploration) to channel control (theatrical layout) and publicity and marketing (Maoyan platform, film review guidance).

In contrast, while Heroes enjoys a great reputation, it appears so pale and powerless when faced with specific market data.

Zhang Weiping seemed to already see how, starting next week, cinema managers across the country would frantically increase the screenings of "Brotherhood of Blades," while the prime screenings and screens originally promised to "Hero" were disappearing at a visible speed.

“Wang Sheng…” Zhang Weiping squeezed out the name through gritted teeth, a chilling feeling mixed with anger, resentment, and a hint of powerlessness rising up his spine.

He knew that in the battle for the Lunar New Year film season, the scales had already tipped severely the moment the first shot was fired and "Brotherhood of Blades" was unsheathed.

The 765 million yuan earned by "Brotherhood of Blades" is not just a box office figure, but also a prelude to the massive market avalanche that is pressing down on "Hero".

(End of this chapter)