Chapter 401: Tough Sides

Today, "2012" is still in theaters, and although it has seen a huge drop in box office revenue during the weekdays, it still makes to million yuan per day.

Although dozens of domestic and imported films have been released in the past half month, they are all unknown films and their nominations are just for show.

After two and a half weeks of release, the cumulative box office of "2012" has reached 15.47 billion, surpassing "Transformers 7" released in July and ranking first in the annual box office in 3.

Gu Wei was not as calm as expected about this achievement. Although the main box office of this movie came from overseas, according to the current trend, the domestic box office may eventually contribute more than 11 million US dollars. In , this figure already accounted for one-seventh of the annual cumulative box office.

While netizens and media were celebrating, Gu Wei was carrying out publicity matters in an orderly manner. Although he was secretly happy in his heart, he did not show it on his face.

However, the actors in the crew of "The Blade of the Assassin" were a little restless. Seeing that the film was about to be completed, everyone wanted to ask about the project establishment and casting of "The Wandering Earth".

After all, the box office of "2012" is still there. With such terrifying data, if I can play a role in Director Gu's next movie, even if it is a supporting role or a cameo role, I might have a chance to become a hit.

Zhao Wenzhuo is better, after all, he is old and has many years of experience in the Hong Kong film industry, which makes him mature in a different way from others. He works diligently every day, endures hardships and has no other ideas.

But the actresses all seemed to have lost their minds. The ones selected by Lu Yang were not bad in another time and space, and they were all good people. After Gu Wei announced the information of the new movie, everyone watched "The Wandering Earth" overnight. Everyone knew clearly which characters in the novel were female and which characters had more roles.

Capital, Huairou Film and Television Base.

Lu Yang found an excuse and invited Gu Wei and Liu Yifei over, under the pretext of inviting Director Gu to come over to film under the guidance of the crew.

After finishing filming that night, Lu Yang suggested going out for hotpot to improve the meal, and Su Chang, Zhao Wenzhuo, Wang Qianyuan, Zhu Dan, Zhou Yiwei and others responded.

Previously, Lu Yang said that he would wait until the film was finished before inviting Gu Wei over to have a chat, but seeing how impatient everyone was, he thought about it and decided to do it earlier.

After a few people discussed it, they came to find Gu Wei and Liu Yifei and said that they would invite him out for hotpot. Gu Wei raised his eyebrows, and Liu Yifei next to him had already agreed, and then asked her assistant to book a private room in advance.

Then a group of ten people drove three cars to the front of the Donglaishun Huairou store. After entering the store, they asked for a private room, ordered a lot of dishes and drinks, waited for the water to boil, put the meat in, and then ate heartily.

In mid-December, the weather was very cold, but it was quite delicious to go out and eat mutton hotpot at night. However, most of the people present were not interested in the wine, but in the role of the new film.

Su Chang couldn't hold back his temper and asked about "The Wandering Earth" first. Gu Wei laughed and ate a bite of mutton before saying, "The film hasn't been approved yet, how can the casting be so fast!" Everyone realized how anxious they were, and some of them blushed slightly, not knowing whether it was because of the heat or shyness.

Gu Wei would not look down on anyone because of this, and it is not shameful to actively strive for film resources.

After all, even in Hollywood, using all means to get roles is normal. When casting for Thor, all British and American actors who were over 1 meters tall and fluent in English auditioned. Tom Hiddleston auditioned for Thor and got the role of Loki.

"Once the film is officially confirmed and the project is approved, there will be an open casting. If you want to participate, come and audition. Now just focus on filming!"

After hearing this, the girls had to put aside their thoughts for the time being. As they chatted, they talked about Su Chang's recent rejection of Deng Chao's invitation to appear in a new film.

Some time ago, Deng Chao decided to star in a new movie and directly invited Su Chang. However, after reading the script, Su Chang directly rejected the invitation. Deng Chao invited Su Chang again and again, but still failed to get the offer.

"Is the script too bad?" Liu Yifei asked as she took off her coat due to feeling hot from eating.

"Not really. I read the script and it's okay. I just don't think I'm suitable for funny or comedic roles."

Su Chang smacked his lips, "You don't know, Brother Chao is absolutely amazing, he tried every possible way to invite me, I am already scared of him."

"We also want to be pestered, but unfortunately others don't like us, haha." Zhu Dan and Su Chang's relationship is getting better and better, so she said casually.

"Comedy movies are good too, and it's good to change up your roles and try new genres once in a while."

After hearing Su Chang's words, Gu Wei spoke.

