China Entertainment 1997

This year's summer vacation is more active than in previous years. During the SARS months, it was like a sword pressing on the heads of the people across the country, which made them depressed for a long time.

Now that SARS is basically over, everyone is ready to relax and eliminate the worries caused by SARS.

This idea is basically based on students and young people.

Most of the migrant workers continue to be busy at work, and because of SARS, the domestic economy has been affected to a certain extent, and their income has generally decreased. Everyone has a difficult life, and they can only make more money to replenish their income.

Under such circumstances, it will definitely have an impact on the movie box office market, which has just returned to normal.

But it has not yet reached the point where life and death are decided. In the current film market, films are not yet for ordinary consumption.

The real main consumers are mainly movie fans and young people. Even for the Lunar New Year period, the proportion of the first two must reach more than 70%.

China Film Group, conference room

Cao Xuan saw the famous Mr. Han, who looked ordinary, had a big head, and looked a little mean even when he smiled.

Today is the release discussion meeting for "When Men Are in Love". When the film was still being shot, Cao Xuan decided to find China Film to distribute it.

China Film, whose full name is China Film Group Center, was established in 1999. It was formerly composed of eight units including Beijing Film Studio, China Film Company, China Children's Film Studio, and China Film Co-Production Company.

He is in charge of film and television production. He owns many theater chains through holding, equity participation, and cooperation. He is a well-deserved giant in the mainland film field.

The most awesome thing is that China Film is in charge of the management of imported films. This means that whether it is from Hollywood or Europe, Japan and South Korea, if foreign films want to make money in mainland China, China Film has the final say on how many and which films to enter each year.

If someone is rich and has theater chains, they can also arrange for imported blockbusters and official endorsements. Who dares to compare private film companies with them?

Of course, no matter how great China Film is, it is just a film company with people in charge. At least as far as Cao Xuan and Fanxing are concerned, it is not to the point where they want to embrace China Film.

If Fanxing Cinemas had not just started, with a small scale and a shallow foundation, Fanxing itself could have done the one-stop service of [production-distribution-screening].

But nowadays, Fanxing Cinemas is still a small company, which is intimidating to other companies, but it is still a younger brother to China Film.

If "When Men Fall in Love" wants to get a good box office, it is best to cooperate with a mature company like China Film Group for the distribution rights.

As Cao Xuan's first film, "When a Man Falls in Love" still has enough gimmicks, and the industry is very optimistic about it.

Bona's Yu Dongdu personally came to the door and wanted to win the distribution rights of the film, but Cao Xuan felt that China Film Group was bigger, so he chose the latter.

China Film Group did not disappoint Cao Xuan's expectations. Vice Chairman Han Sanye supervised the project in name only, and sent a deputy general manager to personally take charge of the project.

The film "When a Man Falls in Love" will be released nationwide, including Hong Kong and Taiwan. It has also contacted Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia and other Southeast Asian regions, and is expected to follow up on the release.

As for Japan, South Korea, Europe and the United States, China Film Group also has connections, but the requirements for film introduction are relatively stringent and they are still negotiating.

Not to mention Europe and the United States, Japan and South Korea are still very promising. After all, Cao Xuan is well-known in Asia, and it is a romance film with no cultural barriers. Even if it cannot be released, it can still be released on TV and DVD.

This kind of distribution scale is difficult for Fanxing itself, and it is difficult for other distribution companies to achieve this level.

Even if the so-called "simultaneous release in Asia" can be achieved, the scale of overseas theater release is highly questionable.

At least China Film Group has given Fanxing a guarantee that the number of overseas screens will not be less than 300.

Although this number is still not high, it is not low either. The box office is strong, and local theaters are naturally willing to follow up and increase the number.

However, being big also has its downsides.

That means seeking stability in doing things, using power to overwhelm others, and not innovating easily. Cao Xuan never relaxed his eyebrows after seeing the distribution and publicity plan presented by China Film.

Except for the gimmick that Cao Xuan participated in a movie for the first time, everything else was ordinary and without any surprises!

At least in Cao Xuan's own opinion, this publicity plan has no point in attracting him to enter the cinema. No matter how many cinemas it is shown in, it is of no use if the audience does not come in.

