Huayu: This producer has no bottom line.

Chapter 137 Mr. Ren is confident, I will cooperate.

September 25, Yanjing.

There are only 10 days left until the nationwide release of "Lost on Journey" on June 4th.

In the studio, Ren Pingsheng stared at the computer, reviewing the overall box office performance of cinemas from May to June.

The most competitive film on the market right now is "Ip Man 2," starring Donnie Yen. Released on April 27, the film has already grossed over 4 million yuan and firmly holds the title of May's box office champion.

However, it's already at its limit and will soon be taken off the screens, so there's nothing to worry about.

Another Hollywood behemoth, "Iron Man 2," which was released on May 7, will not be taken off the screens until June 15. However, after more than half a month of consumption, its screening schedule and attendance have already entered a period of weakness.

There are actually only two films that are directly competing with "Lost in Thailand" in terms of release date.

One of them was the Hollywood fantasy blockbuster "Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time," released on May 28. It was a collaboration between Disney and the producers of "Pirates of the Caribbean," boasting top-notch special effects, which had a fatal attraction for domestic audiences in 2010.

The other one is Toy Story 3, the sequel to Pixar's animated masterpiece, which was released on June 16.

As for "The Karate Kid," starring Cheng Long and Will Smith's son, which premiered on June 24, it was released a full twenty days later and can no longer be considered a direct competitor.

Ren Pingsheng looked at the screen, his brows furrowed.

Weird.

The release schedule in early June wasn't that bad; apart from "Prince of Persia," there weren't any other competitive films to compete with.

But why was Huaying's expectation for screenings of "Lost in Thailand" so bleak, according to Liu Guangwei's feedback to him?

Can't even get a slightly better gold field?

With this question in mind, Ren Pingsheng arrived at the headquarters of China Film Group Corporation.

As one of only two major players in China, alongside China Film Group, that possess the rights to distribute imported films, Huaying's position in the industry is unshakeable.

Although nominally a joint-stock company, it is actually a semi-official distribution platform, holding the strongest ground distribution network in the country.

It has resident distribution representatives in more than 30 provincial capitals across the country. This huge and efficient ground distribution network is even more flexible than its big brother, China Film Group.

In the conference room, Ren Pingsheng, as the newly appointed primary producer of "Lost in Thailand," met with Huang Qunfei, the vice president of Huaying Film Group in charge of domestic film distribution.

"President Ren is truly young and promising. Huaqi has already communicated with us, and Huaying will definitely provide full cooperation for the subsequent coordination."

Huang Qunfei is a typical person working within the system. He speaks politely and smoothly, and there is nothing wrong with him. He does not treat Ren Pingsheng perfunctorily just because Ren Pingsheng is young.

After exchanging pleasantries, Ren Pingsheng got straight to the point.

"Mr. Huang, the main reason I'm here is to find out the current distribution progress of 'Lost in Thailand.' It will be released in ten days, and as the newly acquired producer, I need to get a clear picture of the situation."

Huang Qunfei nodded, pulled a document from the table and pushed it over, "This is the current status of our coordination with the cinemas."

Ren Pingsheng opened the document and glanced at the data.

"We have deployed 100 digital copies nationwide, covering cinemas in first-tier and major second-tier cities. We have communicated with several major cinema chains regarding the first day's screenings, and the initial feedback is around 6%. Hubei is the production company's home province, so we have given it around 15%."

Huang Qunfei paused for a moment, "The proportion of prime time slots is not high; they are mainly concentrated in the non-prime time periods of the morning and evening."

Ren Pingsheng closed the document. "Mr. Huang, I have a question. You should have analyzed the release schedule for early June. 'Ip Man 2' has finished its run, 'Iron Man 2' is almost finished, and apart from 'Prince of Persia,' the market is practically empty. Why are theaters still only willing to give 6%?"

Huang Qunfei gave a wry smile. "President Ren, you come from a web series background, so you may not be familiar with the rules of our theatrical release."

""

He patiently explained, "It's not that we didn't try. Last month, we specifically organized a nationwide screening, inviting managers from fifty cinema chains and major theaters to watch the finished film. The feedback was indeed very good; several cinema managers said it had audience appeal and was packed with laughs."

