raknovel Chapter 99 Release Date and skepticism
Chapter 99 Release Date and skepticism
Chapter 99 Release Date and skepticism (Guaranteed 10,000 words per day starting tomorrow)
In the Fox distribution department meeting room, a screen on the wall displays the full-year release schedule for 2006.
The table was filled with a dense list of movies of all genres.
"These are the competitors we need to watch out for next summer's box office."
May: Mission: Impossible III, Poseidon, X-Men: The Last Stand;
June: *Cars*, *The Return of Superman*
July: Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest
The meeting room fell silent, because these movies were all monsters—either high-budget productions, sequels based on previous works, or, of course, family-friendly films.
"Everyone, look at the big screen." Jeff, the distribution manager, spoke with a deep sense of powerlessness.
"In May, the afterglow of Pete Jackson's 'King Kong' was still lingering, followed by Paramount's 'Mission: Impossible III,' Warner Bros.' 'Poseidon,' and our own 'X-Men: The Last Stand.' God help us, May's theatrical releases were practically a nuclear war."
So what about June? Disney and Pixar slammed *Cars* onto June 9th, while Warner Bros. poured a whopping $250 million into Bryan Singer's *Superman Returns*! And that doesn't even include *Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales* in early July. All summer long, Hollywood was filled with superhuman monsters in tight suits and talking metal cars.
"Now the question is, where should we put 'The Devil Wears Prada'?"
The marketing department spoke first: "May is definitely not an option; we can't compete with our own people."
The distribution department nodded: "Agreed."
Another person said, "July is even worse; Pirates of the Caribbean 2 will eat up all the media coverage."
Everyone nodded in agreement again, and then all their eyes fell on a relatively empty spot at the end of June.
"We need to be realistic; this is a mid-budget comedy. If we choose the summer release window, its role will be to fill the gap between the big-budget films."
Kevin, the deputy director of marketing, remarked, "Audiences go to the theater to see Superman save the world, not to see fashion magazine editors throw tantrums."
A soft chuckle rippled through the meeting room, and many people secretly agreed with this viewpoint.
From a traditional business perspective, this statement makes sense.
Superhero movies, disaster films, and action blockbusters dominate the summer movie season, while urban women's films are usually scheduled for spring or autumn, making them typical "off-season products."
Jeff didn't rush to express his opinion, but instead looked at Lin Ruiyang: "Director, what do you think?"
Faced with a long list of schedules, Lin Ruiyang did not show the slightest sign of seriousness as everyone had imagined; on the contrary, he appeared quite relaxed.
"Kevin, you're absolutely right. Audiences do go to the theater to see superheroes save the world and race cars speeding down the track."
But you've overlooked a crucial business logic: who will rescue the aesthetically bombarded lives of urban women forced to accompany their boyfriends or husbands to the movies?
"My personal opinion is that it should be released on June 30, along with Superman Returns."
The meeting room fell silent for a second.
Jeff, the head of distribution, raised an eyebrow: "Reason?"
"Because we are not in competition with Superman, and the release of a blockbuster will create a vacuum at the same time, we can leave a specific audience with no other movies to choose from, leaving them with only 'The Devil Wears Prada'."
Many people subconsciously frowned. This argument seemed to make some sense, but it also felt like a gamble.
"Lin, please continue."
Lin Ruiyang picked up the remote control and switched the schedule on the big screen to another page of data, which was a report on North American movie-going patterns that the market research department had just compiled.
Who has been the biggest contributor to North American box office revenue over the past three years?
No one answered, because everyone knew the answer.
"Female." Lin Ruiyang pointed at the screen with a laser pointer.
"To be precise, it refers to women aged 25 to 49."
"And this group has a very interesting characteristic: they are the ones who decide on family entertainment spending, and they are also the ones who decide on movie choices for couples."
"But during the summer of 2006, they had almost no choice."
The data on the screen started scrolling:
Mission: Impossible III – Male cast estimated at 61%.
X-Men 3 – Male cast estimated at 67%.
Superman Returns – Male cast estimated at 70%.
Although Pirates of the Caribbean 2 has a higher proportion of female characters, it is still a traditional commercial blockbuster.
"I'm starting to like this plan," another executive in the distribution department said.
"But if we follow this line of thinking, then the direction of our publicity also needs to be adjusted. At the very least, the comedy that we were previously positioned as cannot be the main focus."
Lin Ruiyang immediately chimed in: "One more thing, don't try to attract everyone, we only need to attract the group most willing to buy tickets."
This is a truth proven by countless films throughout history: the more precise the execution, the more money it makes. Conversely, films that try to have everything often end up with nothing.
Jeff nodded, then looked directly at everyone: "Let's vote."
A hand is raised.
Raise both hands.
Three.
Four.
In just over ten seconds.
More than two-thirds of the people in the meeting room voted in favor.
Jeff finally raised his right hand.
"pass."
*Snap!* The Devil Wears Prada is officially scheduled for release on June 30, 2006, to go head-to-head with Superman Returns.
