novelraw Chapter 15 Schedule
Chapter 15 Schedule
"There are no suitable dates available this year!"
The success of the copyright exchange did not lower people's expectations for the film's box office; on the contrary, it aroused even greater ambitions.
Zhao Hongwei had to go to China Film Group every day to discuss film release dates, but the more he communicated, the more disheartened he became.
Shen Qing and Wang Damin looked at Zhao Hongwei, knowing that he had more to say.
"With Feng Xiaogang and Stephen Chow dominating the Lunar New Year film season, almost all the other movies are vying for the National Day holiday slot. Our budget for the National Day slot is probably the lowest, only 170 million yuan. How are we supposed to fight this battle?!"
What about the summer movie season?
Shen Qing blurted it out almost immediately, and then realized why no one was trying to get a spot during the National Day holiday.
Upon hearing this, Zhao Hongwei sighed helplessly and said, "The summer blockbuster season can only belong to Zhang Yimou! I've never seen any other director or film receive this kind of treatment!"
Then he explained it to the two of them in detail.
The huge success of "Hero" inspired everyone to try to replicate or even achieve greater success, which led to the creation of the "Domestic Film Protection Month".
From mid-June to early August, no imported revenue-sharing films were allowed to be released, and domestically produced films with large investments also voluntarily gave way.
The first year of the domestic film protection month can be aptly described as a "House of Flying Daggers" protection month.
原定6月30日上映的《蜘蛛侠2》和原定7月份上映的《怪物史莱克2》，全都被推迟到了8月份上映。
Harry Potter and the Prisoners, originally scheduled for release in August, has been postponed to October.
The movie "Troy," originally scheduled for release in July, has been moved up to June 10.
The summer movie season belongs to Zhang Yimou, the Lunar New Year movie season belongs to Feng Xiaogang and Stephen Chow, and other movies, including imported blockbusters that made way for "House of Flying Daggers", will all be crowding into the National Day movie season, right?
The National Day holiday film season wasn't nearly as popular as the summer holiday season, yet so many movies were still being released in a rush!
Jackie Chan's "New Police Story", Wong Ka-wai's "2046", Lu Chuan's "Kekexili", "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows", "Shrek 2", and "Spider-Man 2".
None of them look like any of the shows that their own "Make a Name for Yourself" could afford to mess with.
Upon hearing this, Shen Qing also felt a little heavy-hearted.
In the internet age, movies could still break through the competition through word-of-mouth, but at this critical juncture in 2004, what the traditional media said was what mattered. The problem was that their own film, "To Be Famous and Make a Name for Oneself," was really at a disadvantage in terms of media coverage.
With neither big-name directors nor big-name actors, who will report on you?
"The poster should highlight Liu Yifei, as her popularity has been rising very rapidly recently."
"We can only take it one step at a time."
As it turns out, "House of Flying Daggers" dominating the summer box office has angered many, and criticisms have begun to emerge in the media and online.
Traditional media outlets have publicly accused Han Sanping of trying to create a record that no one can break in 30 years with "House of Flying Daggers," and even directly used administrative means to interfere with the scheduling of films in theaters.
Zhang Weiping directly addressed the issue in the media:
"Our film is very strong on its own, and it doesn't rely solely on external support as some people say. We welcome all domestically produced films that have completed production to compete in the summer season, but the problem is that many domestic films are scared off as soon as they hear about the release date of 'House of Flying Daggers.' Can you blame us for that?"
Shouting didn't seem to be very effective.
The criticism grew louder and louder, and even the chairman of the Hong Kong Film Awards, Wen Jun, stepped forward to publicly criticize the film.
To make way for "House of Flying Daggers," the release date of the imported blockbuster "Troy" was moved up to June 10th. The Hong Kong film "Big Event," which was already scheduled for release on June 10th, became the first victim in the process of making way for "House of Flying Daggers."
As the summer movie season approaches, the related controversies have not subsided but have instead intensified.
Seeing the controversy growing, Shen Qing suddenly had a flash of inspiration and came up with a somewhat immature idea.
So he rushed to Dingxin Film and Television to discuss it with Zhao Hongwei.