Cao Xuan's expression was seen by everyone in the film. Before the explanation of the plan was over, Mr. Han took the initiative to stop it.

"Mr. Cao, do you have other ideas?"

After all, Cao Xuan is now considered a big shot in the entertainment industry. Calling him Xiao Cao is a bit presumptuous, and calling him by his first name seems stiff. Calling Xuanzi by his first name is not that close, so Mr. Han used a more neutral title.

"Director Han, it's like this..."

Cao Xuan pondered for a moment, then said directly: "This plan is a bit lackluster and somewhat different from what I expected. We actually have a publicity idea here, why don't you guys listen to it."

"Okay, we're all ears."

Han Sanye's words are really not a strange thing. In his opinion, Cao Xuan became famous at a young age and is extremely rich, so he must be extraordinary.

In addition, Fanxing's previous film and television music projects have always performed very well, and many stars have been launched one after another. Obviously, they have experience in publicity and hype, and maybe they really have some insights.

"Actually, we have planned several important promotion points for this movie. As mentioned earlier, it is my first time to participate in a movie. In addition, Hu Jing is also the first to participate in a movie, so she can also make a fuss."

"By the way, I can also stir up the scandal between the two of you."

A certain China Film staff member added that Cao Xuan gave him a teachable look.

To be honest, I don’t know if it’s because he thinks the scandal involving Cao Daguan is not new, or if it’s hard for state-owned enterprises to take the initiative to promote this. Anyway, China Film didn’t even think of this, leaving Cao Xuan a little speechless.

However, it is now clear that the leaders of China Film and Television have no intention of objecting, and [Cao Hulian] will make a comeback.

An international king and a famous actress, even old news is attractive enough.

As for publicity and marketing, it doesn’t matter if the tricks are old or old, as long as they work, as long as there is attention, Cao Xuan can have a fight with the Empress of the East Palace [break up - cold war - make up - cheat - break up - make up]. The entertainment industry has been bloody for years drama.

However, Cao Xuan doesn't want to fool fans, and he doesn't like his private life to be exposed. In addition, he is afraid of being out of touch, so he only speculates on scandals during the publicity period and keeps a low profile as much as possible in daily life.

In addition to the male and female lead's film debut and scandals, Cao Xuan also raised two points.

Summer time and Chinese Valentine's Day.

There is currently a consensus in the Mainland film industry that the summer season is very cold and belongs to the off-season of the year.

Therefore, every year, domestic high-quality projects compete for the Lunar New Year and National Day stalls.

But in fact, this is a fallacy. The summer season of mainland movies may not be great, but it is far from being bad.

The concept of summer movie originally came from Hollywood, which is from May to August every year. Every summer is the peak season for the release of new Hollywood movies. All kinds of new movies compete with each other, which makes the media and movie fans excited.

The domestic summer program was first proposed in 2001 by Huang Jianxin, the future director of "The Founding of the People's Republic of China".

The movie "Who Says I Don't Care" directed by him, starring Feng Gong and Lu Liping, was billed as "China's first summer entertainment film."

But it's a pity that in the end, the box office was only 14 million. Although it ranked sixth in the box office rankings of Chinese-language films in the mainland that year, it can hardly be called a success.

As a result, although summer movies in the mainland have been proposed and concepts such as blockbusters, entertainment, and commerce have emerged, Chinese-language films have almost no outstanding results and have instead become the exclusive preserve of Hollywood blockbusters.

Last summer, "Star Wars: Episode II: Attack of the Clones" and "Spider-Man" jointly earned nearly 100 million at the box office, and "The Gunman" and "Tianmai" together had almost 40 million.

In this mainland film market, where the total box office is only 900 million, it is not bad by any means.

But even so, due to various aspects of psychology towards Hollywood, the domestic film industry still does not pay enough attention to the summer season.

Until 2003 in the original time and space, two imported films, "The Matrix 2" and "Finding Nemo", and Cheng Long's "The Dragon Reborn" jointly won more than 100 million in box office.

The stable box office of more than 100 million+ for two consecutive years has made many people see the potential of the summer season.

After much consideration of the new picture, Boss Zhang and Lao Mouzi made the new film "House of Flying Daggers" a summer blockbuster. It was released in the 2004 summer season and earned 156 million at the box office.

