Super Zoo-Chapter 774 - 753: Must Not Make Enemies with Them

For two whole weeks, they only acquired two new films?

After the head of the marketing department reported to him, Mr. Qian of Baoke furrowed his brows slightly, paced back and forth in his office, then suddenly stopped and asked, "What's going on?"

The person in charge was startled, thinking, you look so deep in thought with that frown, I thought you figured out the reason, and now you're asking me?

I have no idea either, though it's considered the off-peak season, I haven't heard of a cinema that only shows two films.

Of course, you definitely can't talk to the leader like that, so Jin from the marketing department said, "Under normal circumstances, two films are definitely not enough to draw a crowd. We are still more than half a month away from the prime season, and according to the minimum requirements, we should have eight films showing in rotation, otherwise it will result in the cinema having no films to play most of the time or too many repeated showings. Moreover, the two films they acquired are not commercial films; by normal standards, five screenings a day in total would be sufficient..."

After all that talk, which was just beating around the bush, Mr. Qian, somewhat impatiently, interrupted him, "Under normal circumstances, under normal circumstances! Don't I know what the normal circumstances should be? The situation is not normal right now, and I'm asking you why they only acquired two films instead of handling the situation as they normally should?"

"Actually..." Jin said carefully, "Taoyuan Cinema is just a small cinema after all. How many films it imports and how full its seats are doesn't really concern us. Even if it's packed full house every time, it shouldn't threaten our position, right..."

"How can you think like that when you work in marketing?" Mr. Qian frowned: "They might not threaten us today, but what about tomorrow? We're all in the same industry. If Taoyuan Cinema is making such a strange move, shouldn't we pay attention? Are we to close our doors and pretend nothing is happening just because it doesn't affect us at the moment, and just live our little lives? Jin, you've been an employee here for a long time, so you need to keep up with the times. If we work in isolation, not knowing how the world outside is changing, how are we supposed to deal with market fluctuations?"

As a regional manager of Baoke, Mr. Qian was no ordinary person, especially when compared to Wu Decheng from Changhe Cinema—he was on a completely different level.

Jin, who was significantly older than Mr. Qian, was left speechless and embarrassed, his face turning a bit red.

"Hmm, Mr. Qian, you're right! But..." Jin racked his brains for a long time and still couldn't understand the reason, finally venturing hesitantly, "Could it be that they don't have the money to buy film rights?"

"What am I supposed to say about you!" Mr. Qian was almost at a loss for words, shaking the papers in his hand: "Look at the price of film rights during this period. If they're running a business, are they afraid of big spenders? If they didn't even have that little amount of money, what were they doing opening a cinema!"

"Then, Mr. Qian, I really can't figure it out!" Jin shrugged helplessly: "This isn't just illogical, it's inexplicably bizarre."

"Hmm, we'll see. It's true, as you said, for now they are no threat to us," Mr. Qian replied.

It wasn't just Baoke; inside several major cinema chains of Yangchuan City, everyone found Taoyuan Cinema's behavior incomprehensible.

However, just as Baoke's Mr. Qian said, Taoyuan posed no danger to these giants for the time being. It was only regarded as a curious move by a competitor, and most cinema chains maintained their silence, observing the changes.

The answer soon surfaced.

"What, they said there were only two films, right? How did it become twelve?!" Mr. Qian was almost ready to throw his tea in the face of the marketing department staff who reported this new development.

Even though it was still not a major issue, this was simply too irresponsible. What kind of job was the marketing department doing?

Two becoming three or four films would still be understandable; even the most diligent investigation cannot be 100% accurate, but jumping straight to twelve films was a fundamental change. What was the marketing department doing? Did they even conduct an investigation?

"Mr. Qian, it's not because we are negligent; just look at the twelve films Taoyuan Cinema is showing." Jin passed over a printed sheet of paper.

Of the twelve films, one was "The Labyrinth of the Heart," another "The Master," not a surprise.

But the remaining ten were all old films.

Taoyuan Cinema divided the off-peak period into two units, a martial arts unit and an absurd mystery unit, led by two new films, respectively. The remaining ten films were interspersed in the gaps of the two new films, forming two small themed film weeks.

The martial arts films included "The Broken Sword Hero," "The Grandmaster," "Sword Rain," and five others, while the absurd series included "Crazy Stone," "Burning Sun," "Twelve Citizens," and five more—ten films in total, all old films, mostly relatively niche.

Take "Twelve Citizens," for instance, a film that emulated "Twelve Angry Men"; it had only shown for two days at Baoke Cinema before it was pulled, and no one even remembered it.

Strictly speaking, these ten films cannot be simply categorized as martial arts, absurd, or art films. They have one thing in common: in the circle of professionals, they all have high ratings. They are substantial films worth savoring when one has time to ponder them.

It's no wonder the marketing department couldn't figure it out, who would have thought that a newly opened cinema wouldn't show new releases, but instead go buy the rights to old movies?

