459 The Seventh Spring Festival Gala and Jiang Ziya
On January 25, 2006, the movie "Fearless" was released
As a top domestic star, Li Lianjie still has strong box office appeal, and even though the Spring Festival is approaching, the figures are quite good.
Moreover, according to media reports, "Fearless" has done very well at the overseas box office, with a box office of US$5 million in North America in less than a week.
This data is definitely not comparable to those Hollywood blockbusters, but it is better than some movies that vow to hit the US market.
For example, "The Promise"...
It was also released in North America, and the box office was only US$669,000, which was not even enough for the film company's promotional expenses.
Due to the influence of "Xiu Chun Knife 2", the mainland box office did not reach the original 180 million, and was only about 130 million when it was released.
The film studio takes about 37.7% of the production share, which translates to just over 48 million.
Due to the disastrous box office failure in the Mainland and the United States, the original rights sale progress was not very satisfactory.
Because it is a big-budget blockbuster, it relies on overseas investment to make money. The price offered for copyright is very high, often tens of millions of dollars. Overseas film producers will definitely be more cautious, and some will even consider the box office market and reputation before deciding to sign a contract.
.
This situation has advantages and disadvantages for the producer. If the box office is a hit, the price will definitely be increased. But if the box office is not ideal, the price will be lowered, and the cooperation will even be cancelled.
The crew of "The Promise" had more confidence in the movie and a stable mentality because of Director Chen, but now they are starting to get frustrated.
Overseas film producers who were still willing to cooperate tried their best to lower the prices, and some simply stopped buying them.
Comparing the cost investment of 300 million yuan for the movie, "The Promise" will definitely lose money. What we can do now is try our best to recover the losses.
The biggest investor in "The Promise" is China Film Group, and Mr. Han is almost depressed personally.
This is a key project of China Film and Television, and several hundred million have been spent on it. Now that this situation has happened, he, the person in charge, cannot absolve himself of the blame.
Fortunately, several of his cooperation projects with Fanxing, such as "New World", "Xiu Chun Dao 2", "Myth" and other Chinese film projects, have certain profits, giving him a lot of points.
In addition, China Film Group also has theaters and distribution businesses, and it has also made some profits. At least it will not lose everything, and it can barely avoid this problem.
After this time, Master Han's impression of Director Chen changed greatly, and he also valued the stars more and more.
He finally figured out that except for Fanxing and a few people, the rest were just a mob. It would be impossible to make a Chinese movie if they were together with the insects...
"The Promise" was closely related to "The Promise", and its final box office in the Mainland was 184 million, ranking second in the 2005 Mainland box office list. The champion was "New World".
It's a pity that "The Promise" still has a strong foundation, and it finally surpassed "The Myth". Otherwise, the top three box office movies in the mainland today would all be movies produced or produced by Fanxing.
Of the 184 million box office, the producers will probably be able to share about 70 million, and Fanxing, as well as Fanxing Cinemas and Distributors, will probably be able to share another 30 to 50 million.
Under normal circumstances, theater chains can take 50% to 58% of the total box office of a movie.
As the main theater chain for the release of Fanxing movies, Fanxing Cinemas has a high internal film schedule and a large box office. It can basically get one-third to more than half of the 55% to 58% share of the theater chain.
At the same time, the distributor also has to share money, usually 5% to 10% of the total box office, and Fanxing can get at least half, and sometimes even the whole package.
In other words, if a movie’s box office is fully produced, distributed, and screened by Fanxing, Fanxing itself can account for 60 to 75% of the movie’s revenue.
This is the benefit of having an industrial chain, from beginning to end...
Therefore, Cao Xuan is sometimes willing to give up some of his film investment share, because even if he takes less from production, he can still earn back from distribution and theaters. No matter how he divides it, the platform terminal will always take the lion's share.
So far, there are only three companies in China that can do this, China Film, Shanghai Film and Stars.
Huayi, Bona and other companies are pursuing this model, but due to strength, funds and market share, they can only follow the three companies and eat dust.
