Chinanews client, Beijing, August 29th (Reporter Song Yusheng) "Yaobai", which has been in theaters for a week, seems to be Huayi Brothers' "extended life" with its good box office results. But how long it can "remain" is still unknown.

The movie "Yao Bai" poster.

Single-day box office exceeded 100 million for 8 consecutive days

　　On August 27th, Huayi Brothers released the "Announcement on the Box Office of the Movie "Yabai"".

　　Judging from box office performance alone, this announcement shows that in the five days since the movie "Yu Bai" was released in mainland China, the cumulative box office revenue has exceeded 1.155 billion yuan, which is more than the operating income of the company’s audited consolidated financial statements for the most recent fiscal year. 50%; As of August 25, the company's operating income range from "Yabai" is approximately 205 million to 245 million.

　　As the first film released since the resumption of work in domestic theaters, "Yao Hundred" currently tops the box office list of Chinese movies this year.

　　On August 21, the film was officially released on the first day and won 134 million yuan in box office. According to the report, according to the data of Maoyan Professional Edition, "Eight Hundred" has already received 230 million yuan at the box office.

　　After a lapse of more than 200 days, the single-day box office of Chinese movies has returned to the level before the epidemic. Since then, the single-day box office of "Eight Hundred Hundred" has exceeded 100 million yuan for 8 consecutive days, and the box office of the film has exceeded 1.6 billion yuan.

　　At the same time, various topics about this film continue to spark discussion on social media.

　　On August 23, Wang Zhonglei, Vice Chairman and CEO of Huayi Brothers, discussed the achievements of this film in the first forum of the 10th Beijing International Film Festival. He said: "The achievements of "Eight Hundred" cannot be achieved by oneself. They cannot be separated from the support of the government and various parties, as well as the enthusiasm of movie viewers. These achievements not only demonstrate the power of Chinese films, but also fully prove This is the success of China’s national defense epidemic."

The filming base of the movie "Yabai". Photo by Zhong Sheng

"Eight Hundred" became the "life-saving straw" of Huayi Brothers

　　While reaping good box office results, "Yao Hundred" has also become a "life-saving straw" for Huayi Brothers in the plight.

　　Also on the 27th, the "2020 Semi-Annual Report" published by Huayi Brothers showed that in the first half of this year, Huayi Brothers’ total operating income was 320 million yuan, a decrease of 69.88% over the same period of the previous year; net profit was -230 million yuan, but year-on-year An increase of 39%.

　　Many people suspect that they are mistaken: the net profit is all negative, so why has it increased year-on-year?

　　For Huayi Brothers, this is indeed a fact, and it also explains to a certain extent the operating status quo faced by the company. Because in 2019, the company's operating net profit is close to 4 billion yuan.

　　In contrast, the Huayi Brothers under the epidemic situation still suffered losses, but the margin has narrowed.

　　Among them, due to the impact of the epidemic, the film and television entertainment segment achieved a main business income of 270 million yuan, a year-on-year decrease of 73.18%; brand licensing and real-world entertainment segment operating income was 9,932,300 yuan, a year-on-year decrease of 65.97%. At the same time, the operating income of the Internet entertainment sector was 35.5632 million yuan, a year-on-year increase of 101.51%; another investment income was 10.334 million yuan, a year-on-year increase of 122.32%.

　　During the time period covered by this report, "Eight Hundred" was not released and the theaters did not resume operations, but Huayi Brothers' income in the Internet entertainment sector and investment income has increased.

　　The box office revenue brought by "Yaobai" gave Huayi Brothers the hope of turning losses into profits.

　　The performance of the stock market also illustrates this point. On August 20, the share price of Huayi Brothers rose by the upper limit; on the 21st day of the premiere of "Yai Hundred", the stock price rose by more than 8%; on the 27th, after Huayi Brothers announced the "Announcement on the Box Office of the Movie "Yai Hundred", the stock rose on that day 1.45%.

　　According to the forecast of Maoyan Professional Edition, the total domestic box office of "Yaobai" is expected to exceed 3 billion yuan.

Screenshot of Huayi Brothers official website

Once "the first film in the A-share market"

　　From the perspective of movies alone, in the past few years, Huayi Brothers has made too few films that have topped the box office charts like "Yu Bai".

　　At the end of 1997, the film "Party A and Party B" directed by Feng Xiaogang ushered in the era of Chinese mainland movies for the New Year.

　　Since then, the Huayi Brothers can basically be seen behind Feng Xiaogang's New Year's Movies. "Endless", "Big Name", "Mobile", "A World Without Thieves", "Assembly Number", "If You Are the One"...These films have brought good revenue and reputation, and also occupy the top position of the box office.

　　When it went public in 2009, Huayi Brothers was the first company engaged in film production in the A-share market. At that time, it was called "the first film in the A-share market" by the media. In the following years, Huayi Brothers has been firmly in the top spot among private film companies. Now it seems that that period of time should be the "highlight moment" of Huayi Brothers.

　　Many domestic film companies have also begun to make efforts in content. "Monster Hunt" in 2015, "Mermaid" in 2016, "Wolf Warriors 2" in 2017, and "Operation Red Sea" in 2018... When domestic films gradually won the first place in the annual box office list, Hua Brother Yi's film has disappeared from the top three spots on the list.

　　While the main business turned down, more and more artists under the company left and chose to stand on their own. On the other hand, the company has invested in huge real-life entertainment projects, but its revenue contribution has been small.

　　In 2018, a series of disturbances caused by the movie "Mobile Phone 2" became a turning point in the fate of Huayi Brothers. This year, Huayi Brothers suffered its first loss after listing. Wang Zhongjun made a "deep reflection" at that time.

　　But by 2019, the company's operating income has decreased by 43.81% compared with the previous year, and the net profit is about 4 billion yuan. In the first half of this year, the net profit attributable to shareholders of listed companies was -230 million yuan.

　　From this perspective, "Eight Hundred", which currently ranks first in the box office list of Chinese movies this year, is of great significance to Huayi Brothers.

Data map: Group photo of the creators at the premiere of "Eight Hundred". Photo courtesy of the organizer

Is one "Eight Hundred" enough?

　　But how long the "life-saving straw" of "Yaobai" can "extend" the Huayi Brothers is still unknown.

　　Even to this day, "Eight Hundred" only gives Huayi Brothers the hope of turning losses into profits, and it cannot be said that this goal has been achieved.

　　There have been many reports and analysis before that, if it does not turn around in 2020, Huayi Brothers will delist.

　　Huayi Brothers Chairman Wang Zhongjun also told the media, “In 2020, Huayi will not lose any more. This is the core indicator for the chairman and the entire team. It must turn losses into profits. This is a must. A tough battle."

　　In recent years, reports about Wang Zhongjun selling paintings, selling houses, and pledged assets have aroused attention from time to time.

　　But at the same time, the company's debt remains high. The semi-annual report shows that as of June 30 this year, the company's total liabilities exceeded 5.6 billion yuan, of which non-current liabilities due within one year amounted to 275 million yuan. Although the two figures are lower than the end of last year, the pressure is still not small.

　　Obviously, for Huayi Brothers, only one "Eight Hundred" is not enough.

　　In July of this year, Wang Zhonglei stated at a forum at the 23rd Shanghai International Film Festival that Huayi Brothers will produce high-quality and attractive content and take practical actions for all important schedules starting in August. Attract the audience back to the cinema. He also mentioned to the media that he has full confidence in domestic films and the future market.

　　In the second half of the year, what kind of market will this once "the first stock of A-share market movies" go out of? What will happen to this "hard battle" of "turning losses into profits"? The outside world will wait and see. (Finish)