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Recently, Xu Zheng's carefully created new film "Retrograde Life" encountered an unprecedented scale and menacing boycott storm without warning, and this sudden incident instantly detonated in the originally calm film industry, setting off stormy waves and triggering extensive and fierce discussions and attention.
Xu Zheng, a director who has been deeply involved in the film field for many years, has achieved a lot of results, and is quite prestigious, this time he confidently launched "Retrograde Life", which was originally regarded as a highly anticipated masterpiece and expected to become a classic. However, the cruel reality is like a basin of cold water, ruthlessly extinguishing his initial beautiful longing and giving him a heavy and unexpected blow. Many theaters openly and resolutely expressed their boycott of the film, which was like an invisible giant net, tightly binding Xu Zheng and making him instantly fall into a difficult and embattled predicament.
Let's go back to the special period in 2020 when the haze of the epidemic was shrouded, and "Embarrassing Mother" directed by Xu Zheng chose to premiere online for free with an unprecedented bold move. This bold decision was like a dawn piercing the darkness at that time, and won the warm applause and cheers of the audience. In those days full of anxiety and anxiety, people can enjoy wonderful movies at home for free without leaving home, which brings them a moment of joy and comfort.
This move, which seemed to be full of kindness and innovation at the time, inadvertently brought a far-reaching and indelible negative impact on the theater industry. For a long time, theaters, as a vital and irreplaceable channel for film distribution, have relied on stable box office revenues to maintain daily operations and development. The online premiere of "Embarrassing Mother" undoubtedly broke the traditional film distribution model, making theaters lose the huge box office revenue they had hoped for without warning, as if they had been cut off from an important economic lifeline. This incident is like planting a time bomb that may detonate at any time, laying a deep foreshadowing for the sharp contradictions between Xu Zheng and the theater in the future.
After the epidemic, although the film industry has ushered in a glimmer of recovery on the surface and seems to be expected to regain its strength, the real business situation of theaters is still walking on thin ice and grim. On the one hand, the ravages of the epidemic are like a relentless storm, which has profoundly changed the audience's viewing habits and consumption psychology. After a long period of home life, some viewers are more inclined to choose to watch the film at home through convenient online platforms to enjoy a comfortable and free viewing experience. This quiet change in movie-watching habits is undoubtedly a heavy blow to theaters that rely on audience traffic.
On the other hand, cinemas have suffered a huge economic blow during the pandemic, facing high operating costs and rental pressures, as if they are carrying heavy shackles. After struggling to support, many theaters still can't get rid of the predicament of losses, and the capital chain is broken, and they can't make ends meet. What's more, in this cruel industry winter, we have to helplessly face the tragic fate of bankruptcy, and the once lively and prosperous movie theater is now full of doors and a depression.
Under such a difficult and difficult background, Shenbo International Cinema stepped forward and took the lead in launching a strongly worded boycott statement, and resolutely stopped the pre-sale and scheduling of "Retrograde Life". This bold action is undoubtedly like throwing a boulder on the calm lake, which has brought a direct and heavy impact on Xu Zheng's new film, causing an uproar in the entire film industry and triggering a chain reaction. Other theaters followed suit, and for a while, the road to the release of "Retrograde Life" was full of thorns and bumps, and the future was uncertain.
In order to find a glimmer of life in this existential crisis, theaters have resorted to all their resources and tried various transformation strategies. Some theaters do not hesitate to invest heavily in improving the movie-going experience, introducing world-leading projection technology, installing comfortable and luxurious seats, and trying to attract audiences to return with hardware upgrades. Others have taken a different approach and started to actively develop diversified business models, such as adding a variety of food and beverage services and holding unique themed events, hoping to increase their revenue sources by expanding their business scope.
The ideal is very plump, but the reality is very skinny. Although these efforts are full of high expectations of theaters, the actual results are not satisfactory. Improving the movie-going experience requires a lot of investment, which is undoubtedly worse for theaters that are already short of funds. Moreover, this kind of hardware upgrade is difficult to attract enough visitors in the short term to quickly bring significant economic benefits. The exploration of diversified business models also faces many challenges and difficulties.
Cinemas also need to constantly update their business philosophy, keep up with the trend of the times, make full use of their unique advantages, and achieve differentiated competition with online platforms. For example, by creating an immersive viewing environment, hosting exclusive premiere events, and providing personalized service, we can create a unique movie-watching experience for audiences. At the same time, strengthen in-depth cooperation with film producers, jointly participate in the promotion of films, schedule arrangements, ticket price formulation and other links, form a community of interests, and work together to promote the healthy development of the entire industry.
There is widespread and fierce controversy about the future development direction of China's film industry. Some people believe that traditional cinemas, as an important part of the film industry, carry important values of history, culture and social experience, and should be further protected and supported. The government and relevant departments should introduce corresponding policies and regulations to limit the excessive expansion of streaming media platforms and maintain the traditional order and ecological balance of the film industry.
Others believe that the times are advancing, technology is developing, and the film industry should also follow the trend and actively embrace change. Encourage streaming media platforms and traditional theaters to compete and integrate with each other, give full play to their respective advantages, and jointly promote the innovation and development of the film industry. For example, through online and offline linkage, the multi-channel distribution and diversified marketing of the film can be realized to meet the needs of different audience groups.
Which view is more in the long-term interest of the industry? Which development model is better able to lead the Chinese film industry to a brilliant future? This issue is still inconclusive, and it needs to be continuously explored, tried and verified in future practice. But in any case, the Chinese film industry is standing at a crucial crossroads, and every decision and choice will have a profound impact on its future destiny. Whether to sink in a difficult situation or rise in the midst of change depends on the wisdom, courage and united efforts of the entire industry.