Chapter 286 Where is the Way Out of the Gap

“Animated films do have potential, but the investment is too large, original creation is difficult, and adaptation involves copyright issues.”

Wang Zhongjun spoke to Wang Zhonglei in a low voice, and the two of them started discussing in a low voice.

"Why not invest in an animation company in the industry and pick up something that's already there?"

"Well, that's a good idea."

Han Sanping, who was standing aside, watched the two brothers talking non-stop, with a hint of disdain in his eyes.

The movie ended very quickly. Before the subtitles were finished, the lights in the theater came on and warm applause broke out instantly. Although these filmmakers actually had mixed feelings in their hearts, at least they smiled enthusiastically on the surface.

The host came over and invited Gu Wei to come on stage. Since there were no main creative staff members, Gu Wei pulled Jiang Wen up and performed stand-up comedy by himself!

When the main creative staff come on stage, they usually talk about the hardships of filming a movie, or their original intention of creating the movie. However, considering everyone's boredom, Gu Wei decided to make it brief.

“Fairy tales carry the best childhood memories of many people, whether they are domestic cartoons or foreign stories.

The reason for making this animated film is to bring this classic back to the big screen and let everyone recall the beauty of their childhood.

So whether it is abroad or at home, I hope that more and more animated films can reappear in front of the audience and bring happiness and warmth to everyone.”

As soon as Gu Wei finished his words, there was thunderous applause, and he immediately handed the microphone to Jiang Wen next to him.

"Director Gu is right. Before I saw the movie, I told him that we should make something with depth. After I saw it, I realized that a clichéd story doesn't necessarily have no depth. The key lies in who is directing it."

Seeing Gu Wei's thumbs-up, Jiang Wen continued, "Director Gu is indeed gifted in scriptwriting. When I wrote the script for Let the Bullets Fly, Director Gu gave me a lot of guidance."

"Haha, Director Jiang, you're too polite. Everyone knows that you're the boss on the set. I don't dare to say I'm guiding you."

The two of them sang the same tune and joked with each other, promoting Bo Jiangwen's movie in disguise, and the other party also took advantage of the popularity of "Frozen".

After the interaction, it was time for media to ask questions. Gu Wei even took a special look at the audience and found that many people who had gone out to the toilet had come back, so he really gave them enough face.

It is not a problem if you don't know the goods, but it is a problem if you compare the goods. Everyone here is an elite in the film and television industry. You can still tell whether a film is good or bad. In fact, many people knew about the bad films before they were made, but so what? There are many people who make good films to earn reputation and make bad films to make quick money. As long as the character setting is not broken, this routine can be played.

On the media side, reporters were asking questions at once, refusing to give in, and the microphone was almost put in people's faces.

"Director Gu, what is the expected box office for this movie?"

"Well, the more the better. It would be better if it could surpass Despicable Me 2."

"Director Gu..."

There were a lot of questions from the media, and Gu Wei answered selectively.

After the media interview session, the premiere will be a complete success and a dinner will be arranged later.

During the dinner, many people took the opportunity to come over to say hello and ask questions about animated films.

After the premiere, China Film Group and Wanda became more enthusiastic about the promotion of "Frozen", and the media also gave it rave reviews and spoke highly of it.

The main point is to instill one idea in the audience: you can’t miss the midnight show on October 1st.

...

"Oh, it's so tiring."

After returning to the villa, Gu Wei collapsed directly on the sofa.

"I'll give you a squeeze."

The young lady started to work as she spoke, and well, the two of them had another hard night.

On the evening of September 9, the Wanda International Cinema in the capital was crowded with people.

The ticket office had closed long ago, and the tickets for the midnight show were sold out just after noon. Now, almost all the people staying in the cinema are waiting to see "Frozen".

Among these people are middle-aged couples, young lovers, and a family of three with a few-year-old child.

A boy about seven or eight years old was held in his father's arms. He began to yawn and said in a baby voice, "Dad, Dad, when can we see Snow White?"

The boy's father smiled and said, "It's about to start. I told you to watch it during the day, but you kept crying and shouting for it. You must be sleepy now."
The little boy stared hard and said, "I won't be sleepy when Snow White appears. I will call Yangyang tomorrow and tell him that his daddy took me to see Snow White. Haha."

China Film Group and Wanda did a very good job in publicity and promotion, and even children knew about the midnight show.

In addition to ordinary audiences, some producers, directors, screenwriters, actors, etc. who were unable to attend the premiere of "Frozen" for various reasons also chose to watch the midnight show.

At nearly 10 o'clock in the morning of October 1, the midnight screening of "Frozen" ended, and people walking out of the theater could not hide their excitement. The child said to his father who was holding him, "Dad, Dad, can we still come to see Snow White tomorrow?"

The child's mother scolded him, "What are you doing? It's over a hundred yuan a ticket, how can you make a living?

Besides, that's not Snow White. I've said it many times. It's based on the Snow Queen."

"I don't care, that's Snow White." The child said firmly.

