Seeing such results and such response, Qiezi and his programmers couldn't help but shed tears of excitement.
Fortunately they didn’t give up!
Hard work always pays off, and now, their moment of victory has finally arrived.
Of course, thanking Su Chen is their routine operation.
If Su Chen had not joined them halfway, they might have gone their separate ways.
Just when Su Chen's name almost dominated the entire network.
At this time, the news about the release dates of two movies attracted the attention of netizens.
"The movies "Back to Earth" and "Fortress of Devil" are scheduled to be released on April Fools' Day!"
This immediately ignited the enthusiasm of netizens from all walks of life.
You know, the pre-promotion for these two movies can be said to be overwhelming, and everyone has been looking forward to these two movies for a long time.
Now that they are finally about to be released, netizens have excitedly started various discussions surrounding these two movies.
"After Earth, I'll buy a ticket just for Smith's name!"
"Smith's films have always been a guarantee of quality!"
"This time, the Smiths and their sons are on the field together! It's really exciting!"
"With Hollywood special effects and the emotional clash between the Smiths, the movie is expected to be very exciting."
"It's a family movie! The father and son are the protagonists of this movie."
"A big production with an investment of 130 million dollars shouldn't disappoint us!"
“…”
Netizens are even more enthusiastic about "Magic City Fortress".
"Brother Lu Han finally has a new movie coming out! I've been waiting so long for it!"
"Lu Han and Shu Qi, is sister-brother relationship popular now? But I like it!"
"This is a sci-fi blockbuster with a 360 million yuan investment! I am so looking forward to it. I hope there will be more sci-fi films in domestic films!"
"Is this movie choosing to be released at the same time as After Earth to bring glory to China?"
"Perhaps, this movie can become the face of Chinese science fiction movies!"
“…”
On the Internet, discussions about these two movies have been in full swing since the beginning.
However, when Su Chen saw the news, he just took it calmly.
After all, Su Chen knew the quality of these two movies. It shouldn't change because of time and space.
Su Chen focused his attention on the post-production editing of "China Partners".
A week later, Su Chen completed all the post-production of the film as efficiently as ever.
There was no way. Su Chen had already started editing during the early stage of filming.
Now it’s just a matter of connecting the entire movie together and adding some special effects to beautify it.
If Su Chen hadn't been so demanding, it could actually have been even faster.
"Xiao Chen, when do you think the release time is appropriate?"
Looking at the finished film in front of them, Zhong Lei and Zhong Jun were not surprised at all. This was Su Chen's speed. They were used to it, so Zhong Jun went straight to the point.
Su Chen: "I think it should be released on April Fool's Day."
One is that the time node is more meaningful, and the other is that none of the movies released in the same period can compete with each other, so it is easier to achieve results this way.
Without much hesitation, Zhong Lei and Zhong Jun agreed to Su Chen's proposal.
Although there are Hollywood blockbusters being released at the same time this time, they have a mysterious confidence in Su Chen. No matter what opponent they encounter, Su Chen's movie will be able to fight.
Besides, the film market doesn’t belong to you alone. You will face competition no matter what the release date is.
Is Su Chen’s movie afraid of competing with others?
Therefore, Zhong Lei and Zhong Jun immediately contacted major cinema chains to hold a screening of "Chinese Partners".
After watching this movie.
The response from major theaters was quite good.
They all expressed their willingness to give about 30% of the screening time to Su Chen's film.
The quality of this movie is already very good, and coupled with Su Chen's previous success in sweeping the Hundred Flowers Awards, giving it 30% of the screening time can be said to be a standard operation.
However, there are two cinema chains that are exceptions.
That is Dadi Cinemas and Chengtian Jiahe, and they are only willing to give about 10% of the screening time to Su Chen's film.
Su Chen didn't care. If a movie that was destined to be a big hit was not scheduled for screening, it would be the cinema's own loss.
Su Chen doesn't have any psychological burden.
But Zhong Lei and Zhong Jun tasted a different flavor from it.
There is no doubt that this is a suppression of them by Liu Rong, chairman of Dadi Cinemas, and Wu Kebo, chairman of Chengtian Jiahe.
This is also true.
