funbook-pk Chapter 80 Aftermath
Chapter 80 Aftermath
Chapter 79 Aftermath
Initial momentum is good, but box office revenue is often halved in the middle of the year, which has become the norm in the film market.
There are many reasons for this phenomenon. The first is the low capacity of the current film market. In other words, the upper limit is low, and the total box office revenue is limited.
Another issue is piracy, which diverts viewers away, causing some potential viewers to not go to the cinema.
Another issue is inflated advertising figures, such as claiming 80 million but exaggerating it to over 100 million. This is all to attract attention and keep drawing audiences to the cinema.
There are even more conspiracy theories, such as the box office figures being concealed or stolen.
Believe it or not, that's quite possible. Cinemas definitely want to make more money too. Plus, it's easier to operate by directly engaging with the audience.
It's perfectly normal for a popular commercial blockbuster to have its box office figures concealed and stolen.
Everyone knew the truth, but no one dared to speak out against it, not even Feng Xiaogang. After all, cinemas control the distribution channels, and offending them would be a bad thing for film companies.
Fortunately, the Chinese film market does not have a system that separates production and distribution. If a film company has money, it can easily set up its own cinema chain.
Guanzhi Pictures is taking this direction. After Ye Bingcheng's think tank conducted a detailed investigation of the film market, they concluded that film companies must have cinema chains that have close cooperative relationships with them, or are even affiliated with the same company, otherwise they may encounter difficulties in distribution and scheduling.
To date, Chengxin Cinemas has opened seven cinemas through commercial plaza projects, mainly concentrated in Tianjin, Beijing, and surrounding cities.
Chengxin Cinemas also offers franchising opportunities to attract independent cinemas, and many independent cinemas have expressed interest in joining.
At the same time, Ye Bingcheng was also very interested in the IMAX and 3D technology that Zhang Jun had mentioned. He planned to go to the United States to investigate and, incidentally, arrange his daughter Ye Xiaoyi's study abroad life.
On the eve of the Huabiao Awards, Zhang Jun took Ye Xiaoyi to the airport in Beijing.
"Go there and study hard. Don't mess around or go out and have fun. Don't go to those Black or Hispanic communities."
Also, if your classmates want to treat you to parties or gatherings, be careful; it's best not to accept anything from strangers.
Ye Xiaoyi grew annoyed: "Alright, alright, why are you just like my dad, nagging on and on? Isn't it annoying?"
Zhang Jun said earnestly, "These are my heartfelt words. In short, the outside world is very dangerous. You must come back after you finish your studies. The company needs you."
By the way, if you really can't resist the temptation, remember to take birth control pills, so you don't come back pregnant and not even know who the father is.
"Get lost! You're the one taking birth control pills! Your child is the one without a father!"
Ye Xiaoyi dragged her luggage toward the security checkpoint with a disgruntled expression.
She also heard Zhang Jun shouting from behind, "You must come back!"
"This person—"
Ye Xiaoyi turned around and glared at Zhang Jun, but a smile involuntarily crept onto her lips.
After seeing Ye Xiaoyi off, Zhang Jun's life returned to normal.
He first met with Boss Wang at the Rich and Noble World Hotel, where the two of them, each with one arm around a young model, discussed movie investment.
"Zhang Ziyi is still in Hollywood and hasn't come back. Brother Zhang, do you have a backup plan?"
Zhang Jun thought for a moment and said, "My other choice is Michelle Yeoh, but she doesn't seem interested either. What does Boss Wang think of Li Shuangbing?"
After thinking for a moment, Boss Wang finally remembered the name.
"Is he the one who acted in 'Young Justice Bao'?"
"That's her!"
Zhang Jun laughed and said, "Although we're not as famous as Zhang Ziyi, at least our salaries aren't as high, so we can keep costs down."
After some deliberation, Boss Wang thought Li Shuangbing was good, but he still preferred Zhang Ziyi to star in the film.
"Why don't we wait for news from Zhang Ziyi? We've waited so long already, let's wait until she clearly rejects us before we say anything," said Boss Wang.
Zhang Jun didn't insist, figuring that Zhang Ziyi would slink back in a few months anyway.
"You're the investor, you call the shots!" Zhang Jun clinked glasses with Boss Wang.
The young models standing nearby looked at Zhang Jun with great enthusiasm. They knew that Zhang Jun was a director, and they all hoped that he would take a second look at them so that they could also become big stars.
Seeing the eager looks from the young models, Boss Wang smiled and said to Zhang Jun, "Look at these girls, they're even more enthusiastic towards you than towards me."
They're probably all hoping you'll take a liking to them and get them roles in movies.
Zhang Jun shrugged: "Many people look at me like this, and they're used to it. But I have very high standards for acting, and that's the foundation of my success."
Mr. Wang expressed his admiration: "I understand, Brother Zhang. That's why I felt comfortable investing in your film 'Reign of Assassins,' right? It's called 'Reign of Assassins,' isn't it?"
"yes!"
It seems the "Reign of Assassins" project will have to be delayed, but Zhang Jun isn't in a hurry.
After meeting with Boss Wang, China Film Group and Guanzhi Pictures held a grand celebration banquet for "About Time," which attracted many people.
Han Sanping personally introduced Zhang Jun and Yu Dong to each other.
"Director Zhang is young and promising. At your age, I still don't know anything." Yu Dong and Zhang Jun clinked glasses.
"Mr. Yu, you flatter me!"
