RBCT Chapter 12 Unstoppable Momentum
Chapter 12 Unstoppable Momentum
10 PM on April 30st.
Yangyang Jin leaned over from the back row, her voice brimming with excitement: "Brother Huan, 'The Coffin in the Mountain' has surpassed 200 million at the box office!"
Gao Huan was sitting in the back seat of the van, reading a script on her iPad.
Yangyang Jin handed over her phone from the front, the screen displaying a screenshot of data from Maoyan Professional Edition.
Cumulative box office: 2.01 million.
Screening days: 5 days.
Douban rating: 8.7.
Gao Huan glanced at it but didn't say anything.
He was calculating something else in his mind.
Before its release, he invested 2000 million points into "The Coffin in the Mountain".
The system's rules are very simple.
One RMB can be exchanged for one point, and the points can be invested in a movie project at a 1:1 ratio to guarantee a minimum box office.
First-time users of this feature receive a 5x bonus.
2000 million multiplied by 5 equals a guaranteed box office of 1 million.
This money is not included in the theater's revenue sharing; it is directly supplemented by the system.
In other words, no matter how well "The Coffin in the Mountain" actually sells, it will have at least a hundred million in revenue.
But now it seems that this safety net is no longer needed.
The film has grossed over 200 million yuan in just five days since its release.
Moreover, word-of-mouth continued to spread, and the number of screenings increased instead of decreasing in the following week, with the occupancy rate remaining above 30%.
Based on this trend, the final figure will not be less than 5 million.
With that 1 million yuan guarantee, it will easily exceed 6 million yuan.
The cost was 170 million, but the box office was 6 million.
A return on investment of over 300 times.
Gao Huan put the iPad aside and a slight smile appeared on his lips.
Yangyang Jin was staring at his expression, trying to find a trace of excitement or surprise on that calm face.
After searching for a long time, I only saw that fleeting arc.
"Huan-ge, aren't you excited?" she couldn't help but ask.
"What's the excitement?" Gao Huan handed the phone back to her. "It's still showing in theaters."
Yangyang Jin opened her mouth, as if to say something, but then swallowed it back.
She had been by Gao Huan's side for over two years and had long since gotten used to it.
That's just how this person is.
You show him the box office figures of 200 million, and he nods and says, "Not bad."
When you tell him that the screening schedule will be cut by half tomorrow, he just nods and says, "I know."
You could even tell his girlfriend, Gulnazar, that she might be coming to his place in an hour.
He would only reply with "I understand," and then quickly finish the battle and send Meng Ziyi or someone else away.
Like an air conditioner that's always set to a constant temperature, it doesn't matter whether it's windy or rainy outside.
"Send a weekly data report to the company."
Gao Huan picked up the iPad again and said, "I need to highlight the trend of the Douban rating and the proportion of long-tail box office revenue."
"That's all?"
That's all. The data will speak for itself.
Yangyang Jin looked down at the number 2.01 million on her phone screen, swallowed hard, and started writing her weekly report while holding her phone.
The cost was 1.7 million, and it exceeded 200 million in 5 days.
She recalled that two years ago, when Gao Huan signed with Hesong, Li Bingbing had told her something: "You should stick with this person; he won't let you down."
At the time, Yang Yangjin was skeptical.
Now she believes it.
Moreover, she felt that this person's potential was still far from being fully realized.
Less than a minute after she sent out the weekly report, the company's senior management group chat exploded.
Li Xue replied immediately: "How much can it gross before it leaves theaters?"
The PR director quickly followed up: "Sister Xue, based on the current trend, the final figure should be around 5 million."
Adding the minimum guarantee Gao Huan negotiated earlier... total box office exceeding 6 million is no problem.
Li Xue replied with a single word: "Okay."
Then he added, "Tell Gao Huan to keep things stable and not get carried away."
Yangyang Jin looked at the message and then glanced at Gao Huan, who was flipping through a script in the back seat.
Be careful?
Is this person still worth keeping?
He's like a weight; you can throw him into water and he won't sink.
Yangyang Jin chuckled as she thought about it, then lowered her head and replied, "Don't worry, Sister Xue, Brother Huan is very steady."
Gao Huan's phone vibrated again.
He glanced down at it.
Note: Ice Pie Sweetheart.
The profile picture is of a cat with its eyes half-closed.