The business representatives of Dadi Cinemas and Chengtian Jiahe received special instructions from their chairman before they came, saying that they must only give low screenings to films produced by Xingyi.
So this is the result.
To be honest, facing such a situation, Zhong Lei and Zhong Jun were a little angry.
Not to mention Liu Rong, it would have been fine if he was unwilling to transfer the Kyoto branch of Dadi Cinemas, but he actually turned around and suppressed Xingyi. This is simply intolerable.
Wu Kebo really touched the nerves of the Zhong brothers.
Wang Jinhua and the former pillars of Xingyi joined Chengtian Jiahe. Originally, this matter had passed and Zhong Lei and Zhong Jun did not want to mention it again.
But now, Wu Kebo saw that Xingyi wanted to expand its cinema chain and jumped out to make trouble again, which made Zhong Lei and Zhong Jun very uncomfortable.
What’s even more infuriating is...
The number of screenings is the cinema’s own business and they have no control over it.
Just take whatever they give you.
Alas, this also made Zhong Lei and Zhong Jun more eager to expand the cinema chain's territory.
Xiaochen is right!
The strength of the cinema chain is not good enough, not only does it earn more than half less money, but it is also easy to be strangled by others.
There is no wall that is impenetrable.
Or maybe this is what Dadi Cinemas and Chengtian Jiahe intended.
soon.
The news that Dadi Cinemas and Chengtian Jiahe had given Su Chen's new film "Chinese Partners" extremely low screening schedule was exposed on the Internet.
People from all walks of life have made various interpretations of this news.
Well-informed people analyzed the whole story of the feud between Xingyi Media, Dadi Cinemas and Chengtian Jiahe, and believed that these two cinema chains gave Su Chen's new film such a low screening schedule in an attempt to suppress Xingyi.
Such a view, of course, won the support of Su Chen's fans. They responded and forwarded the message, strongly condemning Dadi Cinema and Chengtian Jiahe.
"This is too unethical! We strongly condemn it!"
"Just wait and see! Time will teach them a lesson!"
"Our brother Chen's movie has such a high box office, but you are the ones who are losing out by scheduling it so low!"
"To take revenge for personal gain, how could one do such a thing? How shameless!"
“…”
at the same time.
Some people also think.
The quality of Su Chen's film is not good enough, and major theaters have disagreements on scheduling.
This view has received strong support from fans of various celebrities.
"Of course! Su Chen has only made a few movies!"
"The success of one movie can only be attributed to Su Chen's luck! It's hard to say how the second movie will be!"
"So some people didn't buy it at first! Don't think that everything will be fine just because you won the Hundred Flowers Award!"
“Give a thumbs up to Dadi Cinemas and Chengtian Jiahe!”
"Just wait and see. 'Return to Earth' and 'Devil's Fortress' will teach Su Chen a lesson!"
"This time, Su Chen will definitely show his true colors!"
"Su Chen, just go back to filming your TV shows. Why bother filming a movie?"
"Just wait and see April Fools' joke!"
“…”
Time passes in such debates.
Soon it was the week before the release.
The production team of "Back to Earth" came to China in person for a roadshow and promotion.
The members, of course, also include the starring Smith father and son.
This immediately set off the entire network.
Netizens from all walks of life flocked to the Smith father and son.
On this day, at Kyoto Station, the first stop of "Back to Earth" in China, the entire square was packed with people.
"Smith! Oh my God!"
"Oh, you actually came to promote it in person. What an honor!"
“…”
Fans really didn't expect that the Smiths would come to China in person to promote the product. This is unprecedented.
What surprised the fans even more was...
The entire team is very friendly to the fans, and Smith and his son try their best to meet all the fans' requests for autographs and photos.
Entertainment reporters certainly wouldn't miss such explosive material.
"Dear Mr. Smith, this is your first time to come to China to promote a movie. How do you feel about it?"
"Are our Chinese fans awesome?"
"Do you have confidence in our Chinese box office market?"
"Mr. Smith, how would you rate your son's performance in the movie?"
“…”
All kinds of questions were thrown out at once.
To the satisfaction of the entertainment reporters, the Smiths answered all the reporters' questions without any airs.
This made the entertainment reporters feel a little flattered.
