Chapter 282: Summer Blockbuster Lifts Yi

Summer vacation has begun, and Beijing feels nothing but heat and an even stronger Olympic atmosphere.

This time next year, the Beijing Olympics will be held—almost exactly one year away—and all kinds of warm-up activities and promotions are underway.

In the Yi'an Advertising Department, at least one-sixth of the ads this month have been related to next year's Olympics or Olympic elements.

Company artists, including Yan Li, have all participated to varying degrees in Olympic-related events and promotions.

For example, Fan Xiaopang took leave to join a ten-thousand-person cycling campaign promoting the Olympics; Yan Li attended two related meetings and video recordings this month.

Yi'an's Film and Television Department is also considering whether to produce a TV series or film centered on the Olympics.

Yan Li neither endorsed nor rejected the proposal.

An Olympic-themed project is indeed a good one, but how to shoot it is another matter.

Because the Olympics carry such immense influence, they come with heavy constraints—selection of material and plot must be carefully considered; make it too small and it's boring, make it too big and if it fails review, you're stuck with a total loss.

So Yan Li's suggestion was that Yi'an produce a documentary.

Pick a few athletes, a few distinctive families or behind-the-scenes figures as protagonists, and film over a period of one year or six months leading up to the Olympics, plus the Olympic cycle itself.

Such a documentary won't make money, but it carries some commemorative and positive value, showcasing Yi'an's support for the Olympics.

Meanwhile, Yi'an can retain some footage—filming the Olympics now is sensitive, but you can wait a few or even ten years to use it.

Just like the 1990 Asian Games, which remain a cherished memory and pivotal moment for countless people to this day.

China's first Olympics will undoubtedly be a topic that future generations cannot avoid; it will surely be mined for film and television content, and at that time, these documentaries can serve as source material and reference.

The cost of a documentary is actually low—it's mostly time and manpower.

Yan Li instructed the Film and Television Department to develop the plan, then return to him for budget approval—if approved, proceed with project initiation and preparation.

Aside from Olympic hype, 2007's summer season had no strong films, allowing TV dramas to claim the lion's share of the rewards.

"Struggle," "The Deer and the Cauldron," "Soldiers Sortie," "The Legend of Chǔ Liúxiāng," "Golden Marriage," "The Legend of Yang Yuhuan"…

One after another, these hot dramas aired in succession, fiercely competing, dazzling audiences, with countless actors and stars appearing—some remained obscure, some merely flashed on screen, others shone brilliantly.

Among them, "Soldiers Sortie" was unquestionably the biggest dark horse—a pure male drama with almost no female roles—that finally exploded during the summer season after half a year of buildup.

Wang Baoqiang, an actor with no striking looks, no distinctive personality, and no tall stature, rising from minor roles, became the hottest young male actor in the industry.

Other supporting actors like Duan Long, Zhang Guoqiang, Zhang Yi, Chen Sicheng, Xing Jiadong, and Li Chen also benefited to varying degrees.

Before this, most of them were unknown actors; not only had they never played lead roles, some hadn't even appeared in many productions.

After "Soldiers Sortie," each of them was invited by multiple production teams, some even for lead roles—or even the male protagonist.

One drama to ascend to heaven—this is exactly what it means!

Many criticize the entertainment industry for being superstitious, but in truth, this business often depends entirely on luck.

These actors from "Soldiers Sortie" had struggled for years—could you say they lacked talent before?

They simply never broke through, until luck favored them and they caught a hit drama.

There are many equally talented actors, with no less skill, yet they remain obscure, simply lacking the luck and opportunity.

Because many famous actors' success has a strong element of luck, the industry has sayings like "three parts effort, seven parts luck," and "small fame comes from promotion, big fame comes from fate."

When your hard work yields no opportunity, yet you see others strike it rich purely through luck, you can't help turning to mysticism.

It's not just people—even dramas are like this.

"Struggle" was directed by a renowned filmmaker, had a strong cast, and strong pre-release data.

"The Deer and the Cauldron" and "The Legend of Chǔ Liúxiāng" need no mention—they were industry-celebrated big-budget, blockbuster productions.

Yet all three were overshadowed by "Soldiers Sortie," which had nothing going for it.

Yan Li was fine with it—he built his career on low-budget projects and could accept this outcome.

Besides, although "The Legend of Chǔ Liúxiāng" didn't explode like "Soldiers Sortie," its ratings were still solid, remaining one of the hottest TV dramas of the summer season.

Huayi could also accept it—even though their heavily anticipated "The Deer and the Cauldron" lost to the dark horse.

But this dark horse was produced by their own company; it was better than being crushed by "The Legend of Chǔ Liúxiāng."

What was less acceptable was "Struggle"—since other hot dramas were mostly historical, they assumed they could monopolize the modern drama market through this difference, only for Xu Sanduo to appear.

