The king of ghost horse comedy

Chapter 404 Christmas schedule

After "Moonlight Panic" is finished, it's time for the Christmas schedule, when "Rocky 2" starring Stallone is due to be released.Not only Xu Guanwu, CAA agency, but also Hollywood studios are watching whether this lost and prodigal son can regain his glory with this movie.

The sudden success of Sylvester Stallone actually heralded the rise of a kind of low-budget action movie.The stories of this type of movie are relatively simple, but the scenes are relatively hot.Most of the protagonists are strong and powerful men, and they represent a heroic image in a certain sense.This type of movie does not need to be meaningful, as long as there are car chase scenes, gun battle scenes, and some foul language, it will be welcomed by young people.

Hollywood filmmakers have realized that the needs of the younger generation of audiences have changed. They don’t need to appreciate movies with too much meaning. They prefer simple and popular stories. The plot can best be summarized in one sentence.And actors must have full star taste.Actresses with personal characteristics like those in the 70s and [-]s are no longer sought after by young people.In fact, the actress they like should be prettier, more sexual, and more alluring, preferably a blonde with big breasts and no brains.

This change in viewing attitude has a lot to do with the world environment at that time. In the 80s, the world was generally peaceful, and the threat of possible war was lost, while the US economy came out of the trough in the 70s and regained its vitality.In 6.9, the U.S. economy got out of the inflation situation, and in 90, the economic growth rate was as high as [-]%, which was the highest in decades.Although there was a decline in the next few years, the US economy had a very high growth rate until the [-]s.

The development of the American economy has greatly satisfied the material needs of the younger generation. They no longer live a dreamy life under the threat of economic downturn and war like the previous generation, as if there is no tomorrow after today.Their lives are richer and more hopeful, so they will not be interested in sad, gloomy, and deeply meaningful social-themed movies. What they want is very simple, simple stories, handsome men and beautiful women, cool guys, The hot action scenes and the family-style finale are enough.

In fact, with the rapid growth of the domestic economy, the movie-watching needs of mainland moviegoers are also undergoing tremendous changes.Before "Hero", there was basically no concept of blockbuster films in China, and even Feng Pants' New Year's films generally had low investment.Movies such as "Hero", "House of Flying Daggers", and "Curse of the Golden Flower" have been able to break box office records one after another. In addition to promotional elements, they actually cater to the audience's taste for watching movies.

Now audiences go to theaters to watch movies for leisure, not to receive ideological re-education, so it is not difficult to understand why the box office of main theme movies such as "Jian X Great Enterprise" continues to decline.And these domestic blockbusters like "Heroes" have big-name stars and peerless beauties, the story is so simple that they are almost mentally handicapped, and the graphics are extremely awesome... The audience flocks to them, and the box office continues to soar, but the word-of-mouth is declining like crazy.In fact, it's not to blame for the bad director, it's because the audience's appreciation is still in the 90s and [-]s.

In fact, the viewing needs of domestic audiences in the realization stage are basically the same as those of American audiences in the 80s.Actors need to be handsome, beautiful, and cool. The storyline should be simple. The hotter the action scenes, the better. It’s best to bring some sexual scenes.However, according to the high level of Hollywood screenwriters in the United States, even simple stories can still be written in a decent way.

However, the screenwriting ability of domestic films is there, and the original script may be good, but it cannot stand this actor, that director, or a certain producer, or a certain investor. The script was changed into a four-faced one.So let us be very fortunate to see a lot of wonderful movies, all kinds of funny, all kinds of blood, all kinds of flaws, if you don’t spit out a mouthful of old blood after watching it, you will be able to bear it.

……

In fact, this movie-watching trend has already appeared in the late 70s, such as George Lucas' "Star Wars", such as Steven Spielberg's "Jaws", such as "Superman" starring Christopher Reeve, etc. etc., the story is simple, the special effects are powerful, and the actors are all a combination of handsome men and beautiful women.

However, this trend has not been recognized by most Hollywood film companies. Many film companies still choose movies according to the old thinking, which is why 20th Century Fox has taken a lot of money.It's like "Raiders of the Lost Ark", which gathers the three big names of George Lucas, Steven Spielberg, and Harrison Ford. No film company is willing to invest. Finally, after a lot of persuasion work, It was easy for Paramount to agree to pay.

And whether such low-cost action movies represented by "Rocky" can continue to create box office miracles is what these Hollywood film companies have to observe.

The low cost of "Rocky" is relative to the high-cost movies of the "007" series. From the day of its birth, the "007" series of movies has set a new benchmark for Hollywood action movies.Handsome men and beautiful women, high-tech, explosion scenes, car chase scenes, world scenery... But the cost of the 007 series is very high. Every movie has to be filmed abroad, and often crashes expensive sports cars one after another. , as well as explosion scenes and chase scenes, all of which cost a lot of money.