"Mr. Qian, isn't this a suicidal move?" Jin from the marketing department said, "Cinemas are not video rental stores. No matter how good old movies are, they have been seen before. How many people would actually spend money to watch them?"

Mr. Qian didn't immediately answer Jin, instead, he took the list of films and furrowed his brows in thought.

This was no ordinary matter.

As a figure in the same industry and in the business circles of Yangchuan City, Mr. Qian had some understanding of Suming. This head of Taoyuan Film and Television was indeed young, maybe not as mystical as the rumors suggested. To have come this far, he must at least possess the most basic business knowledge and acumen; he wouldn't be seeking his own end or burning money purely like some second-generation rich kids.

Even if it were the spending of a wealthy second generation, what seemed to outsiders as a prodigal act of splurging money often had commercial purposes behind it. For example, the live-streaming platform's splurges by the son of the country's richest man were actually aimed at boosting the platform's visibility and igniting the live-streaming industry.

There must be a purpose behind Taoyuan Film and Television's actions. Was it possible that his own habitual thinking was getting in the way?

Perhaps a change in perspective would be more effective.

While Mr. Qian pondered silently, Jin sneaked a glance at his boss, thinking to himself that the boss wouldn't, after ruminating, turn to him and ask, "What do you think?"

After a while, Mr. Qian suddenly smiled, as if he had figured something out.

"Mr. Qian, what do you think their intentions are?" Jin asked tentatively.

Mr. Qian spread the list of films out on the table, organized his thoughts, and slowly said, "This young helmsman of Taoyuan is much shrewder than we initially thought; he knows how to adapt to the current trends pretty well. Thus, we no longer need to layout plans against Taoyuan Cinema. On the contrary, if conditions allow, we should try to maintain a good relationship with them."

Jin frowned, puzzled. It made some sense not to target Taoyuan Cinema since its scale was too small to pose a threat. But why go out of the way to foster a good relationship?

Mr. Qian smiled, gently tapping on the list, "You're right, old movies have a limited audience, but does this little cinema need that many viewers? Taoyuan's sphere of operation is very small, with only one cinema in Yangchuan City. Their equipment, personnel, and management expenses are much lower than those of larger chains. Even if they only attract one tenth of the audience of a large chain, it would be enough to sustain Taoyuan Cinema. By using two artsy films as its marquee and playing a series of classic movies, it could attract a group of nostalgic viewers and a group with certain appreciation standards."

"That still wouldn't pose a threat to us," Jin said.

"That's exactly where he excels! We underestimated Mr. Su."

Mr. Qian repeated his previous statement, then added, "We all thought Taoyuan Group was fighting on all fronts, aiming for comprehensive coverage. But now it seems that he certainly prioritizes his battles. In the cinema business, he must be very clear that he can't compete directly with the large chains, so wisely, he has carved out a different path, screening niche films disdained by the large chains. In doing so, he poses no threat to them, but becomes complementary instead. Naturally, the large chains wouldn't bother to target him. If I'm not mistaken about Taoyuan Cinema's ultimate goal, it's to build a reputation that can eventually serve Taoyuan Film Industry."

Having immersed himself in the industry for years, Jin quickly understood Mr. Qian's point, "Are you saying that by exclusively showing quality films, once Taoyuan Cinema builds a reputation, it will become like a physical version of Douban? Films that are screened at Taoyuan Cinema are certified as good movies, guiding the public's viewing choices?"

"More or less. Of course, to get there, he has a long way to go."

Mr. Qian shrugged, "He played a beautiful misplaced move. When all the big chains were eyeing this fledgling small cinema, if he showed even a hint of competition, guess what would happen?"

"They would join hands to suppress it," Jin blurted out from experience, having seen and orchestrated such events too often. Little cinemas could hardly flourish under the suppression of the major chains and would only linger half-alive.

The difficult situation that Changhe Cinema faced initially was largely due to suppression from larger chains.

Mr. Qian nodded, saying, "That's the brilliance of his strategy. I hadn't expected this young man to have such a clear and overarching vision, managing to pull the rug out from under us. You don't want me to compete? Want to suppress me? I'd rather not compete with you at all. You keep your business, I'll play my game. He didn't use his weaknesses to clash head-on with the strengths of the large chains. If it were about financial clout and equipment, Taoyuan Group wouldn't stand a chance. However, while the large chains have money, their size prevents them from focusing exclusively on reputation—they have to take on any film that makes money. On the other hand, while his funds are limited, he isn't relying on the cinema for profits, allowing him to put market factors aside, and concentrate on making films."

"Boss, it's not often that you praise someone so highly," Jin said, seeing Mr. Qian in what seemed like a good mood, trying to joke.

"Of course, young people who rise rapidly usually have formidable destinies. And he is exceptionally wise; such people are very intimidating. Fortunately, he's not our enemy. Who knows, one day the big chains might have to court Taoyuan's favor," Mr. Qian said.

Jin smirked and did not reply, but internally he was somewhat skeptical.

Whether it was building a reputation or making money, in the end, it all depended on whether the audience was on board or not.