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

Chapter 153 Disrupting the Industry, a Box Office Dark Horse

On September 16th, Maoyan Movies sold 15,000 movie tickets for the Oriental Cinema in Langfang and 17,000 movie tickets for the Poly International Cinema in Beijing. Both of these are newly opened cinemas and were selected by Maoyan Movies for promotional purposes. They were also the venues for the premieres of "Sewing Machine Band" in Langfang and Beijing, respectively.

On that day, Maoyan Movies sold a total of 21 movie tickets nationwide, with total sales exceeding 700 million yuan.

The total number of cinemas signed by Maoyan Movies has exceeded 300, but most of them are still in the stage of connecting the system, installing equipment and debugging. There are only about 100 cinemas that have actually started online seat selection and ticket sales.

Of the 100 cinemas that have officially started online seat selection, the preview screenings of "Sewing Machine Band" generally account for about 10% of the total screenings, with only two premiere cinemas being exceptions. The two premiere cinemas have preview screenings exceeding 90%, and Shen Qing will be present on the premiere day to support the film crew, so the screenings are particularly popular. Other cinemas across the country are relatively quiet.

However, the quietness is relative to the two premiere theaters. In fact, excluding those two theaters, the achievement of selling 18 movie tickets is still quite impressive in the eyes of industry insiders.

The media headlines were quite sensational: "Maoyan Movies: The Strongest Business Model in the Film Industry?"

"The day when all cinemas will submit to Maoyan is not far off."

"Selling 21 movie tickets in one day, Maoyan Movies demonstrates its potential to completely disrupt the industry!"

Maoyan Movies sold 1.7 and 1.5 movie tickets for two cinemas within 24 hours, setting a very powerful example. Yesterday, Maoyan Movies was the one asking cinemas to allow them to access their ticketing system; after today, it should be the newly opened cinemas that are taking the initiative to ask Maoyan Movies to access their ticketing system.

It's not just newly opened cinemas; many established cinemas are also facing a significant decline in revenue. With 3,000 cinemas nationwide, an estimated 900 new cinemas are expected to open this year—nearly a third of the total. What industry can withstand such competition? Under immense pressure to perform, cash flow and payment terms become less important; the priority is getting audiences back to the cinema!

Maoyan Movies' expansion across the country has seen a significant acceleration.

On September 20th, filming for the movie *Lucy* officially wrapped after nearly a month of shooting, and Shen Qing led the crew back to China.

When Shen Qing went to the company, Chen Zhixi handed the contract to Shen Qing for signature.

The online rights to "My Love from the Star" were sold to iQiyi for 200 million yuan per episode, totaling 4200 million yuan.

The online rights to "Legend of Lu Zhen" were sold to Tencent Video for 150 million yuan per episode, totaling 6750 million yuan.

The online rights to "Boss & Me" were sold to Youku for 150 million yuan per episode, totaling 4950 million yuan.

The online rights to "The Romance of Tiger and Rose" were sold to Sohu Video for 75 yuan per episode, totaling 1800 million yuan.

The authorization period is five years.

The total amount for the four dramas is 1.77 million yuan, and it will only be finalized after Shen Qing signs it.

Shen Qing trusts Chen Zhixi, but when it comes to major transactions, his signature as the legal representative and chairman is an essential procedure.

On the morning of September 23, Shen Qing and Chen Zhixi went to Langfang Oriental Cinema to attend the Langfang premiere of "Sewing Machine Band". The cinema owner, Zhang Hong, personally went to the underground parking lot to welcome Shen Qing, and then took the elevator with Shen Qing. During the process, he nodded and bowed and said a lot of words of thanks.

Since September 16, Maoyan Movies has sold nearly 40,000 movie tickets for Oriental Cinema, generating 1.3 million yuan in sales. 95% of these were advance screening tickets for "City of Rock". This is pre-sale box office; the movie hasn't even been released yet, and this one cinema alone has already sold over 1.2 million yuan in box office revenue.

This was something we wouldn't have dared to imagine before. The original agreement was that theaters would only be allowed to sell tickets offline two days before the release, but in reality, by the time tickets were sold out two days before the release, most of them had already been sold.

The premiere was a lively affair, with stars like Dapeng, Qiao Shan, Naza, Zhu Yilong (who played Dynamite), Han Tongsheng, Yue Yunpeng, Yu Qian, Yu Yang, and Song Xiaobao, as well as guest appearances by rock singers Huang Guanzhong, Ye Shirong, Zhao Mingyi, Li Yanliang, and Liu Yijun.