Although "The Breakup Master" has a mediocre reputation, it really made money! In another time and space, the production cost of 6.6 million yuan and the box office performance of million yuan were really profitable.

This kind of blockbuster movie can bring great commercial boost to the actors. After all, there are only two ways for celebrities to improve their status in the circle: either win awards or get box office success.

"Director Gu is optimistic about this movie? As far as I know, the production cost of this movie is not high, it is adapted from a drama, and the fan base is average." As a director, Lu Yang is quite sensitive about this. He looked at Gu Wei and asked, and Liu Yifei next to him also stared at him curiously.

"Well, I'm not really optimistic. I just think the screenwriting is pretty good. Yu Baimei has a good reputation in the industry and he has some skills." Gu Wei felt uneasy when everyone was staring at him, so he quickly made up an excuse to explain.

"Okay, then I'll listen to Director Gu." Su Chang rolled his eyes and smiled.

That night, Deng Chao received a call from Su Chang. After learning that she agreed to play the leading female role, he suddenly felt like crying. God knows how much effort he had put in to invite Su Chang.

"Director Gu said your movie is good, and asked me to try a new role and change my acting style."

"Did Director Gu really say that?" On the other end of the phone, Deng Chao jumped up from the bed, making Sun Li next to him jump.

……

The next day, Gu Wei received a call from Wang Changtian. Old Wang first talked about this and that, and then told him the real purpose.

"I heard that Director Gu is very optimistic about Deng Chao's new movie. Are you interested in investing in it? Guangguang invested in the entire film, so you can give up some of your share, hehe."

If it were someone else, Lao Wang wouldn't be so kind, but if it was Gu Wei, that would be a different story. Over the years, Guangxian has made a lot of money from investing in and distributing films in Star Pictures.

Now that Guangguang has a new project, Wang Changtian naturally can't forget Gu Wei. He didn't mention this to the other party before because the investment in this movie is not large, and the actor has switched to directing, so he was afraid that Gu Wei would not look down on it.

"What's the estimated cost?" Since the other party brought it to his door, Gu Wei naturally wouldn't refuse. Why not make money? Besides, this movie isn't a completely bad one.

"Thirty million." Wang Changtian said a number.

"It's too low. Add a little more and we'll split it in half."

"Then add one thousand?" There was a pause on the other end of the phone, and Wang Changtian said uncertainly.

"Add two thousand, but if we revise the script and invite a few big names in the industry to make guest appearances, the level will naturally go up."

"Fifty million?" Wang Changtian smiled helplessly. He thought three thousand was a bit too much. He didn't expect that after Gu Wei said that, he added another twenty million. Fifty million, it could already be called a large investment.

The two of them talked to each other, and the new "Breakup Master", which was quite different from the original time and space, was released.

As for Deng Chao, he is a new director and he is only responsible for filming and acting. What say can he have in investment?

………Online, with the Lunar New Year holiday halfway through, the movies released during the Spring Festival have begun to launch large-scale publicity and promotion.

The largest of these is naturally the long-awaited "The Flowers of War".

All major news websites, film and television industry information, and industry focus are full of news about the media and theater screenings of "The Flowers of War".

At the same time, New Picture held a large-scale film viewing meeting for the news media.

At the end of the screening and after answering questions from reporters, Zhang Weiping strongly requested that theater chains across the country increase the box office share of "The Flowers of War" from 43% to 45% and raise the minimum ticket price by 5 yuan.

"In the domestic film industry, producers are always the disadvantaged group. We invest money in movies and not only have to bear the pressure of production, but also the pressure of box office. Cinemas are only responsible for screening, but they can get most of the profits."

"In Hollywood, the bigger the investment, the more box office revenue the producers get. Why do we have to suffer losses in China? If this continues, how can we catch up with Europe and the United States?"

In front of the media, Zhang Weiping passionately denounced the cinema chain and exerted direct pressure.

Representatives from the eight major cinema chains, led by Wanda, expressed their opposition on the spot and left the venue in protest.

In just a few hours, the entire film industry exploded.

This matter is not just about New Picture Studios, it concerns the interests of all filmmakers.

"Boss, do we need to express our stance now?" Wang Chen received the news first and reported to Gu Wei.

"Well, just announce it directly. Remember, we are the producers. We must stand firm at this time. No matter what the result is, we must give it a try this time."

That afternoon, Xingchen Film and Television’s Weibo updated the latest developments. This was the first film and television company in the industry to express support after Zhang Weiping spoke out.

"Xingchen Films supports Producer Zhang's proposal. The producer's box office share is indeed too low. The investment risk of big-budget movies almost entirely falls on the producer.

