Can Alibaba Pictures 'new film "real" be introduced to China on a large scale?

real, starring Kim Soo-Hyun and Cui Shirley, was released in South Korea on June 28th with all kinds of bad reviews online, and both failed at the box office.

original title: Ali Pictures cast Kim Soo-Hyun 's new film "real" with a lot of bad reviews, can it be introduced into China on a large scale?

real, starring Kim Soo-Hyun and Cui Shirley, was released in South Korea on June 28th. The highly anticipated blockbuster failed at the box office in South Korea after its release. But at the same time, as a result of pirated filming, passionate footage went viral on the first day of release in China and South Korea, almost the most discussed Korean film in China recently.

it is worth noting that the film is a Korean film that Ali Pictures participated in during the Busan International Film Festival in 2015. Alibaba Pictures not only won the exclusive distribution rights of "real" in China, but will also participate in the global box office sharing of the film, which is Alibaba Pictures' second overseas film investment project after Mission impossible 5.

Zhang Qiang, then Alibaba Pictures ceo (who has left office) and Kim Soo-Hyun

then Ali Pictures ceo Zhang Qiang said when signing the contract," Alibaba Pictures invested in 'real' and valued Kim Soo-Hyun 's acting skills and super influence in Asia. "

but times have changed, and not only has "Korean restrictions" dashed many visions, but now the film is not doing well at the South Korean box office, with a reputation on the street and controversial because of its 19 bans.

Kim Soo-Hyun is no longer the Kim Soo-Hyun he was two years ago, and the entertainment industry of China and South Korea has also changed from a "honeymoon" to a "cold war." can "real" really be introduced into China in such a state? Two years has changed so many things that movie investment is really like gambling.

strong > Professor du / strong >

two years ago, Kim Soo-Hyun was the most popular Korean "fresh meat" in the mainland. Not only its starring "you from the Star" is a hit, endorsements are also flying everywhere. The TV series not only won numerous awards in Asia, but also starred in a wave of popularity. Compared with the heroine Quan Zhixian, who has long been famous in Asia, Kim Soo-Hyun has instantly become a new "darling", and mainland fans are known as "husbands" one after another.

as one of the most popular "fresh meat" in Asia, in addition to mainland businessmen handing over advertising contracts one after another, there are also film and television companies that want to "tailor" them. In 2015, during the Busan International Film Festival, Alibaba Pictures signed an investment agreement for "real". In addition to participating in the investment in the film, Alibaba Pictures has also won the exclusive distribution right of "real" in China and will participate in its global box office share.

at that time, Zhang Qiang, CEO of Alibaba Pictures, said that the reason "investing in real" valued Kim Soo-Hyun 's superb acting skills and the super influence of the Asian region. By the way, with the flow driven by "fresh meat", it is widely distributed in South Korea, where the entertainment industry in Asia is the most developed.

and Kim Soo-Hyun also worked very hard in the film, with Kim Soo-Hyun in 101 of the 111scenes. In addition to the escalation of violence, there are also a lot of porn in the film, which can show off the figure in an all-round way.

this is also Kim Soo-Hyun 's first return to the big screen after the TV series you from the Stars. Such a number of roads can usually bring great popularity to movies. In particular, "real" as an action film tailor-made for Kim Soo-Hyun, naturally attracted a lot of attention.

however, when the film was released, it was unexpectedly banned at 19, which not only had a great impact on its South Korean box office, but it will also be difficult for Alibaba Pictures to introduce to the mainland in the future.

and what is even more deadly is that the movie has a strange reputation of "jumping on the street". South Korean fans do not buy it, saying it is "the worst in history", while mainland netizens have compared it with "Fu Chun Shan Ju Tu".

however, it is worth noting that in the Douban score, more fans play five stars than one star, and most of the praise comes from Kim Soo-Hyun 's exploding acting skills. Enough to see that Kim Soo-Hyun in the mainland "Hou Gong Jiali" in the Yu Wei is still there, but also in vain Kim Soo-Hyun chewing gum until the right mandible protruding.

the early publicity of this film is expected to open a new chapter in Korean black films. However, after the release, the situation changed suddenly, and the focus all went to some indescribable pictures, which is really a pity.

Today, can this large-scale real still be "real" in the mainland? Of course, if it can be released, even if it is only broadcast on Alibaba's Youku, it will set off a storm. At least Mr. hard Sugar doesn't think it's fun to watch the clip!

strong > once bet on South Korea's Ali Pictures / strong >

during the Sino-Korean honeymoon, Korean entertainment companies had a large number of Chinese partners. The long list includes: Huatze, Huayi, Sohu, Ali, Tencent, Wanda, iqiyi, Huanya, SUNING Global.