It is precisely because of this movie that domestic film companies and theaters saw the potential of the summer season and increased their investment in exploring it. It eventually became one of the top peak season slots in the domestic film market every year.

Therefore, under the premise that the industry generally does not pay attention to the summer season, Cao Xuan realizes that this is a blue ocean.

"When Men Fall in Love" can definitely play the role of a domestic summer movie.

It can't be said to be a blockbuster, but it can be said to be the first domestic commercial film in the summer season.

Mainland commercial films are a rarity these days. Many Mainland directors are ashamed to talk about money and talk about art. On the contrary, Xiangjiang directors talk about box office and are more favored by the market and audiences.

Last year, "Hero" was promoted as a commercial blockbuster, and the industry and film critics scolded Lao Mouzi.

However, its total global box office is US$177 million, equivalent to more than 1.4 billion yuan, which is more than half of the total box office of the mainland film market in 2002.

Cao Xuan is an actor and a businessman.

"When Men Fall in Love" is essentially a commercial film. It is a brand of commercial films and it is perfectly normal to attract movie fans.

Not only is Cao Xuan not ashamed to talk about money, he also puts box office first.

If he were not afraid of self-defeating and the environment did not allow it, he would have wanted to market [domestic commercial movies VS Hollywood blockbusters] and forcibly bundled "The Matrix 2" so that he could gain popularity even if he could not win.

In addition to the summer season, "When a Man Loves" is scheduled to premiere on August 2, and August 4 is Chinese Valentine's Day.

For a love action movie, Cao Xuan would be sorry for Goldfinger if it didn't stir up the concept of "Valentine's Day" in China, and the slogans would be better.

[Giving roses on Valentine’s Day abroad, watching movies on Chinese Valentine’s Day]

[The flowers are similar every year, and the people are the same every year. When we meet on the magpie bridge, we watch movies together]

[Seven is an odd number, watch a movie and make up an even number]

[In heaven and earth, we meet each other on Chinese Valentine's Day. In this life and past lives, we are destined to be deeply in love. After watching the movie, we sleep together]

[You and I are speechless beside the Magpie Bridge. It is better to watch a movie and our love will last forever]

[Come to the cinema on Chinese Valentine's Day and meet your Cowherd/Weaver Girl]

【……】

Cao Xuan doesn't care whether it's embarrassing or not. Anyway, for today's audience, there are still few business routines to see. As long as it is fresh, it can attract people.

On the romantic Chinese Valentine's Day, watching a love movie with your favorite partner is enough to attract many young people.

Girls love romance, and it doesn’t matter if boys are romantic or not, but if you make an appointment to watch a movie, the mood is right, and the time is right, the rest...

Hehehe~

Let's put it this way, once this marketing plan comes out, boys may be more active than girls.

Of course, for the couple who originally wanted to watch a sweet movie, there is a question about how they will feel after watching "When Men Are in Love" and whether they are still in the mood to celebrate Chinese Valentine's Day.

But Cao Xuan doesn't care, they have spent all their money anyway, and the business philosophy of Fanxing and Deyun Club are consistent -

If you dare, kill me, I won’t refund the ticket anyway!

In addition, Cao Xuan also performed in "The Matrix 2". Although he can't compete with Porcelain, he can still get a wave of popularity. The audience of this kind of Hollywood blockbuster is different from the ordinary audience. If it can attract some, it will attract some.

In addition, Cao Xuan has also prepared promotional songs and trailers related to "When Men Are in Love", which will be released on TV stations and the Internet.

And the focus is on the Internet. Most of the Internet users are young people in cities, which relatively overlap with the main consumer force in the film market. There is no harm in paying more attention to it.

Although Cao Xuan's series of publicity plans are not so amazing that they make people want to praise them, they are definitely much clearer and more precise than China Film's publicity plans, and they are more innovative and open.

After comparing the two, Mr. Han decided directly. According to Cao Xuan's suggestion, China Film developed a new publicity plan within one day and then started to implement it. Fanxing would also cooperate with it.

After the seminar ended and others went to work, Mr. Han specially invited Cao Xuan to sit in his office.