In terms of ratings, "Struggle" wasn't far behind "Soldiers Sortie," but its reputation and influence were utterly trounced.

A melodramatic romance between a rich/official second-generation and his band of shady friends—how could that compare to the best military recruitment drama?

"Struggle," already facing some criticism, now suffered a wave of backlash.

And this trend will likely continue over time.

Yan Li had never understood how this plot could dare to be called "Struggle."

Where was the struggle?!

It should've been called "Womb," or "My Wealthy Biological Father and My Boss Stepfather."

To be fair, Director Zhao Baogang did have some understanding of the lives of today's youth, though sometimes he mixed in idealized or absurd ideas.

Although "Struggle" had melodramatic flaws and plot holes, it wasn't without merit—otherwise, why would so many people watch it?

But the title was so darkly ironic that it instantly made the entire drama's tone seem absurd.

While three major hits were overshadowed by the dark horse, the less-heralded "Golden Marriage," thanks to strong performances by its cast and a solid script and plot, though less hyped, consistently held the top tier of ratings.

"The Legend of Yang Yuhuan" has not yet aired on satellite TV, but early feedback is positive—far stronger than "The White-Haired Witch."

It resembles earlier hits like "The Investiture of the Gods" and "The Legend of Xue Rengui"—unlikely to be a massive breakout, but if handled well, it can still make a big splash.

Originally, Yi'an's strategy was to promote "The Legend of Yang Yuhuan" and "The Legend of Chǔ Liúxiāng" to strengthen its position as a TV powerhouse.

Now, due to the chaotic battlefield and lack of decisive dominance, Yi'an adjusted its promotional strategy, focusing on distribution.

Aside from "Soldiers Sortie," several of these hot dramas were also distributed by Yi'an.

The brilliance of this summer season would not have been possible without Yi'an's behind-the-scenes planning and effort.

In short—win!

The evidence proves this strategy worked: ordinary viewers don't understand distribution or production—they just know these hit dramas are all tied to Yi'an, so Yi'an is awesome.

The Huayi brothers were stunned: this summer, "The Deer and the Cauldron" performed steadily, "Soldiers Sortie" was the big dark horse, Huang Xiaoming, Wang Baoqiang, and many Huayi artists saw their careers rise—Huayi was clearly the biggest winner.

But Yi'an used distribution as leverage, and they had no real countermove—other dramas aside, "The Deer and the Cauldron" simply couldn't escape Yi'an's involvement.

With future collaborations ahead, Huayi didn't want to burn bridges, so they adopted a "you win your way, I win mine" approach.

No clear winner or loser—everyone wins!

…

Outside, several companies were winning; inside Yi'an, multiple departments were winning too.

The Distribution Department needs no explanation—this summer's concentrated releases, combined with Yi'an's shifted promotional focus, made the department shine brightly.

Deputy General Manager Xiao Guan, in charge of distribution, had been walking around the office with his head held high these past few days.

The Film and Television Department also claimed it had done well.

Although "The Legend of Chǔ Liúxiāng" was overshadowed by "Soldiers Sortie" and didn't reach the dazzling heights of its predecessor "The Legend of Lu Xiaofeng," its performance was still impressive, and sales were strong.

Here's a lesser-known fact: many so-called blockbuster dramas, despite great success, don't necessarily make much profit.

Take "Soldiers Sortie"—it certainly made money, but its half-year fermentation period, initial lack of market confidence, and its own cost and cast limitations meant its price wouldn't be especially high.

Meanwhile, some so-called bad dramas, even with poor ratings, often command sky-high prices due to their cast, investment, and market expectations.

Of course, such bad dramas only make a quick profit—the better the ratings, the more they sell.

"The Legend of Chǔ Liúxiāng" had been widely anticipated by the market and was a hot commodity fiercely contested by industry players.

Since its premiere, it has consistently ranked in the top tier, with solid ratings and reputation, strong momentum, and guaranteed future revenue.

The project's current projected income is unlikely to stop at 80 million—85 to 90 million is the more stable range.

After deducting costs, taxes, and various shares and splits, this revenue can bring the company at least 35 million in profit.

Gu Long's dramas remain one of Yi'an's biggest cash cows.

Another drama, "The Legend of Yang Yuhuan," performed slightly worse in all aspects, but its projected 65 million in revenue can generate roughly 15 to 20 million in profit for Yi'an.

That means these two dramas alone could directly bring the company over 50 million in revenue—after deducting costs and taxes.

Add in "Golden Marriage" and a few others in which Yi'an had investments—even if their shares or returns were limited—they still brought in a decent cut.

So although the Film and Television Department didn't shine as brightly as Distribution, in terms of profitability, it was undeniably confident.

The Artist Management Department also stood tall.

