Before arriving in Demon City, if Matthew had to guess at the box office potential of Fast & Furious 5, he'd have hoped for 1 billion RMB. As for opening day earnings, he'd set his sights on an ambitious but modest 100 million RMB.
In a few years, a film grossing over 100 million RMB in a single day would become routine, with some films raking in three to four hundred million RMB daily. To claim the annual box office title, a film would need around 2 billion RMB, or it wouldn't even be in the running.
But it was only 2011, and while theaters and screens were increasing at a rapid monthly rate of 15%, the infrastructure hadn't yet reached the saturation levels of the future.
Matthew reminisced about a time when the small county where he'd once worked saw five multiplex theaters sprout up within a seven-to-eight-kilometer radius. The speed of this development was unbelievable.
With the massive population advantage here, Matthew firmly believed that this would inevitably become the world's largest film market, despite the exchange rate putting it at a slight disadvantage in gross revenue comparisons. With a high enough box office volume, even a 25% cut of the profits would be significant. Plus, every market's regulations and structures evolved with time, and neighboring markets might gradually follow suit.
From every angle, this market held tremendous promise.
Matthew's extensive work here was aimed not only at securing the future but also at achieving immediate profits.
Currently, in the world of film, he was not just a star but also a businessman.
Box office results were the undeniable measure of success for every film in theaters.
On its opening day in this region, Fast & Furious 5 had a remarkable debut, bringing Matthew an incredible surprise.
The first-day box office hit 112.05 million RMB, surpassing 100 million RMB.
With this figure in hand, Matthew started to believe that reaching 1 billion RMB in 30 days wasn't a far-fetched goal.
As for extending the distribution license, Disney's Greater China office was already working on it, though prospects didn't seem too high. In reality, an extension wouldn't bring in much more revenue.
The next day, Fast & Furious 5 dropped below 100 million RMB without the boost of opening-day excitement, earning a still-strong 92.5 million RMB.
But when Saturday arrived, the daily earnings surged back over 100 million RMB, reaching a new record in this market—132.04 million RMB.
Matthew felt a surge of confidence; the film's run in this region wouldn't stop at 1 billion RMB, and it might even break the record set by Avatar the previous year.
The explosive success of Fast & Furious 5 attracted widespread attention from the media and the film industry, making it the hottest film during the Demon City Film Festival, easily overshadowing the competition entries.
The buzz around the film, combined with Matthew's consistent reputation as a friendly and approachable "old friend" of the country, drew even more attention to his related projects.
On Monday, in the office of China Film Group, the influential official figure known as "Zuoshantiao" picked up the latest film industry newspaper as he arrived.
As an official with significant influence in the film industry, he constantly monitored the market's latest developments. Following the recent signing of a new import agreement between China and the USA, Hollywood movies were poised to have an even larger presence in local cinemas. China Film Group had priority in choosing which Hollywood films to import, balancing market value with local needs.
This decision-making was a delicate task.
Importing films required more than just scale; they had to avoid sensitive content and politically controversial figures.
For instance, films starring someone like Sharon Stone wouldn't be allowed in, no matter the price.
Zuoshantiao unfolded the paper and saw a report on last week's film market, prominently featuring the ongoing Demon City Film Festival, the country's most influential international film event.
Of course, front and center was the record-breaking Fast & Furious 5.
He had attended the film's premiere and had even exchanged a few words with its star and investor, Matthew Horner. He was an impressive Hollywood celebrity.
Not to mention, a Hollywood star who could speak such fluent Chinese was virtually unheard of.
Shaking his head, he scanned the latest news on Fast & Furious 5.
"Matthew Horner's Triumphant Return: Fast & Furious 5 Tops the Box Office!"
Zuoshantiao frowned slightly at the headline. Who wrote this? It wasn't suitable for an official paper to use such an enthusiastic title.
At least, the content was relatively composed.
"This week, the major release Fast & Furious 5 thrilled fans with an adrenaline-pumping experience. From its midnight opening, the film consistently shattered records, propelling June's movie market to new heights."