Cao Xuan occasionally helps them out, but rarely suppresses them intentionally. The main reason is that he needs such a group of companies to chase them, which can not only bring a certain amount of competitive pressure to Fanxing, but also prevent them from waiting to die in the credit department.
It will not lead to a trend of private monopoly in Fanxing.
Now that the economy needs to advance at a high speed, you don’t care about many things, and you even want you to become bigger and stronger.
But in a few years, the economic growth will weaken slightly, and many things will become more sensitive, and maybe it will become a chicken that is killed to scare the monkeys.
Although Cao Xuan has connections above him and is confident that he will not be a target, it is better to keep a low profile and find a few shields to share the pressure no matter what.
Otherwise, if anything bad happens in the entertainment industry in the future, Cao Xuan will have to be blamed.
Unjustly accused?
If the capitalists are wronged, they can just lie down and be scolded.
Therefore, Boss Cao needs to have a group of people who can shirk the blame. It is best to change the broad impression from "Internal entertainment is over" to "If it weren't for Fanxing, internal entertainment would have been over long ago".
Everything is a matter of comparison. If there are only stars, you have to use a magnifying glass to see everything, and 80 points will become 50 points.
But if there are several other companies with 60 points next to it, the 80 points will be particularly valuable. Even under the filter, it may be dazzling to 100 points.
This is the best example of "Xiu Chun Dao 2" and "The Promise". No matter how good you are, you are not as good as your peers...
In addition to the mainland box office, the copyright of "Xiu Chun Knife 2" is also much higher than that of the first part. Unfortunately, this series is not very popular abroad. Otherwise, with the box office volume of two movies exceeding 300 million, it would really be a big hit.
Make a fortune.
The popularity of the "Xiuchundao" series has also led to more domestic exploration of Ming Dynasty film and television to a certain extent, and the term "Jinyiwei" has also begun to be widely used in the industry.
There have been two TV series based on Jin Yiwei before. Now, taking advantage of the popularity of "Xiu Chun Dao 2", a company directly announced to start filming "Jin Yiwei".
The actors are the story of Hakka, Wei Zhongxian and Zhu Youxiao, and the director is tentatively named "Toward the Republic" Zhang Li.
We don’t know why Zhang Li took this script, but one thing is that without the screenwriter Liu Heping, the filming of "The Guard" can be called magical.
Wei Zhongxian is still the villain, insisting that the number one villain in the Ming Dynasty will not waver.
Hakka became the female protagonist, not only Bai Lianhua, but also the male protagonist, she was also forced to marry the old emperor, and was defiled by Wei Zhongxian and Zhu Youxiao respectively, which was a bit like the dark version of Yang Yuhuan in the late Ming Dynasty.
Not only did Zhu Youxiao become Zhu Youjian's younger brother, he also had a serious Oedipus complex and rebelled and killed his father, Zhu Changluo, who had been in power for decades.
The famous Emperor in January didn't know whether to be happy or jumpy when he saw this.
The most outrageous thing is that Zhu Youjian of Chongzhen not only competed with Zhu Youxiao and another prince, but he was also a talented man with both civil and military skills. He personally commanded the Battle of Ningyuan and killed Nurhaci.
Neither the boar skin nor Yuan Chonghuan's coffin board could hold down.
Moreover, in the TV series, after Zhu Youxiao killed the king and seized the throne, Zhu Youjian in Jiangnan rebelled. Zhu Youxiao personally led the army to put down the rebellion, and a modified version of Seize the Gate and Jingnan came out in the late Ming Dynasty.
In the end, Zhu Youxiao was killed by Zhu Youjian with artillery. Counting his father and another prince, three of the four of him died at the hands of his own family.
Compared with them, the Li family of the Tang Dynasty were all brothers and sisters, and the family was harmonious...
The only highlight of the whole drama is that Ma Yinli's appearance is at her peak, and there are many forced passionate scenes, which I feel pity for.
