Chen Desheng never expected that the first-day box office of a movie produced after six years would only be 3 million.
What is the concept of three million box office?
For example, at the turn of the millennium, an anti-corruption movie called "Life and Death" was released.
There is not a single big-name star in the entire movie, and it is no exaggeration to say that there is not even an actor who can be named.
But it was this film with a niche theme that became the box office champion of the millennium and the first domestic film in the history of domestic films to gross over 100 million.
The total box office in the two days of the opening weekend was 3.3 million!
You know, that was in the millennium!
More than ten years have passed, and transportation, the number of theaters, and people's consumption levels have all undergone qualitative improvements.
Under such circumstances, the box office of "One Man's Martial Arts" on the first day was only 3 million, which can be imagined to be beyond the expectations of director Chen Shengde.
However, this pessimistic mood did not stop.
As the box office appears on the second, third, fourth, and fifth days.
Chen Desheng was about to faint.
He thought that his movie might be a hit on the street, but even if I beat him to death, he never thought that his movie would be a hit to this extent.
The total box office in the five days did not exceed 10 million. This... This is no longer described as miserable, but miserable!
!
From the beginning, I was very ambitious and wanted to take advantage of the slight decline of "Charlotte" to make a breakthrough, but now I have lost all hope after seeing the box office.
His mood at the moment can be summed up in only two words.
It’s over!
All is lost!
Based on this calculation, even if the movie is released for a month, it will only have a box office of 30 to 40 million at most.
Thinking of this, he didn't even have the strength to speak.
When Chen Desheng was disheartened by the box office hit, other people on the crew also comforted him.
"Director Chen, don't worry, hasn't this been released in the mainland yet?"
"We only have so many cinemas in Xiangjiang. It's understandable that the first-day box office was three million. If it were released nationwide, it might become a hit."
"Yes, we are showing it in the mainland. With Lin Yuan's popularity, maybe we can save it."
"As long as the movie has a good reputation, there may be a chance of a turnaround at the box office."
"Director Chen, I think we can try showing it in mainland China."
After listening to the crew's consolation, Chen Desheng still felt that there was no hope at all.
He has been a director for so many years.
I have made quite a few movies, big and small.
Is word of mouth useful for movies?
It may seem useful to outsiders, but for their directors, they know very well whether word-of-mouth is useful.
If word of mouth plays a role, and the quality of your movie is not bad, why hasn't the box office increased in the future?
And without the box office, what does it matter no matter how good the reputation is? Is it possible that the employer who lost money will come over and say: "It's okay, come on, although I didn't make any money, I watched this movie very much!"
Is this realistic? Is this possible?
You can tell with your fingers that the management's attitude is definitely angry. I don't dare to say that I won't be able to get roles in the future, but there will definitely be a lot less than now.
They actually invested money and there was no box office, which means they lost money.
They don't care about any so-called reputation at all? They only care about how much benefit you can bring to them.
If investors had such good intentions, domestic films would not be worthy of praise even if they were nominated at Cannes.
But when I think about it, what the crew said reminded Chen Desheng.
Although he was defeated in Xiangjiang, he still had to find a way to give it a try. It was not for any reason, just to be worthy of the investors' hard work. In his opinion, it was only as much as he could help the investors earn back.
Although in his opinion, this "One Man's Martial Arts" is a failure in all likelihood, but with some manipulation, it might be able to get investors some blood back.
"Book a ticket and go to the mainland!"
After pondering for a moment, with the idea of a last-ditch effort, Chen Desheng gritted his teeth and said.
In his opinion, if he can make investors return their money, he still has a chance to make a comeback. After all, he is also a director who has won the Academy Award. But if he loses all his money, he will try to attract investment to make movies in the future.
, but it’s not that easy.
After making the decision, Chen Desheng immediately contacted his assistant and planned to go to Lin Yuan to discuss it together to see how to remedy the situation.
.......
The other side.
The cast of Hua Qiangu just returned to Hengdian from Daxin County, Guangxi Province after filming on location.
As soon as Lin Yuan got in the car and went to the hotel, and was about to close his eyes and rest for a while, the phone rang.
"Sister Xia, is something wrong?"
Lin Yuan was somewhat surprised that Sister Xia called at this time.
Because strictly speaking it is still filming time.
During filming like this, Sister Xia usually calls him after dinner.
