Huayu09: Starting with Hijacking Xiao Shenyang

"It's alright. It's an honor for us to be of use to the country. How could we not give it our all?"

"Haha, good, good. With Benshan's words, we can rest assured." Director Liu nodded repeatedly, then looked at Chen Mo, "Xiao Mo, do you have any thoughts?"

"Mr. Liu, I'd like to hear your thoughts first."

Chen Mo countered with a question.

Understanding what your leader is thinking is essential for addressing the problem effectively.

"Well, right now the two countries are in a honeymoon period, and our CCTV and KBS across the border are very enthusiastic about exchanging ideas. There will be a segment where artists from both countries sing classic songs from each other's countries. Xiao Mo, can you sing a Korean song?"

Liu Tai asked tentatively.

"My English is okay, but I don't speak Korean."

Chen Mo shook his head.

Liu Tai felt a little disappointed, but he knew it was understandable. It was already quite good that the 18-year-old was fluent in English. What more could he ask of him?

"However..." Chen Mo changed the subject, "I can learn it. I learn things quite quickly, and I don't need to be fluent in Korean. I just need to memorize the lyrics."

"Excellent, excellent! Young people should learn from Xiao Mo. He is talented, hardworking, low-key and unassuming. Benshan has a worthy successor."

Liu Tai praised him.

Zhao Benshan lay on the bed, unable to perform the large, tactical backward lean, and could only curl the corners of his mouth into a smile.

Chen Mo interrupted his old mentor's smugness with a look, and then the two of them had an encrypted conversation.

"Beep beep, beep beep beep beep?"

"Beep beep!"

"Beep beep beep~"

"Beep!"

"Mr. Liu, can I recommend G.E.M. to participate in this year's China-Korea Song Festival?"

Xiao Deng is one of our own, so naturally we should bring him along when there's an opportunity for him to shine.

"Sure, the little girl's rendition of 'Bubble' is very nice, we'll sing that song then."

The novel "Bubble" became a hit across the country, and Liu Tai was delighted with its success.

"Thank you, Mr. Liu, for the opportunity. I can't slack off on my end either. I wrote a Chinese song that would be perfect for a duet between artists from China and Korea."

Chen Mo's actions, seemingly a reciprocation, actually carried a deeper meaning.

"Oh? What song?"

Liu Tai immediately became interested.

Without wasting any words, Chen Mo picked up a pen and paper and wrote down the lyrics and music.

"Liu Tai, the song is called 'Little Apple.' The lyrics are simple and the melody is catchy. I guess it has a large audience in both countries."

Liu Tai glanced at the lyrics and music; they were quite cheerful, but too simplistic and lacked depth. He didn't particularly like them, but who knows, young people might.

He believed in Chen Mo's abilities and vision.

"No problem, who would you recommend to sing?"

"Xiang/Zuo and Chen Weiting are from Hong Kong, which perfectly reflects our attitude. The concert is our territory."

"Well said, Benshan, Xiaomo is right! It's settled then. What about Goryeo?"

"I recommend T-ara. I had contact with them when I went to Korea to do special effects. Although they are a new group, they are very ambitious and professional. Having them sing 'Little Apple' with Xiang/Zuo Chen Weiting would definitely create a great stage effect."

Chopstick Brothers and Crown (a popular Taiwanese pop group) performed a duet of "Little Apple".

There are successful examples in later generations.

If Chen Mo replaced the Chopstick Brothers with the Xiang-Chen duo, the stage effect would only be better.

Chen Weiting was originally a member of Sun Boy'z. He only went solo after the group disbanded in 2008.

He's good at singing and dancing, and he's young and handsome.

The ideal type for young women and wives.

"Okay, I'll contact President Kim of KBS when I get back and ask that group you mentioned to practice their song properly."

"I'll have Chen Weiting go to Korea in a few days to teach them how to dance. I don't want them to mess things up and embarrass Director Liu."

"Haha, not really. It would be embarrassing for KBS. But Xiao Mo is indeed very thoughtful."

……

……

The "Project Gutenberg: City Box Office Showdown" is still in full swing.

Saturday, April 9.

Friday, September 25th, US time.

