China Entertainment 1997

"Now You See Me" can be said to be the movie that Cao Xuan has promoted the most and most diligently in recent years.

He still attaches great importance to this movie. It is doing well in China and Asia, and its fundamentals are stable enough. As long as the quality of the movie and the promotion team are guaranteed, his appearance is just the icing on the cake.

Europe and the United States need to make more efforts. After all, Cao Xuan's film appeal in these places has not been fully formed, and he also intends to get rid of his position as a pure action star. So the movie "Now You See Me" is very crucial.

Taking into account the subsequent Marvel series, "Taken 3" and the very likely shooting of the "John Wick" series.

"Now You See Me" is his only major non-action film in a short period of time, so it naturally has an extraordinary position in Cao Xuan's heart.

"Actually speaking, strictly speaking, the demon thief in the movie is mainly a demon, and his method is magic. It can also be understood as magic. However, this magic is not without logic, but an exaggerated interpretation based on reality..."

Capital Normal University, school auditorium

The main creator of "Now You See Me" held a fan meeting for college students here. Cao Xuan, the director and other main creators answered the students' questions.

Just now, because someone saw a lot of magic in the introduction and introduction, they asked if it was a magic theme, and Cao Xuan responded.

Most of the magic tricks in "Now You See Me" are based on evidence, and some cracking or restoration techniques can be found, but some are artistically rendered. If you are a magic fan who insists that the movie is all about real magic, I'm afraid Will be disappointed.

Cao Xuan didn't want to do any "100% real magic gimmicks". To be honest, except for a very small number of real magic fans, the vast majority of the audience didn't care at all whether these magic tricks were real or fake.

The real selling point of "Now You See Me" is not all about magic. The visual effects and suspenseful twists are the top priority.

"Hello, you are the benchmark for Chinese-language movies. I would like to ask a side question, what do you think of product placement in movies, such as Shuhua milk in "Transformers 3"."

As soon as these words came out, the whole auditorium burst into laughter, and Cao Xuan couldn't hold back either.

Recently, "Transformers 3" was released in China, and it has lived up to its reputation as "the most popular Hollywood film series among domestic audiences".

It was released on a Wednesday during the work week and still took in a box office of 85 million+ on the first day, and the box office exceeded 100 million in a single day on Saturday.

This is also the first mainland movie to have a single-day box office of over 100 million. The previous two films, "Avatar" and "Let the Bullets Fly", which had a box office of over 1 billion, failed to achieve this.

The box office in the first week was 430 million yuan, which also broke the 308 million yuan of "Let the Bullets Fly" and became a new film history record.

However, the box office declined a bit in the next week, and its stamina was slightly lacking. However, even so, the cumulative box office exceeded 700 million yuan.

Under normal circumstances, such a movie will definitely have to be postponed. If nothing happens, it will only be a matter of time before it exceeds 1 billion+. It will also be the third 1 billion movie in mainland China.

With such a high box office, the movie is naturally very popular, but most of the actors in it are unknown to domestic audiences and have no understanding of it. What most attracts the attention of domestic audiences is not only the Transformers and the plot, but also the product placement of Chinese brands in it.

The Metersbonwe T-shirt worn by the male protagonist includes Shuhua breast milk with a trolley in the close-up, a TCL TV transformed into Transformers, and a Lenovo computer.

No, Lenovo is an American company and cannot be considered a Chinese brand...

But in any case, the appearance of these four well-known brands in "Transformers 3" has attracted a lot of attention, especially Shuhua milk, which has been called "the most impressive brand in China".

There is another interesting fact here. It is said that Yili, the company behind Shuhua Milk, hoped that Bumblebee could drink milk and make milk the source of energy for Transformers.

This outrageous request was of course rejected, but lines and close-ups were still specially set. In addition, I heard that the history of the milk and the characters was also set, and the feature film was not shot in the end.

Shuhua Milk's appearance in "Transformers 3" only lasted a few seconds, but the advertising effect it caused can definitely be regarded as a classic marketing case.

Perhaps from the beginning, Yili never thought of profiting from product placement, but instead saw the gimmick of the matter and made a big fuss about it.

From a businessman's point of view, Cao Xuan even appreciates Yili's approach. As a filmmaker, there is no objection at all.

