It's the end of January
Everything seemed to be a foregone conclusion. Whether the film and television companies of the three films were willing or not, they had to join this war without gunpowder. As time approached February, Tomorrow and Racing Storm also increased their publicity efforts. For a while, topics related to several movies almost filled the hot search list.
Who will win the first box office champion of the New Year
Not only media reporters are talking about this with great relish, fans and audiences are also happy to discuss their favorite movies and directors. The three directors at the center of public opinion are not newcomers. After several movies, they have naturally accumulated a lot of fans.
Seeing that the situation was getting more and more heated day by day, the media reporters still seemed to think it was not enough, and they all tried every means to ask several big directors, asking the three big directors about their opinions on the upcoming Lunar New Year holiday.
Among the three directors, the one with the highest status and the most fame is undoubtedly Clark Eddy, the director of "Conquest of the Stars". However, this veteran director obviously had no intention of arguing or provoking. In response to the reporter's question, Eddy just smiled and said, "Conquest of the Stars is a masterpiece that I have been preparing for three years. I will not let down the fans who have always supported me."
No specific director was mentioned, but from another perspective, ignoring it is also a kind of confidence and provocation.
In contrast, Song Huacai's remarks seemed a bit sharp. He bluntly asked, "Since when has the director's qualifications and past achievements become the public's measure of the quality of a film? The past can only represent the past." He bluntly said that the future belongs to the young.
The reporters nearby looked at each other with joy in their eyes.
This is exactly the kind of tit-for-tat that they want. With the remote dialogue between several directors, at least until the movie is officially released, they don’t have to worry about topics in film magazines.
At the same time, in the office on the top floor of Huaying, Mu Suxing was flipping through the movie magazine in his hand.
Most of the news in the newspapers were meaningless hype, so he glanced at it casually and threw it aside. Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone had been completed long ago, and Muxiuxing couldn't be more idle at the moment. He glanced at the magazine hastily, then stood up, pushed open the door of the office and walked out.
As soon as he stepped out of the office door, several employees looked up at him. Upon closer inspection, they could see a hint of vigilance in their eyes.
As an employee representative, Fang Lian was quickly pushed in front of Mu Suxing. He was wondering about everyone's reaction, but Fang Lian on the other side asked cautiously as if he was facing a great enemy, "Where are you going?"
Mu Suxing glanced at everyone in confusion, and seeing that most of the people in the work hall were staring at him nervously, Mu Suxing's heart moved slightly, and he understood but was also a little speechless. "I say you don't have to be so nervous, right? Harry Potter has already been done, why don't you take me out to meet old friends?"
Fang Lian was very confident, "What can I do about this? You should blame yourself for having too many criminal records. Editor-in-Chief Qiu complained to me every now and then about your sneaking away without anyone noticing. I can't ignore it." He said, and asked without any ambiguity, "Who are you going to meet? Are you going to play cards again?"
It seems that it will not be easy to escape from the alley in the future.
Such a thought only flashed through Mu Suxing's mind and was quickly put behind him - after all, he didn't let himself go off work early this time because he suddenly had some evil idea.
His eyes inadvertently glanced at the page spread out on the nearby table, which happened to reveal the specific release date of the Lunar New Year movies. Mu Suxing remembered the sighs when Harry Potter and the animation were mentioned in the newspapers recently, and couldn't help laughing. "Of course not a card partner, I just went to see a poor little guy who has the same problem as me.
Xie Hongkuo originally planned to interview the director Grothill tomorrow.
Unfortunately, the director seemed to have no interest in the long-distance conversation between directors before the release of the film. Until the end of the on-site promotional activities in Xingning City tomorrow, Xie Hongkuo did not get a suitable interview opportunity. However, just when he had to give up the interview and turned back, he glimpsed two familiar figures near the window of a teahouse on the street.
Isn't this Mu Suxing and Ye Changlin
Realizing this, Xie Hongkuo immediately became interested.
Although the fourth place is much worse than the top three, it is still at the top of the list and one of the most anticipated Lunar New Year movies. Maybe this animation director who has been ignored for a long time is also dissatisfied and unconvinced about this upcoming Lunar New Year tragedy.
