Chapter 928
The film industry is already in a slow death.
Tangdu, headquarters of Galaxy Technology.
When Guo Xing entered the office, Wang Donglai was compiling teaching materials.
"Boss, filming for 'All or Nothing' has wrapped."
Guo Xing's voice was tired, but even more so, it was filled with an irrepressible excitement.
She placed a hard drive on Wang Donglai's desk; it contained the finished film.
Wang Donglai turned around, not looking at the hard drive, but gesturing for Guo Xing to sit down.
He first poured Guo Xing a glass of water, and then poured one for himself.
"Filming is finished, now it's time to talk about the release. What are your thoughts?"
Guo Xing took the water glass, but didn't drink it. He held it in both hands as if to warm it.
She thought for a moment and organized her thoughts.
"Boss, the subject matter of this movie is quite sensitive, so it might be difficult to get it approved."
"Even if it gets approved, the theaters might not be so optimistic about it."
"As you know, the theater scheduling is based on expected box office revenue, which in turn depends on the subject matter, cast, and marketing."
"Our film doesn't have any big stars, and the subject matter is sensitive, so we're the only production company..."
She paused, then lowered her voice.
“I’ve heard from people in the theater industry that these kinds of films are ‘not easy to sell’.”
"They suggested that we find more production companies to share the risk, or... give them a larger share of the profits."
"Offering discounts?"
"Yes. For example, the normal revenue sharing ratio is 51% for the theaters and 49% for the film producers."
“We can ask the film producers to give up a few more percentage points, which will make theaters more willing to schedule screenings.”
"Also... we can heavily promote that we will donate the box office revenue to charity, which can offset some of the sensitivity of the subject matter."
Wang Donglai did not answer immediately.
He picked up his water glass, took a sip, and his gaze fell on an open document on his desk.
Those are teaching materials from Galaxy Education. Galaxy Vocational Education will be starting soon, so naturally, the teaching materials need to be compiled as quickly as possible.
"Guo Xing, do you think this path will work?"
Guo Xing was stunned for a moment.
She didn't know which road Wang Donglai was asking about.
"I mean, as you said, we should give up profits, find the production company, and use the box office revenue for charity in exchange for more screenings, more publicity, and to avoid being blocked."
"Is this road even viable?"
Guo Xing fell silent.
Of course she knew it wouldn't work.
Even if we succeed this time, what about next time? And the time after that?
Every time, you have to make concessions, every time you have to find someone to share the risk, and every time you have to use your own money to get someone else's "leniency".
This isn't doing something; this is asking for favors.
"Boss, I know you don't like this, but we have no other choice."
"If a movie isn't shown in theaters, can it be shown on a mobile phone?"
Wang Donglai looked at her and suddenly smiled.
There was something in that smile that Guo Xing had never seen before—not mockery, not helplessness, but a kind of certainty.
"Why can't it be placed on the phone?"
Guo Xing was stunned.
"Boss, you mean..."
"Douyin".
When Wang Dong said those two words, his tone was as calm as if he were talking about today's weather.
"The movie isn't showing in theaters, it's just on Douyin."
"It's not free, it's charged."
"Three yuan or six yuan, let the user choose."
Guo Xing opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but his mind was a jumbled mess.
She had never heard of a movie being streamed directly on a short video platform instead of in theaters.
Isn't this ridiculous?
But then I realized that this was said by Wang Dong.
And everything Wang Donglai said eventually came true.
"Boss, is this... going to work?"
Why not?
Wang Donglai countered with a question.
He stood up, walked to the whiteboard, picked up a marker, and wrote a few words on it.
"Guo Xing, have you noticed a problem? The domestic film industry is actually declining. Don't be fooled by the fact that box office records are constantly being broken, but the overall development of the industry is not satisfactory."
Guo Xing was taken aback.
She hadn't really noticed this point, nor had she thought about it seriously.
But now that Wang Donglai said that, she immediately started thinking about it quickly in her mind.
Without waiting for her reply, Wang Donglai explained directly: "The professional skills of practitioners cannot keep up with the aesthetic level of the audience."
He turned around and looked at Guo Xing.
"Think about it, thirty years ago, a movie could gross tens of millions at the box office, and the whole country would be watching it."
"At that time, audiences hadn't seen many good movies, so their expectations weren't high."
