Super Zoo-Chapter 559 - 554 Overseas Distribution Rights

"Terror Animal City" saw a spurt in box office growth in its first week of release after an adjustment in the screening rate.

On Douban, however, the ratings for "Animal City" were the exact opposite, experiencing a cliff-like decline.

Starting from the fifth day, the rating suddenly dropped from 9.0 to 7.4, and then it stabilized, hovering around that score.

Experts see this not as a bad thing but the opposite, indicating that ratings were beginning to lean towards reason, no longer dominated by a minority of enthusiastic fans.

That kind of fan-led super high rating is hard to reflect the true quality of a film; now, however, the opposite is true. As the base of ratings grows and more rational and semi-professional film critics join in, only then can the film's quality be objectively reflected.

Although the rating had dropped, the comments below had increased tenfold, most of them words of praise.

No matter how good a movie is, it can't be one-sided praise unless the investor hired a water army to hype up their own film, but "Animal City" is not such a case.

Or rather, the water army for "Animal City" wasn't hired by the investors, but was spontaneous.

Online, such volunteers are commonly referred to as 'tap water' - free water armies, differentiating from those hired for promotion. 'Tap water' fans volunteer to promote movies after seeing them.

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"I am the tap water army, and I promote with pride!"

"I went to see it with a skeptical attitude, domestic movies, especially the horror ones, other than the female lead's frightening silicone chest and scary plastic face, have nothing else horrifying about them, you know. But after watching this movie, my whole life was turned upside down. Do you know what torture it is for a fat person to not dare order meat dishes every time they eat? Can you understand the feeling of hearing what seems to be the wails of animals from the closet every night? If you don't know, well, please come see 'Terror Animal City'..."

"It's said that the producer of this film has fought against ISIS in Iraq and achieved glorious victory, even ****** personally awarded him a medal. I didn't believe it at first, but after watching this movie, I believed it. This is a true terrorist, no bloodshed, no violence, yet the terror is deeply implanted in everyone's heart…"

"Damn it, I was killing a fish at home yesterday, and suddenly it crossed my mind—what if I were this fish, being cut from the neck by an animal, then having my innards brutally ripped out... ****, can you still eat steamed crab? Just think about your limbs being tightly bound by ropes, placed in a big steamer, gradually being cooked alive until your eyeballs pop out…"

"This movie managed to advocate for animal protection, I know I dare not kill anymore."

"Although it's a bit too much, on the other hand, it's just a movie. I hope we can be moderate when using natural resources and not abuse animals."

Of course, many professionals also provided some well-intentioned critiques and suggestions for improvement regarding the film itself.

"Just speaking about the film itself, there are some unsatisfying parts. For instance, the acting skills are relatively immature, and some plot twists are a bit abrupt. Like, how did the long-eared rabbit fall in love with the male lead out of the blue? Just out of nowhere, love? I think a scene could be added where the long-eared rabbit has buck teeth, often laughed at by other animals, and the lead makes a brace for her to fix her teeth.

Why is the face of Queen Big Cat that of the lead's sister? I didn't find any foreshadowing.

Some plot developments were too quick, and the film lacked a powerful background soundtrack to set the mood, which might relate to the low investment. Nonetheless, a flaw cannot obscure the splendor of the jade—this is a conscience production of domestic cinema. To my knowledge, initially, this film had a very low number of screenings, so much so that hardly anyone knew about it, yet it managed to carve out a path in the crowded summer blockbuster season on its own merit. I was originally going to give three and a half stars, but on account of this, I give five stars full score!"

"Others have mentioned flaws, so let me highlight a few unique bright spots. The film's creators are the Yangchuan City Zoo, and my friends in Yangchuan City tell me, everyone locally knows it's a magical zoo. The whole film features real animals acting, something unheard of in film history, and most of the animals even completed their roles successfully; another major bright spot is the creators' brilliant idea, just a simple switch in perspective created a terrifying atmosphere. Also, the movie contains many thought-provoking details worthy of reflection, and there's an online article titled 'Eight Life Lessons Revealed in Terror Animal City' that everyone can check out."

"It's rare to find a domestic film that honestly tells the story with the right values and doesn't treat the audience like idiots. I hope everyone will spend some money to see it in the theaters and contribute to the Chinese film industry."

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"No wrist-cutting, no abortions, no car crashes, that's what makes a good movie!"

"I've already seen it three times, once by myself, once with my girlfriend, and once with my girlfriend's bestie. Everyone who's seen it says it's good!"

"Huh? I seem to have caught something strange in your comment."

...

A large number of shills have appeared online, all singing praises, but they haven't mindlessly inflated the score of Animal City. Instead, most have given sensible ratings, with an average score of 7.4, which is not low at all, especially for newcomers to the film industry—it's already high praise.

For a while, Terror Animal City became a hot topic among movie enthusiasts. Information related to the movie was widely shared on social media, with second and even third viewings becoming the norm. It's said that those who are emotionally sensitive find new insights with each viewing.

"Bullshit, how come I haven't had any insights," grumbled Suming as he squatted at the entrance of Whisperwind Pavilion, sweating profusely while devouring a bowl of Zhajiangmian that for some reason—though it looked quite ordinary—tasted incredibly delicious, thanks to whatever magic Hong Feifei had worked on it.

As Animal City suddenly became popular, related information about the film was dug up by netizens and widely circulated online. Yangchuan City Zoo, Suming, Guo Zijian, and the two main stars Nangong Huang Chengcheng all became celebrities. It was predictable that the filming locations in the movie—such as Ancient Moon Xian Residence, Whisperwind Pavilion, the queen's ancient tomb, and others—would become popular tourist destinations in the future.

Mrs. Tong had already prepared for a new peak in visitor numbers at the zoo before the end of the summer vacation.

Moreover, movie theaters in the Philippines and the treasure island are already in talks to properly purchase the distribution rights.

The overseas distribution rights won't require revenue sharing with theaters, so this sum is pure income for Suming and Long Wu.

Suming is currently entertaining the parties with good food and drinks, but he has not engaged in in-depth negotiations with them.

The price of the distribution rights will follow the domestic box office performance—the higher the domestic box office earnings, the higher the price at which the rights can be sold.

Animal City has only been released for one week so far, with a box office of just over sixty million.

There's no rush, let the box office soar for a while.

On the weekend evening, based on last week's box office and the new movies set to be released soon, theaters adjusted their scheduling rates for the following week.

——————Divider————

I'm traveling out of town this afternoon and won't arrive until late at night, so there will be only three chapters today. If I can get to the hotel early enough, I'll try to rush out another chapter and post it together with tomorrow's.