Super Zoo-Chapter 610 - 605: Biological Son and Stepson

Over 4 million US dollars — in the end, Suming could take away 980,000, which was even higher than the best price offered by Disney Studios, and it didn’t require giving up the animal first usage rights. It was a much better outcome than collaborating with Disney Studios.

The reputation was also not bad; a few foreign film review sites, known for their professionalism and biting criticism, all gave a combined rating above the passing mark in the end.

It even brought a certain reputation to Taoyuan Entertainment Company both domestically and abroad. Given the continued slump of Chinese-language films in the international market in recent years, a box office of 4 million US dollars was truly rare, and several well-known domestic media outlets specially reported on it. To the layperson, 4 million US dollars might not seem showy, but within the domestic film industry, it really made a statement. At least now, Taoyuan Film and Television was no longer unknown in the industry — it definitely rose as an emerging powerhouse. When the industry spoke of Taoyuan Film and Television, the attitude was mostly positive.

Logically, Suming should be satisfied.

In reality, Suming was not just disappointed — he was very disappointed.

Because the total box office of 4 million US dollars was far too low compared to his expectations!

Terror Animal City, with its sound values, innovative concept, and avoidance of sensitive topics like politics and race, steered clear of vulgarity and instead, subtly introduced animal protection as its entry point. It had a very broad audience and unprecedentedly used real animals for filming... These innate traits of the movie, in Suming’s view before the release, perfectly aligned with mainstream global values.

He never said it aloud to anyone, but in his heart, he expected that upon its release in North America, the film would most likely cause a sensation, become virally popular, and succeed at the box office.

He didn’t dare to assert it would hit a hundred million US dollars, but Suming was confident about thirty to forty million, and with a bit of luck, it might match the fifty million of ’The Hero.’

That was Suming’s expectation. He chose Huashi, a company whose total box office in recent years was only a few million US dollars, over the long-established and powerful Disney Studios to a great extent because of the ’revenue-sharing model.’

If the total box office of this film reached fifty million, Suming could pocket just over ten million US dollars, and with that, he would be confident enough to formally discuss the acquisition of a zoo with the government to solve the problem once and for all.

Who would have thought it wouldn’t even reach five million!

He had wanted to indulge in a moment of covert triumph, but in the end, foreigners had slapped his face so hard it turned purple like an eggplant. Suming was full of frustration.

If the film had poor reception overseas and didn’t fit the foreigners’ tastes, proving his lack of insight, insufficient experience, and shallow understanding of international cinema, thus resulting in poor box office returns, he would have accepted that. But that’s not the case — the reputation was actually decent, with the ratings all above the passing line; on the Rotten Tomatoes website, the freshness even reached 72%.

This score isn’t particularly high, but it indicates that the overall direction wasn’t wrong. Blockbusters like Superman, Fast & Furious, Batman, and similar films had scores not much different from Animal City. Why, then, were the results for Animal City so poor?

Facing this question, Cai Liming from Huashi Film Industry offered an explanation that left Suming speechless.

"Because our motherland has grown strong, but not strong enough. The North American market primarily means the United States market. The Americans are actually quite hypocritical; if we were a truly backward and weak country, they would gladly open their arms and market to us, to show the magnanimity of a developed nation. If we were powerful enough, they would also not hesitate to learn from us. China’s current international stature just makes America wary. Don’t be fooled by their daily chant about racial equality; whatever they advocate, they lack. Asians hold a low status in the United States, especially the Chinese. We’re not even on par with Koreans or Japanese, and even considered less than Indians. In terms of arranging screenings and showtimes, we faced certain resistance. Managing to achieve a box office of four million dollars, Mr. Su, I personally think is quite an achievement to be proud of."

Cai Liming talked in circles for quite a while, making it seem like the mediocre box office performance this time was mainly due to American imperialism’s suppression of Huaxia culture, national enmities, and personal vendettas, ********, resulting in "Terror Animal City" becoming a victim in the great power game.

If there were a hot-blooded youth or a big V public intellectual, they might now join Cai Liming in shared indignation, cursing the American imperialist bastards.

However, from his words, Suming shrewdly caught the critical point.

"Facing certain resistance in the arrangement of screenings and showtimes," this was the direct reason for the lack of box office success, leading to this issue, which on one hand might be due to the barriers in cultural exchange and economic competition between the two nations; but in Suming’s view, a more significant reason was the insufficient control Huashi Film Industry had over the North American market during distribution.

Why is it that for similar Chinese-language films, "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" and "Hero" could secure good screening schedules, face no boycott, and achieve box office success?

Cai Liming smiled and said, "Mr. Su, I can’t deny this point. Speaking strictly, Huashi really didn’t provide much positive support for the North American distribution of ’Terror Animal City.’"

Suming was already prepared to present arguments to prove his judgment but was taken aback when Cai Liming readily admitted Huashi’s shortcomings, leaving Suming at a loss for words.

He actually quite appreciated Cai Liming’s candidness; it’s better to be straightforward when everyone understands the situation, finding excuses to fool people is pointless. So he said, "Let’s talk facts, Mr. Cai, I will definitely make more movies in the future, and I don’t want to give up on the North American market. Do you have any suggestions?"

Cai Liming thought for a moment, didn’t directly answer, but asked with a smile, "Mr. Su, why do you think ’Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon’ and ’Hero’ were successful?"

"The rich Huaxia culture."

Suming paused and then added, "And co-production, these two films carry the Huaxia brand, but at least half of the production team were foreigners, strictly speaking, these two films are the products of East-West cooperation."

"Exactly!" Cai Liming nodded slightly, "To give an inappropriate analogy, when an American and a Huaxia person have a child, if this child shows even the slightest hint of talent, Americans would feel that the child has inherited the fine genes of America, and Huaxia people would believe it must have inherited Huaxia’s excellent traditions; on the contrary, if there are some shortcomings, instinctively both sides would assume the other is to blame; thus, both sides would regard this child as their own masterpiece, and if they could find exotic charm in the child, that would be the icing on the cake. Such mixed-blood children, whether in America or Huaxia, are the most beloved and favored sons. In contrast, films produced by one side alone, when taken abroad, can only be the stepchildren who are unwelcome and unsupported."

"Are you suggesting that to achieve success in North America, one must bring in foreign production staff?" Suming asked.

"It’s best to co-produce with an experienced major company. Furthermore..."

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Cai Liming paused for a few seconds, then said slowly, "Through ’Terror Animal City,’ Taoyuan Film Industry has already gained a good reputation in North America. Finding a major company for collaboration should not be difficult."

"Would it be necessary to switch to a distributor with influence in North America, then?" Suming asked half-jokingly.

Cai Liming was silent for a few seconds, then nodded seriously, "That’s exactly what I wanted to say, I strongly agree with your idea."