Recently, the discussion surrounding the film "Twinkle Twinkle Star" has been very intense. On the one hand, the box office on the first day of pre-sale exceeded 70 million, breaking the first-day box office record of Chinese-language films. The total pre-sale box office has now exceeded 200 million, far exceeding that of movies released in the same period, successfully achieving "hits before they were released"; on the other hand, It is an unusually high refund rate. According to data from Beacon Professional Edition, the refund rate on the day the film was released was as high as 14.6%, and the refund rates in the following three days were also 10.7%, 9.7% and 8.1% respectively. The success or failure of
pre-sale actually comes down to marketing. No matter from the perspective of IP influence, starring lineup, production team, etc., "Twinkle Twinkle Star" is not strong on paper. Although the performance of the drama version exceeds that of some popular dramas, it is still far away from the so-called blockbuster TV series. Such a small-budget film with no inherent strength can break through and become a dark horse at the box office, relying on ritual marketing to conquer young people.
The sense of ritual has become an important keyword sought after by young people. This can be seen from the first snow craze that swept the entire Internet some time ago. Making a fuss about the sense of ritual has also become a strange trick in movie marketing. Although most viewers may not be familiar with the plot of the movie "Twinkle Twinkle Star", the classic line "Zhang Wansen, it's snowing" contributed by the drama version is widely circulated on short video platforms. Memes, related topics have been read more than 2.5 billion times. Even when snow scenes appear in other film and television works, some people will use this sentence in the barrage, which shows its wide spread. Therefore, during the movie marketing stage, the specially set up "snow field" for "Twinkle Twinkle Star" was highlighted as a promotional focus. It is reported that at the 13:14 screening, staff will use snow spray cans to simulate the effect of snow, which will be linked with the classic line of the original play "Zhang Wansen, it's snowing", arousing emotional resonance from the audience. On New Year's Eve, a ceremonial transition point between old and new, coupled with the romantic snowy atmosphere and a plot full of love elements, the audience is willing to pay for it even if they are not loyal fans of the drama version.
does not focus on the plot, but instead highlights the scene first. Although this kind of movie marketing can attract the target audience at the lowest cost and most effectively, its opportunism also hides the danger of overturning. As a warning, "The Last Night on Earth" has been called a "milestone of marketing fraud". Although it broke the box office record for literary films with over 100 million pre-sales through the marketing of "New Year's Kiss", the box office dropped by 96% the next day. The recent cancellation controversy of "Twinkle Twinkle Star" is also closely related to the snow resort. Many theater managers said that the fluctuations in the movie's refund rate are mainly concentrated during specific periods, that is, in snowy areas. Due to the fire hazards posed by the snow spray cans, some theaters have taken the initiative to cancel the snow field. Some theater managers revealed that the actual effect of the snow spray cans is very different from the audience's expectations, and the sense of ritual will be greatly reduced. As a result, many spectators who were heading to the ski resort turned around, leading to a large number of refunds.
When a film's appeal to audiences mainly comes from marketing, and the marketing cannot be implemented, the marketing will easily become a rootless tree and cannot continue to protect the box office. This refund scandal can be said to be a wake-up call for the film. The specific quality of the film cannot yet be evaluated, but I believe there will be an answer soon. On the premise of ensuring the quality of the film, innovative marketing methods are necessary. Creating a sense of ritual is a good starting point, which can bring a new viewing experience to the audience and is also in line with the current audienceās consumption interests. However, we must still pay attention to Only if the product is right can it meet the expectations of the audience and bring longevity at the box office.
(Reporter Li Mengxin)