Not to mention that not long ago, Song Huacai, the director of Jingfeng, accidentally activated an AOE skill while talking nonsense. Maybe Director Ye Changlin has something to say about this.
However
"Huaying's box office target" Mu Suxing picked up the teacup in front of him and said calmly, "Need I say more? Of course it's a box office target."
Xie Hongkuo suspected that he had heard it wrong.
He looked at Mu Suxing opposite him in uncertainty, but the latter seemed completely unaware that there was something wrong with his target. He was leisurely sipping tea in the cup. Seeing that Xie Hongkuo was confused, Mu Suxing raised his eyebrows and gave him a puzzled look.
I make animated films," he reminded.
Generally speaking, considering the various revenue sharing in a movie, if an ordinary movie wants to make a profit, the box office should be at least three times the investment. In other words, if the film producer wants to make a profit, especially a high profit, the final box office must be several times the investment. But animated films do not have this concern.
It is true that CG animated films burn a lot of money, but the biggest difference between animated films and live-action films is that they care about their core profit-making methods. The main source of income for live-action films comes from the box office, but the core of animated films lies in a series of peripheral products derived from the animation.
For example, the animated film Tiger Rose, which was released last year, cost 200 million yuan to invest, but the final box office was less than 300 million yuan. Judging from the box office, it seems that the Glacier Films that produced this animated film had difficulty even making back its investment. However, the fact is that the peripheral products based on the theme of this animated film, such as similar dolls and various stationery, have made a profit of 1.5 billion credit points by the end of this year. For animated films, the peripheral products are the real big deal.
After he said this, what else did Xie Hongkuo not understand
Although he understood it, Mu Suxing's words still made him feel frustrated. When others aggressively said that their movies would definitely become the box office champion of the Lunar New Year, another equally competitive director told him seriously that "recovering the investment" was the company's only goal.
Xie Hongkuo exhaled a breath of air. He decided to put his hope of big news on Ye Changlin. However, this great director who dedicated his life to art films was even more uncooperative than Mu Suxing. When Xie Hongkuo asked about his box office goals and fantasies, Ye Changlin casually asked, "What is box office?"
Xie Hongkuo was silent.
But this was still a silence that he found difficult to refute.
What is box office
For most directors and actors, the box office of a movie represents almost everything. However, as a well-known art film director, Ye Changlin does not need to consider the box office. For him, the artistry of the movie itself is the most important. This is why he has repeatedly won many film awards, and it is also one of the reasons why all actors who are trying to become the best actor or actress often try to get close to him.
Xie Hongkuo was blocked by the two people's glares and words. He didn't know what to say. Seeing that he couldn't dig up any new information, he had to return to the newspaper office in disappointment.
Of course, as a "revenge" on the two, Xie Hongkuo, who had no conscience at all, opened his computer without hesitation and wrote irresponsibly, "It must be said that Director Mu Suxing and Director Ye Changlin's luck is indeed not very good. After encountering the worst hell schedule in history, the two were surrounded by three other movies even in their specific release time. Of course, we obviously can't have too high expectations for an animated film and an art film at the box office. I hope the two directors will not be hit hard by this."
After Xie Hongkuo's report was released, Mu Suxing himself did not react much. He had been ignored and belittled by the media for a long time. Xie Hongkuo's seemingly comforting but actually sarcastic and contemptuous remarks were just one of them. However, many fans believed it and went to the comment section of Mu Suxing's Weibo to comfort him, saying that although the overall environment was difficult, as long as Huaying maintained its previous level, they would book the entire theater for multiple screenings and would never let Huaying lose money.
On the first day of the month, all major cinemas on Blue Star will release Tomorrow, Speed Storm and Rain Sound simultaneously
The movie hadn't officially started yet, but the fans who had bought tickets in advance had already formed two long queues, waiting to enter. Mu Suxing brought the movie tickets given by Ye Changlin as a gift, and went to the other queue with Qin Sheng, which was empty. When the two came over, the people in the front were still whispering.
"Are we really going to watch this rain sound? The plot synopsis makes it seem so boring.
