The director starts by learning from the abilities of renowned directors.

Chapter 151 Settling Accounts: Making Movies Really Makes Money!

August 26, 9:30 pm, the hotel of the "Lucy" film crew in Shanghai.

The main filming locations for "Lucy" are Shanghai, Hong Kong, and New York. Today is the second day since filming began.

Inside the director's room, Fan Bingbing leaned against the headboard, wearing a silk nightgown with a low neckline. She was intently flipping through a script in her hand, while Shen Qing leaned against the headboard next to her, playing on her phone.

Wan Qian will also come over after 11 p.m. She plays a supporting role in the film and is also at the hotel today.

Buzz————

The phone vibrated, and the caller ID showed Chen Zhixi. When Shen Qing was filming in another city, the two often talked on the phone after 9 p.m. to discuss work issues. Shen Qing immediately pressed the answer button.

"The coordination with the cinemas hasn't been going very smoothly," Chen Zhixi said bluntly.

"What's the reason?"

"The fact that cinemas haven't integrated with online seat selection systems means that audiences can't buy tickets online, leading to a lack of online ticketing habits. This lack of online ticketing habits means that cinemas are unwilling to invest, and the limited number of cinemas integrating online ticketing platforms has resulted in a general perception among cinemas that these platforms are worthless."

It sounds like a chicken-and-egg problem, but it's essentially a matter of cultivating user habits.

"Anything else?" Shen Qing asked again.

"How did you know there were other problems?" the person on the other end of the phone asked.

Shen Qing said, "Any new business will face the problem of cultivating user habits. If it's just this one problem, then it's practically no problem at all. So there must be more difficult problems."

The person on the other end of the phone said, "The cinemas aren't just lacking enthusiasm, they're also showing some resistance. No one has explicitly refused; a small number have indicated they can connect immediately, but most are still observing."

"Okay, continue."

"The fundamental contradiction is the issue of cash flow and control. For cinemas, cash flow is the lifeline. When tickets are sold offline, the money goes directly into the cinema's account. When tickets are sold online, the money goes into the online ticketing platform's account. The cinema has to wait for the platform to settle the accounts. However, the cinema's internal accounting takes time, the reconciliation and confirmation process takes time, the handling of bad debts such as ticket refunds takes time, and the financial and tax processes also take time. It may take until the 10th of the following month to settle the previous month's box office. Cinemas are very vigilant about this aspect."

Shen Qing asked, "What about Meituan's group-buying tickets? Don't they also tie up the cinema's cash flow?"

Chen Zhixi said, "Group buying tickets are a way for cinemas to lose money and make a profit. It's a last resort when cinemas can't sell tickets. Most of them are for seats with bad seats. The vast majority of cinemas are also wary of group buying tickets. Many have made it clear that group buying tickets are just a stopgap measure and will not become the main marketing model for cinemas."

Shen Qing thought for a moment and said, "In the end, it's still a matter of traffic. As long as cinemas can see that our Maoyan Movies can really bring audiences to them, then all the problems will be solved."

"Hmm." The person on the other end of the phone responded, "The reason why no cinema has explicitly refused is because our company will be releasing three films in the last quarter of this year. 'Sewing Machine Band' is one thing, but 'Breakup Buddies' is written by you, directed by Ning Hao, and stars Huang Bo, Xu Zheng, Gao Yuanyuan, and Zhao Liying. 'The Great Wall' is directed and starred by you yourself, and is the most anticipated film of the year, without a doubt. The cinemas are worried that if they refuse us, they will be excluded from the preview screenings of these three films, and they are afraid they can't afford it. So they want to wait and see, and unite to persuade us to sell the preview tickets offline like we did with 'Taken 3'."

Fan Bingbing, who was standing next to Shen Qing, had already put down her script and leaned close to Shen Qing's ear to listen to their conversation, looking quite gossipy.

"How many new cinemas opened last year?" Shen Qing suddenly asked.

Without hesitation, the person on the other end replied, "413 companies, 2033 screens."

"What about this year?" Shen Qing asked again.

Chen Zhixi immediately said, "Some media outlets predicted at least 800 companies, most likely 900, and there's a chance it could exceed 1000."

""

Shen Qing said, "What are the difficulties of opening a new cinema? Audiences are used to going to their regular cinemas. They know where to park, what fun things are nearby, and what good snacks are available. They are only willing to go to a new cinema once they are familiar with it. But where does the initial traffic for a new cinema come from? How do you achieve a cold start?"

"You mean, we should start by opening up new cinemas?" Chen Zhixi said on the other end of the phone. "Include the new cinemas in our preview screening plan. Only the newly opened cinemas that we cooperate with can watch the preview films in advance. Other established cinemas will have to wait for the public release. This unique resource can bring initial traffic to the new cinemas."

