I'm just trying to ride the wave of popularity!

Chapter 95 The War in Theaters! (First Update)
Before 93.

There is no such thing as a cinema chain in China.

Basically, cinemas operate under a vertically monopolistic system.

[China Film Group] is solely responsible for film distribution. Cinemas screen films according to administrative orders. There are not many screens nationwide, and most are old-fashioned single-screen cinemas in rural towns. The film sources are mainly patriotic.

In 93, with the market gradually booming and the income of people across the country increasing, in order to meet market demand, the Chinese film industry ushered in its first reform, allowing film studios to directly connect with provincial distribution companies and release films in theaters, and also introducing the concept of personal cinema chains for the first time.

Before the millennium, most cinema chains were established under the leadership of provincial and municipal state-owned enterprises responsible for distribution. They were often connected by film sources, and the capital ties between the entities were not close, resulting in a lack of unified branding.

After the turn of the millennium, influenced by the wave of globalization, and in order to further stimulate employment and the development of the real economy, the concept of "cinema chains" was finally proposed and confirmed. Under supervision, the film department allowed capital to enter the film industry and form a unified cinema chain system brand, promoting the further vigorous development of the Chinese film industry and promoting healthy competition in the film market economy...

With this relaxation...

A war without gunfire has already begun!
……

From the year 2000 to the present.

China Film Group has approved the establishment of a total of 30 cinema chains.

As market rules were gradually established, box office revenue sharing became clearer, and it was eventually agreed that theaters and cinemas would retain 57% of a film's box office revenue, while the production company and distributor would receive the remaining 43%...

It's no exaggeration to say that with the explosive growth of China's film industry and the continuous breaking of box office records, in this super market with over a billion people, whoever can truly become the leader of the cinema chain can sleep soundly on a mountain of gold...

Many investors understand this principle very well!
Over the past two years, with more and more capital flowing into cinema chains, the competition between cinema chains has become almost insane!

Countless cinema chain owners received funding from investors and frantically searched across the country for cinema brands to partner with. Through acquisitions, equity investments, and OEM collaborations, they built their own cinema chains' reputations. Cinemas opened one after another, and in just about three years, the number of cinemas nationwide surged from 450 to 1240 and 2103 screens. The remaining peripheral cinemas and screens were not included in the statistics...

After three years of competition, nearly 10 out of more than 30 cinema chains nationwide have emerged from the brutal market battles and carved out a path to success!
Among these ten companies, Tianxing Film International, Fengyu International, and Huaying International have begun to show their strength, and their market size and the capital behind them have far surpassed those of other cinema chains.

But the competition between the three parties is even more brutal and bloody!
..............................

"Mr. Yuan, we need to secure the premiere rights for this movie!"

"This film, 'The Haunted Village,' has a very high chance of becoming a major hit in the horror genre in 2003!"

"..."

Early morning on December 9th.

【Wind Whisper International】

There was a series of urgent knocks on the door of Yuan Guanguo's office, where he was in charge of the copyright department.

The assistant hurriedly handed over a set of the latest reports from the internet.

Upon seeing the report, Yuan Guanguo was initially stunned, then stared intently at the data on the table.

More than a month ago!

With the upcoming release of "A Better Tomorrow", almost all cinema chains have invested their capital in the film!
The premiere of "A Better Tomorrow" did not disappoint, and it did indeed achieve impressive box office results...

Just when everyone, including Yuan Guanguo, thought that "A Better Tomorrow" would be the most talked-about movie in China in 2003, and even the box office champion.

A dark horse titled "Lin Daiyu vs. Lu Zhishen," or rather, "The Village Corpse," suddenly and unexpectedly topped the trending searches...

"Yesterday, the ratings for the [1819 program] came out, and it broke the record for local news again!"

"In addition, there is the program 'Approaching Science.' After the last episode aired, the ratings on CCTV channel exceeded an astonishing 32%, which is almost a significant lead compared to previous episodes!"

"On the internet, the movie 'The Haunted Village' brought over 100,000 new registrations to [Movie House], and the website's traffic has already exceeded its threshold..."

"There's another set of data from the film-related media outlets we're currently working with, which indicates that the influence of 'The Haunted Village' has completely surpassed that of 'A Better Tomorrow'..."

"Just yesterday, I specifically sent one of the company's professional film critics to see the movie. After watching it, the critic praised it highly, giving it a rating of at least 8.5 out of 10 for a domestic horror film..."

"This is a report based on our data survey and feedback from several cinema owners who partner with our brand. Almost every day, nearly a hundred people come to inquire about the availability of 'The Haunted Village'... hoping we can obtain an officially licensed copy. In some respects, the influence and popularity of this film have already surpassed that of 'A Better Tomorrow'!"

"It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that this movie is a phenomenal horror film!"

"..."

The sets of data on the table gradually made Yuan Guanguo's expression turn somewhat shocked.

