The Rainey couple's trip to China was complete and full of historical significance.
When they said goodbye, they were reluctant to leave, but they couldn't stop.
The tape of "MyHeartWillGoon" is in their hands and they need to hand it over to Cameron in person.
"Xiao, are you really not going to the United States with us to witness the birth of this great song?"
Xiao Qian waved her hands, also feeling regretful.
"Of course I want to go, but there are more important things waiting for me here."
There are only seven days until May 1st, and it’s finally time for “The Opium War” to meet the world.
Starting from mid-April, all major TV stations and radio stations across the country began to broadcast relevant advertisements and trailers during prime time.
Just for these advertisements, Starlight Film and Television spent more than 5 million.
In the last ten days of April, major media outlets in Hong Kong also began advertising, causing more and more people to know that a domestic blockbuster was about to be released simultaneously in the three places on both sides of the Taiwan Strait.
In this era, films from Mainland China, Hong Kong and Taiwan almost each occupied their own territory, with little interference from each other.
When films from Hong Kong and Taiwan are screened in the mainland, they are called imports, and when films from the mainland are screened in Hong Kong and Taiwan, they are called exports.
This is the first time in history that simultaneous releases have been achieved, which is of great significance.
This time, the country also made great efforts to help "The Opium War" be released simultaneously.
This was clearly mentioned in the trade negotiations with Taiwan last year.
For the sake of economic interests, the Taiwan authorities finally opened their mouth, but they also took the opportunity to propose a plan to introduce Taiwanese films to the mainland.
The follow-up is currently under negotiation, and some people in the relevant departments are very worried that this will be detrimental to the development of domestic films.
After Xiao Qian learned of the situation, he clearly told Li Jianguo that he could reach cooperation with confidence and boldness.
No one knows better than him how failed foreign films from Hong Kong and Taiwan are. There is such a good opportunity to conquer the city and promote public opinion. Wouldn't it be a pity to miss it?
Xiao Qian attached great importance to the release of "The Opium War" and personally went to the front line to inspect it.
Although this film has been bought out by distribution companies in various provinces and cities, how the box office will affect the status and follow-up plans of Starlight Film and Television cannot be ignored.
Yu Shanxiang, the general manager of Magic City Film Distribution Company, personally accompanied him and was extremely respectful.
Nowadays, the film system reform in the Free Shipping Zone has become increasingly clear, and the stubborn ones have been eliminated. Almost all industry stakeholders have learned that a giant public-private integrated film industry group is brewing
among.
The first stop of their inspection was the Grand Guangming Cinema.
This cinema, which once enjoyed the reputation of "the first cinema in the Far East", is still stubbornly located at No. 216 Nanjing West Road, but its glory is no longer there.
The long history has certainly brought brilliant achievements to this theater, but it has also slowed down their development.
Just looking at the mottled walls, it’s hard to get the pleasure of going in and watching a movie.
The person who received the two people was Guo Kun, the person in charge of Daguangming Cinema.
He is from the Cultural Affairs Bureau and temporarily serves as the person in charge of this cinema. The original person in charge was unwilling to accept the reform and has been transferred.
"Mr. Xiao, Mr. Yu, and Da Guangming are really overwhelmed now. If they don't carry out transformation, they will be eliminated by the market sooner or later."
Although he is only the temporary person in charge, Guo Kun is very dedicated and complains whenever they meet.
Grand Guangming Cinema, like all old cinemas, has a large screening hall system that can accommodate 1,900 people watching movies at the same time. This was simply unimaginable a few years later.
It is also because of this layout that the movie-watching experience is extremely poor, and it gradually fails to attract customers.
When Guo Kun took over, Grand Guangming Cinema was now in debt, and he had no confidence how long it could last.
Fortunately, the day of reform is getting closer and closer, and he doesn't have to suffer all the time.
"Mr. Xiao, you have also seen that our cinemas are basically like this at present. The only ones that are better are Oriental Cinema and Yongle Cinema. I am afraid that if they all take over by then, it will be a loss-making business."
Yu Shanxiang was worried and looked sad.
The film industry in the Free Shipping Zone is preparing for reform, and he is the first person to express support. After decades of working in film distribution, he has long been fed up with the suffering of theater chains.
In addition, he had visited Europe, America, and Japan, and had seen the conditions outside, which had already strengthened his determination to reform.
