In a spacious hotel suite, Zuo shandiao sat on the sofa, gently rubbing his forehead still aching from a hangover. After last night's premiere, the China Film Group, as the distributor, had specially hosted a reception party. Inevitably, he drank more than a few cups with colleagues from across the Pacific. But time waits for no one; no matter how well he tolerated alcohol, he still felt unwell upon waking the next day.
Approaching retirement age, with little chance of climbing higher, Zuoshandiao was very clear about this. In the few remaining years he had left, what he most wanted was to lead China Film Group out to break free from the embarrassing situation of only being respected within the domestic market.
Since he was in this industry, of course he wanted to leave his own indelible mark.
He also hoped that when insiders mentioned his name in the future, they would give a thumbs up.
Hollywood was undoubtedly the best partner for China Film Group to expand overseas, but he knew the terrifying exclusivity of the North American film market and did not fantasize that Chinese films could easily break in and rake in hundreds of millions of dollars in box office revenue.
That was just wishful thinking and brought no benefit to the country's film industry.
Therefore, cooperating with Hollywood companies was currently the wisest choice—for example, this cooperation with Warner Brothers and Duke Rosenberg.
In this collaboration, China Film Group not only invested its own funds into Hollywood but also successfully had two Chinese actors appear in mainstream Hollywood blockbusters. Although they only had a few seconds of screen time playing minor roles like extras, it was still a good start.
Though older and less interested in climbing further, Zuo shandiao still harbored some ambition and wished to see the Chinese film industry rise.
"Using others' chickens to lay my own eggs…"
He tapped his forehead with his right index finger and muttered to himself, "This method has already proven effective."
Of course, whether China Film Group's step toward internationalization would succeed ultimately depended on the box office performance of Transformers.
As a leader in the industry, Zuo shandiao knew very well that for the film industry to rise, it was not about winning awards at Cannes, Berlin, or Venice international film festivals. After all, haven't there been many Chinese films winning awards internationally in recent years? Did those help the whole industry?
And what kind of films were those award winners? They usually showcased the unfinished aspects of their own countries to please foreigners!
"Making films that expose your country's flaws to be laughed at by foreigners are those even Chinese directors?"
Sometimes, Zuo shandiao really wanted to ask those people face-to-face. That's why he strongly supported banning such films from public release.
In his view, if the authorities had any sense, they wouldn't allow such movies to be publicly screened.
Such films brought no benefit at all to the development of the Chinese film industry. Even if publicly screened, they wouldn't attract many viewers. For the industry to develop, it needs capital and market. If a film can't even guarantee basic box office success, how could it attract investment?
The film industry became market-oriented decades ago, turning films into commodities. Ultimately, it must rely on market performance.
Sitting on the sofa, Zuo shandiao waited patiently. He knew the domestic market had just started and wouldn't grow as quickly as North America.
After about half an hour, there was a sharp knock on the door. Zuo shandiao's assistant entered.
"Boss. The latest statistics."
The assistant strode over and handed Zuo shandiao a document. Zuoshandiao glanced at it, and his eyes lit up.
"As expected from a Duke Rosenberg movie!"
Even he couldn't help but smile when seeing this box office number, breaking records in the tough Chinese market.
He knew there were dissenters inside the group—many deliberately downplayed China Film Group's investment in Transformers. This box office figure was enough to silence those idiots.
According to estimates from theaters, the midnight screening box office of Transformers would not be less than 4 million RMB, surpassing last year's The Dark Knight with 3.56 million, creating a new domestic midnight screening box office record.
Another important point: the overall attendance rate for the midnight screening exceeded 70%!
And this was the domestic market, not North America.
Zuoshandiao fully understood that as an emerging film market, domestic audiences were not used to midnight screenings. The number of people actually attending midnight showings was small, nowhere near the quarter or even a third of the opening day's box office as seen in some North American movies.
Putting down the document, Zuoshandiao asked his assistant, who had been standing to the side, "How's the screening situation today?"
The assistant adjusted his glasses slightly, perked up, and reported seriously, "According to the latest information, from today onward, over 90% of screening slots in major theaters in Shanghai have been allocated to Transformers. This morning, the 3D versions of Transformers at Yonghua Cinema, Huanyi Cinema, UME Xintiandi Cinema, Century Shanghai Cinema, Wanyu Cinema, and others in Shanghai all announced full attendance. The Shanghai IMAX 3D versions at Heping Cinema and International Cinema were even sold out, with tickets hard to come by."
Seeing his boss nod with satisfaction, the assistant continued, "Nationwide, although Transformers only launched at midnight last night, its screening situation is also very promising."
