Chapter 421: A good film that cleanses the soul
“Zombie movies are no longer exclusive to the West?”
Chen Kaige looked at Chen Hong’s walking back and murmured to himself in astonishment.
This sentence is too highly praised, which shows that "Travel to Taipei" is an extremely excellent zombie film.
But, with the reputation of European and American zombie movies in front of you, how good must you be to be worthy of this sentence?
"It's not a request, is it?" Chen Kaige couldn't help but mutter in his heart.
The more I think about it, the more likely it is that this is the case.
Are you kidding?
How is it possible that once "Travel to Taipei" comes out, zombie movies are no longer exclusive to the West?
What the hell are you talking about?
Chen Kaige couldn't believe it.
However, Chen Hong's appearance made him hesitate again.
If the quality of the movie was not good, Chen Hong would not have said this seriously, but would have said it in a mocking tone.
“Did Chen Hong do it on purpose?”
“Knowing that Wang Shu and I have conflicts, are you deliberately so annoying?”
Chen Kaige carefully considered it in his mind for a while and thought that this was a big possibility.
There is a high probability that Chen Hong did it on purpose.
As soon as "Travel to Taipei" came out, zombie movies are no longer exclusive to the West.
Just pulling a few eggs.
"Xiaogang, do you believe what we said before about the high quality of "Travel to Taipei" now?"
Mr. Wang, Mr. Wang Zhonglei, and Feng Xiaogang came out of the cinema together.
"Travel to Taipei" has been released. Even if you don't go to the premiere, you can still go to the cinema to watch it.
As the "non-staff investor" of "Travel to Taipei", Huayi has already watched "Travel to Taipei" during its domestic screening.
Then, I told Feng Xiaogang that the quality of "Travel to Taipei" is very good and there is a high probability that it will be a hit after it is released.
Feng Xiaogang is skeptical about this.
Because there has never been a zombie movie made in China, and "Travel to Taipei" is the first one.
The first time a film like this is made that has never been made before, it will only be a product that is trying to cross the river by feeling for the stones.
In this way, there must be a lot of problems.
In this case, if it’s not a bad movie, it’s already good. How could it possibly explode?
Furthermore, zombie movies are preceded by many masterpieces from Europe and the United States. Unless Wang Shu shoots them well, they will not be popular at all.
Moreover, this is the first time a film has been filmed about crossing the river by feeling the stones. How could it be possible to capture flowers?
Wang Zhonglei knew that Feng Xiaogang didn't believe it. When "Taipei Trip" was released in theaters, he immediately pulled Feng Xiaogang into the theater.
Now, Feng Xiaogang has been silenced.
He looked sideways at Wang Zhonglei and said abruptly: "The quality of "Taipei Trip" is not bad, doesn't it have a great influence on us?"
December 18, 2008, The New Year film "If You Are the One" produced by Huayi, Media Asia and Zhejiang Film, directed by Feng Xiaogang and starring Ge You, Shu Qi and others, was released.
"Travel to Taipei" was released on the 19th, just one day apart.
Two movies are on the same schedule.
Wang Zhonglei sighed: "If Media Asia and Zhejiang Film Group hadn't agreed to withdraw the film, and our capital turnover was limited, we really wouldn't have wanted to release it on the same schedule as "Travel to Taipei"."
< br>Wang Zhonglei and Wang Zhongjun, as people who have watched the internal screening of "Taipei Trip", knew that the movie was not bad, so they thought of withdrawing "If You Are the One".
However, withdrawal is not just a matter of withdrawal, it is linked to the capital chain of several producers.
Several producers need to get their funds back as soon as possible, and they don't want to miss Feng Xiaogang's return to the New Year's season.
And after analysis, we know that zombie elements are imported in the country, and the audience is likely to be limited.
It was then decided that "If You Are the One" and "Taipei Trip" will be released at the same time.
After Wang Zhonglei finished speaking, he looked at Feng Xiaogang and said, "What do you think of this zombie movie? Can it rival our "If You Are the One"?"
Although Hua Yi has the same proportion "Taipei Trip" has a 5% share, but it is completely different from Feng Xiaogang's "If You Are the One".
From Huayi's point of view, he naturally hopes that "If You Are the One" will make a lot of money.
“It’s hard to say.” Feng Xiaogang answered.
"If You Are the One" had a box office of 15 million yuan on its first day.