To be honest, there are very few international superstars who can be so down-to-earth and approachable.
The promotion at the Kyoto station is just a microcosm of the "Back to Earth" trip to China.
This attitude was present between the Smiths at every stop on the promotional tour.
Such efforts have also received an extremely enthusiastic response.
Every time the Smiths appear, the venue is packed with fans and is extremely popular.
Seeing such good publicity effects, Smith and his son finally breathed a sigh of relief.
What Hua Xia fans may not have noticed is.
The movie "After Earth" has been released in the United States for nearly a month, and the box office revenue is only a pitiful 60 million US dollars. However, the investment cost of this movie has reached 130 million US dollars, which can be described as a bloodbath.
Therefore, at this time, the Chinese box office market has become the key to the film's recovery and counterattack, so the Smiths have no choice but to promote it extra hard.
Now it seems that this movie should be able to make good profits in the Chinese film market, right?
The Smiths are full of expectations for the future.
at the same time.
The production team of "Magic City Fortress" was also busy.
Roadshows and the like are just conventional tactics and are not enough to show their uniqueness.
The producers specially arranged for the film's leading male role, Lu Han, who is also responsible for the popularity of the film, to fly to Old Trafford, the home of the Red Devils, and play football with a group of Red Devils stars.
This wave of operations immediately caused a sensation.
You know, Lu Han is the image ambassador of the Red Devils in Asia and is very well-known.
Although it was just a training match, it attracted enthusiastic attention in the local area.
"Lu Han, Ai Lao Hu You! You are finally here again!"
“So cool!”
“Thank you for promoting the Asia-Pacific market for us!”
“…”
Some of Lu Han's die-hard fans even live-streamed the training match on the Internet via their mobile phones.
All of a sudden, all the Lu fans in China were excited.
"So handsome! The most handsome actor I have ever seen!"
"In front of his brother, Su Chen is just a younger brother!"
"I can't say anything else, but when it comes to football, my brother is definitely the best among all the stars in the entertainment industry!"
"Su Chen, if you have the guts, come and play a game of football with our brother. I guarantee that I will beat you to death!"
"Everyone, remember to go to the cinema to see Brother in a few days!"
"We still owe brother a movie ticket!"
“…”
With the help of various forces, the term "Lu Han appears at Old Trafford!" has topped the major hot search lists!
During halftime.
When Lu Han saw the result, he couldn't help but smile with satisfaction.
To be honest, Lu Han has been holding this anger for a long time.
When releasing a new song, I was suppressed by Su Chen; when playing basketball, I was suppressed by Su Chen.
This time, my movie should be able to surpass Su Chen and make a comeback, right?
The previous defeats were actually nothing. As long as he could win this game, Lu Han could smile with pride.
Because the film market is the biggest piece of cake in the entertainment industry.
As for the heroine of the movie, the makers of "Magic Fortress" have not given up on promoting it.
Shu Qi has always been a hot topic. Now, as the leading actress of this movie, she has to work even harder to hype the film.
So, netizens from all walks of life soon discovered it.
Some classic clips from Shu Qi's previous vivid movies were compiled and released.
For a moment, the entire Internet was in an uproar.
"Fuck! I still like Shuqi from that period!"
"Why do you need to put your clothes on?"
"Why do I feel that Shuqi's previous positioning is more marketable? Okay, I admit that I am so wretched! But a good man needs a goddess to comfort him late at night!"
"The above post is so tasteless! Shuqi's later movies are also very exciting!"
“I love it all the way around!”
"I think Shuqi is even sexier when she's wearing clothes!"
“…”
The heated discussions from all sides quickly made the term "Which period of Shu Qi do you like?" rush to the top of the hot search list.
Soon, netizens from all walks of life discovered it.
The top two spots on all major trending search lists are almost all occupied by the male and female leading actors of "The Fortress of Devil City".
Such a result made Su Chen's fans a little uneasy.
They rushed to Su Chen's Weibo to express their opinions.
"Brother Chen, use some killer moves! Otherwise, any cat or dog can ride on your head and shit on you!"
"At this critical moment of movie promotion, Brother Chen needs to give more support!"
"Brother Chen, give us some explosive news!"
