Rebirth of the Thousand-Faced Movie King

"Director Zhang, why is Hero released so soon?"

"It's not too fast. The main reason is that the capital invested nearly 300 million yuan and wanted to see how the market performed."

"In other words, it will be released domestically first and then abroad?"

"right."

After returning from Hollywood, Zhang Yimou organized Chen Ping and other leading actors.

As the most blockbuster blockbuster in China so far, publicity is indispensable.

Before Chen Ping came back, the major media were all about "Hero".

At this time, a group of actors came to the scene in person to help out. The momentum was definitely unprecedented in China.

"Weizai, may I ask, what role do you play in Heroes?"

"The character I played is called Can Jian, and he is an assassin."

"Can Jian, the name sounds very poetic. It is said that Hero is a story about the assassination of the King of Qin."

"Yes, but it is different from the traditional assassination of King Qin."

"This is your first time working with Chen Ping. How do you evaluate Chen Ping?"

"Chen Ping is the pride of the domestic actor community, and I admire his acting skills very much."

…

"Hello Zidan, is Hero a martial arts movie?"

"In a sense, it's really a martial arts movie."

"What do you think is the difference between Director Zhang's version of martial arts and other directors' martial arts?"

"The difference is still very big. Everyone has their own martial arts in their minds, and Director Zhang is the same. In Director Zhang's martial arts concept, he is different from traditional martial arts. He pays more attention to the beauty of the picture and the overall of innovation.”

"What do you think of Chen Ping?"

"I played Changkong in the play, and I was killed by the leading male number 1 played by Chen Ping."

"Hahaha……"

…

"Director Zhang, what kind of movie do you think Hero is?"

"I think it is a stunning visual feast, as you can see in the current picture..."

While talking, a series of incredibly beautiful pictures flashed on the display screen of the press conference.

These pictures are breathtakingly beautiful.

Just looking at the picture, all the reporters were captured instantly.

"I think, just because of this scene, I will also enter the cinema."

"Thanks."

"Director Zhang, how much do you think Hero will break at the box office?"

"I think it will definitely break the record."

…

"Chen Ping, long time no see."

"haven't seen you for a long time."

"I heard you went to Hollywood some time ago."

"Yes."

"How about being in Hollywood?"

"It's okay... I just finished filming a movie."

“How do you think Heroes compares to Hollywood blockbusters?”

"I think Heroes is completely comparable to Hollywood blockbusters."

"Wow……"

"I'm not bragging, although Hollywood has a series of classic movies. But with the quality of the hero, even if it is released in Hollywood, it will be a blockbuster level."

"So how much do you think the box office of the movie "Hero" will be?"

"Director Zhang and I have the same idea, we must break the record."

"We're looking forward to it too."

…

have to say.

The press conference of "Hero" was very successful.

The hero has already whetted the appetite of the spectators.

at this time.

With Zhang Yimou convening a group of leading actors, the hero has attracted more and more attention from viewers.

but.

Chen Ping doesn't have high hopes for Hero's domestic box office success.

Although Chen Ping plays the male lead.

Although Chen Ping also changed a lot about heroes.

But the whole thing is still the same.

Chen Ping estimates that the final box office of Hero will be more than 300 million, with a maximum of no more than 400 million.

certainly.

This box office is also a record-breaking one.

But compared with the shooting cost of Hero, which is close to 300 million, even a box office of 400 million Hero is still a loss.

Chen Ping pays more attention to foreign box office.

If nothing goes unexpectedly.

In its previous life, Hero’s overseas box office revenue was close to US$150 million.

Converted into RMB, that is 1.2 billion RMB.

Based on this box office, Hero is a film with a decent return.

In fact.

Just as Chen Ping predicted.

On the third day after the Hero press conference, Hero was officially released.

and.

As soon as Hero was released, he broke a series of records in the country.

Domestic same-day box office record.

Domestic second-day box office record.

Domestic third-day box office record.

Domestic first-week box office record.

Anyway, all records are broken.

Really awesome.

