Chapter 760 Withdrawal and Suspension
This year’s Spring Festival, there were originally 9 movies scheduled to be released on the first day of the new year.
[囧Mom], [Detective Chinatown 3], [Win the Championship], and [Emergency Rescue] are considered to be the seed players in the first tier of the box office, and [囧Mom] can be purchased on ticketing apps such as Taopiaopiao. The number of people who marked it as wanting to see it ranked third.
[Tang Detective 3] was originally the favorite to win the title during the Spring Festival. [Win the Championship] is regarded as the most promising movie to surpass [Tang Detective 3] at the box office, while [囧Mom] has received relatively little attention. It is regarded as a potential dark horse by many film critics in the industry, and is predicted to achieve a box office of at least 2 billion.
However, the pre-sale box office opened one week before the Spring Festival release shows that "Tang Detective 3" dominates the market, occupying nearly 60% of the market share, and the other 8 movies share the remaining 40% Although the pre-sale box office of "囧Mom" ranked third, it was only 46.42 million.
Judging from this situation, [囧Mom] may not be a dark horse, and the 2.4 billion gambling agreement will be very difficult to complete.
Xu Zheng is under a lot of pressure. Last year, the bet on "Crazy Alien" was not completed. He was also one of the investors in that movie.
The “囧” series has always been his trump card, but the third installment “囧” has not received satisfactory reviews. If “囧Mom” fails again, there is a high probability that the “囧” series will end with this one. .
A week before New Year's Eve, when various film companies were working hard to promote the movie, Xu Zheng suddenly posted on Weibo to announce that "囧Mom" will be released one day and will meet the national audience on New Year's Eve.
Subsequently, "Bear Bears" and "Win the Championship" also followed in the footsteps of "囧Mom" and announced that they would be released on New Year's Eve.
The remaining "Tang Detective 3", "Emergency Rescue" and "Vanguard" have no action, and will be released on the first day of the Lunar New Year as originally planned.
For three movies headed by "囧Mom" to be released in one day, audiences across the country are relatively satisfied. After all, everyone has a holiday on New Year's Eve and has time to go to the cinema to watch movies.
However, front-line theater staff have expressed dissatisfaction, because according to the rules of previous years, Spring Festival movies are released on the first day of the Lunar New Year, and they can get off work early to rest and reunite with their families on New Year's Eve.
As Xu Zheng did, the movie theaters had to be open 24 hours a day on New Year’s Eve, so the front-line staff naturally complained constantly.
While the controversy over the filing is still brewing, some self-media people are using hot topics to criticize [囧Mom], and the impact of the filing is gradually becoming negative, YI sentiment is pouring in, and they are the first to mention it The movie "囧Mom" was "suddenly" withdrawn again.
After all the Spring Festival movies were withdrawn on January 23, everyone originally thought that there would be no new movies during this year’s Spring Festival.
Unexpectedly, on the morning of New Year’s Eve, January 24, Toutiao’s official account first announced that [囧Mom] would be free to watch on the “Toutiao Series” APP. This news shocked everyone.
An hour later, Xu Zheng posted on Weibo to confirm the online release.
Subsequently, insider information broke on the Internet that ByteDance "offered 630 million yuan to acquire the copyright of [囧Mom]".
One stone stirs up a thousand waves.
From Xu Zheng's point of view, at this critical moment, he sold the copyright of "囧Mom" to ByteDance in a package, eliminating the risk of delayed release. ByteDance's acquisition price of 630 million yuan is already equivalent to nearly 20 With a box office of over 100 million, it is a smart person's choice to avoid losses and make timely payments while still making a fortune.
For Byte, it spends 600 million to invite people across the country to watch "囧Mom" for free. It has gimmicks, popularity, and topics to attract more new users and increase the number of users in sinking markets. Increase your market share.
For ordinary viewers, it enriches life during the Spring Festival holiday when they cannot go out at home, and they can also watch [囧Mom] for free.
It seems to be a win-win situation, the only one unhappy is the cinema.
Not long after Toutiao officially announced that [囧Ma] will be broadcast for free on the Internet during the New Year, 23 theater companies jointly submitted a letter in an attempt to stop the free premiere of [囧Ma] on the Internet. , which includes leading theater companies such as Wanda Film and Bona Film, which can be said to include half of the domestic theater companies.
The so-called stoppage will definitely not succeed. Neither Huanxi Media, the producer of "囧Mom" nor Byte, which bought the copyright, violated any laws and regulations, but just failed to comply with the unspoken rules of the film industry.
The response from theaters was violent, which is not surprising.
After all, Xu Zheng’s behavior affected their fundamental interests.
