Chapter 646: I'm Going to Watch

What is the most expensive movie ticket price you have ever seen?

In Luo Mo's memory, before he transmigrated from Earth to Blue Star, movie ticket prices were rising every year.

Especially in cinemas in large cities, ticket prices were soaring all the way.

He had seen many movies with tickets costing over one hundred yuan, and that wasn't even in those VIP halls, just regular giant-screen halls.

In recent years, Blue Star has also had this trend.

Movie ticket prices rise every year, and tickets for the Spring Festival slot are often even more expensive.

The vast majority of cinema chains are counting on making a big profit from the Spring Festival slot.

No cinema chain would worry about box office revenue for the Spring Festival slot.

Just like on Earth, Blue Star has had years where a Spring Festival slot was full of terrible films, yet the total box office still surpassed the previous year's Spring Festival slot.

The pricing of movie tickets on Blue Star is roughly similar to Earth, but there are some places that are slightly different.

As the distributor for "Nezha", Luo Mo can set a 【Minimum Distribution Price】.

For this distribution price, there is often a difference of about 5 yuan between Class A cities and Class B cities.

So-called Class A cities are those first-tier cities. Except for a few first-tier cities, the rest are all Class B cities.

Before the movie was released, Luo Mo received several dinner invitations, respectively from the distributors of other movies in the Spring Festival slot.

He knew very well that this so-called dinner was actually to—standardize pricing!

Luo Mo was too busy before the New Year, and he didn't like this model either, so he refused them all.

Anyway, he is famous in the circle for not being sociable, and famous for being ungrateful.

The final result was that the film parties for the other blockbusters all raised their 【Minimum Distribution Price】 by 5 yuan compared to last year.

40 yuan for Class A cities, 35 yuan for Class B cities.

Only Luo Mo's side kept the 【Minimum Distribution Price】 the same as usual, set at 35 yuan and 30 yuan.

Perhaps in everyone's memory, there used to be cheap movie tickets, such as the 【19.9】 model.

Here, there is usually someone subsidizing the price difference, and it is mostly not the cinema chains themselves doing the subsidizing.

When the film party raises the 【Minimum Distribution Price】, they are actually driving up ticket prices at the source.

For this reason, the film parties of the other movies had even stronger opinions about Luo Mo.

Don't you understand the principle that the law does not punish the masses?

If everyone raises the price together, no one will say anything!

It's just you who has so many damn issues, just you who has to be different!

But fortunately, this guy's movie is an Animation, which makes these film parties feel even more emboldened.

Even if this news were exposed, it wouldn't matter.

You are an animated movie, we are not; it is only natural that we set our 【Minimum Distribution Price】 higher than yours!

Yes, "Monkey King: Hero is Back" did indeed open a new era for domestic animated movies.

But the energy of a movie with over a billion in box office is still limited.

Animated movies are still on the lower end of the contempt chain.

In fact, if Luo Mo followed suit and raised prices, then once the public sentiment on the internet turned against the price hikes, the other film parties would definitely push him to the front to attract the fire!

"Look! You all look at him! An animated movie selling for so much!"

"If his animated movie is set at this price, why can't we?"

If nothing goes wrong, a large number of netizens will also feel that the price hike for "Nezha" is the most unreasonable!

They don't care that high-quality animation production is expensive; they will only think that you don't even need to hire Actors, and you can save a huge sum just on salaries.

Of course, Luo Mo not raising prices isn't because he's afraid of being scolded; he just acts according to his own heart and ideas.

"I don't want to raise prices during the New Year, so I won't."

However, in reality, the pricing power for movie tickets mainly lies in the hands of the cinema chains.

These days, there aren't many cinema chains that would use the minimum price to set their prices.

Even if you set it at 10 yuan, they will still sell it for fifty or sixty, or even higher!

After all, what the cinema chains can decide is the upper limit of the ticket price...