If it weren't for the information, it would be hard for anyone to believe that it was filmed by Zhang Li. The most terrifying thing is that it was filmed in the same year as "Ming Dynasty 1566", and many actors participated in both dramas at the same time.
It is not difficult to see from this that although Zhang Li is a good director, it still depends on the screenwriter, so it is not difficult to understand why "Martial Arts" will be produced in later generations.
The reason why I say so much is actually because Fanxing invested in the production of the TV series "Ming Dynasty 1566" and is preparing to broadcast it on CCTV.
This masterpiece, which is said to be the most machinist, is one of the top three TV series on Douban. In fact, its ratings on the original TV show are not good, or even bad.
Although it is due to the subject matter, a large part of the reason is that the broadcast platform is Hunan TV.
At that time, Hunan TV attracted a large number of young and adolescent audiences due to a series of entertainment programs, Korean dramas, and idol dramas, and became the local station with the best ratings and the most topics.
But because of this, historical machinations dramas like "Ming Dynasty 1566" have no market at all among the viewers of Hunan TV.
But CCTV is different, especially the Central Television. Historical dramas and themes still have a wide audience. If "Ming Dynasty 1566" is put on CCTV, even if it doesn't explode, the ratings will definitely be much better than the original show.
In addition to "The Ming Dynasty 1566", Cao Xuan also snatched up another project from Hunan Province - "Cha Classmate Boy".
Of course, the latter cannot be considered a robbery. It should be said that it was prepared by Fanxing and then cooperated with the local propaganda outlet in Hunan Province. After all, this is the hometown of a great man. If the film is about the teenage stage, many aspects require local approval.
Not afraid of death, Cao Xuan really wanted to star in this drama, and he didn't even consider the difference between movies and TV series. Being able to star in it would be an honor.
But it's a pity that a certain fat man is too timid to write, so Cao Xuan can only give up. It would be nice to silently add more effort.
………
January 28, 2006, New Year’s Eve
This is the seventh time Cao Xuan has participated in the Spring Festival Gala. Compared with last year's large-scale event, he has produced many outstanding works in one go.
This year can be said to be the most low-key time Cao Xuan has ever had.
Prior to this, he declined the artistic director and consultant invitations from the directing team, only signed up for a singing program, and rarely participated in specific interviews for the Spring Festival Gala. He focused more on "Xiu Chun Knife 2" and the new album.
But even so, Cao Xuan is still one of the most watched stars in this year's Spring Festival Gala.
As the party was about to begin, the host of CCTV's "Take You to Watch the Spring Festival Gala" live program found Cao Xuan who was eating melon seeds in the dressing room.
"Hello, Teacher Cao, I am the host Xiao Sa."
"Happy New Year everyone, I am Cao Xuan."
Cao Xuan put down the melon seeds and greeted the host and live camera with a smile.
"Teacher Cao, I see that you are not nervous at all."
"The more times I come, the better I can withstand pressure."
Cao Xuan was very calm and secretly glanced at Xiao Sa. Unlike him, he had been on the Spring Festival Gala several times and talked back.
"Just kidding, your previous Spring Festival Galas have left a deep impression on the audience. Can you share with everyone what kind of works you have brought to the national audience this year?"
Cao Xuan restrained himself for a moment and replied seriously: "This is a very quiet, warm and healing song. At the end of the year, I hope to bring some comfort to the audience and give some strength."
"Okay, thank you Teacher Cao for your answer."
Xiao Sa accepted it as soon as it was good, without any suspicion of spoilers, and talked about some interesting personal stories of Cao Xuan during the Spring Festival. Before the live broadcast, he met the next group of artists who dared to run. Cao Xuan continued to eat melon seeds and waited for the evening to come.
In the past few years, Cao Xuan had to worry about other things, including the East and West Palaces and temporary positions in other programs. This year, he was on his own and left as soon as he finished singing. His mentality was extremely good.
Waiting quietly until the evening, Cao Xuan, who has had many experiences, quietly adjusted his state and went on stage to complete his performance around 8:30.