"Brother Chen, just post something and we can push it up!"
“…”
However, Su Chen is really not interested in this kind of hype.
Seeing the public outcry, Su Chen responded on Weibo:
"Be rational about publicity and let's get back to the movie itself!"
Well, such an answer obviously cannot satisfy the fans.
But as long as Su Chen replies, it will be fine!
The fans will have work to do.
As a result, Su Chen’s fans immediately liked and forwarded the post crazily.
Not long after, the entry "Su Chen advises fans to look at the publicity rationally!" topped the major hot search lists.
This scene made Lu Han, Shu Qi, and the producers of "Magic City Fortress" begin to doubt their lives.
They worked so hard, even going overseas and using all kinds of hype, but they only managed to top the trending search list for a while.
However, Su Chen just casually posted a message on Weibo and it immediately topped the trending search list.
How do you want them to live?
Fortunately, this wave of popularity did not last long.
After all, it is the nature of netizens to eat spectators and watch the fun. Su Chen's remarks are too pedantic.
After the enthusiasm of Su Chen's fans faded, topics about Lu Han and Shu Qi gradually came to the fore and re-occupied the first and second places on major hot search lists.
Even later, topics related to Smith and his son also rushed to the top of the hot search list.
Seeing this situation, Zhong Lei and Zhong Jun became a little uneasy.
They wanted to persuade Su Chen to reveal some information, but when they thought of Su Chen's usual style, they all fell silent.
Su Chen is not the kind of person who likes to hype himself up deliberately.
Well, since it has been like this for so long, let’s not cause any more trouble.
Otherwise, if you annoy Su Chen, you will be the one who suffers.
So, in the past few days, Su Chen, Yu Entai, Jiang Chao and other "China Partners" have also promoted the movie in a standard manner, but the topicality is seriously lacking.
Su Chen didn't do anything out of the ordinary, and his presence at the promotion site was even less than that of Yang Mi, Deng Ziqi, Zhao Liying and others.
As a result, the most direct consequence is.
Its popularity on the Internet has been suppressed by "Fortress of Devil May Cry" and "After Earth".
In this context.
It’s the eve of the movie’s release.
Some major entertainment websites took the opportunity to launch a poll for "The Most Anticipated Movies in April."
The result was no surprise.
Coming in first place is After Earth.
Ranked second is "Fortress of Demon City".
However, Su Chen's favorite movie "China Partners" only ranked third.
Moreover, the number of votes is far behind the previous two candidates.
Such a result immediately aroused heated discussions among netizens from all walks of life.
"It's a very normal result! A Hollywood blockbuster, plus Smith's signature guarantee, After Earth is definitely the first choice!"
"No matter what the quality of the movie is, as long as Lu Han is the lead actor, I will buy tickets!"
"In fact, the quality of a movie can be roughly judged from its investment cost alone. The investment cost of "After Earth" was 130 million dollars, the investment cost of "Fortress of Magic City" was 360 million, and the investment cost of Su Chen's movie "Chinese Partners" was only more than 40 million! No matter how you look at it, they are not on the same level!"
"Su Chen just wants to harvest traffic. Some people have been fooled and are still foolishly helping others count money!"
"The tacky subject matter of "Chinese Partners" is so dissuading!"
“…”
Such public opinion and online voting eventually affected all major cinema chains.
After urgent discussions, senior executives of major cinema chains finally decided to reduce the screening schedule of Su Chen's film "Chinese Partners".
So, all at once, announcements from theaters were released one after another.
25%!
26% !
25.5%!
…
Almost all cinema chains have reduced the screening ratio of Su Chen's films to around 25%.
The reason why not all theaters are because.
Dadi Cinemas and Chengtian Jiahe Cinemas simultaneously reduced the screening ratio of Su Chen's film to 8%!
Yes, Liu Rong, chairman of Dadi Cinemas, and Wu Kebo, chairman of Chengtian Jiahe, chose to continue attacking Xingyi Media at the same time.
Since all major cinema chains have reduced the screening schedule of "China Partners", they will definitely follow suit.
at the same time.
All major cinema chains were almost unanimous in increasing the screenings of "After Earth" and "Fortress of Mordor" to around 33.
