Chapter 410
Release Moment
Chapter 410 Release Moment
Both films received rave reviews after their premieres.
Of course, everyone knows that this is meaningless.
The real battlegrounds are in small-town movie theaters in the redneck states of the Midwest, in predominantly Black neighborhoods in Brooklyn, New York, and in upscale theaters in Washington and Seattle.
Frankenmus, Michigan, the agricultural heartland.
46-year-old Kenny drove his old Dodge to town with his family: his wife, second son, and youngest daughter in the car, followed by his eldest daughter and son-in-law in the car behind.
In Michigan's agricultural areas, people generally marry and have children young, so a family of six is not unusual.
Because life on the farm was so boring, every weekend was a family time for them to go to town for "team building".
In reality, there are only three kinds of team building activities: watching movies, attending parties, and watching one's children's various activities as an audience member.
Unfortunately, entertainment options in the central states are simply limited.
So even though there are only two mediocre movie theaters in town, they are packed every weekend and deserted like a graveyard on weekday mornings.
When Kenny parked his car, he could see the bustling crowd at the movie theater entrance from a distance.
"Wow, I finally feel like summer vacation is here."
“Kids!” his wife Mary called out. “What would you like to see today? There are two new movies.”
“How about Ocean’s Thirteen? I remember everyone really liked its predecessor,” Kenny suggested.
“Yes,” the son-in-law replied, “Jenny and I weren’t married then.”
"No way! I want to watch Taken today!"
The 14-year-old daughter is at the age where she is obsessed with idol actors, but she is not actually a fan of Fang Xinghe because Fang has not been doing much in North America in the past two years.
"Huh?" Mary was surprised. "Isn't Brad Pitt your favorite?"
"He's not cool enough anymore!"
Little Angie exclaimed excitedly, "The latest issue of Time magazine features SR on the cover! All my good friends are going crazy for him!"
Actually, that wasn't the latest episode, but the previous one.
But that's not important. What's important is that Fang Xinghe appeared on the cover of Time magazine's American edition for the second time, which was another super effective marketing campaign.
For this issue's cover, Succubus Fang specially used temporary hair dye to highlight her light pink messy hair, wore a traditional British suit without any other clothing, sat diagonally on a high stool, facing the camera from the side, her chest and abdominal muscles faintly visible, and raised her chin in a nonchalant manner.
The core concept accompanying this pose is—holding a gun in one hand, aiming at the cover, with a bunch of shattered rubies fixed in the dark muzzle.
The finger on the trigger tightened slightly, as if a bullet would be fired at any moment.
Don't kill the person, but kill their spirit.
The remaining details are also quite intriguing.
For example, he slightly bends one leg and touches the ground, while the other leg is stretched out straight forward, showcasing his extremely superior proportions.
For example, he wore a women's necklace again, but not as a pendant; instead, it was a solid choker.
For example, he didn't wear eye makeup, but he did wear a little "blood-stained makeup," as if he had just killed someone and accidentally got blood splattered on his face.
In short, this is a very rebellious and eye-catching cover photo.
Theoretically speaking, this is completely inconsistent with his background as a super-rich man, and even further away from being a business elite, a master director, or the captain of the men's basketball team.
This is a photo taken purely from the perspective of an idol, focusing entirely on fashion expression.
It might sound like a downgrade, but the main target of this campaign has always been young girls in Europe and America.
A 14-year-old girl wouldn't idolize someone like Bill Gates or Warren Buffett. Money is never the hallmark of this age; being trendy, cool, and stylish is what matters.
Just like in China, every young man in loafers is surrounded by many young, attractive women. Not only do they not have to spend money to date, but they can also be supported by these women working temporary jobs.
But what about those wealthy people on the China Securities Depository and Clearing Corporation (CSDC)? Sorry, when they're attacking you, you're the nice brother on the internet, but as soon as the red envelope is sent, they immediately take it and spend it on the young man.
The same applies in the US; the more arrogant the attitude, the more crazy the little girl becomes.
From a logical standpoint, if you're promoting an action movie, there's absolutely no need to waste valuable promotional resources on young girls.
Even Tom Cruise, known for his cool demeanor, has never targeted young girls in the Mission: Impossible series.
The box office performance of these spy films shows that female viewers aged 13-18 account for less than 8% at most, which is not the mainstream audience, so it is not worth wasting publicity resources.
But Fang Xinghe did exactly that, and no one understood it at the time. Sony almost lost his temper.
result……
As it turns out, Fang Ge is still Fang Ge; his thinking surpasses everyone's vision.