"...
There are so many people in this world
How lucky I have us
The morning and evening in this long destiny
It often makes me look into the distance and be fascinated
…
How many frames of the past flashed in the evening breeze?
Has the rotation during speed disappeared?
Walking in the distant light, you look sunny
There are so many people around but the world is silent
…”
"There Are So Many People in the World" was originally sung by Mok Wenwei. In the 2022 Spring Festival Gala, Han Hong sang this song on the Spring Festival Gala stage. It was one of the few highlights of the Spring Festival Gala.
There are many versions of this song. In addition to Mo, Han, Lin Zhixuan and Zhou Shen have also sung it. Each has a different style, but they all performed well and each has its own fans.
Generally speaking, the most people have listened to the original version of Karen Mok.
But from the perspective of the song's conception, Mo is more inclined to the style of male-female relationships, while other versions have a higher conception.
Han Hong, in particular, evolved the word "us" in his lyrics from the people of the whole country, singing more about the changes of this year and the beauty of the world.
Some people are born again, some people leave, some people work hard, and some people protect them. We all face it together and move forward.
The version sung by Cao Xuan is Han Hong's version. His voice is clear and translucent, unhurried and unhurried, as if he is narrating it to others, with a warm and healing power.
In terms of stage performance, this song may not be as outstanding as Cao Xuan's previous performances, and may even be a bit mediocre.
But this song is very chewy, and it is the kind of music that gets more flavorful the more you listen to it. You may not feel anything after listening to it once, but you will fall in love with this song after listening to it a few times.
Many professionals and fans also saw from this song that Cao Xuan's singing skills are getting better and better.
With one person and one microphone, he can handle the task with ease, and his deep-seated self-confidence is the superstar style that many fans talk about.
When the song ended, Cao Xuan bowed and left the stage, simply packed up his things and went home to celebrate the New Year.
This year, my parents went back to their hometown to celebrate the New Year. Grandma Cao Xuan was in poor health. Cao Xuan just had a check-up at the Capital Hospital a few years ago. She found that she had no serious illness, but her body functions continued to decline.
To put it bluntly, the old lady is almost eighty this year and has reached her age.
The old lady's family went through great changes in her early years, and she suffered great hardships. After marrying Cao Xuan's grandfather, she did not enjoy much happiness. She only had enough food when she was past middle age, and her body was severely depleted.
To put it bluntly, if Cao Xuan, the grandson of Cao Xuan, had not been rich in recent years and had never stopped taking supplements, went to the hospital immediately when he was sick, and had physical examinations every once in a while, the old lady would have gone long ago.
But it is still the case, and it is ultimately no match for birth, aging, sickness and death.
According to the meaning of the "imperial doctor" hired by Cao Xuan through his connections, it would take one or two years at the earliest, or two or three months at the earliest. Even with all kinds of careful maintenance, it would not last long.
Cao Xuan meant to stay in the capital for as long as possible, and he didn't care about the cost.
But the old lady probably knew what she was doing. She wanted to go home or not, and she clamored to return to her roots. Her family couldn't stop her, so she had no choice but to follow her wishes. Even Sun Lan and his wife went home to watch over her, and they didn't even return to Beijing during the Spring Festival.
Cao Xuan also quietly went back to his hometown for a visit a few years ago. This time, when he comes back from the United States, he will go back and stay with the old lady for a few days.
Her parents were away, and Miss Zeng and her mother went abroad to visit their sister-in-law in England. They were not in the capital either, so Cao Xuan shamelessly went to Hu Jing's house to celebrate the New Year.
The parents of the Empress of the East Palace have been staying in the capital this year. Cao Xuan went there to have a meal when he had nothing to do, and he was already very familiar with his mother-in-law and his father-in-law.
The old couple were so happy to know that their son-in-law was celebrating the New Year together. Hu Jing was not allowed to eat the New Year's Eve dinner, but they waited for Cao Xuan to come back from the Spring Festival Gala before eating.