See results like this.
Zhong Lei and Zhong Jun were both angry and annoyed. Are these theater chains now uniting to boycott Xingyi Media?
Otherwise, why do it?
Considering Su Chen's current popularity and the extremely high reputation of his previous movie, he shouldn't be given such a low screening schedule.
They were worried that Su Chen would be angry about this.
So the two brothers came to Su Chen at the same time and reviewed their actions:
"Xiao Chen, I'm sorry, it's our fault for not doing a good job of public relations!"
"Those cinema chains are so tasteless! You are right! We must expand the territory of cinema chains as soon as possible and gain greater voice in the terminals."
However, Su Chen's reaction was far beyond their expectations.
"Mr. Zhong, it's okay."
"The audience knows how to distinguish between a good movie and a bad movie."
Well, Su Chen’s attitude did give the Zhong brothers a lot of confidence.
Because, in the past, as long as Su Chen showed such an attitude, the performance of his work would not be bad.
However, this still could not make Zhong Lei and Zhong Jun completely at ease.
This involves billions of revenue.
How can we take it lightly?
It was midnight that night.
Zhong Lei and Zhong Jun walked into the screening room of "The Fortress of Devil City" at the same time.
Yes, the brothers decided to personally test the strength of their rivals' work to see if it would subvert Su Chen's film status.
The movie then begins.
This is probably the story:
In the future, alien dark forces suddenly attack the earth, and Shanghai becomes the last hope of mankind. College student Jiang Yang follows female commander Lin Lan into the Magic City Fortress to become a commander, and fights against the alien invasion with his teammates...
However, I only watched it for half an hour.
Zhong Lei and Zhong Jun felt bored and completely relieved.
This movie has too many flaws.
The lines were so awkward that even the lip movements didn't match! The acting of the lead actors was awkward, and Lu Han and Shu Qi didn't seem to make a good couple.
It is said to be a science fiction film, but in fact it is a romance film. It is said to be a romance film, but there is no touching scene.
At this time, Zhong Lei and Zhong Jun were puzzled. Su Chen probably hadn't seen this movie either, right?
But why could he be so nonchalant, as if he could predict the future?
However, they had to admit that Su Chen was indeed foresighted.
How could such a movie possibly threaten Su Chen's "China Partners"?
But of course, that's just for this movie.
Zhong Lei and Zhong Jun are still a little worried about "After Earth" starring the Smith father and son.
After all, in the past, Hollywood blockbusters have had an overwhelming advantage over domestic films.
Although Su Chen’s previous movie was a huge success, can he continue to shine in the face of the impact of Hollywood blockbusters?
This is a question that needs to be verified.
With such doubts, the Zhong brothers walked into the theater for "After Earth".
Suddenly, they saw a scene that made them even more worried.
“I’ve finally waited for this day!”
"Smith's movies must be supported!"
“…”
The audience was whispering. Expectations for the film were generally high.
What's even more terrifying is.
I saw that the occupancy rate in the theater was over 60%!
You know, this is the early morning slot! It can still have such a high attendance rate, which shows how crazy Chinese fans are about Smith and his son.
It seems that in front of true international superstars, domestic stars are still not good enough.
With a worried mood, Zhong Lei and Zhong Jun began watching the movie "After Earth".
but.
As time went by, the Zhong brothers became more and more relaxed.
Nothing else.
This movie was far from what they had expected.
Although the movie is nominally starring Smith, the real star is Smith's son, Smith Jr. 80% of the film's shots and 90% of the plot were given to Smith Jr., but, unfortunately, Smith Jr.'s acting skills can only be regarded as half-baked and can't support a movie at all.
Moreover, the plot of the movie is too cliché.
It's this moment.
Zhong Lei and Zhong Jun finally no longer had any mental burden.
To be honest, if it wasn't so late, they would have wanted to pull Suchen out and have a big celebration.
Such a low-quality movie is unlikely to have much impact on Su Chen's movie.
Even now, the major theaters do not schedule a high proportion of screenings for "China Partners".
However, the Zhong brothers believe that the audience will eventually make the right choice.
At this moment, in the eyes of the Zhong brothers, although the two opponents seem powerful, they are actually just paper tigers.