Therefore, when many cinema chains saw that the 【Minimum Distribution Price】 of "Nezha: Birth of the Demon Child" did not follow the crowd, they were slightly stunned at first.

But, it was only a slight stun.

In short, this number doesn't affect their own pricing anyway.

The reason why Spring Festival movie tickets being too expensive topped the Weibo Hot Search and ignited heated discussions across the entire internet is mainly because everyone has deep-seated grievances.

"Damn it, why doesn't income rise every year?"

"The money earned hasn't increased, but things are getting more expensive every year!"

"Watching a movie during the New Year is for fun, yet it goes up so much every year."

"Damn, it costs me over 240 to buy three tickets!"

"Laughing to death, my three tickets can break 300!"

"In my small county, it's quite a bit lower, forty-something yuan."

"It's still cheap here in Xinjiang."

"What's this, are we starting to compare between regions now? This is not something to compare!"

As mentioned before, this year's Spring Festival slot is very special; it can be said to be full of blockbusters!

This kind of lineup is much stronger than in previous years.

And blockbusters often mean that their original price will be relatively high, and on top of that, some movies don't need to be in 3D, yet they insist on making a low-quality 3D version for everyone to see, making the ticket price even higher all of a sudden.

"Hidden Dragon in the Abyss", "Monster Hunt 2", "Journey to the West: Six-Eared Macaque"—the average ticket prices for these three top-tier major productions are not low.

Looking around, it seems the cheapest film in this year's Spring Festival slot is—*Nezha: Birth of the Demon Child*!

In some larger cities, in cinemas of similar scale, its ticket price is significantly lower than those three big-budget productions.

In smaller places, the price is just a little bit higher than the Minimum Distribution Price.

After all, it is at the bottom of the film contempt chain; when setting prices, cinema chains also consider that this is just an Animation film, so they cannot mess around.

Or rather, an Animation film—doesn't deserve it!

From the past to the present, the pricing for all Animation films has always been a bit lower.

Plus, Luo Mo has always had a label attached to him, which is that his works are extremely "short"!

The runtime of *Nezha* is the shortest among the films in this year's Spring Festival slot, and by quite a margin.

This is also one of the reasons for the low pricing.

This meant that when the topic "Spring Festival film tickets are so expensive" topped the Hot Search, *Nezha* didn't receive much criticism.

When Luo Mo saw this Hot Search, he smiled without a word.

"On Earth, many people know that the box office of *Nezha* is heaven-defying, reaching 5.036 billion; after its release in 2019, it ranked second in film history, second only to *Wolf Warrior 2*."

"It wasn't until 2021 that its box office was surpassed by *The Battle at Lake Changjin* and *Hi, Mom*, placing it fourth in film history."

"However, many people only know the final box office figure."

"Everyone is not aware of how low the average ticket price was for it to reach a 5 billion box office!"

The average ticket price for *Nezha* was only 35.7 yuan!

It is the lowest average ticket price among the top ten in box office history, more than ten yuan lower than films from 2021.

It is often several yuan lower than other films on the list released in the same year.

Many people know this film's box office is Ox.

But they might still be underestimating just how Ox it is.

……..

……..

Yue Province, Guangcheng.

Chen Luo sat on the sofa at home, feeling a bit lonely.

There were only him and his elderly mother at home, plus a helper who didn't return to her hometown for the New Year and was earning triple wages.

Originally there was a golden retriever that could have made the home livelier, but the lifespan of a pet dog is limited after all, and it passed away last year.

Chen Luo and his mother could hardly bear the grief, so they didn't want to keep a dog anymore.

Of course, the house being cold and quiet also had to do with the fact that Chen Luo was still unmarried and had no children out of wedlock.

Since his debut, Chen Luo had dated two girlfriends, but neither relationship lasted until the end.

He was a bit of a germaphobe when it came to relationships; his own personal emotional life could be considered famously clean in the messy entertainment industry.

Both breakups were due to the private lives of the women involved.

After thinking for a moment, Chen Luo picked up his phone and walked into the study.

