Chapter 1134: Defeat Shuyou in the field we are good at!!

The third day of the New Year is naturally to visit relatives.

Following Akina back to the old house in Qinglai, they had an awkward lunch... After all, they haven't divorced yet, and Nakamio Nakamori also returned home for the New Year...

In fact, the thoughts of Japanese elderly in this era are similar. It is best not to divorce if you can, otherwise you will not be able to lift your head among relatives and friends~

The only unmarried Nakamio Nakamori in the family still lives with her mother. Chieko Nakamori also made very sumptuous dishes... In the afternoon, she also met her brothers and sisters who had already formed a family.

The eldest sister's eldest son, Zhaoming, still remembers this aunt's husband who has many games at home, and the second daughter, Xiao Ai, can also speak, and will call "Akina Auntie~" cutely.

So after returning to Tokyo, Akina hugged Ye Zi and looked left and right:

"My Ye-chan, when can you speak... I really want to hear Ye-chan call Mom!"

"It will take a few months~"

Naoki Nagayama put some food sent by Chieko Nakamori into the refrigerator and walked over,

"I think maybe call Dad first!"

"Humph..." Akina rolled her eyes beautifully and hugged Little Ye Zi to the side, "Ye-chan, we don't care about that guy, come... call Mom~ Mom~"

"Haha~"

Naoki Nagayama scratched his face awkwardly. He didn't expect his wife to be very serious in some places~

Thinking of changing the subject, Naoki Nagayama looked at the phone next to him:

"By the way, Akina, it's already the third day of the New Year. Are there any New Year's calls to relatives and friends that haven't been made?"

Akina was successfully attracted,

"Shouldn't be anymore~"

"Friends, agency, TV station, other agencies that have cooperated... should have all called."

Because she knows many people, she specially took time to call to pay New Year's greetings on the first day of the New Year~

"Then on my side..."

Naoki Nagayama recalled the people in his core circle, and they had all called,

"There shouldn't be any left... Wait a minute! I forgot one person!"

"?"

"It's Masataka-kun!" Naoki Nagayama was full of regret, "He is still in the company editing (selling his life for me) the movie!!!"

Masataka Komori's "Once a Thief" finished filming before the New Year. Because it was scheduled to be released at the beginning of the year, even the New Year's holiday was not rested, and he directly took people to work overtime in the company's editing room...

Before when he called, there was no one at his house...

"Naoki-san..." Akina didn't know what to say~

Looking at the sky outside, it was still snowing, and it was still the New Year's holiday... Masataka Komori was working overtime in the editing room like this...

"Forget it, don't disturb him today, let him work wholeheartedly!"

Naoki Nagayama shed crocodile tears in his heart,

"Masataka-kun, I will bring you a New Year's gift tomorrow!"

Akina on the other side of the sofa hurriedly covered Ye Zi's ears and eyes, not wanting her daughter to hear such a father at such a young age... Children are easy to learn bad things!

During the New Year, besides visiting relatives and friends, people mostly go out to play.

Especially young people, go shopping, watch movies, participate in celebrations, etc. ~

And this year, when choosing movies, the audience who came were a bit difficult to choose...

"Is "Ghost" better, or "Love Letter" better?"

Longye Chuan asked his girlfriend,

"Both seem to look very good..."

"Can't we watch them together?" Youyi Dagu coquettishly said, "Both have very good word of mouth!"

"But, in that case, each one is almost two hours, plus the waiting time, there is no time to do other things for the whole afternoon!"

Longye Chuan said. Both are love movies, and the audience they face is women... If it weren't for accompanying his girlfriend, he actually had no interest.

"Do you have anything else to do? Isn't there only me left to accompany?!"

Youyi Dagu stared at her boyfriend, and her firm eyes made Longye Chuan have no choice.

"Hai hai hai... Let's watch two in a row!"

This made his girlfriend happy again, and then he bought tickets and popcorn and walked towards the screening hall.

While waiting for the screening, Longye Chuan couldn't help but sigh in his heart. In the past few years, movies have become more and more inclined to cater to the female market. They are all about love, and there are also animated movies like "Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind" and "Doraemon"...

Why isn't there a blockbuster that can make men's blood boil?!

(Small movies and horror movies don't count!) 【1134

If only we had a sci-fi blockbuster like the American film "Back to the Future"! Is it really that Japan's capacity is insufficient, and we can't film movies with such broad ideas?!

Japanese directors, please step it up!

Meanwhile, the major film production companies in the entertainment industry had already set their sights on the Valentine's Day slot on February 14th.

Not daring to go head-to-head with Shuyou's "Ghost" and "Love Letter," they had placed all their own romance films into this slot, making the competition for this year's Valentine's Day movies appear especially fierce.

Some cinema chains had already resorted to unfair competition through discounted pre-sales!

"Giving up the New Year's slot just like that, I'm truly unwilling!"

