Business Closed Loop: Starting with Ringback Tones to Take Down Giants

Christmas Eve, December 25, 2006.

The Apple product I gave away last night might get bombarded with criticism tonight.

But before that, there seems to be a step of strolling around and watching a movie.

The waiting area of ​​Yanjing East Cinema was packed with people.

The line in front of the ticket window was made up entirely of young people in their early twenties.

This first wave of tap water was brought out by one thing.

Youku followed the behind-the-scenes footage of the fairy's name and spent half a month playing Iron Pole.

Students from the Central Academy of Drama who stayed up late to read the fairy tales and chatted with the judges.

"Quick, quick, are there any tickets left?"

Without looking up, the ticket seller announced, "Love is Not Blind, the 7:20 show, only six tickets left."

The boy turned around and waved behind him, shouting, "Yes, yes, yes! Come here quickly!"

Three young people squeezed through the crowd.

"I've been watching the behind-the-scenes footage for half a month, just to see how the final cut turns out."

"Don't say anything more."

Another girl pointed to the other side of the hall, "Look over there, it's all students from the Central Academy of Drama."

Follow the gaze.

Groups of students from the Central Academy of Drama wore expressions of pride for their alma mater.

"This film is from our Central Academy of Drama; the director and actors are both from there."

"Don't be fooled by the limited number of screenings; it's absolutely fantastic and more realistic than those big-budget productions."

A young couple watched the lively scene.

The boy smiled and spoke first: "How about we try something different?"

The girl nodded. "Sure, my colleague said the movie 'Curse of the Golden Flower' was just so-so, it'd be nice to change things up."

As the lights dimmed and the dragon emblem passed by, a story about finding peace after a breakup slowly unfolded.

There are no big-name celebrities, no glamorous costumes and props, only very real inner thoughts.

The charm created by an effeminate male protagonist is completely out of his own hands.

"This movie is pretty good."

No one mentions the term "student film" anymore.

This scene is playing out in several cinemas right now, with limited screenings but every show packed to capacity.

December 26th, 7:00 AM.

"What are you babbling about? 102 million on the first day?"

Wang Song instantly regained consciousness and immediately sat up in bed.

"102 million! That's an industry estimate!" Old Chen's voice was very loud in the background, as if he were outside.

"We originally only had 8% of the screenings, but now it has increased to 12%."

Wang Song quickly tidied up and went to the Xianming Pavilion, where he happened to run into Old Chen who was returning.

"Have you gotten the accurate figures yet?" Wang Song asked.

"It just came out, 110 million. At this rate of growth, it can recoup its costs in a week."

The small building was no longer as quiet as it used to be; Ma Xiaojun and Liu Jianjun were guarding the forum and the back office.

Over two hundred new posts were added overnight, a far cry from the days when a few people would switch accounts and have fun on their own.

On forums like Tianya and Tieba, netizens shared their experiences.

"After watching the behind-the-scenes footage for half a month, I finally watched the full episode today, and it was totally worth it."

"RT, I went to the cinema today, and I thought the main feature would be just like the extras."

"I didn't expect the main feature to be so much better than the behind-the-scenes footage."

"The guy next to me pretended to rub his eyes, and I saw him wipe away tears."

1L: "A student from the Central Academy of Drama passing by, this film is truly the pride of our school."

2L: "That third party, Tang Yan, right?"

"Her legs are so long, hehehe. She kept getting NG shots in the behind-the-scenes footage, but her performance in the actual film was actually pretty good."

3L: "I learned about this movie from the essay contest on the story page. The original work was well-written, and the film adaptation didn't ruin it."

4L: "So it's true that the story will be adapted? Or it's not just a publicity stunt?"

5L: "It's true. The short film adapted from the top three entries in the essay contest, have you guys seen it? The suspenseful one was pretty exciting."

That was a post on Baidu Tieba, titled:

"From 'Crazy Stone' to 'Love is Not Blind,' is the spring of low-budget films finally here?"

The post was very long, and it began by saying:

At the beginning of the year, "Crazy Stone" earned 300 million yuan at the box office with a budget of 2300 million yuan.

"At the end of the year, a group of students from the Central Academy of Drama spent two million yuan to make a romance film, which grossed over ten million yuan in a week."

"There's no Jay Chou, no Andy Lau, just a sissy male lead and a heartbroken female lead."

"Why? Because they understand ordinary people."

The first comment below is:

"Stone relied on dark humor, while this film relies on genuine and heart-wrenching emotions."

"They all treat the audience as human beings, not as lambs to the slaughter."

"They won't blame the audience for not understanding the movie."

The online discussions turned into offline buzz.

December 28, 135 million.

The number of films scheduled to be shown in theaters across the country is still slowly increasing.