The core selling point of "Taken" was to hype up his super-rich status. A week was enough to build up the hype, and the final promotional effect was so great that no other hype was needed to awaken the mainstream audience.
Therefore, all the busy work before unleashing a major move can be used to target niche audiences; not doing so would be a waste.
Time magazine's cover story focuses on hunting down teenage fans.
That's why he made some outrageous statements in the interview.
"Being handsome is an attitude, not just about your face."
"I'm here to overturn all of this. Don't plead for mercy, and don't beg for forgiveness."
"It would be natural for them to love me, but I would prefer them to hate me; life without enemies is too boring."
"Who are they? Those old relics abandoned by the times."
"Before turning 18, who hasn't repeatedly fallen in love with Fang Xinghe?"
……
This cringeworthy interview is the least idiotic of all Fang Shen's interviews, but it's also the most cost-effective of all the marketing campaigns by the head of the online trolls.
It didn't take much effort at all. They put together an outfit, bragged a bit to the reporters, and then young fans around the world went wild. Is there any better marketing than this?
As for whether doing this makes it look cheap and low-end... that's all bullshit.
If you want to fleece Americans, what high-end tactics are you using?
It's too high-tech, will those illiterate people understand it?
Let whoever wants to criticize, Fang Xinghe never lives by other people's opinions. He only cares about the results and is only responsible for his own ideals.
That's some serious mental fortitude!
The opponents, on the other hand, lacked this awareness. None of the three core players, including Qiao, Ma, and Pi, were willing to lower themselves to pander to fans; they were still using the same old tricks.
It's not entirely ineffective; in the rural Midwest, very few men dislike George Clooney and Al Pacino.
But as I said before—male fans are usually worse than dogs.
For example, right now, Kenny and his son-in-law really want to see "Ocean's Thirteen," their son thinks "Taken" is cooler, their two daughters have a strong liking and curiosity for each other's stars, and their wife follows their daughters. 4:2, the result is set.
Of course, because this is a large rural area in the Midwest, Kenny values parental authority, so he proposed a compromise.
"We have plenty of time today, so how about we watch both?"
"OK then."
Although it cost a lot more money, the dispute was resolved perfectly.
They watched "Ocean's Thirteen" first.
As a traditional heist film, this movie doesn't have intense fight scenes, but the pacing is decent and the enjoyment is good. It achieves a lighthearted, stylish, and well-coordinated feel, making it a very competent popcorn entertainment film.
After leaving the theater, Kenny was very satisfied and began to express his opinions.
"Veteran actors are still the most trustworthy. Every single one of them gave a perfect performance. George was profound, elegant, and at ease, while Al Pacino's imposing presence felt like stepping back into the Godfather era. How could those young actors compare? They're not even in the same league!"
The son-in-law chimed in, "It's really good, much better than the second one, it really feels like the first one."
"Right?" Kenny exclaimed, beaming. "My recommendation is definitely spot on!"
He wanted to say a few more words, but his two daughters had already rushed to the entrance of another theater.
"Come on! Daddy, it's time to check tickets!" Kenny shrugged and strolled over slowly. The previous hurricane movie had just ended, and he ran into a lot of acquaintances along the way.
That's how small towns are; there are no strangers, and you become friends after a couple of drinks.
"Hey, Johnson!"
Hey, Emily!
"Hey buddy, you brought your kid to the movies too?"
"Of course, there are advertisements for this movie in the newspapers every day, and my daughter has been nagging me for days."
Actually, there wasn't much time for casual conversation, but Kenny noticed that his friend, who had just come from the set of "Taken," was unusually excited.
"Oh, how was the movie?" Kenny raised an eyebrow. "I just finished watching Ocean's Thirteen, and George Clooney didn't disappoint!"
How to describe it?
Johnson tugged at his beard.
"I suggest you experience it for yourself. I was shocked. It was a style I never imagined, but it was incredibly enjoyable."
"Huh?" Kenny exclaimed in surprise, "Aren't you the one who dislikes... well, foreigners the most?"
Kenny changed his tune at the last minute. Actually, Johnson is a rigid and serious mild racist. He doesn't dislike foreigners, but he dislikes everything that is not white.
"You feel like a complete stranger to me."
Johnson shrugged, looking somewhat embarrassed and angry: "Come on, you didn't see it. When you get out, you'll be just like me! Until then, I don't want to say anything more to you. See you later!"
"Wow! Okay then, I'll go in right away, I'll enjoy it carefully."
Kenny waved and followed his family through the ticket check.
The lights in the theater went out one by one, and the movie began.
……
Zeus's eyes were filled with sadness: "I'm sorry, my dear, I didn't mean to control your life, I was just... worried about you."