Horror films are generally a niche genre in film classification. Although they are low-budget and high-return films, even the highest returns cannot match the box office of some martial arts films or commercial films.

The scary elements of horror have already filtered out a large group of users!

Apart from the Japanese film "The Doll" from the 90s, Yuan Guanguo has never seen a horror film with such a huge impact!
Perhaps, this movie might just be a landmark work in the history of Chinese horror films!

In today's fiercely competitive cinema market, whoever can first secure a phenomenal, critically acclaimed film will gain a leading edge in the competition, and the capital behind them will be more willing to invest!
Soldiers are very fast!
Regardless of the competition behind "The Haunted Village" or whether its popularity is artificially inflated!
Yuan Guanguo didn't have much time to think anymore!

this moment……

He immediately stood up!
"Get the rights to this movie; you guys go and make the contact!"

"it is good!"

"..."

Upon hearing this, the assistant immediately rushed out of the movie theater.

About ten minutes later, the assistant's expression turned grim. "Mr. Yuan, something's happened!"

"What's wrong?"

"Huaying International has signed a cooperation agreement with Xuanshi Entertainment, securing the priority screening rights for 'The Haunted Village'!"

"What?! Impossible! How could they be so fast! Damn it!"

When Yuan Guanguo heard this, his eyes widened in disbelief as he looked at his assistant.

The assistant's face was flushed red at this moment, and he finally gritted his teeth and said: "Dong Qichang, the head of the marketing department of [Huaying International], personally went to Zhou Yang's [Xuanshi Entertainment] at 3:00 a.m. yesterday with the copyright department and reached an agreement with Zhou Yang!"

"Damn it! Quick, answer Zhou Yang's call, quick!"

Yuan Guanguo, who had been relatively calm, widened his eyes upon hearing this.

The voice even started to sound slightly panicked!
Market competition is constantly changing!
Don't be fooled by the fact that this is a movie!
However, no one knows whether a difference of just one movie could give the other side a significant lead!
In this intense phase, one step ahead means continuous progress!

"it is good!"

The assistant nodded and then quickly had someone find Zhou Yang's contact number!

Immediately afterwards, without hesitation, I called.

but……

I tried calling several times, but the call was always busy.

Clearly, at this very moment, Zhou Yang's phone must be ringing off the hook!
"I'll personally take the copyright department there. Give me the address of [Xuan Shi Entertainment]..."

"it is good!"

Yuan Guanguo remained silent for a long time after witnessing this scene, and then immediately stood up without hesitation!

..............................

"Mr. Zhou, hello, I am Xu Hongbing, the head of the film and television department of [Tianxing Film and Television International]..."

"Hello, Mr. Xu!"

"Mr. Zhou, you are younger than I imagined, and you are definitely a promising young man!"

"Mr. Xu, thank you. Mr. Xu, may I ask what brings you here today...?"

"..."

At this moment.

In the office of [XuanShi Entertainment].

Zhou Yang made a cup of water, a smile on his face, and invited Xu Hongbing, the person in charge of [Tianxing Film and Television International], to sit down.

Xu Hongbing looked around the office.

【Xuan Shi Entertainment】This company is completely different from all the companies he knows!
The moment I walked into the company, it felt like a huge warehouse.

Everywhere you look there are all sorts of filming props, photography equipment, costumes...

Aside from the path leading to the office, which is passable, you can't even take a step!
Who would have thought...

How could such a newly established, struggling film and television company suddenly become famous?

“Mr. Zhou, I won’t beat around the bush with you. We’ve seen that your ‘The Haunted Village’ has a certain influence in the market. We’ve come here specifically to discuss cooperation with sincerity. Let me state our terms first: we are willing to spend 30 RMB to purchase the screening rights for ‘The Haunted Village.’ Of course, in addition to the screening rights, we will also give you a share of the profits. We will give you, the production company, 4% of the theater revenue share…” As soon as he sat down, Xu Hongbing immediately took out the contract he had prepared from his bag.

"Mr. Xu... I'd love to cooperate with you, but... you're too late!"

"What do you mean you're late?"

"We have already granted priority broadcasting rights to [Huaying International]!"

"What conditions did Huaying International offer?"

"The conditions are basically the same, but they offered a three-day priority premiere, which means that for the next three days, films under their [Huaying International] umbrella will have priority premiere rights..."

"What! Three days? Damn it, they're so fast!"

Xu Hongbing, who had been relatively calm, widened his eyes upon hearing this.

"Can I see the contract?"

"I'm sorry, the contract is confidential. They've already scheduled the screenings this way, there's nothing we can do..."

"That……"

Xu Hongbing took a deep breath and gritted his teeth: "Okay, the contract states how much the penalty for breach of contract is. We'll pay that penalty for you, and you'll still get the price!"

"..."

(End of this chapter)