lcionline Chapter 9 exploded on the first day.
Chapter 9 exploded on the first day.
Ling Yuan had carefully considered this date.
Next month? That would be too dangerous!
Infernal Affairs 3: End of Infernal Affairs is coming, The Lord of the Rings: The Final Chapter is about to sweep the screen, Feng Xiaogang is bringing Ge You's Cellphone, and there's also Jade Goddess of Mercy... all tough contenders!
Xinghan Pictures is too small to withstand a head-on confrontation with these big players.
Okay, so here's another mediocre addition. "Jade Goddess of Mercy" is utterly worthless; it flopped immediately after its release. In China, it only grossed 900,000 yuan in its first week, and when it was released in Hong Kong the following year, it only earned 7,000 Hong Kong dollars on its opening day. Before its release, it boasted a target of 30 million yuan; its reputation as a box office poison is well-deserved.
Actually, not many movies were released in 2003.
Because this year was quite special, Ling Yuan made his fortune through this.
That year, due to policy changes, the "gate" was opened, and imported films and co-productions between the mainland and Hong Kong began to impact the mainland film market. In that era of foreign worship, these two types of films naturally had more appeal than domestic films.
In this environment, any domestically produced film that is truly outstanding will leave its mark on film history.
For example, in that year, "The Matrix Reloaded" and "The Matrix Revolutions" were released in China at the same time, ranking third and fourth in box office revenue with 42 million yuan and 4166 million yuan respectively.
"Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets" tops the list with 5200 million yuan!
"Cell Phone" grossed 4500 million yuan, making it the highest-grossing domestic film of the year and ranking second.
"Warriors of Heaven and Earth" ranked fifth with 4100 million views.
"Infernal Affairs 3" grossed 3600 million, ranking sixth.
接下来就是《海底总动员》3200万、《加勒比海盗1》2700万、《终结者3》2800万。
Most of them are imported films.
……
"President Ling, do you think our movie will be a big hit? Will the box office break 500 million?" Ning Hao asked Ling Yuan anxiously as he entered the president's office of Xinghan Pictures.
Because today is only the first day of its release, some trolls have already come out to throw dirty water, writing some terrible film reviews and belittling "Crazy Stone" as if it were worthless.
The headlines are sharp and cutting, each one more hurtful than the last:
"Stone? I think it's a stone from a latrine!" "A chaotic mess, utterly incomprehensible!" "Is making movies this easy these days? All sorts of random things are coming in!"
Ning Hao genuinely lacked confidence; he had never directed a commercial film before. He didn't know what he had done to offend these bastards, who started criticizing him on the very first day, saying things like the plot was chaotic, the actors were too ugly, the dialect was incredibly rustic... and it was utterly unappealing.
Ning Hao initially thought this was a good thing, but the sudden appearance of so many trolls made him feel a little uneasy.
"Don't rush, don't rush. Maybe some people are jealous of us, or maybe the premiere was too high-profile and some media reporters weren't properly taken care of." Ling Yuan waved his hand.
He'd actually be a little worried if nobody criticized him. Wouldn't that mean nobody cared? Haters are fans too, right?
Although he didn't know who his opponent was, the more anxious the opponent was, the better the movie would be!
"How can we not be in a hurry?"
Ling Yuan gestured for Ning Hao to sit down, and asked with a smile, "Is that all the goal you've set? You're only asking for 500 million?"
Ning Hao scratched his head, somewhat embarrassed: "With 500 million, we won't lose money after the profits are split."
He had already calculated that with a box office of 500 million, and a 91.7% revenue split, Xinghan Pictures would get 40%, which is 183.4 million yuan.
Any less and it would be a real loss!
He felt really bad for Ling Yuan if he lost money, since Ling Yuan had invested 180 million yuan of real money and trusted him so much! He also received such a high salary and a private office.
Ling Yuan smiled and joked, "Don't be nervous. How about we make a bet?"
"A bet? Mr. Ling, how do we bet?"
Ling Yuan: "Place your bets. Each bet is 500 million. Which one do you want to bet on? There's no upper limit."
Seeing Ning Hao about to speak, Ling Yuan glared at him and said, "You're not allowed to say anything below 500 million again. It's bad luck!"
Ning Hao gave a wry smile and said, "Then I'll... muster up the courage to bet 1000 million. I really don't dare to think about anything more."
If the box office reaches 1000 million, then we've really made a profit! I'll feel more confident staying here.
"Director Ning, you're a future great director, you're too modest!" Ling Yuan shook his head, then looked at him earnestly and said, "I'll bet 3000 million!"
"Huh? That high?" Ning Hao was surprised because 3000 million in box office revenue... this... this... it's estimated that it could be in the top ten of this year's box office rankings, and it could even take a place among those imported films.
Ling Yuan said earnestly, "You have to have confidence, we all need to have confidence! In the future, we won't even care about this little bit of box office revenue! It's settled then, whoever wins treats everyone to a big meal!"
"Okay...okay then." Ning Hao was a little unsure of himself. It wasn't that he was afraid of being treated to a meal, but rather, 3000 million was something he really hadn't dared to even think about.
In fact, Ling Yuan wasn't entirely confident either.
In its previous life, "Crazy Stone" grossed approximately 2500 million yuan at the box office. That was back in 06, and it also benefited from Andy Lau's fame, even though Andy Lau did not appear on stage at the premiere.
However, in this life, the quality of this film is slightly better than in the previous life. At least, that's what Ling Yuan thinks.
That night, Ning Hao couldn't sleep at all.
I get up every now and then to look at the computer.
I kept refreshing the few scattered audience comments online. Seeing a positive review could make me happy for half a day, while seeing a negative review would make me feel gloomy and miserable.
As dawn approached, he rushed back to the company again, sporting dark circles under his eyes resembling those of a panda.
"Xiao Ding, remember to give me the box office figures as soon as they come out yesterday! I'll personally inform President Ling," Ning Hao instructed the finance girl.
"Okay, Director Ning." The finance girl clicked her tongue at his expression.
Ning Hao dozed off in his office for a while, half asleep and half awake, when suddenly, "Bang!" the office door was violently kicked open!
The finance girl rushed in, her face flushed with excitement, holding a freshly printed box office statistics sheet still warm from the printer: "Director Ning! Director Ning! It's a blockbuster! A blockbuster! On opening day! 220 million! 220 million—!"
"How...how much?!" Ning Hao jumped up from his chair as if he had been electrocuted, snatched the light but heavy piece of paper, and stared at the number: "2,200,850 RMB".
His hands were shaking violently, and his voice was trembling: "220 million...220 million?! You...you didn't make a mistake with the decimal point, did you?" He rubbed his eyes hard, and when he looked again, it was still 220 million!
"That's right! Director Ning! It's absolutely true! The theaters just compiled the information!" Xiao Ding jumped up and down excitedly.
Ning Hao's mind went blank for a few seconds, then went blank again. The next second, like a cannonball, he yelled and, clutching the box office receipt, scrambled towards Ling Yuan's office. Just like the finance girl earlier, he forgot to knock and barged right in!