Rhapsody of Entertainment Rebirth

In 2016, during the Spring Festival of the Year of the Monkey, the Chinese film market reached a new high. The total box office revenue during the seven-day holiday exceeded RMB 3.5 billion, an increase of nearly 70% over the same period last year, making the world once again fascinated. Shocked and amazed.

The simultaneous release of two popular films, Stephen Chow's "The Mermaid" and Chuhe Film and Television's "Ghost Blowing the Lamp: The Mystery of the Dragon Ridge," is one of the biggest reasons for the surge in box office.

Within seven days, the two films competed fiercely and fought to the death, which strongly stimulated the audience's desire to watch the movie. While fighting each other, they also complemented each other.

In the end, "Ghost Blowing the Lantern: The Labyrinth of Longling" relied on the appeal of the original work and its sequel, excellent production standards, and superior audience reputation to beat "The Mermaid" and win the Spring Festival slot with a record of over 1.5 billion yuan. The title of box office champion has defended Chuhe Film and Television’s title as the overlord of the Spring Festival stalls.

"Mermaid" is not bad either. Stephen Chow's box office appeal is at its peak at this time, with a seven-day box office revenue of 1.3 billion yuan. However, its reputation is relatively average. Under the pressure of the "Ghost Blowing Lamp" series, it may have an impact on the film's subsequent box office. Quite big.

Although "Journey to the West: Part 3" is not as good as the above two blockbuster movies, its seven-day box office still exceeded 600 million. Even "Macau 2", a Hong Kong money-making movie that is not trivial, has box office data during the Spring Festival holiday. It is also approaching 400 million, and the capacity of the Chinese film market can be seen as average.

The battle for the box office of several films did not stop with the end of the Spring Festival holiday. Starting from the beginning of 2016, Chinese-language films dominated the world throughout February and March.

"Ghost Blowing the Lantern: The Labyrinth of Longling" strongly exceeded the box office of 3 billion yuan, and finally ended the Spring Festival with 3.3 billion yuan.

In its previous life, "Mermaid" was unstoppable at the same time, but in this life, there is an extra Chuhe Film and Television, and a phenomenal commercial series of movies. Stephen Chow's appeal has been suppressed to a certain extent. Of course, the box office of the film is also the same More than 2.5 billion.

Stephen Chow and the outside media are extremely satisfied with this result. After all, he is facing the Chinese film and television giant Chuhe Film and Television. Ever since the launch of Ning Hao's "Crazy Stone" during the Spring Festival, Chuhe Film and Television has almost never lost. It is the only one. This defeat was due to the two weird movies "Avatar" and "Gravity".

Just when everyone was talking about two blockbuster movies, Shanhe, a big shot who had disappeared for almost half a year, finally got the news that Shanhe's new movie "Operation North Africa" ​​was approved and preparations had begun.

This news immediately replaced "Ghost Blowing the Lamp" and "Mermaid" and became the focus of hot discussion among the melon-eaters.

"Finally, a new movie is here. I thought Shanhe was really going to retire to the mountains and forests!"

"Without Shanhe, the attractiveness of the Chinese entertainment industry will be reduced by at least half. I'm so unaccustomed to it!"

"Shanhe just wants to take a break. You can't believe what the media says. No, they are back again!"

…

The Qiu family, who had just returned to the capital from their hometown, soon welcomed many visitors. Zhang Yimou was the first one to come to the door.

After chatting with the rest of the Qiu family and teasing the two children, Zhang Yimou and Shan He sat at the coffee table, drinking tea and chatting as usual.

"You can do it, kid. You will be away for half a year. You really want to retire from the world!"

Shan He smiled and poured tea for Zhang Yi.

"Retiring from the world is a bit exaggerated, but I will work less frequently in the future. I am a little tired and want to spend more time with my family in the future."

"Right!"

Zhang Yimou took the tea cup, nodded and sighed,

"From the time I met you, you have been amazingly talented and tireless in the past ten years. You have made a huge impact on Chinese movies with your bare hands. Look at Chuhe Film and Television now. It is simply a giant beast. It is so huge that it makes people feel uncomfortable. Horrified!”

"Brother, no matter how strong a person is, he cannot change everything. Chuhe Film and Television is just an accidental product. It looks beautiful, but it has not brought fundamental changes to Chinese films!"

"What you said is a bit presumptuous!"

Zhang Yimou shook his head and retorted,

"For the Chinese film market to grow to this point, you Qiu Shanhe is the number one contributor. No one can deny this. Think about it when we were discussing the script of "Hero" at China Film Group, it was a dead end. 200 million yuan was just It’s as big as the sky. Now it’s easily two or three billion. You’ve even broken four billion. It’s not the same!”

