Chapter 413
Conflict and Operation
Chapter 413 Conflict and Operation
The North American film market is a highly mature commercial market.
Here, attention is everything. Every company will go all out during the project's release period, and even have different promotional strategies every day, every week, and every stage.
Then, once eliminated, they will quickly withdraw all resources to ruthlessly cut their losses.
Fang Xinghe wrote the question on the manuscript paper: "How can I lure Warner into getting carried away and then force them to cut their losses in a short period of time?"
Below the main title is a breakdown of the thought process.
First, the threat level of the opponent.
Pirates of the Caribbean >>> Shrek = Rohan > Superevil > Fantastic Four
In reality, Ocean's is no longer worth mentioning, but this is the second week of Pirates of the Caribbean. Even though its reputation has declined compared to its predecessor, the special effects blockbuster is still awesome.
Fang Xinghe had already shifted his gaze from Luohan to a more distant place.
II. Situation Assessment.
The current situation is not very optimistic; the pirate ship still...
Despite occupying the best theaters and the best screening times, Fang Xinghe managed to carve out a huge amount of attention with the gimmick of "super rich action movie," but this was only enough to crush Luo Han, not enough to dominate the box office.
Superbad, which will be released next week, is also a formidable competitor.
In theory, these two films should not conflict, but in reality, they do not.
In the pursuit of maximizing profits, any high-profile movie becomes an enemy, whether it's Pirate Ship or Superbad.
Moreover, this R-rated teen comedy not only vies for screen time, but also for young audiences who don't have much money to begin with.
The core North American consumer group, aged 18 to 25, absolutely cannot withstand the combined sales of Spider-Man, Corsair, Hurricane Fang, Super Bad, and Fantastic Four.
The two parts that have already been cut off are the enemy, and the two parts that haven't been cut off are even bigger enemies.
If possible, Brother Fang doesn't want to give them a single ticket.
Although Taken is already a sure-fire blockbuster, he still wants to earn more—every movie ticket sold now is the capital for the future education of impoverished children in China, and also an electronic heroin to brainwash teenagers in Europe and America.
III. Problem-solving approach.
The goal is to overshadow the subsequent promotion of the pirate ship movie with its hype, maximize box office revenue in the first full week, and then use the high box office to drive bandwagon effect, ultimately creating a "hurricane phenomenon" to compete for the title of summer box office champion, while also paving the way for "The Intouchables".
IV. PK Positioning.
The pirate ship is the main competitor, Rohan is nearing his end and is not worth mentioning, and we can deal with Super Bad later.
Therefore, one should focus their efforts on the pirate ship, and Rohan may even be a short-term teammate.
V. Conclusion.
At this point, the best approach is clear—lure the Arhats to jump around a couple more times, then take advantage of their last struggles to suppress the pirate ship's heat with the two bound pieces.
Once the goal is achieved, immediately force Warner to cut their losses and stop investing, thus taking everything from them.
Screen, popularity, word-of-mouth, victory, emotions...
Fang Xinghe wanted everything and was determined to devour the little Arhat completely.
……
Once the direction is clear, the strategy will follow.
For the time being, Fang Xinghe cannot use methods that are too targeted at "Ocean's Thirteen," otherwise he might easily wipe them out in one fell swoop, causing Warner Bros. to give up prematurely.
He couldn't bear to part with the considerable publicity expenses for Luohan.
If the intelligence is correct, it seems there is still 2000 million US dollars left?
Don't underestimate this amount of money. 2000 million is enough to buy a lot of media coverage and generate a lot of buzz.
If Warner Bros. stops playing the game and takes the money back, who will fill the empty spaces and sounds?
Hurricane Rescue didn't have that much publicity money, nor did they want to spend it on that, so in the end, the pirate ship had to make up for it.
So even if Warner Bros.' publicity department is incompetent, lacks coordination, and is clueless, as long as they obediently occupy their positions, they can make things very difficult for the pirate ship.
Thinking a little deeper, as long as Warner Bros. doesn't back down, how could Jomac not do his best?