Zhao Liying also appeared in the film, playing the role of Tongtong. Her role was small, and the original timeline was played by Zhou Dongyu.

Coincidentally, the blonde girl played by Zhou Dongyu in "Breakup Buddies" has been replaced by Zhao Liying, and this time it's the same scene that originally belonged to Zhou Dongyu.

"Her temperament is getting better and better, she has the air of a top-tier actress, and she is no longer the plain little maid she used to be."

Backstage at the cinema, Shen Qing gripped Zhao Liying's shoulder, examined her for a moment, and then spoke.

Zhao Liying's agent and assistant looked at the two curiously. These days, Zhao Liying is fawned over wherever she goes, and no one would say she's unsophisticated to her face anymore, except for Shen Qing!

"I hadn't planned to come, but after I knew you were coming, I couldn't help but want to come."

There were quite a few people present. Although Zhao Liying's voice was very soft, she looked at Shen Qing with affectionate eyes and whispered something. Anyone with a normal reaction could tell that the relationship between the two was unusual.

Shen Qing pulled the person over and hugged them, saying with a smile, "Now that we're in Langfang, it's like home. You have to be a good host and don't hold back any good food or fun things you find."

Zhao Liying said, "Don't underestimate Langfang just because it's small. There's a lot of good food and fun things to do. I can take you to eat and play for three days and three nights and you won't have to eat the same thing twice."

"Really?"

"Of course it's true."

After chatting with Zhao Liying, Shen Qing walked over to Nazha and asked, "How was it? Were you nervous about playing the lead role for the first time?"

Naza shook her head and said, "I'm not nervous at all. I find acting quite enjoyable."

After chatting with Nazha, Shen Qing walked towards Da Peng. While Da Peng was entertaining the others, he had been keeping an eye on Shen Qing out of the corner of his eye. As soon as Shen Qing turned around and looked at him, he immediately jogged over.

"President Shen."

"The film is well done. It's remarkable that your debut film is this good. You'll definitely have a place among China's future young directors." Shen Qing patted Dapeng on the shoulder and said, "Keep up the good work. You have great talent. I have high hopes for you."

"I dare not claim to have talent; no one in the entire country is qualified to talk about talent in front of you," Dapeng said sincerely.

Upon hearing this, Shen Qing smiled and waved his hand, saying, "In terms of a debut work, mine is no match for yours."

He wasn't talking about "Fame and Fortune," which is the movie Shen Qing watched after he time-traveled. Before Shen Qing time-traveled, the original owner had already filmed two TV movies.

After Shen Qing became famous, these two TV movies have been thoroughly analyzed by netizens. Actually, the quality is alright, but they're just for ordinary people.

With the level of an average director, who would have thought that Shen Qing could achieve such success if you only looked at those two TV movies?

After a screening, Shen Qing and the main cast members would go inside the theater to have a brief interaction with the audience. Many viewers came specifically for Shen Qing, so her entry into the theater often elicited screams from the audience.

That night, the main cast and crew stayed overnight in Langfang, while Shen Qing and Zhao Liying went to a hotel. Nazha watched the two leave together, her feelings very complicated.

"Sewing Machine Band" is her first time playing the female lead. Now that the movie has been released, she also wants to lie in Shen Qing's arms, act coquettishly to him, and tell him some interesting stories from the filming. However, Zhao Liying is also present, so she has to obediently make room for Zhao Liying. Although who sleeps with Shen Qing has nothing to do with their status, the key is who Shen Qing dotes on more. But when facing a top-tier actress, Nazha still lacks confidence.

The main issue is that she doesn't know her place in Shen Qing's heart. Shen Qing does spoil her, but he also spoils other people.

The premiere was also the first day of preview screenings. The audience's impression of "City of Rock" was actually not bad. It wasn't particularly outstanding, but overall it was above average. Some scenes were quite touching, such as when Cheng Gong heard Harley and his wife playing the songs of the City of Rock in Beijing, the chorus of "No More Hesitation" at the end, and Cheng Gong's obsession with the big guitar.

There are plenty of funny moments, with the scene where Qiao Shan invites Naza to look at the baby being particularly memorable.

Overall, it's a decent movie.

The movie "Original Timeline" has a Douban rating of 6.6, which, in Shen Qing's opinion, is too low. If he were to rate it, it would definitely be a 7.

