Nobody knows movies better than me

Chapter 32 The King of Verbal Combat

"What about the theaters? What are your thoughts?"

Han Sanping was pleasantly surprised by Zhang Jun's idea and looked forward to his views on the cinema industry.

Zhang Jun didn't waste any time and continued, "There are currently big problems with the cinema chain system. Although it seems to have been successful since the reform of the cinema chain system was launched in 2002."

However, local factionalism still exists, especially since different cinema chains and even individual cinemas have different standards.

I think it's very important to have unified standards. It's unacceptable for everyone to have different standards; otherwise, it will be very difficult to regulate.

After a pause, Zhang Jun added, "I also want to complain about the ticket price issue."

I went to the cinema to investigate. Nowadays, a ticket costs 20 yuan, and some popular movies, such as "Kung Fu Hustle," even cost 50 or 60 yuan.

This is outrageous, simply unbelievable. This has turned movies into a luxury form of entertainment consumption.

With that money, I'd rather stay home and watch TV dramas; at least they're free, and some TV dramas are much more exciting than movies.

Now that he had started talking, Zhang Jun stopped holding back.

"In addition, piracy is a particularly serious problem. My movie was alright, probably because not many people were optimistic about it, and pirated copies didn't appear until the fourth day of its release."

Popular movies like "A World Without Thieves" and "Kung Fu Hustle" saw pirated versions flooding the internet the day after their release.

A movie that has been painstakingly produced at a cost of tens of millions of yuan not only receives very little revenue from theaters, but also faces the threat of piracy.

If this continues, who will still put their heart into making movies?

Han Sanping was dumbfounded. He had only brought Zhang Jun here to test him and see if he could shoulder the heavy responsibility.

But to my surprise, Zhang Jun was so good at arguing, and he actually thought it made a lot of sense.

This young man is a bit too genius; many of his views sound very strange to veterans in the industry who have been in it for decades.

He knew that Zhang Jun was a graduate of Tsinghua University, but he didn't think that Tsinghua University would teach these things on campus.

Besides, this kid is an astronomy major, which has absolutely nothing to do with film studies.

That means that what Zhang Jun said was either something he heard from elsewhere, or it was a conclusion he reached through his own research.

Based on Zhang Jun's background, Han Sanping tends to believe that Zhang Jun developed the technology himself.

What does this mean? It means that Zhang Jun is a real talent!

Zhang Jun continued his rant: "Let me tell you about another situation. I've discovered that many cinemas are involved in box office fraud and underreporting."

Because film companies and theaters share revenue, a statistical summary is ultimately needed.

However, if the cinemas below erase some of the box office statistics, then the revenue from this concealed box office revenue will not need to be shared.

Alternatively, some producers may have bribed theater chains to steal box office revenue from other films and add it to their own films in order to make their box office figures look better and increase their share of the profits.

Compared to the long-standing issues I mentioned, such as behind-the-scenes talent, ticket prices, and piracy, I believe that box office fraud and underreporting are the areas that the current cinema market urgently needs to address.

Han Sanping was surprised. He knew that similar situations existed in cinemas, and he had repeatedly emphasized this point to cinemas under China Film Group.

However, these kinds of things are usually done very discreetly. How did Zhang Jun find out?

Faced with Han Sanping's question, Zhang Jun answered matter-of-factly: "It's something that's obvious to everyone, but no one points it out."

But just because no one is talking about it doesn't mean the problem doesn't exist.

If Mr. Han doesn't believe me, he can go and be an ordinary audience member himself. I dare say that right now, the cinemas under China Film Group are engaging in the practice of underreporting box office figures.

After the box office fraud and underreporting of box office revenue, "Kung Fu Hustle" lost at least 50 million yuan.

I believe the cinema chain headquarters won't get that 50 million; it's all been secretly embezzled by the local cinemas themselves.

Zhang Jun spoke with such certainty that even Han Sanping couldn't help but believe him.

