This year's summer season didn't get off to a smooth start. Two major blockbusters released on July 1, the Party's Founding Day, failed at the box office.
Among them, [1921] is a joint production of Shanghai Film and Tengxun Pictures, directed by Huang Jianxin, starring Huang Xuan and Ni Ni, and brings together Chen Kun, Liu Haoran, Li Chen, Dou Xiao, Wang Junkai, Zhu Yirong, etc. A group of well-known actors.
More than 400 million yuan was invested, and the final box office exceeded 500 million yuan, resulting in a loss of more than 200 million yuan.
The other one [Revolutionaries] is not as good as [1921].
Produced by Enlight Pictures, directed by the great director Guan Yu, and joined by stars such as Zhang Songwen, Tong Liya, Li Yifeng, Peng Yuchang, Baike, Han Geng, Qin Hao, etc., the cost is as high as 500 million.
As a result, the final box office was less than 200 million, which was extremely disappointing.
The failure of these two main theme blockbusters at the box office also made everyone realize the fact that money for main theme movies is not so easy to make.
[Wolf Warrior 2], [Operation Red Sea], [My Motherland and Me] can sell so well because they really impress the audience.
Simply accumulating stars and playing the patriotic card will not make a movie a hit.
In the second week of July, [Chinese Doctor] will be released.
This movie about YI can be regarded as the first box office hit this summer.
The total box office in the two weeks after its release exceeded 800 million, and its reputation is also quite good.
Unfortunately, according to the box office trend, the final box office of "Chinese Doctor" will most likely not reach 1.5 billion. Maoyan's box office prediction for the movie is 1.3 billion.
This result is completely considered a hit for an ordinary movie, but compared with "Captain of China" with a similar theme, it is still less than one billion in box office.
The market data for the summer season has been unable to rise, and theaters are also very anxious. Everyone is looking forward to the release of "Life Events" and "Fury: Serious Case" at the end of the month.
[Rage·Crime] is a pure Hong Kong-style police and gangster film. Director Chen Musheng returned to his best police and gangster action movie after 7 years. With the starring roles of Donnie Yen and Nicholas Tse, the movie was quite popular before its release. high.
The subject matter of [Life Events] is actually not palatable. As a pure drama film, it is usually difficult to achieve much at the box office.
But the protagonist of the movie is Gu Wei. His box office appeal is no longer doubted.
The previous "Young You" and "Send You a Little Red Flower" were both reality-themed movies, and they still sold well at the box office.
This year's "Life Events" has certainly become the most anticipated movie of the summer.
"The character I played is called "Mo Sanmei". She is a prisoner who has been released from prison. She is engaged in a very special industry. She specializes in the funeral industry."
Gu Wei ended up in Hainan [Fifty Kilometers Peach Blossom] [Wuji] recording, flew back to the capital, and accepted an exclusive interview with the movie channel about [life events].
“The movie mainly tells the story between “Mo Sanmei” and the little girl “Xiao Wen”.”
“The third brother’s life is a failure. He always feels that he is a He was an unimportant person, but in the process of getting along with Xiaowen, he gradually discovered that Xiaowen needed him.
Being needed by others was actually a very happy thing. Later, he found that he also left. No small articles.
In this way, the two of them help each other and grow together."
"As for the role of Third Brother, I did not specifically say that I would challenge different looks or different personalities.
Because I had already cut the short hair during the filming of "Young You" and "Send You a Little Red Flower".
Mainly the story of [Life Events] is very good and I like it very much.
Because funeral itself is a very special industry, and the theme of the movie is life and death, it is actually a bit heavy.
But the story itself, because of the interaction and emotion between the little girl and the third brother, brings more warmth to everyone."
"There is definitely something rewarding, I feel like I make more or less every movie I make. Everyone can gain something.
Through shooting [Life Events], I learned more about the funeral industry.
We come to this world with dignity, and they will let us leave with dignity.
So I have more respect for this industry.”
In fact, interviews can sometimes tell how good an actor is.
There are some traffic stars in the circle who are both uneducated and brainless. If they don’t memorize the script in advance when being interviewed by the media, they will have no idea what to say.
People asked him what he was playing, but he didn’t know.
What is the psychological journey of playing the character? I still look confused.
Anyway, when filming, I did whatever the director asked me to do. Even if I couldn’t memorize the lines, I could still count the numbers.
Of course, this has nothing to do with Gu Wei. Having been in the industry for so many years, he is already familiar with interviews.
