Changsha Evening News, February 17 (All Media Reporter Ning Shaou) This year’s Spring Festival stalls war is in full swing. As of press time on the 17th, " Hot Hot " directed and starred by Jia Ling has received more than 2.7 billion yuan in box office, leading the market, and is expected to win the Spring Festival championship.
There are a lot of strong films in the Spring Festival this year. Before the first day of the first lunar month, films such as "Hot", " Speeding Life 2", "Article 20", "Bear Infested: Reverse Time and Space" all have good sales. "Hot and Spicy" didn't take the lead from the beginning. On the first day of the Spring Festival, "Flying Life 2" took advantage of the residual power of the first film to successfully lead the competition. However, starting from the second day, "Hot and Spicy" counterattacked based on word of mouth and led the list for 7 consecutive days. Currently, the film is more than 300 million yuan ahead of the second place "Flying Life 2". It is expected to win the Spring Festival movie, with a Douban score of 8.0, and its reputation also leads the Spring Festival movie. Jia Ling is not a major. Three years ago, her first self-directed and acted film "Hello, Li Huanying" won the Spring Festival championship. Judging from the momentum, Jia Ling will be crowned "king for the second time" this year. A success can be attributed to luck. Victory in both Spring Festival games must be due to strength. The audience can't help but ask, why does "Hot and Spicy" hold up the Spring Festival show?
I lost 100 pounds and successfully set off the Internet topic
Looking back from the beginning, the promotion strategy of "Hot and Spicy" can be said to be very successful. In order to successfully perform the role, Jia Ling first gained 20 kilograms and then lost weight, setting a "small goal" of 50 kilograms. Can she succeed? What does she look like after losing weight? Such suspense firmly grasped the audience's psychology from the beginning.
Jia Ling also gave up the sky-high appearance fee. As a frequent visitor to variety shows, she did not participate in any reality shows for a year and disappeared in front of the camera. She successfully maintained the suspense of her true appearance after losing weight until the end.
In order to create explosive points, the publicity team also took great pains to play "clouds cover the fog" in the trailer: in the first version of the promotional video, only Jia Ling before losing weight appeared, and "not a word" was mentioned about the weight-loss effect; later The first version finally showed the back of a graceful woman, but when the camera turned, it was "sister" Zhang Xiaofei; until the final trailer, the thin version of Jia Ling finally appeared, but there was only a black shadow with a backlight.
I have to say that the “toothpaste squeezing” style of publicity has successfully continued the popularity of the topic. During the pre-sale stage, the box office of "Hot and Spicy" exceeded 300 million yuan, successfully leading the Spring Festival season.
Such “wealth and wealth” only requires Jia Ling’s own efforts. Facts have proved that she did "catch it firmly". Not only did Jia Ling successfully "lose 100 pounds," her body fat content dropped significantly, and her muscle shape resembled that of Zhang Weili. Her image as a boxer in the film was convincing.
Du Jiemei, editor-in-chief of "Today's Women's Newspaper" said: "The heroine in the movie lost 100 pounds, and the real-life actress Jia Ling also lost 100 pounds. The actor really transformed himself through a movie. This is true. Inspirational, allowing those who want to change themselves but don’t have the courage to see a living example. The movie gives people a strong sense of power and the urge to change themselves."
Clever adaptation localizes Japanese classic films
Only "thin" The gimmick of "turning into lightning" is not enough to make "Hot" so successful. In terms of story, the film is also very solid.
The story tells the story of Le Ying (played by Jia Ling) who has been at home for many years with nothing to do. After graduating from college and working for a period of time, Leying chose to withdraw from society and close her social circle. This was the best way she believed to "reconcile" with herself. One day, due to several "tricks" of fate, she decided to change her life. In careful contact with the outside world, Le Ying met boxing coach Hao Kun ( Lei Jiayin ). Just when she thought her life was about to get back on track, blows came one after another. In order to control her life, Le Ying chose to go to the gym and practice boxing, and try her best for life.
Movie fans can roughly tell from the synopsis that this story is similar to the Japanese film " Hundred Yuan Love ". In fact, "Hot and Spicy" did purchase the adaptation rights to "100 Yuan Love", which is the Chinese remake of the film.
""100 Yuan Love" has won many awards as a Japanese classic film. The heroine Sakura Ando also won multiple "Best Actress" for this film. It can be said that the solid original work and the superb performance of the original heroine have built a successful prototype for "Hot and Spicy".
Of course, Jia Ling did not stop at "borrowing", but successfully "localized" the original story. In "One Hundred Dollars of Love", the heroine focuses on "winning once", but ultimately fails in the ring. The overall tone of the film is relatively "sad". Jia Ling wisely changed her goal to "fight". Although she failed in the end, she achieved her goal of standing in the ring, and the overall tone of the film became "burning". The positive adaptation is more suitable for the family-friendly atmosphere of the Spring Festival.
In addition, she also removed plots such as the heroine being addicted to game consoles and being bullied in a convenience store, and added plots such as her younger sister robbing her of real estate, her best friend robbing her boyfriend, etc., and added many sketch-like drama segments. These short-lived plots make Chinese audiences more sympathetic and more suitable for the "Chinese baby physique." Some film critics praised: "Jia Ling is a smart director. She knows how to choose the right script, and she also knows the temperament to adapt the script according to her own advantages and schedule."
Sincerity is the best "nirvana"
When talking about the look and feel of this film, many viewers invariably mentioned one key word - "sincerity": "It's like seeing yourself."
Sincerity has always been Jia Ling's "nirvana" as a director. "Hello, Li Huanying" is a film that is similar to an autobiography. She pinned her longing for her late mother on the camera. Many of the plot elements came from her own real experiences, allowing the audience to empathize. In "Hot and Spicy", she also successfully lost weight and transformed from a "comedian" to a "Jia Dao", forming an "intertext" in and out of the play. Both the real Jia Ling and Le Ying in the film have achieved self-realization, and she has also integrated her "heart-breaking" expression into the role.
Du Jiemei said: "In the past, there were many movies that moved people after watching them, but that kind of touching may be short-lived and affect your mood briefly, but will not affect your life. But the movie may have a greater impact on people. A little, it will affect people for a longer time, and even change people's lifestyles."
Jia Ling's creative attitude is also very sincere. The female narrative in the film neither falls into the revenge mode of slapping the scumbag in the face, nor does it fall into self-righteousness. Sensational. She completed the entire performance in a forbearing manner, and except for a short ten-second crying scene in front of the mirror, there was no hysterical catharsis. She does not have mythical inspirational stories or self-dwarfing, but tells a simple truth: women do not need to create miracles to prove themselves.
It is true that Jia Ling did not come from a professional background. Her successful experience as a comedian turned director is quite unusual in the entertainment industry where the labels of "vase" and "career girl" are everywhere. But she did succeed. Jia Ling, who has achieved great success in two consecutive Spring Festival films, is already the highest-grossing director in China. She deserves the respect she deserves.