Chapter 92 North American release
October 1, 2004
The first day of the National Day holiday
"Kekexili" is officially launched.
Lu Chuan is very excited. "Kekexili" can technically be regarded as the first film he directed. "Looking for the Gun" does not count, that is Jiang Wen's work.
The only dissatisfaction is that there are not many theaters where it is released.
I feel unhappy when I think of this Lu Chuan.
He realized this very early and even asked his father to help him say hello, but to no avail.
A lot of theater managers came, but not many were willing to schedule movies for him.
To put it bluntly, theaters are not optimistic about this type of film. They think the box office will not be very good.
Seeing the theater chain's attitude, the publisher also stopped playing.
Lu Chuan said a lot of nice things, but it had no effect.
Nonsense, publicity costs real money.
The publisher pays the distribution fee in advance, but if the box office fails, the publisher will not even be able to earn back the distribution fee.
But it was finally released.
The publisher did not do nothing, and also helped arrange some interviews.
Lu Chuan was interviewed:
[The entire filming of "Kekexili" was carried out on a plateau above 3800 meters. The crew also filmed on the Bugda Ban Peak above 6200 meters above sea level. , 30% of the film was shot in no man's land. 】
[There are only 3 professional actors in the entire crew, and the rest are non-professional actors. What we want to present is a primitive, real state...]
[ Even real mountain rangers need oxygen in that environment, and may experience reactions such as nosebleeds. During the filming of the film, from time to time, crew members fainted and were rushed to the nearest hospital for treatment. As a result, the crew of more than 100 people at first was reduced to 60 people. 】
It’s just bragging anyway.
To be honest, he had no idea how much the box office would be.
Lu Chuan knew very well that this film was all about winning awards.
This kind of realistic-themed films that reflect acute social issues are very popular in awards both at home and abroad.
The domestic media were also very considerate. After the interview, they immediately promoted "Kekexili" to the sky.
[Rare realistic subject matter~]
[Focus on a unique perspective~]
Lu Chuan was also generously praised. The media commented on Lu Chuan: "Kekexili" was made by Lu Chuan with his life experience. The tragic film, China's sixth generation of directors has finally truly matured, and the future development of Chinese films rests on them.
For a time, it seemed as if Lu Chuan had become a representative figure of the sixth generation of directors, taking over the banner of revitalizing film from the fifth generation.
……
Zhang Chen is answering the phone here.
"Boss, Lionsgate came to me and wanted to buy the script of "Orphan", but I didn't agree immediately. I asked them to wait~"
"How much did they offer? "
"200,000 US dollars is a fair price. You may not know that the average script price in Hollywood is between 200,000 and 300,000 US dollars, but I think it is still too low. We should wait. In a few days, wait for the box office results of "Dark Invasion" to be released..."
"Dark Invasion" is also released in the United States today.
Everyone in the industry was shocked by Lionsgate's "Saw", which cost $1.2 million and grossed $102 million at the global box office.
An absolute tool for attracting money.
That’s why Columbia was tempted and did not hesitate to buy the copyright of "Dark Invasion". They had conducted internal research and felt that this film had the potential to become a hit.
The hottest movie schedule in North America is the summer schedule from May to September every year, which is a battleground for major Hollywood companies.
After September, it is the off-season, and theaters are used to showing some low-cost horror films...
"Dark Invasion" happens to be during this time period.
The first part of "Saw" opened in 1,400 theaters. It was the turn of "Dark Invasion". Although Columbia is a big company, it did not dare to be too radical and arranged for 1,700 theaters.
Everyone has hopes. Horror movies are known for their ability to make big gains with small gains. Once the bet is right, the income from one film may be as much as they have worked hard for a year.
“Are you so confident?”
“Of course. That’s the Saturn Award for Best Horror Film. Over the years, the Saturn Awards have never let us down. The movie will definitely cause excitement after it is released. There is a movie-going craze. When the movie becomes popular, the price of your script will also increase.”
"OK, you are a professional, and I will listen to you in everything."
"Don't worry, boss, I won't let you suffer, nor will I let my own wallet suffer."
“Where is the New Line?”
“They are probably waiting too.”
The New Line is indeed waiting.
Although New Line is affiliated with Time Warner, Time Warner does not manage them. Therefore, although New Line belongs to the six major camps, it is still involved in the independent film circle.
They don’t have the problems of big companies, and they are more willing to talk to filmmakers on an equal footing, but this does not mean that they are willing to give away their interests.
If it were just the script and director, New Line would be acceptable.
After all, there is the gimmick of the Saturn Award for Best Director.
But Zhang Chen also wants a share of the box office and DVD and other peripherals, which is too much.
How dare a new director make such an exorbitant request.
Box office share? Do you want a share of the DVD and peripherals?
Although they have no peripheral development capabilities, DVDs are a big hit, and the revenue even exceeds the box office.
But it’s not like they don’t know how to adapt. They know that Lionsgate is also contacting Diane, but they haven’t reached a cooperation. They are probably waiting for the result of the film’s release.
No one is stupid. The performance of "Dark Invasion" in North America directly determined their attitude towards Zhang Chen.
If the movie is a box office hit, it means that Zhang Chen's movie style is suitable for North American audiences, and then everything can be discussed.
If the box office fails, then I'm sorry, accept the current conditions, or just go back to your hometown.
The current "Dark Invasion" affects the hearts of all parties.
Zhang Chen, Diane, Lionsgate, New Line, Columbia...
North American box office, although the first day box office is also paid attention to, the first weekend box office is recognized as the authoritative data.
In other words, Zhang Chen only needs to wait until the 4th, when the first weekend box office is released, to know the direction of things.
Zhang Chen simply went into the studio to put the final touches on the film.
