The Rise of Chinese Entertainment in 2008

When Gu Ning boarded the plane to return to China, some domestic media outlets also reported on the news of Gu Ning winning the award.

#Director Chen Kaige suffers a major setback, while a new director turns the tide#

#The Legendary Path of a Prodigy Director from Beijing Film Academy#

#A new generation of directors shines in Berlin, bringing glory to their country by winning the Golden Bear Award#

These headlines were all incredibly sensational, and only Gu Ning could miss them; otherwise, he would have been so embarrassed he'd be scratching his toes.

But these kinds of newspapers sell very well; there's no way around it, the people lack self-confidence these days.

The three major European film festivals are also recognized as authoritative film festivals in the film industry, holding a very special status.

Many casual observers may not even know about the three major film festivals, but after reading the newspapers and learning about their status, they will feel a sense of pride.

It's not that some media outlets haven't tried to grab attention by taking a different approach, but rather by popularizing the prestige of the Golden Bear for Short Films.

But the general public doesn't care about any of that.

The three major film festivals are the most authoritative, and Gu Ning won the highest award for short films, which is awesome.

As for why short films can't compare to feature films, what does that have to do with the general public?

Media reports inevitably mention another film starring Gu Ning.

Many people who didn't know about it went to buy tickets to watch it. Some viewers who had heard of it before but hadn't seen it for various reasons were also influenced by the news and went to the cinema to buy tickets to watch it.

"Lost in Thailand" was released on January 26th, and by the time the news of Gu Ning winning the award was reported by the media, it had been 21 days since its release.

At this point, the box office had reached over 43 million yuan. In recent days, the highest box office was only over one million yuan, and at times it even dropped below one million yuan. Naturally, cinemas have been reducing the number of screenings.

When audiences tried to buy tickets, they found that the few remaining shows were sold out, and even the shows for the following days were sold out.

Currently, the mainstream way to buy tickets is still offline. If audiences who can't buy tickets cause a scene, the cinema will immediately receive a response.

Cinemas certainly won't turn down money; there aren't many good movies showing recently anyway, so changing the schedule is relatively easy.

Some cinemas added screenings that day, while others added screenings for the following day.

Ning Hao, who was busy with promotional activities, looked dejected after receiving the news.

A normal movie roadshow usually lasts for about a week after its release, but if the box office response is good, it can be extended.

But it only lasts for the first twenty days at most; after that, the roadshow becomes almost useless.

However, Ning Hao persisted in his roadshow, all in order to become a director with a box office of over 100 million yuan.

Under his persuasion, the actors were all willing to cooperate.

Actors are very busy, and although their contracts clearly stipulate that they must cooperate with promotions, they are now clearly exceeding the normal range.

This is where the advantages of not using those big-name celebrities become apparent.

Huang Bo is the most famous racer, and he became famous because of Ning Hao's movie "Crazy Stone".

With the actors' cooperation and their hard work in promoting the film, "Crazy Racer" managed to maintain a box office of one million yuan, even though its box office revenue was declining. However, with only a few days left before the film's run ended, it was still able to stay at that level.

With a few days left before it leaves theaters, the box office has already reached over 97 million.

Based on the current box office figures, it will definitely break 100 million before it leaves theaters.

But at that moment, news came back that Gu Ning had won an award.

When cinemas increase screenings for "Lost in Thailand," they naturally have to cut screenings for other films, including Ning Hao's.

"Director Ning, what's wrong?"

Seeing that Ning Hao's expression was off, Huang Bo asked him with concern.

"fine."

Ning Hao felt as uncomfortable as if he had swallowed a fly, but he didn't show it on his face.

"Thank you all for your hard work these past few days. Today marks the end of the roadshow. Take a good rest for the next few days. After the movie finishes its run, we'll have a celebration party, and I'll thank you all properly then," Ning Hao said.

"Director Ning, there are still a few days left. If we stop the roadshow now, won't all our previous efforts be wasted?" Huang Bo said anxiously.

Why do other movies rarely have a promotional tour from beginning to end?

Because the losses outweigh the gains.

The actors' schedules are one factor; if they hadn't wanted to curry favor with Ning Hao, they would have had to pay him for the later roadshows.

Moreover, roadshows also have costs, and the resulting box office increases are unlikely to cover the costs when distributed to the production company.

In this situation, a slight increase in box office revenue is of little significance.

That's why they did it in order to break the record.

"It's useless now."

Ning Hao explained the reasons to the others.

Based on the current film schedule, unless the attendance rate increases, it is impossible for the film to break 100 million yuan before it leaves theaters.

Everyone fell silent upon hearing this.

…………

Although Gu Ning wasn't sleepy at all, he forced himself to take a nap on the plane.

After getting off the plane, he took a deep breath and left the airport with his luggage.

As soon as he came out, he was surrounded by a group of reporters.

Fortunately, airport staff reacted quickly and brought the situation under control in time.

"Thank you all for coming to pick us up. Let's talk over there so as not to obstruct other passengers," Gu Ning said loudly.

Upon hearing this, the reporters cooperated and followed Gu Ning to the side.

"Director Gu, your first film won the Golden Bear for Best Short Film. Will you continue to make short films?"

"Director Gu, many people are very curious about your short film. How can they see it?"

"Director Gu..."

The reporters bombarded her with questions, and Gu Ning selected some to answer. Then, with the help of airport staff, she and Liu Sanxi, who had arrived, evaded the reporters and got into their car to leave.

"These reporters are crazy."

As Liu Sanxi drove, he laughed and said, "Old Gu, you're really famous now."

"It's still a long way from being famous."

Gu Ning shook his head soberly and said, "This is just a temporary surge in popularity. Once the hype dies down in a few days, who will even remember who I am?"

"Being famous for a short time is also a form of fame."

Liu Sanxi asked, "By the way, how much did it sell for? Why are you being so secretive?"

"Not much, only 850,000," Gu Ning said.

"Not bad. I invested 50,000 and made 170,000. A short film can generate more than three times the return. No wonder my dad insisted on sending me to the Beijing Film Academy." Liu Sanxi couldn't help but sigh upon hearing this.

850,000 is nothing to him, but it's just a seven-minute short film.

He followed Gu Ning around from beginning to end, and it didn't take him much effort at all.

"You seem to have some misunderstanding about the prestige of the Berlin Film Festival awards."

Gu Ning said speechlessly, "I was talking about US dollars."

"US dollars? That would be almost..."

"Nearly six million, but we still have to pay taxes," Gu Ning said.

"So many?"

Liu Sanxi exclaimed in shock, "Investing 50,000 and making over a million? That's making money faster than my family's coal mine!"

"There's no comparison between these two things."

Gu Ning shook her head and said, "It's only because it won an award that it wouldn't fetch a good price."

"Too."

Liu Sanxi nodded and said, "By the way, I also have some good news for you. The theaters have increased our screenings."

"That's normal."

Gu Ning was not surprised by this.

"I'm taking you to a great place today, let's have a proper celebration," Liu Sanxi said with a smile.

The short film earned over a million, so the movie will likely earn just as much.

He didn't care about the millions; what mattered was that he earned it himself, and that kind of joy couldn't be satisfied by money alone.

Gu Ning didn't say anything when he heard this. Xu Bing had called him a few times, asking him to go back to China and visit the school.

But it's already past midnight, so I can only go tomorrow.

Liu Sanxi drove to a group of antique-style buildings in the suburbs and stopped.