"We can't help it. We're too slow. Now that both Tomorrow and The Storm are sold out, we might as well just watch The Sound of Rain. I remember this director is pretty famous, so he won't let us down." Several familiar film critics who were lucky enough to get movie tickets not far away were also discussing in a low voice. "Two of the three movies were released today. I don't know which one, The Storm or Tomorrow, will fall behind first."
"Luckily I got both movie tickets. Wait, I'll know after watching both movies and comparing them.
The length of Forza Motors and Tomorrow is different. One is 90 minutes long and the other is 100 minutes long. As Tomorrow's schedule gradually came to an end, the fans who had watched Forza Motors in the second screening room, which was only separated by a wall, had already walked out satisfied. It's so cool. Director Song Huacai really knows how to like this kind of pure and exciting racing movie. The rhythm is very refreshing, and many scenes are so cool that they are off the charts. The ticket price is really worth it.
Compared to the excited fans, several film critics were much calmer. "It's a very good popcorn movie. Song Huacai continued the high level of the previous movie. The long shot of the end battle is very shocking. I estimate that the box office will not be less than 1 billion. If the competition is small in the same period, it will not be a problem to get 1.5 billion.
As they discussed in low voices, as the screening of Tomorrow ended, the crowd in Screening Hall 1 gradually poured out. Before they could ask their colleagues who had already finished watching Tomorrow, they shook their heads.
There are no big problems, but there are no special highlights, and there is no novel angle or unique thinking on the theme of the end of the world. He said, "If this is the work of a new director, I am willing to give him eight points, but if it is Groot, I don't think it's okay.
It's pretty good for Beta, but for Groot, I can only say it's barely passable.
"That is to say
Several people looked at each other, and the film critic who came out of the second screening room first shrugged his shoulders and said firmly, "It seems that the first eliminated person has appeared."
If nothing unexpected happens, the box office champion of this Lunar New Year period should be between "Star Wars" and "Up" and no further evidence is needed.
The rich experience of watching movies has trained the film critics to have a keen eye. They may make mistakes in the specific box office predictions, but they have never failed to make a general prediction. With Song Huacai's Fast and Furious performing exceptionally well, the only work that was passed by director Grote, Tomorrow, will obviously be much worse.
In most cases, the world of movies is actually very simple.
If a movie is good, it will naturally be popular with moviegoers. But if the quality of a movie is poor, then even if its director is famous or its actors are excellent, the audience will not buy it.
Quality is the only criterion for evaluating whether a movie is excellent.
At the same time, Screening Hall No. 3 was silent.
Compared with the extremely crowded screening halls No. 1 and No. 2, the occupancy rate in the screening hall in front of us was less than half. However, until the end of the movie, when the lights suddenly came on and the lyrics of the ending song appeared on the screen along with the subtitles, no one in the entire hall made any sound.
No one said anything, and no one stood up and left immediately. Everyone's eyes were fixed on the big screen in front of them, motionless. In fact, if someone stood below the screen, that is, opposite to everyone present, he would be able to see that the fans who were still sitting in their seats were either already in tears or had red eyes.
This was not the first time that Mu Suxing watched the sound of rain, so he naturally did not miss the reactions of the audience around him.
There are not many viewers who come to see "The Sound of Rain", but there is no shortage of film critics who are interested in art films. However, considering the particularity of art films, even if there are professional film critics who are moved by this movie and can write several thousand words of film appreciation concisely, they will not know that in the next few months, this national-level film will be unstoppable and will defeat three major productions.
Whether it is Forza Motorsport or Star Wars, they are all rare masterpieces. Unfortunately, only the Sound of Rain, which was initially ignored by everyone, is the real monster of this year's Lunar New Year movie season.
In a sense, the critics' inference was not wrong.
Less than three days had passed since February 1st, and the box office performance of "Forza Motors" and "Tomorrow" had fulfilled their guess. One box office was getting higher every day, while the other was declining rapidly and visibly. To make matters worse, after discovering Tomorrow's decline, the latter's screening volume also dropped to 10.
For a great director, this is a shame.
However, just when everyone thought that perhaps only the film "Star Wars: Conquest" released on February 15th had the best chance of breaking the current domination of the competition storm on the cinema, another art film that was completely ignored by the public suddenly jumped up at an incredible speed.