"Project Gutenberg" opened in North American theaters, playing on 3000 screens on its opening day. With the help of viral marketing, it grossed $840 million.

It outperformed Hollywood films such as "Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs" and "Survivor Men" released at the same time, taking the top spot at the daily box office.

At this rate, the box office in the first three days is expected to reach 2500 million US dollars. Although it is not as much as "The Departed" 2800 million US dollars, it is still an extremely impressive achievement for Chinese-language films.

When Jiang Zhiqiang called, he couldn't hide his excitement, hoping to increase publicity efforts again, and investors were willing to invest money.

Chen Mo didn't refuse. Why not take the opportunity to compete for a spot on the overseas box office charts for Chinese films?

Riding the wave of popularity from "Project Gutenberg," "Skyfall" debuted on the US Billboard charts and stormed into the top 10, with over 20 downloads in its first three days, making it a strong contender for the year's hottest hit.

Released simultaneously in Hong Kong, it grossed HK$240 million on its opening day, breaking the record for the highest opening day box office of the year previously held for six months by "All's Well, Ends Well 2009".

At this rate, surpassing the annual box office record of HK$2465 million held by "All's Well, Ends Well 2009" should not be a problem.

It may even reach the 3000 million box office threshold.

This figure is a hurdle in Hong Kong. No local film reached it in the entire year of 2007. The epic war film "The Warlords," starring three film emperors, Jet Li, Derek Lau, and Jin Chengwu, only grossed HK$2790 million.

Good news also came from the Taiwan market, with both critical acclaim and box office success.

The film has not yet been released in Japan and South Korea. The distributors, CJ Entertainment and Toho Co., Ltd., plan to release it at the end of November or the beginning of December. However, there are many other big films in the same period in both countries, so it is not suitable for a simultaneous release.

The disaster film "Haeundae" and the sports inspirational film "National Team," both released in Korea at the end of July, have been box office and critical successes, with an estimated audience of tens of millions.

It should be noted that the theatrical release time for films from Japan, South Korea, Europe and the United States is usually 8 to 12 weeks, and high-quality domestic films can even be released for more than three months.

It's true that Chinese-language films can only be shown for one month, but the theatrical run can be extended, provided that an extension key is obtained. At present, China Film Group is holding it very tight.

With a string of good news across Mainland China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and overseas markets, "Project Gutenberg" remains incredibly popular, attracting a frenzy of reporters who are relentlessly following and reporting on it. Director Chen's name is now renowned throughout the Chinese film industry.

On Saturday, September 26th, a rest day, "Project Gutenberg" grossed 2625 million yuan in box office revenue.

Everyone held their breath, speculating whether tomorrow's box office could break the 3000 million mark.

In 2002, the highest single-day box office for a Chinese-language film was 1700 million yuan for "Hero".

In 2004, "Kung Fu Hustle" grossed 2000 million.

In 2006, "Curse of the Golden Flower" grossed 2400 million.

In 2008, "Red Cliff (Part 1)" grossed 27 million.

to date.

Chinese-language films have yet to reach the 3000 million yuan mark in a single day's box office, and insiders generally believe that no film can achieve that.

With the number of screens limited, to achieve 3000 million in box office revenue in a single day, the following conditions must be met.

The number of screens should be no less than 2500, the ticket price should be no less than 35 yuan, the overall occupancy rate should be no less than 40%, and each screen should have no less than 3 screenings per day.

Each one is hellishly difficult.

First, let's talk about the 2500 screens. There are indeed more than 4000 screens in mainland China now, but many of them are substandard. Many cinemas in small cities are not for profit and mostly show old movies.

As for the overall attendance rate, outside of prime time screenings, the attendance rate is usually in the single digits. For example, Chinese blockbusters such as "Curse of the Golden Flower" and "Red Cliff" had an average attendance rate of only 20% during their theatrical run.

With three screenings per screen, that means nearly 50% of the screenings are done. Theaters are profit-making organizations, so why should they spend half the day showing your movie?

What about the other movies released in the same period?

Take, for example, the still-released film "The Founding of a Republic," a patriotic film with over a hundred stars in attendance. It gets no less than 40% of screenings, and during peak periods, it can reach a staggering 60%.

Can ordinary films compete?