Chapter 831 - The Fat Man Who Produced The Animated Film
Chapter 831: The Fat Man Who Produced The Animated Film
Putting aside the fact that Su Yang had already found out about the box office expectations of “Wandering Planet” through Little Hus, it was five billion yuan.
It was destined to be the highest box office in the history of the country.
And it could even raise the bar for the number one box office by a few billion yuan.
Although it was very likely that “Wolf Warriors 2” would overtake their movie in less than half a year, it was still not something that other ordinary movies could crush.
Other than Su Yang, there were a few big shots like Wu Feng, the largest reviewing team, a few big shots from the National Films, and the person-in-charge of the cinema chains. Those who had seen the quality of “Wandering Planet” did not doubt it at all.
This was because they knew very well that with the quality of “Wandering Planet”, it would be a shame if it could not hit billions or yuan, or even hundreds of billions of yuan in the box office.
Furthermore, the national pride of the Chinese was getting stronger these days. If such an exciting domestic sci-fi movie did not become a hit, they would look down on the patriotism of the Chinese.
Therefore, Su Yang did not panic at all despite the speculations of the outside world. The big shots were just sitting back and relaxing as they watched everything proceeding smoothly.
Very soon, after some internal coordination, the cinemas adjusted the schedule for the first day of the Chinese New Year after discussing with Su Yang about the promotional plan. They even released the schedule for the second day.
In the new screening, the cinema chains removed some showtimes for “From Macau To Vegas 3” and “Journey to the West: The Bone Demon” to give it to “Wandering Planet”. As for the animated film that did not have many screenings, it got squeezed out even more.
In fact, there were even fewer screenings for “The Mermaid” as well.
Of course, due to the pre-sales, the adjustment of this movie was relatively low. However, in the end, the screening for “Wandering Planet” increased from 15% to 23%, which was not a lot.
However, the next day’s screening was definitely terrifying. All the cinema chains directly increased the number of screenings for “Wandering Planet” to 45%, which was almost double the screenings from the first day.
The thought process of the movie producers was simple… Even if there was a problem with the promotions for “Wandering Planet”, as long as the audience watched the movie on the first day, they would definitely invite their friends to watch it on the second.
After all, “Wandering Planet” had that amount of quality in it.
However, the outsiders did not know what these people in charge were thinking. Once this screening was announced, whether it was in the film industry, the entertainment industry, or the internet, everyone was in an uproar.
This sort of screening was clearly telling everyone that there was a conspiracy brewing!
If there were no shady dealings, why would there be so many negative comments and doubts about “Wandering Planet”, and why would their screening schedule be adjusted so much in their favor despite its first day’s pre-sales being so bad?
After all, during the first day of “Wandering Planet” being broadcasted, the entire cinema was empty!
So, even if they were to make adjustments, they should give the empty slots to “The Mermaid” or “From Vegas To Macau 3”, which would make much more sense!
For a moment, there were even more doubts about “Wandering Planet”.
The film and television industry were also in a frenzy. They were all discussing what was going on. Some of the smarter ones tried to ask their friends at the cinema chain about the situation.
However, the only information they could get was that the person in charge of the screening was called to the Imperial Capital for a meeting. After they returned, the decision to adjust the schedules was made.
This kind of ambiguous statement instantly confirmed that there was a conspiracy.
On the night of the screening, a few actors from the New Year slot’s movies posted some obscure words on Weibo, criticizing the cinema chains for adjusting the screening schedule. They said that the cinema chains “did not give opportunities to the more suitable movies” and “did not let the audience see the movies they liked”.
When it was inconvenient for the producers and directors to get off the stage, the actors naturally carried the banner of charging into battle.
While the internet was abuzz with discussions about this matter, under Su Yang’s instructions, Li Zijun followed the plan and released the second promotional trailer for “Wandering Planet”.
It might be called a promotional trailer, but it would be more accurate to call it a mini documentary. The promotional trailer selected the scenes that Guo Fan had worked extra hard for during filming, and it produced live images and drafts of special effects design scenes.
At the end of the trailer, there was even a shocking slogan.
“This movie took five years of preparation time.
“More than 500 million yuan worth of investments.
“1300 units of live-action models.
“23,000 special effects lenses.
“More than 3,000 crew members.
“The latest artificial intelligence technology to perform the rendering of the special effects.
“More than 3,000 large special effect server groups.