Such high-cost action movies are not something that any film company is willing to afford. In fact, there are countless Hollywood film companies, but 007 is only MGM.It is not that other film companies have thought of copying the legend of the 007 series, but it is a pity that their attempts always fail. In the 007 years since the birth of the 40 series, there is only one 007 in Hollywood. .

So Hollywood studios set their sights on low-cost action movies, and "Rocky" undoubtedly gave them an idea. The cost of "Rocky" is only 100 million US dollars, but the box office has exceeded [-] million US dollars.

But just having this movie is not enough. The Hollywood studios have suffered too much before, and their courage has worn down.George Lucas, Steven Spielberg, and Harrison Ford, after blockbusters such as Jaws, Star Wars, Close Encounters of the Third Kind and ET, form the Dream Corps The filming of "Raiders of the Lost Ark", with its adventures, stories, actions, and special effects, could not win their trust. Like "Rocky", only this low-budget action movie was successful, so naturally they could not let them start shooting at low cost with confidence. Action movie.So they're quietly waiting, watching, to see if movies like "Rocky" hit the jackpot, or is the spring of low-budget action movies really here.

……

The Christmas schedule is also a golden time for Hong Kong movies. Ever since Xu's "Half a Catty" a few years ago was released in the Spring Festival schedule and achieved a super high box office, the Spring Festival schedule has become the best time for people to release blockbuster movies and compete for the box office.Then smart Hong Kong filmmakers discovered summer vacation schedules, Christmas schedules, and so on.Of course, for the most part, Xu set an example first, and then other film companies thought it was feasible, and hurriedly followed suit.

In fact, it is not to blame for their lack of awareness. There are many people who make movies in Hong Kong, but few people study movies.Hong Kong filmmakers seldom put forward their own theories. They either pass on from master to student, rely on experience, or learn from the West. However, there are not many filmmakers who put forward their own theories and have caused repercussions in Hong Kong film circles. Ms. Tang Shuxuan distributed many issues of "Close-Up" magazine for free, and it did not publish articles on Hong Kong films. Moreover, with its poor circulation, even if it has some insights, it is difficult for other filmmakers to know. .

And Hsu established the Stanley Market Research Company from the beginning to conduct a careful investigation on the Hong Kong film market, and obtained a lot of investigation data, and can use these detailed data to support the company's every effort. A decision to provide a reference.

It is said that there are various market research companies in Japan, which specialize in various data surveys, and the details are to the point of outrageous, such as simple questionnaires about toothpaste, it is possible to design the taste of toothpaste, the length of time of toothpaste , the color of the toothpaste, etc.The government will also conduct various surveys, and although the data obtained may not be used immediately, they can be of great use once they are needed someday.

Xu's decision to create summer, Christmas and Spring Festival stalls is supported by data from market research companies.During the summer, there are more films that young students like, such as horror films and martial arts films; during the Christmas period, some comedy films, romance films, and urban action films that male and female friends like; during the Spring Festival period, some films suitable for the whole family are shown Comedy movies to watch, kung fu comedies.

And it is precisely because of this kind of market segmentation and the types of films that are released specifically for the market that Xu's can sell at least [-]% more box office than other companies even for films of similar quality. This is market research. the benefits brought about.

But not every film company is as painful as Xu Guanwu. In fact, Stanley Market Research Company is a company that burns money. Although the data he produces are detailed and reliable, the data cannot be applied to other companies except for Xu Guanwu. go.This is different from general market research companies.

In order to obtain reliable data, Stanley Market Research Company also needs to spend a lot of manpower, material and financial resources. This is not something that any film company in Hong Kong can afford, even film companies like Shaw Brothers and Golden Harvest. , and they basically don't have that idea, and everything is just reckless based on experience.

This year's Christmas schedule, in addition to the love movie "Goose in the Forest" starring Lin Qingxia and Qin Han, there will also be a comedy "Chasing Girls" written by Huang Baiming, directed by Mai Jia, and starring Zhou Runfa.Since Zhou Runfa starred in "Young Master Passionate" last year, he once again played this kind of romantic and unrestrained son-in-law.In the previous life, this movie was starred by Ishida. Uh, although the story of the movie is exciting enough, it is not convincing to use Ishida's unlucky appearance to play the suave and suave son.

And "The Geese in the Forest" is also produced by Ms. Qiong Yao's Superstar Film Company. Superstar Film Company releases two films every year, one is released around Christmas, and the other is around Youth Day. release.This year, "The Geese in the Forest" will be released simultaneously with theaters in the Wanwan area.

The box office of Ms. Qiong Yao's movie in Hong Kong is only average, but it is only released around Christmas. However, compared to Taiwan's box office, Hong Kong's box office is small, but it is still a lot of money, so it is said that the two leading actors Lin Qingxia and Qin Han I also want to come to Hong Kong for publicity.Xu Guanwu couldn't help looking forward to this.

(End of this chapter)