With their high status and deep connections in Hollywood, the three of them have plenty of ways to generate buzz without spending money, so in the end, they all benefit us.
Giving those three guys a light beating, giving them a glimmer of hope, pushing them to their limits, and making them jump up and down is the only way to maximize profits.
At Fang Ge's command, Sony was ordered to immediately investigate the movements of the three men.
……
Vice President Suo came to pay his respects at 6:30 in the morning, and by 8 o'clock, all the moves of the rivals were laid out on his desk.
To reiterate: the US film market is an extremely mature commercial market, and the summer season is particularly dramatic.
During this period, almost everyone is playing their cards openly; there are no secrets.
Besides Fang Ge, his previous actions have instantly become a classic case study at Harvard Business School.
However, this approach cannot be replicated because it is too shocking and outrageous, which is why Hollywood was caught off guard and didn't react in time.
Unfortunately, there won't be a next time.
The business investigation departments of the six major Hollywood studios will study him under a microscope, making comprehensive contingency plans from all angles to respond promptly and prevent any potential explosions.
Now, the opponent should have already drawn most of the cards that Brother Fang can play.
Just like what they were doing, Brother Fang knew exactly what they were doing.
Let me briefly mention Jomapi.
George is buying black, Pirlo is showing off his love with Laura, and Agent Ma is asking for help from the gang.
The vice president, worried that Fang's father might find reading too tiring, kept explaining in a rambling manner.
"George has some political resources on the Democratic side, and it's easy for him to contact some powerful figures who are dissatisfied with you."
Pitt and Laura will be attending a flurry of parties and events in the coming days to generate exposure, and there's also the possibility of them making some eye-catching statements.
Damon has the support of the Weinstein Gang, with members like Affleck, Quentin Tarantino, and Robert Rodriguez all being members of this inner circle…
"Very good, they are all very energetic."
Brother Fang was very satisfied with their fighting spirit, and a smile appeared on his face when he gave his comments.
The vice president, a mere figurehead, wiped the sweat from his brow: "We still need to be careful; their counterattack could be quite fierce..."
"But the angle is too off; Warner Bros. is just as useless as you guys."
Fang Ge's comments were sharp and didn't hold back at all.
He tapped the document, his tone firm: "We need to correct them and get them back on track as soon as possible. That money is my publicity fund; we can't waste it like this!"
"what?!"
The workers, who were just doing the work, were sweating even more.
He genuinely didn't understand; he had never felt that English was so difficult to comprehend.
Fang looked at him as if he were a pig.
"What good would buying dirt on me do? What dirt on me could possibly turn Luo Han's career around? I don't drink, I don't do drugs, I don't discriminate, I'm so well-behaved I don't even have a single tattoo..."
Even though some of my remarks disregard the lives of others, teenagers love that kind of thing!
To waste limited funds and energy trying to smear me is incredibly stupid!
The assistant nodded and bowed obsequiously: "Indeed, but the issue of stance can still provoke some rebellious sentiments..."
That's not wrong.
In fact, politician Joe's thinking is the most incisive and concise. The core of Hurricane's filming, publicity, action, and reputation all revolve around Fang Xinghe. To ruin one person's reputation is equivalent to dismantling the entire project.
The frustrating thing is that Fang Xinghe really has no flaws; he has none on a moral level, and even less on a strength level.
So, in the end, what we can really make a fuss about is probably our stance.
This won't do. Brother Fang decided he had to correct them immediately.
"The original publicity plan will be implemented immediately. After that, we will do this and that..."
Amidst the concise, thorough, and detailed instructions, the assistant's eyes grew increasingly bright.
……
June 2nd, Saturday, 10:6 AM.
Fang Xinghe and Xiao Zhang made a surprise appearance at the Grimm Cinema in the Los Angeles metropolitan area to offer their blessings to a special audience member.
Before the movie ended, he stood guard in the lobby with a bouquet of flowers. The security team immediately dispersed to protect him, and the camera crew took up positions from multiple angles.
The moment he took off his hat and mask, the cinema lobby erupted in cheers.
