Chapter 33: The Dispute Over the Release Date

Chapter Thirty-Three: The Debate Over Release Timing

Zhang Le was busy with the post-production of "Crazy Stone." Although he plagiarized this film from his previous life, there were quite a few changes, and he poured an immense amount of effort into it. The soundtrack, the interludes, the editing... especially the editing, which Zhang Le cared about the most. For an entire film, editing was crucial. If one failed to truly understand the movie, there was no way to achieve the desired effect through editing.

"Director Zhang, do you want to write a theme song?" suggested Lu Yang, the assistant director of the film. There was no helping it—Zhang Le’s theme song for "Waiting for Homecoming" had left such a deep impression. Nowadays, when people mention that film, what comes to mind is not the scenes, but the melody of "Fleeting Fireworks," the theme song.

"This film won’t have a theme song. In fact, I won’t write theme songs for any of my movies in the future," Zhang Le shook his head and replied.

Lu Yang was puzzled, but then it struck him—this man, universally acknowledged for his musical talent, had turned down nearly every commercial performance, insisting on one reason: he was a director, not a singer.

Clearly, he preferred his identity as a director.

Yes, that must be it—he feared that his theme song would overshadow his film, stealing its thunder. Just look at how "Fleeting Fireworks" snatched the spotlight from "Waiting for Homecoming." If Zhang Le wrote a good theme song, it would outshine the movie, making gains not worth the loss. If it wasn’t good, it would damage his reputation in music—again, not worth it. Better not to write one at all.

Yet Lu Yang was worried. With no big stars and such a small investment, if there was no theme song to boost publicity, would anyone actually go to the cinema?

Lu Yang was trained as a film director, but had never had the chance to direct a film himself. He studied this movie deeply and understood it thoroughly. He knew its excellence, but that wasn’t enough; the audience needed to know. Moreover, a film’s box office performance isn’t determined by its quality alone—many other factors come into play.

He wasn’t sure whether this excellent film could withstand the test of today’s film market.

"Director Zhang, I’ve found out what you asked me to," someone said, entering the room and handing Zhang Le a folder.

The man was He Jun, the head of Xinle Film Studio.

Zhang Le took the folder and browsed through it, his eyes growing brighter.

"The Spring Festival season has always been packed with blockbusters, and the competition is fierce. If 'Crazy Stone' is released during this window and fails to become a box office dark horse, it’ll be crushed by those big films, probably without even making a ripple. It would be a case of all or nothing," He Jun said. "My personal suggestion is to play it safe—either delay or advance the release. After all, this is the studio’s first film."

"Don’t you think this is an opportunity?" Zhang Le handed back the folder.

"Director Zhang means that this year’s Spring Festival blockbusters are mostly historical, action, and sci-fi, and most of them are tragedies. Even those that aren’t are just visual popcorn flicks. 'Crazy Stone' is a pure comedy, so it will stand out in this context. During the Spring Festival, who wouldn’t want to watch something cheerful?" He Jun replied.

"Am I wrong?" Zhang Le asked. In his memory, there was a film in his previous life that, under similar circumstances, took advantage of the situation and even set a box office record.

Zhang Le didn’t expect "Crazy Stone" to set any box office records; its true weapon was its narrative style, which pioneered a new mode. But the more tickets sold, the greater the film’s influence.

What Zhang Le needed most now was influence.

Otherwise, he wouldn’t have given up on "Getting the Father-in-law Settled," choosing "Crazy Stone" instead. If he only wanted a small investment with high returns, Xu Zheng’s "Night Club" would suit him far better than "Crazy Stone."

"But squeezed among so many blockbusters, the cinema schedule will definitely be affected. Poor scheduling has a huge impact on the box office. I still think it’s too risky," He Jun insisted.

Zhang Le nodded. Scheduling was indeed crucial. The film had a small budget, no star power, and was produced by a newly established studio—its screening times would be subpar to begin with. If it was sandwiched between blockbusters, it would be even worse.

Zhang Le was confident in his film, but that didn’t mean others were. Besides, he couldn’t be absolutely certain the market would accept it. If the film suffered the fate of that classic from Stephen Chow in his previous life, he’d have nowhere to cry.

He didn’t want his film to flop at the box office, only to be hailed as a classic years later.

He didn’t have that kind of time. And ultimately, He Jun was the studio head, with far more expertise in the film market. Zhang Le couldn’t ignore his advice.

"Let’s try to avoid the peak period for blockbusters—release a week or two earlier or later. What do you think?" Zhang Le proposed after some thought.

He Jun wanted to say more, but just then Zhang Le’s phone rang.

"Come out for a drink! I’ll introduce you to some friends," came Feng Lei’s voice.

"You guys go ahead! You know I’m really busy right now," Zhang Le replied.

"Don’t be so quick to refuse! Do you know who I’m introducing you to?" Feng Lei pressed.

"Who?" Zhang Le asked reflexively. Actually, he knew Feng Lei was doing this for his benefit.

Connections were crucial in the entertainment industry. But Zhang Le wasn’t good at socializing.

"Wu Xiaoyong! Remember who that is?" Feng Lei said.

"I know, the young master of Prosperity Group, the guy who gave you a hundred thousand yuan bonus," Zhang Le laughed. He had no interest in befriending such rich heirs, nor in Feng Lei’s drinking session.

"But do you know that Prosperity Group’s cinema chain is the largest in the country? And Wu Xiaoyong personally owns a significant share. If he puts in a good word, your film’s scheduling will definitely get some consideration. And if you spend more time with him, you’ll see he’s actually a decent guy," Feng Lei explained.

"Where are you?" Zhang Le relented.

He had to admit, Feng Lei was a natural persuader. He was tempted.

"Where are you? I’ll come pick you up!" Feng Lei said.

"At the office."

Feng Lei arrived quickly, driving a luxury car.

"Long time no see. Striking it rich?" Zhang Le teased as he got in.

"My dad’s car. You know that," Feng Lei laughed. "He’s off shooting a film. Rather than let it sit at home, I thought I’d borrow it for a few days."

"Borrow? Ha!" Zhang Le chuckled. Clearly, Feng Lei had once again sneaked out his father’s car while he was away filming. This was hardly the first time.

"Where to now?" Zhang Le stopped teasing and asked.

"To a club in the outskirts," Feng Lei replied.