Korean Wave is so popular that if you do some film and television, how can it not be related to Smecta?

in October 2014, Zhejiang Huatze invested US $50 million (about 330 million yuan) in next, successively participated in the production of classic South Korean dramas such as "Kill Me Heal Me", and won some overseas distribution rights and remake rights. SUNING Global invested $31 million and $29 million respectively in South Korea's Redrover and FNC companies.

at the 2015 Busan International Film Festival, Ali Pictures was busy signing "real" and contacted more than a dozen local entertainment companies. As Ali Pictures's second overseas investment film at that time, "real" is of great strategic significance.

"real" as a mass film, the production team is very strong, a number of South Korean actors joined, so that the film expectations are quite high. Ali Pictures participated in it, the purpose is to go further in the international strategy. It is reported that Alibaba Pictures was seeking to acquire two or three South Korean companies, hoping to make a full layout in South Korea.

judging from Alibaba Pictures' entry into the Indian film market this year, its overseas investment strategy is not limited to Hollywood. The fixed model of the development of the North American film market and the increasingly saturated growth space are not enough to make Ali Pictures a complete "bet". The booming Asian entertainment industry may have more investment potential, coupled with a common cultural resonance, its advantages are self-evident.

and South Korea is one of the most developed countries in pan-entertainment industry in Asia. Under the influence of the early Korean Wave, the development of the mainland entertainment industry has more or less the shadow of the Korean model. From the perspective of the development of the film industry, Korean localized films account for a relatively large proportion, and the development of commercial genre films is very mature. Whether it is to invest or to seek cooperation between China and South Korea in the future, it is a very good choice.

especially when Kim Soo-Hyun was on fire in Asia, it seemed like a very wise decision to invest heavily in movies. Its high popularity in China and South Korea is expected to lay a solid mass foundation for Ali Pictures to enter the South Korean market in the future.

what's more, in November 2014, China and South Korea concluded substantive negotiations on a free trade agreement (FTA). Because the Chinese government has simplified the procedures for outbound investment and raised the maximum amount of investment approved, many Chinese companies have been able to adopt direct investment and circumvent the rules on the import of cultural products. All this makes it possible for Ali Pictures to choose to cultivate the Korean market.

strong > Korean Wave Frozen and unsealed indefinitely / strong >

according to research by South Korea's Xijiang University, Chinese companies have invested about 3 trillion won (about 16.4 billion yuan) in more than 30 South Korean companies since September 2014. Among them, 17 enterprises are concentrated in games, Internet and film and television entertainment; 811.9 billion won has been invested in 11 games and Internet companies, and 138.6 billion won has been invested in six entertainment companies.

but in September last year, as South Korea wanted to deploy the THAAD system, it was rumored that the mainland had issued a "Korea restriction order." Although up to now, the "Korean restriction order" has not been seen in the official documents, it has long been put into practice.

after the "Korean restriction order", a large number of Sino-Korean co-production projects ran aground. For example, Kim Ki-tak, a famous Korean director, once planned to shoot a commercial blockbuster "atheism" in the mainland.

it is reported that at that time, the Chinese film side made contact with Liu Yifei, and there were rumors that the female lead might be Zhang Ziyi. However, affected by the "Korean restriction order", Kim Kidd's visa could not be implemented, coupled with some requirements of Chinese producers, led Kim Kidd to declare that he would not come to China again.

Korean restrictions have impacted Korean variety shows, dramas and movies to varying degrees. CJ EggM, which has the closest ties to Chinese companies, released 15 projects last year, but most co-productions seem to be difficult to release in China. And the use of Korean directors of the film also encountered a lot of difficulties. The director of "Rescue against the Times", Yin Hongcheng, is Korean, which is also a rare co-production between China and South Korea in the past year.

affected by the political wind, South Korea is no longer a "hot spot" for the layout of Chinese capital in Asia. With the heating up of policies and the popularity of several films, India seems to have the momentum to catch up with and surpass the cooperation between China and South Korea. Although the deployment of THAAD in South Korea has been suspended and the South Korean president has been replaced, there is no explicit stipulation on when the "Korean restriction order" will be lifted, and the future trend is still full of uncertainty.

under such circumstances, can Alibaba Pictures successfully introduce the "real" invested in the "honeymoon" of Sino-Korean film and television cooperation into the mainland?

of course, even if there is no "Korean restriction order", it is difficult for such a large-scale film to be introduced into China. What makes people wonder is that, as an investor, producer and distributor, Alibaba Pictures has given South Korean directors so much freedom to watch the film become "19 bans" without shouting to stop.

Edit: mary