"And now? Audiences have watched American dramas on Netflix, British dramas on HBO, and all sorts of masterpieces on Bilibili."
"Their aesthetic sense has been fed with the best content in the world, and their eyes have long been spoiled."
"But what about our film professionals? How many of them are still telling stories using techniques from thirty years ago?"
"How many people are still filming those outdated, tired scenes?"
"How many people have no idea what young people like or want?"
“A group of people in their fifties, sixties, seventies and eighties occupy high positions and control resources, making it impossible for young people to get in.”
Guo Xing frowned slightly.
She knew that what Wang Donglai said was true.
In China's film industry, seniority is the sole criterion for promotion from top to bottom.
The same few familiar faces control every aspect of the production: directing, screenwriting, producing, and distribution.
Young people who want to get ahead either need to find a mentor, a powerful backer, or have a wealthy family to invest their own money.
"You should know how many young people graduate from film school every year, but they can't make movies, whether they are actors or directors. They can only accumulate experience little by little, unless they have connections or bring their own resources."
"The impact of capital and finance has turned movies into a speculative commodity."
“In the past, we made movies to tell stories.”
"People are making movies now to make money."
"A bad movie can recoup its costs or even make a profit simply by hiring a few popular celebrities, buying a bunch of trending topics, and boosting box office revenue."
"Why? Because there is capital manipulating things behind the scenes."
"They don't care whether the movie is good or not, they only care whether it can make money."
"In their hands, movies are not art, but a financial tool."
Guo Xing's fingers slowly slid along the rim of the cup.
She recalled the projects she had seen over the years. Some had "guaranteed release" agreements set before filming even started, some had pre-sales for box office revenue before filming was even finished, and some were money laundering games from beginning to end.
What is the root cause of these chaotic situations?
Wang Dong asked and answered his own questions.
"The root cause is that the film industry has too low a return and too high a risk."
"You can't make money by making movies normally; you can only make a steady profit by doing crooked things."
"The investment is so low that investors dare not invest in newcomers and can only invest in familiar faces that are 'guaranteed'."
"It's so low that the entire industry is in a state of involution. In the end, the industry is destroyed, and everyone's interests are harmed."
Do you know what the situation is like this year?
"Let me tell you, 2019 will be a watershed year for the film industry." "Starting this year, the scale of the film industry will decline every year thereafter."
"It's not a slight fluctuation, it's a continuous contraction."
"why?"
"Because the audience isn't stupid."
"If you get fooled by a bad movie once, twice, or three times, you won't go again."
"When more and more people realize that spending two hours in a movie theater watching a bad movie is not as good as spending an hour at home watching short videos, they will vote with their feet."
"Moreover, this trend is irreversible."
"Once the audience's aesthetic standards are raised, they can't be lowered back down."
"Once they've seen the good, they can't accept the bad anymore."
"Our film industry simply cannot keep up with the pace of improvement in audience aesthetics in the short term."
Guo Xing remained silent.
She knew Wang Donglai was right.
She has done box office analysis, user research, and market forecasting.
The data doesn't lie: attendance is declining, the average number of times people watch movies per person is decreasing, and the proportion of young viewers is declining.
This industry is indeed on a downward trend.
"But crisis can also be an opportunity."
Wang Donglai softened his voice.
"Only when the old things can no longer hold up can the new things have a chance to emerge."
"The decline of theatrical films does not mean that films themselves are declining."
"Film, as a form of content, will not die."
"Those who die are those unambitious practitioners, those institutions that cling to outdated ideas, and those business models that rely on connections, backgrounds, and capital operations."
"A new era is dawning."
"Technology empowers, channels revolutionize, and content is king."
"Technology empowerment refers to AI."
"In the future, one person and one computer will be able to create a short film."
"No need for a large crew, expensive equipment, or complicated processes."
"With the threshold lowered, more people will come in."
"With more people involved, the probability of creating good works increases."
"Channel revolution is what we're talking about today."
"Movies don't necessarily have to be shown in theaters."
"You can put it anywhere: a mobile phone, a tablet, a TV, or a car screen."
"With more platforms, creators will have more opportunities."
"With more options available, we no longer need to be controlled by those few cinema chains."
"Content is king; that's the most fundamental principle."
"No matter how technology or distribution channels change, what ultimately attracts audiences is still a good story."
