"The Golden Age": The cost of commercial films, the Life of art films

As of October 10, the "Golden Age", which was released on October 1, was 41 million, and if the usual box office curve, the "Golden Age" box office might stop at 60 million.

From "Sister Peach", "daytime fireworks" good-looking box office results, many people saw the dawn of domestic literature and art films, even the 2014 "Art film year," but most people overestimate the maturity of the domestic market, and the "Golden Age" box office performance has not reached people's expectations. (About the "golden Age" before the film is expected, you can move to the titanium media before the article "Golden Age", director Xu in the eyes of the film "Golden Age" as a reference)

And can not be successful at the box office to determine the value of a literary film, but when a literary film into the not-graded market, it can only avoid some fatal mishap.

The cost of commercial films, the Life of art films

The operation of the film needs a clear positioning, or less than 30 million of the small and medium cost film, or more than 50 million of the large production of commercial films.

If you look at the box-office success of a literary film, box-office success of the "Two exposure", "Kwan-Yin Mountain" and other works are generally the cost of less than 30 million of the film, "Peach" although Andy Lau and Yede to join let it carry a lot of business elements, but still a small and medium cost of the film.

However, "White deer original" Preparations for 9 years, filming 3 years, the last temporary change Schedule 1 times, cost 120 million of the production costs, the box office up space is limited, the final total box office has just been able to and cost flat. There are more than 30 stars joined the "Golden Age" can be compared to the "founding of the Great Cause" lineup, production costs more than 70 million, which is the operation of commercial films. It is a escape thing to create a project of literature and art with the lineup of commercial films.

Film length is a mishap

The 3 hours of the Golden Age are a challenge for viewers and line managers, while the 3-hour length of time has halved the first day of the Golden Age, when the audience's acceptance of the art film is immature.

The way the film is arranged after the movie enters the hospital line, attendance is the usual frame of reference for the hospital line manager, in the first day of the "Golden Age", "Flower Road," the attendance of nearly 65%, and the "Golden Age" is only 40%, so October 2, "Flower Road," the row rate from 36% to 37%, and the "golden Age is below 10% on the second day of release.

In the "Golden Age" after the box office defeat, from the film itself, marketing, distribution, schedule, all aspects of the operating mode are one by one mortem. But the film is at the same moment and the resultant force, a single list of factors can not explain his effective and ineffective.

Marketing and Distribution: The commercial distribution, the life of the art film

In the North American market, the distribution of theatrical films is generally published in small areas at various film festivals, gradually accumulate and expand the word of mouth, then put into the courtyard line, won the 86th annual Academy Award for Best Film Award of the small cost of 12 years of slavery is also used in the same way of distribution.

However, in the domestic market, many literary films have deliberately chosen commercial distribution and marketing methods to improve exposure.

February 16, 2014, "daytime fireworks" won the 64th annual Berlin International Film Festival Best Film Golden Bear Award, after the release of one months, "daytime fireworks" made a large number of outdoor posters, through the "non-interference", "I am singer 2" and other TV programs for the film publicity. Xu Saddle China director of a work, "Sister Peach" also follow the commercial film announced the operation, network promotion, combined with the "peach" plot, planning a series of "warm" theme activities. "Two exposure" marketing even established the domestic first "illusion World" film official website, and with Baidu brand area cooperation, these movies box-office success is more attributed to the success of commercial marketing.

"Golden Age," the cooperation of the publication of Zhang Yimou's "return" of the music film, is also the genre of art films, music and video is also in a similar way to do the publicity.

A few months before the movie was released, the topic of "The Golden Age" was never interrupted, with 4 versions of the Golden Age 26 posters circulating on Weibo, and the "Golden Age" Baidu search index reached a peak of 86,361 on October 1, or even more than 25,651 of the first release of "return".

The Golden Age was also predicted by many to have a good market outlook before it was released, but eventually the return, which was issued in the same way, won 300 million box-office, but the Golden Age was only 40 million. The distribution of art and film, there is no way to simply copy, nor simple attribution, the same way of operation in a film is to contribute to its success, but in another film is often ineffective, the "golden Age" also let the so-called big data and Internet distribution failed.

Schedule Selection

For theatrical films without grand scenes, election schedule is often a high weight of decision-making, "daytime fireworks", "Kwan-Yin Mountain" and "Sister Peach" have chosen the March file, this time the Hollywood film is less, so it was suggested that if the "golden Age" in the March schedule will have better box office results.

In fact, many viewers now for the choice of the film is only a single topic, with the time in the left and right are more important.

When "Sister Peach" was released, the only Hollywood blockbuster "War Horse" has been on for more than 10 days, with "Guanyin Mountain" from the recent Hollywood blockbuster "Battle of Los Angeles" also separated for nearly half a month, and the 2011 "Steel Harp" July 15 release of the schedule from "Transformers 3" only 6 days, Also limits the movie box office to rise the space, the final box office only 6.4 million.

"Golden Age" in the choice of 11 gold files, although there are "Flower Road" and "Dear", but this is not a big Hollywood crowded schedule, 2012 Li's "Two exposure" also placed in 11 gold, it is a very messy schedule.

At the end of September 2012, "Bronze Sparrow Taiwan", "Taiji 1", "Dangerous Relations", "two exposure" four domestic film, as well as Hollywood sci-fi action film "Ring Messenger" in the same period, but "two exposure" but in the release three weeks after the total box office success of billion, that subversion of the industry before the "two exposure" of the box office expectations, The schedule does not determine the life and death of all films.

In short, literature and art films in China is still relatively primary market, there is no factor to ensure that a literary film box-office success. No one can be sure if Xiao Hong's theme let Ang Lee to shoot will certainly have a good box office return.

Xiao Hong's theme has been tried, the film "Xiao Hong" by Huo from the Guide, starring Sonja and Huang, according to the distribution of art and film, in the Shanghai Film Festival and a small range show, March 8, 2013 in the domestic release, but eventually only millions of box office, to now no one mentions that the same subject film. (This paper is the first titanium media)