Zhang Jun also politely said, "Bona has extensive experience in distribution and is known as China's Miramax. You are a role model for us filmmakers."
"Speaking of distribution,"
Yu Dong took the opportunity to say, "Director Zhang, would you be interested in coming to Bona Film Group? We at Bona are actively expanding our film production business and have reached a cooperation agreement with Hong Kong Island."
"As long as you're willing to come, you don't need to worry about the treatment. Money is not a problem. We can hire whichever celebrity we want."
Zhang Jun shook his head: "Thank you for your kind offer, Mr. Yu, but I have no plans to change jobs at the moment."
"Are you really not going to reconsider?"
"What are you considering?"
He Xuan appeared: "Director Zhang is now the executive director of our Guanzhi Pictures, and also one of the owners of our Guanzhi Pictures."
The subtext is, do you think Bona would give shares to Zhang Jun? It's obviously impossible.
Since that's what they said, Yu Dong didn't insist on poaching Zhang Jun anymore, but he still managed to secure an investment opportunity for Bona.
"In that case, Director Zhang won't refuse Bona's investment, will he?" Yu Dong asked.
Zhang Jun said he didn't know: "I'm just a director. You should talk to Mr. He about the investment."
His new film is quite popular now; Guanzhi Pictures receives dozens of calls a day, all inquiring about investment opportunities.
Although all the film's main actors were present, Zhang Jun was the most talked-about person at the celebration banquet. The celebrities who came to show their support gave him particularly enthusiastic looks.
Everyone aspires to follow in the footsteps of Chen Kun and Gao Yuanyuan, starring in Zhang Jun's films to solidify their status and enhance their fame.
These people were like flies, buzzing around Zhang Jun, making him want to yell "Get out!"
However, he calmed down and, after dealing with the group, found a corner to eat something.
Fan Wei found a moment and sat down next to Zhang Jun: "Come have dinner with me in a couple of days, and I'll introduce you to someone."
"Who is it? Could it be Uncle Benshan?"
"It really is him. Benshan said he's curious about you as a young director and wants to have a good chat with you," Fan Wei said.
Zhang Jun did not refuse; he still had to give Uncle Benshan face.
"Okay, let's set a time then."
After the celebration banquet, the Huabiao Awards ceremony quickly followed. Because it was a government award, Zhang Jun had to be on his best to attend.
On August 28th, the 11th Huabiao Awards ceremony was held at the Beijing Exhibition Center, and YTV6 broadcast it live, including a red carpet ceremony.
So the cast and crew of "Little Miss Sunshine" reunited, with Zhang Jun walking the red carpet together with Fan Wei, Song Dandan, Li Baotian, Qi Ruyi, Ji Chen, and others.
To be honest, Zhang Jun really has the best image in this production team, and he has a real star quality.
After signing the autograph wall and taking photos, the crew gave a brief interview, and the first person they asked was Zhang Jun.
"Director Zhang, this is your first time attending the Huabiao Awards. How do you feel?"
Holding the microphone, Zhang Jun replied, "I'm very happy and excited. This shows recognition of me."
The host then asked, "What would you like to say to the Huabiao Awards or to our film industry professionals?"
After thinking for a moment, Zhang Jun said, "I believe the future of Chinese-language films is bright, and the market will continue to grow."
This requires us, as industry professionals, to embrace the new era with higher standards and bring better mass entertainment works to the audience.
The worst thing you can do in this kind of interview is to try to be different. While using official jargon and platitudes may not be impressive, it's the safest way to answer.
But Zhang Jun still showed a bit of sharpness, the subtext being that the market is huge, and everyone should stop trying to make easy money and focus on making good films!
Of course, the person making the film might not realize it's a bad movie, and might even be indulging in self-admiration. And those who know they're making a bad film won't listen to Zhang Jun's advice.
The Huabiao Awards don't receive as much attention as the Golden Rooster Awards because their awarding process differs from typical film awards, and they generally don't enjoy the same level of industry recognition. This award is more like a classmate's "red flower" award.
For example, in the feature film awards, more than thirty films were nominated, but only ten ultimately won the Best Feature Film award.
The Best Director award was also a tie, with Lu Chuan and Yin Li both winning the award for their work on "Kekexili".
Other award winners or films had no fewer than two winners; in fact, it was usually two, three, or four or more films winning awards collectively, making the stage almost too crowded for everyone to stand in.
Zhang Jun privately complained to Fan Wei, "This award seems a bit ridiculous."
Fan Wei quickly stopped him: "You can't say that to anyone, or you'll be put on the roster."
Zhang Jun shrugged, indicating that he understood.
"Little Miss Sunshine" also won the Best Children's Film Award. When he went on stage to accept the award, he saw Lu Chuan's proud look.
Lu Chuan thought to herself with a sense of pride: Look, this is the difference between us. My film "Kekexili" won the Best Feature Film Award, and I also won the Best Director Award.
All you can do is go on stage and accept a children's film award to make kids happy.
Zhang Jun was unaware of Lu Chuan's inner pride and smugness. A children's film award was still an award, and he accepted the medal with several other winners before giving his acceptance speech.
Nothing special, nothing particularly noteworthy.
Qi Ruyi also won the Outstanding Child Actress Award. Having already won an award, she showed great composure and went on stage to thank the country, her parents, and everyone in the crew.
After the awards ceremony came to a close, Zhang Jun returned to Guanzhi Pictures and asked his assistant Gao Yan to put the medals away while he continued to think about his next project.
What should we film?