After brewing a pot of hot tea, Mr. Han sighed with emotion: "Mr. Cao, you have taught us a lesson today. Young people are to be feared."

"Don't dare to take it seriously."

Cao Xuan said modestly, and then took the initiative to say: "Director Han, you are a senior and you are old. You don't need to call me Mr. Cao. Just call me by his first name or Xiao Cao."

"Then let me tell you something, Cao Xuan, I saw your movie and it was quite good. People in our group also think it will be popular. You can estimate the box office for yourself."

"More than 20 million."

Cao Xuan pondered for a moment and gave a conservative figure. Mr. Han laughed and shook his head.

"You underestimate your own fame too much. Cao Xuan alone is worth 10 million at the box office."

"How many do you think it is?"

"…Hard to say."

Mr. Han shook his head and gave no accurate answer.

Commercial romance films cannot be said to have existed in the mainland market in the past, but they are rare. In addition, Cao Xuan's popularity has never been verified in the film market, and the mainland film market has developed rapidly in the past two years and has been changing every year.

Therefore, even he, a veteran who has been in the film industry for decades, is not sure how much box office "When Men Are in Love" will have.

However, considering the quality, Han Sanye feels that the film's prospects are good, otherwise China Film would not cooperate.

I haven't talked too much about "When Men Fall in Love". Anyway, the promotion plan, schedule, and finished film have been released. The box office performance will be determined by the practical test.

Compared with this movie, Mr. Han is more interested in Cao Xuan's next movie.

"I heard that you are planning to make a martial arts film with Tsui Hark?"

"Yeah, but Director Xu has a project called "Seven Swords", and he is more inclined to that project. But it's not like we have no chance, and we are still in contact."

Mr. Xu almost lost money to several investors because of "Shu Mountain", and he once became a box office poison in the Hong Kong film industry.

However, with his reputation and connections, he took a year off and was resurrected to prepare for his new project.

This time he didn't dare to risk his own life to engage in any fairy tales. Instead, he filmed his own martial arts. The story was taken from Liang Yusheng's "Seven Swordsman".

Fanxing approached him, but he initially ignored it, but later he read the script and found that the quality was good, Cao Xuan was generous, and the compensation was very tempting.

More importantly, Fanxing has an extremely mature production team, which can save him a lot of trouble.

If the schedule is allocated well, "Xiu Chun Dao" can be filmed in two or three months, and he still has enough time to film "Seven Swords".

Therefore, Mr. Xu is a little hesitant now and plans to take a look at the situation of "When Men Are in Love", comprehensively consider and analyze Fanxing's team strength, and then consider whether to take on this project.

Cao Xuan himself still prefers Mr. Xu, but he is also in contact with some backup directors.

For example, Li Rengang, this guy is terrible at history and uniforms, but he is very capable in action scenes and scene planning.

The script of "Xiu Chun Dao" is mature, Fan Xing's strength is to be a Taoist, and the two sides have complementary advantages. As long as he can keep an eye on him and not act recklessly, there is still something to be done.

Other directors also have their own pros and cons and can relatively overcome some of their disadvantages, but Cao Xuan's first target is still Old Monster Xu. As long as he agrees, Boss Cao will not change his original intention.

This incident also made Cao Xuan feel more and more that Fanxing could not do without his own film director, but he could not find the right person for a while.

Sometimes Cao Xuan wishes he could be omnipotent and turn into a genius director, but unfortunately he does not have this talent. It is difficult for him to look at the finished product and find faults, but it is difficult to shoot with the camera himself.

Because of Mr. Xu, Cao Xuan and Han Sanye finally found a common topic and lamented that film director talents are rare.

"China Film may launch some programs to support young directors in the future. If you stars are interested, you can also come together."

"No problem, just contribute to Chinese movies."

Supporting new directors has always been a tradition in the film industry. Even if Mr. Han doesn't say anything, Fanxing will sponsor and even personally lead some support projects in the future to support and encourage new directors.

Such a project does not make much money, and may even result in losses, but it can tap talents and gain a good reputation for supporting future generations and contributing to the development of the industry.

Ordinary film companies may not care, but if Fanxing wants to become the leader in the industry and maintain its reputation, this kind of activity is indispensable.

