Chapter 57: The Highly Anticipated "Lion Camel Ridge"

Xiang Huaqiang was fooled by Xu Ke so much that he actually thought that the "The Legend of Zu" they filmed could compete with "Lion Camel Ridge"!

Jiang Heng could not tell that he was being modest. He nodded slightly and said, "It's not easy to make Hong Kong films now. We must unite and not fight a civil war!"

After hearing this, Jiang Heng didn't know what to do. He just smiled and said nothing.

Xiang Huaqi suddenly asked, "By the way, how is the post-production going?"

Jiang Heng said: "It's almost finished. After the new year, we will re-edit and compose the music, and then we can prepare for the release!"

This time, Jiang Heng is ready to go big.

The first gimmick is the simultaneous release around the world!

In fact, it is very difficult to achieve this, but publicity is just a gimmick.

Jiang Heng plans to release the film simultaneously in the Mainland, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Japan, South Korea, Southeast Asia, and then in one or two other countries in Europe.

For North America, which is still the world's largest film market, the release date will have to depend on the performance of the blockbusters released at the same time.

You can't just compete with the top ten blockbusters of the year for the gimmick of a global release... No, if you really choose the same period, there is no guarantee that there will be enough theaters to open the film, and you can't compete at all.

The second change is the advance screening promotion!

We will invite media, industry friends, film critics and ordinary movie fans to watch the film in several cities across the country to spread word of mouth.

I believe that with these two gimmicks, plus the film's super special effects, it can challenge the domestic box office record of "Titanic".

Of course, the box office revenue of 3.6 million yuan for "Titanic" is an insurmountable mountain for countless domestic films.

The combination of powerful special effects and love story is already very lethal.

What’s even worse is that these days, everyone feels that “the moon is rounder abroad than at home”, so it’s very difficult to surpass “Titanic”!
Xiang Huaqi didn't know what Jiang Heng had in mind, and had always regarded "Lion Camel Ridge" as his rival. This time he came to test Jiang Heng to see if the film was really scheduled for May Day.

"Time flies. We are very busy after the New Year!"

Jiang Heng laughed: "That's right!"

Xiang Huaqi added, "By the way, my wife has just adopted a goddaughter. I'll bring her over for you to meet next time! You're all young people, so you can get to know her more!"

Jiang Heng waved his hands and said, "Forget it, let's talk about it after the movie is released. I'm under a lot of pressure with an investment of 50 million US dollars!"

After hearing this, Xiang Huaqi felt very unhappy.

He has always regarded "Lion Camel Ridge" as a rival to "The Legend of Zu", but in terms of investment, "Lion Camel Ridge" cost more than 50 million US dollars, while "The Legend of Zu" only cost more than 10 million, which are not even in the same league!

Thinking back to the conversation just now, there was also a little embarrassment.

“Everyone is under pressure, everyone is under pressure!”

In the blink of an eye, it was the day when "True Men" was released. The box office on the first day in mainland China was over 5 million, which was a good start.

During the Lunar New Year period, when word of mouth was decent and there was no competition from other blockbusters, the box office was at least 40 to 50 million.

In Hong Kong, it is more than two million, and it would be a bit difficult to reach 20 million.

For Hong Kong citizens, there are simply too many similar videos they have seen.

The biggest novelty is that two handsome guys, Wu Aizu and Xie Tingfeng, starred in the film at the same time, plus Wu Jing, the stunning villain.

However, Hong Tianming, who was originally scheduled to be the leading actor, was unexpectedly ignored by the audience and the media.

Hong Jinbao was extremely disappointed, but he could do nothing about it. There was really nothing to sell about his son.

Unlike when he debuted, the phrase "the most flexible fat man in Hong Kong" alone made countless audiences curious!

In the blink of an eye, it was after the Chinese New Year. "True Men" finally earned more than 54 million yuan at the mainland box office and more than 17 million yuan at the Hong Kong box office. Together with the income from the sale of copyrights in other places, Jiang Heng also made a small profit.

The most important thing is that apart from providing funds, scripts, and storyboards, the rest was done by others.

No wonder rich people prefer to invest and lend money instead of doing it themselves!

In late February, Jiang Heng went abroad again. When he came back, he announced that the post-production was completed, which aroused the curiosity of countless people in the industry.

Han Sanping couldn't help but be eager to know what a movie made with 50 million US dollars would look like.

Call and ask if I can take a look!

Jiang Heng smiled and said, "Of course you can. I'll add your name to the cast and crew list as the editing director!"

Han Sanping didn't take it seriously. He went to iQiyi, Youku and Tencent Video with a smile and watched "Lion Camel Ridge" in the company's small screening room.

After the screening, Han Sanping was still in shock. He could still seem to see shocking images in front of his eyes and hear the lines that touched his heart.

"This movie you shot is really too bold. Haven't you thought about the consequences of it not being able to pass the review in mainland China and failing at the North American box office? Fifty million US dollars?" Han Sanping looked heartbroken.

Jiang Heng smiled and said, "You are still here, please save me, Mr. Han San!"

Han Sanping looked embarrassed and kept sighing. Although the finished film at this moment was very different from the script he had seen at first, the theme of the film was consistent.

It was because of these issues that we refused the cooperation in the first place, and also because Beijing Film Academy was about to undergo restructuring.

But now that things have come to this, how can I bear to see such a good film being edited into such a mess!
After thinking for a while, he said, "You, you, why bother! Oh, forget it, I'll swallow my pride and plead for you! Whether it succeeds or not, I can't guarantee you!"

Jiang Heng hurriedly bowed, "I am extremely grateful for your words!"

Han Sanping asked: "Have all the film producers been contacted?"

Jiang Heng said: "I have been contacted before, but the time for the movie screening has not been confirmed yet!"

Han Sanping said: "It's okay if you split the profits, but if you buy it outright, you can't sell it cheaply!"

Jiang Heng smiled and said, "Of course, the visual effects have been improved across the board, so we definitely can't sell it at a low price!"

Han Sanping was like a loyal elder and explained a lot before leaving.

A few days later, Jiang Heng was called and asked to bring the film for review.

The final feedback naturally still had to be edited, but it was just a few unimportant shots, so it passed the review with just a few minor modifications and successfully obtained the Dragon Mark.

At the same time, a number of film producers came to the door, ready to purchase the distribution rights of "Lion Camel Ridge".

Jiang Heng organized a small film screening, which really stunned the film producers.

Some European film producers are even wondering, with only 50 million US dollars, such amazing special effects can be produced. Could it be that all the big Hollywood movies are made with kickbacks?
Because of the outstanding film effects, the buyout price of "Lion Camel Ridge" in Taiwan, South Korea, and Southeast Asia has broken the previous price record. In Japan, it is the first time to adopt a split distribution model.

In mainland China, a promotional campaign for the film has also been launched, and news of advance screenings has been released in the media.

Wow, thousands of viewers instantly flocked to the first preview theater in Beijing, and there was a long queue at the door, all of whom wanted to get preview tickets.

(End of this chapter)