"But having audience appeal and being willing to give screenings are two different things," he changed the subject. "Theatrical screenings are based on certainty. Xu Zheng is famous in TV dramas, but he has never carried the box office. Wang Baoqiang's individual appeal has not been proven. Director Ye Weimin used to make small productions in Hong Kong. When all these factors are combined, the theatrical judgment is that the film is interesting, but not worth sacrificing to gamble on."

"If it weren't for that screening, we wouldn't even have gotten 6%. These 100 copies were added after the screening; originally, only 60 were approved. You have to understand, Huaying is only responsible for distribution coordination. We are not a theater chain; the decision-making power for scheduling is entirely in the hands of the local theater managers."

Ren Pingsheng listened and nodded inwardly.

Huang Qunfei is absolutely right. From Huaying's perspective, they have indeed done everything they were supposed to do.

Organizing film screenings, coordinating film copies, and negotiating with each theater chain—nothing was overlooked.

Ultimately, it's because Huaying, like those theater managers, doesn't trust this film at all.

After all, in this era, there was almost no mature road comedy in mainland China. The only precedent was Zhao Benshan's "Getting Home," which, although well-received, was a box office flop.

The market has not yet proven the earning power of this genre, so theater managers naturally dare not stake their precious screening resources on this film.

Huaying Film Studio treats it as a regular business transaction with a 7% commission, so they would never use their industry authority to force theaters to schedule screenings like China Film Group did for "Love is Not Blind" in their previous life.

But they didn't know how much money this film could make, while Ren Pingsheng did!

Since traditional theatrical distribution methods are ineffective, the only option left is to proactively break the deadlock using more aggressive approaches.

"President Huang, I understand Huaying's difficulties."

Ren Pingsheng leaned forward, his eyes sharpening.

"Since I can't get through to the theater managers, I'd like to ask Mr. Huang for a favor and help me organize another round of nationwide screenings."

""

Huang Qunfei was taken aback, then shook his head helplessly.

"Useless Mr. Ren, I admire your boldness, but I know those managers' character best. Even if you make them watch it ten more times, they still won't give you screen time. Why waste your money and energy?"

"Mr. Huang has misunderstood."

Ren Pingsheng smiled slightly. "This screening isn't for theater managers."

Huang Qunfei was stunned. "Then who should we invite?"

"Local media and film critics."

The office was silent for a few seconds.

"Mr. Huang, the theaters aren't giving us screenings because they think the audience won't watch this movie. So let's try a different approach: instead of trying to convince the theaters, let's convince the audience."

"We organize media screenings in major box office cities across the country, inviting local entertainment reporters, cultural editors, and film critics active on the internet, so that they can write their own reviews and publish them after watching the film."

"Word-of-mouth spreads before the release, and audiences go to the theater with high expectations. Once the attendance rate picks up on the first day, theater managers will naturally add more screenings. We don't need to beg them."

Huang Qunfei looked at Ren Pingsheng, and his expression changed.

"This approach... is indeed different from what we've done before."

"I'll cover the expenses," Ren Pingsheng said, cutting off any possible excuses. "Huaying only needs to help me connect with distribution representatives in various regions, coordinate venues and invitation lists. Your local staff across the country should come in handy."

Huang Qunfei picked up a cigarette from the table, lit it, and took a puff.

"Thirteen cities, is that enough?"

"enough."

"The dates? June 1st to 3rd?"

"Yes, they were released in concentrated batches three days before the film's theatrical run."

Huang Qunfei flicked the cigarette ash into the ashtray. "Okay, I'll coordinate this. Personnel scheduling and venue are no problem, but there's one thing I need to make clear to you..."

"We can't control what the media writes, but what if someone writes a bad review?"

"That just means the film isn't good enough, and it deserves to flop," Ren Pingsheng chuckled. "But I bet it won't."

Huang Qunfei stared at him for several seconds before finally stubbing out his cigarette.

"Okay, Mr. Ren has confidence, I'll cooperate."