"The Legend of Chǔ Liúxiāng" propelled Qiao Zhenyu, as the lead, to skyrocketing popularity.

Throughout the entire summer season, the number of actors who became overnight sensations wasn't limited to "Soldiers Sortie" and "Struggle."

Many leads of "The Legend of Chǔ Liúxiāng" also benefited greatly.

Qiao Zhenyu / Chǔ Liúxiāng, Wu Yue / Hu Tiehua, Zhao Hongfei / Ji Bingyan, Cui Peng / Monk Wuhua

Dong Xuan / Su Rongrong, Yang Xue / Li Hongxiu, Shu Chang / Song Tian'er, Han Xue / Gong Nanyan, Mu Tingting / Liu Wumei, Yang Tongshu / Shuimu Yinyi, Qiu Cixuan / Shi Guanyin, Tong Yaya / Kucha Princess…

A wave of handsome men and beautiful women—just their looks alone attracted countless viewers.

Added to that were the drama's compelling plot, character designs, and exquisite costumes and props, which further won over fans.

As the undisputed male lead, and backed by Yi'an's support, Qiao Zhenyu amassed fans at a furious pace, quietly surpassing Zhang Zhilin's former popularity.

How to put it? Zhang Zhilin's fame back then came mostly from the role's appeal and his CP with Hua Manlou.

In terms of fan acquisition alone, Ren Quan's Hua Manlou actually drew more fans—if Yan Kuan's Ximen Chuixue hadn't had so little screen time, Zhang Zhilin might have ranked third.

Qiao Zhenyu may not be as perfectly matched to his role as Zhang Zhilin was, but he has one advantage—

He's handsome!

Although Qiao's personality is introverted and he lacks strong ambition, such artists can be promoted in specific ways.

Introverted and laid-back—this suggests he's not driven by fame or fortune, just wants to be a good actor, unbound by superficial glitz… in short, he's framed as a refined gentleman untouched by worldly mire.

If you think it's ridiculous, fine—that just means you're not his target audience; some people eat this up.

Of course, while this persona easily attracts fans, it has one flaw—it's too lofty and prone to collapse.

Negative news will affect an artist's career; if serious scandals like infidelity occur, it will be a major blow to their career.

The Artist Management Department considered Qiao Zhenyu's clean personal life and decent personality, and packaged him accordingly, even drafting contingency plans to leave room for maneuver.

This was also Yan Li's view: artist packaging is unavoidable and sometimes requires boldness, but it should avoid being extreme.

If you leave no escape route, and something goes wrong later, it'll be hard to recover.

Yan Li's actions were mostly for the artists' own benefit.

Most artists sign for only a few years; very few stay with one company for over a decade.

The company protects you for a few years, pushes extreme personas, and squeezes out profits—ignoring potential risks or future consequences—until a scandal erupts, by which time you've either already left after your contract expired, leaving the company uninvolved, or your contract is nearly over, so the company cuts its losses and abandons you.

Yi'an could easily do this, but Yan Li still had a conscience, and being an actor himself, he treated artists with some care.

He earns money, but never exploits artists to the point of draining the pond; he avoids harming others for personal gain, striving instead for mutual benefit and amicable partings.

Through these maneuvers, Yi'an gained another artist with considerable popularity—someone who could generate revenue and indirectly help promote projects.

Besides Qiao Zhenyu, several female roles in The Legend of Chu Liuxiang also attracted considerable attention.

The most popular were Shu Chang and Dong Xuan—both beautiful, elegantly styled, with likable personas and substantial screen time—followed by Yang Xue.

Among the supporting cast, Qiu Cixuan and Mu Tingting appeared most frequently, thanks to their characters' standout scenes that left a strong impression.

One male supporting actor also rose to fame: the monk Wu Hua, played by Cui Peng. Though his screen time was limited, he stole the spotlight and even overshadowed the male second and third leads.

Besides The Legend of Chu Liuxiang, The Legend of Yang Yuhuan also performed well, positively boosting Fan Xiaopang's profile across the board.

With more cards to play, the Artist Management Department grew more confident; even Vice President Jia Qian, in charge of artist management, specifically sought out Yan Li, hoping to leverage this momentum to expand Yi'an's roster.

Among peer companies, Yi'an had the fewest artists.

Even on a premium strategy, this number was too low; artist management needed to sign more people—not necessarily to push them to top-tier fame, but even second- or third-tier artists could generate profit and support the company.

After Jia Qian's vigorous advocacy, and considering Yi'an's growing scale, Boss Yan finally gave his approval, permitting the Artist Management Department to sign a limited number of new artists.

…

With the imperial sword in hand, Vice President Jia immediately began operations.

The Artist Management Department already had a list of candidates and immediately reached out to them.

For instance, from The Legend of Chu Liuxiang, Yi'an was particularly interested in Shu Chang and Cui Peng.