In the evening, Lu Yanhe and Chen Siqi had dinner at a newly opened restaurant specially sent an invitation to "Jump Up" and invited them to come for a tasting.
In the self-media channel of "Jump Up", there are people who specialize in food reviews. They have a considerable influence and they often receive invitations from restaurants.
When the two of them were halfway through their meal, Chen Siqi suddenly exclaimed after seeing the scene at the door.
"What's wrong?" Lu Yanhe asked.
Chen Siqi said: "I saw Yu Jiang."
"Ah?" Lu Yanhe subconsciously turned around to look.
"Don't look back." Chen Siqi stopped Lu Yanhe, "She has made an appointment with someone else."
"Who did she date?"
"Yin Xincheng." Chen Siqi said.
Lu Yanhe was a little surprised, "Really?"
Yin Xincheng is the male actor in "Friends". He and Yin Xincheng had just met on the show "Young Days".
Chen Siqi nodded: "There are others, probably their assistants, but I'm not sure if it's Yin Xincheng. He's wearing sunglasses and a hat, so I'm not sure."
Lu Yanhe: "I'll take a look later."
"But why does Yu Jiang still have the mood to come out for dinner at this time? "Flowers on the Stars" will be released this Friday." Chen Siqi said.
Qixi Festival is coming soon.
It happens to be this Friday.
Lu Yanhe asked: "How is the pre-sale of Flowers on the Stars?"
"It's OK. It's currently ranked first on Friday." Chen Siqi said, "However, the box office of 'Flower Needle' is very good now. It's hard to say whether 'Flowers on the Stars' can win the box office championship on the day."
Because the pre-promotion was very good, the current data of "Flowers on the Stars" are quite good.
"Is Yu Jiang planning to ask Yin Xincheng to film a movie with him?" Chen Siqi was a little curious.
Lu Yanhe: "It's possible. After she opened the Airu Tianshen Film and Television Company, she seemed to have come up with several projects. She also has a movie project with Lang Xia."
"After all, her novels have a large audience, and now Flowers on the Stars is performing very well. I heard that Ruyi Pictures wants to sign a cooperation framework with her to further deepen the cooperation."
"Really? Are they going to be tied together?" Lu Yanhe was a little surprised.
Chen Siqi: "I don't know if we are bound together, but if Yu Jiang really wants to focus on film and television production, I may have to deal with her a lot in the future."
The projects that Yu Jiang participated in were all about youth love. This was exactly what Chen Siqi wanted to get involved in. "Jump Up" was positioned as a literary magazine, and there were one or two youth love stories in each issue. The entries received by the "Accumulation Plan" were basically short films with a youth campus background. Of course, this was also because such short films were easier to shoot.
Lu Yanhe said: "The track is different."
Chen Siqi said: "There will always be areas of intersection, and the phenomenon of homogeneity among content providers is becoming more and more serious."
Lu Yanhe nodded.
Chen Siqi suddenly thought of something and asked, "Oh, right, weren't you talking to me about film and television production before? Although people can't become fat all at once, they can be trained slowly. If there is someone in this 'power accumulation plan' who really has the director's mindset but has no experience, would you like to sign him and find an opportunity for him to learn in the crew and accumulate experience?"
Lu Yanhe exclaimed in surprise.
Chen Siqi: "What do you think?"
Lu Yanhe said, "I was thinking, now that we have signed him, will we be able to give him a chance to be a director in the future? Once we sign someone, we have to be responsible for him. I don't want to be like Star Entertainment, where they keep signing so many trainees every year, and it all depends on luck who makes it and who doesn't."
Chen Siqi said: "We certainly can't guarantee 100% that he will have the opportunity to be an actor in the future, but at least we have opened the door for him, right? You need such people, and others also need such opportunities. By your side, at least they have the opportunity to join the top crews and see how the top crews operate. Apart from other things, some of the stories in "Jump Up" will also be developed into short films. If I don't look for directors trained by myself, I will also train directors outside."
"No one else can turn a magazine into a theater." Lu Yanhe couldn't help but sigh, "Once you succeed, I guess all major film and television companies will set up their own magazines."