"Mr. Zhao, do you think it's possible for our film 'Making a Name for Yourself' to be released earlier, during the summer season?"
"Impossible!" Zhao Hongwei's voice was firm and resolute: "Ensuring that 'House of Flying Daggers' achieves the greatest success and creating a new flagship of domestic blockbusters is now a political mission, and there is no room for negotiation."
"I know, but isn't this a huge controversy right now? Even the chairman of the Hong Kong Film Awards has publicly criticized it."
"This little bit of noise probably won't change President Han's mind!"
Shen Qing said, "We don't need President Han to change his mind. Our film 'Making a Name for Yourself' can be a rag to shut up the doubters! Didn't some people previously criticize the unfairness of all films having to make way for 'House of Flying Daggers'? Didn't they criticize Zhang Yimou for being too domineering? Our film is coming out during the summer season, so won't the rumors be dispelled on their own?"
Zhao Hongwei pondered for a moment and said, "The problem is that it's not a rumor at all. Besides, even if President Han needs a rag to shut him up, why should he choose our movie?"
"Because our film 'Fame and Fortune' only had a total production budget of 170 million yuan, we didn't have a big-name director or big-name stars. The only one with some fame, Liu Yifei, only had a cameo role. Even though it was shortlisted for the Cannes midnight screenings, who could consider it a threat?"
Zhao Hongwei said, "Even if we can squeeze into the summer blockbuster season, do you really think we can compete head-to-head with Zhang Yimou's 'House of Flying Daggers' with our 'Fame and Fortune'?"
"Why fight head-on? Let's try to carve out a niche for ourselves among the blockbuster films," Shen Qing said. "I think June 20th is a very good release date."
Then he explained to Zhao Hongwei.
等到6月20号，5月末上映的进口大片《后天》起码已经拿到3分之2的票房，到时其票房表现就应该已经是强弩之末。
By June 20th, "Troy" had been in theaters for 10 days, and according to general trends, it had already reached nearly half of the total box office.
Then, from June 20th until mid-July when "House of Flying Daggers" was released, no other major films were released during that period.
With the previously released films "The Day After Tomorrow" and "Troy" having passed their peak box office phase, it's time for our "Fame and Fortune" crew to take center stage.
There is a window of approximately 25 days.
"What about mid-July? What about when 'House of Flying Daggers' officially hits theaters nationwide with a bang?"
"Then let's just pull it off the screens!" Shen Qing said. "By then, I estimate that 'Make a Name for Yourself' will have taken at least two-thirds of the total box office. Trading it for an early pull-off and a less competitive 25-day run seems like a good deal."
"I'll make another trip to China Film Group tomorrow," Zhao Hongwei said finally.
Shen Qing nodded gently.
The next day, Shen Qing received a phone call from Zhao Hongwei at home.
"President Han has agreed in principle to the date you mentioned, June 20th."
After hanging up the phone, Shen Qing felt a little uneasy.
He didn't remember exactly how much box office "Troy" grossed in his previous life, but he remembered that it seemed to be quite popular.
In less than 10 days, how much of the opponent's box office potential can be depleted?
How much box office revenue can be generated in 25 days?
A few days later, the release date for the movie "Fame and Fortune" was officially announced.
Then, unwittingly, he was drawn into the controversy surrounding Zhang Yimou's overly domineering behavior and criticism of Han Sanping's use of administrative means to interfere in the market.
Zhang Weiping first mentioned "Making a Name and Establishing a Fortune".
"To all the domestic film producers who complain about our dominance of the summer box office, if you truly have confidence in your films, you can learn from this film, 'Rise to Fame'!"
The chairman of the Hong Kong Golden Rooster Awards quickly responded in the media: "Releasing a film with a production cost of less than 200 million proves that Zhang Yimou did not completely monopolize the summer box office, yet it poses no threat to 'House of Flying Daggers,' which has an investment of hundreds of millions. And its own investment is so low that it won't lose money. Brilliant, absolutely brilliant!"
Shen Qing received another call from Zhao Hongwei.
"It seems that... all the netizens who are following this controversy have noticed our film, 'Making a Name for Oneself'."