Truly unprecedented.

But in the final calculation, the box office was only 370 million yuan.

Such a box office also made Zhang Yimou's heart skip a beat.

He is actually under a lot of pressure.

An investment of close to 300 million yuan only resulted in a box office of 370 million yuan, which made Zhang Yimou unable to sleep well for several days.

Although the box office of 370 million is not the final box office, it still has an international market.

But the domestic market did not meet his expectations, and the foreign market was even more uncertain.

But even so.

When promoting it to the outside world, the hero team still praised the film as always.

Anyway.

It's a record-breaking thing, isn't it?

Although this record is not good to begin with, it is normal for it to be broken.

…

"Director Zhang, our box office is not ideal."

"Mr. Liu, I know."

"If our box office is only 370 million, then we have only recovered 100 million in costs."

"Mr. Liu, don't worry, we have already made plans for international release."

"How much box office do you think our hero can achieve in the international market?"

"this……"

In fact, Zhang Yimou doesn't know how much box office it can get in the international market at this time.

Although Zhang Yimou has great ambitions.

But ambition is one thing, reality is another.

"Mr. Liu, don't worry. If we don't recover the cost, then the previous gambling agreement will take effect and I will shoot three movies for you for free."

"I hope it's best not to have such an outcome."

"I also hope that."

After communicating with Zhang Yimou, investor Mr. Liu left.

After thinking about it for more than two hours in the office, I was really stressed.

Zhang Yimou called Chen Ping: "Chen Ping, where are you?"

"I'm in Hengcheng."

"I'm also in Hengcheng. Do you have time to come out and chat?"

"OK."

Chen Ping nodded.

During this period, Chen Ping also knew that Zhang Yimou was under great pressure.

Driving, Chen Ping arrived at the place where Zhang Yimou had made an appointment.

"How about we eat some together."

"Don't eat, I'm so full."

"I'm very full too, let's go shopping."

"OK."

The two exchanged polite words and then walked towards a park in front of them.

"You seem to have predicted the box office of Heroes."

"a little bit."

"What, are you disappointed?"

"It's already a record, so there's nothing to be disappointed about."

Chen Ping replied cheerfully.

But Zhang Yimou sighed: "Don't comfort me, the 370 million box office did not even recoup the cost."

"But it still broke the record anyway."

How about the movie Hero?

It's hard to say.

Although it is quite controversial now, the box office is not particularly high.

But ten years later.

Twenty years later, if you look at it again... maybe everyone's views will be different.

Just like Westward Journey.

The box office of Westward Journey also failed, but can you deny that Westward Journey was not filmed well?

"Domestic box office records are what they are. There is no sense of achievement whether such a record is broken or not."

"Even though I say that, everything has to be done step by step."

In fact, Hero's box office of 370 million is already enough.

At least it's better than the previous life.

The box office of Heroes of the Past Life was more than 200 million.

But as long as you think about it, this box office of more than 200 million was in 2002, you will sigh.

In 2002, it had a box office of more than 200 million. In 20 years, can you imagine how much it will be?

"You're right."

Zhang Yi looked at Chen Ping and seemed to have thought of something: "By the way, you also released a film in the mainland before."

"Yes, it's a small deal. I only invested 10 million."

"With an investment of 10 million, the box office is more than 30 million, and the return on investment is three times."

"Director Zhang, please don't laugh at me. This is how the return on investment is calculated... I only made a few million. And I didn't make any of these millions. I will give these millions to everyone later." The actors gave out red envelopes.”

"No matter what, it's still profitable."

Generally speaking.

After a movie is released, the theater company gets a share of the box office share, the distribution company gets a share, and finally the investors.

In other words, movie producers can only get one-third of the movie’s box office.

Of course, Zhang Yi was also joking.

How could he not know the rules here?

Then he added: "I predicted before that the box office of Our Hero would be 800 million. Unexpectedly, it was not even half of 800 million."

"800 million is indeed too scary. The main reason is that our market has not yet been fully opened."

Chen Ping knows this better than anyone else.