It is precisely because of this that Yu Shanxiang will have a pivotal position in the new industrial groups in the future.
Now that he saw the Great Guangming Cinema in such a dilapidated condition, he couldn't help but feel frustrated about the prospects of outside.
Unlike him, Xiao Qian's attitude was very firm from beginning to end.
"Renovation is inevitable. We must make greater value for such a high-quality asset."
Yu Shanxiang was startled and quickly reminded: "If the Grand Guangming Cinema is renovated, it will require at least hundreds of millions of funds. At present, the city simply cannot afford that much money."
How did he know that Xiao Qian had already made a plan.
"We have to use our own subjective initiative and cannot rely on the city for everything. If we don't have funds, we will find them ourselves. In short, transformation is imperative."
Yu Shanxiang’s heart and soul is devoted to the reform of the film industry.
"If we do this, will it affect the reform plan?"
Xiao Qian smiled, knowing that Yu Shanxiang was very worried about gains and losses.
"What is the purpose of our reform? Of course it is to make money. Now that the Grand Guangming Cinema is not making money, what's the point of our reform if we don't reform it?"
He turned around and patted Yu Shanxiang on the shoulder to cheer him up.
"The difficulties we face are nothing at all. If we have confidence, our career will be bright."
Yu Shanxiang felt dizzy and looked at Xiao Qian carefully, just to see if he had a white beard.
Obviously not, then why do you treat me like a brat?
I couldn't understand it, so I could only smile bitterly.
Who calls him a boss?
The most inspiring person in Xiao Qian's speech was Guo Kun.
"If we can promote the reform of Da Guangming, then all employees here will definitely support the reform with all their strength."
Xiao Qian smiled slightly, knowing everything was under control.
What is the biggest difficulty in reform?
It is not obstruction by vested interests, but failure to bring benefits to more people, then the reform will inevitably fail.
Xiao Qian grasps the general trend and can take into account the interests of more people, so there is no possibility of failure.
The most important thing is that the source of profits of the film industry is in his hands, which is a foolproof guarantee.
After briefly talking about the renovation of the theater, Xiao Qian was more concerned about "The Opium War".
“How is the current pre-sale situation at Great Bright?”
Speaking of this, Guo Kun was very happy.
"Thanks to TOEFL's effective publicity, many viewers have come to inquire. The current pre-sale situation is very ideal. All tickets for the first three days of May have been sold out. We estimate that during this screening period, the box office will reach a new high this year.
.”
This is Xiao Qian's favorite result.
"Of course everyone likes to have a good box office. But your theaters must also do a good job in service to make the audience feel at home. Even if it is hard work, it can create the advantages of the theater.
It is also good for subsequent development.”
Guo Kun was a little confused. How to run a cinema was not his specialty. He was brought in temporarily.
In his simple mind, a theater is just a place to watch movies. Is there anything else that needs to be done besides putting the movie on?
One look at his character, Xiao Qian knew not to place high hopes on him. After the theater system was integrated, qualified managers still needed to be dispatched here.
But that's all he can do now. He can't do anything until the film industry is reformed.
The cinemas in Shanghai belong to the type where tradition and modernity coexist.
The traditional ones include the Grand Guangming Cathay Huangpu Theater Lan Xin Meiqi, etc., which belong to the historical memory of the people of Shanghai and are also the best witness to the development of Chinese films.
The modern ones are mainly joint venture theaters such as Oriental Yongle and other theaters, which pay more attention to commercial operations and services, and are gradually replacing the status of old theaters in the hearts of people in the city.
Among them, Magic City Cinema, established in 1991, is one of the best, and it is also the place that Xiao Qian focused on.
Magic City Cinema was one of the representatives of the practical projects of the Magic City Government at that time. It was also the largest cinema in the country. It was the first five-star cinema in Shanghai and pioneered the multi-hall cinema in China.
Although the multiplex theater model will be common in the future, it was relatively rare in the 1990s.
In the future integration of the film industry, Magic City Cinema will be the focus of this reform and assume a huge task.
"Manager Shi, this time the premiere of "The Opium War" is held here with you, you must do a good job of escorting it. If you do it well this time, I will remember you as your first contribution."
When facing Shi Jiangong, the general manager of Magic City Cinema, Xiao Qian made a promise on the spot.
