" Hidden in the Dust ", a niche literary film that was not favored by the market, ushered in a box office miracle at the end of the summer.
On September 12th, the last day of the release of "Hidden in the Dust", there were still many screenings in the theater.
The film, directed by Li Ruijun , tells the story of a northwest rural couple watching over each other. It was selected for the 72nd Berlin Film Festival. On July 8, 2022, "Hidden in the Dust" premiered with a box office of only 340,000 yuan. At the end of August, the film's reputation and box office ushered in a "double counterattack", and it became the box office champion of the day on September 2. As of September 12, the film had a total box office of 113 million yuan. Can the "counter-attack" process of
"Hidden in the Dust" reflect the current survival status of domestic literary films? The audience of literary films is relatively narrow. What is the reason for this time the dissemination broke?
Recently, Jiupai News interviewed Shanghai Film Association Vice Chairman, Shanghai Theater Academy professor Ishikawa . He believes that "Hidden in the Dust" restores the rural life in the northwest and hits the public's complex for traditional rural areas. But its success is just an accident and cannot be replicated.
"At present, the living environment of literary films is still difficult, and the market has not improved significantly. This phenomenon will continue for a long time." Ishikawa said.
The picture shows the stills of "Hidden in the Dust".
[Talking about creation] A nostalgic aftertaste of traditional rural life
Jiupai News: How do you evaluate this film?
Ishikawa: This film is very rare in the current movie market.
Most of the movies these days are either about history or about urban life, and rural themes are almost forgotten by the film market. Counting the domestic films over the years, almost none of the films that can be named are about this kind of subject matter. Some TV dramas about rural life have romanticized and utopianized the countryside to some extent, not a restoration of real rural life.
Jiupai News: Why does it impress the audience?
Ishikawa: Li Ruijun and I are very familiar. He came from the countryside and has very deep feelings for his hometown. His previous films also shot these themes, so his perspective on life is completely different from the creative staff who grew up in the city, so he can impress the audience.
This film can also be said to be a display of nostalgic Chinese rural life. China's audiences living in the city now, three generations on, most of them can experience the life in the film. Therefore, it awakens people's aftertaste of traditional rural life.
The picture shows the stills of "Hidden in the Dust".
[Talk about the reasons] Excellent content, key extension , and word-of-mouth communication help
Jiupai News: Literary and artistic films are often "applauded but not popular", is there any particularity in the box office of "Hidden in the Dust" breaking 100 million?
Ishikawa: This is by accident. The box office of literary films is usually in the millions or even less.
It is now over 100 million, which is a miracle. But the problem is that its success is not replicable, it's just an isolated case. This kind of case also happened a few years ago, such as "Hundred Birds Chaofeng", "Twenty-two", " Gang Rinpoche ". Movies like
are not repeatable, the market has certain contingency, and if it hits this point, it may create miracles. But if you try to imitate this routine, it will definitely fail.
Jiupai News: What points did it hit?
Ishikawa: First of all, the content of the film is excellent and has its own uniqueness.Also, I have to say, it's lucky.
"Hidden in the Dust" opened low and went high. The box office on the first day was only a few hundred thousand. By the end of the first week, the box office was not very good, and then the number of films was reduced. Come on, it must be down. But now, there are no other competitive films to follow up in the same period, the key extension (meaning that the film can be offline later than the film in the same period), plus word of mouth fermentation.
Content, realistic environment, and post-marketing, these three aspects happen to hit the same point, so it's a miracle. If I were to rank the three, what I can say for sure is that marketing is definitely number three. The impact of key extension is very large, because it provides time for word of mouth to spread.
In the past two years, due to various reasons such as the epidemic, not so many top commercial blockbusters have squeezed into the market. The overall market for commercial films is not very good, and everyone is more cautious when entering the market. This has led to the fact that the current domestic market has not been rolled up within the first two years, and objectively, it has also provided an opportunity for literary films to surface and take a breath.
The picture shows a still from "Hidden in the Dust".
Jiupai News: Is its success a good signal for literary films?
Ishikawa: not necessarily. Miracles like this happen every few years. At present, the acceptance of literary films in the market is generally low, and there has been no significant improvement. In other words, the number of audiences for literary films is relatively fixed, and there is no obvious increase.