Toei's General Manager, Takafumi Ogasawara, said while drinking with members of the board of directors,

"Just in this one week, Shuyou's box office combined is estimated to exceed 3 billion!"

"Haha, I think it might be 4 billion..."

Toei's Supervisor, Ryo Kuroda, shook his head and said,

"Don't forget, they had pre-sales for such a long time! And there were no competitors..."

"Indeed..." "To think they could even do pre-sales, how despicable!" "Destroying the market!" "Monopolizing everything!"

The group drinking together were almost all senior executives of Toei, and one by one, they vented their frustrations under the influence of alcohol.

You have to know, in the past, for such big slots, it was usually others talking about them, Toei and Toho!

"The pre-sale system is a good one!" Ryo Kuroda set the tone. "Looking at the feedback from the cinemas, this kind of pre-sale result is indeed a great guarantee of a film's quality, and one can also judge the trend of a film through this data..."

"I've received news that after Christmas, Shuyou used the pre-sale box office to negotiate with cinema chains to increase screenings..."

Ryo Kuroda swirled his glass and shared the news he had received. During the first few days of the premiere at Christmas, Shuyou Films had practically monopolized 70% of the screenings at Aeon cinema chains, something that had never happened in the history of Japanese cinema.

"So I say, with 'Ghost' plus 'Love Letter,' Shuyou's total box office for this New Year period is estimated to exceed 4 billion!"

"Truly... a number that makes one despair!"

The senior executives nodded one after another, and one of them said it directly:

"If you ask me, it's because our film directors and screenwriters lack competitiveness... otherwise, how could we have given up the entire slot from Christmas to New Year..."

"......"

Once this hard truth was spoken, everyone was speechless.

It really was that their own films couldn't compete with others!

It was Toshitaka Yamamura, who was in charge of hosting the drinking party, who came out to break the silence:

"This can't be blamed entirely on the directors and screenwriters under us... This guy Naoki Nagayama is an anomaly... Just think about it, since he appeared, from romance films like 'A Scene at the Sea,' 'Love Letter,' and 'April Story' to the current 'Ghost,' plus youth romance dramas like 'Hana Yori Dango,' 'Love Generation,' and 'Tokyo Love Story'..."

"Almost all of them have caused nationwide discussion... In the field of romance films, he is truly a rare talent that only appears once in a century!"

Toshitaka Yamamura had studied Naoki Nagayama very thoroughly.

"As far as I know, he seems to have come up with another romance drama script called 'Long Vacation'... and is preparing to film it this year!"

"Nani?!" "What?" "He has another one!!!"

"Didn't he just finish filming 'Ghost'?!"

"....."

"Everyone, don't forget, Naoki Nagayama has also written several romance novels, all of which can be adapted!" Toshitaka Yamamura continued to add fuel to the fire, leaving the others with no room to refute.

Takafumi Ogasawara, who was listening to the discussion while pouring drinks, nodded and sighed at this moment:

"Therefore, when it comes to romance films, let's not compare ourselves to Naoki Nagayama; we truly might not be able to beat him!!"

Since the General Manager in charge of operations said so, it showed that Shuyou's dominance in romance films was truly incomparable.

So Ryo Kuroda asked with some annoyance:

"Then what should we do? Last year's performance wasn't good, and the February financial report probably won't look good either... If we don't find a way this year, the board of directors will be dissatisfied!"

Involving their own interests, the senior executives all frowned...

For a time, they could only drink gloomily, and so some executives found a punching bag:

"Manager Yamamura, you are the Planning Manager, don't you have any good ideas?!"

"......"

Toshitaka Yamamura wanted to curse. If I had a good idea, would I give you my seat?!

However, at this time, as the Planning and Sales Manager, he naturally couldn't show weakness...

"If you want to beat Shuyou in romance films, I really don't have any good ideas~"

"However..."

"Film isn't just one genre of romance!"

"Looking at the trend of foreign films in recent years, sci-fi and action films are becoming more and more popular... Perhaps we can develop in this direction!!!"

"Surpass Shuyou in other fields! Return to the peak!"

Listening to Toshitaka Yamamura's analysis, the senior executives thought for a while, and then Ryo Kuroda suddenly thought:

"Action films won't work either! The action scenes in Shuyou's 'Hayato' are very outstanding!"

"That's right, that's right, every punch lands, it's both realistic and exciting... It seems to combine the style of Hong Kong action films and Western brawling, giving a feeling of being in a league of its own!"

"Indeed, indeed..."

"......"

Looking at this group of guys who boosted others' morale and destroyed their own, Toshitaka Yamamura wanted to curse again... It was clearly you who asked me to think of a way, and now that I've thought of one, you start suppressing it... Is being a salaryman this difficult?!

However, Takafumi Ogasawara, who had been listening, discovered a blind spot:

"Sci-fi films!"

"???"

"Shuyou doesn't seem to have filmed a successful sci-fi movie yet!!!"

Once these words were spoken, everyone's eyes instantly lit up.