Chen Siqi: "To be honest, the film and television industry is such a money-burning industry, why don't they cooperate with magazines that publish short stories? Let alone the literary and artistic value, whether people buy into a story and whether readers like it can be tested in the form of text. Especially in the film industry, it is so small that it is difficult and unrealistic to adapt a novel. The best source of story adaptation is still short and medium-length novels. But now, except for a few pure literary magazines that rely on royal food, there is no soil for the publication of short and medium-length novels. At present, only our "Jump Up" is still publishing some short and medium-length novels that are not so pure literature. Oh, "Star!" can also be counted, but it publishes almost all youth campus love stories, which are completely girly. Even Teacher Mingyin's works, which mainly write about youth growth stories, probably won't be published in "Star!"."
Lu Yanhe asked: "The stories published in Star! have such a uniform style, how is the audience?"
"It's not bad. It has indeed attracted many girls to become their regular readers. After all, apart from Star!, there is no other place that provides them with a centralized source of girls' romance novels." Chen Siqi said, "Online novels are too long. There are still some readers who like to read short stories."
Lu Yanhe suddenly understood and nodded.
Indeed, with such a large population base in China, no matter what field you are in, as long as you do well, you will be able to attract a group of supporters.
Star! seems to have taken its style down a very narrow path, but it has also formed a unique banner and signboard, and people who are interested in this type of novel are gradually attracted to it.
Chen Siqi took a sip of lemon juice and suddenly let out a light exclamation.
"What's wrong?" Lu Yanhe asked.
Chen Siqi said: "Yu Jiang is coming towards us."
Lu Yanhe frowned slightly.
"Come to see us?"
Chen Siqi: "That should be the case. She is looking at me."
Lu Yanhe: "Why did she come to us on her own initiative?"
"Who knows?" Chen Siqi asked, "Should we answer her?"
"Can I just ignore it?" Lu Yanhe asked.
"It would be a bit too much if we turned a blind eye to it in public." Chen Siqi thought about it for a moment, "I really will never understand the way this woman thinks."
Lu Yanhe: "How about we go?"
"We haven't finished eating yet. Why are we walking? It seems like we're afraid of her." Chen Siqi rolled her eyes at Lu Yanhe. The next second, she changed her expression at the speed of light and looked at Yu Jiang who had approached them with a smile. "Oh, Teacher Yu, we actually meet here. What a coincidence."
Lu Yanhe didn't know how to describe Chen Siqi in his eyes at this moment. He was afraid that if Chen Siqi knew about it, he would beat him up.
Yu Jiang smiled, looked at Chen Siqi, and said, "I heard that your 'power accumulation plan' is not going very smoothly?"
Chen Siqi looked surprised, "Who said that? Who is misleading you and sending you fire? Oh my God, Teacher Yu, you won't believe it and fire at us again, will you? Alas, why do you always have no trust in us, and are so easily fooled, and finally get slapped in the face so frequently?"
Lu Yanhe took a deep breath.
The attacking state that Chen Siqi displayed in front of Yu Jiang was completely like that of a hedgehog, without any concealment.
Lu Yanhe immediately looked at Yu Jiang.
Yu Jiang really took a deep breath, swallowed his anger, and said, "I'm not here to quarrel with you today."
Chen Siqi: "That's really strange. Apart from quarreling, what else do you want to talk to us about?"
Yu Jiang said: "Flowers on the Stars will be released this Friday. We are going to hold a special movie viewing event on Thursday night. I invite you to come and participate."
Chen Siqi's expression fell, "What?"
Yu Jiang: "We did have a lot of unpleasant experiences before, but I think that's all in the past. From now on, I will no longer regard you as my enemies. How about we shake hands and make peace?"
"Come on," Chen Siqi said bluntly, "Is there something wrong with you? You are the one who stirs up trouble, you are the one who fires the cannon, you are the one who keeps chattering and picking quarrels. Now you suddenly come over here and say we can make peace. Do you think I will believe you? Besides, you can make peace just by shaking hands? Are all the things you did and said before written off just like that?"
Yu Jiang's expression was so ugly that she couldn't bear it anymore. She said, "Chen Siqi, don't be so shameless."
"Your true colors have been revealed." Chen Siqi smiled brightly, "Why are you pretending to be so high and mighty?"
Yu Jiang's cheeks were very red.
She glared at Chen Siqi angrily, then turned and left.
The smile on Chen Siqi's face immediately disappeared, and he looked gloomy.
"It's so incomprehensible. You come over here and say all this. Do you think I'm a fool? Are you going to happily shake hands with her and make peace right away?" Chen Siqi rolled her eyes.
Lu Yanhe said "Hmm?" with some confusion.
"What's wrong?" Chen Siqi looked at him.
"Yin Xincheng is missing." Lu Yanhe said, "Wasn't he still there just now?"
