Nobody knows movies better than me

Chapter 125 The Great Development of the Integrity-Based Cinema Chain

Since the release of "Bad Genius," the number of visitors to more than a dozen Chengxin Plazas across the country has increased significantly.

The most outrageous one is the one in Beijing, which saw a 37% increase compared to the same period last month.

What does 37% mean? Anyone in the commercial real estate business knows that this kind of increase is basically free money.

When Zhang Jun told Ye Bingcheng those words, Ye Bingcheng was actually skeptical. How much could a young man in his twenties possibly know about commercial real estate?

Ye Bingcheng has been in the business world for over twenty years. What kind of people hasn't he seen? The kind of people who can fool him haven't even been born yet.

But Zhang Jun wasn't just fooling him.

He said at the time that cinemas are not just places to show movies, but the engines of commercial complexes.

The movie theater can attract people, and once people come, they will eat, go shopping, and buy things. This whole process brings the square to life.

Ye Bingcheng thought it made sense at the time, but he also felt that things weren't that simple. Just because the cinemas are open doesn't mean people will definitely come.

Will they definitely spend money once they come? That's all uncertain.

Now that the data is here, the unknown has become the known.

Since this path is viable, we should move faster.

He'd heard that companies like Wanda and China Resources were moving quickly; Wanda alone was planning to open more than ten new plazas this year. If Chengxin Group didn't catch up, the gap would only widen.

A few days later, a high-level meeting of Chengxin Group was held.

The conference room was packed with people, all of whom were the group's core executives. Ye Bingcheng sat at the head of the table, listening to the report from the director of the Business Strategy Office.

"Based on our recent research in second- and third-tier cities, we found a significant gap in the supply of commercial complexes in these cities."

The director pointed to the data charts on the projection screen: "Taking the capital of a province in central China as an example, the city previously had only three large-scale commercial complexes, and the per capita commercial area was far lower than that of first-tier cities."

However, the spending power of local residents, especially the younger generation, is rapidly increasing, and they need new places to spend their money.

Ye Bingcheng asked, "What's the situation at Wanda?"

"Wanda is expanding very quickly, but they are mainly focused on first-tier cities. They have not yet entered new first-tier and second- and third-tier cities on a large scale."

The director replied, "If we can enter these markets first, we will have the opportunity to establish a first-mover advantage."

Another executive raised the question: "Can the spending power of these cities keep up? If the plaza is built but no one goes there to spend money, it's a dead project."

The director said, "This is also an indicator that we need to focus on examining."

We have developed a detailed evaluation system that includes more than a dozen dimensions such as local GDP per capita, urban residents' disposable income, growth rate of total retail sales of consumer goods, and the proportion of young people in the population.

Only cities that meet the standards will be considered.

Ye Bingcheng nodded, then asked, "What's the situation on the cinema side?"

The vice president in charge of cinema operations chimed in: "Currently, we have 35 directly operated cinemas, mainly concentrated in first-tier and provincial capital cities."

At the current rate of expansion, we could reach around 75 stores next year. But compared to Wanda, that's definitely slower.

"Is there any way to speed this up?"

"We've studied it, and relying solely on direct operation won't work; the investment is too large and the cycle is too long."

The vice president said, "The Business Strategy Office has proposed a plan to allow local independent cinemas to join the franchise."

We provide brand, management, and technical support to help them upgrade and transform.

This allows for rapid expansion without requiring excessive capital investment.

Ye Bingcheng thought for a moment: "If we franchise, how can we guarantee quality control?"

"We will send a technical guidance team to be stationed on-site to participate in the entire process from equipment procurement to daily operations."

The contract will also stipulate strict assessment standards; those who fail to meet them will be disqualified.

The vice president said, "In addition, franchisees must use our ticketing system and membership system, with data synchronized in real time, which also prevents them from acting recklessly."

Ye Bingcheng glanced around the conference room: "What are the opinions of the others?"

Some people have raised concerns: "Won't the franchise model affect our brand image? What if something goes wrong with one of our stores? It would damage our reputation for integrity."

The vice president replied, "We've considered this issue as well. So initially, we'll strictly control the number of franchisees, get the model working first, and then gradually expand."

Furthermore, we have strict requirements regarding the location, size, and equipment of our franchise stores; not just anyone can come.

Another question arose: "What about the equipment and technology? With Warner out, will our technical team be able to keep things running?"

The vice president said, "Although Warner has withdrawn, its equipment and management system have been left behind, and a group of people have been trained."

We now have our own technical team, so there are no technical problems.

After listening, Ye Bingcheng remained silent for a few seconds.

The meeting room fell silent as everyone awaited his decision.

"The franchise model is worth trying."

Ye Bingcheng began, "But there are three principles. First, quality control must be strict; it's better to have fewer but better products."

Second, directly operated and franchised businesses should be managed separately, not mixed together.

Third, we must keep the data in our own hands; this is the bottom line.

The vice president nodded: "Understood."

Ye Bingcheng continued, "Regarding commercial complexes, we need to continue to expand our presence in second- and third-tier cities, but we also need to control the pace."

Every project requires a detailed feasibility analysis; don't act impulsively.

The director of the Business Strategy Office should come down.

After the meeting, Ye Bingcheng returned to his office and called Ye Xiaoyi again.

"Dad, what's wrong?"

On the other end of the phone, Ye Xiaoyi sounded quite energetic.

"Have you had enough rest since you returned to China?"

"I've had a good rest and I'm already at the company today."

"7

Ye Bingcheng smiled and said, "So eager? Why not stay a few more days?"

"What's the point of playing? I've already wasted two years."