Looking at Hu Jing's resentful eyes, King Cao felt happy.
Thirty years in Hedong, thirty years in Hexi, the situation has changed, Xu You was favored by your husband and wife, and now it is his turn as your precious son-in-law to be favored.
"Dad, Mom, didn't we agree that you should eat first?"
Although he is not married, Cao Daguan is a shameless person, and his parents from the East and West Palaces have already been summoned, and he does not regard himself as an outsider at all.
Hu Jing's mother looks a bit like Hu Jing. She has almond-shaped eyes, fair skin, and a gentle personality. She especially likes Cao Xuan. When Cao Xuan calls her mom, she smiles from ear to ear.
"Don't worry about her. I ate a lot of snacks and oranges in the afternoon. I'm not hungry, but you didn't eat. Okay, watch TV with your dad, and mom will give you hot food."
"Thank you for your hard work, Mom, you are so kind to me."
"This kid, why are you such an outsider in your family?"
Hu's mother smiled broadly, then looked at Hu Jing and said softly: "Stop sitting there and come over and help me serve the food."
Hu Jing: "..."
After quietly stepping on Cao Xuan who was silently gloating about his misfortune, Hu Jing went to the kitchen to help, while Cao Xuan chatted with her father-in-law.
Dad Hu is a businessman. He has done everything, including clothing, retail, intermediary and food. He seems to have also made tea, but the scale is not large. He only earns more than ten or two hundred thousand a year. If he is lucky, he can earn three or four hundred thousand.
But it was considered good at the time, otherwise there would be no money to send Hu Jing to the capital to study dance and art.
Later, Hu Jing became famous, had some savings, and invested some money in the family. Cao Xuan helped find some connections and introduced some businesses. Only then did Hu's father start the business, and now has a stable income of more than 2 million a year.
It's nothing to Cao Xuan, but it can be considered a small asset if you get it outside.
However, Father Hu has no ambitions and doesn't think about how to expand. Compared with business, he and Mother Hu are more concerned about their daughter's future.
For Cao Xuan, except for his reputation, they were very satisfied with him in other aspects.
The old mother-in-law is about to treat him as her own son, so Hu Jing has to step aside. Dad Hu doesn't say anything, but he is quite proud in his heart that he has a son-in-law of a big star and a rich man.
"We all watched your Spring Festival Gala program just now. It's a good song, nice and deep."
"Dad, you are too flattering."
Cao Xuan said modestly. Seeing that his father-in-law had no interest in programs other than sketches, he took the initiative to say hello.
"How about we play chess together?"
"OK."
Father Hu's eyes lit up, and he immediately brought chess and cards from the study room. After placing the chess pieces, he was about to have a battle with his son-in-law.
This old man is a chess fanatic, and his level is not low. I heard that he is a member of the Chu City Chess Association, and he is considered to be a first-rate player among amateur chess players.
Cao Xuan's chess level is good, above average for ordinary people, but a little worse than his father-in-law, but he has a cheating device.
In later generations, there was a trick to bully old men with chess games on smartphones, but now in 2006, very few mobile phones are equipped with this kind of game.
But who is Cao Xuan? His box game is the number one game company in the industry. He can easily develop a customized mobile game/software for him. Not only can he control it in real time, but he can also take photos and review the chess game.
It has extremely high hidden functions.
Cao Xuan usually played chess with the old man based on his own level. If he couldn't win, he would find an opportunity to take a photo with his mobile phone and then cheat.
Relying on this destructive trick, Cao Xuan lost less and won more. When he performed exceptionally, he was able to pull out the old man's hair...
However, during the Chinese New Year today, Cao Xuan did not cheat and showed his true level. As a result, he lost three games in a row.
Seeing Father Hu's arrogant and unrestrained smile, Cao Xuan hesitated for a moment, but still didn't take out his phone.
During the Chinese New Year, just make the old man happy.
He remembered that there was a senior executive at Fox Animation whose uncle was a national chess player. One day, he invited Hu to play with Dad, so that the old man could truly feel what cruelty was...