When the market is not open for the time being, not just a blockbuster movie, but a good movie can save it.

For example, a hero.

Could it be that in the previous life, a lot of movies with a box office of billions were better than Heroes?

Apparently not.

But why did some movies in the past life that didn't look very good earn billions at the box office?

That's why the market opened up.

so.

Chen Ping's first film was just an attempt.

He doesn't expect box office results.

As for the second part, although Chen Ping has finished filming, he will not release it to the market so quickly.

He also had to let domestic audiences digest his first film.

After countless audiences have finished watching Chen Ping's first part, then when the second part is released, it will come naturally and the audience will come.

Of course, Chen Ping did not elaborate on this to Zhang Yimou.

This kind of thing.

That was a forward-thinking business vision from decades past.

If he said it casually, how could Chen Ping cheat in the future?

"I have also discovered this. Now I can only count on foreign markets."

Although I am still very entangled, it is useless to be entangled now.

The box office of domestic heroes is just like this, and the income in the later stage can only be from selling CDs.

Or put it on a video platform.

But these incomes are not much.

The most important thing is the foreign market.

"You have been in Hollywood for a while and you are better than me. What do you think of the foreign market?"

"The foreign market is more mature than the domestic market. I believe that our hero will have good results."

"You're not comforting me?"

"No."

Chen Ping said: "Director Zhang, I also hope that Hero will have good box office abroad. Think about it, if Hero becomes popular abroad, hahaha, my value as an actor will skyrocket."

"Your worth is almost the highest in the country."

"But in Hollywood, I can only get second-tier...well, only third-tier actors."

Although Chen Ping is at the top in China, in Hollywood, he is so miserable.

Although Chen Ping can see clearly.

But sometimes I feel a little depressed when I think about it.

"Ahem..."

"Director Zhang, just laugh if you want. Look, it makes you happier when you see other people suffering."

"Go away, how can I be so bad..."

However, Zhang Yimou felt really better when Chen Ping spoke like this.

Nine times out of ten things in life are unsatisfactory.

Actors have actor's troubles, directors have director's troubles.

"Then don't go to Hollywood again."

"It depends on fate."

Chen Ping didn't care.

He doesn't force it, but he doesn't stay away either.

If you can continue to work in Hollywood, then work more.

If you can't hang around, then Chen Ping will work hard here in China.

Anyway, in the domestic market, Chen Ping has always believed that it is not inferior to the Hollywood market.

"Your mentality is okay."

Seeing that Chen Ping was relatively calm, Zhang Yimou didn't think much about it.

It’s useless to think so much.

What the international market is like can only be known if you try it.

…

A week later, Hero officially launched its release in overseas markets.

first.

The first overseas release of Hero was in the North American market.

Although many films are produced in China every year, there are still relatively few films released in the North American market.

The most glorious period for domestic films was the most glorious period for Hong Kong films.

At that time, Xiangjiang Films headed by Chen Long not only had many markets in Southeast Asia, but also had many markets in Hollywood.

But later, as Hollywood swept across the world, Hong Kong movies began to decline.

Until now, very few films have been released in North America.

It's not that domestic movies can't be released in North America, but that they don't have much box office when they are released.

Some foreign distributors are too lazy to take your movie if they are not strong enough.

But Hero, as a domestic blockbuster in recent years, has a place in North America.

It's just a pity...

Perhaps Zhang Yimou didn't expect it.

Perhaps expectations were too high.

Hero was released in North America for one week and only grossed $1 million at the box office.

Then comes the European market.

Almost the same as the North American market.

In the first week, the hero only received 1 million euros.

Although such a data cannot be said to be a big hit, judging from the box office.

basically.

It is no longer possible for the hero to recover the cost.

"Mr. Liu, I will definitely do what I promised you."

At this moment.

Zhang Yimou gave up.

He finally made a blockbuster movie, a hero that filled him with the most ambition, and it actually did this at the box office.

…

"how so?"

certainly.

Seeing such box office, Chen Ping was also stunned.