"Whoever can make the audience laugh, cry, and think will survive."
"Whoever only knows how to pile up celebrities, create hype, and play capital games will be eliminated."
"So, I'm asking you, is this path even viable?"
"I'm telling you, not only is it a viable route, but it's the only viable route."
"The rules of the cinema industry are outdated."
"We are not exploring alternative paths; we are forging new ones."
Guo Xing sat there, his fingers slowly sliding along the rim of the cup.
Countless thoughts surged through her mind—excitement, trepidation, and something else she couldn't quite put her finger on.
"Boss, I understand."
Her voice was a little hoarse, but much steadyer than before.
"The movie is streamed on Douyin, it's a paid service, it costs three yuan."
"All revenue, except for the platform's necessary costs, will be donated to the Firefly Foundation."
"Let users know that every penny they spend is doing something meaningful."
Wang Donglai nodded and didn't bring up the topic again.
He picked up the phone on the table and dialed a number.
"Zhang Yizu, come up here."
Three minutes later, Zhang Yizu pushed the door open and came in.
He was wearing a white polo shirt, and his hair was a little messy, as if he had just been called up from his workstation.
"Boss, what's up?"
"sit."
Zhang Yizu sat down and saw that Guo Xing was also there, so he roughly understood the situation.
"I've finished filming 'All or Nothing,' and I plan to stream it on Douyin for a fee."
"Are there any problems on your end?"
Zhang Ziyi did not answer immediately.
He thought for a moment and then said, "Technically, there's no problem. Douyin's servers are sufficient, the bandwidth is sufficient, and the payment interface is readily available."
"But there's a problem..."
"explain."
"User experience".
"Douyin users are used to scrolling through short videos, one after another, without paying or thinking. Suddenly asking them to pay to watch a movie that's one or two hours long takes time to cultivate that habit. And won't users feel like we're 'harvesting' them?"
Wang Donglai nodded, satisfied with Zhang Yizu's reaction.
“You’re right, so we can’t force it. We can’t put the movie on the Douyin homepage as a pop-up and make everyone pay to watch it. Instead, we can create a separate paid content platform, separate from Douyin, but sharing the account system and payment interface.”
"Call it 'Galaxy Theater' or 'Douyin Cinema' is up to you. This platform will not only feature 'All or Nothing,' but also other high-quality content."
"Short dramas, documentaries, variety shows, movies—anything good can be included. Users pay to watch, and the revenue is split proportionally—the creators take the lion's share, the platform takes a smaller share, and Galaxy Entertainment, as the production company, also gets a cut. It's a win-win situation for all three parties!"
Zhang Ziyi's eyes lit up.
He has been thinking about how to improve the quality of Douyin's content.
Content in the free model naturally tends to be short, fast-paced, and sensationalist, and tends to stimulate users' dopamine levels.
Truly good, in-depth content that requires quiet contemplation and appreciation is hard to survive in this model.
"Boss, this idea is fantastic."
“I’ve had a general idea for a while, but it wasn’t detailed enough. Now that I’ve heard what you’ve said, I know it’s definitely going to work.”
Wang Donglai nodded.
"Then let's do it."
"Let's test the waters with 'All or Nothing' first. If it works well, we can gradually add more content and turn it into the largest paid content platform in China."
He paused, his gaze shifting from Guo Xing to Zhang Ziyi, and then back again.
"But there's one rule: content quality must be guaranteed. Not just anything can be put up and charged for. We're not in the traffic business; we're in the content business."
"Traffic can be faked, but content can't lie. If users spend money and feel it's not worth it, they won't spend money again, and that's when the platform dies."
Zhang Zuyi nodded solemnly: "Understood."
Guo Xing nodded: "Understood."
"Okay, then it's settled. 'All or Nothing' will go through the approval process first. Once it gets the license, it will be streamed on the platform for a fee. As the first project for the content platform, the two of you should work together to make this a success."
Both of them nodded in agreement.
After finishing their conversation, Guo Xing left, but Zhang Yizu stayed in Wang Donglai's office.
He hesitated for a moment before speaking, "Boss, I have another idea, but I don't know if I should say it."
"Speak!"
"Regarding the paid platform you mentioned, I have an even bolder idea. Besides movies, short dramas, and documentaries, could we... also put knowledge content on it?" (End of Chapter)