The original film grossed 4.59 million yuan. Many netizens say the reason for its poor box office performance is that Da Peng was promoting "Jianbing Man".

In terms of paying off debts, Shen Qing actually felt that 4.59 million was not a low amount. Even without the impact of "Jianbing Man" on Da Peng's reputation, 4.59 million was still not a low amount. After all, rock music is really a niche genre in China, and ordinary people don't really have any passion for rock music.

For example, the rock music scene that appeared at the end—Da Peng must have put a lot of effort into getting them there, but probably 99% of the audience wouldn't recognize any of them. Furthermore, "Sewing Machine Band" was released right around the same time as Happy Twist's "Never Say Die," and with its poor marketing and distribution, it's a decent 4.59 million yuan box office.

But in Shen Qing's opinion, "Sewing Machine Band" is a qualified film.

On the morning of the 24th, Shen Qing and the main cast returned to Beijing for the premiere of "Sewing Machine Band" at the Poly International Cinema in Beijing.

As of 24:00 on the 23rd, Maoyan platform had sold nearly 50,000 movie tickets for the cinema.

The premiere followed a similar process to yesterday's event in Langfang. However, Zhao Liying stayed in Langfang and didn't come along. She lives in Langfang and took the opportunity to go home and visit her family.

From the 23rd to the 30th, the preview screenings lasted for 8 days, with the number of screenings consistently hovering around 10%, accumulating a box office of 5500 million yuan.

The film's production cost was 1500 million, product placement revenue was 800 million, and marketing revenue was 1000 million. With the increased revenue sharing ratio, the 5500 million box office revenue will likely generate 2000 million in revenue, meaning the film has already broken even during the preview screenings.

"Sewing Machine Band" officially premiered on October 1st, with its screening share increasing to 43%. It grossed 4763 million yuan on its opening day and 45.3 million yuan the following day.

On the first day, the box office reached 1.802 million yuan, followed by 4570 million yuan on the third day and 4157 million yuan on the fourth day. Including the box office from the preview screenings, the cumulative box office of the movie "Sewing Machine Band" has reached 2.352 million yuan.

Media outlets generally predict that its final box office will be around 3.5 million yuan—which is already considered a super box office dark horse for a film with a budget of only 1500 million yuan.

Dapeng became famous overnight because of this battle, and Gulinaza also rose to fame as a result.

Naza became an internet sensation at the beginning of the year as the "most beautiful Beijing Film Academy candidate." Many netizens saved her photos, wondering whether this so-called most beautiful Beijing Film Academy candidate would disappear from the public eye in a few years or break through in the entertainment industry to become a big star. Unexpectedly, in just over half a year, she already has the makings of a star.

The recently concluded film "Taken 3" grossed 12.8 billion yuan in China, 1.1 million yuan in Hong Kong and Taiwan combined, 1.85 million US dollars in North America, and 1.53 million US dollars overseas, for a total global box office of 5.48 million yuan. Naza and Rouba played important supporting roles in the film, and were ultimately rescued from northern Myanmar by the male lead, Shen Long. Both actresses had already gained some popularity before the film.

Naza recently gained some popularity with "Hurricane 3," and many netizens are asking who the two beauties with a Western-style look in "Hurricane 3" are. As a result, she immediately starred in "Sewing Machine Band." With these consecutive exposures, Naza's popularity has now reached a high level.

On October 5th, Shen Qing visited the Grand View Garden at No. 12 Nancaiyuan Street, Xicheng District, where the actors of "Empresses in the Palace" were undergoing a training camp lasting more than 20 days.

Liu Shishi plays Shen Meizhuang in the drama. Shen Qing also modified the character's setting, making the character younger, turning her from Zhen Huan's "Sister Mei" into Zhen Huan's "Sister Mei".

Shen Qing spotted Liu Shishi training diligently at a glance, but Liu Shishi continued practicing without looking at her, as if she hadn't seen Shen Qing at all.

Another actress caught Shen Qing's attention; she would be the first actress to have her career ruined in the future "Empresses in the Palace".

Shen Qing remembers that in the future, in order to gain traffic, she would make up stories during a live broadcast, falsely claiming that she had caused an accident and fled the scene while driving under the influence of alcohol without a license. In the end, she was administratively detained for fabricating facts and disrupting public order. Her scenes in "Empresses in the Palace" were also completely deleted, resulting in a disjointed plot.