He wanted to make a call to the boss of his company.

"Brother Wei, Happy New Year," Chen Luo said on the phone.

The boss of Cilong Entertainment was named Chen Hongwei; in the entire company, only Chen Luo, Xu Lianying, and a few others would call him Brother Wei directly.

"Luozai, Happy New Year," Chen Hongwei also said on the phone.

After the two exchanged pleasantries, Chen Luo took the initiative to steer the topic toward the album competition.

Chen Hongwei had originally wanted to offer a few words of comfort, but he didn't know how to start.

The reason was simple.

For so many years, Chen Luo had almost never lost, so words of comfort had no place to be used.

Even if he lost, it was a narrow defeat, and he would always win it back later.

But this time it was different; it was three battles and three defeats!

Luo Mo's side could be described as unstoppable!

Chen Hongwei had also been very worried lately.

Yet he wasn't Pineapple's Boss Wang Shisong: when in a good mood, the secretary suffers. When in a bad mood, the secretary suffers even more.

For a secretary, cooperating with his performance is very tiring.

Even when feeling extremely uncomfortable, one still has to accompany him to bravely climb the peak; one must control their voice like a voice actor, and control their limbs like an excellent Actor—in short, it is extremely hard to act.

These days, to be a secretary, one also has to be a damn method actor; it's hard to deal with.

Chen Luo seemed to sense that Chen Hongwei didn't know what to say for a moment, so he took the initiative to change the subject.

Or rather, what he was about to say was the main reason he made this call.

"Brother Wei, let me tell you something from the heart."

"I actually admire Luo Mo's creative ability very much."

"I even…….. want to ask him for a song!"

As soon as these words were spoken, the other end of the phone fell into a brief silence.

After a long time, Chen Hongwei said, "Ask Luo Mo……. for a song?"

Chen Hongwei would always carefully consider any decision made by Chen Luo.

To be precise, Chen Luo himself was one of the major shareholders of Cilong Entertainment, ranking third in shares.

Chen Hongwei was a man who spoke in terms of business; in his eyes, there were no eternal enemies or eternal friends in the circle, only—eternal interests.

Chen Hongwei was somewhat surprised that such a thought would actually sprout in Chen Luo's heart, or rather, an impulse that a Singer could not suppress.

But he did not directly deny the matter, instead beginning to seriously consider its feasibility.

He began to reminisce with Chen Luo: how did we at Cilong Entertainment step by step end up on the opposite side of Luo Mo?

This story must start from when Cilong Entertainment's Music Director, Yuan Hewen, uttered that famous line: "Luo Mo stood on my shoulders to pioneer Chinese Style."

A phrase popped into both of their minds almost simultaneously: "That old codger!"

Of course, if one were to push back even further, the grudge between Yuan Hewen and Luo Mo formed because his old rival, Huang Xishan, kept losing to Luo Mo, and he wanted to prove that he was more of an Ox than Huang Xishan.

Aren't people always putting me and Huang Xishan in the same breath?

Huang Xishan can't beat Luo Mo, but I, Yuan Hewen, am stronger than Luo Mo, which equals—I am stronger than Huang Xishan!

Plus, with Pineapple Entertainment's 【Ordinary Heavenly King】 Zhao Xueqin being considered a student of Huang Xishan, if he and Pineapple's boss, Wang Shisong, came to ask for a song together, wouldn't that be the same as slapping Huang Xishan in the face?

The two had been fighting for over a decade; how could Yuan Hewen resist such a temptation?

—"I got carried away in an instant!"

My Dao heart became unstable in an instant!

Following that, Cilong Entertainment was led down a path of no return.

Who would have thought that a Top Traffic who emerged from a crappy Idol audition show back then could kill gods and demons along the way, becoming unstoppable?

At that time, Luo Mo didn't have many representative works, and his personal abilities hadn't been demonstrated to the maximum extent; he appeared before everyone purely in the form of prey, but in essence, he was a high-end hunter!