"SR! Oh my god! It really is him!"
Young girls screamed and rushed over, while adults and men were more reserved but still tried to get closer and immediately pulled out their phones.
The hall instantly turned into a massive confession scene, descending into chaos.
I love you, Fang!
"Look at me! Please take a look at me, I am Baby's Star!"
"Ahhhhh! He's so handsome!" "Please, please sign your autograph for me, I'll die happy here!"
……
I can't hear it, I can't hear it at all.
The idol worship culture in North America is different from that in Asia, but that doesn't mean North American fans don't go crazy when they see their idols—in fact, they go even crazier.
Fang Xinghe had experienced many big events and had long anticipated the current situation.
A rare, gentle and radiant smile appeared on his face. He clasped his hands together and bowed slightly to those around him in apology.
"I'm sorry, dear fans, I have a special mission today and it's not convenient for me to sign autographs or take photos right now. Could you please keep quiet for a moment?"
I've brought 200 personally autographed movie tickets for the prime-time screening tonight at 8 PM. Fans in attendance can redeem them by showing their ticket stub from any of the Hurricane Rescue screenings to my assistant.
Additionally, those who can't get a ticket can receive a Starbucks meal voucher. No ticket stub is required, and you don't need to be a fan of mine.
Thank you for your cooperation, thank you everyone.
In public, the actor's team displayed an unprecedented level of professionalism.
In an instant, the screams stopped, and suppressed sobs began to spread.
Here's a scary story: when have the female fans in America ever seen such a gentle cult leader?
We already had little contact, and now I'm constantly watching his fighting stance.
It's not that the fighting stance is bad; being cool, alpha, high-ranking, and having a sense of authority are all powerful tools for attracting fans.
However, these occasional contrasts are more impactful and most likely to tug at emotions.
These lucky girls are practically dying of happiness. On one hand, they obediently stopped yelling, and on the other hand, they couldn't help but cry and babble with emotion.
"Wow, he's such a gentleman..."
The above sentence is a paraphrase; the original sentence is not convenient to disclose. The American Dream girl is too straightforward, always fantasizing about that kind of unjust death.
Passersby didn't react much, but were just curious: "Is there some special event today? I never expected to see SR here in person."
"I don't know, it's the promotional period, any kind of activity is normal."
American audiences are very familiar with the tricks of movie promotion, so they aren't really surprised.
It's just that Fang Xinghe rarely makes personal appearances, which makes it seem particularly unusual.
Then, at that moment, the previous show of "Ocean's Thirteen" ended before "Taken," and about 20 audience members sparsely walked out.
One group of four burly men lined up and discussed something as they went out.
"It doesn't look good."
"It's not actually that bad."
"I think it's better than Taken; high-IQ crimes are much more exciting!"
Holy crap! Look who's that?
The moment they saw Fang Xinghe clearly, they rushed over.
The outermost cinema security guards tried to stop them, but they couldn't.
These guys were not only extremely tall, but also very strong. With a slight lift of their arms, they pushed aside the cinema security guards. It wasn't until they got close to the inner circle that they were stopped by Fang Xinghe's private security.
"Hey, SR!"
One of the men with a buzz cut seemed to be having a lot of fun and suddenly started to provoke them.
"Your Chinese kung fu is terrible! You can only fool ordinary people who haven't practiced it. In my opinion, it's nothing special!"
Fang Xinghe raised his eyelids, glanced at the other person, and then ignored him.
The guy then went even further, shouting, "Why aren't you responding to me? You're too scared? Then take your crappy movie and go back to China! Asian coward!"
"asshole!"
The girls at the scene, who were full of stars, were furious and started hurling insults.
"Damn ugly freak! Why isn't your dick as hard as your mouth? SR only needs to snap his fingers and your wife will happily lie in his bed!"
Um... hard to say.
Fang Xinghe quickly signaled with his eyes that the security guards should pair up and drive the troublemakers away.
They continued to argue, but Brother Fang ignored them and simply explained something to the onlookers nearby.