This movie was officially released in major theaters across the country starting at midnight on December 18, 2008. By the afternoon of the 19th, its box office revenue had reached 15 million yuan.
This result not only broke the previous box office record of 14.28 million set by "Mei Lanfang" in one and a half days, but was also far ahead of other movies in the same period, such as "Ip Man"'s 6 million and 5 million for "Women Are Not Bad".
Moreover, the first-day box office of "If You Are the One" was 4 million yuan higher than that of "The Assembly" released in the same period last year. This result also refreshed Feng Xiaogang's latest personal record.
On the day the film was released, reporters visited many movie theaters in Beijing and found that most screening halls were full, and the average attendance rate throughout the day was more than 90%.
Furthermore, this movie has also completely broken the previous "cold in the south and hot in the north" situation of "Feng's comedies". According to the person in charge of Zhengjia Plaza Cinema in Yaodu, the film has many screenings in the theater throughout the day. There were 31 shows. Even during the non-prime time at 10:50 on Thursday night, "If You Are the One" also attracted huge popularity.
Industry insiders analyze that the box office of the film will easily exceed 100 million within a week after its release, and there is basically no suspense about the final box office target of 200 million.
Boss Wang and Feng Xiaogang knew the news and data.
Originally there was no release of "Taipei Trip", but "If You Are the One" will sweep the New Year's Eve.
Starting with 1500W, not to mention the target of 200 million, 300 million is possible. It's just that now there's another "Taipei Trip", pushing everything into the unknown.
It would be okay if "Travel to Taipei" had similar box office trends to movies like "Ip Man" and "Women Are Not Bad" after its release.
If the trend is very strong, it will definitely squeeze the film schedule of "If You Are the One".
Especially since "Travel to Taipei" is a film produced and distributed by China Film Group, it is inevitable to use tricks to ensure the scheduling of "Travel to Taipei".
In December 2008, entering the New Year period, competitive Chinese films were released in theaters one after another.
On December 4, "Mei Lanfang" directed by Chen Kaige was released.
In the original timeline, the "Chinese-language masterpiece" "Mei Lanfang", which cost 100 million, achieved remarkable box office results in a short period of time after it was released nationwide on December 4, 2008.
14 million on the first day, and the box office on the first weekend reached 42.18 million.
Afterwards, Chen Kaige led the leading actors Zhang Ziyi, Sun Honglei, Yu Shaoqun, Wang Xueqin and Chen Xin to bow to the fans at the "Mei Lanfang Classic Celebrities Appreciation Banquet" held in Beijing.
Chen Kaige, pretending again.
According to convention, if a film's first weekend box office is one-third of its final box office, then the final box office of "Mei Lanfang" is expected to be between 130 million and 150 million.
In fact, this conventional prediction is indeed overestimated.
"Mei Lanfang" only earned 117 million.
Now, "Taipei Trip" has been squeezed out of the film schedule, and "Mei Lanfang" can't even reach this box office result.
If "Mei Lanfang" is a pure art film, then even if it invests 100 million, as long as it achieves a box office result of 100 million, it also shows that Chen Kaige is good at it.
However, "Mei Lanfang" is not a literary film, but a commercial film that takes an artistic route.
No matter what route it takes, a commercial film is a commercial film.
A commercial film that invested 100 million yuan only made 117 million yuan.
Loss of blood.
As a producer, China Film Group has also made contributions to Chinese-language films.
It’s just that after that, I stopped investing in director Chen Da’s films…
For example, director Chen Da’s next film after “Mei Lanfang”, “The Orphan of Zhao”, is Led by Shanghai Film Group.
In December, in addition to "Mei Lanfang", there will be "Women Are Not Bad" starring Zhou Xun and others on December 11 and "Ye Ye" starring Zhen Zhuan will be released on December 12 ask".
And, the two movies "If You Are the One" and "Taipei Trip".
Among them, "Mei Lanfang" has been released for half a month, and "Women Are Not Bad" and "Ip Man" have only been released for a week, so they must ensure the film schedule.
However, as long as the data of "Travel to Taipei" after its release is good, it will directly affect the scheduling of these movies.
Therefore, not only Feng Xiaogang and others are paying attention to "Travel to Taipei" at this time, but many people are also paying attention to "Travel to Taipei".
"If You Are the One" set a new box office record on its first day, and coupled with rave reviews, it has the potential to become a hit.
If "Travel to Taipei" is added to the list, it will be difficult for other films to survive.