After a movie is released in theaters, it is a long-standing "rule" in the film industry that the producer and the theater chain split the money. Now [囧Mom] has broken this "rule" and the money earned from a movie If it's not a small matter, I'm afraid this is the beginning. In the future, more movies will be played on streaming media instead of going through theaters.
“Director Xu really dares to think and do. He is challenging the bottom line of the cinema.”
The crew of [Zhou Chu] started filming as usual on the first day of the new year. During the lunch break, Wen Mu also chatted with Gu Wei about the recent series of sexy actions of [囧Mom].
"[囧Mom] is not very good. Fortunately, I met the rich man Byte to help Xu compete. Otherwise, if it were really released, I doubt whether this movie would have a box office of over 1 billion."
Gu Wei is not optimistic about [囧Mom] at all.
At its core, this movie is still a road comedy like the "囧" series, but this time Xu Zheng made a different attempt, talking about the reconciliation of the parent-child relationship in Chinese families, trying to use the mother-child relationship to create a series of laughs .
In terms of depth of expression, "囧Mom" surpasses "Thailand" and "Hong Kong囧", but as a movie in the "囧" series, it has one biggest shortcoming, that is, it is not funny enough.
A comedy movie would be too funny if it wasn't funny.
The "囧" series started with "People on the Road" and reached the pinnacle of comedy in the second part "囧囧". The story seems nonsensical, but it is full of jokes from beginning to end. Xu Zheng and Wang Baoqiang , Huang Bo's collision made countless audiences laugh non-stop in the cinema.
Waiting for [囧 in Hong Kong], Xu Zheng began to suffer from literary youth syndrome and wanted to explore the ideals and realities of middle-aged men, the white moonlight of the past and the reality of his wife and family.
Coupled with the selection of two actors, Bao Beier and Zhao Wei, who are not very popular with the audience, the reputation of "囧" failed miserably.
[囧Mom] explores more profound themes, but this is a comedy, not an art film.
Moreover, there is no actor like Huang Bo or Wang Baoqiang who collides with Xu Zheng in the movie, and a lot of baggage is not funny.
The movie has no hits and is relatively mediocre. In the most competitive time of the year, the Spring Festival, mediocrity means failure.
"I feel like he is a little too eager for quick success and instant gain. There are so many movies during the Spring Festival. Although it is difficult, it is the same for everyone.
In doing so, he broke the rules of the industry and completely offended the theater."< br>
From a director's perspective, Wen Mu could also understand Xu Zheng's behavior, but he also knew what the consequences would be.
"I have worked with Xu Zheng. He is a typical Shanghai man, greedy, money-loving, literary, and a sophisticated egoist.
When I filmed "囧囧", there was no copyright. Tu] The copyright owner Wuhan Huaqi Film and Television sued and paid RMB 5 million.
Later, the preparation for "Hong Kong 囧" fell out with Bao Qiang, which ruined the reputation of the series. br>Xu Zheng is very talented, there is no doubt about it, but he loves money too much and is very independent in doing things, so he is unwilling to share the profits.
Can he not see the disadvantages of selling movies to streaming media? It’s just that. Compared with the money, some resistance from the same industry is nothing”
It turns out that when filming "Cohabitation in Time and Space", Gu Wei had been in contact with Xu Zheng for a while and had a certain understanding of him.
“However, I guess he didn’t expect that the response from theaters would be so intense.
Looking at the current situation, the movies he will participate in in the future will definitely have an impact on the release schedule.”< br>
Watching "The Myth of Love" and "Retrograde Life" starring Xu Zheng in the future, you will know that theaters are vindictive, and they do not refuse to avenge the time has not come.
"Mr. Gu, do you think it is possible for streaming media to replace theaters in the future?"
"How is that possible!
If nothing else, there is a big gap between streaming media and theaters in terms of movie-watching experience.
And this year is a special time. Byte is here to attract users. Spending so much money to buy the copyright of "囧Mom" is an example.
If you look at Netflix's current position in the American film industry, you will know that streaming media will only become a supplement to movie broadcast channels in the future. It will never replace movie theaters.”
Gu Wei is a shareholder of Byte and has maintained good cooperative relations with several major video platforms. He feels that he has a thorough understanding. Wen Mu also nodded, agreeing with this point of view.
Going to the cinema to watch movies is not only a habit, but also an audio-visual enjoyment that cannot be achieved on a mobile phone or computer.
“However, although streaming media is not currently available, if a certain technology makes a breakthrough and matures, it will only take a matter of minutes to replace movie theaters.”
“What is Mr. Gu referring to? "Wen Mu also looked curious after hearing this.
Gu Wei smiled: "VR is virtual reality technology. Once this technology makes a breakthrough, it will be a dimensionality reduction blow to theaters.
