"Retrograde Life", directed and starred by Xu Zheng, has been released for nearly a month, and its share of film schedules has dropped to 2.7%. As of press time, the single-day box office on September 5 was only more than 500,000. The film has a weak follow-up, and even the key e

" Retrograde Life " directed and starred by Xu Zheng has been released for nearly a month, and the proportion of films in the schedule has dropped to 2.7%. As of press time, the single-day box office on September 5 was only more than 500,000. The film's follow-up is weak, even if the key is extended It doesn't help, the final box office is likely to stop at around 360 million.

Looking at the summer season, the level of losses of "Retrograde Life" is probably ranked third - the first and second runner-up are Chen Sicheng's " decrypting " and Wu Ershan's " Under the Stranger ". The three leaders in the film industry suffered a defeat together, which inevitably makes people sigh. Has the Chinese film market changed?

Some people will definitely find it unbelievable. "Retrograde Life" is obviously not a high-cost movie. As a realistic theme, the film is basically shot in real scenes, and the production cycle is very short. It started shooting on February 22 this year and wrapped on April 17. The shooting cycle was less than two months, significantly reducing costs. Xu Zheng writes, directs and acts in his own right, and the starring cast also includes Xin Zhilei, Wang Xiao, Jia Bing. It is impossible for Xu Zheng's movies to offer too high a salary.

However, according to a senior industry insider, when Xu Zheng first took out the project "Retrograde Life", the production fee was reported to be as high as 180 million. One more thing, as of press time, the film studio's share of accounts is only 118 million. Not counting the publicity and distribution expenses, there is still a shortfall of more than 60 million to recover the original capital. It is obviously facing a loss.

But what is even more surprising is that the gameplay of "Retrograde Life" is very much like an A-share market. The participating companies in the first round divided their investment proportions according to the production cost of 180 million and took away the shares, which is equivalent to "winning" a new stock. Then the film continued to raise funds in the market, and at this time the publicly disclosed production costs doubled to 360 million. It was very similar to the 7 rounds of daily limit after the listing of new stocks before investors rushed in to grab chips. It can be seen from this that no matter whether it is round A or round B, those who participate in the investment will lose anyway, it just depends on the amount of loss.

Is this statement too absurd? Is it really credible?

Maybe you think that the production cost of 180 million is high, but it is actually very conscientious. For comparison, when Ning Hao and Andy Lau collaborated on " Mr. Red Carpet ", the producer Huanxi Media gave the production cost details in black and white. It clearly states that the project planning and non-protagonist fees are 39.3 million, the protagonist fee (Andy Lau's salary) is as high as 60 million, and Ning Hao's director fee is more than 24 million. The other creative staff should refer to the crew members such as photography, art, lighting, etc. Take away 20 million, and add them up, totaling 260 million.

Comparatively speaking, except for Andy Lau in "Mr. Red Carpet", the movie itself is not "noble" than "Retrograde Life", right? Therefore, the production quality of the movie does not determine the production cost, only the creative lineup does.

Talking back to "Retrograde Life", Xu Zheng, whether he is a producer, screenwriter, director or starring, has considerable box office appeal. His status in the industry, trust and influence in the eyes of investors are no less than Ning Hao. Therefore, Xu Zheng's director's fee of 24 million is not excessive at all. Andy Lau can offer a salary of 60 million yuan. Even if Xu Zheng gets a 50% discount, there is nothing wrong with getting 30 million yuan, right? Let's apply this to other projects of "Mr. Red Carpet". The so-called project planning refers to script development and non-protagonist expenses, which can also be regarded as 39 million. When these are added up, it is almost 100 million. Xu Zheng quoted 180 million for other production fees, filming expenses, post-production, publicity and distribution expenses, etc. Maybe the investors thought he could save money.

And Xu Zheng personally directed it, focusing on the realistic themes of takeout, and assembling big-name actors such as Xin Zhilei and Jia Bing. In the eyes of investors, "Retrograde Life" is definitely a high-quality project that is sure to make money without losing money.

And don't forget, Xu Zheng is an excellent director and an excellent "product manager". He has always had a keen sense of smell and correct judgment in the film field. He has almost never lost money in so many years, even the low-cost "" "Love Myth " can sell for 260 million.Therefore, "Retrograde Life" can be said to have attracted investment companies. The top two of the nine producers are Ruyi Film and Television and Matt Pictures. The third one is 88 Pictures, which is indirectly controlled by Xu Zheng and his wife Tao Hong.

After Eighty-Eight Pictures, 3 producers and 24 joint production companies followed the investment. Excluding Xu Zheng’s own Zhenledao and Ruyi-related companies, there are still more than 20, including Maoyan, Tao Leading companies such as PiaoPiao and China Film. The investment shares of these more than 20 companies will most likely not be able to recover their capital and will face high losses.

But as mentioned above, when the "Retrograde Life" project was raised for financing, Xu Zheng's various remunerations were already included. All participating companies faced losses, and only Xu Zheng was able to leave with a profit.

Many people may still have doubts. If the cost of 180 million really "expands" to 360 million, don't those companies that participated in the investment know? It is obviously an irrational investment.

But the current Chinese film market is this way. Based on their trust in Xu Zheng and this project, they all feel that "Retrograde Life" will sell a high box office. Even if it is divided according to the cost of 360 million, there is still a chance of substantial profits. . Such capital play is certainly unhealthy, but it is also the result of market development reaching this point.

The last thing I want to say is that "Retrograde Life" with a Douban score of 6.8 is considered to be a very good movie among the movies released this summer. Due to bias, the score is low. I can give this movie a score of 7.7. Movie The panoramic view shows all aspects of the food delivery industry, including difficulties and sorrows, but it still uses warmth and excitement as the background. The purpose is to cheer and encourage the audience. The original intention of the film is good, and the production is not bad. I hope the audience can Please support me more!