Chen Siqi and Lu Yanhe watched Yu Jiang return to her seat.
"You went to the bathroom." Chen Siqi said.
However, until Lu Yanhe and Chen Siqi finished their meal, they did not see Yin Xincheng again.
-
"He refused?"
Yu Jiang looked at his assistant with an unpleasant expression.
The assistant nodded.
"This is a movie! He even refused the leading role?" Yu Jiang said, "He was only one of the six main actors in Friends. Who else could give him the leading role except me?"
The assistant said, "Yin Xincheng said he has taken on another drama, 'Flower Scenery'. I checked and it is true. The filming of this drama will start in March next year and will take seven months, which coincides with our filming date."
Yu Jiang: "Our schedules conflicted."
It's common for actors to have conflicting schedules, and there's nothing that can be done about it.
She frowned and thought for a moment, "Who else is there? I've already approached all the top male stars, who else can do it?"
The assistant suggested, "Actually, Ma Zhiyuan hasn't asked yet. I heard that he is in contact with Longyan Films. Longyan Films has a project and it seems that they are planning to give Ma Zhiyuan the second male lead."
Yu Jiang's frown deepened. "If we let a scumbag like Ma Zhiyuan play our leading male role, how are we going to sell our movie tickets?"
The assistant said: "But he still has a group of die-hard fans."
"No." Yu Jiang said, "This is not a TV series. Moviegoers have to pay to buy tickets to watch movies in the cinema. Who knows what the current market situation is."
"Then - the first-line male stars have indeed been contacted, and there is no one else who can do it." The assistant asked, "Or we change our thinking and find a popular female star to carry the role, and find a newcomer to play the male lead?"
Yu Jiang: "That won't work. More than 80% of my movie viewers are female. It's useless to find a female star to play the leading role. Who wants to see a female star having a campus romance with someone else?"
The assistant sighed silently.
If your relationship with Lu Yanhe wasn't so strained, why would so many people reject you?
“Perhaps the situation will change after Flowers on the Stars is released.” The assistant also gave up making suggestions and said, “After everyone sees the success of your movie, they may change their minds.”
Yu Jiang doesn't have any movie released yet.
If the box office of "Flowers on the Stars" can exceed 100 million, there will definitely be male actors in the circle who will be attracted to the leading role of Yu Jiang's new film.
If Yu Jiang hadn't insisted on finding a popular actor with many fans to play the leading role, the cast of this movie wouldn't have been so difficult to put together.
Because the salary budget has to be reserved for the male lead, the female lead can only be played by a newcomer or a young actress who has just debuted.
Yu Jiang was the producer and was very strict about the production costs. For example, after the filming of Flowers on the Stars, Lang Xia received a salary of 2 million, while the salaries of the others added up to less than 2 million. The production cost of the entire film was only 10 million, but the publicity and promotion costs reached nearly 20 million, which added up to about 30 million. In fact, if Flowers on the Stars had not received good reviews at the Jose-La Film Festival, which led Ruyi Pictures and Yu Jiang's Aieru Tianshen Company to increase the publicity budget, its cost would have been between 10 and 20 million - from this, we can actually calculate that the initial target of this film was about 40 to 60 million.
Compared to the current online comments that a box office of hundreds of millions is equivalent to a flop, in fact, in this industry, most movies can make a profit as long as they get a box office of about this target number, even with inflated costs.
There aren't that many movies that are truly designed to be blockbusters from the beginning. A first-tier film company can only make one or two such movies a year at most. Most of the time, the so-called cost of a movie is 70 or 80 million, but the actual production cost is only 20 or 30 million, or even lower. On the one hand, there is a general exaggeration in the industry to create the impression that the movie was made at a high price and is worth the audience's money to go to the cinema. On the other hand, many film companies will convert some non-film shooting expenses into the cost of the movie, raising the cost, so that they can cover a lot of expenses and pass these losses on to investors through settlement.
Why do many film companies report losses as soon as they release their financial reports? Are they really losing money? The economic issues involved are worth studying by many masters and doctors, and some even write papers about them.
It's too far, let's talk again.
For a film like Flowers on the Stars, even if you find a popular actress to play the leading role, the basic market for this film is limited by the type of film. Even if the leading actors and actresses are both first-line big stars, they cannot make the basic market of this film bigger. Therefore, Yu Jiang’s strategy for his own film is actually very simple. He has a popular star actor as the main star, so that the film has starlight and will not be silent in the media and on the Internet. The rest of the budget would rather be used for publicity and marketing. How to arouse the interest of passers-by in youth love movies and go to the cinema is the key to whether the box office can really increase effectively.