The regular 3D version of "Frozen" costs 90 yuan per ticket, while the 3D IMAX version costs 120 yuan per ticket, which is really unaffordable for ordinary working class people. However, the purchasing power of Chinese people should not be underestimated. When "Avatar" was released at the beginning of the year, the price of a ticket in the theater rose to , , or even yuan.

But in the hands of scalpers, the price is 600 yuan per ticket, but even so, it is still hard to get a ticket.

The reporter who was interviewing the child was so amused by the kid that he gave the kid a doll before ending the interview.

She then went on to interview several famous screenwriters and film critics.

The other party came here today to watch the movie and comment on it. It was a prior arrangement. It is also a common practice in the circle to invite film critics and well-known screenwriters to show their support and say good things about it.

"Hello, Mr. Li, I'm the host of the entertainment scene. Can I interview you for a few words?"

The middle-aged man smiled and nodded, and then he heard the other party ask, "Teacher Li, can you tell me what you think of Frozen?"

The middle-aged man said to the camera lens: "The first feeling it gave me was shock, a shock beyond your imagination.

When I was a kid, I read Hans Christian Andersen's Fairy Tales and I loved imagining Snow White, the Witch Queen, the dwarves and other characters in my mind. This movie was shot perfectly and the script was well adapted."

"Oh, thank you Teacher Li for your wonderful comments." said the female reporter with a smile.

But Mr. Li was still a little unsatisfied and continued, "Frozen is a shocking film, from its concept to its plot, from special effects to action scenes, to art and music, everything is exquisite."

Originally, when we first contacted each other, we just pretended to meet in the cinema and gave each other a few compliments, trying to be as real and natural as possible. But after watching the movie, this person had a lot to say.

The female reporter had no choice but to act as a "supporting actor" and continued to ask: "Oh, why do you say that?"

“During the Lunar New Year holiday earlier this year, I went to watch Avatar with a few of my friends who are directors and screenwriters. We were all shocked after watching it. It felt like we suddenly realized that movies can be made this way. It felt like we were at least 20 years behind them in the film industry.

But in less than a year, the 3D version of "Frozen" appeared, which made me feel that there is a gap between China and Hollywood not only in live-action movies, but also in animated movies.

Therefore, I hope that major domestic film and television companies can catch up, stop making bad movies and meaningless popcorn movies, learn more from Europe and the United States, make some special effects blockbusters, and promote our country’s unique cultural concepts.”

...

In the original time and space, "Frozen" landed in China, but the box office was not ideal after its release.

One is that there is a problem with the release date selection, with "Boonie Bears" in front and "Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons" and "Where Are We Going, Dad?" in the back.

When Valentine's Day comes, the movie "Capital Love Story" comes out again, and "Frozen" sandwiched in between is destined to be cannon fodder.

The second reason is cultural differences and problems with early publicity and promotion.

Just like the later movie "Lost in Thailand" which grossed 13 billion yuan in mainland China, but its box office in Taiwan and North America was really terrible.

But now that the release time has been changed, coupled with the overwhelming publicity "bombing" by China Film and Wanda, the result is completely different.

If we say that the box office performance of the midnight show of "Frozen" only gave a group of filmmakers a slight shock.

The shock caused by the first day's box office results to their hearts was no less than an 8.0 magnitude earthquake, a tsunami, and the eruption of more than a dozen volcanoes.

On the first day, 35.8 million.

This result has surpassed the single-day box office record of 33 million set by "Avatar" at the beginning of last year, and also surpassed the single-day box office of 33.2 million set by the recently released "Earthquake".

The reason for such an achievement is naturally the high quality of the film. The special effects, story, concept, music and so on are all impeccable in every aspect.

Secondly, the publicity and promotion are done well, which means real money is spent. So far, there are few Chinese-language films that dare to spend 80 million on publicity and promotion, and most of the money is spent effectively.

Finally, before group buying promotions, the price of 3D movie tickets was twice that of 2D movies. However, in 10, the number of domestic cinema chains, screens, 3D and IMAX screens increased dramatically.

A combination of several factors led to the creation of another box office record.

Gu Wei relaxed after receiving the news. It was stable now. Even if he couldn't make 600 million or 700 million, at least 500 million was a great hope.

As for companies such as Huayi, Orange Sky, Star Media, Pony.com, and Emperor Entertainment Group, their first reaction after learning of this box office result was to hold an emergency meeting.

The content of the meetings was different. Some were concerned about the upcoming films and considering countermeasures.

Some will have to adjust their annual filming plans, which will naturally be related to 3D movies. Even if they cannot produce 3D movies independently at present, they still have to participate in 3D movie projects.

"Another 'Earthquake' is coming. Where is the future of domestic films?"

Someone posted a message online, and people from movies that are about to be released in the same period also commented below.

"Where is the way out? The way out is to make good films, classic films, instead of talking nonsense here."

"They invested hundreds of millions of dollars in making the movie, and the box office performance justified the result. You invested tens of millions to promote a blockbuster movie, but it turns out to be a bad movie. Who would care about you?"

"That's right, instead of looking for the problem in yourself, you blame the film schedule and complain about where the way out is. You are mentally ill."

Netizens were smart and started to criticize.

...

(End of this chapter)