“This… This is “Wandering Planet”! A true sci-fi movie produced by China!
“We shall announce to the world that even China has a sci-fi movie!
“We shall see you on the first day of New Year’s, it’s a promise!”
Also, on Weibo’s headlines, Jiadian Pictures also added a sentence. “A sample of the special effects scene will be posted the day after tomorrow.”
There has always been a saying in China, where even if there is no credit to something, at least they had put in the effort for it. Originally, “Wandering Planet” was doubted by so many people, partly because everyone felt that the Jiadian Group was biting off more than they could chew and was insincere. They only casually filmed a sci-fi film to earn money just because they realized how popular movies were at the time.
However, when they saw the detailed models, the design drafts for the special effects camera, and the hard work put in by the company, the internet went silent for a few seconds.
The netizens who saw this video were confused. ‘Is this really going to be a sh*tty movie?
‘Judging by these datas and images, it seems very sincere.
‘Although… Being sincere doesn’t mean that it’s going to be good. However… They’ve put in hard work at least.’
In that era, the netizens were actually very kind. Everyone hoped that China’s various industries could lead the world. Sometimes, they would scold and criticize others, but they more or less had a feeling that they expected better from them.
However, when they realized that someone had really worked hard, they were the most forgiving people. Otherwise, there would not be that many people who would still show their support even if the quality of the product was not that good.
In their hearts, their country was filled with people who could turn a blind eye. They had to support them!
This was a way they protected themselves, but they also had a sense of national responsibility!
Therefore, even though there were not many people who supported “Wandering Planet”, there were fewer and fewer people who doubted “Wandering Planet” at that moment.
Thus, everyone was waiting and watching, wanting to see what “Wandering Planet” was like.
Even though it had not been released yet, it’s quality was still unclear. However… If one were to look at the special effects clip, they would roughly know what the quality was going to be like.
Everything rested on… Just waiting for the special promotional film to be released the day after tomorrow…
…
Following the appearance of this new promotional video, many people in the entertainment industry saw it. The laymen were watching it just for the show, while the professionals were looking at it and judging it from every aspect. Even though they did not know the exact quality of “Wandering Planet”, just looking at the blueprints and models, everyone felt that it should be quite decent.
This made many people’s hearts skip a beat as they had a bad feeling about this. ‘Could this movie really be good?
‘Otherwise, why would those cinema operators suddenly adjust this movie’s screenings?
‘Even though it might be due to the requirements of the relevant departments, but… If the quality is truly bad, why would they put in so much effort?’
For a moment, the people in the entertainment industry were moved…
…
In the eastern part of the Imperial Capital, in an office building, a girl rushed into the general manager’s office.
“Boss! Boss! Look at this Weibo!”
In the general manager’s office, a fat man with a buzz cut was scribbling on an electronic drawing board on the table. As he did so, his computer screen showed a small child with smoky makeup, and shark teeth…
Hearing his colleague’s voice, the fat man stopped writing and looked up. “What about Weibo?”
The girl ran over and showed the Weibo to the fat man. “Boss, look. This is the new promotional trailer for “Wandering Planet”.
Speaking of “Wandering Planet”, the fat man looked at the girl strangely as he found out why the girl was so excited.
The reason was because the girl was Su Yang’s fan and idolized him. Hence, during dinner yesterday, she gave her colleague the promotional trailer for “Wandering Planet”.
When the fat man was passing by, he heard it and casually said that “Wandering Planet” might be a sh*tty piece of work.
In the end, the girl got angry and insisted on arguing with the fat man that “Wandering Planet” was a good movie.
However, there were too few clues to “Wandering Planet”, so the two argued for a long time without any results, and they stopped fighting in the end.
Unexpectedly, the girl came over to the fat man that day to show him a new promotional trailer that was released on that very day.
The fat man glanced at the girl and coughed. He felt like this employee of his was being too serious. She had been arguing with him severely despite him being her boss. ‘Does she really not care about her future in the company or her promotion?’
However, when he thought about how his company did not have many prospects, he understood her actions a little. ‘He’s also considered a local resident in the Imperial Capital. So, if I really provoked him, it would be impossible for me to just walk away.’
Normally, the fat man should have found a way so that both parties could walk away from the topic forever.
However, the fat man was also a serious person with the stage name the “Little Comparer”. Hence, how could he not compare the situation…
Especially since he was a filmmaker, and he was making a domestic animated film. He did not want to earn money at all. It was all for the sake of passion. It was all for the sake of ensuring that domestic animated films would not only be restricted to children, but adults as well.