No matter what questions the reporter asks, he can talk eloquently.
"Teacher Gu Wei, thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule to be interviewed."
After the last question, the female reporter from the movie channel smiled and thanked Gu Wei.
“You’re welcome, I also hope that the “6 Princesses” can help promote [life events].”
"Definitely, your interview will be broadcast in the next two days, and it will be more or less helpful to [life events]."
The most important movie channel interview is over, Gu Wei Together with the director of [Life Events], Yao Xiaozhi, I accepted interviews with several online media.
Then the two of them joined the rest of the film's creators to start a week-and-a-half nationwide road show.
As early as the end of June, [Life Events] had released a finalized poster, officially announcing that the film would be released nationwide on July 30.
Then they released the trailer of "Remember You", the poster of "Looking at You", the special of "Wish the Stars Come to Dreams" and the MV of the movie promotional song "Go to Heaven".
On July 24, the movie started its national roadshow with Beijing as the first stop, and the popularity of "Life Events" gradually reached its highest level.
“Our drama was filmed in 19 years, and now we can finally meet the audience!” After the road show in Beijing, Rao Xiaozhi said with emotion on the plane to Wuhan, the second stop.
He has always had a special eye for the funeral-themed movie he directed. After filming, he discussed with Gu Wei many times about its release.
Now that it is about to be released, one of his wishes has been forgotten.
“It’s good to have a good meal without fear of being late. The movie is undoubtedly excellent. I waited for two years just to choose a suitable time,” Gu Wei replied with a smile.
"I understand this.
I am not worried about the box office performance of our movie. In fact, what I am looking forward to is the audience's feedback after the release of "Life Events" and the evaluation of the movie's reputation.
< br>Just like when a chef cooks a dish, what he looks forward to most is the reaction of the diners when they taste it!"
Gu Wei couldn't help laughing when he heard Rao Xiaozhi's words.
He can completely understand the other person's mood.
[Life Events] is undoubtedly excellent in Rao Xiaozhi's eyes, and may even be the most satisfying of all the movies he has made.
That’s why he is so looking forward to the release of the movie.
To put it simply, I finally managed to make such an awesome film, so of course I have to show it to everyone as soon as possible so that I can gain praise and applause.
Seeing through but not telling the truth, Gu Wei smiled and turned to other topics.
“[Ten thousand miles home] How are you preparing for it?
When are you planning to start production in the second half of the year? ”
“It’s almost done.
The actors have all been decided and the crew has been assembled.
Some time ago I flew to Ningxia to select the site. Some sites are currently being built there.
It is estimated that the movie will start shooting after November." Gu Wei nodded.
[Ten Thousand Miles Home] is about the evacuation of overseas Chinese from Africa, but it is still somewhat inconvenient to film abroad. Filming at home saves time and effort.
Even setting up a venue in Ningxia to replicate the African environment is cheaper and much safer than filming abroad.
“Who have you chosen as the actor?”
“Zong Dawei, I chose Zhang Yi. His acting skills and reputation are both good and he is very suitable for this role.”
Speaking of which, Rao Xiaozhi glanced at Gu Wei and continued.
“Originally, I thought Zhang Songwen from the company was also qualified for this role, but as you know, the two movies released at the beginning of this month were not very good at the box office.
He participated in both, One of them still has a male protagonist.
I think there is still a gap between his fame and appeal compared with Zhang Yi."
Gu Wei saw Rao Xiaozhi's concerns and waved his hand: "I didn't participate in [Ten Thousand Miles Homeward Bound]. You are the director, so of course you choose the actors. It’s you who have the final say.”
Speaking of which, Zhang Songwen was unlucky. The ratings of the two movies "Revolutionary" and "1921" were actually good, and his performance in them was not a problem, but it was not good at the box office.
As the lead actor in one of them, he has some responsibility.
“But I cast Zhang Songwen to play the first-class secretary Zhang Ning.
Bai Huading’s Zhang Tianai has the most roles among female characters.
Newcomer Cheng Langding’s Zeng Shunxi, a young artist under the company, I personally auditioned for him and his performance was pretty good.”
Gu Wei looked at Rao Xiaozhi in surprise.
He had no involvement at all in the preparation of "The Journey Back". Although Rao Xiaozhi is the director, this drama was originally Guo Fan's project, and Lu Yang was also involved.