"On Thursday at midnight, Fast & Furious 5 kicked off in theaters nationwide, generating about 14 million RMB in midnight screenings alone, setting a new record. Thursday isn't traditionally a strong box office day, as it's a workday, but Matthew Horner's appeal is undeniable. Young audiences flocked to the cinemas, with IMAX tickets selling out quickly, reminiscent of the long lines seen during Avatar."
"Combining its midnight and opening day earnings, Fast & Furious 5 achieved a first-day box office of 112.05 million RMB, attracting 2.62 million viewers. Since the series entered the market two years ago, it has seemingly become a cultural trend, with fans embracing it as a form of unrestrained consumer enthusiasm."
"With a four-day opening weekend tally of 450 million RMB, Fast & Furious 5 attracted over 10 million viewers. Truly a triumphant return, grand in scale."
"The film's powerful start exudes a commanding presence, with Fast & Furious 5 accounting for 42% of total weekly screenings, and 85% of screenings post-Thursday. Given the demand from both the market and audiences, it's understandable that cinemas would allocate prime slots to major blockbusters."
"At UME Ximen Cinema in Beijing, a crowd of dozens queued up in front of the box office on Saturday morning. The theater offered four discounted morning showings of Fast & Furious 5, all sold out."
Reading this, Zuoshantiao paused and closed the newspaper.
450 million RMB in four days! A staggering achievement, far beyond what domestic films could hope to match.
At least, although it was a Hollywood import, the majority of the earnings stayed local.
Yet, that 25% revenue share was still a bit painful to consider.
Zuoshantiao held a high enough position to see the broader picture, understanding that these weren't decisions he could influence. They were the results of agreements reached by higher authorities who aimed to grow domestic films while also expanding the market as a whole.
As it stood, Hollywood blockbusters were essential to rapid market growth.
With an annual quota of 34 revenue-sharing imports, the selection process had to be carefully managed.
Zuoshantiao's strategy became clearer. Imported films needed to be commercially successful and politically sound.
Fast & Furious 5, for instance, was commercially outstanding, setting a new record with its 450 million RMB opening weekend. From a business perspective, it was an undeniable success.
And beyond that, it had another advantage. The lead actor and investor, Matthew Horner, was of Chinese descent and consistently maintained a friendly public image, never making any statements critical of the region. Whatever he may privately think, his public conduct alone made him an ideal candidate for importation.
Moreover, Fast & Furious 5 offered a clear depiction of the chaos in Western society, a reminder to those who viewed the West as paradise that it wasn't as perfect as imagined.
Rubbing his chin, Zuoshantiao recalled the information gathered on Matthew Horner. On both the commercial and political fronts, importing his films seemed relatively low-risk.
While China Film Group had no formal classifications for imports, foreign films were generally divided into tiers.
The timing of Fast & Furious 5's release indicated it had already received top-tier treatment.
Just then, the phone rang, and Zuoshantiao answered. "Sir, there's a meeting this morning," his secretary informed him.
"I understand." Zuoshantiao hung up and stood.
As he left for the meeting room, his decision became even clearer: China Film Group should prioritize Matthew Horner's films as top-tier imports.
In the ensuing internal meeting, this suggestion passed with unanimous support.
With so many attendees, confidentiality couldn't be guaranteed, and China Film Group hadn't requested secrecy, so by Monday afternoon, Matthew received word from Disney's Greater China office.
In certain respects, he now held a position similar to that of Nicolas Cage once did here, perhaps even exceeding it.
As long as he remained level-headed and didn't do anything reckless, this vast market would remain open to him for the foreseeable future.
This applied not only to the Fast & Furious franchise but to other commercial films as well.
In these times, local audiences' expectations weren't particularly high, and it was relatively easy to win their admiration and loyalty—now was the golden era for popcorn movies.
After the opening day, most of the cast attended additional promotional events. By Sunday, the majority had returned to North America, leaving only Matthew and Justin Lin in Demon City.
They would continue to participate in various events at the Demon City Film Festival, as planned. The most significant of these was the International Film Summit Forum held during the festival.
Not only Matthew and Justin Lin, but numerous international filmmakers attending the festival would also be present.
In the words of the officials, it was "a forum to discuss the grand plan for the future of global cinema
."
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