Therefore, he had his own pride and determination.
Now that he was faced with a sci-fi and IP movie like “Wandering Planet” which was said to be a sh*tty movie, it was only natural that he did not have a single hesitation left.
Therefore, he was stubborn and started to argue with the girl.
He said, “Sure, let me take a look.”
The girl handed her phone to the fat man, who took it and clicked on the promotional trailer.
After looking at it for a while, a look of disdain appeared on his face. He then tossed the phone to the girl. “This is it?”
The girl was so angry that her face turned red. “What’s wrong with it? Isn’t it good?! Do you know how hard Su Yang worked for this?”
Fatty was speechless for a moment before he pursed his lips. “What’s the use of working hard? Are there any results?”
The girl’s eyes lit up. She was about to tell him about Su Yang’s “battle record” when the fat man added, “I’m talking about its results as a big-screen movie.”
The girl pouted and stopped talking.
The fat man continued to say disdainfully, “Besides, what are we supposed to see through this promotional trailer? It’s just them bragging about it.
“Take a look at our company’s “Investiture Of The Gods Project”… How many versions have been made just on its first movie, “Nezha”? How many manuscripts have been produced just from the plot design alone?
“If you don’t have that kind of fighting spirit, why would you make a movie?”
Then, the fat man added in a fair tone which was a rare sight, “With so much preparation done by “Wandering Planet”, it can only be said that the effort they have put into this movie is passable. You only feel that it’s ample effort because the other domestically produced movies haven’t put in as much effort.
“Plus, those aren’t even worthy of being called movies. They’re just products that embarrass domestic movies in general!”
Then, he waved his hand. “That’s enough. Get back to work. Don’t disturb me if there’s nothing else.”
The girl looked at the fat man with an aggrieved look and mumbled softly, “You look down on all movies except for the ones the company has produced… Why do I not feel that there’s anything good about those movies?
“It’s just Nezha with dark circles under his eyes. He looks terrifying.
“You look down on all those movies and think that you’ve above everyone else with that quality of yours. Hmph.”
The girl rolled her eyes at the fat man before leaving the general manager’s office.
After the girl left, the fat man lifted his head from the painting and rolled his eyes. Although the girl’s voice was soft, there were only two people in the room, so he could hear her.
‘What am I above everyone else for?
‘I’m above everyone else just based on how serious I am!
‘I put everything I have into all my movies!
‘Those are true domestically-produced animated films that can save the domestic movie industry!
‘I’m a young man with ideals, which is absolutely different to those who just throw in heaps of money to make a sh*tty movie!
‘Yet, you still look down on me… Hmph!
‘Let’s see you slapping your own face when Nezha gets released!’
At that thought, the fat man smiled smugly.
After laughing, he thought of the promotional documentary he had just seen for “Wandering Planet”.
He rubbed his chin and thought about it for a while. Then he took out his phone and opened Weibo. He found the promotional video and looked at it frame by frame. On some of the pictures, he even paused to study them.
After that, a contemplative expression appeared on his face, and he mumbled to himself, “It looks really interesting. These pictures don’t look like they were made in a hurry, or they were taken on purpose.”
“Could it be true?
“Could they be a crew who’s put in a lot of effort?
“Other than myself, are there still people who are putting in a lot of effort to save the domestic movie industry?
“However, one is a sci-fi movie, while the other is an animated film?
“I’m not alone in this!
“Looking at these special effects design drawings and models, it’s actually quite interesting. They’re quite dedicated to their work.
“Looking at the news on Weibo, the special effects promotional trailer will be released the day after tomorrow?”
At this point, the fat man’s chubby hand tapped on the follow button. “I’ll wait until the day after tomorrow then. If it’s really a work of sincerity, I’ll see if I can get in touch with them. It’s indeed lonely to work alone.”
After saying that, the fat man put his phone into his pocket and continued to draw on the electronic drawing board. As he drew, he said softly, “But, if “Wandering Planet” is really not bad, Xiao Jia wouldn’t slap my face in public and want me to apologize, would she?
“D*mn, this is troublesome…
“No. I can’t admit defeat so easily…”
The fat man’s voice in the office became softer and softer. Gradually, there was only the sound of painting…
In the blink of an eye, two days passed.
Just as everyone was waiting…