"A tiger cannot be an anti-dog. The style of "Modern Times" is the same as that of past comedy movies with similar embarrassing plots, but there is nothing new in the whole movie!"
"All kinds of familiar plots were mixed into a lame story, and it was completely incomprehensible. That's what happened after Xu Zheng left the "囧" series."
"The Spring Festival holiday is over, the eight-day box office of "Modern Times" is only 78 million, Xu Zheng's myth is no longer there!"
"Nearly half of the reviews are negative, and many viewers are extremely disappointed with Xu Zheng!"
"The myth of "囧囧" is difficult to replicate, and Xu Zheng's true colors are revealed after leaving the "囧" series!"
From heaven to hell, although this sentence is a bit exaggerated, there is no problem at all when applied to Xu Zheng.
Thinking back to how high-spirited he was last year, he directly surpassed Tang An and won the box office championship of Chinese-language movies by nearly 300 million, and he was called a comedy master.
Nowadays, the greater the expectations, the greater the disappointment. A movie that can be rated 6 points is because the audience's expectations are too high. These reviews and news seem to be talking about a big bad movie.
When you are awesome, you will be praised to the sky, and everyone will praise your stinky feet.
Once there is a downward trend, everyone will step on you hard and accelerate your fall.
The box office of "Modern Times" was normal in the first two days, but stopped growing on the third day. And after receiving widespread negative reviews, the box office decreased day by day. On New Year's Eve plus the seven-day holiday, a total of 8 days.
There were seven days of holidays, and the total box office was only 78 million.
The craziness of last year's "囧囧" is still fresh in my mind. It was also a comedy, starring Xu Zheng, and it was also during the Spring Festival holiday with no rivals. This data is shocking.
Even a Hong Kong movie like "The Greatest Happiness" took in a box office of 75 million in seven days, and from the third day onwards it was firmly positioned as the box office champion of the day.
"Modern Times" did not emerge as a winner, and the Spring Festival schedule instead became a melee between multiple movies.
The animated movie "Panda Story" dubbed by Happy Family sold 25 million in 4 days. It seems that since I don't know when, they have at least one movie every year, both live-action and animated dubbing.
The costume comedy "The Wonderful Couple" starring Louis Koo and Sandra Ng also sold 25 million in 4 days. It is a typical Hong Kong comedy film and was criticized as rubbish.
The romantic movie "I Know Women's Hearts" starring Liu Dehua and Gong Li sold 26 million in 4 days, which is slightly higher than those two movies.
5 movies, none of which are blockbuster hits, this year’s Spring Festival schedule looks a bit shabby
Xu Zheng's studio, the general manager's office was filled with gloom and gloom.
Xu Zheng leaned on the sofa with a gloomy face. His bald head, which was originally very happy, now looked not happy at all.
Liu Ruizi, the general manager of the studio and his agent, also frowned and was silent for a long time before speaking.
"We should have thought of this situation at the beginning, but now we are not prepared at all. What should we do?"
Xu Zheng shook his head, his voice a little low, "Huayi also regretted it. Although they were willing to pay liquidated damages, they wanted to control the studio, and the treatment was worse than Teng Huatao."
"What about other companies? Aren't Wanda and Pony Ma very sincere?" Liu Ruizhi asked again.
"It's the same, no one can offer a better price at this time."
Xu Zheng's tone was a little helpless, and there was also a hint of regret.
Originally, I wanted to prove myself with this movie that had nothing to do with the Jon series, so as to strive for greater benefits.
Unexpectedly, the box office was far less than expected. Not to mention the 500 million boasted at the premiere, even the original target of 200 million was basically impossible.
It’s just that the early box office performance was not ideal, but the key is that the reputation is also not good, so it’s not very possible to slowly increase the box office in the later stages.
"Then what do you think? If you stay in Han and Tang Dynasties, I will first go to Tang Dong and say a few good words?"
Although Tang An has never shown any emotion about Xu Zheng's starring in this movie, as if it has nothing to do with him, Liu Ruizhi will not think that Tang An really doesn't care.
This is a mature series with a huge audience base, and the cost is extremely low. No big company can ignore it.
Liu Ruizhi went to calm down with Tang An first, talk in a low voice, and act as a buffer between them.
If Xu Zheng went to Tang An directly in person and the two parties involved revealed the matter, even if the next movie could be launched, there would be no chance of cooperation in the future.
The agent is such a role, sandwiched between the artist and the producer. Actors and directors must not get into trouble with the producer, let alone a big company.
If you have a conflict with one company today, it may be with another company tomorrow, and sooner or later you will all be offended.
Of course, if "Modern Times" becomes a big hit, there won't be so many worries.
"Alas." Xu Zheng nodded and sighed.
This is all we can do now. The conditions in Huayi are not much better than those in the Han and Tang Dynasties. The conditions offered by Wanda and Xiaoma are quite good, especially the former, who has just entered the film and television production industry and lacks projects and directors, so the conditions are much better.
However, Wanda is a newcomer in the industry after all, and one theater chain is far from enough, let alone other channels.
Although Pony is one of the top film and television companies in China, it has everything from production, promotion to distribution, and Li Ming is also very sincere.
However, Xiaoma already has Wu Yusen and Ning Hao. Even if he goes, he will not get more resources than the two of them.
Of course, the more important thing is that the copyright of the "囧" series is not in his hands. If he really left the Han and Tang Dynasties, this series would probably have nothing to do with him.
Without this series, if the next movie still fails to improve, it will be difficult for him to turn around again.
The most important thing for him now is to quickly restore his reputation and status through the next "囧" series. This is the most important thing.
Liu Ruizhi discussed with Xu Zheng and asked him to first come up with a script outline that was enough to impress Tang An, and then asked Xu Zheng about his requirements.
"5% box office share, or 10% profit share." Xu Zheng thought for a while and said.
Xu Zheng originally wanted more than that, but now he is the one who is anxious and has no choice.
Liu Ruizhi shook his head, "It's probably difficult, I'll try my best to talk."
As she spoke, she remembered something again, opened Tudou.com on her computer, and clicked on a window on the homepage.
"Didn't I say two days ago that Tang An would hold a press conference to announce several projects of the group? Let me take a look."
Xu Zheng shook his head, "Even if you have a press conference, it must be broadcast live."
"He is at least a more qualified businessman than you. He can promote the company's projects and Tudou.com can also increase traffic."
Liu Ruizhi, a friend for many years, said unceremoniously.
After 75 seconds of commercials, the scene came to the hotel press conference, which had already begun.
However, not even five minutes into watching it, both Liu Ruizhi and Xu Zheng were stunned, with disbelief on their faces.