"I'm sorry, I have important business to attend to today and don't have time to deal with this kind of person, so I had to let security handle it. I hope it didn't spoil everyone's good mood."
Everyone offered words of comfort, but then another loud shout came from afar: "This isn't over! Listen, SR, you're a fraudster who's just trying to gain fame, and I'll expose you!"
"Damn, are you crazy?"
The girls couldn't help but curse, but a smile appeared in Fang Ge's eyes.
Great, this flavor is just right.
……
The chaos didn't last long, and the hurricane rescue operation came to an end.
One audience member after another slowly walked out of the theater.
One of the parents, pushing a wheelchair, saw Fang Xinghe from afar, and their expressions immediately turned from surprise to excitement.
"Tommy, look, who's that?"
Wow! Wow wow wow!
The boy looked to be about fourteen or fifteen years old. He was thin and pale. Even though he was so excited, his movements were very stiff and labored, and his mouth and eyes were even a little crooked.
The security guards made way for the parents to push their child into the center.
Fang Xinghe squatted down in advance and presented the bouquet to the boy with both hands.
"Hey, little man, I'm Star River, my Chinese name is Fang Xinghe, and my nickname is Lucky Gashapon Machine. I heard your wish and came here to grant it. Now, how about we give each other a high five?"
Tommy was still in shock and instinctively turned to look for his mother.
His mother, holding back tears, said softly, "Isn't SR your idol? Your father wrote him a letter asking for help on the official fan cafe, and now he has fulfilled your wish."
"Wow! Is this real? I can't believe it... I can't believe it..."
The little boy was at a loss and couldn't organize his thoughts, only repeating a few words over and over.
"Of course it's true."
Fang Xinghe squatted in front of Tommy, still holding up his right hand.
"Now that we've officially met, I've heard you're a cool guy who doesn't like making friends with uncool people. What do you think of me? Am I cool enough?"
"That's so cool!" Tommy nodded with difficulty. "You're like Superman!"
"So, can you give me five?"
The first sentence is a question, and the second sentence immediately becomes an affirmative statement.
"I know you can do it, keep it up, buddy!"
The little boy's eyes were bright. He struggled to raise his right hand and gave Fang Xinghe a high five. When he did, his whole body almost leaned forward and fell over.
His father helped him up and explained apologetically, "Tommy has ALS, and it has progressed to the middle and late stages. He only has a little bit of mobility left..."
He admires you the most. Thank you for reading my letter and coming in person, thank you, thank you! I'm sorry, I'm too excited, Liv, stay here with me, I need to go to the restroom..."
The father only managed to utter one complete sentence before he began to choke up.
He quickly turned and left, covering his face as if fleeing.
Surprisingly, Liv, the mother, was very strong and spoke to Fang Xinghe in a very organized manner.
"We weren't sure if you could actually make the time to come, so we didn't tell Tommy beforehand. He was probably too excited to say anything for a moment."
Actually, he's usually very lively and talkative, so I hope you won't find him annoying later..."
"of course not."
Brother Fang straightened his face, looking sincere.
"You should know that I have donated a lot to children's disease funds, right?"
Children with ALS have always been covered by this program, and I deeply sympathize with the plight of these poor children, often wanting to do something for them myself.
Tommy wasn't the first beneficiary of the SR charity program, but he steadfastly supported me without knowing that I was the funder, which created a special emotional connection between us.
"Being able to fulfill his wish was a two-way effort between me and my fans; you don't need to thank me for it."
The surrounding crowd heard the conversation and couldn't help but applaud.
Liv finally couldn't hold back her emotions and raised her hand to wipe away her tears.
Little Tommy, on the other hand, was only excited after recovering from the shock. He twisted his body and started chattering, trying to talk to Fang Xinghe.
"Don't rush, buddy, don't rush."
Fang Xinghe moved behind him and personally pushed the wheelchair.
"I know what you want. Your SR brother has arranged an absolutely amazing program for you that will definitely meet your expectations!"
Come on, let's leave here and begin our dreamlike journey today!
(End of this chapter)