Super Zoo

For more than four million U.S. dollars, Su Ming was finally able to get a share of 980,000, which was more than the highest price offered by Disney Pictures. Without having to pay for the priority use of animals, the effect was much better than cooperating with Disney Pictures.

It also has a good reputation. Several foreign film review sites that are known for their professionalism and venomous snakes gave the final comprehensive ratings above the passing line.

It has even brought Taoyuan Entertainment a certain reputation at home and abroad. Due to the continued sluggishness of Chinese-language films in the international market in recent years, a box office of four million US dollars is really rare, and several well-known domestic media have specifically reported on it. To the outsider, four million U.S. dollars is not a big deal, but within the domestic film and television industry, it has really shown its face. At least now Taoyuan Film and Television is no longer unknown in the industry. It is an absolute rising star. People in the industry mentioned Taoyuan. In film and television, the attitude is basically positive.

Logically speaking, Su Ming should be satisfied.

In fact, Su Ming was not only disappointed, but also disappointed.

Because the total box office of four million US dollars was too low compared to his expectations!

Zootopia of Horror has three correct views and a novel concept. It does not involve sensitive topics such as politics and race, and does not follow the vulgar and kitsch route. Instead, it takes the protection of animals as an entry point in a very subtle way. It has a very wide audience, and it is unprecedented to use real animals for filming... The film's inherent qualities, in Su Ming's opinion, were completely in line with the world's mainstream values.

He had never told anyone about it, but he expected that when this film was released in North America, it would most likely cause a sensation, go viral, and become a box office success.

I dare not say it will exceed 100 million US dollars, but Su Ming is still confident about 30 to 40 million US dollars. If he is lucky, he should be able to tie the hero's 50 million US dollars.

This was Su Ming's inner expectation. At the beginning, he did not choose Disney Pictures, which has a long history and strong influence, but chose East China Normal University, which has a total box office of several million US dollars in a few years. To a large extent, he just chose it. 'Split account model'.

If the total box office of this film is 50 million, Su Ming can get a little over 10 million US dollars, and if he can scrape it together, he will have the confidence to formally put the acquisition of the zoo on the table with the government and solve the problem once and for all.

Who knows, not even five million!

He originally wanted to pretend to be cool but was suddenly turned into a purple eggplant by the foreigner. Su Ming felt aggrieved.

If the reputation abroad is not good and does not meet the appetite of foreigners, it proves that his vision is not good enough, his ethics is not enough, and he does not have a deep understanding of international movies, so the box office is not good, then he will accept it, but his reputation is not bad, and it is above the passing line. The freshness rating on Rotten Tomatoes even reached 72%.

This score is not particularly high, but it shows that the general direction is correct. Blockbuster movies such as Superman, Fast and Furious, and Batman all have similar scores to Zootopia. Why is Zootopia's performance so poor?

Faced with this problem, Cai Liming from China Normal University gave an explanation that left Su Ming speechless.

"Because our motherland is strong, but not strong enough. The North American market is mainly the American market. The United States is actually very hypocritical. If we were a truly backward, poor and weak country, they would be happy to open their arms and market to us, showing that The big developed countries have a big heart. If we are strong enough, they will not hesitate to learn from us. China’s current international status just makes the United States wary. Don’t look at them shouting about racial equality every day, but what are they actually preaching? They are lacking something. The status of Asians in the United States, especially Chinese, is even lower than that of Indians, let alone compared to Korea and Japan. We have encountered certain resistance in getting 400 films. With a box office of 10,000 yuan, Mr. Su, I personally think it is something to be proud of.”

Cai Liming said a lot of roundabout things, which made people feel that this time the box office was not very successful, mainly because of the suppression of Chinese culture by US imperialism, the hatred of the country and the family, which caused the box office of Zootopia to become a victim of the game between great powers.

If he had been a passionate young man and a known big V, he might now share the same hatred with Cai Liming and curse the US imperialist bastard.

However, Su Ming keenly captured the key point from his words.

"We encountered certain resistance in scheduling and screening times." This was the direct reason for the box office failure. On the one hand, this may be due to the cultural exchanges between the two countries hindering the national economic competition, but in Su Ming's view The main reason is that the distribution company Huashi Pictures lacks the ability to control the North American market.

It is also a Chinese-language film. Why does Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon Hero get good film schedules, is not boycotted, and is a box office success?

Cai Liming laughed: "Mr. Su, I don't deny this. Strictly speaking, China Normal University did not provide much positive influence for the release of Zootopia in North America this time."

Su Ming had already prepared some words to prove his judgment, but unexpectedly Cai Liming openly admitted the shortcomings of the Chinese Normal University, which made Su Ming unable to speak.

He still appreciates Cai Liming's honesty. Everyone is understanding. It's pointless to make excuses to deceive people, so he said: "Let's just talk about it, Mr. Cai. I will definitely make another film in the future. I don't want to give up on the North American market. What do you have?" suggestion?"

Cai Liming thought for a while and did not answer directly. Instead, he asked with a smile: "Mr. Su, why do you think Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and Heroes were successful?"

"Strong Chinese culture."

Su Ming paused, then continued: "There are also co-productions. These two films are labeled as Chinese, but at least half of the production teams are foreigners. Strictly speaking, these two films are the product of the merger of the East and the West."

"Yes!" Cai Liming nodded slightly, "To use an inappropriate analogy, an American and a Chinese give birth to a child. As long as the child shows a little bit of brilliance, the Americans will feel that the child has inherited the American legacy. Excellent genes, and the Chinese people will think that this must have inherited the fine traditions of China; on the contrary, if there are some shortcomings, they will instinctively think that it is caused by the other party; therefore, both parties will regard this child as their own masterpiece. , if we can find the exotic charm in this child, it will be the icing on the cake. Such a mixed-race child is the most popular and cared for son in the United States and China. On the contrary, one-sided filming can only be done in foreign countries. He was raised by a stepmother who was disliked everywhere and had no one to rely on."

"You mean, if you want to succeed in North America, you have to bring in foreign production personnel?" Su Ming said.

"It is best to cooperate with an experienced large company for shooting. In addition..."

Cai Liming paused for a few seconds and said slowly: "Through Zootopia, Taoyuan Pictures has already gained a good reputation in North America. It is not difficult to find big companies to cooperate in filming."

"Then do we need to change to an influential publisher in North America?" Su Ming asked half-jokingly.

Cai Liming was silent for a few seconds and nodded seriously: "That's exactly what I want to say. I very much agree with your idea."