In contrast, the situation in Europe and the United States is completely the opposite. Such systems and regulations are not conducive to the development and innovation of domestic films.”

As the top film and television company in the industry, Xingchen Film and Television made its statement immediately, and major production companies responded one after another.

Huayi, Guangxian, Orange Sky, Pony.com, Bona Film Group, Yinghuang Film Group...

In addition to large companies, various small and medium-sized production companies follow closely behind. Although they cannot play a decisive role, this attitude still exists.

In the domestic film industry, not many production companies are involved in cinema chains. Perhaps a few companies own some cinemas, but they are far from being considered cinema chains. For the vast majority of film and television companies, production is their main business, and everything else is just incidental.

After the production company took the lead and spoke out, directors and filmmakers in the industry also felt that they could do it.

Feng Xiaogang, who is currently filming "1942", even made a direct statement on his personal Weibo:
"We support New Picture and Zhang Productions. The current distribution ratio is too unfriendly to our producers and must be changed. Only when risks and benefits are shared equally can directors be motivated to produce high-quality films, such as the filming of "1942" currently."

Wow, Feng Dapao’s style remains the same and he never forgets to promote his own movies at any time.

It is not surprising that the "Little Steel Cannon" was the first to speak out in support of raising the minimum ticket price and increasing the film producers' share.

As early as when "Aftershock" was released in 2010, the film's producer, Feng Xiaogang's former employer Huayi, had raised the film's minimum price. The minimum pricing of "Aftershock" was 35 yuan in Class A cities, 30 yuan in Class B cities, and 25 yuan in Class C cities, which set a new high in the industry at the time and sparked heated discussions from all parties.

Feng Xiaogang had made a firm statement in the face of controversy, saying that "raising the minimum ticket price by five yuan is to save Chinese films" and "if the cinemas continue to refuse to give in, their greedy attitude will make life increasingly difficult for film workers, and eventually it will be over."

In this situation, all the directors in the circle had to stand on the side of the producers, whether they were reluctant or not.

Mainland directors Zhang Yimou, Chen Kaige, Jiang Wen, Ning Hao, Lu Yang, Wu Ershan, Gu Changwei, as well as Jia Zhangke, Wang Xiaoshuai, Lou Ye and others, have all spoken out on Weibo.

Hong Kong directors including John Woo, Peter Chan, Wilson Yip, and Kar Shang Chan also expressed their support.

After all, when making movies and attracting investments, most of the time they still have to rely on the film and television companies in the circle. Everyone knows whose bowl to hold and whose food to eat.

Outside, major media outlets and platforms have reported the latest press releases, including interviews with CEOs and directors of film and television companies in the industry.

This was the first time that filmmakers from Hong Kong and the Mainland came together to support one person and one thing, which was a earth-shaking event in the industry.

Zhang Weiping, who has the support of everyone, is in high spirits at this moment.

Afterwards, he made many comments on Weibo, denouncing the cinema chains for "getting a bargain and assuming they are ungrateful", saying that cinemas "make money without doing anything and do not take any risks" and that their "way of taking the lion's share of the profits is too shameless".

These remarks naturally aroused dissatisfaction among cinema operators and the eight major cinema chains.

Subsequently, the heads of more than 40 cinema chains in the country also held a media conference.

“After consultation with the cinema chain, we firmly opposed the box office share ratio proposed by New Picture.

Moreover, starting today, mainland cinema chains will set up a joint organization, hoping that it can become a platform for internal consultation mechanisms within the industry and a model for industry self-discipline.

The purpose of the alliance is to promote the development of domestic cinemas. We will then invest in the filming of films by various directors and contribute to the development of domestic films..."

On Weibo, representatives of the eight major cinema chains also expressed passion.

Not only did the theaters form an alliance, they also appeared to be very united, supporting each other and making their voices heard through Weibo and various media platforms.

At the same time, representatives from the country's eight major cinema chains have gathered in the capital for discussions.

All of a sudden, everyone in and out of the circle knew about it. Experts saw the details, while laymen just watched the excitement. Anyway, the ticket prices did not drop, so for netizens, it didn't matter which side they stood on.

As for celebrities and artists, no one dared to express their opinions easily. Everyone stared with eyes wide open, waiting for the final result.

After all, they can't afford to offend either the producers or the theaters.

Seeing that the matter was getting bigger and bigger, the boss of the film department had no choice but to intervene. After all, no matter how much trouble it caused, it could not affect the normal development of the industry.

……

(End of this chapter)