Can you imagine that everyone can enter the world of movies by wearing a helmet, and watch movies completely immersed, nothing like 3D or IMAX can compare?"
"Isn't that just [The Matrix], the second world of virtual reality? ." Wen Mu also laughed and did not take what Gu Wei said seriously.
Gu Wei shrugged: "It seems like science fiction, but the development of science and technology is rapid. Who could have done it 20 years ago? To think that our country can develop to the extent it is today.
Smartphones, online shopping, electronic payments, new energy vehicles, aerospace and lunar exploration.
Perhaps we can really see the breakthrough and application of virtual reality technology in our lifetime. By then, the film and television industry and The gaming industry will undergo unprecedented changes.
As a remnant of the old era, theaters will naturally die."
"Haha, I am really looking forward to the day that Mr. Gu said, and I hope I can see it before I die.
The second world of [The Matrix] is too far away. If it can reach the level of [Out-of-control Player], it will be very powerful! "
Due to the love affair, it is impossible for Da MiMi, who originally said she was coming to visit the class, to come.
".Wouldn't it affect your filming there? ”
"No, there's nothing going on here in Wanwan. The government doesn't care too much. It's just advising everyone to wear masks and everyone should work."
"My movie "Thank You Doctor" has just been started for more than ten days. We just stopped filming. Hengdian is now closed. We don’t know when filming will resume.”
“I remember you told me it was called [ICU48 Hours] last time, right?”
“The original novel was called this, and the adapted version is called [Thank You Doctor].”
“It feels like it’s not as famous as the original novel.
Are you at home in Beijing now? "Gu Wei asked, looking at the background of Yang Mi.
"Yes, I can't do any work now, I can only wait for notification~"
Gu Wei smiled: " Don’t worry, it’s the strictest at the beginning, and things will get better soon. At the very least, the shooting should be fine. "
"I hope so. For me, it's just a matter of resting for a while, but Hengdian is closed, and the daily expenses incurred by the dozens of filming crews are astronomical.
I don’t know how long it will take for the film and television industry to recover due to this impact.”
Yang Mi on the opposite side of the camera sighed, feeling a little sad.
“With your celebrity status, Sister Mi, even this kind of force majeure will not have much impact on you.
In addition to the major film and television companies, the biggest impact this time should be They are the lowest-level actors and other staff in the industry, and their opportunities to work have been greatly reduced."
Yang Mi raised his eyebrows: "Can't I be worried about the artists in Jiaxing?"
"Okay, of course.
Everyone knows that Sister Mi, you are a very responsible boss! "
The two were chatting, and Gu Wei received a WeChat message on his phone. He clicked on it and pressed the nine-square grid to reply.
"What's wrong with you? "Yang Mi can also see Gu Wei's movements.
"If you have WeChat, please reply. ”
“Okay, just be busy, I’ll talk to you when I have time~”
"byebye~"
After hanging up the video, Gu Wei replied to Nazha's WeChat message, and then made another video call from there.
In the past few days, when Gu Wei returned to his room during the day while filming, he would either chat with this WeChat account or receive a call from that person.
The reality is that no one has a job, so they will naturally think of contacting him when they are free.
But everyone knew that Gu Wei was filming in Wanwan and did not disturb him during the day.
Zhao Liying was also filming in Hengdian, and like Yang Mi, she took a break from work.
She was filming the martial arts drama [You Fei] that she told Gu Wei about last time.
Because of Gu Wei's words, Zhao Liying communicated with Huace to replace Wu Yifan, and the crew hired Zhu Yirong to play the leading role.
Hua Ce asked him to play the male lead. On the one hand, Zhu Yirong is quite popular now, and on the other hand, he probably thinks that the couple's couple is a big gimmick, and it has certain potential. flow.
“Are you still in Hengdian now?”
"Yes, although the production is shut down, the entire crew is here.
On the one hand, it is isolation, and on the other hand, it is waiting for news.
The crew said that it will be gradually completed in about half a month at most. "Resuming filming"
The crew is also on hold. Yang Mi has already run home, while Zhao Liying is still on the crew waiting to resume filming. There is indeed a gap between the two in terms of work attitudes.
“Just take this opportunity to rest for a while”
"Haha, I would rather not rest. There are more than 200 people in the crew, and the daily expenses are hundreds of thousands.
This drama has my investment, and I also have a part of the money spent every day."
Zhao Liying curled her lips, looking unhappy.
With her current celebrity status, it is normal for her to get a share of the filming. Because of the salary limit, actors cannot be paid much, and big names like Zhao Liying can only give her a share of investment.
“When will your filming be finished?”
"It will be almost the end of this month.
I feel that when I go back, the country will be much better"
"I hope so."
(End of this chapter)