Chapter 38 Schedule
Han Sanping wanted to play it safe, so Jiang Heng naturally wouldn't force it.

In fact, he has no shortage of collaborators or funds for filming, and he is not afraid of risks.

The reason for cooperation is nothing more than to expand connections and influence in the mainland film market and to make oneself appear more normal.

After all, most big-budget films are jointly invested and filmed by multiple companies.

Youteng Pictures under Jiang Heng's name is just a small workshop. It would be strange if it could always make big hits at the box office with independent investment every time.

But he has already cooperated with the Beijing Film Studio once. This time, because the content is sensitive, he doesn’t want to be interfered with, and there is nothing wrong with independent production.

Having said that, it’s hard to continue the conversation.

Jiang Heng asked directly: "By the way, what do you think about the schedule?"

Han Sanping has also been thinking about this. At the end of 98, during the Lunar New Year holiday, there were two films with the greatest box office potential. One was produced by Beijing Film Academy, and the other was also produced by Beijing Film Academy.

In 98 when the mainland film market was still sluggish, Han Sanping was full of confidence for having achieved such great success. Looking at all the domestic film studios, who could compare to Beijing Film Academy?

If there is something that worries me, it's that my own film is competing with others during the Lunar New Year holiday, and no one can give up their schedule, which is really frustrating.

"100 Million BC" cannot be withdrawn from the Lunar New Year holiday because it needs to achieve good box office results to help the film's global distribution.

However, "See You Tomorrow", produced by China Film Group Corporation, directed by Feng Xiaogang and starring Ge You, could not withdraw from the Lunar New Year holiday simply because of its subject matter.

Without the festive atmosphere of the New Year, it would be difficult for "See You Tomorrow" to achieve excellent box office results.

As for the "Spring Festival period" which already exists in Hong Kong but will take many years to emerge in mainland China, it will not have much box office results at all.

The reason? According to Jiang Heng's analysis, there is no Spring Festival travel rush in Hong Kong. Citizens will go to the cinema to watch movies and have fun during the lively New Year holidays.

This is not the case in the mainland. Firstly, the annual Spring Festival travel rush takes up a lot of time. More importantly, the Chinese people born in 98 still have a strong family atmosphere. During the Spring Festival, they spend a lot of time visiting relatives and friends, so they don’t have time to go to the movies.

Unlike the year before his rebirth, everyone's attitude towards family affection has become increasingly indifferent. Not to mention visiting relatives and friends, they are even too lazy to send New Year greetings text messages.

As soon as I had breakfast on the first day of the first lunar month, I felt like the new year was over.

Except for extremely important and nearby relatives, no one is too lazy to visit each other. Watching movies is a good choice when we have free time, but there are not as many good movies as before.

Therefore, in the mainland market right now, there is only one best period, and that is the Lunar New Year period.

"Both of your films will definitely be released during the Lunar New Year holiday, with only a week's difference between them. Fortunately, the themes are different, so the competition is not that great. The main issue now is who will be released first!" Han Sanping thought for a while and finally said.

Jiang Heng flipped through the calendar on his desk and said, "Let me go first. 100 Million Years BC is more famous than See You There. If it is released first, it will quickly generate popularity. Then, you can promote it, saying that Ge You is this year's Lunar New Year King, starring in two blockbusters. Those who have watched 100 Million Years BC will also be interested in See You There."

Han Sanping nodded, thinking it was a good idea.

"Okay, then, is it settled?"

"It's settled, I choose 12 and 18!"

Han Sanping also flipped through the calendar a few times. "Okay, the 18th. It's been a month since Saving Private Ryan was released. It won't have any impact!"

In the mainland film market in 98, the annual box office champion was "Titanic", with a box office of 3.6 million yuan.

The runner-up is "The Matrix", with 1.43 million.

The third place is Saving Private Ryan, which is currently being screened, with a historical box office of 8230 million. Because of the release of this film, the cinema has been bustling since November, which can be regarded as a warm-up for this year's Lunar New Year!

In a teahouse near Huayi Company, Feng Xiaogang, who was chatting with brothers Wang Zhongjun and Wang Zhonglei, picked up the "mobile phone" and said several sentences before hanging up.

Wang Zhongjun asked: "Has the schedule been decided?"

Feng Xiaogang put down his mobile phone and said, "It's settled, this time it's Christmas!"

"Sure, we can get another 300 or 400 million this time!" Wang Zhonglei said in surprise.

Feng Xiaogang felt a little proud, but he had to hold back. "It's nothing. It can't compare to other special effects movies!"

"Why did I hear that the film wasn't very good?"

Wang Zhongjun and Wang Zhonglei were born into a wealthy family and were involved in the entertainment industry. They had many friends at the Beijing Film Studio, including some who went to watch the preview with them.

Wang Zhonglei laughed: "I heard that too. The plot is so bad that it's hard to describe. That guy has run out of ideas!"

Feng Xiaogang said: "Monster movies are just so-so, there aren't many good plots, but I heard that the special effects are really shocking!"

Wang Zhongjun was not embarrassed and continued their previous topic, the preparations for the film.

Feng Xiaogang’s first two Lunar New Year films, "Party A and Party B" and "See You Tomorrow", were jointly produced by Beijing Film Academy and Zijincheng Films.

When it came to the third part, Feng Xiaogang originally wanted to shoot "A Sigh", but when he reported it to the Film Bureau, the other party suggested that "New Year's films" should be a trilogy!
Feng Xiaogang had no choice but to write the book "Never Ending".

The plot of the film originated from a joke at the dinner table. Everyone joked that Ge You was Grandet, who was too stingy. This was the prototype of Ruan Dawei played by Fu Biao.

When the film was halfway through, Ge You sat on the steps at the door every day and asked if we could stop filming, which made Feng Xiaogang "extremely distressed."

This film did not create a sensation when it was released, and its box office performance was the lowest among the "Lunar New Year Trilogy", but it still made money for Huayi and Feng Xiaogang. It can be said that it is a film that means a lot to them.

Wang Zhonglei said, "Based on your previous filming methods, this movie will definitely make money. Don't look at Jiang's current glory, one of the big movies may lose a lot!"

Feng Xiaogang thought to himself, "If I can make a movie with an investment of hundreds of millions, even if I lose some money, it won't matter!"

Of course, you can’t tell this to investors.

There are many well-informed people in the city.

The rumor that Jiang Heng's new film was screened at the Beijing Film Studio spread very quickly. Some people said that the plot of the film was not good and was extremely outrageous, and it was a far cry from "Jurassic Park".

What's even more outrageous is that there were rumors that the special effects in the film were also terrible. Han Sanping was so angry that he wanted to check Jiang Heng's accounts, thinking that he had embezzled the costs of post-production. Similar rumors were flying everywhere.

In the office of Beijing Film Studio, Han Sanping was so angry that he smashed the cup.

He had high hopes for "100 Million BC" and could not afford the cost of box office failure.

He immediately ordered the distribution department to launch a publicity campaign, requiring posters of "100 Million Years BC" to be posted on buses, subways, and outdoor advertisements.

At the same time, major media were convened to hold the premiere of the new film in advance.

(End of this chapter)