"Haha...what you said is indeed a earth-shaking change!"

Shanhe thought of the tragic situation of Chinese movies more than ten years ago and responded with a smile,

"This is the inevitable result of the times. Without me, it would have been like this!"

"What's wrong with you, you see through the world of mortals, and you just say some confusing things. Without you, would there still be Chuhe Film and Television? Without Chuhe Film and Television, how would the current prosperity of Chinese-language films be possible? You kid, stop thinking about these nonsense. Side problem!”

"hehe…"

Shan He gave Zhang Yi some tea and said with a smile,

"Okay, let's not talk about this anymore. Senior brother, what do you want to see me for?"

"Two things!"

Zhang Yimou stretched out two fingers,

"The Meg has been delayed for more than a year. It will be released in May. You have to come and support me and attend the premiere."

"You don't have to worry about this, Anne and I will definitely not be absent!"

"I know you are nostalgic!"

Zhang Yimou took a sip of tea and continued,

"There is also the matter of the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympics. Did you get a greeting from above?"

Shanhe nodded,

"I have a duty to do this, senior brother, you must come with me when the time comes!"

Zhang Yimou laughed loudly when he heard this,

"Haha... As long as my old bones still have strength, I will definitely use my strength. In 2008, you carried a lot of things for me. This time it's my turn to help you share some of the load. That's good. This is the order of our Chinese inheritance!”

"Then you're welcome. We, brothers and sisters, will work together again in a few years!"

"I am looking forward!"

"Ha ha…"

…

In the next more than a month, Shanhe and the entire crew were busy with the preliminary preparations for "Operation North Africa."

Compared with the previous "Operation Red Sea", "Operation North Africa" ​​has undergone major changes. It retains the hostage rescue plot of the Jiaolong Special Forces Team, but deletes all the plots of snatching nuclear materials. Shanhe thinks this scene is a bit redundant. Especially the Chinese female reporter, it’s so hilarious!

War movies are not popular just for the sake of being popular. "Operation North Africa" ​​is about evacuation of overseas Chinese. It should stick to the theme and there is no need to involve other things. It not only affects the coherence of the plot and the audience's emotions, but also goes against China's consistent style. We China People like to watch the fun, but they don’t like to meddle in other people’s business!

For this reason, Shanhe added an additional main line to the film about the diplomats' evacuation operation, a dual-line narrative, and finally converged. The army and diplomats worked together to successfully rescue the trapped hostages.

"Operation Red Sea" is a simple war action movie, while "Operation North Africa" ​​is more realistic, with fierce wars, treacherous diplomacy, the strong arms of Chinese soldiers, and the fearlessness of diplomats, both of which are composed together It has improved the efficiency and deterrence of China’s evacuation operation!

On April 29, "The Meg" held a grand premiere at Jiahe Cinemas in Beijing. The Shanhe couple reappeared in the public eye after disappearing for more than half a year.

As soon as the two appeared, they completely stole the limelight from film creators such as Zhang Yimou, Li Bingbing, and Jason Statham. Not only did they arouse thunderous cheers from the audience, but they also triggered a climax among the reporters at the scene. The two people had endless questions. Shanhe and his wife were very conscious and ignored the reporters. They waved to the audience and walked calmly down the red carpet.

After the nearly three-hour premiere, the Shanhe couple, Han Shanping and his daughter, Zhang Yimou, Chen Kaige, Ning Hao, Xu Ke and other directors, as well as Zhong Lifeng and Yang Liu, two heroines of Chuhe Film and Television, gathered together. Chatting and spanking together in the VIP reception room of Jiahe Cinema.

Han Shanping helped Zhang Yimou ask the question he was most concerned about from the beginning.

"Shanhe, what score would you give "The Meg" and what are your predictions for the box office?"

"I think Senior Brother has done a great job. The plot is smooth, the scenes are realistic, the Megalodon feels like a monster, and the underwater special effects are also very innovative. This is the first large-scale monster production in China, and the box office will definitely be good!"

Shan He paused for a moment and then said,

"The domestic box office is over 1.5 billion, and I think the global box office can exceed 600 million US dollars!"

"Can the global box office be so big?"

"Director Zhang, the boss has a tough mouth and a steely teeth, and his predictions are accurate. Chuhe Film and Television's predictions are even more optimistic than this!"

"Haha... I hope so!"

After Zhang Yimou laughed for a while, he replied uneasily,

"To be honest, I am really unsure about this attempt. With an investment of 130 million U.S. dollars, if I don't lose money, I will make a profit!"