Traps! They were all traps!

In summary, Chen Luo and Chen Hongwei traced the root cause and reached a conclusion—Wang Shisong misled me!

What did my Cilong do wrong?

Damn it! The fault lies entirely with you rotten Pineapple!

Too evil, this Pineapple is truly rotten!

Teacher Yuan Hewen is at such an advanced age, almost senile, and you actually set a trap for an old man!

What is the difference between this and a fraudster!?

After a long while, Chen Hongwei said: "Regarding Director Yuan, after the New Year, we can find a few familiar reporters to conduct an interview and publicly respond to the question about Luo Mo standing on my shoulders to pioneer Chinese Style."

"This..." Chen Luo was momentarily speechless.

Chen Hongwei said instead: "This is actually for his own good. Look at that Zhao Xueqin from Pineapple, going on all sorts of variety shows, using self-deprecation to whitewash himself. Isn't he called Music Critic Master Zhao Xueqin by netizens because he said Luo Mo's music wasn't good?"

"Now, he himself is always hanging the title of Music Critic Master on his lips."

"When he goes on a music show, he'll say at the drop of a hat: Do you really want me to critique the music?"

"Yet netizens just eat this up, feeling it has great variety show effect!"

"Teacher Yuan is also at retirement age; the company will find a way to help him resolve this matter. This is also a form of public relations."

"Who would make things difficult for an old person with a sincere attitude? You have to broaden your perspective! You can't rely on your age to act arrogantly!" Chen Hongwei said.

Chen Luo wanted to say something but hesitated.

He felt that Chen Hongwei should also be clear in his heart that the conflict between Cilong and Luo Mo is not so easily resolved.

Yuan Hewen was originally relying on his age to act arrogantly and was in the wrong to begin with; this is all deserved.

Everyone is clear about Luo Mo's style of doing things.

If you repay evil with kindness, with what then will you repay kindness?

Chen Hongwei roughly guessed Chen Luo's thoughts and said: "Luozai, since you are the one who wants to invite a song, then you must personally show some sincerity."

"After a friendly exchange, appreciating each other, and then collaborating, that would also be a fine story."

Chen Luo knew very well that showing some sincerity was a must.

He was also willing to show sincerity for Luo Mo's excellent creations.

But he didn't know where to start.

After understanding Chen Luo's confusion, Chen Hongwei pointed out: "Doesn't he have a new movie out? It seems to be called Nezha: Birth of the Demon Child?"

"Every time Luo Mo has a new film released, many celebrities spontaneously promote it for him."

"Haven't you also promoted movies for many Actor friends?" Chen Hongwei said.

"But my personal advice is, don't engage in this kind of friendship promotion. Regardless of the quality, just praising it to the skies will instead make you look inferior."

"It is best if you go to the Cinema yourself to watch this movie. If you truly think it is good, write a few words of genuine truth on Weibo."

Upon hearing this, Chen Luo asked in return: "Then what if I think it's not very good after watching it?"

"Then think of other ways to express sincerity," Chen Hongwei said.

After finishing, he added: "This matter must be done quickly, while the movie has just been released and the word-of-mouth hasn't fermented yet."

"Once it is set and the word-of-mouth is solidified, it will be too late."

There are plenty of stars in the circle who want to curry favor with Luo Mo but are afraid that the movie is actually trash and will be roasted by netizens after they praise it, so they choose to wait until the word-of-mouth ferments and the audience says the movie is good before posting online, which can also ride the wave of popularity.

Chen Luo pondered for a moment and said: "I understand."

Going to the Cinema to watch the movie in person, one could also take a picture of the ticket stub or take a selfie; the value lies in being real.

Then, through one's own thoughts after watching and the reactions of other audience members in the Cinema, one can actually know the good and bad of the movie.

It's just that Chen Luo never thought that, at over forty years old and without children, he would one day be fully disguised and sneak into a crowded Cinema, risking it all—to watch an Animation!

(End of this chapter)