“The inseparable element of commercial movies is profit, box office is profit, copyright is profit, and advertising is also profit.

I personally have no objection to product placement. My previous movies, even this one, "Now You See Me," also had product placement, and I probably won't avoid this in the future.

In my opinion, this is a very normal business behavior. Of course, the premise is that the advertisement does not affect the plot and only exists as a prop or background..."

When you are a cousin, you can't build a memorial. Taking the money from advertisers and still saying that you want to support the purity of the movie, and blaming the blame in a weird way is a bit shameless.

Cao Xuan often tells clichés to avoid trouble, but sometimes he doesn't want to bluff people with lies.

Product placement is an inevitable part of commercial movies.

Apart from other things, the movie "Now You See Me" cost 85 million US dollars, and the product placement alone can make back 15 to 25 million US dollars, and the price is some props, backgrounds and shots that do not affect the plot.

It would be difficult for any normal commercial producer to say "no" to these advertisers.

Cao Xuan can understand the disgust of some movie fans or art practitioners towards these advertisements, but in the adult world, most people need to compromise with reality.

His answer was sincere. The students in the auditorium may not necessarily agree with it, but they would not stand up to refute it.

Cao Xuan came out for a rare trip, and everyone communicated face to face. Everyone wanted to seize the opportunity to ask a few more questions. At first, it was about the "Now You See Me" movie itself, but then the topic deviated.

"Xu Zheng announced that he will direct and star in a new movie. Guo Xiaosi also announced that he will be a director and make a movie. Xiaoyanzi also has similar rumors. Han Han also revealed his director's wish on Weibo. What do you think of their cross-border directing? How to do it? Do you also have the idea of ​​becoming a director?"

"Well…"

Cao Xuan didn't expect that the topic would suddenly turn to this, so he pondered for a while before answering.

"I'm not very familiar with most of these people, so I won't comment too much on them, but I can talk about Xu Zheng.

His new movie can be regarded as a companion piece to "The Lost Road". He saved the script with others, and then asked me to buy the copyright. I read the script and it was good. After subsequent research by Fanxing, he also invested in this movie in the form of copyright + funds. .

Xu Zheng is very talented in comedy, and he had been a director before. I have confidence in his new play, and I helped persuade Huang Bo to join him.

As for whether I will be a director in the future, I don’t think I have that talent, so I’d better just listen to the directors’ instructions honestly (laughs). "

Cao Xuan didn't want to tease those people, and besides, their movie hadn't been made yet, so he couldn't do it either, so he just went there with a haha.

However, Xu Zheng still helped and did some publicity. This is also a movie that Fanxing has full investment in.

Cao Xuan said it was cool, but in fact Xu Zheng didn't look for Fanxing at all. It wasn't because he didn't want to, but because he didn't have confidence that Fanxing would pay attention to such a low-cost comedy.

The biggest gimmick of the whole movie is that he and Wang Baoqiang collaborated for the second time in the companion piece of "Unfortunately".

As for Huang Bo, he would also like to find him, but Huang Bo is hesitant about his script and has little desire to take on the role.

Therefore, Xu Zheng initially wanted to seek investment from outside, and then return to Fanxing to buy the copyright or the filming license for "People on the Road".

However, Xu Zheng ran into obstacles everywhere because the outside world was not optimistic about his directing and acting.

Xu Zheng has also accumulated a lot of contacts over the years, and his status is not low. At least he can get in touch with major companies and some capital bosses.

He quickly found Mr. Wang from Guangguang and Mr. Li from Xiaoma.

Lao Wang has been involved in film production over the years, but his results have been poor and he still focuses on distribution. Although he is optimistic about the book, he is hesitant about Xu Zheng's directorial skills.

Boss Li has been busy seeking to go public in the past two years. The company's resources have been concentrated on Wu Baige, and he has not paid attention to Xu Zheng at all.

As for the feedback from other bosses, capital or independent producers, they are not very positive.

Xu Zheng almost gave up and decided to go to Fanxing to get the copyright first in case something unexpected happened, and then slowly wait for the opportunity.

So he came to ask for the copyright of "A Man on the Road", but what was even more embarrassing was that Fanxing was unwilling to sell it.

If you make a remake abroad, that's it, and the outside world won't think that Fanxing is involved. But if you are shooting a sister film domestically, what if you use Fanxing's brand to swindle and deceive you, and it overturns?