His initial idea was to let them do it themselves, and [Wei Mingxia] would just provide money and people.
Now that Rao Xiaozhi has selected actors from so many companies, there is a high probability that Yang Liwen found him.
They are all from the same company. As the general manager in charge of the artist management company, Yang Liwen must give her face to Rao Xiaozhi.
"Okay, whatever you think is appropriate." Gu Wei nodded and said.
Speaking of which, the three young actors under his company will be starring in blockbusters in the second half of the year.
Xiao Zhan successfully auditioned for [Unknown] and will be paired with Liang Chaowei; Zeng Shunxi has the film [Ten Thousand Miles Home] with Zhang Yi; Peng Yuchang will star in Wen Muye's new film [Miracle·Stupid] Child] is an absolute protagonist.
After the release of these three movies, the status of the three of them will be promoted to some extent.
The second stop of the road show is arranged in Wuhan because this is the filming location of [Life Events].
The movie was shot in Wuhan, and Gu Wei and other actors also spoke Wuhan dialect in the movie. The local Wuhan audience who attended the road show burst out with great enthusiasm.
At the scene, when the movie ended, the audience burst into long and warm applause.
"Director Rao, can you tell us about the special meaning of the movie's title?"
After the main creator took the stage, it was the turn of the reporters and the audience to ask questions.
“There is a saying: There is nothing important in life except death. Our film tells the story about the funeral industry, and what this industry faces every day is death.
Xiaowen's grandmother died, and Mo Sanmei's father also died. What the movie wants to tell us is: fear death and live in the present."
After he finished speaking, the reporter turned the topic to Gu Wei.
"Teacher Gu Wei, you are How to understand the theme of the movie: the person who grows stars."
Gu Wei took the microphone from Rao Xiaozhi and thought about it.
"You can understand that all the stars in the sky are Our departed relatives.
This expresses a unique view on death. People's physical form will disappear, but their spirit will last forever.
Just like the various forms of funeral culture in our country, whether it is burning paper or paying homage, they express nothing more than the grief of strangers for the loss of their loved ones.
No matter they are in the underworld using the large amounts of money and expensive cars and BMWs that we burned in the past.”
Everyone laughed when they said this.
Chinese Tradition The most typical funeral culture is to burn things. It is believed that deceased relatives are in the underground world, and money can be given to them by burning gold and silver treasures made of paper.
Of course, there are other things that are burned, from cars and cruise ships to paper figures and horses.
“It will still turn into stars in the sky, and the emotions it represents remain unchanged.
This is what the movie wants to tell each of us.
There is nothing in life except death. For big things, we should cherish everything now and cherish the people around us.
Life will eventually disappear, but love will last forever."
After he finished speaking, the audience burst into applause again.
After all the processes have been completed, today’s last road show is over, and the creators are ready to go back to the hotel to rest.
"That's so good. When you answered the question on stage just now, I was so moved that I almost cried."
Xin Zhilei came to Gu Wei and said.
"Is it that exaggerated?" Gu Wei glanced at her.
"You think I'm flattering you, I'm really touched!"
"Why didn't I see that your tears were so low before?"
"An elder of mine passed away some time ago. "Watching our movie, I can't help but feel a little emotional when I hear what you said." Xin Zhilei sighed slightly.
"Uh, sorry." Gu Wei looked at her and said apologetically.
Xin Zhilei smiled instead: "Whatever you are embarrassed about has nothing to do with you.
I don't feel much sadness now, just like you said, only love will never die.
Living well and cherishing the people in front of you is the best way to remember the lost loved ones."
Gu Wei looked at her and nodded.
As the road show progressed, [Life Events] Large-scale screening activities have been launched across the country
This is also one of the promotion strategies before the movie is released.
Screening is sometimes a magic weapon for winning at the box office, and sometimes it is the culprit for a movie's failure on the street.
Not all released movies dare to use it.
The reason is simple.
If the quality of the movie is excellent, like "I'm Not the God of Medicine", screening it is naturally a good way to promote it.
Everyone sees the movie early, word of mouth spreads first, and it will naturally have better box office results after it is released.
And some bad movies, such as "Little Times", will definitely suffer a serious decline in reputation along with large-scale movies.
Everyone already knows it is a bad movie before it is released, and will not watch it after it is released.
[Life Events] is undoubtedly the former. Although it may not be as good as [I Am Not a Medicine God] in terms of quality, it is definitely at a very good level among domestic movies. (End of this chapter)