That's right, Shuyou Films dominated romance films, was unique in action and comedy films, and horror films (Sadako) and dramas (Hachiko) also seemed to have potential... but, it seems, they had never filmed sci-fi!

Among the different genres of film, romance, action, comedy, and sci-fi are the easiest to generate box office!

Oh... Naoki Nagayama seems to have written sci-fi novels, but writing them and filming them are two different things!!!

"That's right, that's right! Sci-fi films require a lot of technical skill!"

"Sci-fi films can't be filmed just like that; they require heavy investment and also experience and technology... Only old-school production companies like us with deep foundations have the strength to film them!"

"So we should defeat Shuyou in the areas where we are good!!!"

Takafumi Ogasawara listened to the discussion of the senior executives, and his confidence slowly returned, so he tapped his glass:

"Then let's decide it this way: this year's focus will be entirely on sci-fi films!!!"

"Mm-hmm, well said!" "That's right!" "Let's use sci-fi films to turn defeat into victory!" "...."

Looking at the excitement of the Toei senior executives, Toshitaka Yamamura, as the Planning Manager, felt a slight sense of unease in his heart... I seem to have heard something before, what was it that Naoki Nagayama bought an island for?

Ah... right, right, right, to build a children's amusement park!

Then it's fine!

Originally, it was just a small-scale discussion at Toei, and no one knew who it was, but the content was leaked directly.

In the entertainment industry, once three people know something, it's no longer a secret... So an undercurrent began to spread among film production companies like Toho, Toei, Shochiku, and Kadokawa~

When Naoki Nagayama was still on vacation at home, he heard the news from Otomo Yoshimura...

"What? There are many films being approved at the beginning of this year, and many of them are sci-fi films?" Naoki Nagayama asked into the receiver with some confusion. "What's going on with this?"

In Japan, there is no need for third-party censorship before a film is broadcast. It is generally reviewed internally by the film production company, and before broadcast, it passes the rating review of the "Film Ethics Management Committee." If it causes a major impact later, it is also handled internally by the industry itself.

That's why they can film all kinds of movies~

However, if you want to film profitable commercial movies rather than low-cost niche films, you naturally need financing, need to find star actors who can carry the banner, famous directors, screenwriters, etc., so the news generally cannot be hidden.

"That's right~" Otomo Yoshimura on the other end of the phone was also puzzled. "Because Shuyou is filming a few movies this year, I heard about this from a famous producer during an industry gathering..."

"I heard that Toho and Toei both have ideas in this regard..."

"Huh?" Naoki Nagayama was a bit surprised at first, but then he thought about it, and it actually had nothing to do with him. "It's also possible that the trend in recent years is sci-fi films..."

"After all, America's 'E. T.' the year before last and 'Back to the Future' last year both achieved very good box office results, so the Japanese film industry must have reacted to it!"

Otomo Yoshimura on the other end of the phone nodded:

"It's possible... But Naoki-san, aren't you also filming 'Jurassic Park' this year? Is that okay?"

"Ha, what does that have to do with anything..."

Naoki Nagayama was full of confidence.

"It's estimated that it won't be released until the second half of the year. By the time other companies' sci-fi films have cultivated an audience, everyone will just happen to be able to come and watch the even more outstanding 'Jurassic Park'!"

"Hahaha, Naoki-san is indeed confident!"

Otomo Yoshimura also felt relieved. He had originally just treated this as an interesting piece of news; the reason he called was for another matter.

"Naoki-san... The Blue Ribbon Awards have already invited you to be an award presenter, right?"

"Hai..." Naoki Nagayama nodded in confirmation. "The Academy Awards also sent an invitation, but this year I'm thinking of going to the Blue Ribbon..."

"However, with the trend of 'Ghost,' it's very likely that it will also win many awards. Will you be presenting an award to yourself then?!"

"....... Uh..... I shouldn't, right?!"

The Blue Ribbon Awards should have considered this aspect well.

"Anyway..." Otomo Yoshimura said, "I have already mobilized Shuyou's connections... 'Ghost' will definitely win quite a few awards! Just be prepared..."

"Actually, there's no need to necessarily fight for them..."

Naoki Nagayama no longer had such a pursuit for Japanese awards now.

"How can that be! What should be ours, is ours!"

Otomo Yoshimura was very proactive.

"Why should we give it to others!"

"I mean..."

Naoki Nagayama paused here.

"If we want to fight, we can fight for international awards like the Oscars!! 'Ghost' will definitely be popular abroad too!"

"This~~~"

Otomo Yoshimura was stunned. It turned out he was thinking too small!!!

"Hahaha, okay... Then let's start by opening up the channels to the American market at the beginning of the year... Let 'Ghost' be released in the United States!! And then win an Oscar!"

The hearty laughter could be heard through the receiver.

Naoki Nagayama also smiled and nodded:

"Good! Win an Oscar!"

(End of chapter)