After chatting about the new director, the topic turned back to "Xiu Chun Dao". I heard that the investment was only 20 million to 30 million. Mr. Han was a little disappointed and took the initiative to encourage.

"Actually, you can be bolder. The cost of Yimou and Kaige's movies has exceeded 100 million, and Fanxing is not a small company, so you can definitely make some big moves.

Let alone 100 million, at least invest 50 million. If the funds cannot be turned over, China Film Group can also cooperate with you. "

Judging from future development, Mr. Han has always had a blockbuster dream.

At the same time, we have to admit that commercial blockbusters that easily cost over RMB 100 million have greatly stimulated the film market and moved ordinary viewers who were not movie fans to enter theaters, making the box office of the mainland film market reach a higher level every year.

As the top executives of China Film Group Corporation, Mr. Han and the others considered the problem from a comprehensive perspective and hoped for more blockbusters. Even if they lose a little money, it would be worth it if the market became active.

Cao Xuan could understand their thoughts, but he would not follow them.

To put it bluntly, China Film Group’s money is not their own. They don’t feel bad about spending it. They just need to make the plate bigger to achieve their purpose.

But Fanxing's money was earned by Cao Xuan bit by bit. Although he also understood the benefits of expanding the film market and was willing to contribute, it did not mean he would squander it carelessly.

Even if you increase investment, you should do it with the goal of making profits, rather than throwing money just for the sake of throwing money.

Therefore, even if Mr. Han gave various hints, Cao Xuan would not respond. Regardless of whether there was cooperation or not, Fanxing would not rush into a big production before the mainland film market rose or overseas markets opened up.

After chatting with Mr. Han for a while, Cao Xuan left in a hurry. Mr. Han came to another office with a teacup in his hand.

The head of China Film Group, who was looking up to deal with documents, glanced at him: "How do you feel when you meet this little guy?"

"Smart and intelligent, but lacking in courage."

Mr. Han roughly copied the conversation he had just had with Cao Xuan and gave his own evaluation. After hearing this, the head of the China Film Group laughed, but gave a different opinion.

"It's a bit biased to say he lacks courage. If he really lacked courage, he wouldn't have spent hundreds of millions to establish Fanxing Cinemas and Fanxing Film and Television City. You have seen a few people who are more aggressive than him.

The reluctance to invest in large-scale productions is not so much a lack of courage as it is a lack of confidence.

I did some research on this little guy. After he made his fortune, he made every step very steadily. He had an overall plan and was self-contained. He seemed to be lacking in ambition and would waste some opportunities.

But follow the steps and work steadily. Once you succeed, you can win with almost no obvious shortcomings. Old Han, this little guy is very thoughtful. "

Mr. Han was thoughtful: "It seems that I considered the issue one-sidedly. I will study him carefully later."

"Well, Cao Xuan is young and capable, and his ideas have been tested by the organization. He is considered a cultural banner cultivated and promoted by the country and has won a lot of glory in the world.

In the future film industry, we also need more young people like this to come out and carry the flag. In the future, when we get older, someone will take over the responsibility. "

"But, in terms of his private life..."

"This is a trivial matter. Firstly, he has no institutional responsibilities and belongs to the masses. Secondly, he is a young man and is not married. You are willing to do so, and we cannot control him."

"I understand. I will focus on Fanxing's development when I look back."

"The five-star theater in Chaoyang is going to be sold. I remember Fanxing is also one of the competitors. Let's let him go once. Fanxing Cinemas is already quite big and should have a presence in the capital."

"Okay, I'll do it."

Mr. Han is not surprised by this order. China Film Group generally provides certain support and help to these private film companies.

Huayi, Bona and other companies are all led by the top leaders of China Film Group. Since Fanxing is the focus of attention, it is normal to relax in the theater acquisition competition.

China Film Group does not lack a five-star theater in the capital, but it is still very helpful for the rising Star Cinema chain.

Cao Xuan didn't know that he had been regarded as a key training target by the top management of China Film Group. After leaving China Film Group, he began to promote "When Men Are in Love".

On July 5th, the first trailer + promotional song of "When a Man Falls in Love" was released on TV stations and major portal websites.

————

ps: What, double the monthly ticket, so you know ∩_∩