Recalling what he saw before coming, he said, "Many northern theaters reported that the midnight premiere sessions of Transformers were fully booked, with even the 3 a.m. sessions reaching over 60% attendance. In southern regions, for example, at Hangzhou Wanda's IMAX theater, the advance ticket sales already reached 1.5 million RMB—a record-breaking number. Many theater managers said the viewing craze brought by Transformers will keep heating up, and they expect the weekend to usher in a viewing peak."
Although June 1st yesterday wasn't a holiday, it was a Sunday. Zuoshandiao originally thought that even if Transformers was popular, the peak would have to wait until the weekend, but he didn't expect such a hot trend to appear on a Monday.
"Get things moving quickly…" Zuoshandiao instructed, "If the film can break records, I want to make sure it gets a renewal key."
"Yes." The assistant nodded.
In fact, what the assistant said was still on the conservative side. The enthusiasm after the official release far exceeded this.
Shijingshan Wanda, located in the western part of the capital, is Asia's first cinema equipped with digital IMAX, making it one of the preferred theaters for Transformers fans. By around 4 p.m. yesterday, tickets for all versions of Transformers were already sold out.
By 7:30 a.m. today, before the cinema even opened, there were already viewers knocking to request early ticket purchases. The Shijingshan Wanda Cinema schedules six daily screenings of Transformers in the IMAX hall, and tickets remain extremely hard to get.
On a popular movie forum, someone offered an additional 200 yuan to buy an IMAX 3D ticket for Transformers that night but received no response. Meanwhile, someone selling a 3D version ticket for that night at a 20-yuan markup sold it within five minutes.
Some fans even complained that buying Transformers tickets now is almost like buying train tickets during the Spring Festival travel rush.
In addition, all cinemas in the capital have canceled the Tuesday discount policy for the 3D version of Transformers.
In June, whether in the south or the north, the weather is already very hot, but the enthusiasm of the audience for watching far exceeds the heat of the air.
The Warner and China Film joint venture's central cinema in the capital had a 100% attendance rate at the midnight premiere, and even the 3 a.m. screening reached 65% occupancy.
At the Xidan New Capital Cinema, only a single-digit number of ticket holders gave up watching the midnight screening. By the morning session today, the attendance rate reached 80%, with full houses starting from the afternoon, and evening tickets had been sold out three days ago.
Regarding Broadway Cinemas, the midnight screenings across several theaters only reached 60% occupancy, but attendance began to approach full houses starting this afternoon.
At the Dongguan IMAX cinema, reputed to be the largest in Asia by area, presales for Transformers reached 3.2 million RMB.
"With Transformers coming from Cybertron, there's no need to watch any other Earth movies," joked an industry insider here.
Regarding scheduling, Transformers has an overwhelming advantage. In the Shanghai area alone, 66 cinemas are showing it in 3,244 screenings, surpassing the total screenings of all other films combined. The second-ranked film has fewer than 300 screenings, which is less than one-tenth of Transformers' screenings.
The crazy audiences, extremely high scheduling rates, and sufficient screen numbers all guarantee Transformers' box office success on its first day in China.
Due to the time difference, Transformers actually premiered earlier here than in North America, making Chinese audiences among the first in the world to see the film.
By Tuesday, all cinemas had canceled the regular Tuesday discounts for the 3D and IMAX 3D versions of Transformers. The box office and flood of viewers from yesterday gave cinemas ample confidence.
Preliminary estimates show that Transformers' midnight premiere plus Monday's full-day box office exceeded 35 million RMB. Driven by Transformers, Monday's total domestic box office hit a historic peak of over 37 million RMB.
At the same time, thanks to extensive promotion and the herd mentality, audiences' "thirst" for the 3D version of Transformers is exceptionally strong. Many fans line up early in the morning to buy tickets.
In this hot season, there are crowds as packed as during the Spring Festival travel rush, only the stations and airports have been replaced by cinemas.
To welcome Transformers and allow more domestic audiences to enjoy the visual feast of 3D, many cinemas have actively prepared to increase digital 3D equipment in recent months. By the eve of the film's release, there were about 700 3D screens nationwide, and nearly 20 IMAX cinemas.
However, facing the surging crowd enthusiasm, supply is simply unable to meet demand.
....
Hi For access to additional chapters of
Director in Hollywood (40 chpaters)
Made In Hollywood (60 Chapters)
Pokemon:Bounty Hunter(30 Chapters)
Douluo Dalu: Reincarnated as Yan(40 Chapters)
Hollywood:From Razzie to Legend(40 Chapters)
The Great Ruler (30 Chapters)
Join pateron.com/Translaterappu