After watching it, I was completely shocked. I suspected that the director had peeked into my life and made a real movie out of it. It's a really good movie. Thanks to the director for speaking for us.
"I watched The Sound of Rain because I couldn't get tickets for Crazy Storm. To be honest, I don't really like literary films. They're too profound and heavy. The Sound of Rain is also very heavy, but it's a kind of heaviness that pierces the heart. Everyone can find resonance in the movie. It's a very sincere movie suitable for all working people."
The number of people recommending Rain Sound on the Internet is increasing day by day.
On the most impartial and authoritative movie rating website, Blue Star, Rain Sound scored 98 points and entered the Blue Star Top 200 Movies on the third day of its release.
When it came to February 11th, one week after the release of "The Sound of Rain", the official media of Blue Star specifically praised "The Sound of Rain" for its exploration and thinking on the current social situation. At the same time, the total box office of "The Sound of Rain" officially surpassed "Racing Storm", with a box office of 1 billion in eleven days.
At this point, even passers-by who were indifferent to movies realized that this movie was special.
Most people follow the crowd.
When the media around the world began to sing praises for The Sound of Rain and touted its depth and breadth, more people who were not interested in art films also chose to go to the cinema.
This is a national film.
Even if they don't understand the foreshadowing and deep meaning in the movie, are they not allowed to pretend to be "a national movie with depth and class"
No matter what people thought when they entered the movie, the fact before everyone at this moment is that in this Shura field that is said to be the most tragic in history, a literary film that was not paid attention to stood out and suppressed the movie that should have had a higher box office.
The reason is simple
The sound of rain is too heavy.
Don't mention it, I still feel depressed when I think about the plot of this movie. This is not the kind of torture that is common in movies, but many details are too real. I thought watching movies like Fast and Furious could relieve my depression, but I started to regret buying the movie ticket for Fast and Furious, the plot is too exaggerated.
"I watched "Rainbow 1" and then "Forza Horizon". It felt like you were in a real world one second and in a ridiculous fictional world the next.
"I sincerely suggest that you don't watch Fast & Furious after watching A Sound of Rain. The viewing experience is extremely bad and you can't see the coolness of the racing cars at all.
If only one person complained about the incompatibility between The Sound of Rain and The Storm of Speed, people might not take it seriously. However, when all the fans who watched the two movies expressed the same feeling, the same worry soon appeared in the minds of all stakeholders of the upcoming movies. The already released The Storm of Speed, which is of good quality, did not get good results from The Sound of Rain. So what about the upcoming movies? Is there anything more desperate than the one that happens to be released after a national movie
Thinking of this, those who were praising the sound of rain became interested and began to enthusiastically make a "list of victims". At the top of the list were Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone and Star Conquest, which both chose February 15th.
Three major post-Xingning City, Gan'an Cinema
Are you really not considering watching The Sound of Rain? This movie is really a classic.
At the ticket gate, Luo Gaofeng, who was already standing in the middle of the line, hesitated for a while, but finally shook his head firmly and said, "Forget it. For this kind of tear-jerking movie, I prefer to watch it at home. Since I'm in the cinema, of course I have to watch a blockbuster."
My friend shrugged and said, “Let me make this clear first. I just finished watching The Sound of Rain two days ago and I’m still not over it. I’m going to watch this Philosopher’s Stone thing later. If I accidentally fall asleep, don’t blame me.”
Seeing his reaction, Luo Gaofeng became curious. Is the impact of the rain really that serious
You will understand when you watch it later. I felt very involved in it anyway. Now when I think about it, I feel very upset. "My friend said as the two of them handed over the movie tickets with the words "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" written on them, and then followed the staff's instructions and walked to the corresponding screening room No. 3.
It was at this time that he suddenly realized that the composition of the people in the screening room in front of him seemed to be different from other screenings he had watched.
If the audience of "The Sound of Rain" is mainly adult office workers, then the audience of this animated film is of all ages - from children aged five or six, to teenagers, to young people in their early twenties, and even parents in their thirties and forties. Except for the elderly, almost all age groups are included.
Because it's an animated movie
While he was still daydreaming, the lights in the entire conference room went out, and were replaced by the light of a large screen not far away.
The movie has started.