In addition, the characteristics of this type of audience are scattered, unlike the audience of commercial blockbusters, which is highly aggregated and large in number. Therefore, it is difficult for literary films to be popular in the market. It is very difficult for domestic literary films to survive in the market, and I think this phenomenon will continue for a long time.
[Talking about the market] The creation of literary and artistic films still has to face the difficult reality
Nine School News: In your opinion, what other difficulties are faced by domestic literary and artistic films?
Ishikawa: The main problem of is that its niche market has not been formed. The audience for
literary films, in absolute terms, can feed these films, but the problem is fragmentation. For a single theater, if the attendance rate is very low and there are only a few people, from the perspective of cost, they are not willing to arrange films.
A few years ago, some people called for why the theater managers couldn't support domestic literary and artistic films, and put in a few more shows? This is unrealistic in practice. Cinemas need to bear higher costs. In addition to the current state of the market, they are unable to morally support literary and artistic films. The correct approach for
should be that the market gradually matures, moving from a single market to a niche market. The current movie market has not matured to this stage, and it is still very rudimentary. Right now, you can only watch whatever movies are in the theaters. It's like eating in a cafeteria. Today, there are so many dishes. You have to eat if you don't want to. Right?
The commercial market we usually see is actually not suitable for the survival of literary films. There is a blockbuster coming, and maybe 90% of the movie theaters are going to show it. The way we want to go is to leave some space for niche literary films, so that audiences who like literary films have a place to watch them.
Jiupai News: Is there room for literary films at present? How is it going?
Ishikawa: already has it, such as the Art Film Projection Alliance organized by the Beijing Film Archive.
and Elephant Dianying, they have been doing it for six or seven years, but it is not so easy to do. Just like growing crops, the seeds have to wait there, and they have to come little by little.
At present, the focus market has not been fully formed, it is only in the process of gestation.
Of course, the state should also give policy support, such as ""Hidden in the Dust" is obviously supported by the policy. If the policy does not support it, the key extension cannot be obtained. This shows that the competent authorities have realized it, so they also give preference to the policy.
I think at the moment, we can see some signs, but you said that you can save the literary film market, but you can't say that right now, you can only try it slowly.
The picture shows the stills of "Hiding in the Dust".
Jiupai News: Does the explosion of "Hidden in the Dust" mean that the audience's viewing habits have changed?
Ishikawa: I don't think there is a big change. But this year may indeed be a very special juncture, because the post-00s have officially entered the society, and they may be the main force of future consumption. I think in this process, as a filmmaker, you can't just adapt to the audience's taste, you also need to guide the audience.
For example, in some point screenings, the main creators go to communicate with the audience on the spot, then this is the process of fertilization, and a good interactive relationship with the audience is established. The audience's film literacy can be gradually improved. In the process, hope is slowly nurtured.
The market depends on construction. The past two decades may have been a savage growth. In the future, the market needs to be cultivated. This is the main difference between the development direction of the next ten years and the past two decades. When such a market is established, the ultimate beneficiary is literary films.
Jiupai News: How is the survival of literary films in the Chinese film market in recent years?
Ishikawa: If you look at in a relatively long historical period, it has improved a lot.
At the beginning of the marketization, it was impossible to make a literary film. Today, if you make such a low-cost movie, the probability of surviving is much higher. Of course, it is difficult to achieve a hit like "Hidden in the Dust", but we can't ignore it. In fact, in recent years, many literary and artistic films have already The cost is basically covered and the profit is generated.
Of course, in recent years, there have also been some literary and artistic films that are very happy. They have stepped up and invited celebrities. That kind of mentality can easily ruin this project. Creators of literary and artistic films should carefully polish their works, strive to be seen by the audience, and at the same time allow investors to see some returns and develop slowly. You are always thinking about filming "Kang Rinpoche" and "Hidden in the Dust", which is undoubtedly difficult.
Jiupai News: What is your attitude towards the development of domestic literary films?
Ishikawa: I am more optimistic. The reform of the domestic film market started relatively late, and it has only been 20 years. We can see some hope from the current business situation abroad.
But now, to engage in literary and artistic film creation, you must have the courage to face this difficult market and the courage to challenge.
Nine faction news reporter Wan Xuan Intern reporter Shen Bing
[Revelation] Please contact the reporter on WeChat: linghaojizhe