Therefore, after receiving the call, Lin Yuan immediately realized that the other party must have something important to tell him.
"Lin Yuan, are you in Hengdian now?"
"Yes, I just got off the plane and am getting ready to go to the hotel."
"That's it. Director Chen Desheng may come to see you later and talk about promoting the movie. I gave him your position." Sister Xia spoke concisely and directly highlighted the key points.
"Okay, then I'll wait at the hotel for Director Chen to come over later."
After hanging up the phone, Lin Yuan was still a little curious.
How could Director Chen suddenly think of talking to him about promoting the movie?
However, he didn't think too much about these things. There was no filming today anyway. When Director Chen arrived at the hotel, these things would naturally become clear to him.
Chen Desheng and his assistants bought the latest flight.
Not even half an hour after Lin Yuan returned to the hotel, Chen Desheng and his party took a car to the hotel where the Hua Qiangu crew stayed.
After arriving at the hotel, Chen Desheng directly dialed Lin Yuan's phone number.
As soon as the call was dialed and he expressed that his group had arrived downstairs in the hotel, Lin Yuan quickly said that he would be there soon.
In less than three minutes, Lin Yuan quickly arrived at the hotel lobby.
When he saw Director Chen and his team, Lin Yuan walked over politely and said, "Director Chen, long time no see. I've been too busy filming recently and haven't contacted you more. I'm sorry!"
"What are you talking about? The busier you are, the happier I will be. It proves that my vision is right." Chen Desheng came here to ask for something from him, so he lowered his attitude a lot when speaking and took the initiative to compliment.
Lin Yuan was very curious about what the other party wanted to find him for, but after thinking for a while, he guessed that it must be related to movies, and it was not convenient to stand downstairs in the hotel, so he quickly replied with a smile: "Haha, Director Chen
Let me lend you your kind words and let’s chat upstairs?”
Director Chen did not hesitate and replied quickly: "Okay, okay!"
Soon, several people arrived at Lin Yuankai's executive suite and sat on a coffee table. Everyone began to gather around and chat.
After exchanging a few words, Lin Yuan brought the topic to the main topic.
"Director Chen, what happened when you were talking about movie promotion on the phone?" Lin Yuan asked straight to the point.
Speaking of this, Chen Desheng couldn't help but sigh.
Immediately afterwards, he talked about the release of the movie "One Man's Martial Arts" in Hong Kong during this period.
After listening to what the other party said, Lin Yuan didn't think there was any problem with Chen Desheng taking advantage of the popularity of "Charlotte" to release the movie early.
Although Charlotte is extremely popular, it has been in theaters for 20 days, and basically all interested audiences have already seen it.
In this case, this is a good opportunity for other movies to take action.
This is a complementary phenomenon of movies, just like when a reader reads a novel, he enters a platform because of a book. After reading the book on this platform, he will look for other novels to read on the platform if he is still unsatisfied.
In the same way, the same is true for moviegoers. Originally, he did not plan to watch a movie, but suddenly he entered the theater because of a good movie. After watching it, he found that other new movies were released, and he couldn't help but want to watch it.
In industry terms, we are not afraid that there will be dark horses in the movies of the same period, but we are afraid that all the movies in the same period will be blocked.
If there isn't a good movie, the audience won't even enter the cinema. If it is released at this time, isn't it just shooting yourself in the foot?
Therefore, in Lin Yuan's view, Director Chen Desheng's idea is absolutely correct.
There was just something wrong with his judgment.
I was only thinking about how to get in at the end of Charlotte to collect the box office, but I forgot to make sufficient preparations for the release of the movie.
If the film's promotion efforts are sufficient, the box office on the first day will not be only 3 million with the help of this kung fu superstar.
However, Lin Yuan did not speak out about this issue. He listened carefully. Silence is the golden attitude.
After Director Chen Desheng finished pouring out the bitterness in his stomach, he quickly revealed the reason for their visit.
"Lin Yuan, Brother Chen, you don't want to say anything false. I came here to see you today. In fact, I just want you to help. The market in Xiangjiang is under attack, but the market in the mainland cannot be under attack. You are very popular online now.
No, so I want to ask you to help promote this movie without leaving any room. If you really help, you will be my best brother from now on. If you ask me for help with anything in the future, I, Chen Desheng, will never frown.
!”
