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hello. This is reporter Shin Jeong-seon of the Chosun Ilbo Culture Department. Today, while watching a movie, the thought occurred to me, ‘Audiences should be paid for watching movies like this.’ In addition to money, compensation must be provided for viewing time and energy. In the 13th letter, ‘What do you think of that movie?’, the movie marketing that newsletter readers know but are deceived by, we will look at the claim that the movie ‘Gorgeous Girlfriend’ has ‘the highest overall reservation rate’.
Poster for the movie ‘Beautiful Girl’ (directed by Seungjun Lee). The only thing that is bright is the poster.
The movie ‘Beautiful Girlfriend’ (directed by Seungjun Lee) was released on the 11th. But the press preview was held on the 5th. The Busan International Film Festival opens on the 4th, and most film reporters are in Busan. hmm. Are you confident that it will be a box office success even if reporters don’t see it and write about it? Or is it better for reporters not to see it?
This is the subject of the email that arrived in my email box on the morning of October 10th.
‘<화사한 그녀> Uhm Jung-hwa’s comic caper worked! 1st place in overall reservation rate! ‘A bright box office announcement!’
When I opened it, I was very excited from the beginning.
<화사한 그녀> Opening D-1! Ranked #1 in overall reservation rate!
<30일>, <화란> Beat it! In October, a box office dark horse appears! ‘Box office queen’ Uhm Jung-hwa’s brilliant comeback!
Real-time reservation rate on October 10, 2023. The movie ‘Beautiful Girl’, which was released a day before its release, ranked first with 23,996 viewers.
Above is the capture file attached to the email. If I had seen the movie at the preview, I would have compared the data right away, but at this time, I had not yet come across the true nature of ‘Hwasahan’. ’30 Days’ deserves to be put aside by any other movie. ‘Dutch people’ have a lot of tastes. It would have been possible if ‘Hwasahan’ had come out well and gained word of mouth early.
And I watched the movie today (Sunday the 15th).
The first thing that came to mind was the sentence I wrote in the first line of the letter. ‘At this level, I should get paid for watching.’ I was confused from the beginning. The whole time I was watching it, I felt like I was being punished. It made me wonder, what do you think of the audience? If I wasn’t in charge of the movie, I would have stood up early. Since I was the reporter in charge, I endured it and watched until the final credits rolled.
There is an easy way for a movie like this to be number one in advance sales. First, let’s look at the data. Below is data from the integrated movie theater admission network. The top is ‘Hwaran’ and the bottom is ‘Hwaran’.
Ticketing statistics for the movie ‘Hwaran’, as of the 15th. Ticketing statistics for the movie ‘Fair Girl’. As of the 15th
There is a reason why ‘Hwasahan’ claims to have surpassed ‘Hwaran’. It was released on the same day. Please look at the sales and audience numbers on the 11th, the day of the release of both movies. ‘Fair Girl’ is 99,872,400,000 won with 13,118 people, and ‘The Hwaran’ is 209,092,301 won with 31,843 people. The price per piece is different. ‘Hwasahan’ is 7,613 won, and ‘Hwaran’ is 9,110 won. ‘Bright’ is half the regular price. When real-time reservations on the 10th exceeded 20,000 people, the price per ticket would likely have dropped to approximately 7,000 won or less.
Yes, it is. An easy way for a movie like this to rank first in overall advance sales is through coupons. Whether it’s a free coupon or a discount coupon, coupons are distributed indiscriminately to maximize the reservation rate before opening. Of course, sales decrease accordingly. However, it is viewed as an initial investment cost to achieve the number 1st place in overall reservation rate. For example, something like this happens:
Articles say that the movie ‘Beautiful Girlfriend’ has the highest reservation rate.
They throw out coupons, force themselves to be number one, and send out press releases full of exclamation points. The article will then be exposed on the portal. The victims are the audience. ‘1st? ‘Is Yeonghwan okay?’ Some viewers who already wanted to see a bright and cheerful movie made a reservation for 15,000 won in anticipation. Even if the audience saw the movie and had a funeral, it was too late. Wouldn’t angry audiences now turn on OTT content safely at home instead of going to the movies? It’s a vicious cycle.
This isn’t the only way to use ‘Hwahwahan’. I use other movies too, just to a certain degree. Even familiar. However, when there is too much of a difference between the ranking and the quality of the film, it becomes noticeable, like this one. The evaluations of reporters and critics may not always be right or match your tastes. Still, consistently reading reviews from people who have seen the movie will help you make a choice. Not press releases randomly displayed on portals. Because your 15,000 won is precious.
Well, in the next letter, I will send you a movie that will be fun to watch. thank you
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