According to the previous life, it is unlikely.

Aren’t the heroes from previous lives performing amazingly abroad?

Although the foreigners didn't particularly understand what this story was about, they were still amazed by the scene of the hero.

But what happened now?

Chen Ping looked at the box office and then read the reviews.

turn out.

Not only did it not do well at the box office, it also received poor reviews.

"Oh, shit, what kind of movie is this?"

"I don't even know what this movie is about?"

"Isn't that number one male capable of killing the king? Why not?"

"The world...what is the world?"

There is no doubt about it.

Naturally, all the foreigners didn’t understand what the male protagonist “nameless” meant by the world.

certainly.

Not all of it is criticism, there are still some positive comments.

for example.

"Hey, this is actually Chen's movie..."

"Chen is still so handsome."

"Chen's kung fu is really amazing."

"Has the Elf Prince turned into an assassin? He looks pretty good."

only.

There are only a few comments like this.

A small number of viewers cannot save the movie Hero.

…

"Mr. Liu, how much can our hero earn at the box office abroad?"

"About $10 million."

"Then...how much do we lose overall?"

"Probably around 100 million."

"It's okay, it's okay... I thought I was going to lose 150 million."

Zhang Yimou sighed.

Hearing such news, he didn't know whether to be happy or sad.

However, investor Mr. Liu doesn't seem to be particularly anxious at this moment.

After thinking about it, Mr. Liu said to Zhang Yi: "Director Zhang, the publisher is sorting out the data, and they may make some promotional changes next week."

"Publisher?"

Zhang Yi was a little confused and asked, "Mr. Liu, what do you mean?"

"In other words, the publisher feels that our hero can still be saved."

"real?"

"I don't know the specific situation, but there is some hope."

After hanging up the phone, Zhang Yimou felt anxious.

He didn't know what was going on with the publisher.

But the words of investor Mr. Liu still gave Zhang Yimou a glimmer of hope again.

But what depressed him the most was.

He didn't know where this glimmer of hope came from.

The box office is like this, how can the hero be saved?

…

On the other hand, Hero's publisher "Miramax" is analyzing Hero's overseas box office data.

Yes.

As a publisher, they do more than just publish.

If the copyright of "Hero" purchased from China does not make money at the box office, they will also suffer losses.

"The average rating of Hero overseas is 6, which is relatively low."

"The current total overseas box office of Hero is US$10 million."

"However, if they are fans who like Chen Ping, their average rating is 9 points."

"In addition, the average audience influenced by Chen Ping recommended 1.7 people to watch the film Hero."

"At present, the box office of Heroes has rebounded slightly, although it is not high. The survey shows that more than half of them are directed at Chen Ping..."

Look at these data.

The head of "Miramax" Hero Distribution murmured: "Is there something wrong with our distribution method?"

Think about it.

But he immediately summoned his subordinates: "Redesign the poster and remove all other actors, leaving only Chen Ping."

There are a total of 6 characters in the hero poster design.

The other five characters are located on the left, right and top of the poster.

Chen Ping's position is in the middle.

Although he is the number one male, it is normal for Chen Ping to be ranked at the center.

But this poster design is not obvious enough.

Because there are so many characters, the audience didn't know that Chen Ping was starring in it.

at this time.

Remove all the characters and enlarge them individually, leaving only the hero played by Chen Ping.

This suddenly highlights the role of Chen Ping.

but.

This is not enough.

At the bottom of the poster were the words director Zhang Yimou, and the person in charge ordered him to be placed in the least conspicuous place.

Although he knows that the director's name is very important and is usually placed in a more obvious place.

But in foreign markets, not many people really know who Zhang Yimou is.

Rather than that.

It is better to highlight the more important ones, such as Chen Ping.

Not just in character.

In order to prevent people from misunderstanding, or to make it more obvious to everyone that this is Chen Ping.

The person in charge of "Miramax" Hero Films also said that the words "Chen Ping's Work" were added to the poster.

All done.

"Miramax" begins re-promotion of "Heroes"...