Compared with the original version, his version of "Shark Beach" has added many special effects shots, giving sharks more opportunities to show their faces.
But the real highlight is not the sharks.
In a sense, "Shark Tank" and "Into the Dark" are the same. The attraction of the former is not the sharks, and the latter is not the monsters. The real attraction of these two films is that they are so tense. An atmosphere that cannot be breathed. As for horror movies, once the atmosphere is created, the movie is half successful.
I haven’t seen so many mysterious horror movies in later generations, such as sleepwalking by a mental patient or having a dream. The plots are very weird, but as long as the mystery is good, people will watch it.
In this "Shark Beach", he didn't make it so bloody and violent.
But "Dark Invasion" does exist. Although those impressive scenes were cut out when it was released in China, they are all included in the version provided to Colombia.
Zhang Chen’s tricks are the same as those in co-productions.
In 2004, when co-productions first emerged, double versions were popular. The ones released in China and those released in Hong Kong were different. Just like "Lust, Caution", the version released in Hong Kong was larger than the version released in the mainland, so many people sat there at that time. I flew to Hong Kong just to see art.
After I came back, I understood what art was. It turned out to be a paper clip.
Double versions will no longer be allowed after 2006. Co-productions must abide by the rules. Since you want to make this money, you have to follow our rules.
But no one cares about it now. The bloody version of "Dark Invasion" provided by Zhang Chen to Colombia and included in the competition.
Horror movies, these are standard features.
There is nothing we can do in China, it is a special situation.
If he shows the domestic version abroad, he will definitely be scolded to death.
This is what Westerners do.
Eastern horror films and Western horror films are two completely different forms of expression.
Western horror movies are like this: six people enter a room, and only one comes out at the end.
Oriental horror movies: Six people enter a room and come out as seven.
Zhang Chen had just finished adjusting the video when Cao Bingkun suddenly came over.
“Are you done?”
“You’re done, what’s wrong?”
“You’re done, go watch a movie with me.”
"Watching a movie? What to watch?"
""Kekexili", the homework assigned by the teacher."
Cao Bingkun's face was full of anger. He had no choice, Lu Chuan also graduated from Nortel.
Of course schools and teachers must support graduates’ works.
When Zhang Chen's "Dark Invasion" was released, the teachers also requested the same thing: watch the movie and then come back and submit a viewing analysis.
Zhang Chen was dragged to the cinema by Cao Bingkun.
I bought the tickets and then found that the attendance rate of the movie seemed not very good. It was obviously a weekend, and there were only a dozen or so people in the whole hall.
This is normal. For this type of film, the attendance rate cannot be high.
The surrounding lights went out and the factory logo appeared.
First it was China Film Group, then Huayi Brothers, and then Columbia.
He had the impression that this film was invested by Huayi Brothers and Columbia. In a later interview, Lu Chuan said that these two companies originally invested in this film. Huayi Brothers got all the domestic box office and copyrights, while the overseas copyrights belonged to Colombia. all.
It’s just that in this life, there are more China Film Group.
And China Film seems to have invested 2 million. Han Sanping himself said at the time that the cost of "Shark Beach" and "Kekexili" were both 10 million, and China Film also invested 2 million in support.
After 85 minutes, the screening ended.
Cao Bingkun was still in disbelief.
"This film is good~"
Zhang Chen nodded: "It is indeed good."
Focusing on poaching, this subject itself is rare.
Lu Chuan also used the form of a pseudo-documentary in a very cool way.
It is indeed novel. Although the development conflict of the story is not so intense, it seems more real.
It was quite shocking to see the mountain patrol members leaving or dying one by one.
Especially the death of the captain at the end.
If it were placed in a commercial film, it would definitely be a life-and-death battle. The ratio between the enemy and us is very different, but the fight is back and forth. In the end, the captain is outnumbered, but in this film, it is just one shot.
Solved with one shot.
As a movie it may feel a bit anticlimactic, but it is more realistic.
"Kekexili", "Tengu" and "Glorious Fury" are three major domestic films that "expose the forces of darkness".
It would be a pity if Lu Chuan hadn’t taken the photo.
Cao Bingkun has already thought about how to write an analysis of the film:
A performance without any trace of performance, no criticism occupying the moral high ground, a violent shock brought by roughness and simplicity, not even giving you one more A sensational moment that makes you cry.
Living people walked into the quicksand and blizzard, and the people outside the screen began to lack oxygen.
The two wanted to follow them outside, but were stopped by a reporter.
"Hello, I am a reporter from NetEase Entertainment. You two must have just finished watching "Kekexili". What do you think?"
Cao Bingkun looked at the other person: "Well, I I think it was pretty good. After watching the movie, many details remain fresh in my mind. "For example?"
"I won't spoil it," Cao Bingkun said politely. Rejected the other party.
The reporter didn't give up and turned to Zhang Chen: "What about you?"
She obviously didn't recognize who Zhang Chen was. She was probably a new reporter who had just entered the industry.
Zhang Chen thought for a while. He didn’t want to say anything, but when he saw the female reporter’s eager eyes, he decided to say a few words...
“The director chose a very good subject. , and at the same time met a group of excellent actors.”
It is a relatively fair evaluation, neither praise nor disdain.
It was time to leave the show, and there were more and more people around. Zhang Chen didn't want to stay long, so he just wanted to leave after saying that, but the reporter seemed to recognize him and just blocked his way.
Then he asked: "What do you think the final box office will be?"
Zhang Chen was stunned, looked up at the female reporter, and then at the camera.
The other party seemed to be at odds with him.
To tell the truth: "The final box office estimate will not be very good. When the director chose the form of mock documentary, the box office was already doomed. After all, so far, there has been no such thing, whether at home or abroad. A precedent for high box office success for documentaries.”
(End of this chapter)