Mia, embarrassed and annoyed, retorted, "What are you worried about? I'm fine, perfectly fine! My parents took good care of me without you! As for now... I'm an adult!"
Zeus awkwardly explained, "But you have never seen real society, while I have experienced many things you don't understand... This world is not as simple and safe as you imagine..."
Mia sneered: "Come on, stop trying to intimidate me with your high-sounding principles! Let me emphasize again: I'm all grown up now, I have my own thoughts and my own life!"
……
The daily life scenes in the beginning are not drawn out at all. Although they are calm, they are full of conflicts and tension.
Kenny felt a strong sense of immersion and was deeply engrossed in the story.
Although this is from the older brother's perspective, it's actually not much different from the father's perspective.
Kenny immediately recalled his eldest daughter's past rebellious phase and his youngest daughter's current rebellious phase.
Honestly, it's a real headache.
The real America is not like what is portrayed in the media, where parents completely neglect their children, give them freedom, and let them live independently as soon as they turn 18.
In reality, only people at the bottom of society do this, not because of cultural reasons, but because they genuinely lack the ability to provide a safety net.
In any part of the United States, for families that are in the middle class, raising children has always been a major and challenging issue.
If anyone had even a little bit of ability, would they want their daughter to use marijuana, engage in promiscuous sex, get pregnant at a young age, or mingle in the underworld?
In Midwestern states with such traditional values, it's even less likely that white families would neglect their children.
However, it is more likely that the problem will not be managed well.
The angle of Taken is very clever, and it is particularly friendly to middle-aged people, who are not actually the main audience of action movies.
The reason why "Taken" was a huge hit in its previous life was precisely because it attracted a large number of non-core audiences.
Now, Fang Xinghe has continued to expand his base.
His face can attract female audiences to the theater, while his "slow-paced editing" can ensure their viewing experience.
The situation thus became even more bizarre.
……
"Waaaaaaah!"
Kenny's two daughters hugged each other and screamed softly at Fang Xinghe's face.
"He's so handsome!"
This is the scene where Zeus raises his head from the shadows.
He was handsome before, but he lacked the right charisma.
Now, the gang kidnappers hung up on Zeus, refusing his "friendly negotiations." Zeus slowly raised his half-lowered head, exposing his entire face to the light, and his demeanor completely changed.
When handling this shot, Fang Xinghe cleverly avoided having Zeus look directly at the camera.
Although looking directly at the camera would have made him look cooler, he chose to restrain himself.
—The eyes don't look at the camera, but rather look across the lens at the wall, displaying coldness rather than anger.
The camera quickly pans to the wall, where a huge target board hangs, covered with many photos of targets marked with red crosses, along with various impressive-sounding data and mind maps.
Based on the preceding dialogue, Zeus's identity as the assassin is quite obvious.
By the 25th minute of the film, the audience's anticipation had reached its peak.
……
Further on, gasps of surprise rose and fell.
From the scene where Zeus chases the driver, Fang Xinghe truly showcases the unique aspects of this action film.
No, a more accurate description is its uniqueness.
For example, the scene where he climbs over the railing was filmed without wire work, special effects, or editing; it was purely real footage.
There are no more than 100 people in the world who can do this move, and 99% of them are top parkour experts.
And the ability to achieve such agility and grace is absolutely unique.
In the subsequent chase along the wall, he ran like a cheetah on the edge of the wall, which was no more than 20 centimeters wide.
Despite his slow pace and short stride, appearing very composed, the distance between him and the driver zooms in rapidly in the wide-angle lens, as if they are not even on the same frame rate.
This relaxed yet rapid pace, when switching to a rear-view overhead perspective, creates an extremely strong sense of stimulation—the perspective becomes immersive, and so do the emotions.
Below is a panicked mouse, insignificant prey.
Running on the wall are cheetahs, falcons, and lynxes.
This hunt could end at any moment; the ruthless hunter is merely toying with this poor little mouse, his goal being... to destroy his spirit and will.
This is masterful cinematic language.
I don't need narration or extra lines. Viewers with normal intelligence will understand it at a glance and still enjoy it.
Kenny instinctively clenched his fists, screaming inwardly: Quick, quick! Go and tear him to pieces! Kill this bastard with the cruelest methods!
The initial sense of immersion built up enough anticipation, and now this effortless, hunter-like pursuit has transformed that anticipation into a strong emotional response.
Finally, when the driver came to a hasty stop and Zeus crouched on the wall, this brief standoff brought emotions to a fever pitch.
Next comes the moment of release.
(End of this chapter)