After playing chess, the family had a reunion dinner and watched the skit "Telling Things" by Lao Zhao, Song Dandan and Xiao Cui, accompanied by bursts of laughter, ushering in the New Year's bell.
In the next few days, Cao Xuan went to pay New Year's greetings as usual.
This kind of direct visit to the door will not last long. At most, if it happens again, I am afraid that I will have to call and ask for permission in advance. But if I can still come in by then, the meaning will be completely different. He, Lao Cao, can really do it sideways.
Gone.
It’s not easy. Starting from 1998, Cao Xuan has been buried for almost ten years...
In addition to the places he must visit every year, Cao Xuan also did not forget his master Li Xuejian.
In the past two years, Cao Xuan has actually been intending to let his master act in more dramas with stars. The more money he has, the more comfortable he is and the less work he has to do. However, the old man is a bit stubborn and he can't bear to take advantage of his disciple.
Unless there is a script that he particularly likes, or Cao Xuan needs help, he is more inclined to act in dramas or take on outside dramas.
Cao Xuan tried to persuade him several times, but if he didn't listen, he would just let him go. Anyway, he had something to eat, so he couldn't starve the master. The old man could act whatever he wanted.
But this time, Cao Xuan went out of his way to find Li Xuejian and boasted loudly, making the old man dizzy with praise before he tried to show off.
"Feng Shen Bang", which has been in preparation for several years, is finally ready to start filming this year.
The TV series is directed by Hu Mei, who has filmed "Yongzheng Dynasty" and "Emperor Wu of Han Dynasty".
The two co-directors are Yu Mingsheng, the director of "Lotus Lantern", and Zhang Yongxin, the contracted director of Fanxing.
The latter's representative works are "Strategic Alliance" and "Age of Awakening". He has not yet made his mark, but he has also filmed several dramas and has a good reputation. He was discovered by Cao Xuan, taken under his command, and focused on training.
The total investment was 150 million to 200 million, but it was made into two parts, corresponding to the two major plots of "Shang Zhou Conquers Zhou" and "Wu Wang Conquers Zhou", with a total of 80 episodes. It was jointly produced by Fanxing and CCTV, with each taking half.
Share advertising revenue.
The male protagonist is undoubtedly Jiang Ziya. Cao Xuan asked someone to ask Mr. Lan Tianye if he had any thoughts of returning to the world, but the old man declined.
Cao Xuan didn't do what he thought and directly cast Li Xuejian. He was confident in his master and could play this role well.
Retired cadre Yang Shanzhou, Liangshan boss Song Jiang, Shanghai beach boss Feng Jingyao, Northeastern king Zhang Zuolin...
No matter what type of role he plays, Li Xuejian can make people forget about others, as if the character is him.
As for the image issue, Cao Xuan remembered Wu Ershan's trilogy "The List of Gods", in which the old man played King Wen of Zhou, but his demeanor and appearance were more like Jiang Taigong, who entrusted the gods to the gods than Huang Bo.
Cao Xuan's proposal was also approved by CCTV and the director team. There are only a few actors who can play Jiang Ziya well and are qualified to support such a large production. Li Xuejian is one of them. There is no reason for everyone to disagree.
Cao Xuan came to visit today and wanted to finalize the role. Li Xuejian was a little hesitant.
It's not that he doesn't have the confidence to perform well, but the investment is really not small. If it fails, it will screw up the apprentice.
But he couldn't stand Cao Xuan's rainbow farts, so the junior wife turned her elbow outward again, and even the junior junior brother helped to intercede. Finally, Li Xuejian hesitated for a long time and nodded in agreement.
"How about... let me try."
"No need to try, you can definitely do it."
Cao Xuan sent a text message to the staff and asked them to prepare a contract. The salary would be based on the highest market price, and then the two of them would have a drink and a meal.
After settling this matter, it was not long before the scheduled time. He should be ready to leave for the United States...