The news was immediately sent to the Fox executives' offices after the meeting.
Elizabeth couldn't help but laugh when she saw the schedule: "This kid really dares to gamble."
The assistant next to him asked, "Does it need to be changed?"
"No," Elizabeth shook her head.
"Actually, I think he's right. If you're going to die, you should die in the most bustling place."
Meanwhile, at the editorial office of New York Vogue, an internal industry briefing was delivered to the editor-in-chief.
The title is simple: "Fox Officially Confirms Release Date for 'The Devil Wears Prada'".
Several senior editors in the office looked at each other.
"June 30th?"
"Are they crazy?"
"Isn't that the release date for 'Superman Returns'?"
"When did Fox become so radical?"
Some people shook their heads.
"Unless they have absolute confidence in the film."
Another editor flipped through the materials: "In fact, the test screening feedback was very good. It is said that female viewers gave it extremely high ratings, and Meryl Streep's performance was amazing."
Hearing this, everyone's interest visibly increased. The fashion world had already heard plenty of rumors, especially about that almost open secret.
Just then, the office door was pushed open.
The assistant immediately stepped forward to report: "Ms. Anna, Fox has sent a private screening invitation."
The room fell silent instantly, and everyone instinctively looked at the woman behind the sunglasses.
Anna Wintour removed her sunglasses, glanced at the invitation, and then said calmly, "Reply to them."
The assistant immediately pulled out a notebook: "Refuse?"
Anna looked up, the smile on her lips revealing her emotions without trying to hide them: "Why refuse? If all of New York is talking about this movie, then I should at least watch it first."
Similarly, other media outlets also received inside information: one is a superhero who saves the world while wearing a red cape, and the other is a female devil who rules the fashion empire while wearing high heels.
This contrast naturally had news value, and the media quickly began reporting on it the following day.
Variety: "Is Fox courting disaster or launching a surprise attack? Chinese director Lin Ruiyang's new film 'The Devil Wears Prada' is set to release on June 30th, directly challenging the $6 million behemoth 'Superman Returns'!"
The Hollywood Reporter: "While everyone was trying to avoid Superman Returns, 20th Century Fox deliberately sent a female-centric comedy into the fray."
The New York Post: "A high-heeled shrew is ready to challenge flying Kryptonians."
Entertainment Weekly: "Is this bravery or madness? The answer will be revealed in six months."
The news caused an uproar in Hollywood and the North American film and television industry.
The first reaction of countless film critics and studio executives upon seeing this news was: Fox's top management has collectively lost their minds, or that the young Chinese man who won an award at Venice with a low-budget art film has been completely blinded by victory.
In an anonymous interview with the media, a Warner Bros. PR executive made no attempt to hide his sarcasm: "Does that Asian kid think he's got kryptonite in his hands? Fashion magazines and high heels will be torn to shreds in front of a superhero's cape."
Three days later, Fox's marketing department received a supplementary report from Nielsen Research.
Inside the meeting room, Kevin couldn't help but whistle as he flipped through the documents: "Looks like our chances of betting right have increased again."
"What are the odds of betting correctly?" someone next to me asked.
Kevin pushed the report over: "Growth in women's awareness is far exceeding expectations."
Data shows that after the initial announcement of the release date, the level of interest in "The Devil Wears Prada" among women aged 25-49 increased by nearly 20 percentage points.
The increase was particularly pronounced in major cities such as New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago.
"They started discussing it even before they'd seen the trailer."
"What are we discussing?"
"Is Meryl playing Anna Wintour, and what's going on inside the fashion industry?"
The meeting room erupted in laughter; the question was hardly a secret anymore.
Just then, the secretary brought more news: "Jeff, we just received a message from Warner; they want to coordinate the publicity schedule."
Jeff paused for a moment.
"coordination?"
"That's right, they're worried about the two sides' media publicity resources clashing."
Kevin, who was standing to the side, couldn't help but let out a meaningful sneer after hearing what the secretary said: "Coordinate? Those pigs in Warner who always look down on people actually have a day when they take the initiative to coordinate with us? It seems that their two-hundred-million-dollar Superman is not as invincible as he claims."
Jeff laughed when he heard that.
In Hollywood, it's common for major studios to coordinate their promotional schedules, but usually it's mid-range productions that make way for blockbusters.
Warner Bros.' apparent concern about overlapping promotional resources was actually a keen awareness of Fox's precise targeting of the female market, fearing that the buzz surrounding "Monster" would diminish the media exposure of "Superman Returns".
"Lin, what do you think?" Jeff turned to look at Lin Ruiyang, who seemed quite composed.
As a reborn individual, Lin Ruiyang remembers that Superman's box office performance was only mediocre, with its North American box office falling far short of expectations from various organizations.
"On the surface, we should try to cooperate as much as possible. I think buying a copy of 'Superman' to see him save the feather world and a copy of 'Monster' to see him save aesthetics is a good bundled solution."
A knowing, unspoken laugh erupted in the conference room.