Entertainment Reborn Rhapsody

Chapter 485: The Storm of "Three Body" is Coming

On July 7, the long-awaited first season of "The Three-Body Problem" premiered worldwide as scheduled.

Unlike previous American TV series that were broadcast one episode per week, the first season of "The Three-Body Problem" is broadcast one episode per day. The reason is very simple. This is a Chinese TV series, so it is naturally broadcast according to the Chinese rhythm.

The very beginning of the first episode of "The Three-Body Problem" brought global audiences to a climax. The camera started from the solar system, passed through one cosmic wonder after another, quickly swept towards the Three-Body Planet, and finally stopped above the Three-Body Planet. The three irregularly moving celestial bodies appeared fantastic, mysterious, eerie and terrifying against the heavy and magnificent epic background music. The rhythm of the music became more and more depressing and impatient. Half a minute later, the camera moved forward at a high speed, and the Three-Body Planet came closer and closer, and finally became an irregular code hole at the climax of the music.

At this moment, the camera slowly pulled back, and a telegram note covered with irregular code holes appeared in the picture. The background music was full of the characteristics of China's turbulent times. Small holes rose from the telegram, forming a sentence: Don't answer, don't answer!

This magnificent and seamless long shot is extremely well-made and stunning, full of the temperament of a blockbuster movie. It even reminds the audience of Shanhe's classic opening in "Gravity". Is this still a TV series? It's like watching a movie at home!
The plot continues, Ye Wenjie and the Red Coast Base appear on the screen. She does not listen to the persuasion in the telegram, and presses the button to send a signal into space with a firm and weird expression. The camera slowly pulls up from her stubborn and fearless but sad face, and a huge base hidden in the wind and snow slowly appears in front of the audience.

The first episode of the first season of "The Three-Body Problem" set the tone for the entire series. It is magnificent and full of black science fiction. It is a profound but attractive modern epic of mankind.

Next, the story shifts back to the modern era, with the bizarre suicides of cutting-edge physicists around the world, the intervention of the Chinese military, high-level video conferences from countries around the world, and the appearances of the two male protagonists, Shi Qiang and Wang Miao.

At the end of this episode, the conversation between the senior Chinese military official played by Li Xuejian and Wang Miao made the audience fall into emotion and thought.

"Has your life ever changed, where you woke up and everything around you was completely different?"

"no!"

"Oh, then your life is a coincidence! The world is huge, and there are countless unpredictable factors. Your life is so peaceful. Don't you feel lucky?"

"But isn't that the case with most people?"

"Then, most people's lives are accidental!"

"Didn't many generations before them live in such an ordinary way?"

“It’s all accidental!”

"General Chang, please forgive me. My comprehension ability is really too poor today. If you say so, wouldn't it be..."

"Yes, the entire human world is accidental. From the Neolithic Age to today, there has been no major change. Isn't this a kind of luck? Since it is a kind of luck, it will end sooner or later. Now I tell you, it's over!"

...

As soon as the first episode of "The Three-Body Problem" ended, it immediately became the hot topic of the entire Internet. Almost all audiences around the world were discussing the first season of "The Three-Body Problem".
"You can always trust Hua Xia Qiu. The Three-Body Problem is so well made that even though I know the entire plot, I am still addicted to it. I even feel that the Three-Body Planet is real!"

"You must use a 4K high-definition projector to watch The Three-Body Problem. The long shot at the beginning is really amazing. It reminds me of Hua Xia Qiu's first science fiction film, Gravity, the classic seven-minute long shot!"

"Please don't spoil the plot. I just want to finish watching the first season of The Three-Body Problem before buying the original novel. Huaxiaqiu is special. It broadcasts one episode a day, which is much more enjoyable than watching American TV series!"

...

"Oh my god, this is so awesome, is this still a TV show? Shanhe is filming a super long science fiction blockbuster, our whole family is stunned!"

"Haha... I found that filming a TV series is the right way to open Shanhe. It's long and exciting enough that I can even save on movie tickets. It's such a pleasure!"

"Shanhe is setting a new standard for domestic TV dramas. I can't imagine who will be able to make TV dramas like this in the future."

...

That night, the reputation of the first season of "The Three-Body Problem" spread all over the entire Internet. Hundreds of thousands of Shanhe fans and viewers pushed the Rotten Tomatoes freshness rating to 96%, and the media freshness rating also exceeded 90%. The same was true in China. Within an hour after the first episode was broadcast, hundreds of thousands of netizens gave it an extremely high score of 9.5 on Douban.

The next day, when the data from various broadcasting media came out, it caused a global sensation!