They believed that Su Chen could turn things around. If the cinema chain didn't schedule the film, it was because the cinema chain had no vision. Alas, speaking of this matter, they felt even more urgent about acquiring the cinema chain.
If you own the cinema chains, you won’t be subject to so many restrictions when your own movies are released.
At the same time, film reviews about these three movies have emerged on the Internet.
The Zhong brothers were happy to see it.
Most of them were complaints about "After Earth" and "Fortress of Mordor".
"Old Smith really tried his best to support his son!"
"'After Earth' has already flopped in the Ugly Country, don't you know? Now they're just waiting for some idiots to go to the theaters and give them money!"
"This movie is a combination of Storytelling and Soulmates! Hahahaha... It's so cliché!"
"Only a child would spend the whole time thinking about how to save his father."
"It's obvious that the Smiths want to come to China to make some money. Unfortunately, I can only help them up to this point!"
“…”
The reputation of "Magic City Fortress" is not much better.
"Lu Han and Shu Qi as a couple? I really don't know what the director's vision is!"
"Both protagonists' acting is equally bad! In this respect, they are indeed a perfect match!"
"Teng Huatao, you are a director of romance films, why are you making a science fiction film?"
"This is a completely weird movie!"
"It's been hyped up a lot, but in reality, this movie has no highlights at all! On the contrary, it's full of flaws!"
“…”
In sharp contrast to this is.
Netizens praised Su Chen's "China Partners".
“It restored the process of realizing the ‘Chinese Dream’.”
"I thought it was a terrible movie after seeing the title, but I didn't expect it to shock me so much!"
"Brother Chen showed us a microcosm of an era!"
"Jiang Chao and Yu Entai are seriously underestimated. Their acting skills are amazing!"
"I didn't expect that such a seemingly rustic subject could bring me such a big shock."
"From the story to the acting, to the post-production, every link is impeccable!"
“…”
The next night, prime time.
As usual, Liu Rong, chairman of Dadi Cinemas, came to inquire about the data of the three films.
At this time, the general manager was feeling quite tormented.
"Mr. Liu, the box office of the three movies is just average."
"Besides, the reviews for After Earth and Fortress of Devil are a bit bad."
Of course, he didn't dare to tell anyone about the extremely high attendance rate of "China Partners".
Knowing that his boss can suppress Xingyi Media and Su Chen, he still brings this up. Isn't that stupid?
Hearing this, Liu Rong was a little unhappy.
The mediocre box office means that the cinema is not making any money. The situation of Dadi Cinemas will not change because of the release of these three movies.
No, strictly speaking, it should be two movies.
Su Chen's "Hua Xia Partners" is not included.
It would be a miracle if anyone would like to watch such a rustic subject.
Suppressing Xingyi Media and Su Chen was one reason, but Liu Rong’s disapproval of such film themes was a more important reason.
The results now also confirm Liu Rong's point of view.
Su Chen’s movie is really not good.
“How was the attendance at the three movies?”
Liu Rong then asked for specific data on the three films.
Hearing this, the general manager didn't know what to say.
Because the gap here is really too huge. Moreover, it might offend the chairman.
Seeing the general manager's hesitation, Liu Rong became annoyed:
"What's going on!"
"Did you do something shameful behind my back?"
Faced with the chairman's pressure, the general manager could only reveal the truth:
"At the end of the day, the average attendance of After Earth was only 35%, and the average attendance of Fortress of Devil was only 28%."
"What? How is this possible?!"
Hearing this, Liu Rong couldn't believe his ears.
"Is the attendance rate the same during prime time now?"
The general manager replied: “The attendance of these two movies has been gradually declining.”
"From the premiere in the early hours of last night to now, the attendance has dropped by nearly half."
"impossible!"
Liu Rong was furious.
"There must be something wrong with your work."
According to Liu Rong's decades of experience, prime time is the time period with the highest attendance for a movie.
How could it be worse than the early morning slot?
The general manager looked innocent: "Boss Liu, we have done what we should do."
"I even launched a lucky draw. But the data that came out was just like this."
"Moreover, the service staff were very enthusiastic and thoughtful, and there was nothing wrong with them. Mr. Liu, I really tried my best."