If Xu Zheng spent tens of millions, Fanxing might still consider it, but Xu Zheng's budget was not high, and the price of pigs seemed to Fanxing to be worthless, so there was no need to sell them.

Seeing that this matter was about to fall through, at the critical moment, a producer named Chen Zhixi from Fanxing Film and Television Department stepped forward.

Chen Zhixi, a former actor, is a 2000-level student of China National Opera. She has done quite a few movies, but she is not well-known. Later, she moved behind the scenes.

In 2009, Chen Zhixi, who had served as Pan Yueming's agent, joined Fanxing with the help of Dong Xuan. However, she did not continue to be an agent and switched to a career as a producer.

Chen Zhixi was an actor in her early years and also worked as an agent. She has many connections in the industry. In addition, she comes from a wealthy background and is said to be the second generation of rich people. If she doesn't want to gain experience in the stars, she can directly raise money to invest in becoming an independent producer.

With her connections, abilities, and resources, even though she was new to Stars, she was quickly put to good use.

She was one of the co-producers of "The Journey", which was released last summer.

Because of this, Chen Zhixi was familiar with Xu Zheng and recognized his abilities. At the same time, for his own promotion purpose, he kept Xu Zheng and actively promoted the project within Fanxing.

Eventually, the project called "People on the Journey to Thailand" came to Cao Xuan's ears, and at the suggestion of Boss Cao, he fully invested in it.

Xu Zheng became the director as he wished, and Chen Zhixi became the producer of "囧" as he wished. Both of them were very happy.

Cao Xuan is even more happy. Although the success of "囧囧" is highly accidental, with Fanxing's strength, there is a high probability of replicating and contributing to this "accident".

Considering the return on investment and profits of "Thailand", Cao Xuan is very much looking forward to Fanxing's financial statements next year.

A veteran like Cao Xuan was very slippery, and ordinary college students couldn't beat him, so the smart ones shifted their targets to Damimi.

"Guo Xiaosi said that he particularly admires you and Liu Tianxian and wants to invite you to star in "Tiny Times". Will you accept the invitation?"

The female college student who spoke had an expectant look on her face. When Guo Xiaosi said this, she was almost scolded to death by fans of both Xianmi and Xianmi. However, for the rest of the public, they were very much looking forward to it. They wished that the two of them would be in the same group and the whole network would enjoy it.

“I did not receive an invitation from Director Guo, and as far as I know, the same should be true for Liu Yifei.

Frankly speaking, I don’t like this kind of deliberate hype marketing using the two of us. I don’t feel respect in their behavior. "

Da Mimi seemed unhappy with being so hot on her, and didn't tolerate Guo Xiaosi at all, so she started to start a fight.

Cao Xuan next to him had a strange expression on his face. In the past, Da Mimi was going to film "Tiny Times" even though she was pregnant. Now, is she going to show off her attitude?

Lin Xiao, do you know how much you have lost at this moment...

Of course Damimi knew the price of her words, but she didn't care.

In the original time and space, she had been filming Guo Xiaosi's movies. It wasn't that Guo Xiaosi was so awesome, or that she liked "Tiny Times" so much, but that Damimi simply didn't have access to any decent film resources.

Although "Tiny Times" is terrible, at least the box office numbers are good, the popularity is good, and it can also bring certain fashion resources and exposure, which is very important to Damimi.

But who is Damimi now? She is a beautiful actress that is favored by many stars. Not only can she choose the film resources at her disposal, but she is definitely in the first echelon of actresses in the entertainment industry and has access to many high-quality film resources.

Da Mimi, who was full of confidence, naturally looked down on Guo Xiaosi, a fledgling director.

The highest paid writer?

The achievement that Guo Xiaosi is most proud of, Da Mimi can match it by eating a few more packs of plums, shouting "Are you okay" a few more times, and surpassing it easily.

It's hard to talk about Piaoliao, mainly because she was angered by Guo Xiaosi's hype about her and Liu Tianxian.

The two of them quarrel, but sometimes they are very taboo about outsiders joining in the fun, especially in publicity and marketing, which is their own patent.

Guo Xiaosi didn't pay a dime, but he inexplicably took advantage of their popularity, and made the two of them have to behave like him, acting in his movies as soon as he was greeted.