"You, Lao Mouzi, have had enough fun this time!"

"No, Director Zhang's energy is really enviable. I heard that he has won a few more scripts!"

"In terms of creative speed, only Shanhe can surpass Lao Mouzi. You two are worthy of being direct brothers, and both are standard workaholics!"

"Ha ha…"

"I can't compare to my senior brother!"

After a burst of laughter, Shanhe responded with a smile,

"My creative burst period has passed. After filming "Operation North Africa", I have to settle down for a while. Maybe I need to try another approach!"

"How to change it?"

Shanhe smiled and replied:

"How about filming a TV series?"

"Ha, that's right?"

"You go to Qiushanhe to film a TV series. Isn't this the most ridiculous thing in the world?"

"Boss, please explain clearly, what is the subject matter and how to operate it?"

"hehe…"

Shanhe smiled and replied,

"Da Liu's "The Three-Body Problem" won Asia's first Hugo Award last year. Everyone knows it, right? Movies are really difficult to adapt. How about making this work into a TV series in the same way as a movie?"

Ning Hao has always been very interested in the film adaptation of "The Three-Body Problem", but there are too many difficulties in adapting this science fiction novel. Shanhe's idea made him curious.

"This is a good idea, but how much will it cost to make a TV series in the same way as a movie? How will the cost be recovered?"

"Let's learn from the production methods of American dramas and divide "The Three-Body Problem" into several seasons to shoot and produce. The cost is not within my consideration. This project is relatively risky. I will personally invest first and spend 100 to 200 million U.S. dollars to make the first season. Get it out and see!”

"How many did you say?"

"Let me go, spend 200 million US dollars to make a TV series? Only you dare to think of such an idea!"

"You are causing trouble again!"

…

Zhong Lifeng looked at the mountains and rivers and responded calmly:

"Boss, look at what you said, you are the spiritual leader of our Chuhe Film and Television. Let alone 200 million US dollars, our Chuhe Film and Television has to go bankrupt! Besides, when have you ever done a business that lost money? Does this matter? Damn it!”

"Tsk tsk... Look, this is the reason why Chuhe Film and Television has been able to develop at a rapid pace. One of them dares to think and act, and the other is full of courage. It's really fascinating!"

…

The news that Shanhe was going to spend 200 million US dollars to film a TV series quickly spread throughout the domestic film and television circles, and then the truth and falsehoods spread to the Internet, causing a burst of exclamations from the public.

Spending 200 million US dollars to shoot a TV series is simply shocking in China. According to China’s TV broadcasting rules, recovering the investment is a fantasy!

Not to mention domestically, even American dramas rarely have investment of this scale. Da Liu's "The Three-Body Problem" was hyped by Shan He's gossip, and sales increased several times in an instant.

Just when the domestic public was skeptical about the news, Netflix on the other side of the Pacific received the news and came to the door in a hurry. They enthusiastically expressed their willingness to cooperate with Chuhe Film and Television. As long as it was a Shanhe project, they would invest no matter how much. Everyone is willing to pay for it.

Within two days, the BBC, NBC, ABC and other European and American TV stations also sent representatives to Chuhe Film and Television to express their intention to cooperate. Shanhe was just a preliminary idea, which triggered a competition among global TV network media.

This is the project of "Mr. Billion". Has he ever failed? An investment of 200 million US dollars is nothing. With the quality and appeal of Hua Xiaqiu's works, it is easy to recover the cost!

Zhong Lifeng and Yang Liu were delighted. Chuhe Film and Television was not short of money, but it was short of sales channels. The boss was so wise. He opened up a new field for Chuhe Film and Television with just one idea. As long as global distribution channels were established, TV series could do the same. Big investment!

After Shanhe received the news, he was also confused and sighed. It seems that his greatest wealth is the reputation and reputation accumulated over the past ten years. This kind of intangible wealth is difficult to measure in terms of money!

The reason why he came up with the idea of ​​filming the "Three-Body" series is actually very simple:

He is about to finish the bonus of his rebirth and must prepare for the future. Without the memory in his mind, he needs to get involved in new and original fields!

From the beginning of the "Three-Body" TV series, it has been an opportunistic method. TV series are easier to control than movies. Big investment is not a problem for Shanhe. What he lacks most is money!

Who would have thought that this trick was a mistake, and it opened up a new way of thinking for Chuhe Film and Television, and even the entire Chinese film and television industry. If American TV dramas can be popular around the world, why can't Chinese TV dramas be dumped overseas?