Huayu: Starting from joining the mainstream entertainment industry in 96

Chapter 511, page 509: Reverse Output

January 23, 2004, the second day of the Lunar New Year in the Jia Shen year.

While the land of China is still immersed in the languid joy of the Spring Festival, those working in the Chinese film market, especially those insiders who pay close attention to data dynamics, have already keenly felt the pulse of a new era beating with unprecedented strength.

Just after 10 a.m., inside the National Film Development Special Fund Management Committee Office (referred to as the "Special Fund Office") in Beijing, the "National Cinema Box Office Data Statistics System," which was gradually promoted after the cinema chain system reform in 2002 and has been continuously upgraded and improved in the following two years, had already completed the final cleaning and verification of the data from yesterday (Lunar New Year's Eve).

Thanks to the internal informatization construction undertaken by major cinema chains after the reform of the cinema chain system in order to improve management efficiency and achieve accurate revenue sharing, as well as the network access requirements put forward by the Special Fund Office, by the beginning of 2004, the number of cinemas connected to this central data system nationwide had exceeded 800, covering the core cinemas of most mainstream cinema chains, with a total of more than 2700 screens. Although it did not achieve 100% full coverage, it could accurately reflect the real market performance of first- and second-tier core cities and major box office areas.

The progress of technology is obvious.

Although the real-time data transmission was limited by the network infrastructure at the time (most cinemas still used dial-up telephone lines or early ADSL for daily data reporting) and could not achieve the second-level updates of later generations, it was still more than ten times more efficient than the backward methods of relying mainly on manual reports and fax summaries a few years earlier.

Based on the standardized data format exported by various cinema management software (at this time, several professional cinema management software providers had emerged on the market), the system can automatically capture and verify data, and generate a preliminary report data before noon the next day, covering the previous day's national box office, film schedules, average attendance per screening, occupancy rate, and even detailed rankings of core cities.

This data is revolutionary for understanding market trends and formulating film scheduling and promotional strategies.

At 1 p.m., an encrypted file labeled "Preliminary Data Report on the National Film Market on January 22" was distributed to major film companies, cinemas and partner media through the internal channels of the Special Fund Office.

……

That evening, evening newspapers in major cities across the country, from Beijing and Shanghai to Guangzhou and Chengdu, published authoritative data from the Special Fund Office or cited official confirmation from Shengying Media on their entertainment front pages.

The headline in the Beijing Evening News was filled with astonishment: "Spy House Makes a Stunning Debut on New Year's Eve, Scooping 1128 Million Yuan on First Day! Wang Sheng's Hollywood Debut Conquers Domestic Audiences."

The report detailed the data and emphasized: "The fact that such high average attendance and occupancy rates were achieved during the Spring Festival, a time for family reunions, fully demonstrates the powerful influence of high-quality commercial genre films on holiday consumption habits. Director Wang Sheng has delivered a convincing result with his skillful mastery of the Hollywood industrial system and his precise grasp of cross-cultural comedic elements."

The Yangcheng Evening News, on the other hand, focused more on comparison and outlook: "Wang Sheng's 'double-edged sword': 'Spy' broke 10 million on its opening day, and 'Kung Fu' continues to approach 400 million!"

The article states: "This Spring Festival film season has almost become an exclusive showcase for 'Wang Sheng's productions.' His new film 'Spy Kids' uses Hollywood-style high concepts and excellent production as weapons to conquer the market; while his older work 'Kung Fu Hustle' (directed by Stephen Chow) continues to reap box office rewards with its enduring reputation and vitality."

The two complemented each other, jointly supporting the overall box office performance during the Spring Festival season, and demonstrating Shengying Media's absolute dominance in content production and market operation.

The report also specifically mentioned the performance of "Spy Kids" in overseas markets: "It is reported that since its release in North America last December, the film has grossed over $150 million and its global cumulative revenue has exceeded $300 million. Its successful 'hybrid' model (Hollywood star + Eastern director + universal family theme) is regarded as a model operation in the context of cultural globalization."

A commentary in the *West China City Daily* offered a more incisive perspective, with a title directly pointing out a certain industry satire and insight: "Wang Sheng Finds a 'New Way to Play'? Or Is He Invisibly Consuming Imported Revenue-Sharing Film Quotas?" The article half-jokingly analyzed: "When a film deeply involved with mainland capital, directed by a mainland director, and featuring Hollywood stars but whose core is deeply imprinted with the 'Wang Sheng production' mark, achieves huge success in the domestic market under the guise of an 'imported revenue-sharing blockbuster,' we can't help but ask, isn't this a clever way of 'consuming' valuable imported film quotas, while actually opening up a broader world for 'Made in China' cultural content?"
Wang Sheng seems to have found a shortcut to maximize his own interests and cultural influence within the existing rules.

This argument, though somewhat sarcastic, genuinely reflects the astonishment and complex emotions of some industry observers regarding Wang Sheng's trading abilities.

……

Meanwhile, in front of their computer screens, countless young netizens and movie fans are browsing movie information, checking screening schedules, reading movie reviews, or engaging in lively discussions in the website's community section through the "Maoyan Movies" PC website.

After more than a year of operation and deep integration with Tencent's QQ account system, "Maoyan" is no longer the simple thing it was when it was first born.

Its film review community has gathered a large number of core film fans, and its rating system has established considerable credibility among film fans.

Discussions about "Spy House" are popping up everywhere.

"Director Wang is awesome! The action choreography and pacing are so good, it doesn't feel like he's directing a Hollywood blockbuster for the first time!"

"The jokes are plentiful yet not lowbrow, and the interactions between the couple are so realistic—fighting while taking care of the child, hahaha!"

"The IMAX effects are amazing! The opening car chase alone is worth the price of admission! It's a million times better than watching a pirated copy!"

"So it has to be Sheng Ying, it has to be Wang Sheng. If all Hollywood blockbusters are of this standard in the future, I'll welcome them with both hands and feet (doge)."

"The person upstairs is right. It feels like Wang Sheng has set a new benchmark for imported blockbusters. Will those shoddy films still have the nerve to come to the market in the future?"

In these discussions, the joke that "Wang Sheng has found a way to consume the quota of imported blockbuster films" was quoted and used as a meme many times. It quickly spread in the Maoyan community and its associated QQ groups and BBS, becoming a kind of dark humor with pride and recognition.

It subtly points to a fact: in Wang Sheng's hands, the definition and influence of "imported blockbuster films," which were once regarded as a monstrous threat and occupied half of the market, are being quietly rewritten.

They are no longer just symbols of cultural invasion; they can also become stages to showcase the strength of Chinese filmmakers and even to export influence in reverse.

(End of this chapter)