"Is this person playing Yu Ying'er?"

Shen Qing asked Director Zheng Xiaolong a question she already knew the answer to.

Zheng Xiaolong nodded.

Shen Qing said, "How about Mao Xiaotong playing the role of Yu Ying'er?"

Zheng Xiaolong glanced at Mao Xiaotong, who was practicing walking and posture not far away, and said, "I have indeed considered it. Mao Xiaotong's acting skills are a little better than Cui Manli's, but what about Consort Ying?"

"The actress who plays Xue Baochai in the new Dream of the Red Chamber is named Li. She studied Kunqu Opera and has an outstanding appearance in period costume. I wonder if Director Zheng knows her?"

"plum?"

Zheng Xiaolong thought for a moment, then nodded and said, "I'll think about it."

In addition, Shen Qing also met Tong Liya, who replaced Reyizha as Ye Lanyi in this version.

Originally, her agent was unwilling to let her take this role. Tong Liya was already quite famous and should be playing leading roles in the future. This kind of supporting role was not very interesting. However, Tong Liya heard that Shen Qing had recommended her to Zheng Xiaolong, and that's why Director Zheng asked her to audition. Since it was Shen Qing's personal recommendation, Tong Liya accepted the role almost by accident.

"Who is that actress playing?"

Shen Qing pointed to a beautiful woman in the northeast corner.

"You mean her?" Zheng Xiaolong laughed. "She plays Consort Li."

Shen Qing nodded.

The actress who played Consort Li in the original "Empresses in the Palace" is widely regarded as one of the worst casting choices in the series.

In the original novel, Consort Li was an unparalleled beauty. The emperor took a liking to her at first sight and not only directly conferred upon her the rank of Consort, but also bestowed upon her the title "Li". From the title alone, one can tell that Consort Li must be a woman of extraordinary beauty. However, the actress who played her is not good-looking at all.

It is said that this actress was forced in by the investors. Fortunately, Shen Qing didn't have to bother explaining in this timeline. For some reason, Zheng Xiaolong actually found Bai Bing to play Consort Li. Bai Bing's appearance is far superior to that of the original Consort Li.

Speaking of which, this girl's life has been quite bumpy. She fell out with her company because of marriage, and her resources plummeted. As a result, her husband was exposed by netizens as being gay. The promising female star was deceived into marriage by a gay man. Shen Qing looked at the white soldiers practicing seriously in the distance and couldn't help but shake her head.

While Liu Shishi was resting, Shen Qing quietly approached her.

"Didn't you see me? You didn't even say hello."

Shen Qing sat down next to her and smiled.

"You're so engrossed in looking at this beautiful woman, I wouldn't dare disturb you."

"Hahahaha————"

"What are you laughing at?"

"I'm glad you're jealous. This trip to the Grand View Garden wasn't in vain. Seeing you jealous for me makes it all worthwhile."

"You're just being presumptuous. Who's jealous?"

Shen Qing scratched her palm and said, "Come back to Panhai International with me tonight. I've missed you so much."

Liu Shishi looked somewhat conflicted: "I already told my mom I was going home tonight."

Shen Qing slapped his thigh, looking annoyed, and said, "My mother-in-law is something else. Why did she have to call me now of all times?"

"

"Just bear with it, I'll make it up to you tomorrow," Liu Shishi whispered in Shen Qing's ear.

Shen Qing said, "Then I'll have to collect some interest."

"What interest rate?"

Shen Qing leaned closer and whispered a few words, and Liu Shishi's face immediately turned red.

We'll compensate you tomorrow, but the problem is, what do we do tonight?

Shen Qing glanced at Mao Xiaotong, who played Ying Guiren, and Tan Songyun, who played Chun Guiren. Both of them were actors under his Jumei Entertainment.

evening.

The van drove into the underground parking garage. Shen Qing got out of the car first, followed by a petite woman who was very beautiful.

Shen Qing and the petite woman entered the elevator together, then exited together. Shen Qing opened the door, and the two entered the room.

As soon as the door closed, Shen Qing couldn't help but reach out and hug Mao Xiaotong.

"Mr. Shen, I—"

"What's wrong? You don't want to? It's okay, these things are all about mutual consent. I'll have the driver take you home."

"No, I—"

"What's wrong?"

"I still—anyway, be gentle tonight, I heard it can hurt a lot."

Upon hearing this, Shen Qing's anger flared even more.

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