Those cinemas that were initially hesitant.

They were all impressed by the high attendance on the first day and were willing to give this niche film a better chance.

December 29th, Day 12: 162 million.

The number of screenings has increased to 15%.

December 30th, Day 12: 198 million.

The distribution team from China Film Group called: "Xiao Wang, your film is a huge hit in third-tier cities."

"We need to make another batch of copies."

On December 31st, New Year's Eve, the box office revenue exceeded 2.6 million yuan in a single day.

In just one week, "Love is Not Blind" grossed over 33 million yuan.

This trend of opening low and closing high inevitably brings to mind the movie "Crazy Stone" from the beginning of the year.

Cinemas across the country completely set aside their concerns and increased the screening share of "Love is Not Blind" to 25%.

It became the film with the highest number of screenings during the Christmas season, second only to "Curse of the Golden Flower".

Old Chen pushed open the door to Wang Song's office, holding a fax in his hand.

"After one week, the cumulative box office is 1058 million."

There was a two-second silence in the office.

Ma Xiaojun was the first to jump up: "We've broken ten million? We've broken ten million?"

Liu Jianjun rarely smiled: "We've already recouped our costs, haven't we?"

Wang Song nodded, "If we calculate the cost recovery based on box office revenue being three times the production cost."

"We've already broken even, and the remaining three weeks are all profit."

Youku was also exceptionally generous, providing exclusive support for the Xianming column.

The column is linked to the movie channel; users who watch "Curse of the Golden Flower" and "A Battle of Wits" will be pushed to the Xianming column.

The entrance to the story section is prominently displayed in the column.

Every day, many users watch the movie and then come back to watch the behind-the-scenes footage.

Following the link, I found the Xianming platform and became a new registered user.

"Come to my office."

Ding Ruru's office on the Central Academy of Drama campus.

When Wang Song pushed the door open, Ding Ruru was on the phone, smiling and responding to the person on the other end.

"Yes, yes, the students did it themselves."

"Yes, they handled the China Film Group's side themselves."

"The school? The school only provided some equipment and space; it was all the students messing around with it."

"Okay, okay, let's have tea together another day."

After hanging up the phone, Ding Ruru looked at Wang Song, unable to suppress the smile on her face.

He pushed a copy of an industry-level film newspaper towards me.

Student film grosses over 10 million yuan in its opening week; low-budget film taps into a large market.

subtitle:

Students from the Central Academy of Drama are exploring new models on the Internet. How should traditional film and television respond?

Wang Song glanced at it and put it down: "Why does this feel like it's making me enemies?"

Ding Ruru ignored him, "Read the whole thing first."

Wang Song lowered his head, his gaze falling on the main text.

"...The entire process of the film, from script sourcing to promotion and distribution, relied on internet platforms."

"To explore a path that is completely different from traditional film and television."

"Compared to the traditional film and television project development model that relies on big IPs, big directors, and big stars."

"This entire internet chain may offer another possibility for the industry."

"Your essay contest, along with this movie, has been included in a research report."

"What report?"

"Several Suggestions on Encouraging the Integration and Development of Cultural Innovation Projects in Universities with the Internet".

Ding Ruru looked at him and said, "Your project has become a typical case study."

"Stop talking about making enemies. Just like with public welfare, it's a protective charm."

Wang Song chuckled. "So, teacher, is there any reward?"

What do you want?

Wang Song rubbed his hands together: "How about you handle the distribution for our next movie too?"

"Dream on, doing it again would break the rules."

The box office success brought unprecedented prosperity to the name of the immortals.

The small building in the fairy name is filled with busy yet joyful sounds every day.

The backend data for each section is being updated at a speed that is almost visible to the naked eye.

"Mr. Wang!" Wu Yue knocked on the door, a smile of excitement on her face.

"The average stay has increased from half an hour to fifty minutes."

"It's done."

This is a clear sign that traffic is translating into deeper user engagement.

Xianming is no longer just a content hub; it has begun to take shape as a brand and a source of value.

Wang Song stood by the office window, looking at the people in the small building, each doing their job with great enthusiasm.

Yao Beina and her music team are still selecting the best tracks for this week.

On Zhao Lan's desk was a thick stack of copyright registration materials voluntarily submitted by creators.

Rodin was still calculating how much money he would receive and how much tax he would have to pay.

Tian Yusheng joined the company with his Sanctuary Studio.

They were arguing fiercely with screenwriter Chen Shu.

Ma Xiaojun is still acting as his "God Comments Operations Officer," competing with Liu Jianjun, the online literature operations manager.

Jiang Yilei seems to be still searching for inspiration for his next video.

From music to graphic novels, from storytelling to movies, we've come full circle.

"This is nothing."