His surname is not Cao, so crazy!

That night, a video of Damimi attacking Guo Xiaosi was posted online. For the first time, Liu Tianxian liked the video and revealed his attitude.

The attitude of the two people angered Guo Xiaosi's fans. As one of the most popular writers and cultural icons nowadays, Guo Xiaosi still has many fans.

His painful literature books have sold tens of millions of copies and have great influence among girls, artistic youth and some teenagers, many of whom are die-hard fans.

Seeing Xianmi's attitude, she naturally wanted to seek an explanation for her idol and angrily rushed to their Weibo accounts.

But Guo Xiaosi has fans, and Liu Tianxian and Damimi, the two most popular fans, have even more fans.

Regardless of the fan base, the number of die-hard fans, or the popularity and popularity of the people, the two easily crushed Guo Xiaosi.

Fans of the Xianmi family, who had been trolling each other for several years, formed a brief peace at this moment and joined forces to attack Guo Xiaosi.

This time the melon-eaters were extremely excited.

After a long life, Xianmi joins forces for the first time, and Guo Xiaosi can go down in the history of domestic entertainment and gossip.

With more attacks and fewer attacks, the Xianmi family is a team that has been fighting all year round, with explosive combat power. This time they joined forces, relying on the tacit understanding accumulated through years of fighting to the death, they pushed Guo Xiaosi to the point of self-isolation.

Guo Xiaosi's Weibo was accused of being criticized for three days, and the response was "Apologies to plagiarists". Guo Xiaosi's four people and the post bar of "Tiny Times" were criticized once each. The bar owner and a bar manager of "Tiny Times" even directly He took the blame and resigned because the two of them were die-hard fans.

To be honest, the power of the two companies joining forces is definitely superimposed and multiplied, and there is no disadvantage. After the war is over, the two sides even feel a little sympathy for each other and have unfinished feelings...

However, Damimi did not share the same goals with Liu Tianxian for long, and she followed Cao Xuan and others to Japan and Europe to promote "Now You See Me".

Damimi has become very popular in the past two years and is also well-known in Japan. When she appeared at an event, several fans shouted "Mijiang".

Damimi has a bright smile. She has not experienced the welcome of foreign fans. This kind of "international star" taste is quite good.

As for Cao Xuan, he has long been accustomed to his high popularity in Japan.

Just kidding, the box office of the two parts of "Three Kingdoms: Red Cliff" is still at the top of the Japanese box office list. Then ask how many overseas singers can afford to hold concerts at the Tokyo Dome.

Cao Xuan's current popularity and influence in Japan is not to mention the only overseas star, but he is definitely among the top three.

But Mr. Tao and others didn't know this. Looking at Cao Xuan's Japanese fans and the roar of cheers as soon as he appeared, they were surprised and sour.

To be honest, these days when they come to Asia to promote, they are in a state of being looked at by Cao Xuanxiu almost every day.

It’s a private jet, and it’s China’s Hollywood. When I was doing events in China, I also caused a sensation as soon as I appeared on the scene. I didn’t expect that when I came to Japan, it was still the same.

Not to mention Cao Xuan, even Damimi was more beautiful than them.

After all, among this group of actors, the only one who can be called a well-known artist is Mr. Tao. He was also tepid before. "Captain America" ​​was brought to Asia for promotion just a few days after it became a hit.

Before this, they had never experienced top-notch treatment, and now they were being shown off.

Although this is not necessarily the original intention of Cao Xuan and Damimi, it is enough to satisfy a few people.

However, that's not the end of their chale lemons.

After leaving Japan and heading to Europe, Cao Xuan's popularity, although not as exaggerated as in Asia, is still extremely popular, especially in English-speaking countries such as the United Kingdom, where he is treated like a serious superstar.

The only difference from Asia is that because "Captain America" ​​did well at the box office in Europe, Mr. Tao was frightened this time.

Although he is far behind Cao Xuan, many people know him, as well as Juan Fu. "Charlotte" is a hit drama, and he is also considered a celebrity in Europe.

Mark Ruffalo and others continue to be transparent. The only consolation is that Damimi, who is not very popular in Europe, has also joined their team this time, watching Cao Xuan and the others making lemons...