Celebrities are merely a fulcrum for publicity for theater managers, investors, and the media.
Unable to find a leading actor for the new film, Yu Jiang had to give up for the time being.
We can only wait for "Flowers on the Stars" to be released.
-
Generally speaking, movies that are chosen to be released during the Chinese Valentine's Day period are not blockbusters. They are most likely released just for the big box office on that day.
On the day of Chinese Valentine's Day, Lu Yanhe and Chen Siqi did not go to the cinema, but went to a hotel in the mountains together to enjoy the cool breeze and vacation.
However, although they went into the mountains, there were still people who kept them informed of the situation in the film market.
During the Chinese Valentine's Day season, the most popular film in the early stages was "Flowers on the Stars", followed by "You Who Come From the River" starring powerful actor Zhang Ding and art film goddess Qin Sangwen, and "Magpie Bridge", an animated film adapted from the traditional Chinese mythology story of the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl.
In terms of pre-sales, Flowers on the Stars was far ahead at 37 million.
On the day of Chinese Valentine's Day, the old film "Popcorn Needle" topped the box office chart, "Flowers on the Stars" ranked second, "You Who Came From the River" ranked third, and "Magpie Bridge" ranked fourth.
Lu Yanhe lay on a bamboo chair by the stream to enjoy the cool air.
Chen Siqi sat on a rock by the stream, stretched her legs directly into the water, and swayed gently.
"The box office of Flowers on the Stars has exceeded 50 million."
It was exactly two o'clock in the afternoon. Chen Siqi was holding her cell phone and talking to Lu Yanhe.
Lu Yanhe hummed.
Chen Siqi asked: "Do you think the box office of Flowers on the Stars can exceed 100 million?"
“With such a big publicity and promotion, it would be unreasonable if the revenue is less than 100 million.” Lu Yanhe said.
"I didn't expect this movie to make so much money," Chen Siqi said. "It is said that Bingyuan Video spent 12 million to buy the five-year online broadcasting rights for this movie."
Lu Yanhe made a simple calculation in his mind.
"For a movie with a box office of over 100 million yuan and a lot of buzz, this price is not high," he said. "It seems that Flowers on the Stars has already started to make a profit."
"Yes." Chen Siqi said, "The film has sold the broadcasting rights to more than a dozen countries and regions in Asia. It is a good move to screen it at the Jose-Jacques Film Festival."
"Yes." Lu Yanhe said, "However, it's a pity that the male protagonist died in the end. It's a tragic ending. Otherwise, with such a good result, maybe a sequel could be developed."
Chen Siqi: "Why can't we develop a sequel if the male protagonist dies? The sequel is about the female protagonist meeting a boy who looks exactly like the male protagonist, and the two of them start a new story. It can still be filmed."
Lu Yanhe: "So bloody."
"Since it is a commercial film, Ruyi Pictures will definitely not miss such an opportunity to make money." Chen Siqi said, "Basically, as long as the movie has good box office and good profitability, Ruyi Pictures will develop a sequel. Mixed praise and criticism will not affect their style."
"I can't stand it. Not every movie is suitable for a sequel."
"Who said it wasn't?" Chen Siqi said, "By the way, the 'Burning Fire' series you signed with Longyan Pictures is three films, right?"
"I don't know if it will only be three films, but I have only signed for three," said Lu Yanhe.
Chen Siqi: "You basically didn't join any filming this year. In Love Letter, although you are the nominal male lead, you actually have very few scenes."
"I consciously want to stop for a while. Last year, I kept joining the crew and getting into one character after another, which made me a little tired." Lu Yanhe said, "Also, the scripts I received from outside this year didn't really impress me. If there is no suitable script, I just don't force myself."
Chen Siqi asked: "Have you not received any suitable scripts?"
In Chen Siqi's opinion, the best scripts on the market now must have been reviewed by Lu Yanhe first.
Lu Yanhe nodded and said, "I didn't see anything good. Sister Zi Yan said so."
Chen Siqi was a little confused: "Have you become more discerning? Not really?"
-
"Mrs. Huang called me just now and told me that you have been chosen as the leading actress in Liu Bige's new film."
The agent said to Ji Miao happily.
As a leading figure among today's young generation of actresses, Ji Miao, who won the Best Supporting Actress Award at a young age, has always had smooth sailing in the film industry.