Netflix's subscription volume nearly doubled in the third quarter of 2019, exceeding 50 million in North America alone and over 70 million worldwide. Not only did it make a fortune, but its stock price also surged by nearly 3%. A TV series increased Netflix's market value by nearly 10 billion US dollars, breaking the previous record of 150 billion US dollars, and "The Three-Body Problem" had just aired its first episode!
The entire Netflix was jubilant. The two hundred million U.S. dollars were totally worth it. There was no doubt that no matter how much it cost, they had to continue investing in and ordering the second season of "The Three-Body Problem"!

The BBC's paid subscription data is also very impressive. In Europe alone, the number of paid users has increased by nearly 10 million, reaching an unprecedented 30 million. Not only has the TV station made a lot of money, but it has also secured the BBC's position as the number one TV media in Europe. BBC executives contacted Zhong Lifang on the same day to eagerly discuss subsequent cooperation plans. This sweet fruit cannot be snatched away by other European TV stations!
CCTV's ratings data is even more exaggerated. In this era when a TV series is considered a hit if its ratings exceed 2%, the national ratings for the first episode of "The Three-Body Problem" actually exceeded 10%, reaching 11.9%!

Shanhe seems to bring everyone back to more than ten years ago, the most glorious era of TV dramas!
This data not only caused the Chinese film and television industry to sigh in amazement, but also triggered a crazy heated discussion throughout society. How high will the ratings craze for the first season of "The Three-Body Problem" eventually reach? How much change will this TV series bring to the Chinese film and television industry? How much impact will it have on China?

In the following half month, a "Three-Body" storm swept the world. Every episode was hotly discussed on the Internet, and every character in the play became a global hot topic.

Especially the two main villains, Ye Wenjie and Evans. Unlike other science fiction works, these two villains are not simply bad guys, but very complex characters. The superb acting skills of Zhou Xun and Heath Ledger made the two big bosses full of charm, which aroused endless debate among audiences around the world.

Did Ye Wenjie and Evans do anything wrong? Is humanity in the process of self-destruction? How should humans reflect on their past sins? These questions have long been the hottest topics on major websites around the world, with countless participants.

Zhou Xun, who played Ye Wenjie in her youth and old age, became famous all over the world. Her talent and acting skills were recognized by the global public. A TV series made her the most popular actress in the world recently.

On July 23, when the last episode of the first season of "The Three-Body Problem" was broadcast, audiences around the world were still reluctant to leave, and the entire network was sending out urgent calls to Shanhe.
"Shanhe, stop being lazy and hurry up and continue filming the second season. This rut ​​is really frustrating!"

“Fuck, the scene of the Three-Body fleet setting sail is so spectacular. Star Wars is nothing compared to The Three-Body Problem. I am looking forward to the second season!”

“I feel like the first season is just the prologue to the whole story, and the second and third seasons are the climax. I am so looking forward to it!”

"It's the best TV series, bar none. I've been watching it for half a month and it's so addictive. The only drawback is that there are too few episodes. Qiu, you should finish filming The Three-Body Problem in one go!"

...

During the fifteen days of broadcasting, the first season of "The Three-Body Problem" created a series of astonishing commercial achievements!
Netflix's subscribers have more than doubled compared to last year, and its stock price has soared by nearly 20%, breaking through 160 billion US dollars. It is no exaggeration to say that "House of Cards" established Netflix's European and American markets, "Game of Thrones" made Netflix famous all over the world, and "The Three-Body Problem" gave Netflix a substantial value surge. Although the increase in the number of BBC's paid users is not as exaggerated as Netflix, it still increased by nearly 20 million compared with the same period last year. It should be noted that most of the BBC's business is in Europe, and even overlaps with Netflix. No one dared to believe this data in the past. When "The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes" was first broadcast on the BBC and triggered a craze across Europe, it only increased by less than 10 million users!

The situation in China is even more terrifying. The ratings of "The Three-Body Problem" started to soar from 11.9% in the first episode, and continued to soar to 15%, 20%, 25%, and even exceeded 30% for the last episode. This data is too abnormal. It means that almost all TV viewers in the country have watched "The Three-Body Problem". This record makes everyone look up and marvel. Apart from this pervert Shanhe, who else can achieve this!

At the internal summary meeting of Chuhe Film and Television, Yang Liu's earnings report made all the investors smile from ear to ear.

"The production investment for the first season of The Three-Body Problem was about 190 million US dollars, and the total investment was about 260 million. Before the show even aired, the cost of about 100 million US dollars was recovered through advertising trailers and other aspects. Haha... This income is a bit of a loss. The boss's requirements are too harsh. If it were done normally, I guarantee that all the costs would be recovered before the show even aired!"

"Haha... Or else Shanhe is the reincarnation of the God of Wealth!"

"Everyone in the world knows that working with Qiu means getting rich!"

“We are all looking forward to next season!”

...

Shanhe glanced at the smiling Yang Liu and said unhappily:
"What's the point of talking about that? Just keep talking!"