The theft of 50 million yuan in box office revenue from a film is a serious loss. If the box office revenue is stolen, it will be impossible to distribute the revenue and make a profit. How can we talk about the development of Chinese-language films?

However, what surprised Han Sanping the most was this meeting with Zhang Jun. After Zhang Jun's comprehensive criticism, Han Sanping couldn't bring himself to ask the questions he wanted to ask.

Regardless, Han Sanping was satisfied with the meeting.

Compared to Lu Chuan, who only talked in generalities, Han Sanping clearly felt Zhang Jun's more pragmatic spirit and outstanding insight.

After chatting for a while, Han Sanping ended his first meeting with Zhang Jun.

"Xiao Zhang, don't call me Mr. Han anymore, just call me Uncle Han."

This statement was a reward for Zhang Jun's bold denunciation of the industry's chaotic practices, indicating that Han Sanping was very satisfied with today's conversation.

Zhang Jun accepted the gift without hesitation: "Thank you, Uncle Han, for taking the time to see me today."

"Don't say that. The future of Chinese-language films still depends on you!"

Han Sanping smiled and said, "We have an industry gathering after New Year's Day. I'll have someone send you an invitation then."

"Come and join us, you can also make some connections."

After having his secretary see Zhang Jun off, Han Sanping fell into deep thought.

As the leader of a state-owned film group, China Film Group bears a heavy responsibility, and the problems Zhang Jun mentioned do indeed need to be addressed.

But the problem is that it's easier said than done, and it's easy to offend people in every aspect!

Ye Xiaoyi happened to be there when I returned to Guanzhi Pictures from the headquarters of China Film Group.

Currently, Zhang Jun's director studio is just an empty shell. He usually comes to Guanzhi Pictures, where they have reserved an office for him.

While "Little Miss Sunshine" is still showing in theaters, Zhang Jun doesn't need to travel all over the country to promote it.

However, the next movie won't be so easy. There will definitely be a lot of promotion to do, and the cast might need to be upgraded.

But Zhang Jun hasn't decided what to make his next film yet.

While Zhang Jun was lost in thought, Ye Xiaoyi came into his office and handed him a cup of coffee.

"What did you talk about when President Han called you over?"

"It's nothing, he just asked me for my opinion on the current film industry, and I shared my views with him."

Zhang Jun briefly recounted his meeting with Han Sanping, which surprised Ye Xiaoyi: "After hearing what you said, wasn't President Han angry?"

Why would he be angry? He should be overjoyed!

Zhang Jun said confidently: "At this moment, he should have placed me at the very top of the list of young directors. Although Mr. Han has his own selfish motives, developing Chinese-language films is an inescapable responsibility for him."

So he listens to some of the things I say about these issues.

Ye Xiaoyi asked, "If he listens, what changes will occur?"

Zhang Jun shook his head and said, "It's hard to change. Factionalism is deeply entrenched in the entertainment industry, and the binding of interest groups is the biggest obstacle to reform."

This chaotic situation requires stronger measures from higher levels; relying solely on censorship and China Film Group is unlikely to change it.

Moreover, to some extent, they are also beneficiaries of the existing system; who would willingly revolutionize their own cause?

Ye Xiaoyi and Zhang Jun had discussed the shortcomings of the Chinese-language entertainment industry many times during their conversations. She was somewhat disappointed when Zhang Jun said that reform was difficult.

"Is there really no way out?"

"Of course there are. I've already mentioned a higher level of fundamental change in the current situation through strong policies and measures."

If you're not in a hurry, you should see it in twenty-odd years.

"So what do we do?"

Ye Xiaoyi was very anxious: "Could it be that we've only just entered the film industry, and all these chaotic phenomena are already forcing us to shut down?"

"That's not quite right!"

Zhang Jun said confidently, "With me here, our business will only grow stronger."

He spoke arrogantly, but Ye Xiaoyi felt that Zhang Jun could do it.