Director Chen would definitely not have said such a thing before, but it was different now. The situation was pressing, and in order not to be "hacked to death" by investors, he was willing to risk everything.
Hearing what Director Chen said, Lin Yuan didn't dare to blame him, and quickly replied: "Director Chen, don't worry, since I have participated in this drama, I will definitely promote it without leaving any room."
"Thank you, Brother Lin. I cannot thank you enough for your kindness. If this matter is done, you can be regarded as my benefactor."
After receiving Lin Yuan's reply, Chen Desheng also said sincerely.
Seeing Director Chen's behavior, Lin Yuan immediately felt relieved: "Brother Chen, what you said is that a benefactor is not a benefactor. It's so foreign. Don't brothers just have to help each other?
!”
"good!
Good brother!
Director Chen nodded heavily and put one hand directly on the back of Lin Yuan's hand, feeling excited.
In his opinion, if Lin Yuan spares no room in publicity, and if he relies on connections to find people to help, the movie should be able to exceed the box office of 200 million when it is released in the mainland. As long as it reaches the box office of 200 million, then he can be considered a box office
Make up for it.
After thinking about it, he was so anxious that he didn't stay here any longer. Even if Lin Yuan kept asking him to have a meal before leaving, he didn't eat.
He said goodbye to Lin Yuan with grateful eyes, and then contacted his old friends as soon as possible so that they could help promote it.
After watching Director Chen and others leave, Lin Yuan in the room took out his mobile phone and looked at the phone numbers in the address book, feeling somewhat nervous.
The reason why he promised Director Chen that he would leave no room for publicity was entirely due to two reasons.
First, they fancy his potential value. Behind Chen Desheng is the shadow of his elder brother. If he hangs around in this circle, he may one day come into contact with his elder brother.
In this case, if you get a favor from Chen Desheng, will the other person return the favor when you contact him in the future?
Don't look at the monk's face and look at the Buddha's face. Just because of his identity as the eldest brother, Lin Yuan will definitely buy this face.
As for the second reason, it is related to his own interests. Strictly speaking, "One Man's Martial Arts" is his first starring role so far.
This means that the box office of this movie is related to its box office appeal.
It also depends on whether he will become a gold medal green leaf like Uncle Da in the future; or whether he will be able to stand alone like Master Xing.
Therefore, in this situation, it was impossible for him not to take action.
If this movie fails, it will be extremely detrimental to him.
So, he thought for a moment and immediately made the first call.
The so-called publicity is actually divided into two types. One is commercial publicity. Post a Weibo, post a promotion, and it is basically gone. The other is to use your own connections and notify all your friends in the circle to help. This is
There is no room for publicity, and this kind of publicity is also the most effective. It can be said that the effect is immediate.
After the first call was answered, Lin Yuan's breathing seemed to become a lot heavier at this moment. After all, it was his first time asking for help, and he didn't know whether the other party would agree.
"What's wrong, brother, why do you call me when you have time?" The first number Lin Yuan dialed was naturally none other than Deng Chao. As soon as the other party answered the phone, he asked curiously.
"Brother, I have a movie that is about to be released, and I would like to ask you to help promote it vigorously." Regarding Deng Chao, his brother, Lin Yuan did not go around any detours and directly told him what he was asking for help.
With the current friendship between the two of them, it would be unfair if they had to hide even this kind of thing.
After hearing the words "vigorous publicity", Deng Chao also realized that the publicity mentioned by the other party did not mean just posting on Weibo. If he were an ordinary friend, he would definitely refuse. But Lin Yuan was different.
After thinking for a few seconds, Deng Chao said cheerfully: "That's it, no problem, I will vigorously promote it to you, and then ask your sister-in-law to help you promote it."
Without any hesitation.
Deng Chao immediately agreed, and by the way, he also directly made the decision for Sun Li.
After agreeing, Deng Chao reacted and couldn't help but ask: "Brother, hasn't the Charlotte you starred in been released a long time ago?"
"It's not this drama, it's "One Man's Martial Arts" starring Donnie Yen."
"Oh, let me tell you, this Charlotte almost broke the box office record of "Taiwan", I thought you were showing off on purpose." The relieved Deng Chao also teased Lin Yuan.
"You're still showing off, but now I'm completely exhausted." Lin Yuan replied with a helpless smile.
"How do you say it?" Hearing this, Deng Chao became even more curious and his tone was a little worried.