"There are 3,000 cinemas nationwide, and nearly 1,000 new cinemas opened this year. If Maoyan Movies can establish a foothold in these new cinemas, it will be enough to create a demonstrative effect," Shen Qing said. "We'll create a model, for example, Maoyan Movies selling over 10,000 movie tickets for a new cinema in a single day," and then we'll get the media to publicize it extensively. Then, instead of cinemas being unwilling to cooperate with theater chains, new cinemas will actively seek us out, begging us to connect to their ticketing systems and to install ticket machines on their premises."

Chen Zhixi said, "Dapeng's 'City of Rock' will be released on October 1st. The film is scheduled to have preview screenings starting on September 25th. The Maoyan Movie APP and Maoyan website will launch it two weeks in advance. To be on the safe side, we will release 'City of Rock' first. However, the director and actors of this film are all newcomers and they are not box office draws. It may be difficult to rely on it to sell more than 10,000 yuan in preview screenings per day for newly opened cinemas."

Shen Qing thought for a moment and said, "Let's hold the premiere of 'Sewing Machine Band' at a newly opened cinema that's aiming to be a model for cinemas, on September 25th."

The preview screenings began that day, and the cast and crew of "Sewing Machine Band" held a premiere at a newly opened cinema. I personally went to support Da Peng and boost his popularity.

"It should be feasible. Just announce your schedule on Weibo in advance, telling your fans that you will be at the premiere of the newly opened cinema on September 25th, the first day of the preview screenings, and you will interact with the audience. With your popularity, it shouldn't be a problem to boost the popularity of the newly opened cinema."

The two chatted for a full hour, hanging up at 10:35. Fan Bingbing lost interest in continuing to read the script and snuggled into Shen Qing's arms. Shen Qing embraced her, and the two chatted idly until 11 o'clock. At that moment, there was a soft knock at the door. Fan Bingbing chuckled and got up to open the door. Soon, Fan Bingbing brought Wan Qian into the room.

Wan Qian's hair looked like it had just been washed and blow-dried; she had come over after taking a shower. Shen Qing and Fan Bingbing had also showered, so Shen Qing didn't waste any words and pulled Wan Qian directly onto the bed.

Last night I ate Fan first, tonight I'll eat Qian first.

August 8 at 27am.

A man in his forties walked into Maoyan Cinema Co., Ltd. Chen Zhixi gave him a grand reception. The man's surname was Zhang, and he was the owner of Langfang Oriental Cinema. Oriental Cinema had not yet officially opened, and Boss Zhang was worried about the cinema's opening traffic.

Oriental Cinema is located in Oriental Plaza in Langfang. Oriental Plaza has not been open for long, so the number of customers has not yet increased. Besides, most audiences are used to watching movies at their familiar cinemas.

"Mr. Chen, our Oriental Cinema is very willing to connect to your company's online seat selection system, and we warmly welcome Maoyan Movies to install ticket machines on-site."

After exchanging pleasantries, Mr. Zhang, the general manager of Oriental Cinema, got straight to the point.

"Has the opening date been set?"

Chen Zhixi had previously looked at the information about this cinema. It had nine screens, which was quite large, but the locations were a bit lacking. That's why the owner was so eager to approach them. She knew that many owners would consult a master to calculate the auspicious date for their opening, which was why she asked this question.

"The opening date is set for September 23rd, but we will need your company's strong support in terms of opening traffic. Of course, our cinema will fully cooperate with all of your company's promotional plans."

After a moment of contemplation, Chen Zhixi said, "The original plan for 'Sewing Machine Band' to officially begin its preview screenings was September 25th. How about this, we'll move the preview screening date forward to September 23rd, and the film crew will hold the Langfang premiere at your cinema that morning. If it's convenient for our CEO Shen, he might personally attend to boost the cinema's popularity."

Mr. Zhang's heart skipped a beat. He asked, "The premiere is being held at our cinema? And is the Mr. Shen that Mr. Chen mentioned director Shen Qing? Will Mr. Shen personally attend our cinema on September 23rd?"

Chen Zhixi said, "Whether it can actually happen depends on President Shen's schedule at the time."

Mr. Zhang stood up abruptly, excitedly grasping Chen Zhixi's hand and shaking it repeatedly: "I understand, I completely understand. Regardless of whether Mr. Shen can ultimately make the trip, I will remember Mr. Shen and Ms. Chen's support for our cinema for the rest of my life."

On August 29th, the crew moved to Hong Kong, where they filmed for two days before moving to New York City. The film is aimed at a global market, and many of the actions of the female lead, Lu Qian, wouldn't be appropriate in China, so most of the filming will take place in the United States, meaning the crew will spend more time there.

During filming, more than a dozen cinemas connected to Maoyan Movies' online seat selection system every day, with the fastest progress in Beijing and Shanghai.

The rapid progress in Beijing is due to Maoyan Movies' extensive promotional efforts there. The same reason is the rapid progress in Shanghai, but Gewara's contribution is also important. Shanghai cinemas are more familiar with online seat selection and ticketing. Before Maoyan Movies' promotion in Shanghai, nearly 60 Shanghai cinemas had already connected to Gewara's online seat selection system.

For cinemas in Shanghai, connecting to one platform or two platforms is still the same thing, and the resistance is minimal.