Ye Xiaoyi said, "He Xuan just gave me a report on the company's situation. It has been developing quite well in the past few years."

Ye Bingcheng asked, "Where's that kid Zhang Jun?"

"He's doing a roadshow in Shanghai; I plan to go see him tomorrow."

Ye Bingcheng nodded and said, "Go ahead, listen to his thoughts. That kid is quick-witted and has a good eye for things."

Ye Xiaoyi smiled and said, "Dad, you think so highly of him now?"

Ye Bingcheng said, "It's not that the evaluation is high; it's that facts have proven him right. Many of the ideas in the cinema development plan we discussed in the meetings these past few days were ones he had proposed before."

Ye Xiaoyi laughed and said, "Then I definitely need to go find him."

"Go ahead, and please pass on a message for me."

Ye Bingcheng said, "I'll just say I'm inviting him to dinner, and that he can come over to my house for a visit once he's finished with this busy period."

Ye Xiaoyi agreed and hung up the phone.

Meanwhile, Shanghai.

The promotional tour for "Bad Genius" is underway.

This stop was a large cinema in Shanghai. After the 3 p.m. screening, Zhang Jun and his creative team appeared in the theater.

Yang Mi stood next to Zhang Jun, and several young actors including Wen Zhang, Jiang Yan, and Wang Kai were also present.

The theater was packed with audience members, mostly young people. When Zhang Jun and his group came out, they burst into applause and cheers.

The host, from the local television station, briefly warmed up the audience before moving on to the Q&A session.

The first audience member called was a bespectacled young man. He stood up and asked, "Director Zhang, I'd like to ask, how did you come up with the idea of ​​cheating on the piano in the movie?"

Zhang Jun held the microphone, thought for a moment, and said, "Actually, I just wanted to find a different way to cheat."

If it's still the same old trick of passing notes and using secret codes, it won't be interesting for the audience.

Playing the piano requires rhythm, visual appeal, and suitable music to create a truly beautiful effect.

The boy then asked, "Did you ever cheat in school?"

A burst of laughter filled the theater.

Zhang Jun laughed: "No, that's not true. When I was in school, my grades were pretty good. I was similar to Lin Wei and Cheng Qi in the movie, and no rich kids ever asked me to cheat."

Yang Mi chimed in, "His grades are more than just good; he got into Tsinghua University through the national college entrance examination."

Because of Zhang Jun's academic background and grades, many online discussions suggest that the story of "Bad Genius" reflects aspects of his own life. Indeed, those who can get into top-tier universities like Tsinghua University are all academic superstars.

Although a wave of the "education is useless" theory has emerged in society in the past two years, the general public still admires those who excel in education.

Seeing the admiring and adoring looks from the audience, Zhang Jun waved his hand and said, "That's all in the past. Now I'm just a moviemaker."

The next few questions all revolved around the plot, some asking about Chen Qi's character, others about the final scene, and Zhang Jun answered them one by one.

A girl asked Yang Mi, "How was filming this movie? Was there anything special about working with Director Zhang?"

Yang Mi glanced at Zhang Jun and said with a smile, "I feel like he's very strict, really, extremely strict. There was one scene that I filmed more than a dozen times, and he was still not satisfied, making me do it again and again."

I almost cried at the time, but after watching the final cut, I realized he was right to insist.

Zhang Jun, who was standing next to her, said, "That scene of hers was indeed quite difficult. She had to get the emotions right, but she couldn't overdo it."

By the tenth take, it was pretty much done, but I felt it could have been even better. And she lived up to expectations, getting better and better with each take.

Yang Mi said, "Look, he remembers exactly how many takes he filmed."

Another burst of laughter filled the theater.

After the Q&A session, it was time for autographs and photos. Zhang Jun sat behind a table, signing posters handed out to the audience, occasionally looking up to chat with people.

A boy came over with a DVD of "About Time" and said, "Director Zhang, I'm a big fan of yours. I've seen all of your movies. I've also seen this one, 'Bad Genius,' and it's really great."

Zhang Jun signed his name and handed it back, saying, "Thank you for your support."

The man then asked, "What's your next project? Can you give us a hint?"

Zhang Jun smiled and said, "I'm still thinking about it. I'll announce it when I've made up my mind."

The boy nodded and left, satisfied.

After the roadshow ended, Zhang Jun and his team left the cinema; it was already dark.

Yang Mi followed Zhang Jun and asked, "What are we having for dinner?"

, 7

Zhang Jun said, "Whatever, you decide."

Yang Mi thought for a moment and said, "Let's go eat hot pot then. I know a good one nearby."

Zhang Jun nodded: "Okay, let's invite Wen Zhang and the others along."

Yang Mi responded and took out her phone to call someone.

Zhang Jun was thinking about his work schedule for the next two days when his phone rang.

"Hey, senior, I'm arriving in Shanghai tomorrow, will you still be there?"

Zhang Jun said, "Yes, there's another match tomorrow."

"Okay, I'll call you when we arrive."

Zhang Jun hung up the phone, and Yang Mi, after finishing her call, came over and asked, "Is Ye Xiaoyi coming tomorrow?"

Zhang Jun nodded.

Yang Mi glanced at him, seemed to want to say something, but then didn't.

Zhang Jun noticed her expression and asked, "What's wrong?"

Yang Mi shook her head: "It's nothing, I just think she's pretty amazing, she stayed abroad alone for two years."

"7

Zhang Jun said, "She's quite impressive; she's learned a lot. She'll probably be more involved in Guanzhi Pictures' affairs in the future."

Mimi hummed in agreement and didn't say anything more.