Wang Shu is, after all, a great director who returned to China after making a $500 million movie in Hollywood. At this time, not only the industry is paying attention to "Taipei Trip", but many film critics on the Internet have also expressed their opinions after watching the movie. Afterthoughts.
A well-known film critic wrote on his blog: "It has been long-awaited, and the first domestic zombie film has finally landed in theaters."
"Taipei trip, it really works! "
"Now, let me tell you about this movie."
"The movie tells the story of a virus that spreads from a certain biochemical factory, and those infected will eventually become zombie-like creatures. The story unfolds on a train bound for Taipei."
"Let's start with the surface. I have to say that the makeup skills are really good. There are so many zombies, and I don’t need to say more about the makeup. The special effects are also great. Although they are not many, the details are important. Speaking of the first zombie deer that appeared at the beginning, the action of getting up from the ground looked flawless in my eyes.”
“Also, this movie breaks away from the established concepts of foreign zombie movies. , eating brains, slow movements, etc. Although it is a zombie theme, this zombie is not that zombie.”
“Let’s talk about the cast. I think the supporting actors are all very capable and dedicated. Many of the zombies are walking and running with broken hands and feet, and their movements are so natural.”
“The creators also tried their best, and the little girl’s acting skills are even better. The appearance of the play is not very good (I thought the little girl was a boy at first), but it gives people a more real feeling, as if Wang Shu wants to make you feel that these are real ordinary people. This is A place you live in, not a world you cannot touch.”
"From a deeper level of analysis, this film accurately analyzes human nature, its selfishness, the love behind selfishness, and the selfishness behind greatness. On the zombie train where everyone is in danger, it shows all kinds of human hearts. . ”
“In order to rush to Taipei to meet his mother, the COO of the bus company is undoubtedly the most detestable character in this movie. Not only did he insist on rushing to Taipei regardless of anyone’s opinions from the beginning. , and then left other passengers behind to force the train conductor to continue driving to Taipei. Later, he consciously pushed others into danger and sacrificed others to gain time to escape. From him, we saw the most ugly, selfish and disgusting behavior. Human nature, but behind it is a heart that misses his mother. When he finally experienced the corpse transformation, the COO was still worried about going to see his mother and reported his home address. "
"This scene makes people sigh. How can we distinguish between black and white?"
"And then there is the old woman who thinks she has no love in life. She thought her sister had been abandoned. She thought that it was none of her business and that it didn't matter whether others lived or died. Later, she saw that her sister was still alive and trying to escape from the next car into the safe car where they were, so she rushed forward to help her escape. "
"But my sister still didn't escape successfully."
"Because he was resentful of all the selfish passengers around him, he took revenge, opened the door to the zombie workshop, and let the zombies rush into their workshop and die with everyone. This character reflects the incompetence of today's society very well. Changed people, or the twisted side of the victims of certain events. Desperate because of regret, twisted because of despair, similar to many terrorist attacks or murder cases."
"Also. Lame tramps have little ability to withstand great changes by relying on others in order to survive. This can be seen from the crazy words at the beginning. This kind of people have no ability, but they must rely on them in order to survive. With strong external help, it is common to be dragged down, but many similar people live meaninglessly for the time being because they have no goals. Once their hearts are touched by something, they will do ordinary things. Along the way, the homeless man witnessed his comrades. He was brave and helpful, so he later learned this behavior.”
“There are also positive characters. The couple in the film are the most righteous and selfless characters in the whole film, and they have no grudges. He helped others, fought hard to the end, and the husband’s self-sacrifice in the end was really touching.”
“But we still have to discuss the inner philosophy here in depth, because this couple is about to become a father and a human being. The mother's love for her children is particularly great, so she helps the little girl again and again. This is because she has the person she loves in her heart and wants to save the person she loves, but her selfish emotions bring out great feelings. I can’t tell the difference.”
“Now let’s talk about the little girl’s father. He is more sophisticated in calculation and habitually selfish when he is involved in the financial industry. He even educates his daughter that in that way, everyone is on their own. In a dangerous environment, it is common in reality to just do well without caring about others, but later on, I became selfless for the sake of my daughter and gratitude for others’ help.”
"There are also baseball lovers."
"The little girl, this is a pure character with no evil thoughts and no impurities"
"After watching this movie, I was really exhausted physically and mentally. Highly tense, highly charged, and emotionally taxing, it is a film that is truly introspective and soul-cleansing.
(End of this chapter)