"Haha... the boss has spoken, so I'll continue!"

Yang Liu smiled and continued to read,

"The subsequent payments from Netflix and the BBC have all been received. Netflix's global network broadcast rights, excluding China, are US$13.5 million per episode, totaling US$202.5 million. BBC's first-round broadcast price in Europe is US$6 million per episode, totaling US$90 million. We signed an advertising profit-sharing contract with CCTV-8, and the revenue has not yet been fully calculated, but it's probably around US$100 million. In other words, the total revenue from the first round of broadcasts of the first season of The Three-Body Problem is about US$400 million."

Yang Liu paused for a moment, looked at the cheerful company representatives around him, and then said:

"Of course, this is not all. We have already sold part of the second round of broadcast rights. We have almost reached an agreement with NBC in the United States, NTV in Japan, KBS in South Korea and other TV stations. The second round of global broadcast rights is expected to bring in more than 200 million US dollars. In addition, Tudou.com plans to invest 50 million US dollars to purchase the Chinese network rights. These subsequent revenues are expected to be more than 200 million US dollars. In general, the gross revenue of the first season of "The Three-Body Problem" should be around 400 million US dollars!"

As soon as Yang Liu finished speaking, a burst of sighs and discussions rang out in the conference room.
"Oh my god, there are so many. It seems that making TV series is more profitable than making movies!"

"What are you thinking? This is a special case. Shanhe has to take a large part of the credit. We also have to add that The Three-Body Problem, the original Hugo Award-winning novel, is something you can only encounter by chance!"

"Old Liu is right. Only Shanhe can do such a thing!"

...

"What else is there to say? Hurry up and prepare for the second season of The Three-Body Problem. Shanhe, if you have any requests, feel free to ask. We at Bayi Film Studio will fully cooperate!"

"Qiu, Netflix hopes to continue to invest in subscriptions, price is not an issue!"

“We at the BBC do the same!”

Shanhe glanced at the representative of the BBC's Chinese branch and responded nonchalantly:
"The BBC has gone too far recently. You have your own stance, but news reports must be based on facts. Fabricating stories and adding artificial filters is really disgusting!"

"Uh~"

The BBC representative was extremely embarrassed by Shanhe's blunt remarks.

"Qiu, that's not something you and I can decide. It doesn't affect our business cooperation!"

"That's right!"

Shanhe shook his head and smiled.
"But I am Chinese, and Chuhe Films is a Chinese company. We must consider the emotional bias of the Chinese people. We cannot stand against the Chinese people. Phoenix, I hope you BBC can consider this carefully!"

The entire conference room fell silent after hearing Shanhe's words. Everyone was a little surprised at Shanhe's public questioning, but they all sighed that Shanhe really had a temper and was really confident enough to actually threaten the BBC in person. This was really rare!

Upon hearing this, BBC representative Phoenix looked directly at Shanhe for a while. Seeing the determination revealed in Shanhe's indifferent expression, he couldn't help but smile bitterly. The BBC had no way to deal with Shanhe. Not to mention that Shanhe's prestige was at its peak at this time and he was not afraid of any smear. Moreover, he controlled a huge Chuhe Film and Television, and there was even a more terrifying global interest group behind him. He was indeed qualified to threaten the BBC!
"Okay, Qiu, I'll pass your opinion to headquarters!"

"Thank you!"

Shanhe smiled faintly, his aura was fully revealed. He did not continue this unhappy topic, but smiled and said to Ning Hao beside him,

"Lao Ning, you have been idle recently, right? How about it? Are you interested in the second season of The Three-Body Problem?"

"what?"

Ning Hao was confused by Shanhe's sudden attack.
"Why, you don't want to continue filming?"

"It's not that I don't want to. I will continue to participate in the writing and production, but I hope that more directors will join the series. It would be most appropriate for you to take over and direct the second season. Guo Fan or someone else can continue the third season. This way, the series will be more dynamic and meaningful!"

Shanhe's words made Ning Hao and everyone present fall into deep thought. It must be said that Shanhe's proposal was very feasible. It was not realistic to expect big commercial directors like Shanhe and Ning Hao to keep making TV series. It would be interesting for one person to shoot one season!
"The Three-Body Problem" has already had an excellent start. Ning Hao's directing talent is unquestionable. Shanhe is involved in the screenwriting and production, so the quality is guaranteed. There are also new topics to hype up!
Ning Hao was a little hesitant. He had always been very interested in "The Three-Body Problem", but he also had many concerns. Taking over Shanhe's plate was too much pressure. If the quality was a little worse, he would be criticized by the whole world.
"I will think about it!"

Shanhe understood Ning Hao's concerns and worries, and nodded in response:

"Okay, we'll talk alone later!"

"All right!"

(End of this chapter)