Ji Miao was not surprised that he got the role.
I would be surprised if she didn't win.
Ji Miao said: "It would be great if the leading actor of this movie was still Lu Yanhe."
The agent didn't expect Ji Miao to say this suddenly.
"Lu Yanhe? He probably wouldn't take on a movie like this, even if the director is Liu Bige." The agent said, "He almost always takes on serious dramas or art films. He seems to have never taken on a light comedy like this. Friends doesn't count. He is the screenwriter himself, and you can tell at a glance that he didn't play the most core role. He gave that role to Yan Liang. It feels like he was just trying to promote the script written by his friend."
Ji Miao sighed, nodded, and said, "That's right."
The agent glanced at her and said, "He is the only person in the entire entertainment industry who can accept roles like Lu Yanhe."
Ji Miao said: "I don't know if there will ever be a day when I can take on a role like him."
The agent said, "Your position is not stable yet. There are so many people eyeing your position. Moreover, there have been so many newcomers in the entertainment industry in recent years. This time, your competitor is Wang Jing, the actress who starred in "Late Spring" with Lu Yanhe. It is said that many people support her to play the role. If you don't stand firm in your position, no one knows when someone will overtake you."
Ji Miao nodded.
"You've read the script. If you play it well, it will definitely be a good and likable role. It may even become your representative role in the future." The agent said, "The audience likes this kind of character with a very distinct personality. There is a sense of contrast, and she is cute in her neuroticism. You can portray her very well."
"Li Zhibai has never acted in a movie before."
"He has indeed never acted in a movie before. This is his first time." The agent said, "However, you don't have to doubt his situation. Whether it is his acting skills, popularity, or past performance, they are all very impressive."
Ji Miao: "I didn't doubt him. I know he's good, but I just feel a little regretful. If Lu Yanhe was the lead actor, maybe this movie could have been shown at an international film festival."
Agent: "There's no point in going around. This kind of movie is destined not to be shortlisted for the main competition unit. At most, it can just make a splash."
"It's okay to just make some publicity. Look at "Flowers on the Stars", it made a lot of publicity at the Jose Film Festival, it was worth it," said Ji Miao.
Agent: "I heard that Yu Jiang is preparing a new movie, Flowers on the Stars, which is doing well at the box office. How about we take the initiative to contact him and see if the heroine is suitable for you?"
"Forget it. If I act in her ridiculous movies, my hard-earned reputation will be gone in no time." Ji Miao said, "Didn't you see how many people on the Internet were complaining about how ridiculous "Flowers on the Stars" was?"
"Let those people on the Internet curse it, but the fact that such a melodramatic movie still sells so well only shows one thing: passers-by who don't often speak out on the Internet are very interested in this movie. "You Who Came From the River" has a very good reputation. The score on was unlocked half a day after its release, with a score of , but its box office is not even half as high as "Flowers on the Stars." "
Ji Miao: "The publicity of "You Who Came From the River" was not as good as "Flowers on the Stars". If it weren't for Zhang Ding and Qin Sangwen starring in it, not many people would know about this movie. "Flowers on the Stars" is just short of having posters stuffed on everyone's doorsteps."
-
The final battle report of the Qixi Festival period is out. "Flowers on the Stars" made a comeback in the prime time in the evening and topped the box office chart with a box office of 8756 million on the first day.
The old film "The Pop-Up Needle" ranked second with 6812 million.
"You Who Came From the River" ranked third with 4200 million.
The animated film "Magpie Bridge" was a complete flop, ranking fourth with 1300 million.
On the day of the Chinese Valentine's Day, the market exceeded 2 million, which was a mediocre performance, and the industry was somewhat disappointed.
But this does not affect the celebration of "Flowers on the Stars".
It is obvious that this movie will make over 100 million yuan. Even if there are a lot of voices online criticizing this movie for being melodramatic, it will not affect the movie's ability to make money.
Yu Jiang happily released the first day battle report poster and announced another new movie.
Yu Jiang has quite a few film projects in progress. She is working on another one with Lang Xia, and she is also preparing for another one. Now that Flowers on the Stars has performed so well at the box office, her other projects will surely be accelerated.
People are happy when they are happy.
Yu Jiang spent the evening on Weibo arguing with those netizens who criticized her movie for being too melodramatic until 2 ., then she quit Weibo feeling satisfied.
On WeChat, there are still many congratulatory messages that have not been responded to.
She was too lazy to read it, so she would talk about it tomorrow. (End of this chapter)