Lin Yuan didn't think much about it, and soon told Brother Chao about the failure of "One's Martial Arts" at the box office in Hong Kong. Deng Chao almost grasped the key point, knowing that this movie would affect Lin Yuan's box office appeal.
.
After knowing this, Deng Chao also replied seriously: "Don't worry, I will think of something for you."
"Okay, thank you, Brother Chao!" Lin Yuan answered gratefully without being pretentious.
But he didn't talk to Deng Chao more, after all, he still had to find other celebrities to help promote it.
What touched him was that until he hung up the phone, Deng Chao didn't forget to add: "Don't worry, this matter is taken care of by me."
After receiving Deng Chao's guarantee, Lin Yuan breathed a sigh of relief, but he quickly continued to search in the address book.
There are quite a few celebrities in his address book.
Things like Teacher Chen Daomin, Teacher Li Xuejian, etc. were all added at the last cocktail party.
Although people say that they should come to them if they have any questions, they obviously do not need their help for such trivial matters as promoting a movie.
Soon, Lin Yuan locked onto the second person.
He dialed the phone twice but didn't get through, so he had to focus on the next one.
"Brother Lin, why did you remember to call me? Is there something wrong?"
Dong Zijian answered the phone very quickly. He just dialed and within two seconds, the other party answered the call.
Lin Yuan was not polite to others either.
I directly told him my situation, and then I wanted to ask him to help me use some connections to help me promote myself.
The reason why I approached Dong Zijian was not because of how good the relationship between the two was, but because Dong Zijian's relationship was actually wider than that of many celebrities.
Finding him alone is more effective than finding five first-line stars.
As for Dong Zijian, after learning about Lin Yuan's situation, he didn't hesitate at all and readily agreed.
The main reason for being so happy is to invest in Lin Yuan in disguise. If I help you today, will you also help me tomorrow?
Secondly, this kind of thing seems to him to be a very simple matter.
When he filmed "Youth" last year, didn't he also hype it up a lot? Otherwise, do you think the movie had such good results?
"Brother Lin, just ask me for this matter. Don't worry, my brother will never let you down."
"Thank you very much." After hearing Dong Zijian's words, Lin Yuan felt more confident.
"Why are you thanking me? When we send people from Wuhei, just don't excuse yourself."
"Okay, no problem."
Both of them are of the same age, so it is quite easy to talk about these things.
After contacting Dong Zijian, Lin Yuan also began to look for the third person, and this third person was none other than Huang Bo.
I called, but the other party didn't answer.
After waiting for a while, Huang Bo called back.
"Hey, Brother Bo."
"Lin Yuan, I was recording a show just now, what's wrong?" Huang Bo's breathless voice came from the other end of the phone.
"It's not a big deal, it's just that my first starring movie is about to be released, and I want you to help me promote it, Brother Bo."
"Be a good boy, is this not a big deal?" Huang Bo was surprised at first, and then said calmly: "You want me to promote the movie for you, okay, but..."
When Lin Yuan heard Huang Bo speak in Qingdao dialect, he knew that he had another crooked idea.
Lin Yuan, who had seen through but didn't say anything, still followed up and asked very cooperatively: "Brother Bo, what's the matter?"
“Gotta pay more!”
Lin Yuan smiled knowingly over the phone when he heard Huang Bo ridiculing himself with his lines in "Xiu Chun Knife".
"Okay, just rest assured about this. Brother will definitely help you. This matter of yours is not a trivial matter. There are many people watching this first drama, which will affect your future.
"
Huang Bo, as a person who had been there, understood Lin Yuan's situation very well, so he stopped joking and answered seriously, patting his chest and answering with a sonorous and powerful voice. Lin Yuan didn't know what to say for a moment, and he took a few deep breaths.
Then he said: "Brother Bo, thank you!"
"You kid, don't say thank you to me, it's too offensive!" Huang Bo interrupted him and directly snarled him.
"Then I won't thank you for your kindness, Brother Bo!" Lin Yuan knew that Huang Bo was a sweet-tempered person, so he immediately followed the other person's lead and answered.
After the two hung up the phone.
Lin Yuan did not rest, but stared at the address book on his phone and dialed one number after another.
Throughout the night, Lin Yuan's voice did not stop, and his voice became a little hoarse.
And his behavior also resulted in a miracle that no one expected!