The message contained only one sentence: "Hey, is your friend Gao Huan?"
Gao Huan's lips curled slightly, and he replied with a single word: "Yes."
A few seconds later, another message came through: "I went to see 'The Coffin in the Mountain' today, it was so good! Your friend's acting was amazing!"
It was followed by a bunch of exclamation marks.
Gao Huan typed two words: "Thank you."
Then she added, "Don't you have an event tomorrow? Go to bed early."
There was a pause on the other end: "How did you know I had something planned?"
Gao Huan did not explain.
He can't exactly say, "Because I saw your schedule online."
Although that was the truth.
Ice Cream Sweetheart's message popped up again: "Are you in Beijing? Or in Shanghai? Buy me a meal, you righteous god!"
Gao Huan looked at the grinning face on the screen and the corners of his mouth curled up again.
Instead of answering directly, he sent four words: "Next time for sure."
Ice Pie Sweetheart replied with a series of ellipses, followed by an eye-rolling emoji.
Gao Huan locked the screen and placed the phone next to the seat.
Outside the window, the Shanghai night descended heavily.
The lights of the Oriental Pearl Tower in the distance flickered in the darkness.
He recalled another message he had received that afternoon.
Ye Yunzhu, the granddaughter of Mr. Ye, is a painter.
She sent him a message on WeChat, which she had just added, in a casual tone, as if she were talking about the weather:
"Gao Huan, I want to draw you."
Gao Huan stared at those words for a few seconds, then replied with two words: "Okay."
He didn't know how that person wanted to draw him, nor did he know why she wanted to draw him.
But he knew one thing.
The second phase of the 1123 theory may be ready to begin.
……
In the week following the premiere of "The Coffin in the Mountain," Zhang Ruonan lived in a state of constant excitement.
She watched "The Coffin in the Mountain" twice, then three times, and then dragged her best friend Dongdong to watch it a fourth time.
When Dongdong came out after watching the show, her eyes were swollen like walnuts. While wiping away her tears, she said, "Zhang Ruonan, you owe me something I can never repay in this lifetime."
"Huh? Why? How do I return it?"
"Let me see Gao Huan."
Zhang Ruonan thought about it and felt that the request was a bit excessive, but she also felt that she really owed Dongdong a big one.
She sent a message in her fan group: "Sisters, let's organize a support event? Let's send Huan Ge a gift, like a celebration."
The group chat immediately exploded.
"Support! When it comes to box office and sales figures, Happy Star has never lost!"
"How about we send it to Hesong Company? Something that Huan-ge can see."
"I think we can create an online discussion to get more people to watch 'The Coffin in the Mountain'."
Zhang Ruonan reviewed everyone's suggestions and finally made the decision: "Do both. Create buzz online and send gifts offline. Huanxing needs to give Huan-ge the strongest backing."
She posted a message in the group chat with the title: "#HappyStarsGather# Celebration and support event for Gao Huan's 'The Coffin in the Mountain' launched."
Then she posted another message on her WeChat Moments, with a picture of the ticket stub for "The Coffin in the Mountain".
Four sheets, neatly arranged together.
The text consists of only one line:
"Fifth viewing pre-orders open! Huan Ge is definitely worth it!"
It received over 100 likes.
Someone in the comments asked, "Is this movie really that good?"
Zhang Ruonan replied with three words: "Go see it."
After thinking for a moment, she added, "You won't regret it."
Meanwhile, in Guangzhou, thousands of miles away, Ye Yunzhu had already completed the third draft.
She stood in front of the easel, took two steps back, and tilted her head to look at it.
Still not right.
The first version was too realistic, like a photograph, lacking soul.
The second version is too abstract; it's like an emotion, but it has no face.
The third edition falls somewhere in between.
She painted those eyes, but deep within them, she used extremely fine brushstrokes to make the pupil look like a deep pool of water, where anything you throw in will sink.
Ye Yunzhu stared at those eyes for a long time.
Then she picked up her phone and sent a message to Gao Huan.
She sent four words: "Congratulations."
After sending the message, she put her phone on the table and picked up her paintbrush again.
She thought that one day she would be able to paint those eyes perfectly.
Ye Yunzhu's studio was extremely quiet.
The only sound was the soft scratching of the paintbrush against the canvas.
And the night breeze outside the window in Guangzhou at the end of October, carrying the fragrance of osmanthus.