-

In addition, progress in Guangzhou and Shenzhen is also good. Maoyan Movies' promotion team naturally started its promotion in several major box office cities first.

Of all the cinemas connected to Maoyan Movies, the vast majority are newly opened or about to open.

As for the box office performance of "Taken 3", as of September 5, its total box office in mainland China has officially exceeded 11 billion yuan, while its daily box office has officially fallen below 10 million yuan.

The box office revenue in Hong Kong is over 47 million after conversion, and the box office revenue in Taiwan is over 54 million after conversion. Currently, the combined box office revenue of the two places has just exceeded 100 million.

The North American box office has officially surpassed $1.7 million, the overseas box office has surpassed $1.4 million, and the box office in Greater China, converted to US dollars, is approximately $1.8 million. Thus, the total global box office of "Hurricane 3" has surpassed $4.9 million.

Its final global box office should be around $550 million, while its final box office in China will most likely be between 12 billion and 13 billion yuan, which is 200 to 300 million yuan less than "Lost in Thailand". However, because the film's revenue sharing ratio has increased this time, Shen Qing's company may actually receive more money.

The film company is expected to recoup about 37% to 38% of the total box office revenue, which is around 4.5 million yuan. This is a very considerable income. If Hong Kong and Taiwan are included, the total revenue will be around 4.8 million yuan.

The global box office outside of Greater China is expected to be around $3.3 million. Shen Qing will receive 20% of the total box office revenue from this portion, which is likely to be around $3000 million. In addition, the revenue from DVD sales is still uncertain, but based on the usual practice for other films, it is also likely to be around $3000 million. With the addition of revenue from online rights, the total revenue should be around $7000 million.

Previously, the overseas rights to "Hurricane 3" had already been sold for a minimum guarantee of $75 million, which means that the overseas rights alone could bring Shen Qing's company approximately $1.45 million in revenue.

That night, Fan Bingbing lay on Shen Qing's bed, asked Wan Qian to find her a notebook and pen, and then did some scribbling and calculations. Afterwards, she exclaimed to Shen Qing, "Making movies really makes money!"

Wan Qian's mouth was slightly open, stunned by the money-making power of Shen Qing's movies.

"Hmm." Shen Qing was preoccupied with something else and gave a casual reply.

"No, it's you who makes a lot of money from movies. As for the others," Fan Bingbing said, "most of them lose money, and few make money."

Shen Qing hugged Fan Bingbing and sighed, "Actually, making movies isn't a very good business. Even Feng Xiaogang said he would never make movies."

By the time Shen Qing transmigrated, movies were almost finished due to the impact of short videos.

Fan Bingbing curled her lip and said, "What Feng Xiaogang said was a line from the movie 'Kung Fu Hustle,' not his true thoughts. Besides, it's not a good business deal, yet you still jumped in headfirst. You're just being hypocritical!"

He then turned to Wan Qian and asked, "Qianqian, do you think what I said is right?"

Wan Qian smiled.

Shen Qing pulled Wan Qian into his arms and said, "This business may not be very good, but there are so many beautiful women in the industry. If a young girl is pretty enough, the most likely outcome is that she will enter the entertainment industry."

"His mind is full of beautiful women, he's a reincarnated lecher." After saying that, Fan Bingbing looked up at Wan Qian and said, "Qianqian, you should also scold him a couple of times, see how many women he has ruined in his life."

Shen Qing also turned to look at Wan Qian.

Wan Qian said, "If a person has no flaws, he's not human. It's actually quite good that he has a lecherous habit."

Fan Bingbing exclaimed, "Hehe, are you insulting him or praising him?"

Wan Qian said, "I think it's good that he's a bit lecherous. If he weren't, I wouldn't be able to stay by his side right now."

""

After saying that, he rested his head on Shen Qing's chest.

Fan Bingbing couldn't help but roll his eyes when he heard this, but Shen Qing was very happy to hear it. In fact, he knew that Wan Qian was just saying what he wanted to hear and might not really think that way, but that didn't stop him from being happy to hear these words.

The next day, the crew continued filming in New York. That same day, he received calls from Yang Mi and Zhao Liying. Neither of them had anything specific to say, only that they missed Shen Qing and wanted to chat. Suddenly, a question popped into Shen Qing's mind: Who should they cast in "Love is Not Blind"?

In the original timeline, "Love is Not Blind" was about to be released. In this timeline, Shen Qing acquired the adaptation rights to the novel much earlier, which delayed the film's release.

Shen Qing can't continue to cast Bai Baihe as the female lead, so who can take her place?

Yang Mi is a girl from Beijing, so she should be suitable for acting in a movie that relies on witty banter. However, Yang Mi's voice is also very unique. Zhao Liying has a stubborn streak, so she should be able to play Huang Xiaoxian, but upon closer examination, she doesn't seem to be the most suitable choice.

The key point is that Shen Qing doesn't want to discuss this with anyone else. If word gets out and the two of them find out that the female lead was chosen from between the two of them, who knows what kind of conflict might arise.